OAKLAND, Calif. - Alameda County's Santa Rita Jail is set to undergo a nearly $270 million maintenance and repair transformation thanks to a decision by the county Board of Supervisors at its Tuesday meeting.

The five-year project will focus on deferred maintenance and other vital repairs for the 36-year-old detention center.

"The jail is our largest facility that houses 1,600-plus people at any given time, so it is very critically important that we maintain that facility in a way that guarantees life-safety issues are addressed," said Kimberly Gasaway, director of the Alameda County General Services Agency, which is responsible for all county-owned buildings.

Included in the project is the replacement of the "ring road," which circles the jail's housing units and other facilities and

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