Archive for 'Featured'
Community Meeting with Contractor/Caltrans
Posted on 21. Feb, 2010 by admin3.
SAVE THE DATE – THURSDAY, MARCH 25, 7:00 PM
Caltrans will hold a community-wide information meeting regarding the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore construction on Thursday, March 25, at Kaiser Elementary School - 25 South Hill Court (off Hiller Drive) – Oakland.
The agenda is in the works. In the meantime, please consider this meeting as your opportunity to get the most current details about the project, its construction phasing and schedule, traffic and noise management plans, air quality management, community communications, discuss concerns, and get questions answered.
The Fourth Bore Coalition has asked that the contractors’ project managers attend as well as Caltrans’ construction managers and project information officer.
Caltrans has posted a skeletal (and very slow) website for the project at http://www.caldecott-tunnel.org/. You can subscribe to their direct email list and post questions “CIP Comments/Contact”. Also, the FBC website links to specific pages on the project website in the right sidebar section labeled “CIP Information”.
Continue Reading
TREE REMOVAL TO START NEXT WEEK
Posted on 19. Feb, 2010 by admin3.
Caltrans will begin tree removal on the project next Tuesday (2/23),
starting on the east side. They’ll most likely move to the west side on
Thursday (2/25). It will take about 8 working days. Tree clearance will make
way for the staging areas, mini-electrical substation, temporary soundwall,
etc.
The trees will be felled with chain saws in order to comply with storm water
restrictions. (No large excavators to stir up the soil and create sediment
in the rainwater runoff.) The trees will be cut into smaller pieces and
removed with minimal disturbance of the soil. The work must be completed by
March 1, to comply with environmental regulations covering migratory birds.
(After March 1, certain birds will have returned to the area to nest.)
These areas will be re-landscaped after construction is completed. Any native trees that will be removed will be replaced, at a ratio greater than 1:1. For example, oak trees will be replaced at a 5:1 ratio , based on the ratio in the Oakland settlement agreement
Continue Reading
Route 24/Hwy. 13 Interchange Project Starts
Posted on 04. Feb, 2010 by admin3.
from www.caldecott-tunnel.org
The freeway connector between westbound Route 24 and northbound Highway 13 will need to be modified to accommodate traffic arriving from the third and fourth bores of the Caldecott Tunnel. Construction is expected to start in April 2010 and completed in Spring 2011.
The interchange with Highway 13 is fairly close to the west portal of the Caldecott tunnel. By realigning the ramp, Caltrans will provide more space for the traffic coming from the two westbound bores.
Continue Reading
Kay Street Construction Project Begins
Posted on 04. Feb, 2010 by admin3.
from www.caldecott-tunnel.org website
Few motorists know it by name, but Kay Street is the overcrossing just west of the Oakland
portal of the Caldecott Tunnel that connects Caldecott Lane on the north to Broadway on the south. The road is most often used by motorists during the afternoon commute who are driving southeast on Telegraph Street in Berkeley and heading for the Caldecott Tunnel.
Project Benefits
This project will install a traffic signal at the congestion-prone intersection of Kay Street and Broadway to improve traffic flow. Congestion is currently caused by two streams of traffic vying for the last on-ramp on eastbound Route 24 before the Caldecott Tunnel.
Also, motorists on Broadway wishing to make a left turn on Kay Street towards Berkeley face long delays during the afternoon, as traffic turning from southbound Kay Street has the right of way.
Ghilotti Brothers, Inc. posted the apparent low bid of about $311,000 on November 18, 2009. The contact was awarded on December 23, 2009. Construction should begin by mid-March 2010 and must be finished by June 25, 2010.
A separate portion of the project will modify the intersection of Kay Street and Caldecott Lane, widening the intersection to improve traffic flow.
This project also will enhance bicycle and pedestian flow at the Kay Street/Broadway intersection.
Continue Reading
Oakland Settlement Terms, Proposed Projects
Posted on 16. Mar, 2009 by admin.
Oakland City Council, following months of negotiations with Caltrans, adopted a resolution ending a tolling agreement and settling their potential lawsuit. The full terms may be found here:
CITY OF OAKLAND - LIST OF ENHANCEMENT PROJECTS
PHASE I PROJECT LIST:TOTAL : $8,200,000
Traffic Signal Improvements: $2,650,000 (2008 estimated cost)
Improve intersections in the project and surrounding on and off-ramp areas by installing new signals, making intersection geometric improvements, upgrading existing signals, to improve pedestrian, bicycle and vehicular access and safety. Locations include:
• Tunnel Road/Hiller Drive/Highway 13 intersection
• Caldecott Lane/Kay Overcrossing: New signal
• Caldecott Lane/SR24 ramps: New signal
• Broadway/Lawton: New signal
• Broadway/Keith, College/Keith. College/Miles, Telegraph on/offramps: Signal upgrades
Sidewalk Improvements $3,650,000 (2008 estimated cost)
• Tunnel Road: Install sidewalks along Tunnel Road between Berkeley border and the Tunnel Road/Hiller Drive/Highway 13 intersection as specified by the Oakland Pedestrian Master Plan.
• Broadway: Install sidewalks along Broadway between Golden Gate Ave. and Kay Overcrossing as specified by the Oakland Pedestrian Master Plan.
• Caldecott Lane: Install sidewalks-from Parkwoods condominiums to Tunnel Road.
Bicycle Improvements $500,000 (2008 estimated cost)
• Tunnel Road: Complete the bikeway between the Berkeley border and the Tunnel Road/Hiller Drive/Highway 13 intersection as specified in the Oakland Bicycle Master Plan
• Broadway/Overcrossing/Caldecott Lane: Complete bikeway between Broadway at: Golden Gate Ave and Caldecott Lane at Tunnel Road as specified in the Oakland Bicycle Master Plan
• Bike route signage improvements to BART stations
• High Capacity Bicycle Parking at Rockridge and MacArthur BART stations
• Replacement of on-street parking (i.e. bike racks) in commercial areas, i.e. College Avenue, due to citywide parking meter removal program
LandvaleBridge: $200,000 (2008 estimated cost)
Complete an alternatives analysis of possible pedestrian and bicycle connections from the Tunnel Road/Hiller Dr/Highway 13 intersection to the Lake Temescal Path (at Broadway). The analysis should include cost estimates for the alternatives and identify a recommended alternative, as well as potential state, regional and local funding options;
Soundwalls: $1,200,000 (2008 estimated cost)
At priority locations, to be identified.
Continue Reading
For a Better Fourth Bore
Posted on 05. Mar, 2009 by admin.
The Fourth Bore Coalition is working on behalf of East Bay residents to ensure Caltrans does “the right thing(s)” as they add a fourth bore for the Caldecott Tunnel.
Formed in 2005 by concerned local community groups in Oakland and Berkeley centered around Highway 24, the Coalition sued Caltrans over its approval of the Fourth Bore Project last December. The Coalition believes environmental documents failed to identify and mitigate the effects on residents of the proposed bore, and filed a lawsuit to get them redone. The lawsuit settled in Spring 2009.
The Coalition is currently working with the Cities of Oakland and Berkeley, as well as Caltrans, to ensure the settlement provisions are followed and construction impacts minimized.
