Who:      Caltrans & Local  Community Groups and Residents near the West Portal of the Caldecott Tunnel
What:    Community Meeting to Discuss Construction Issues of Interests between the Parties
When:    Thursday, March 25, 7PM – 9PM
Where:  Kaiser Elementary School,  25 South Hill Court, Oakland

AGENDA

7:00-7:20 PM      Open house

7:20-8:30 PM      Short updates by Caltrans and Tutor-Saliba (prime contractor) on

• Temporary soundwall
• Parking
• Traffic Management
• Noise Management
• Air Quality / Dust Management
• Temporary landscaping (construction phase)
• Public Outreach protocols

8:30-9:00 PM      Q&A

Information displays will be set up for the open house period, during which Caltrans representatives will be available to answer questions of a more technical nature. For further information, feel free to contact

From 7:00 pm – 7:20, there will be an open house where residents can
speak with Caltrans representatives about the project.  Although  a
question and answer period is scheduled for later in the meeting, the
open house will allow residents to ask questions of a more technical
nature, ones that might not be as relavant to the group as a whole.
Short Updates by Caltrans Personell and the Contractor, Tutor-Saliba, on
issues of interest to the west portal residents:  Soundwalls, parking,
traffic, air, noise, dust, public outreach protocols, landscaping.
Question and Answer Period.

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.

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.

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.

PHASE II PROJECT LIST:TOTAL : $4,000,000

On and off ramp improvements: $500,000 (2008 estimated cost): Improve access and safety for pedestrians, bicyclists & vehicles at all on/offramps to Highway 24, including full bike/ped actuation, ped countdown heads, signage and striping improvements, ped curb ramps, etc..

Bicycle safety and access improvements at the MacArthur and Rockridge BART Stations, including: $500,000 (2008 estimated cost): BART transit village on 40th and 41st St. Emeryville border to Piedmont Ave. and W. MacArthur Blvd, Hwy. 24 to Broadway, including median narrowing on 40th St. to accomodate bicycle lanes.

Traffic Signal Transit Coordination and Synchronization Program: $2,000,000 (2008 estimated cost): Along major (transit) corridors, interconnect and optimize for adaptive traffic signals system along Broadway, College and Claremont Ave. Include signal upgrades and transit priority system, pedestrian access improvements, bus and/or ped bulbs, shelters, and other amenities. Collaborate with AC Transit on Line 51 Task Force improvements.

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.