$169,000 Oakland Avenue Bridge Grant Proposal on City Council Agenda
Bike lanes to be added to the Oakland Avenue Bridge along with bulbouts.
The Oakland Avenue Bridge designed by architect Albert Farr in 1910 is proposed to undergo changes. –
Grant funds may be available through “One Bay Area Grants (OBAG2)” supporting focused growth, regional transportation priorities, and the Bay Area’s land-use and housing goals.
OBAG 2 is projected to total about $800 million to fund projects from 2017-18 through 2021-22. Some $354 million in federal funds will be directed to Congestion Management Agencies. They are responsible for soliciting, evaluating and selecting eligible projects within their counties.
Piedmont’s OBAG Grant proposal for Cycle #2 is $169,000 for Oakland Avenue Improvements developed with the help of Coastland Engineers. The Oakland Avenue Bridge construction proposal includes: resurfacing, new bike lanes, relocation of a fire hydrant, a “bulbout” at the corner of Howard and Oakland Avenues.
The Council has heard from public speakers that pedestrians face a perilous walk on the narrow bridge sidewalks, originally 6 feet wide. No proposals have been made to return to the original sidewalk width. Bike lanes are proposed on the roadway.
Bulbouts often reduce one or two parking slots and are controversial. Some drivers may cut across the bulbout, bumping up over the curb and down as they make a tight turn.
According to the staff report there could be a shortfall of over $200,000 for the project. –
“The Engineer’s Estimate for the construction cost is $400,000, so the grant will cover approximately 42% of the projected cost. The additional funding will most likely come from Measure B and BB Bike & Pedestrian Funds.
“On a separate but related note, the City is currently working on a pedestrian railing and lighting project across the Oakland Avenue Bridge which was not included in the OBAG2 project application since the goal is to have this installed prior to 2019 when the OBAG2 monies will be available. “
The Alameda County Transportation Commission, which has a Piedmont representation, will announce the projects they select on July 31, 2017.
Read the full report with diagrams of the proposal showing bike lanes and bulbouts here.
Read agenda for Monday, February 6, 2016 here.
The specific request of residents was to add guard railings to the bridge, almost 10 years running at this point. I think a guard rail/barrier is called for in the bike pedestrian master plan. While Staff determined that a true safety barrier sufficient to prevent vehicles from jumping the curb could not structurally be rebuilt because of road width, the guard rails were considered a good compromise to alert drivers and prevent pedestrians from entering the roadway.
Are the guard rails part of the grant application?
Is the bike lane a dedicated lane or share row?
Curious what bikers think of a shared lane across the bridge? As a bike commuter, I’d get off and walk rather than ride up hill on that narrow road section.
Had any thought been given to Combining the two walkways on one side of bridge so a true barrier wall could be built? Seems better for pedestrians.
I trust these new projects will not delay the already approved projects for (1) the completion of the string of lights and (2) the much needed guard rails. Chester’s report on these is due Mar 7th acceding to assurances he gave the council on November 7.