Cities of Oakland and Piedmont to Celebrate Grand Avenue Roadway Safety Improvement Projects on Bike to Work Day, Thursday, May 12, 2016

 News Release

The cities of Oakland and Piedmont will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony at 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, May 12th to celebrate the completion of the Grand Avenue roadway improvement projects running from Greenbank Avenue in Piedmont to Mandana Boulevard in Oakland.

The event will be held in conjunction with Bike to Work Day at the Energizer Station sponsored by Piedmont Connect and Bike East Bay in the Grand Lake Ace Hardware parking lot at 1221 Grand Avenue.

Mayor Libby Schaaf and Councilmember Abel Guillen of Oakland and Councilmember Tim Rood of Piedmont will speak at the event.

The cities of Piedmont and Oakland have been working together to complete this project to improve conditions along Grand Avenue for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. The “road diet” on Grand Avenue will keep the same physical pavement width, the street will be restriped from two car lanes to one car lane and one bike lane in each direction, with a turn lane in the middle. The parking lanes will remain as they are.

By making intersections simpler to navigate and creating clearer sightlines at crosswalks, road diets have the added benefit of significantly reducing traffic collisions.

The overall goals are to calm traffic and improve roadway safety for all users.

“I’m ecstatic to be helping to inaugurate these new improvements on a street on which I’ve biked to work for the past 13 years. This project is the fruit of years of committed advocacy by Piedmont and Oakland residents interested in safer and more complete streets,” said Piedmont Councilmember Tim Rood. “The new striping benefits pedestrians, motorists, and cyclists by reducing speeding, removing conflict points at intersections, and making crosswalks safer. I’m also thrilled at the new era of cooperation and collaboration between Piedmont and Oakland that this project exemplifies.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing more people walking and biking safely on Grand Avenue and across our two cities,” said Oakland Councilmember Abel Guillen. “Our commitment to a more walkable, bike- friendly, and complete streets approach is growing because roadway safety affects everyone.”

Both Oakland and Piedmont have conducted significant public outreach regarding this project. Oakland’s outreach was conducted during project development in July and August 2015 and Piedmont’s outreach was conducted as a part of the development of the Council approved Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan in 2014, as well as Council hearings in February and April 2016.

More information on the project in Piedmont is available by visiting the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Page on the website at:

http://www.ci.piedmont.ca.us/walkbike.

For information on the portion of the project taking place in Oakland, please see:

http://www2.oaklandnet.com/government/o/PWA/s/Projects/GrandAve/index.htm

 

Contacts: John O. Tulloch (Piedmont) (510) 420-3040

Kristine Shaff (Oakland) (510) 238-2966

On Monday, May 2, the City Council will consider a Contract for the Oakland Avenue & El Cerrito Avenue Intersection Pedestrian Improvement Project to Pacific General Engineering, in the amount of $25,500. Total construction cost is estimated at $28,050.

In recent months, the City has received several complaints regarding unsafe conditions for pedestrians using the crosswalks at the intersection of Oakland Avenue and El Cerrito Avenue.

This intersection (as well as several others along Oakland Avenue) were identified as higher priority projects in the adopted Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. Based on observation at this intersection, the Public Works Department has looked into installing Pedestrian Crossing Signs with rapid flashing LED lights around the perimeter of the sign for high visibility. The LED lights are activated when a pedestrian pushes a crossing button. The lights are solar powered, similar to the speed signs recently installed along Oakland Avenue. The plans for this project as prepared by the City Engineer is attached as Exhibit A to this report.

If approved, the work is estimated to be completed prior to June 30, 2016.

FISCAL CONSIDERATIONS – Funding Sources
This project would be funded from Measure B and BB Bicycle and Pedestrian monies. Based on the bids received, staff is recommending the following overall budget:

By: Chester Nakahara, Public Works Director John Wanger, City Engineer

City/School Liaison Committee – Tuesday, April 26, 2016 4:00 p.m. in the Piedmont Unified District Office Board Room, 760 Magnolia Avenue.  The public is welcome to attend.  There will be no recordings or broadcasts of the meeting.

1. Call to Order
2. Public Forum
   Overall Speaker limit – 10 minutes
3. Regular Agenda
   1. Facilities Master Planning
      1. District Update
      2. City Update
   2. Hampton Park Plan and Schedule
   3. PADC/PHS ART/City Project: Faces of Piedmont
   4. Traffic/Parking/Student Carpooling
   5. Crosswalk Placement
4. Adjourn

City to pave portions of Moraga Avenue and Highland Avenue April 11, 2016 through April 19th

Between April 11th and April 19th, the City of Piedmont will pave portions of Moraga and Highland Avenues between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. each day. The project was timed to coincide as much as possible to the Piedmont Unified School District’s Spring Break. During the project one way traffic control will be in place at some times. Please use alternate routes if possible.

The project area will be Moraga Avenue between the eastern City limit and Pala Avenue as well as between Monticello Avenue and the western City limit. On Highland Avenue, the paving will take place between Sheridan Avenue and Highland Way.

The planned work schedule is:

•  April 11th and 12th, grinding operations on Moraga Avenue.
•  April 13th, 14th, and 15th grinding and paving operations on Highland Avenue.
•  April 18th and 19th, paving operations on Moraga Avenue.

Work locations may be changed if conditions necessitate. Parking restrictions will be enforced in the work areas.

Residents with questions regarding the project should contact Public Works Supervisor Dave Frankel at (510) 207-2114.

At a special meeting on March 22, 2016, the City Council interviewed applicants and made appointments to fill vacancies on commissions and committees. Drawing on the talents of twenty five applicants for seventeen vacancies, the Piedmont City Council made the following appointments:

Each of these appointments is for a three year term. Commission and Committee members are eligible to serve no more than two consecutive terms in office.  All of the appointments are to volunteer positions.