City Council
April 19, 2022
AGENDA REPORT
TO: Edward D. Reiskin FROM: Ryan Russo
City Administrator Director, Oakland
Department of
Transportation
SUBJECT: GoPort - 7th Street Grade Separation
East Project
DATE: March 28, 2022
City Administrator Approval Date:
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Execute a Cooperative Agreement Between The City and The Alameda County Transportation Commission and The Port of Oakland for the 7 th Street Grade
Separation East Project.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC), the City of Oakland (City), and the Port of Oakland (Port) have been collaborating to develop and implement a suite of freight transportation projects, known as GoPort, including the 7th Street Grade Separation East Project, which would realign and rebuild a grade-separated underpass structure for vehicular traffic on 7th Street to cross under Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) tracks. The project has obtained approvals under National Environmental Policy Act, (NEPA) and California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) per Caltrans completion of a Categorical Exclusion dated October 25, 2018.
The current underpass structure, granted in easement to the City, has outlived its useful life and, due to its current geometric configuration, has a direct impact on the ability of trucks to move in and out of the Port in the most safe and efficient manner. The 7th Street Grade Separation East Project is comprised of reconstructing a 90- and a 50-year old structurally inadequate two-span Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) underpass structure located along 7th Street between I-880 and Maritime Street. As one of three gateways into the Port, the project will be designed to meet current geometric and seismic standards by increasing both vertical and horizontal clearances for trucks as well as widening and upgrading the roadway and a shared pedestrian/bicycle pathway to meet current American with Disabilities Act and geometric design standards. The project will replace the underpass structure with a new alignment of 7th Street and a new grade-separated replacement underpass structure.
The proposed Cooperative Agreement for this project (see Exhibit A attached to the resolution) memorializes the roles and responsibilities of the City and the Port (and indirectly UPRR through a separate agreement) for ownership, operations, repairs and maintenance of certain
Apr 7, 2022
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: GoPort - 7th Street Grade Separation East Project Date: March 28, 2022 Page 2
City Council
April 19, 2022
assets associated with the project improvements. Said responsibilities will commence after the Project construction contract has been completed by Alameda CTC and formally accepted by the City and the Port.
BACKGROUND / LEGISLATIVE HISTORY
The GoPort Program, consisting of the Freight Intelligent Transportation System (FITS) Program, the 7th Street Grade Separation East Project and the 7th Street Grade Separation West Project, has been under design development for many years. A subset of the GoPort Program is the 7th Street Grade Separation East Project. Alameda CTC anticipates achieving the following project milestones for this $372 million project as follows:
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Bid Opening - September 6, 2022
Award Construction Contract - October 27, 2022
End Construction - December 19, 2025
At the completion of construction, the City will accept ownership of certain portions of the newly constructed assets, and commence associated operations, repairs and maintenance responsibilities. The following related agreements are previously established:
• By instrument dated December 19, 1930, Southern Pacific Transportation Company, the successor-in-interest of which is UPRR, granted an easement to the City for the construction, use, and maintenance of a grade-separated underpass structure for vehicular traffic on 7th Street to cross under UPRR’s tracks at what today is milepost
4.50 on the UPRR’s Niles Subdivision (DOT Crossing No. 972497a).
• In January 2020, Alameda CTC, the Port and the City executed a Memorandum of Understanding (A20-0005) to define the respective roles, responsibilities, and authorities of the Port, the City, and ALAMEDA CTC specifically for design and permitting phase of the 7th Street Grade Separation East Project.
• Alameda CTC and UPRR will soon execute a Relocation Public Highway Underpass Agreement (RPHU Agreement). Said RPHU Agreement defines roles and responsibilities of UPRR and Alameda CTC for ownership, operations, repairs and maintenance. Alameda CTC will have the ability to assign all Alameda CTC ownership, operations, repairs and maintenance responsibilities to “others” (the City of Oakland and the Port of Oakland).
The City currently has responsibilities to maintain the existing a grade-separated underpass structures and a pump station for vehicular traffic on 7th Street to cross under UPRR’s tracks.
ANALYSIS AND POLICY ALTERNATIVES
The proposed resolution would authorize the City Administrator to execute a Cooperative Agreement that defines and memorializes the roles and responsibilities of the City and the Port Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: GoPort - 7th Street Grade Separation East Project Date: March 28, 2022 Page 3
City Council
April 19, 2022
(and indirectly UPRR through a separate agreement) for ownership, operations, repairs and maintenance of certain assets associated with the project improvements. Said responsibilities will only commence after the Project construction contract has been completed and formally accepted by the City, the Port and UPRR.
Generally, UPRR will own, operate, repair and maintain railroad assets on the bridge over 7 th
Street. The Port will own repair and maintain the bridge over 7th Street that supports the railroad tracks and UPRR operations. The City will own, operate, repair and maintain 7th Street that passes under the above noted UPRR and Port bridge. Said ownership, operation, repair and maintenance responsibilities including the roadway surface and support structures (piles, retaining walls and the roadway that passes under the Port bridge), a pump station, underground drainage storage culverts/structures, traffic signals, street lighting, a multiuse trail, trail lighting, trail railings, wall landscaping and crash cushions.
The proposed project improvements have been designed and will be constructed by consultants/contractors under the direction of Alameda CTC. These improvements will replace existing infrastructure deficiencies that specifically improve community safety along the 7th Street corridor, and to construct new public roadway infrastructure consistent with sustainable practices. As one of three gateways into the Port, the project has been designed to meet current geometric and seismic standards by increasing both vertical and horizontal clearances for trucks as well as widening and upgrading the roadway and a shared pedestrian/bicycle pathway to meet current American with Disabilities Act and geometric design standards. The pedestrian/bicycle pathway will provide an important link to/from the Bay Trail.
FISCAL IMPACT
The Cooperative Agreement will transfer, by assignment, physical assets from Alameda CTC to the City, and the City will need to repair and maintain these assets.
Staff acknowledges that the City is currently responsible for maintaining 7th Street between I- 880 and Maritime Street. Said responsibilities include repairing and maintaining an existing pump station.
Staff acknowledges that the proposed improvements will completely remove and relocate the existing alignment of 7th Street and the new alignment will include new pavement and a new pump station. These new improvements will require minimal maintenance during the initial life of the improvements. However, the proposed project will also be constructing new improvements that do not currently exist – a new traffic signal, new street lighting, a multiuse trail, trail lighting, trail railings, wall landscaping, crash cushions, that the City will own and maintain.
It is estimated that the average labor and materials to repair and maintain assets along this segment of 7th Street during the first 10 years post construction, will be equal to or less than the average current responsibilities. After 10 years, repairs and maintenance responsibilities will increase to be more than the current responsibilities by a factor of 2 times for years 20 to 30, post construction. After 30 years post construction, it is anticipated the average labor and materials to repair and maintain assets along this segment of 7 th Street will be 3-4 times the
average current responsibilities. Further, the new City assets associated with the proposed Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: GoPort - 7th Street Grade Separation East Project Date: March 28, 2022 Page 4
City Council
April 19, 2022
project are intended to eliminate or minimize the intrusion of groundwater onto the roadway surface. Such a system may be very expensive to repair in the future.
PUBLIC OUTREACH / INTEREST
No public outreach other than public noticing requirements for the City Council meeting is required for this item.
COORDINATION
The Budget Bureau and City Attorney’s Office provided review and coordination of this agenda report and resolution.
SUSTAINABLE OPPORTUNITIES
Economic: This resolution will ensure that planned improvements and maintenance in Oakland roadways can continue without delay.
Environmental: There are no environment opportunities associated with this resolution.
Race & Equity: There are no racial equity opportunities associated with this resolution.
Edward D. Reiskin, City Administrator
Subject: GoPort - 7th Street Grade Separation East Project Date: March 28, 2022 Page 5
City Council
April 19, 2022
ACTION REQUESTED OF THE CITY COUNCIL
Staff Recommends That The City Council Adopt A Resolution Authorizing The City Administrator To Execute a Cooperative Agreement Between The City and The Alameda County Transportation Commission and The Port of Oakland for the 7th Street Grade Separation East Project.
For questions regarding this report, please contact Fred Kelley at [email protected]
Respectfully submitted,
RYAN RUSSO
Director, Department of Transportation
Prepared by:
Fred Kelley, Assistant Director
Department of Transportation