4/14/22 Update – Street Paving Presentation.
View my presentation to the Budget and Finance Policy Committee on the need to adequately fund street paving.
STREET REHABILITATION PLAN. I know we are all concerned about the state of our streets. In December 2018, Council approved a five-year Street Rehabilitation Plan (scroll to Item #15 and view pages 9-13 to see which streets are scheduled to be paved over the next five years). In FY20-21, we will be rehabilitating nearly 5 miles at a cost of $17.9 million, which will be paid for through a combination of state, county, city, and grant funds.
Our City streets have an average Pavement Condition Index (PCI) of just 57, meaning they are “at risk” with “deteriorated pavement requiring immediate attention, including rehabilitative work,” according to a recent Berkeleyside article. Our streets have deteriorated over time, and we need a long-term financing strategy if we hope to see improvement in our PCI.
LONG-TERM INFRASTRUCTURE LIABILITIES. In March, the City Budget Manager presented a report to Council on projections of future liabilities (scroll to Item #1). The report noted that the City would need to allocate an additional $120 million to achieve a PCI of 70 within ten years, with an additional $50 million to achieve our “Complete Streets” policy goal of funding improvements to sidewalks, storm drains, curb ramps, and green infrastructure.
I’m honored to serve on the City’s newly formed Budget and Finance Policy Committee, where I will have an opportunity to better understand our unfunded infrastructure needs. In addition, the Mayor’s Vision 2050 Task Force is preparing a report for release in the fall that will provide a comprehensive overview of financing options for our significant infrastructure liabilities.
VISION ZERO. As we invest in our streets, I want to ensure that we design for the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians and strive for zero fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways. In January, I was proud to co-sponsor a Vision Zero item (scroll to Item #12) with Mayor Arreguín and Councilmembers Droste and Wengraf that authorized the creation of an interdisciplinary Vision Zero Task Force comprised of representatives from various City departments, including Police, Public Works (both the Transportation and Engineering Divisions), Fire, and Public Health. The task force is in the process of developing an action plan to achieve the systemic changes needed to prioritize safety on our streets.
MILVIA STREET IMPROVEMENTS. In April 2019, Council took action (Item #36) to design and construct a pilot protected bike lane on Milvia St. between University and Allston Way to be funded by Measure BB (the county’s half-cent transportation sales tax). Milvia St. currently has the highest number of cycling collisions of any of our bike boulevards. Our Five-Year Street Rehabilitation Plan was also amended in December 2018 to move up rehabilitation of Milvia between Blake and Russell Streets to FY19-20.