November 2016
SF And Oakland Road Conditions Are The Worst In The Country
A single, gaping pothole can result in hundreds if not thousands of dollars in repairs for a car owner, and thus Trip, a transportation group based in Washington DC, puts effort into tracking the condition of America's major highways and thoroughfares to figure out where infrastructure spending is needed the most. According to their new report, just released, San Francisco and Oakland aren't just among the worst places in the country for poor pavement conditions, we're actually number one. And the top three metro areas of 500,000 people are more with the worst roads are in car-heavy California, with LA ranking number two, and San Jose coming in a close third.
All told, the major roads of SF and Oakland were rated "71% poor," while pothole-filled Los Angeles was found to be only 60%.
And road conditions aren't just important for drivers, since cyclists can be seriously injured by potholes too. An Oakland woman won a $3.25 million judgement against the city after slamming into a pothole in the Oakland Hills in 2011.
http://sfist.com/2016/11/02/report_sf_and_oakland_road_conditio.php
http://www.tripnet.org/docs/Urban_Roads_TRIP_Report_November_2016.pdf
Why SF and Oakland have America's worst-maintained streets
December 2016
http://www.sfgate.com/news/articleComments/Why-SF-and-Oakland-Have-America-s-10813772.php
Planning > 2014 Transportation Expenditure Plan
Measure BB passed with 70 percent voter support: funds 30-year Transportation Expenditure Plan
Measure BB, approved by Alameda County voters on November 4, 2014, will generate nearly $8 billion over 30 years for essential transportation improvements in every city throughout Alameda County. See election results map. Funds began flowing to municipalities and transit agencies in July 2015. See Measure BB sales tax revenue allocations.
Measure BB funds the 2014 Transportation Expenditure Plan (2014 Plan), which was unanimously approved by the Alameda County Transportation Commission at its January 2014 meeting. An economic analysis by the Bay Area Council Economic Institute reports that the Plan will yield $20 billion in total economic activity in the Bay Area and 150,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
Strict accountability and performance measures ensure delivery. The 30-year Plan includes strict accountability measures to ensure all $8 billion for County transportation improvements are spent on approved projects. It requires open and transparent public processes to allocate funds, annual independent audits, an independent watchdog committee made up of people who live in Alameda County and annual compliance reports distributed to the public that detail costs and how specific performance measures are met.
Alameda CTC sought and received unanimous approval of the 2014 Transportation Expenditure Plan by each of Alameda County's 14 cities, an
http://www.alamedactc.org/2014plan
October 2014
Transportation fund sales tax increase on ballot
How does Measure BB work?
Measure BB, said Richardson of Oakland United Democratic Campaign, would lead to the long-overdue maintenance of some 50 miles of roads and 250 neighborhood blocks in Oakland alone. The measure’s failure would further a “state of disrepair,” said Colin Piethe of Bike East Bay, since Measure BB funds would provide 2/3 of the projected local transportation budget over the next three decades. The increased tax funding would also improve the quality of life “drastically,” he said in an email.
https://oaklandnorth.net/2014/10/29/transportation-fund-sales-tax-increase-on-ballot/
August 2016
Oakland's Street-Repair Deficit is Deep. The Mayor Says a $600 Million Bond Needed to Address the Problem.
Measure KK would also approve bonds for affordable housing.
Here in the East Bay, it's no secret that Oakland's streets are rough — as in riddled with potholes, busted sidewalks, and dubiously safe bike lanes. In fact, the mayor's office informed the Express last week that there's a $450 million service backlog of street-paving and repair work. That's not a minor to-do list.
Enter Measure KK. If two-thirds voters pass KK on Election Day, it will greenlight some $350 million in bonds to make a dent in that road-repair deficit.
But proponents tout that the initiative will do more than just fix streets. The measure also earmarks $150 million in bonds to upgrade city facilities, such as libraries, parks, and fire stations; and another $100 million in bonds to invest in affordable housing.
Measure KK is being presented as a complementary measure to the county's $580 million low-income-housing bond, Measure A1. Both initiatives would permit local governments to acquire and fix-up property, so as to increase affordable-housing stock.
But the meat of Measure KK would be spent on mending roads — this despite ballot language that portrays the measure as a solution to Oakland's affordability crisis.
http://www.eastbayexpress.com/oakland/oaklands-street-repair-deficit-is-deep-the-mayor-says-a-600-million-bond-needed-to-address-the-problem/Content?oid=4947689
From the comments..
I couldn't help but notice that street repairs in my already-adequately-paved neighborhood near Lake Merritt are ongoing, while West Grand Ave. is like the surface of the freaking moon, nearly shaking apart the bus I take to work every day.
Could it be that there's a resource allocation problem? Are "nicer" neighborhoods with more lobbying power grabbing more of the money away from the torn-up neighborhoods that actually need it? It sure looks like it from here.
report
July 2015
East Oakland residents organize to demand cleaner streets, road repairs
Even when the trash and debris aren’t blocking the roadways, the amount of potholes on the streets makes driving near his home like navigating a minefield.
“It’s in a bad state,” Paranguero said, adding that these conditions only add to the bad reputation this area of the city already has.
Using chalk and spray paint, the neighbors circled each pothole and wrote messages such as “fix me” and “measure BB funds.”
Holloway said the march was not only to get attention from city officials, but to remind fellow residents who have grown complacent after being ignored for so long that they shouldn’t have to put up with these conditions.
“We pay taxes … and we deserve the same service that everyone else in Oakland is getting, and that’s better streets and for our streets to be clean,” Holloway said.
Illegal dumping and rundown roads are problems that can be found in other neighborhoods in Oakland, said Kristine Shaff, Public Works public information officer.
As for road maintenance, Shaff said each district receives equal road treatment to address potholes and improve road surfaces for the same amount of blocks annually.
Shaff suspects a reason why it appears that less funding is going to East Oakland is because there are fewer commercial streets there.
Not only do commercial streets such at 98th Street and International Boulevard have a greater amount of traffic, which make them a higher priority, but some are repaved during construction projects paid for by city partners such as Kaiser Permanente.
http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2015/07/22/east-oakland-residents-organize-to-demand-cleaner-streets-road-repairs/
July 2015
East Oakland Residents Spray Paint ‘Fix Me’ On Potholes, Demand Repairs On Rough Roads
OAKLAND (KPIX 5) – Residents of an Oakland neighborhood said they’re getting a raw deal from the city when it comes to road repairs.
A 2013 study found 60 percent of Oakland’s streets are in poor or fair condition. Anthony McRae said it’s worst in East Oakland. “I myself have a claim against the city right now for $5,000 because I damaged my car driving through a pothole,” McRae told KPIX 5.
It’s hard not to notice driving down this street as potholes pockmark every piece of the road here. The city did come out to fix three blocks a couple of weeks ago as part of its citywide pothole blitz, but neighbors said they never finished the job.
On Wednesday, residents came out to circle the small craters with spray paint and wrote “fix me” next to the potholes.
Kamara Wilson, a volunteer with the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment, said the city has the money thanks to Measure BB, which is supposed to fund road improvements.
“We know that there are funds available to fix these streets and that’s why we’re here today,” Wilson said.
She says Oakland is funneling Measure BB funds into wealthier communities. A map of Oakland’s pavement prioritization plan shows purple lines indicating new streets. They’re just about everywhere, except a gaping hole in East Oakland.
Even more concerning, neighbors said a big chunk of Measure BB funds, up to $60 million, could be used to build Coliseum City while the streets of East Oakland are left in shambles.
McRae said it’s proof of what he already knows, that there are two Oaklands. “Over on this side, East Oakland in the flatlands, there’s no money coming over here,” he said.
A call by KPIX 5’s Christin Ayers to Oakland’s Department of Public Works about the potholes was not immediately returned.
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2015/07/16/east-oakland-pothole-street-repairs-spray-paint-fix-me/
