Speaker 3: Good evening, Madam Mayor, and members of the City Council. My name is Rochelle Wheeler. I'm the bicycle and pedestrian coordinator for the city in the Base Reuse and Transportation Planning Department. I'm happy to provide a brief staff report, and I'm also happy just to answer any questions you have.
Speaker 0: All right. This item was pulled by. And Nebraska. Nebraska. Thank you. Sorry, my iPad is freezing, but I think it's in Frozen now. Thank you, Miss Wheeler. I have just a couple of questions. So and as you know, I emailed them to you earlier today because I don't like to blindside staff. So the one of them is. So we're talking about the cross Alameda Trail and this particular segment called The Atlantic Gap. And do you want to just tell the audience listening where that is so they can kind of get a frame of reference?
Speaker 3: Sure. The cross helped me to trail. Atlantic Gap is one block, but along Atlantic between Webster and Constitution and it's a key connector between a off street multi-use trail that will go through the Jean Sweeney Park, the cross, I mean, a trail. And then the part that will go to the west along Ralph, out Bazardo.
Speaker 0: And so for laypeople like me, if you needed a landmark, does everybody know where the Starbucks is at Webster Square. And then, you know where one of our very nice affordable housing complexes for seniors Independence Plaza is? It's that segment of Atlantic. And it has it's been challenging for pedestrians, let alone bicyclists. Do you want to just explain briefly why that is?
Speaker 3: Essentially right there, there there are no bicycle facilities along the street. It's fairly narrow, unlike the portions of the the future trail to either side where we have a very wide public right of way to work with. We don't have any extra right of way there. So it's it's a challenge.
Speaker 0: Thank you. So I was pleased to read in the staff report that in early 2016, after further discussions with Bike Walk Alameda, more extensive improvement options were considered to create a protected bikeway along the Kat stands for Cross Alameda Trail at the Atlantic Gap. So the city I understand, is currently working with these engineers BCP to develop a final design for this segment, which is a separate project which will come to the Transportation Commission in early 2017. Is that correct?
Speaker 3: That's correct. The design. Well, yes, design well.
Speaker 0: And so my question is, what is the funding source for this portion of the the Cat, the Atlantic Gap portion of the Cross Alameda Trail?
Speaker 3: So the funding for that portion is most likely going to be from a combination of measure B, B funds development impact fees and or possibly Transportation Development Act Article three fees. And we're still figuring out the exact combination of those sources. And as we get a final, we're still waiting on the final cost estimate for that.
Speaker 0: Well, that was my next question, because we don't know exactly what the final plan is going to be. We don't have the cost. But do we have some guarantee that whatever it is will be fully funded?
Speaker 3: That's our intention, is to fully fund it. We're also looking at designing a project that is lower cost so that we will definitely be able to fund it.
Speaker 0: And so I and I, I am a cyclist and I've talked to a lot of cycling advocates when I understand the need for something that fits into a budget. But I don't think I mean, we're hoping that it's more than just paint on the pavement.
Speaker 3: Oh, definitely. Well, definitely. We're looking at a two way separated bike lane along that facility and then making some very strong improvements to both of those major intersections to make sure that bicyclists and pedestrians can safely cross there and connect to the the facilities on either either end.
Speaker 0: So crosswalks on either end of that's a fairly large block, right?
Speaker 3: Fairly long. It's a medium sized block.
Speaker 0: I guess the one of the challenges we've faced is that the residents coming from Independence Plaza tend to. Cross in the middle of the of that block because maybe it seems long to them. Is there. Are we addressing that?
Speaker 3: Yes, we're definitely including a mid-block crossing and our proposal for that for that one block because of those frequent mid-block crossings that are happening by the seniors right now.
Speaker 0: Okay. That that's great to hear. Thank you. And so then my last question is from the staff report on page three. So one of the items that we're asking these engineers to provide to do is to provide construction support, which is a necessary task for a large project of this size, anticipated to cost over $3 million to construct. Can you tell us what providing construction support means?
Speaker 3: Yeah, sure. So Bcf would be the engineer on record as the primary designer of this and this contract support allows us to have them available during the bidding construction bidding process to be able to answer any questions that come up in order to make sure that the bids that we get are realistic and based on the accurate accurately, based on what we'd like to do. It also makes them available as needed to answer questions during the construction process or phase, which helps avoid change orders, project delays and confusion in the field. This is a very standard type of service. It's being used for other city, large city construction projects and it's all as needed and I'm kind of more of an as needed basis. Okay.
Speaker 0: But the they'll be essentially on call. Yeah. During the bid process. Great. And my last question then is also from page three and this is paragraph three on the staff report says providing signal plans at Atlantic and Webster and Atlantic and Constitution. And those are the two crosswalks on either side of this block. The Atlantic Gap we've been talking about if changes are needed to these. Signals to create safe bicycle and pedestrian crossings. What what does that mean?
Speaker 3: So in order to make adequate space for the crossings, we may have to physically move some of these traffic poles. We may also have to alter them, such as to add a protected left turn phase again, all with the intention of making those crossings as safe as they can be for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Speaker 0: You have answered my all my questions and you've done a great job doing it. Thank you so much. Thank you. And the other council members. So with that, I would I think we already have a motion. Okay. And I will. Second, thank you. All those in favor of my motion carries. Thank you. And now to E and Amber.
Speaker 6: Already, I think I pulled out one.
Speaker 1: Recommendation to amend the contract with clean lakes to increase the contract amount by 99,000, including contingencies for vegetation management.
Recommendation to Award a Contract in the Amount of $179,444, Including Contingency, to BKF Engineers to Finalize the Design of the Ralph Appezzato Memorial Parkway and Atlantic Gap Segments of the Cross Alameda Trail (Between Main Street and Constitution Way).  (Transportation Planning 9161102)