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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1998-08-10 City Council (21)City of Palo Alto City Manager’s Report TO:HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM:CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC WORKS DATE:AUGUST 10, 1998 CMR:342:98 SUBJECT:STATUS REPORT ON VARIOUS CAPITAL AND MAINTENANCE PROJECTS CURRENTLY OCCURRING IN THE UNIVERSITY AVENUE BUSINESS DISTRICT This is an information report and no Council action is required. DISCUSSION There are several capital improvement projects and private sector, projects occurring simultaneously in the downtown area this summer. Public Works Engineering staff has ’ coordinated closely with Utilities Engineering, the Police Department, and the Transportation Division to minimize construction impacts to businesses in the University Avenue downtown area. The projects are as follows: 1998 Street Resurfacing - Public Works Engineering Annually, Public Works implements a capital improvement project for resurfacing and reconstruction of various streets in Palo Alto. On May 26, 1998, Council awarded a construction contract to O’Grady Paving, Inc. (CMR:244:98) for street resurfacing that includes construction in the University Avenue Business District. This project includes repair of curb ramps, crosswalks, and base faiiure including minor drain connection installation, resurfacing, and restriping of parking stalls on University Avenue (Middlefield Road to High Street), Hamilton Avenue (Webster Avenue to Ramona Avenue), Lytton Avenue (Emerson Street to High Street), Cowper Street (University Avenue to Hamilton Avenue), and Webster Street (Lytton Avenue to University Avenue). Public Works Engineering distributed approximately 900 questionnaires to all affected businesses in the downtown area in April of this year to help staff establish guidelines for the CMR:342:98 Page 1 of 4 resurfacing project. The results of the survey indicated that the downtown merchants and residents responding to the questionnaire preferred construction to be as quick as possible, while minimizing parking impacts. The survey results also indicated that half of the businesses and residents preferred daytime work, while the other half preferred nighttime work. Public Works staff decided to resurface the downtown area by closing two blocks at any given time during the daytime to minimize impacts on vehicular traffic and parking. Construction began on July 13 and the work in the University Avenue Business District is scheduled for completion by October. Daytime construction hours are norma!ly from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturdays, and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Sundays. The resurfacing contractor will close University Avenue a maximum of two blocks at a time during milling, asphalt overlay, minor drain connection installation, pavement striping and steam cleaning operations. Staff believes the best approach is to start work at 7:00 a.m. and open the closed Streets to traffic by 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, allowing time to complete the work while not interfering with the evening commute. These two block closures should not exceed five days each. Some nighttime work may be necessary to complete the pavement striping for this project. Public Works staff will continue coordination efforts, and will schedule meetings with the Transportation Division, Police Department, and Utilities Engineering staff as well as the Chamber of Commerce to review work schedules, traffic, and noise issues as construction proceeds. City staff will also continue to inform the downtown community of the construction progress and other related issues by distributing monthly newsletters and attending monthly downtown marketing meetings. Lighting and Traffic Signal Conduit Installation - Utilities Department - Engineerin!~ New street light poles and fixtures will be installed at six University Avenue intersections as part of the Downtown Urban Design Improvements Project. Existing traffic signals will be mounted on these poles. Conduits for these lights are being installed by the Utilities Department prior to the ~resurfacing of the streets. The conduit will be for future improvements related to the Downtown Improvement Project and is being installed now to avoid future street excavations. This project includes saw cutting, trenching, installation of conduit and trench restoration at six intersections located along University Avenue at (1) Cowper Street; (2) Waverley Street; (3) Bryant Street; (4) Ramona Street; (5)Emerson Street, and (6) High Street. Construction began on July 22 and is anticipated to be completed by early September. Daytime construction hours are 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Monday through Friday, Nighttime construction began on August 3. The nighttime construction hours will CMR:342:98 Page 2 of 4 be from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m., Monday through Thursday. All construction necessary to install the conduits (saw cutting, trenching and trench restoration) at the intersections of University Avenue and Cowper Street, .and University Avenue and Ramona Street will only occur during the daytime construction hours in consideration of the residents in the nearby hotels. Generally, the conduit contractor will close one traffic lane at a time at each street crossing during daytime construction hours and will completely close one intersection at a time during nighttime construction hours. Most conduits for the above noted intersections are expected to be complete prior to resurfacing. Additional conduit installation will be required for lighting on adjacent streets beyond the University Avenue resurfacing areas. This work and the actual installation of new street light poles, fixtures and remounting of existing traffic lights are scheduled to occur in 1999. Gas Main Replacement - Utilities Engineering Department This project is part of the overall Utility infrastructure replacement program. The first phase of this project will include installation of a gas main across University Avenue and Waverley Street continuing along Waverley Street to the intersection of Lytton Avenue and Waverley Street. First phase construction will begin the week of August 24 and is anticipated to be completed mid September. The second phase will begin at the Lytton Avenue and Waverley intersection and continue along the adjacent parking areas to the Lytton Avenue and Bryant Street intersection. This phase will begin after the resurfacing project is completed. Only daytime construction hours are permitted for this project. The construction hours will be from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The majority of the construction is performed in the adjacent parking areas. The gas main contractor will close one traffic lane on University Avenue and one lane on Waverley Street when crossing University Avenue. Water Main Replacement - Utilities Engineering Department This project is part of the overall Utility infrastructure replacement program. This project includes potholing and connecting the existing mains to the newly installed main line at various locations on Ramona Street from Hawthorne Avenue to Channing Avenue. Construction started January 4 and is anticipated to be completed in mid August in the University Avenue business district. Currently, daytime construction hours are planned for this project. The construction hours are normally from 8:00 a.m, to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The water main contractor will occasionally close one traffic lane as necessary. Some nighttime work may be necessary to complete this project. CMR:342:98 Page 3 of 4 Various Private Sector Construction.Projects Private construction projects for downtown businesses will be coordinated by staff through the Public Works Department’s encroachment permit process, which controls hours of operation, traffic patterns, and other related construction activities. ATTACHMENT A - University Avenue Projects Timeline B - August Newsletter - Street Maintenance Update (mailed and delivered to owners and merchants in the affected downtown areas.) PREPARED BY: Elizabeth Am~s, ~nginece.~ DEPARTMENT HEAD:~)~ z)~ ’ CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: GLENN S. ROBERTS E~L~r of Public Works Assistant City Manager CMR:342:98 Page 4 of 4 ATTACHMENT A d LLI 0 ATTACHMENT B CITY OF PAL O AL TO STREET MAINTENANCE UPD 4 TE (AUG UST) CONSTRUCTION UPDATE Construction activities will continue through the month of August. Work will include concrete curb ramp and crosswalk repairs, storm drain installations, pavement repair, asphalt milling and asphalt paving. Other than minor clean-up activities, no work will be occurring during the week of August 17- 23 in preparation of the Art & Wine Fair. Work for the Street Maintenance Project will resume on August 24. On the back side of this page is a map that shows where work is scheduled to occur and the estimated order for paving each of the street sections in the Downtown area. limited during these hours, because it would create too many joints in the asphalt. PARKING For each operation that requires the elimination of parking, "No ParkingI’ signs will be placed on barricades throughout the affected areas. Please observe these notices. Cars will be towed if necessary. Please use the adjacent parking lots as noted on the back of this flyer. !!!!!!!!!!!! TIPS !!!!!!!!!!!! PROJECT TIMING AND HOURS OF CONSTRUCTION The contractor will work in the downtown area for approximately 10 weeks during the 5 month construction period. Daytime construction hours are normally from 7.’00 AM to 4:00 PM Monday through Friday, 9.’00 AM to 6.’00 PM on Saturdays, and 10.’00 AM to 6:00 PM on Sundays, During this time, traffic and parking will be prohibited in the construction area. However, pedestrian access to stores will be maintained. Closures will be during construction hours only and will last for 3 to 4 days for each two- block section of construction. The streets will reopen to traffic by 4 PM each day. Some nighttime work, between the hours of 2.’00 AM and 6.’00 AM, may be necessary to complete the pavement striping for this project. ASPHALT OVERLA Y Once the preparation work has been performed, the street will be milled down 1 ½ inches. After the asphalt milling, the street will be overlaid with 1 ½ inches of new asphalt. The major construction will be complete at this point and only minor work such as steam cleaning and street striping will remain. ~NOISE AND DUST ~ The contractor will comply with all of the local noise and dust ordinances. The City will require the contractor to shut down noisy or dusty work such as steam cleaning, demolition work, jack-hammering, and asphalt milling during the lunch hours between 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM. The asphalt paving will not be You may want to consider planning ahead for alternate routes and parking on days when street closures are scheduled to occur. Both 7-day and 24-hour notices will be handed out to inform you of the scheduled street closure day(s). You may also want to inform your delivery companies of upcoming closures, and consider alternate delivery times. During street closures, traffic will be diverted to Hamilton Avenue and Lytton Avenue. A page that lists some information on commute alternatives is attached to this flyer. WHOM TO CALL If you have an)’ questions or concerns, please call Elizabeth Ames, Project Manager, at (650) 329-2502 or Zachary .Lake, Project Engineer, at (650) 329-2491. OTHER PROJECTS AND CONTACTS The City of Palo Alto Utilities Department will be working on various projects at the same time as the Street Maintenance Project. Greg Scoby, Project Manager, (329-2379) will be performing work on a gas line located on Lytton Avenue between Bryant Street and Waverley Street, and on Waverley Street between Lytton Avenue and University Avenue. Charles Borg, Project Manager, (329-2564) will be performing work on a water line located on Ramona Street between Hawthorne Avenue and Embarcadero Road. Also, as part of the Downtown Beautification Project, new conduits will be installed at various intersections on University A venue in order to improve street lighting. Gary Weinreich, Project Engineer, (329-2456) will be performing this work. If you have any questions concerning these projects, please contact the appropriate person in the Utilities or Public Works Departments. CITY OF PAL O AL TO . -_ .STREET MAINTENANCE UPDATE (AUG UST) Below is a map of the downtown area showing which streets will be resurfaced during the 1998 Street Maintenance Project. Alternate parking locations are also shown on the map below. E:~TIMATED ORDER 1 o 8-4-98 Commut,e Alt.ernatives As an employer, the perfect time to implement a commute program for your employees is during the 1998 Street Maintenance Project. it will help your employees use their cars less, free up parking, and reduce downtown congestion. Studies have shown that not only does general morale improve, but a general decline in tardiness and sick days occur when employees participate in commute alternatives programs. Paio Altois unique in that it has the Palo Alto CalTrain Station and Transit Center. It is conveniently located and serviced by buses from Santa Clara County, San Mateo County and CaiTrain. The Marguerite, Stanford’s free transit system, runs a downtown express 11:00 am - 2:30 pm every 20 minutes. In addition to these public transit resources, the City also offers free parking permits for carpoolers. If you would like more information or how to start a commute program for your employees call Kathy Lee, City of Palo Alto Commute Coordinator, 329-2582 or E-mail her at Kathy_Lee@city.palo-alto.ca.us Find out about: Tax free commuter checks for your employees o o o Carpool Matchlistso.. Best Bike Routes to Work... PUBLIC TRANSIT WEB SITES and PHONE NUMBERS Just a click away for any schedule you may need! Tell them where you want to go and they’ll tell you how to get there. AC Transit www.actransit.dst.ca.us 510-839-2931 Dumbarton Express www.sarntrans.com 1-800-660-4BUS Buses in San Mateo Co. AMTRAK www.amtrak.com 800-USA-RAIL Cross country trains SF Muni www.ci..sf.ca.us/muni/ 415-673-6864 Buses/streetcars in S,F. BART www.transitinfo.org/BART/ 510-464-6000 BART schedules CalTrain www.caltrain.com 1-800-660-4287 Commuter trains TravelInfo 817-1717 Transit, traffic, freeway info VTA (Valley Transit) www.vta.org 800-894-9908 Information on buses and CalTrain in Santa Clara Co.