Title
Adopt a Resolution to Approve an Acquisition and Maintenance Agreement with the City of Oakland for the MacArthur/Superior Roundabout Project
Staffreport
SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS
The acquisition and maintenance agreement states that the City of Oakland will hold title to certain property that is purchased and maintained by the City of San Leandro.
Staff recommends that the City Council approve an Acquisition and Maintenance Agreement with the City of Oakland.
BACKGROUND
The intersection of MacArthur Boulevard and Superior Avenue has an accident rate that is three to four times higher than the statewide average and a Level of Service of “F”, meaning that drivers must wait an extremely long time to cross the intersection; additionally, speeding is an issue along MacArthur Boulevard. The City plans to install a roundabout at said intersection to mitigate these issues.
The project footprint was enlarged during the design phase to have separated bike lanes incorporated into the roundabout. As a result, right-of-way is required from the State at the north side of the intersection. The right-of-way will be de-certified by CalTrans, purchased by the City of San Leandro, and then transferred to the City of Oakland since the land is outside the City of San Leandro’s jurisdiction. The attached agreement is for the maintenance of the improvements constructed and the responsibilities of Oakland and San Leandro associated with the project.
Analysis
The agreement with the City of Oakland states that the City of San Leandro will design and construct the roundabout and acquire the necessary right-of-way from the State. The City of San Leandro will maintain most of the improvements constructed for the roundabout, except for those to be installed to the west of the new crosswalk on Foothill Boulevard as shown on Exhibit C attached to the Agreement.
The City of Oakland will review the plans, provide comments, and issue a no-cost construction permit to the City of San Leandro for construction of the improvements within City of Oakland’s jurisdiction.
The draft agreement was approved by the City of Oakland City Council at its March 1, 2022 meeting.
Alternatives to constructing a roundabout at this location were evaluated and rejected. A common solution, installation of a traffic signal, is not feasible because the high volume of traffic along MacArthur Boulevard would queue back onto the Interstate 580 offramp when the cross traffic has the right of way.
Current Agency Policies
Maintain and enhance San Leandro’s infrastructure.
Previous Actions
• On April 4, 2016, by Resolution No. 2016-040, the City Council approved a Consulting Services Agreement with BKF Engineers for $97,490.00 for the preparation of construction-ready plans, specifications, and estimates for the subject project.
• On May 7, 2018, by Resolution No. 2018-039, the City Council approved Amendment No. 2 to a Consulting Services Agreement with BKF Engineers for surveying and mapping work associated with the acquisition of private right-of-way and easements at 650 MacArthur Boulevard.
• On December 14, 2020, by Resolution No. 2020-159, the City Council approved Amendment No. 4 to a Consulting Services Agreement with BKF Engineers for the preparation of construction-ready plans, specifications, and estimates for the subject project.
Committee Review and Actions
• On September 20, 2016, Engineering and Transportation (E/T) Department staff presented the roundabout project at the City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee meeting. The Committee expressed concerns regarding speeding and high rate of collisions in the project vicinity. The Committee also recommended shared use of sidewalks between the bicyclists and the pedestrians due to limited right of ways. Staff was also directed to work with the Arts Commission and the surrounding neighborhood regarding the landscaping and artistic design elements for the project.
• On April 5, 2017, E/T Department staff presented the roundabout project to the City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee. The Committee expressed concern about how bicyclists and pedestrians will be in close proximity to each other on the sidewalk and suggested providing better accommodations for bicyclists in the design.
• At the June 7, 2017 City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee meeting, the Committee recommended not to include the design alternative without a roundabout as an option for public feedback, since such an option would not provide traffic calming, thereby missing an important goal of the project.
• On March 7, 2018, the City Council Facilities and Transportation Committee asked staff to reach out to the surrounding neighborhood prior to construction of the roundabout.
• On November 14, 2018, the Committee asked staff to consider a mitigation strategy for street parking as part of the project. The Committee suggested adding a traffic camera to monitor speeds and/or installing a speed feedback sign directed at traffic approaching the roundabout from the freeway.
• On April 3, 2019, the Facilities and Transportation Committee asked for the roundabout project to be a priority.
• On May 8, 2019, the Facilities and Transportation Committee requested that Oakland City Council Member Larry Reid be copied on a letter to be sent to Oakland Mayor Libby Schaff regarding the roundabout.
• On September 10, 2020, the Facilities and Transportation Committee requested that staff prepare an exhibit that can be forwarded to State Senator Nancy Skinner and State Assembly Member Rob Bonta regarding the State’s decertification of the land needed for the MacArthur Roundabout project to expedite the decertification process.
Applicable General Plan Policies
• Goal T-3, Policy T-3.7.C - Pedestrian and Bicycle Crossing Improvements: Improve crossings for pedestrians and cyclists at intersections in the City through the use of variable pavement materials, small curb radii, bulb outs, street trees and landscaping near corners, and other measures which shorten pedestrian crossings or increase driver awareness of non-vehicle traffic.
• Goal T-5, Policy T-5.4 - Traffic Flow Improvements: Use a variety of technology-driven measures to improve traffic flow at congested intersections
• Goal T-6, Policy T-6.1 - Traffic Calming Strategies: Use a variety of approaches to slow down or “calm” traffic on San Leandro streets, based on the specific conditions on each street. Emphasize approaches that improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists and enhance neighborhood aesthetics.
• Goal T-7, Policy T-7.2 - Capital Improvements: Identify capital improvements and other measures which improve the safety of bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicles on San Leandro streets.
Environmental Review
This project is categorically exempt from CEQA per CEQA Guidelines Section 15301 - Existing Facilities. A Notice of Exemption was filed with the Alameda County Recorder’s Office on December 20, 2017.
This project received a NEPA exemption from CalTrans as part of the right-of-way decertification process.
Summary of Public Outreach Efforts
• The first public meeting for the project was held on September 13, 2016, at 7:00 pm in the lecture hall of the San Leandro Main Library. Attendees were mostly supportive of the project but had numerous questions and recommendations on what should be included in the scope of work.
• The second public meeting was held on July 19, 2017 at the lecture hall of the San Leandro Main Library. Two design concepts were presented. One included protected bike lanes while the other did not. Most attendees favored the design concept with the protected bike lanes.
Fiscal Impacts
The total cost of this multi-fund project is shown below. The budget authority section has details on funding types, accounts, and authorizations. CIP accounts are carried forward for five years or until the work is complete, whichever occurs first.
Preliminary Design $4,910
Design and Bid $656,213
Estimated cost of Decertification Area $20,000
Construction Contract $2,093,035
Constr. Management, Insp. & Contingencies $348,208
Total $3,122,366
Budget Authority
Account No. Source Fiscal Yr. Amount
120-28-193 DFSI FY13-14 $43,000
210-28-193 General Funds FY13-14 $80,000
210-38-290 General Funds FY15-16 $10,000
210-38-901 Successor Agency to RDA FY16-17 $1,274,134
120-28-193 DFSI FY19-20 $200,000
Total Project Appropriation: $1,607,134
Additional appropriations from the Developer Fees for Street Improvement Fund will be requested when a contract for construction is presented for award.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Resolution approving agreement with Oakland for Roundabout
Attachment B: Acquisition and Maintenance Agreement
PREPARED BY: Kyle K. Lei, Associate Engineer, Engineering and Transportation Department