TO: AC Transit Board of Directors
FROM: Michael A. Hursh, General Manager
SUBJECT: Rapid Corridors Project
ACTION ITEM
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
Title
Consider authorizing the General Manager to execute Cooperative Agreements with the City of Berkeley and City of Oakland for the Rapid Corridors Project.
Body
STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE:
Goal - Convenient and Reliable Service
Initiative - Service Quality
The proposed project intends to improve reliability and reduce travel time along the Grand/West Grand, San Pablo, Telegraph corridors.
BUDGETARY/FISCAL IMPACT:
The proposed project budget is $12 million and is fully funded by grants from various federal, state, and regional agencies including the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), Alameda County Transportation Commission and Caltrans. Staff does not anticipate any District contribution other than staff time.
The Rapid Corridors Project will add GPS-based TSP to 119 additional signalized intersections, increasing the total GPS-based Transit Signal Priority (TSP) equipped signals within the District to approximately 400 (installed or in the process of installing through various projects). These Cooperative Agreements outline responsibilities associated with design, construction support and ongoing operation and maintenance; they do not distribute funding to the stakeholder agencies and therefore, have no immediate ongoing funding requirement from AC Transit. AC Transit is required to provide replacement TSP equipment when necessary to maintain the TSP system for 15 years after initial deployment. Such replacement, if required, may result in a fiscal impact on the District in the future. A low rate of equipment failure (if any) is expected. For reference, none of the GPS-based TSP equipment installed for the Line 51 project in 2017 has failed yet. The estimated District cost for replacement of all four pieces of TSP equipment per intersection is approximately $4,750 total.
BACKGROUND/RATIONALE:
The Rapid Corridors Project is intended to improve transit operations along Telegraph Avenue, San Pablo Avenue and Grand Avenue, as well as providing a mechanism to design and build the Dana Complete Street Pilot Project.
AC Transit works closely with local jurisdictions for operations and maintenance of TSP equipment. The Cooperative Agreements with cities allow a mechanism for AC Transit and the cities to operate and maintain TSP at signalized intersections for the Rapid Corridors Project. The Rapid Corridors Project is intended to improve transit operations along Telegraph Avenue (Lines 6 and 800), San Pablo Avenue (Lines 72, 72M and 72R) and West Grand/Grand Avenue (Lines 12, NL and 805). The project also closes a TSP gap on arterials connecting San Pablo Avenue and Interstate 80 (I-80).
This project was developed in partnership with AC Transit, the cities of Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, and San Pablo, Caltrans, and MTC. The project is intended to improve operations and reduce passenger travel times as part of AC Transit’s general responsibility and goal to provide convenient and reliable service.
Cooperative Agreements with the cities clearly define each party’s responsibilities to avoid any future misunderstanding over the project implementation, operations and maintenance of new equipment. Under the Agreement, the District is responsible for providing TSP field equipment in case of failure. The cities are responsible for operations and maintenance of all equipment installed by the Project. With this staff report, staff is requesting an approval of the Cooperative Agreements with the City of Berkeley and City of Oakland. Staff will return to the Board for approval of Cooperative Agreements with the cities of Emeryville, Albany, El Cerrito, Richmond, and San Pablo in Summer 2022. The Cooperative Agreements will outline responsibilities associated with design and construction support and ongoing operation and maintenance of the Rapid Corridors Project.
The Operations Agreement with the California Department of Transportation was approved by the Board in February 2022. It outlines responsibilities associated with ongoing operation and maintenance of TSP equipment at Caltrans intersections, including those in the Rapid Corridors Project.
ADVANTAGES/DISADVANTAGES:
The advantage of entering into a Cooperative Agreement with the cities is that responsibilities of each agency are clearly defined so that the TSP system will be operated and maintained for 15 years after the initial deployment.
There are no known disadvantages to enter into the Cooperative Agreement except for potential future financial responsibility by the District should equipment need to be replaced in the next 15 years.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS:
A possible alternative would be for the cities to maintain all new equipment without a cooperative agreement. Responsibilities of maintaining TSP system would be unclear without the agreement, and the TSP system may not be maintained or function according to AC Transit’s needs.
PRIOR RELEVANT BOARD ACTION/POLICIES:
SR 22-108 - Rapid Corridors San Pablo Avenue Construction Contract Award
SR 22 -038 - Operations Agreement with the California Department of Transportation
ATTACHMENTS:
1. Cooperative Agreement with the City of Berkeley
2. Cooperative Agreement with the City of Oakland
Prepared by:
Mika Miyasato, Senior Transportation Planner
Wil Buller, Traffic Engineer
In Collaboration with:
Jim Cunradi, Transportation Planning Manager
James Arcellana, Attorney III
Approved/Reviewed by:
Jill A. Sprague, General Counsel
Robert del Rosario, Director of Service Development and Planning
Ramakrishna Pochiraju, Executive Director of Planning & Engineering
Chris Andrichak, Chief Financial Officer
Richard Oslund, Acting Director of Management & Budget