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Recommendation to Authorize the Interim City Manager to Execute Two Contracts to Complete the Project Initiation Document (PID) for the Alameda-Oakland Bicycle-Pedestrian Bridge: (1) to HNTB Consulting for PID Phase Services in an Amount Not to Exceed $1,350,000, and (2) to Arup for Project Oversight and On-Call Engineering Support to City Staff in an Amount Not to Exceed $200,000. (Planning, Building and Transportation 20962740)
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To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
After significant study for more than a decade, the City of Alameda (City) is moving forward with the next phase of planning and design work for the Alameda-Oakland Bicycle-Pedestrian Bridge (Bridge). The Bridge, which is included in multiple City planning documents, as well as Oakland, countywide and regional documents, will, when completed, provide an alternative to the substandard Posey Tube path and would connect west Alameda to Jack London Square, Amtrak, Downtown Oakland, and two nearby Oakland BART stations (see Fact Sheet in Exhibit 1).
In January 2021, the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) granted the City $1,555,000 to complete the Project Initiation Document (PID) for the Bridge project. In June 2021, the City Council authorized staff to enter into a funding agreement with Alameda CTC for the work. In March 2022, City staff issued a Request for Proposals (RFP) for the work. An inter-agency selection panel selected HNTB Consulting as the top ranked team that best meets the City’s needs, and Arup as the second ranked team. The City negotiated a contract with HNTB Consulting for an amount not to exceed $1,350,000, which is attached for the City Council’s consideration(Exhibit 2). To further support the effort, provide specialized engineering expertise, and provided peer review services, City staff negotiated a second contract, with Arup, for an amount not to exceed $200,000 (Exhibit 3).
Staff believes that the combined services of HNTB and Arup will provide the City and the Alameda CTC with the best possible Project Initiation Documents, which will provide the technical foundation for the next phases of the bridge design and implementation process. Together the two contracts total $1,555,000, which is the amount of the Alameda CTC grant to the City for this work. Staff is recommending approval of both contracts.
BACKGROUND
In 2009, the City developed a comprehensive Estuary Crossing Final Feasibility Study Report to analyze and evaluate all of the potential strategies for crossing the Oakland Estuary (Estuary) either by foot, bike, or transit. This planning effort was the first to directly analyze the feasibility of new or improved Estuary crossings, with the goal of developing crossing designs that would appeal to users, adjacent communities, decision-makers, transit providers, and funding authorities. Near-, mid-, and long-term solutions were explored, including many bridge types, improvements to the Posey/Webster Tubes, as well as bus and water shuttle services. The top recommended, long-term option was determined to be a moveable Bicycle-Pedestrian Bridge.
In October 2016, the City Council directed that staff begin working on the Bridge project and consider hiring a maritime engineer to further study the project feasibility.
In 2018, the City Council adopted the Transportation Choices Plan with the “West End Bicycle/Pedestrian Crossing” (Project #39), which included the near-term action to “fund a project study report to determine the specifics and feasibility of an additional crossing” and to meet and coordinate with the United States Coast Guard (USCG).
In 2019, Alameda CTC allocated over $300,000 to conduct a detailed feasibility study of the proposed lift-bridge, plus other crossing options, and the potential demand for different crossing options. The Estuary Crossing Study: Detailed Feasibility and Travel Demand Analysis was completed in early 2021 and is posted on the City’s website at www.alamedaCA.gov/bridge. It confirmed that a lift bridge meeting the Coast Guard requirements to have a 600-foot span between piers that can be raised to 175 feet, is technically feasible from an engineering and geotechnical perspective. The travel demand model showed that, depending on its location, 5,000 to 6,000 bicyclist and pedestrian trips would cross the bridge each weekday, resulting in over 40,000 fewer auto trips across the estuary per week. The total cost to design, engineer and build the Bridge was projected to be just under $200 million, with annual costs to operate and maintain the Bridge project to be approximately $3.5 million. With confirmation of feasibility, including letters of support from USCG and the Port of Oakland (Port), the City began seeking funding for the PID.
In 2020, Alameda CTC added the project to the 2020 Countywide Transportation Plan’s 10-Year Priority Projects and Programs List, and in January 2021, the Alameda CTC voted to allocate $1,555,000 in funding for the PID to the City. To pursue and move the new west end bicycle/pedestrian bridge project forward, a PID must be completed, which is a necessary step towards applying for and eventually receiving funding for the environmental review phase. In June 2021, the City Council authorized staff to enter into a funding agreement with Alameda CTC for the PID phase.
DISCUSSION
On March 10, 2022, the City released a Request for Proposals (RFP) for PID Phase Services for the Oakland-Alameda Bicycle/Pedestrian Bridge, and after a submittal period of 34 days received timely responses from five highly qualified consultant teams. A selection panel made up of representatives from the City of Alameda, the City of Oakland, Alameda CTC and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission evaluated and scored the proposals, and interviewed the top two consultant teams. The panel scored HNTB and Arup very closely, with HNTB slightly higher. City staff selected HNTB to deliver the PID Phase, due to their expertise and deep knowledge of the project and project area, given their recent work on the 2021 Estuary Crossing Study and the Oakland Alameda Access Project. The City also negotiated with Arup, the firm that developed the 2009 Estuary Crossing Study Report and that has designed many innovate bridges, to support City staff in its review of the technical PID documents, and to provide project oversight and peer review of this complex engineering project.
The PID will be developed over 18 months. City staff and consultants will work closely with City of Oakland staff and Oakland neighborhood and business groups, the US Coast Guard, the Port of Oakland, and Alameda property owners and user groups throughout the PID process to ensure that the PID supports the goals, needs and constraints of both cities, the bicycle and pedestrian user groups, and the navigation and operational needs of both the Port and the Coast Guard. In addition to the extensive technical and engineering work and cost estimating necessary to complete a PID, the contracts provide for extensive community outreach and participation to ensure political feasibility and community support for the work. This public outreach will include community meetings, pop-up events, a web page and surveys, and 3-D renderings of the bridge alternatives to assist the public to visualize and evaluate different locational and design alternatives. The contracts also provide for a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), made up of key stakeholders including City of Oakland, Alameda CTC, Caltrans, USCG, Port and bike/walk advocacy groups and a Political Advisory Committee (PAC) consisting of elected and appointed officials of key stakeholder public agencies and organizations.
Additional details regarding the scopes of services are provided in each contract. The contracts are attached as Exhibits 2 and 3.
ALTERNATIVES
The City Council may pursue several different alternatives:
• Award two contracts, one to HNTB and one to Arup, as recommended by staff.
• Award only one of the two contracts.
• Not award the contracts, and return $1,555,000 in grant funds to Alameda CTC.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Alameda CTC awarded the City grant funds totaling $1,555,000 with no local matching requirement. The appropriation of the grant funds was included in the adopted two-year capital budget for FYs 2021/22-22/23 on June 15, 2021, with Capital Improvement Project #C65900. The City’s contribution is staff time to administer the grant, oversee the consultant contracts and their deliverables.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The 2018 Transportation Choices Plan includes the “West End Bicycle/Pedestrian Crossing” (Project #39) which included the near term action to “fund a project study report to determine the specifics and feasibility of an additional crossing” and to meet and coordinate with the USCG.
The Bridge project is consistent with the General Plan (2021) and makes progress towards meeting all four of the goals in the Mobility Element, which are as follows:
• Equity: Provide for the mobility needs of all Alameda residents, workers, and visitors regardless of income, age, ability or neighborhood.
• Safety: Eliminate fatalities and severe injuries on Alameda’s streets, sidewalks, crosswalks and trails by 2035.
• Choices: Expand and improve alternatives to low occupancy automobile trips to incentivize mode shift to more environmentally sustainable modes of transportation while recognizing the diverse needs for mobility.
• Sustainability: Reduce the impacts of transportation systems on the environment, and transition to a more resilient transportation system to address the impacts of climate change.
Furthermore, General Plan Policy ME-15 Estuary Crossings states: “Work with Oakland, Alameda County, Caltrans, the Alameda County Transportation Commission, the State of California, the US Coast Guard, and other local, regional and federal partners to improve and ensure the maintenance and safe operations of Alameda’s existing bridges and tubes, and improve bicycle, pedestrian and transit access between Alameda and Oakland.”
Policy ME-15 Action (b) states: “West Alameda to Oakland Bicycle and Pedestrian Bridge. Prioritize work with Oakland, Caltrans, the Alameda County Transportation Commission, the State of California, the US Coast Guard, and other relevant agencies to design, fund, construct and operate a bicycle and pedestrian bridge from
West Alameda to Oakland in order to increase bicycle and pedestrian access across the estuary.”
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Preparation of design and feasibility studies are exempt from environmental review under CEQA Guidelines section 15262. Once the PID is completed and the project design is better defined, environmental review will be required.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Supporting bicycling and walking will help the City meet its goals to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by supporting mode shift away from automobiles. The City’s 2019 Climate Action and Resiliency Plan found that transportation accounts for 70% of the City’s GHG emissions, and that moving people out of automobiles is paramount to reducing transportation-related emissions.
Alameda CTC studies show that the bridge, if constructed, would result in over 40,000 fewer auto trips across the estuary per week, which would result in a significant decrease in greenhouse gas emissions.
RECOMMENDATION
Authorize the Interim City Manager to execute contracts with HNTB Consulting and Arup to complete the Project Initiation Document for the Alameda-Oakland Bicycle-Pedestrian Bridge.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Planning, Building and Transportation Director
By,
Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Financial Impact section reviewed,
Margaret L. O'Brien, Finance Director
Exhibits:
1. Bridge Project Fact Sheet
2. Agreement with HNTB Consulting
3. Agreement with Arup
cc: Dirk Brazil, Interim City Manager