Title
Update on Estuary Water Shuttle Program (Information)
Body
To: Honorable Chair and Members of the Transportation Commission
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Since early 2022, the City of Alameda’s (City’s) transportation planning staff has been working with a partnership of private businesses and associations on both sides of the Oakland Estuary and the Water Emergency Transit Agency (WETA) (the “Partnership”) to initiate a free public water shuttle service between Oakland and Alameda. Together, the Partnership developed a plan for a three month, 3 day a week summer 2023 program; and for a two year, 5 day a week, year round program to begin in spring 2024 and run through spring 2026. Both services would be operated by WETA.
On June 21, 2022, the City Council authorized an application for a grant for $1 million to fund 25% of the operating costs of a two-year pilot water shuttle to begin in March 2024. At the same time, the Council also approved a staff recommendation to allocate $150,000 in Measure BB funds to the two year pilot program.
On May 25, 2023, the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) is expected to award the City the $1 million in requested grant funding. The Partnership has already committed to raising the additional $3 million local match, and will be responsible for this. Operating a five day a week free shuttle between Jack London Square in Oakland and the new dock at Bohol Circle Immigrant Park at the foot of Fifth Street in Alameda, with weekday lunchtime service to Marina Village, for two years will cost approximately $4 million.
Staff is now going to the City Council in June requesting that they allocate $150,000 in City funding for the two year pilot consistent with the June 2022 Council approval; and $22,000 towards the summer 2023 three month pilot program. In both cases, the balance of the funds needed for operations will be provided by the other partners.
BACKGROUND
Currently, there is no adequate, safe or convenient access for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the Oakland Alameda Estuary west of the Park Street Bridge. The City of Alameda, WETA, the Jack London Square Property Management Company, Blue Rise Ventures (the owners of the Marina Village Business Park), the West Alameda Transportation Management Association, and the Alameda Transportation Management Association (Alameda TMA) all want to provide Alameda and Oakland residents, employees and visitors with convenient, safe, and free access across the estuary by boat.
In 2009, the City’s Estuary Crossing Study recommended a water shuttle as the medium term solution to closing the gap between Alameda and Oakland in the west end. The need for a water shuttle for pedestrians and bicyclists across the Oakland Alameda Estuary (Estuary) is also recognized in the City’s General Plan, Transportation Choices Plan and Active Transportation Plan.
The long term solution recommended in the Estuary Crossing Study for this gap in bicycle and pedestrian access is a bicycle/pedestrian bridge, and planning for the bridge is underway with funding from Alameda CTC. However, a successful bridge planning process would not result in a bridge for at least the 10 years. In the meantime, a water shuttle can be an interim solution until a bridge is built.
In 2022, staff began holding regular meetings with waterfront property owners in Oakland and Alameda, WETA, and Alameda’s two transportation management associations to identify funding for a water shuttle. The Partnership continues to meet regularly to review the projected costs, potential schedules and hours of service, and their own financial resources which might be used to fund the water shuttle. Throughout the process the goals for the Partnership have been to:
• Provide a service that is convenient and free to users, ADA accessible and easy for people with bicycles to use.
• Schedule services to best meet the needs of the Partnership members.
DISCUSSION
Community Interest
In addition to the partners, there is a high degree of interest in a water shuttle service on both sides of the estuary. This April the City conducted an online survey to gauge interest in the water shuttle and determine what service days and hours people preferred. Over 2,300 people responded. A summary of the results is attached (Exhibit 1). Key highlights from the survey are:
• 87% of respondents said they would use a water shuttle for recreational/social trips, while 48% said they would use it for commute trips.
• Of those who would use the shuttle for commuting, 34% work in Alameda, 33% in Oakland and 21% in San Francisco.
• 80% live in Alameda and 12% in Oakland.
• 54% said they would likely bike to the dock, and 38% would walk.
• 68% would want to bring a bike onto the boat, at least sometimes.
The survey remains open, and is on the water shuttle web page, along with additional project background: www.alamedaca.gov/watershuttle.
For the Partnership, the survey confirmed that if the Partnership can find a way to fund and operate a free shuttle, people will use it.
Summer 2023 Pilot Service
The partnership has worked together since last December to develop a summer pilot water shuttle service. The purpose of the summer pilot is to build community interest and better understand user needs and preferences for the two year program. As currently, designed, the free service will:
• Operate for 12-weeks, from late-June through mid-September at a projected cost of $220,000.
• Operate on Thursdays all day, and during midday on Saturdays and Sundays, to allow for testing of both commute services and weekend services.
• Operate between the new public dock at the foot of Fifth Street, in Bohol Circle Immigrant Park, and the public dock at the foot of Broadway in Oakland’s Jack London Square. On Thursdays, during the lunchtime, it will operate between Marina Village and the Jack London Square dock.
• Be administered by WETA, via a contract between WETA and water shuttle operator, which was selected through a WETA Request for Proposals (RFP) process. The Alameda TMA will provide the operating funds to WETA from the Partnership via a funding agreement between WETA and the Alameda TMA. The partners, including the City, will enter into a separate Agreement with the Alameda TMA, so that the Alameda TMA can pass the funding through to WETA.
Staff are recommending that the City contribute $22,000 towards the summer 2023 pilot program. These funds are available in Measure BB Bicycle/Pedestrian Fund.
Two-year Pilot Service
On May 25, 2023, the Alameda CTC awarded the City $1 million in grant funding for the proposed two-year pilot water shuttle service. This service would:
• Operate for two years, most likely beginning in Spring 2024 and running through Spring 2026.
• Operate five days per week, on dates and at times still to be determined, but including both weekday and weekend days. During the spring, summer and fall months, the service would operate for more hours each day than during the winter months, enabling longer operating hours when ridership is expected to be higher.
• Travel between the same docks as the summer 2023 service: the foot of Fifth Street in Alameda, the foot of Broadway in Oakland, and on weekdays at lunchtime, to the Marina Village dock.
• Be administered by WETA, via a contract with a private boat operator. For the two year program, the City will need to enter into a reimbursement agreement with WETA for the cost of the $4 million service. The City will receive the $1 million from Alameda CTC and the $3 million from the Partnership, which includes the City’s $150,000 contribution. WETA will contribute $190,000 in in-kind funding, for administration and marketing.
Staff is recommending that the City contribute $150,000, for the two year pilot, as proposed in the grant application and authorized by the Council in June 2022.
MUNICIPAL CODE/POLICY DOCUMENT CROSS REFERENCE
The Water Shuttle Pilot program is consistent with the General Plan (2021) and the Active Transportation Plan (ATP, 2022).
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 (d) states: “Water Service Shuttles. Work with the Alameda Transportation Management Association, WETA and Oakland stakeholders to develop and support water shuttles or provide short-hop service between Oakland and Alameda.”
The ATP’s 2030 Infrastructure Plan includes Project #9: Estuary Water Shuttle Operations and calls for launching a pilot service by 2024.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
Acceptance of grant funds is not a project subject to review under the California Environmental Quality Act.
CLIMATE IMPACT
Vehicle miles traveled is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in Alameda. Providing a public water shuttle service will create a comfortable, enticing and safe opportunity for people on foot and bike to cross the 1,000 feet of water that separate west Alameda from Oakland and the rest of the region, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions produced by solo motorists.
RECOMMENDATION
Receive an update on the Estuary Water Shuttle program.
Respectfully submitted,
Andrew Thomas, Director of Planning, Building and Transportation
By,
Rochelle Wheeler, Senior Transportation Coordinator
Exhibit:
1. Water Shuttle Survey: April 2023