REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Wolfe Road Pavement Options (Information Only)
Report
BACKGROUND
Wolfe Road, between El Camino Real and Homestead Road, was reconstructed in 2001. The typical life for a pavement reconstruction treatment is approximately 15 to 20 years. Typically, when a street is reconstructed, the contractor will install the seams of the lanes of asphalt to coincide with the lane markings. The seams are a weak spot in the pavement and when they are directly in vehicle wheel paths, they can wear prematurely. Matching them with the lane lines helps preserve the life of the pavement, as this is not a direct wearing path for vehicles.
In 2006, the City installed bicycle lanes on Wolfe Road between Fremont Avenue and Homestead Road. However, the width of the roadway was not wide enough to accommodate both on-street parking and bicycle lanes on both sides of the street. The result is today’s street configuration, with on-street parking split on each side of the road and a meandering “chicane” configuration (RTC No. 05-132, Attachment 1). The current street configuration deviated the lane lines matching the pavement seams; as a result the roadway has degraded faster than we traditionally see due to the additional wear and tear on the pavement weak points.
In 2016, a study was performed to look at removing on-street parking to install bike lanes on both sides of Wolfe Road. On June 21, 2016, the study results were provided to Council for consideration. The Council voted in favor of leaving the roadway configuration as-is, with direction to staff to look at the completion of the traffic signal at Wolfe/Dartshire (RTC No. 14-0273, Attachment 2). This intersection is currently in the budget with construction targeted in FY 2020/21.
Currently, Wolfe Road’s pavement has reached the end of its useful life. However, Wolfe Road is scheduled for undergrounding of overhead utility lines using Rule 20 funding allowing conversion of overhead electric facilities via the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) electric distribution tariff, commonly known as Rule 20. City staff has been actively engaged with PG&E over the past two years to design the underground improvements. Because this work involves a trench within the roadway, staff was waiting on PG&E to complete their work prior to doing a comprehensive street pavement restoration. PG&E design is awaiting obtainment of easements for vault placements on private property.
The City has an informal policy of a 5-year street moratorium on streets after they receive new pavement treatments, and a 3-year street moratorium on streets that have received either a chip or slurry seal. Parties interested in construction activities that disrupt the new pavement treatments within the moratorium periods are required to do extensive restoration.
DISCUSSION
In light of the current condition of the roadway, numerous complaints received, and lack of significant forward progress by PG&E on the undergrounding, staff evaluated a list of possible remedies to address the pavement condition of Wolfe Road. Each of the below options has both pros and cons, as discussed below.
1. Perform aggressive patching and other temporary measures as an intermediate solution. Most of the pavement cracks are located at separating seam lines. Staff has identified that approximately 14,000 square feet of patching (primarily at pavement seam lines) and crack sealing of minor cracks along the corridor would provide a smoother vehicular ride along Wolfe Road and reduce the roadway from deteriorating further. Due to the volumes of traffic on Wolfe Road, this patching work would likely be done over four to six weekends. Pending when the patch work takes place, staff would see if there is enough construction window opportunity before the rainy season for a slurry seal to also be applied. Staff has obtained pricing from the contractor performing the 2019 Pavement Rehabilitation project, however, performing the work using our in-house workforce is significantly less expensive and would be completed this fall. This intermediate solution would utilize funding from Project 825290: Pavement Rehabilitation.
2. Repave the roadway in the short term.
Staff could reprioritize roadway segments currently slated for the Pavement 2020 project and instead start design of a reconstruction project on Wolfe Road. Design would start in FY 2019/20, with construction following in late Fall 2020 or Spring 2021. This option would put PG&E Rule 20 undergrounding on hold until the 5-year moratorium is completed. Staff can bring forward to Council to determine if they would like to reprioritize the City’s Rule 20 projects and move the next project (Homestead Road) forward for undergrounding while the street moratorium is in effect.
3. Split the underground district into two phases. There are two options for splitting the underground district.
a. Option 1 would be to underground the portion for which PG&E has secured easement rights. Two properties, Olive Tree Apartments at Eleanor Way and New Port Dim Sum and Chinese Food Restaurant just north of Homestead Road, have not consented to provide necessary easements, and therefore, these properties would be “islands” with wood joint poles and overhead wiring remaining. These properties would be required to underground their frontage at time of redevelopment.
b. Option 2 is to do half of the underground district now and half later. The portion of work from Old San Francisco Road to El Camino Real is designed and can be made ready for construction very quickly; all work is within the public right of way and no easements are required. The portion south of El Camino Real would be a future phase. There are three properties along this alignment which will not consent to provide easements for vaults necessary to the project. PG&E Rule 20 funding restrictions do not allow the funding to be utilized to purchase easements. Two of the properties are at start/end points of this section to be undergrounded and performing a shortened segment of undergrounding in between does not achieve the desired street aesthetic. Performing this section of the undergrounding as a future phase allows the roadway reconstruction to occur in the timelines described in number 1, above.
4. Allow PG&E to install the gas line work now and perform aggressive patching. PG&E had identified that gas facilities in need of upgrade is roughly in the same alignment as the underground project and could be constructed at the same time, thus minimizing disruption to the residents by sharing a trench. PG&E has asked that if the City postpones the Wolfe Road undergrounding, that they be allowed to proceed with the gas line work. In general, the gas line would be located on the far western side of the roadway, which is more west in relation to the recycled water trenchline and new pavement which was recently installed. Allowing the gas facilities to be installed ahead of the underground work will cause a redesign to the underground project, as the gas facilities will take the location of the undergrounding conduits. Facilities that are constructed simultaneously can efficiently share a trench, but facilities constructed independently causes the facilities to be constructed side by side and takes more lateral roadway space. The redesign to the undergrounding work could be anywhere from six months to a year delay. City would embark upon an aggressive patching and crack sealing project from the center to the easterly side of the roadway to keep the pavement in operable condition until after the undergrounding is completed (primarily located on the east side). Final street pavement treatment(s) would occur after the completion of the undergrounding project.
The above options would all utilize funds from Project 825290: Pavement Rehabilitation. The funds currently budgeted in this project are primarily intended towards pavement preservation techniques, and not street reconstruction, with the goal of reaching the overall PCI 80 within three years. Wolfe Road is currently scheduled for overlay or reconstruction, utilizing SB-1 funding during FY 2021/22.
Based on the timing for the other options to proceed forward and the uncertainty with PG&E, staff intends to pursue Number 1: Perform aggressive patching and other temporary measures as an intermediate solution, utilizing in-house workforce over a period of six to eight weekends. Funding is available in Project 825290: Pavement Rehabilitation. The patching effort would be to stave off further damage usually sustained during the wet season until final pavement treatment(s) can occur after the underground is completed. Work could start as early as late September 2019.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
Staff
Prepared by: Jennifer Ng, Assistant Director of Public Works/City Engineer
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director, Public Works
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. RTC No. 05-132
2. RTC No. 14-0273