|
City and County of San Francisco
Municipal Transportation Agency
Citizens’ Advisory Council (SFMTA CAC)
Engineering, Maintenance and Safety Committee (EMSC)
Regular Meeting Minutes
Wednesday, August 19, 2009, at 4 p.m.
1 South Van Ness Avenue, Conference Room 3075
San Francisco, California
1. Call to Order / Roll Call
Chairman Daniel Weaver called the meeting to order at 4:03 p.m.
EMSC Members present at Roll Call: Steve Ferrario, Daniel Weaver, Ruth Wheeler and Jamison Wieser
EMSC Members absent: Greg Riessen
SFMTA CAC Members, not on this committee, but also present: Norman Rolfe
2. Public Comment:
John Diamante, Threshold Environmental Center, stated that many of the capital-intensive projects were obsolete or needed updating to support clean mobility and low carbon emissions, reduce car levels and encourage transit. He urged the CAC to look at the budget, the capital projects and how the money can best be used.
3. Adopt Minutes of July 15, 2009:
On motion to adopt the minutes of July 15: Adopted
Ayes – Ferrario, Weaver, Wheeler and Wieser
(Absent – Riessen)
4. Report of the Chairman: Dan Weaver
No report.
5. Capital Projects Review (Discussion/Action) Carter Rohan, David Hoppers, Neil Poling, Margurite Fuller, Henry Kim and Fariba Mahmoudi
Carter Rohan, senior director, Transportation Planning and Development, discussed the status of repair efforts for LRVs. He stated that staff is leveraging a variety of funding sources to cover renovation costs.
Neil Poling, senior associate, Booz Allen Hamilton, stated that $11 million from ARRA was identified to upgrade the fare collection system to TransLink technology. Subway fare gates will be replaced with a system capable of using TransLink smart card technology. Forty TransLink Vending Machines (TVM) will be installed to accept credit card, debit card or cash payments for TransLink plastic and paper smart card purchases. The software investment to refurbish the bus fare boxes with TransLink is being leveraged to benefit the entire system. David Hoppers, deputy project manager, Auriga Corporation, stated that customers will be able to access TransLink balances on TVMs and a Website being developed by Cubic Transportation Systems. BART will retain separate machines at joint-agency stations.
The EMSC urged staff to establish a fare collection system based on the TransLink technology that is as seamless and flexible as possible. The new fare instrument system should be as good as the current state-of-the-art London Oyster Card system as possible, given TransLink constraints.
Margurite Fuller, manager, Capital Fund Programming, stated that in March, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) requested infrastructure and rehabilitation transit projects that were “shovel ready.” The SFMTA executive team provided MTC with a list of prioritized projects to be funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). The focus was on high-priority projects that were difficult to fund, such as vehicle rehabilitation, facility and preventive maintenance. The SFMTA was awarded $67 million in ARRA funding. (Funds for wrecked LRVs are not eligible for federal money.) The Inner Sunset Traffic Calming program for $343,000 and the Pedestrian Countdown Signals program for $389,000 are pending approval. The SFMTA is waiting to hear from the Federal Transportation Authority regarding applications for $23 million for the SFgo project and $6 million for the SFpark project. SFMTA IT is identifying potential broadband projects for ARRA funding. Central Subway did not qualify for ARRA money because it was not “shovel ready.”
6. Saint Francis Circle Track Replacement (Discussion/Action) Al Herce and Ha Nguyen
Al Herce, civil engineer, Capital Construction, Transportation Planning and Development, stated that traffic counters recorded 500 vehicles per hour during peak hours passing through the eastbound Sloat intersection at southbound Junipero Serra. Eastbound vehicles traveling straight onto St. Francis Boulevard or left onto Portola Drive, during peak hours, averaged another 500 per hour. For that reason, the Parking and Traffic Division decided against closing the eastbound Sloat intersection to right-turning vehicles onto southbound Junipero Serra due to high traffic volume. Mr. Herce pointed out that deleting the right turn could endanger 23 Monterey Line customers because of anxious motorists. The Parking and Traffic Division felt that it was safer to keep the right turn, signalize the pedestrian crossing and provide traffic signals at the rail crossing. Mr. Herce will evaluate the situation when the intersection is reconfigured during construction to see what the impact will be of not having the dedicated right turn lane onto Junipero Serra. Ha Nguyen, project manager, Capital Construction, Transportation Planning and Development, stated that the project was expected to be advertised for bids in September. A community outreach meeting has been scheduled for September 17.
7. Allocation of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Funding (ARRA) (Discussion/Action)
Lome Aseron, contracts manager, Contract Compliance Office, stated that $38 million of the $67 million ARRA funding has been put out to bid for various projects, including:
• Automatic Train Control System Inductive Loop Cable
• Bus Yard Work Station Replacement
• Capital Planning and Grant Management Applications
• Motor-Coach Component Lifecycle Rehabilitation
• Miscellaneous Preventive Maintenance of Track Switches
• Central Control and Communications Interim Line Management Center
Fare collection equipment is being replaced as part of the TransLink contract. Infrastructure and facility, enhancement and maintenance will be done under a Job Order Contract. Preventive maintenance will be done by SFMTA staff. Supplemental preventive maintenance funds are waiting to be allocated, but the work will likely be completed by SFMTA staff.
8. Brookville/PCC Rehabilitation Project (Discussion/Action)
Chairman Weaver tabled Item #8 because the project was approved by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on August 18.
9. Committee Members’ Questions/Information Requests (Discussion)
Steve Ferrario requested more information about two of the expense items on the list of projects for the ARRA fund: 1) change machines, and 2) replacement of fare collection equipment.
10. Schedule Upcoming Meetings and Agenda Items (Discussion/Action)
Next regular meeting: September 16, 2009, at 4 p.m.
1 South Van Ness Avenue, Conference Room 3075
• Capital Projects Quarterly Report
• Inner Sunset Traffic Calming Project and the Concourse Garage
• Eureka Tunnel Update
• Geneva Shed Update
• Changing the Capital Planning process
• Central Control facility
11. Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 6:22 p.m.
Respectfully submitted by:
Debra J. Reed
SFMTA CAC - Secretary
Accessible meeting policy – One South Van Ness Avenue
|
311