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FOR COUNCIL MEETING OF:
AGENDA ITEM NO.:
PUBLIC WORKS FILE NO.:
October 27, 2014
7 (h)
TO:
~~CilKJ~L
THROUGH: VNDA NORRIS, CITY MANAGER
PUBLI~;~~~~I::'yT
FROM:
PETER FERNANDEZ, P.E.,
SUBJECT:
UPDATE ON THE SIDEWALK RE ABILITA I
ISSUE:
Provide Council information on the progress of the City's Sidewalk Rehabilitation
Program.
RECOMMENDATION:
Information only.
SUMMARY AND BACKGROUND:
The Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program has made noticeable progress in addressing the
City's sidewalk system deficiencies and compliance with the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA). This report provides a brief history of the program and its accomplishments
since staff's last report to Council in April 2012.
History of the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program
Sidewalk Ordinance
On October 1, 2007, City Council adopted Ordinance Bill No. 99-2007 that amended the
Salem Revised Code (SRC) Chapter 78 Sidewalks, changing the assignment of
responsibility for sidewalk repair. Effective November 1, 2007, owners of property
within the city limits with property frontages having sidewalks built since September 1,
1992, became responsible for repairing or replacing damaged sidewalks, unless the
damage was caused by a City street tree. Owners of property with frontage having
sidewalks built prior to that date became responsible for repairing and replacing
damaged sidewalks once the City made the necessary repairs to bring them up to
acceptable standards. Repairing the damage caused by City street trees continues to
be the City's responsibility. City, county, state, and federal government agencies were
made responsible for the repair of sidewalks adjacent to their properties, with the
exception of the Salem-Keizer School District.
Sidewalk Inspection
The City began a Sidewalk Inspection Program in December 2007 that assessed the
condition of 759.5 miles of public sidewalks. The effort was completed in June 2011
and identified approximately 148,000 total defects in the sidewalk system, of which
138,000 required repairs or replacement prior to assigning maintenance responsibility to
the adjacent property owner.
Update on the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program
Council Meeting of October 27, 2014
Page 2
Sidewalk Rehabilitation
Beginning in February 2008, the City created a concrete repair crew dedicated to
performing both sidewalk repairs and replacement, which is termed rehabilitation. This
crew began its work in the southern half of the Grant Neighborhood and then moved
eastward into the western portion of the NEN Neighborhood, then southward into the
western part of the SESNA Neighborhood. After 17 months of working in a clockwise
fashion through the inner neighborhoods, the City redirected its efforts for a period of
time to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prioritizes
construction, upgrade and repair of corner curb ramps at intersections and repairing
sidewalks on critical ADA routes such as arterial streets, transit routes, and in areas of
public accommodations, such as government offices, social service agencies, and other
pedestrian-oriented areas. The City resumed limited efforts rehabilitating neighborhood
sidewalks in 2012, after making significant progress in addressing priority ADA
deficiencies. The amount of time and resources devoted to neighborhood sidewalk
rehabilitation increased in 2014; the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Crew has resumed work in
the northern portion of the SCAN and southern portion of the CAN-DO Neighborhoods.
The City has used an outside contractor for large-scale sidewalk replacement projects.
Funding
The Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program was initially funded from 2007 through 2009
through a combination of $1,060,000 in Qwest Franchise Reserve Funds and a
$215,710 set-aside of General Funds. Beginning in 2010, the Program was funded with
a portion of the City's allocation of State Highway Funds and a small amount of
project-specific Streets and Bridges Bond proceeds, averaging approximately $600,000
per year in expenditures. On December 9, 2013, Council secured the short-term future
of the program by adopting a resolution approving the use of $1,000,000 in savings
from the Streets and Bridges Bond for neighborhood sidewalk rehabilitation. This has
provided funding for FY 2014-15 through FY 2016-17 that uses approximately $330,000
in bond funds for capital sidewalk replacement, combined with $250,000 in State
Highway Funds for maintenance repairs, for a $580,000 total annual program.
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
Accomplishments of the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program to Date
The Sidewalk Rehabilitation Team has been performing sidewalk and curb ramp repairs
and replacements for 80 months to date. Table 1 describes the types and number of
repairs performed by the crew, contractors, and other staff during that time.
JP!TLC/:G:\Group\director\Judy\Councll 2014\Dct 27\Sidewalk Program Report 2014-cc.docx
Update on the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program
Council Meeting of October 27, 2014
Page 3
Table 1: Summary of Sidewalk Repair Activities
Task Description
December 2007 to
February 29, 2012
March 1, 2012 thru
September 30, 2014
Program Total to
Date Since
December 2007
Offset Edge Grinding
2,941 locations
977 locations
3,9181ocations
Sidewalk Patches
5,173
309
5,482
Sidewalk
Replacement
103,949 square feet
(4, 158 5x5 panels)
81,927 square feet
(3,277 5x5 panels)
185,876 square feet
(7,435 5x5 panels)
Curb Replacement
6,463 linear feet
6,819 linear feet
13,282 linear feet
Corner Curb Ramp
Replacement
129
66
195
Asphalt Patching
25,302 sq. ft./1"
17,394 sq. ft./1"
42,696 sq. ft./1"
Downtown Tile Pavers
Replaced
654
139
793
Street Trees Removed
Due to Sidewalk
Damage
51
34
85
Total Block Faces
Completely Brought to
Acceptable Condition
106
(26.5 blocks)
45
(11.25 blocks)
151
(37. 75 blocks)
(Sidewalk Repair Program)
JPfflC/:G:\Group\dlrector\Judy\Councii2014\0ct 27\Sidewalk Program Report 2014-cc.docx
Update on the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program
Council Meeting of October 27, 2014
Page4
Recent Accomplishments of the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program
City staff presented a report to Council on the status of the Sidewalk Rehabilitation
Program on April 9, 2012. In the 30 months since that report, staff has made significant
progress in rehabilitating neighborhood sidewalks and ADA compliance. This includes
working in the Gaiety Hill/Bush Park Historic District which is staff's first endeavor to
re-create historic patterns on new sidewalk. This required adapting new tools and
techniques to replicate the historic "Four Square" joint pattern and applying it where the
existing sidewalk still had this historic pattern. As of this report, staff is busy completing
the Bush Park Historic District before working westward continuing Phase I of the
Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program (see Attachment 1).
Significant sidewalk and curb ramp rehabilitation projects in the past two years include:
•
Rehabilitated sidewalks on 241h Street NE from State Street to Center Street NE;
•
Rehabilitated Lone Oak Road SE from Browning Avenue SE to Kuebler
Boulevard SE;
•
Constructed 1,000 feet of new sidewalk on Rickey Street SE to provide access to
a transit stop, neighborhood shopping areas, and an ADA-dependent facility;
•
Constructed an accessible path along north side of McGilchrist Street SE from a
new transit stop on Pringle Road SE to the Social Security Administration Office;
•
Constructed accessible sidewalk and ramps from Liberty Street SE transit stop to
Main Library entrance; and
•
Re-constructed entire intersection of Market and Winter Streets NE with new
ramps.
Staff also performed spot repairs in neighborhoods throughout the community and
included sites where a trip and fall had occurred, where there was an ADA complaint, or
where the sidewalk was in very poor condition. A special emphasis was placed on
those locations adjacent to places of public accommodation, high pedestrian traffic
areas, and those of longest duration awaiting repairs.
Property Owner Notifications
The efforts of our technical staff to update and verify sidewalk inspection data,
combined with renewed home construction activity, in-house rehabilitation projects, and
Streets and Bridges Bond projects, have increased the total miles of sidewalk in our
community from the initial 759.47 miles reported in 2009 to the current total of
943.5 miles. Since March 2012, an additional174 notification letters have been sentto
property owners notifying them of their responsibility to perform future sidewalk repairs.
By the end of September, 2014, a total of 10,333 notification letters have been sent to
property owners since the beginning of the notification process in September 2008.
JPffLC/:G:\Group\dlrector\Judy\Councii2014\0ct 27\Sidewalk Program Report 2014-cc.docx
Update on the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program
Council Meeting of October 27, 2014
Page 5
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act
Since 2009, the City has made significant progress in bringing curb ramps into
compliance with the ADA. The locations noted in letters from Disability Rights Oregon,
an ADA advocacy organization, in 2009 have been completed along with locations
noted by other individual ADA complaints. Additionally, City staff has been involved in
the mitigation of barriers to mobility on sidewalks adjacent to streets that have been
altered during bond-funded and other capital improvement projects, public utility
maintenance projects, as well as retrofitting curb ramps that were not included in the
original scope of the projects.
Table 2 shows the number of ADA curb ramp replacements and upgrades completed by
the City during the past six and a half fiscal years. The projects funded by the Streets
and Bridges Bond measure have produced the greatest number of ramp upgrades and
replacements since the beginning of this reporting period. Bond funded projects also
constructed 33 pedestrian bulb-outs, mostly in the downtown core.
Table 2: Corner Curb Ramps Installed, Replaced or Upgraded
to Current ADA Design Standards
March 1, 2012 to
FY 2007-08 to
Program
Total to Date
September 30, 2014
February 29, 2012
Sidewalk Repair
Program
129
66
195
Bond Funded
Projects
458
124
582
Utility Concrete
Repair
15
11
26
59
8
67
661
209
870
Other CIP Projects
Total
Note: Does not mclude new ADA Corner Curb Ramps mstal!ed by pnvate development.
In addition to these repairs and improvements, the City continues efforts to conduct a
comprehensive ADA audit of its public street infrastructure. The audit has impacted
updates to street design standards, our standard plans, rules, regulations, and efforts to
incorporate ADA design guidelines and provisions. The audit includes the current
inspection effort to measure and record compliance of all curb ramps in the City per
current ADA and Department of Justice standards. Additionally, we are gathering
information for pedestrian signal activation button access at all relevant corners.
JPrrLC/:G:\Group\director\Judy\Council 2014\0ct 27\Sidewalk Program Report 2014-cc.docx
Update on the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program
Council Meeting of October 27, 2014
Page 6
Program Funding
As shown in Table 3, the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program has spent a total of
$4.2 million between December 2007 and September 2014, or an average of $52,460
per month. Unit cost of sidewalk replacement has ranged from $9.56 to $14.52 per
square foot. The total program has averaged $11.21 per square foot. The unit cost is
very reasonable for sidewalk replacement considering that this activity includes the
removal of old existing sidewalk, tree root mitigation, tree avoidance, field engineering,
excavation, forming, base preparation, pouring, finishing new concrete, and replacing
damaged landscaping. The increased cost per square foot can be attributed to smaller
sections of sidewalk being replaced at one location instead of the whole block face
approach utilized earlier in the program. Other factors affecting current cost include the
small number of sidewalk panels replaced adjacent to curb ramps, tree root damage,
tree avoidance, increased mobilization costs due to more locations, increased labor and
material costs, and constructing more sidewalk through driveways which take
50 percent more concrete due to increased thickness.
T a bl e 3 S"d
1 ewa lk Re h a bT
11taf aon P rogram Expen d't
1 ures
March 1, 2012 to
Program Total as of
December 2007 to
Revenue
September 30, 2014
February 29, 2012
September 30, 2014
Qwest Reserve
$1,061,380
Funds
$1,061,380
-General Fund
Transfer
$626,410
--
$626,410
State Highway
Funds
$811,890
$1,263,390
$2,075,280
$46,500
--
$46,500
Streets and Bridges
Bond Funds
$156,530
$230,490
(Bond Savings 2014)
$387,020
Total
$2,702,710
$1,493,880
$4,196,590
$53,000
$48,190
$52,460
$11.50
$10.84
$11.21
CIP Funds
Average per Month
Average Unit Cost
per Square Foot of
Sidewalk
Replacement
"
Note: Cost per square foot of sidewalk rehabilitation
IS reducmg due to recent focus of
resources on planned program working block to block resulting in more square feet of sidewalk
replaced per labor hour.
JPffLC/:G:\Group\director\Judy\Counci! 2014\0ct 27\Sidewalk Program Report 2014-cc.docx
Update on the Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program
Council Meeting of October 27, 2014
Page 7
The Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program is currently funded through the Streets and
Bridges Bond savings and the City's allocation of State Highway Funds. The funding
support for this program from the bond savings will last through FY 2015-16. The
program is budgeted at approximately $580,000 annually at this time and is anticipated
to remain at or near that funding level for the next three fiscal years, which should
complete Phase 1 and most of Phase 2 work (see Attachment 1).
The Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program has a positive impact on safety and livability in our
community. The need for replacement and repair is ongoing in communities in which
the municipality assumes that responsibility.
Mark Becktel, AICP
Parks and Transportation Services Manager
Attachments:
1. Map of Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program Planned Work Phases
2. Priority for Identifying Priority Sidewalk Repair Locations
Wards: All
October 23, 2014
Prepared by Bruce Hildebrandt, Street Maintenance Services Supervisor
JP!TLC/:G:\Group\director\Judy\Counci! 2014\0ct 27\Sidewalk Program Report 2014-cc.docx
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ATTACHMENT 2
City of Salem Sidewalk Rehabilitation Program
Criteria for Identifying Priority Sidewalk Repair Locations
Apri/2012
Policy
As long as program funds exist, the City of Salem will emphasize the systematic repair
of curb ramps and sidewalks in how it assigns its dedicated sidewalk repair team and
contractor resources, following the priorities as assigned by the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Those priorities in order of response are:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
A complaint from a person with disabilities;
Any facilities altered since 1992;
Critical ADA Routes as determined through a Title VI process;
State and Local Government offices and facilities;
Transportation corridors;
Places of public accommodation;
Local streets.
In order for a sidewalk repair request that is lower in priority as stated above to be
addressed by City or contractor resources, it must be a location that is in such a state of
disrepair as to be a significant hazard to pedestrians, as determined by Public Works
staff; and must meet one or more of the following criteria:
•
Repair location is located in an area having a high volume of pedestrians, such
as a school, park, commercial district, church, community center, government
center, library, university, major transit center/stop, or other similar activity center.
•
Repair location is located in an area having a concentration of special needs
pedestrians, such as a senior center, retirement home/facility, medical campus,
physical rehabilitation/training center, or other similar activity center.
•
Location has a history of reported trips and falls, has experience a recent injury
accident, has been recommended for repair by the City's Risk Manager, or is
impassable to all pedestrians.
Practice
Public Works will continue to use its dedicated Sidewalk Rehabilitation Team and
contractor-of-record to achieve a high-volume, cost effective level of productivity in
planned sidewalk repairs. The Utility Concrete Repair Team, its normal priority to repair
utility trench cuts, will spend additional time performing priority sidewalk repair requests
that meet the above criteria as scheduling and funding permit. Staff will continue to
perform citywide grind and patch repairs as resources are available.