Bauters' Media Blitz Pauses Disruptive Caltrans Project

Backroom Project:

Caltrans Tries to Pull a Fast One

Councilman Bauters Drops the Accountability Hammer

Major Highway Bridge Replacements Would Bring Major Headaches for Emeryville

Caltrans, seeking to take a wreaking ball to replace several bridges in the 'maze' intersection of elevated Interstate Highways on Emeryville's southern border and thereby causing major traffic disruptions on local streets, has run into a wreaking ball to its proposal it didn't intend on; namely the ire of Emeryville City Councilman John Bauters.  The formerly fast tracked project, now on hold largely due to Mr Bauters' whirlwind of activity publicly exposing the proposed traffic diversions, would involve diverting traffic for several months at the intersection of Interstate Highways 80, 580 and 880, one of the most crowded highway intersections in the United States.

After working on the proposal for two years behind closed doors at Caltrans, the transportation agency suddenly announced in March it would proceed with its plan to raze several bridges in order to raise them; adding several feet of clearance to accommodate bigger trucks Caltans says.  The public was given only the legal minimum time to respond, raising the Councilman's hackles.  After he discovered Caltrans has claimed its proposal would have "no impact" on Emeryville and that they had not even bothered to first run their proposal by Emeryville City Hall (or Oakland), the Councilman has taken action publicly exposing the public agency.
Mr Bauters has appeared in no less than four media forums alerting the public about the proposal and the lack of accountability at Caltans.  At his insistence and after a large public outcry as a result of his media campaign, Caltrans has paused the project and agreed to rescind their 'Negative Declaration' planning document that makes the fatuous claim of no impact to Emeryville, a claim Mr Bauters calls "a joke".

Even though the documents associated with the Caltrans proposal don't admit it, Emeryville will likely experience major disruptions over a period of up to two years.  Mr Bauters' blog describes the following problems we can expect: "Traffic snarling on local streets, lower air quality resulting from the displacement of large diesel-polluting semi-trucks into sensitive areas (Emery Unified Schools, our Senior Center and Child Care Center, etc.), noise from nighttime construction and the rerouting of trucks overnight, impacts to our local businesses and economy, the accelerated degradation of local streets, and safety impacts for bicyclists and pedestrians".

A 'Negative Declaration', sometimes called a 'Neg Dec', is a cursory and lower level state required document, much desired by applicants, that precludes a more onerous and expensive Environmental Impact Report (EIR).  Neg Decs can only be approved if a series of questions can be responded to negatively as to the likely environmental impact of a project.   Critics have noted the great financial incentive to lie or exaggerate on a Neg Dec to avoid an EIR.  The Caltrans claim getting Mr Bauters in a huff is unusual because it is a public agency making a non-credible negative claim as opposed to such claims made routinely by private developers.
Here in Emeryville, a notorious example of such a phony environmental claim was made in the late 1980's, before the advent of John Bauters when the developer of the then proposed Powell Street Plaza mall (the Trader Joe's mall) submitted a Neg Dec with a section on archaeological resources.  The developer audaciously answered NO to the question: 'Would this project likely disrupt possible archaeological remains at the site?'  Conspicuously, the site is located directly on the largest Native American midden and burial shellmound on the West Coast.  The same shellmound footprint caused major disruptions years later at the Bay Street Mall located just across the street when the developer of that site dug up a trove of human bones and Native American tools and votives, remains from what was a major center of human activity going back at least 10,000 years.  The developer of the Bay Street Mall was required to produce an EIR and as a result, an archaeologist was on site during the excavations for that project enabling recovery of the objects and reinterment of the human remains.  Because of the less rigorous Negative Declaration of the Powell Street Plaza, no archaeologist was required, leaving the excavation contractor free from any such nuisance prying eyes.

Councilman Bauters' KQED story,  a San Francisco Chronicle article as well as radio interviews are part of the media blitz our Council member has enjoined to bring accountability to this Caltans project.  Readers may get more detailed information on the Councilman's blog.

UPDATE- The Bay City Beacon also covered this story.  Read it HERE.


Alameda County Transportation Commission Meeting
Emeryville City Councilmember John Bauters calls the Caltrans proposal "a joke".
The accountability hammer drops at 26:26.

Emeryville / Bay Bridge Trail Connection Opens

Cal-Trans has opened the first segment of the Bay Trail bike/pedestrian connection over the new Bay Bridge to Treasure Island.  Tomorrow at noon, the final section right up to the bridge itself will be opened. The trail takes off from the western end of the 40th Street Shellmound Bridge across from Ikea.  Walkers and bikers will be able to use the new bridge after a portion of the old bridge blocking the connection is removed, possibly as long as two years from now. Below are photos of the initial section now open.
For more info go to the East Bay Bike Coalition HERE.

The trail has a decomposed granite walking path on the right side and LED lighting. 

Informational signage and benches line the way.  

One leg of the path loops under the 40th / Shellmound Bridge for the benefit
of westbound 40th Street bikers/walkers.  Caltrans originally fought this connection 
in favor of a dangerous at-grade level crossing, covered by the Tattler HERE.

This is what a Democratic super majority in Sacramento looks like.
With a de-fanged Republican Party, we get stuff like this.

From The Fun Loving People At Caltrans

What's The Matter With These Damn Kids These Days?

Caltrans shows who's boss.
Re-Printed from KGO-TV:

Caltrans crews demolish skate park 

under I-580

Thursday, August 25, 2011

TAGS:

emeryville, caltrans, I-580, oakland, east bay news, terry mcsweeney

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Terry McSweeney
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BORDER OF EMERYVILLE, OAKLAND (KGO) -- A labor of love by a group 

of athletic young people was torn down under I-580 at the Oakland,

 Emeryville border. Caltrans says a skateboard park there is illegal. 

The skateboarders say it keeps kids out of trouble.

Alex Fatemi took one last ride around a skateboard park that he and 

his friends built by hands a couple of years ago. He can't understand 

why Caltrans crews are tearing it down Thursday morning.
"We have been painting over the graffiti and we have cleanup days 

where we pick up the trash. I don't know why they don't see that as a 

positive push for something good," said Fatemi.
But the state doesn't see it that way.
"The harm in letting it go is that number one it sets a precedent, and 

number two there are liability issues, and there are crime issues, 

homelessness issues, all sorts of issues that arise," said Caltrans 

spokesperson Bob Haus.
There had been hope of leaving the spot open and perhaps working 

out a deal with Caltrans. But skateboarders say, with redevelopment 

agencies on the way out and the economy what it is, officials in 

Oakland and Emeryville were unable to come up with the money 

for the $5,000 per month lease that Caltrans wanted.
Fatemi took his petition of 600 signatures to plead his case with 

Caltrans crews one more time, but the fate of the park was sealed.
"I feel like something has been taken from me that I cherish so much. 

I was in love with this place and now someone is going to kill it. 

They are going to kill it, it sucks," said Fatemi.
CHP officers came in to tell Fatemi that the ride was over. When 

Fatemi was asked by ABC7 News where he would go from here, 

he said he would take his board to the streets.
Caltrans said it is negotiating with a billboard company for the land. 

There is another skatepark nearby that will also be taken down 

by Caltrans.

Caltrans Plans Dangerous 'At-Grade' Crossing For Bikes/Peds At 40th Street

DOT Overrides Emeryville Bike Committee

State Runs Roughshod

Over Emeryville

After more than a year of careful staff assisted design work, the Emeryville Bike/Pedestrian Committee recently finished their plan to safely link bikers and pedestrians on the Bay Trail to the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge only to have the State swoop in and disqualify the whole design for a cheaper but inherently dangerous link. The committee's plan is safer since one arm of the path sweeps under the 40th Street bridge in order to avoid a dangerous 'at-grade' crossing; mixing high speed vehicles with the bikes and pedestrians. The committee vote was unanimous.

The 40th Street bridge has already seen at least one near fatal bike auto collision and an at-grade crossing as part of what is expected to be a popular bike/ped destination is a certain recipe for more car bike/ped collisions. The dangerous situation is further exacerbated by the fact that Caltrans plans on this crossing of 40th Street at a curving section of roadway with limited visibility.

The Caltrans proposed link will funnel all pedestrians and bicyclists from Emeryville, North Oakland, Berkeley and cities to the north who wish to cross the new Bay Bridge through the at-grade crossing.

After diverting off from Shellmound/40th Street at the contentious crossing, a new path will head south alongside the freeway. From there it will turn west and wind its way through the freeway support columns under the elevated freeway interchange and over some infrequently used railroad tracks before emerging alongside the south side of I-8o. There it will join up with the new bridge slated for completion in 2013. The connection to the Bay Bridge has been in the works for years as a premier part of the not yet completed Bay Trail; a bike/ped path circumnavigating the entire bay.

Caltrans announced the rejection of the Emeryville plan to the Bike/Ped Committee at their regularly scheduled October 4th meeting, citing budgetary concerns for the cheaper albeit more dangerous crossing. Long time committee member Scott Donahue, chagrinned with the Caltrans proposal, spoke for the group, "We as a committee feel that this crossing is unnecessary and dangerous; it will put pedestrians and bicyclists at a safety risk for no reason other than a lack of Bay Area governmental regional planning. Additionally, it will slow down vehicle traffic on 40th/Shellmound".