City of Milwaukee - Meeting of CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE on 3/4/2015 at 9:00 AM

Agenda #	Title	Video
1.	Review and approval of the minutes of the February 11, 2015 meeting. Minutes note: Meeting convened: 9:04 A.M. All members present with Toni Biscobing present for Mr. Matson. Mr. Froh moved for approval of the minutes. There were no objections.	Video
2.	Presentation of the Bridges Condition Report. Minutes note: Mr. Craig Liberto discussed the City’s bridge inventory. He said there are currently 187 City owned and maintained bridges; 135 fixed bridges over rivers railroads and streets, 19 pedestrian bridges, 12 viaducts, and 12 movable bridges. He said that 9 bridges have been added since 2012 and that most of them were pedestrian bridges. He said the Granville Road bridge has been removed. Mr. Liberto said the bridge inventory is managed through an inspection program which is conducted by DPW personnel in accordance with Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and WisDOT standards. Each inspector is certified by the FHWA. He said that most bridges are inspected at least every 24 months. He said movable bridges structurally deficient bridges are inspected annually. Movable bridge inspections are done at the beginning of the year to make sure that they are operational when boating season starts. He said that 156 formalized bridge inspections were performed in 2014. Mr. Liberto discussed the various types of bridge inspections which include initial, routine, fracture critical, in-depth with non-destructive testing, interim, and three types of underwater inspections (survey, visual probe and dive). Underwater dive inspections which are required once every five years were last performed in 2013 on 31 bridges. Mr. Liberto discussed the sufficiency rating system (SR) which is the FHWA rating for service condition. He said that the inspection information is entered into a database which generates a sufficiency rating. The SR has a 100 point scale and three main components, structural adequacy (55 pts), service ability and obsolescence (30 pts), and essentiality for public use (15 pts). He said that bridges are scored using current design standards. He said the SR is not a measure of safe versus unsafe and that some bridges may have a low SR because of narrow roadway widths or clearances. He said the formula for calculating the SR may be updated soon. It was last updated in 1995. Mr. Liberto discussed the condition of the City’s bridges. He said that an SR of 80 is a threshold for determining eligibility for federal/state rehabilitation funding. Bridges with an SR less than 50 are eligible for rehabilitation or reconstruction funding. He said that in 2014 67% of our bridges had a sufficiency rating greater than 80 and 94% had an SR greater than 50. In 1995 only 81% of bridges had a SR greater than 50. In 2014 17% of the City’s bridges were classified as structurally deficient an improvement from 2008 when 25% of the bridges were classified as deficient. Mr. Schifalacqua asked why the SR for the 51st Blvd bridge over Lincoln Creek had declined so much since last year. Mr. Liberto said the bridge was originally scheduled for rehab. An in depth inspection revealed higher levels of corrosion than were expected. The bridge had to be posted causing the SR to decline significantly. The bridge is now scheduled for reconstruction. Mr. Liberto described how bridges are selected for rehabilitation or reconstruction. He said the department evaluates the SR, the deck, the superstructure and the substructure of the bridges. A prioritized list is created and potential funding sources are identified. Mr. Liberto discussed the federal state bridge program. He said it is a competitive program for limited state wide dollars. Last year (fiscal 2014-2015) the state has $32.9 million per year. He said from 1997 through 2001, it has averaged $32.2 million. The program has a two year funding cycle. The next application will be spring of 2015. Funding is generally for 80% of the project with a 20% local share. He said that with the exception of the TIGER ARRA funding received in 2011, state and federal funding received by the City has declined significantly in the last 10 years. He said that historically there have been other low points in grant funding when Milwaukee County has negative allocation balances, such as the mid 1990’s, and that the downward trend may be nearing the end. Mr. Schifalacqua said that the state does not allocate funds to the areas that have the most needs. Mr. Schifalacqua said that the reason the ratings have improved is because the City has increased local funding to replace the federal and state funding. Mr. Liberto said that the department is focusing on maintenance to extend the life of bridges. He said that painting bridges to protect the steel from corrosive elements is one of the most effective maintenance strategies. He said concrete repairs can also extend bridge life. He said that new movable bridges are constructed from galvanized steel which reduces corrosion and saves money over the life of the bridge. Mr. Nicolini asked if there were concerns about succession planning in the department. Mr. Liberto said no. Mr. Liberto said that most design work in done in-house but that that depending on the number and type of projects, some design work may be done by consultants.	Video
3.	Presentation of the Underground Conduit and Communications Condition Report. Minutes note: Mr. Robert Bryson discussed the Underground Conduit and Electrical Manhole system. He said there are 571 miles of conduit in the City streets. He said that the fiber duct that was installed from the 1930s through the 1980s is deteriorating and the City is currently using PVC. He said a lot of conduit has been replaced in conjunction with the WisDOT interchange upgrades and other major street paving projects. Mr. Bryson presented a list of projects that are currently being designed. Mr. Bryson discussed the lease of conduit space. He said that total revenue for 2014 was $775,000. He said Chapter 98 of the City’s Code of Ordinances governs the lease of City conduit space and is being revised. He said the telecommunications industry has changed and some of the categories and special rates are no longer applicable. Mr. Bryson said that he was not involved in establishing the rates. Ald. Bauman asked what the effect of doubling the rates would be. Mr. Nicolini said that rates may have been reduced in the past because they were too high. Mr. Froh said that the rates were restructured for bridges to more closely match the cost of putting conduit on bridges. Ald. Bauman asked how much the City charges a private entity to put their own conduit on bridges. Mr. Froh said there was a permitting process, but there was no ongoing charge to the utility. Ald. Bauman asked if anyone has done an analysis of what the economic tipping point for the rates is. Mr. Bryson was not aware of an analysis. Mr. Froh said that in the past, the rates were reviewed periodically and may have been submitted as part of the budget process. Mr. Korban said the department would review the rates. Mr. Bryson discussed the electrical manhole system. He said there are nearly 7,600 active manholes in the system. He said about 2,000 manholes are more than 75 years old. There are three main material types, brick, block and pre-cast. He said the block manholes are failing at a faster rate because they were constructed without reinforcing. Mr. Bryson said the department began an assessment of the manholes in 2013 at the request of this committee. He said the City was divided into five areas. One area will be inspected each year. Area 2 was inspected in 2013 and Area 3 was inspected in 2014. Area 4 is currently under contract for 2015. In Area 3, 1,540 manholes were inspected; 95 manholes need to be replaced or require major repairs, 57 require deck roof replacement, and 347 require chimney or corbel repair. The combined repair needs for Area 2 and Area 3 are as follows; 202 manholes need to be replaced or have major repairs, 79 require deck roof replacement and 585 require chimney or corbel repair. Mr. Bryson said that there was a significant increase in the number of emergency repairs in 2014. He said the cost for emergency repairs on 13 manholes repaired by contractors was almost $200,000. He said the department now has a crew in service to make manhole repairs. The new crew should reduce emergency repair costs and improve response times.	Video
4.	Presentation of the Public Safety Communications Condition Report. Minutes note: Mr. David Henke discussed the Public Safety Communications system. He said that the name of the program has been changed to Public Facility Communications to better reflect that it is not just for public safety but for all City communications. Mr. Henke said that the phone system was last upgraded in 2012 and that the voice mail system would be upgraded in 2015. Mr. Henke discussed some of the paving and construction impacts on the City’s network including work on S 27th Street, the Zoo Interchange Project, the Stadium Freeway, and I-43 from Howard Avenue. He said 7.1 miles of fiber were installed last year. He said the system was expanded to the new Concordia Substation for the Police Department. Mr. Henke discussed a new project that will upgrade communications to the City’s traffic control cabinets. The project is federally funded. He said the City may be able to piggyback funding by extending the fiber from the traffic control cabinets to nearby City facilities. The City would be responsible for the marginal cost of the fiber from the cabinet to the building. Mr. Henke said there are currently over 550 active copper repair tickets. He said fewer were added and fewer were closed in 2014 than in previous years. He said the number will continue to decline as the City utilizes the copper less and migrates more services onto fiber cabling. He said the goal is to move off of copper cable. He said there are far fewer repair tickets on fiber. The fiber repair tickets have been stable for the last two years and are largely related to planned construction where fiber will be impacted. Mr. Henke discussed the impact of the City Hall Foundation project. He said the current design of the foundation work will impact the existing copper and fiber lines and require their relocation. There are 650 pairs that service City Hall for phone lines, alarm lines and data lines. An additional 2,000 pairs service other locations. He said the department will try to reduce the number of pairs to under 1,000. There are approximately 144 strands servicing City Hall and 82 strands that service other locations. Mr. Henke said that there are approximately 175 miles of fiber in the system. He said that 2 or 3 miles of new fiber (not replacement) were installed in 2014. Mr. Schifalacqua asked what the expected life of the fiber was and if there should be a program to replace it. Mr. Henke said that the fiber has a long life span. He said the technology itself is relatively new and that the system is still performing well. He said the department has switched to single mode fiber because it has a higher capacity than multi-mode fiber. Mr. Froh asked if it was possible to lease out fiber capacity or bandwidth. Mr. Henke said recent FCC ruling might affect the City’s ability to lease fiber capacity. He said the department has not explored it in depth.	Video
5.	Presentation of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Condition Report. Minutes note: Ms. Kristin Bennett discussed the City’s pedestrian facilities. She said that key challenges are aging concrete infrastructure, Forestry related sidewalk issues, accessibility, winter maintenance and driver culture. Ms. Bennett discussed accessible pedestrian signals. She said they are generally installed by request. She said changes have been made to the department’s process to increase coordination with the aldermanic office and improving notification to property owners and residents. She said two signals were installed on the UWM campus. (Kenwood & Maryland and Hartford & Maryland) and one was installed at the intersection of Humboldt and Wright. Ms. Bennett said equipment is chosen based on the characteristics of the location and the available technology. She said most of the signals have a locator tone for someone to find the button. When the button is pushed, the signal announces that the walk light is on. Ald. Kovac said that is preferable to having a signal that announces all the time. Ms. Bennett said the department has been working with the manufacturer and an accessibility specialist to make sure that DPW staff knows how to set up and maintain the signals. Ms. Bennett discussed pedestrian actuated rapid flashing beacons (RFBs). She said the department has been testing different styles, light patterns shapes of lights. She said an RFB will be installed in partnership with UWM for a mid-block crossing near an on-site day care facility. She said the department is seeking grant funding to install RFBs for mid-block Riverwalk crossings. Ms. Bennett discussed several small pedestrian projects including accessibility improvements for a school near 43rd & Montana, relocating a mid-block crossing near Sijan Field, the realignment of the intersection near the Swing Park, the creation of a mid-block crossing to connect to the KK River Trail, a realignment at Erie and Menomonee for the MIAD dormitory, and curb extensions at Clement school. Ald. Bauman asked if all the projects were in response to requests or complaints. Ms. Bennett said that most of the projects she listed were responsive. She said she has a list of potential locations but that funding is limited and the department focuses efforts on locations where there have been complaints or incidents or where there is an outside funding source. Ald. Bauman inquired about the status of traffic calming near 33rd & State. Ms. Bennett said the department is working on data collection including a gap study to determine the most effective treatment. Ald. Bauman suggested that if the Potawatomi were willing to pay for the improvements there should be no reason to delay the project. Ms. Bennett said she was not aware that funding might be available from the Potawatomi. Ms. Bennett discussed the activities for 2015 and 2016. She said the City received a federal grant to fund a pedestrian plan. A consultant will be hired early this year. She said the project has a limited budget and will focus on public input to get a broad range of citizens and stakeholders involved. Ms. Bennett said the department is identifying median obstructions in crosswalks throughout the City. Ms. Bennett said the department received a Safe Routes to School grant which will be available to in 2016. Ms. Bennett discussed the City’s bicycle facilities. She said that Milwaukee was again awarded bronze designation by the League of American Bicyclists as a bike friendly city. Ms. Bennett said the City currently has 85 centerline miles of bicycle lanes on city streets, 2,000 publicly funded bicycles parking racks, 16 bike lockers and 3.5 miles of city owned paved trails. She said there are other paved trails within the city limits which are owned and maintain by others including the Hank Aaron State Trail and the Oak Leaf Trail. Ms. Bennett said the bike lockers are in various locations around the city. She said they are available for lease on an annual basis. She said they are underutilized and the location and marketing of the lockers is being re-evaluated. Ms. Bennett discussed the Bay View to Downtown bike corridor. She described it as a multi-year project. Phase 1 which included a raised bike lane was completed between 2011 and 2013. Phase 2 which included the trail section between Washington and National was completed in 2014. The project also included skid resistant plates on the Young Street and S. Kinnickinnic Avenue bridges. Ald. Bauman asked if the trail was plowed in the winter. Ms. Bennett said that a contractor had been hired to do snow removal on the Beerline and the KK river Trail. She said the department has received positive feedback on the contractor’s performance. Ald. Bauman said that the Milwaukee metro area has the 3rd highest rate of bike commuters in the Midwest behind Chicago and Minneapolis. He said that excluding big cities like New York and Boston, Milwaukee ranks 3rd nationally. He said Milwaukee also ranks 3rd in pedestrian commuting both in the Midwest and nationally. Mr. Bennett discussed the Beerline Trail. She said that the existing trail is approximately 2 miles long. She said the design for the Keefe to Capitol section is largely complete and that the City is in the process of acquiring the right of way. Construction should begin this summer or fall depending on when the right of way is finalized. She said that the Beerline is being coordinated with the ARTery efforts. Ms. Bennett discussed bridge plating efforts. She said the Young Street and S. Kinnickinnic Avenue bridges have been completed. Plating has been designed for the Cherry Street and Water Street bridges. The department is seeking grant funding for the construction. Plating on the Wells Street Bridge will be done with the rehabilitation bridge. She said a federal grant ($540,000) will be used to complete the Plankinton Avenue and the Emmber Lane bridges. Mr. Schifalacqua asked if a portion of the deck is removed to install the plates. Mr. Korban said no, the plate goes on top of the deck. Ms. Bennett said the department added about 4 centerline miles in 2014 and is scheduled to add at least 10 centerline miles in 2015. She said most of the lanes are added through existing paving projects. (local, state/federal and high impact) She said the department is trying to incorporate these project elements into whatever level of project is being done. She said staff will be developing a complete streets policy starting this spring to codify the policies and procedures for project development and delivery. Ald. Bauman asked if the department was considering bike lanes with separation. Ms. Bennett said that separated bike lanes were considered on S. 2nd Street. She said major considerations when evaluating the feasibility of separated bike lanes include the space available, demand for on street parking, accommodations for public transit, and maintenance including snow removal and sweeping. She said buffered bike lanes could be a good interim solution if there is not support for a separated bike lane at the present time. Mr. Korban said that cities which construct separated bike lanes don’t plow the snow, they remove it. Ald. Kovac said the bike lanes on Humboldt that were added with the High Impact paving project have been popular. Ms. Bennett briefly discussed bike parking saying that the City received a federal grant to substantially improve bike parking. She said the City received a coordinated signage grant with the County create a seamless sign system for way finding and safety. She also said that the department will be using grant funding to upgrade web content and develop interactive bicycle mapping and a new paper map. Ms. Bennett discussed Midwest Bike Share and Bublr Bikes. She said they installed 10 stations in 2014 and had over 5,100 trips between August and December. She said the City received a CMAQ grant for the design of additional stations. She said that Wauwatosa, Shorewood, West Allis and UWM are participating.	Video