Quint St Caltrain Project Update

Basically, the SFCTA is dragging its feet on this so that they can put in the project that they want, which involves closure of Quint St with the possibility of a connector road that will probably never happen.  The information they just sent us Friday evening via email is the exact same as what we saw from them in November.  Nothing has changed.

They already have a plan that would work with the money that they have - replacement of the bridge in-kind, as was done with the Jerrold Ave. bridge.  They keep saying how rickety the old bridge over Quint is, but then they keep dragging things out, now looking for money to do more studies.  The studies done in 2005 showed that replacement in-kind was a viable option.  Caltrain doesn't require a four-track width at this location because, even if high-speed rail becomes a reality, they only need two tracks.

Contact SFCTA's Deputy Director for Planning, Tilly Chang at 415.522.4832 let her know that they've dragged their feet long enough and have spent enough money on studies.  It's time to replace the bridge with another bridge so that the Bayview can stay connected to the rest of the city and Caltrain can continue to operate safely.

Project Update
Selecting a design option for the Caltrain
Quint Street Bridge Replacement Project

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The issue

	Top: The existing Caltrain bridge over Quint Street needs to be replaced. Bottom: Replacement of the Jerrold Avenue bridge is complete. Top: The existing Caltrain bridge over Quint Street needs to be replaced. Bottom: Replacement of the Jerrold Avenue bridge is complete.

Caltrain has developed three options to replace the rail bridge over Quint Street, which is over 100 years old and needs to be replaced. The Authority is considering the three alternatives which have varying implications and trade-offs in terms of cost and funding, ability to support a future potential Caltrain Station at Oakdale Avenue, and vehicular access:

• Replacing the existing bridge with a berm for $20 million, closing private vehicle access under the tracks on Quint Street;
• Replacing the existing bridge in-kind for $25 million with a structure that maintains vehicle access under the tracks but would need to be rebuilt to accommodate a future station; and
• Replacing the existing bridge with one designed to accommodate future station platforms for $35 million, exceeding the available funding by $10 million. Given funding limitations, this option is not feasible in the short to medium terms.

A potential complementary project, the Quint-Jerrold Connector Road running along the west side of the Caltrain tracks, would increase accessibility to adjacent land uses and could be paired with Option 1 to provide alternate access to areas on the other side of the Caltrain tracks via Jerrold Avenue. As Option 1 costs $5 million less than the Quint Bridge project budget, these funds could help fund the majority of the estimated cost of the Connector Road.
 

What we've heard so far

Multi-agency outreach to date has included a community workshop noticed in Chinese, Spanish and English, meetings with community groups, and discussions with stakeholders about the Quint Street Bridge options. Feedback has called for:

• Increased outreach to the broader community—including limited English proficiency groups – regarding the options for the Quint Street Bridge Replacement;
• More detailed information about the design of each Bridge Replacement option;
• More detailed information about the potential Quint-Jerrold connector road, including how it would be integrated with the surrounding existing and planned street network; and
• Status and next steps for the potential Caltrain Station near the Southeast Community Facility at Oakdale Avenue.

Current status and next steps

Authority staff has requested planning, outreach and conceptual design funds for SFDPW, SFMTA and Authority staff to undertake the following tasks:

• Review the cost estimates and designs of all three Quint Street Bridge alternatives to identify any potential for value engineering and cost savings;
• Undertake transportation planning and coordination in the area including developing a conceptual-level design for a Quint-Jerrold Connector Road to better assess cost and operational feasibility;
• Coordinate with Caltrain staff on an evaluation of the system impact of adding an infill station at Oakdale (follow-on to already completed station feasibility and ridership studies); and
• Conduct a round of public outreach in April/May, to present the results of these analyses and seek community input on a preferred bridge replacement option.

Staff will present the funding request for SFDPW, SFMTA and the Authority to undertake this planning, outreach and design work to the Authority's Plans and Programs Committee at its March 20th meetingat 10:30 a.m. in City Hall, Room 263.  The Authority Board will consider the item at its meeting the following week on March 27th. Please see the Authority's website for the staff memo (PDF) to the Authority's Citizens Advisory Committee for this request and for agendas for the Transportation Authority meetings on March 20th and 27th.
We will bring a schedule of planned April/May outreach events and presentations to community groups to the March 20 Plans and Programs meeting, or you may check our Caltrain Quint Street Bridge Replacement project page for regular updates.
We anticipate a policy action at the Authority Board regarding the preferred Quint Street Bridge Replacement option in late spring/early summer.
If you have questions or would like to schedule an April presentation with your community group, please contact Colin Dentel-Post, Transportation Planner with the Authority.