CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE

200 E. Wells Street City of Milwaukee Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202 Meeting Minutes CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS COMMITTEE ALD. NIK KOVAC, CHAIR Ald. Robert Bauman, Ald. Michael Murphy, Ghassan Korban, Martin Matson, Mark Nicolini, and Mariano Schifalacqua Staff Assistant: Linda Elmer, 286-2231 Fax: 286-3456, lelmer@milwaukee.gov Fiscal Planning Specialist: Kathleen Brengosz, 286-3926, kbreng@milwaukee.gov Wednesday, February 6, 2013 9:00 AM Room 301-B, City Hall Meeting called to order at 9:05 a.m. 1. Review and approval of the January 16th meeting minutes. Minutes were approved as written. 2. Presentation of the Street Lighting Condition Report. Individual appearing: Bob Bryson, Department of Public Works Mr. Bryson gave a presentation on the condition of Street Lighting (please see the attachment "Street Lighting Condition Report PowerPoint" to Council file 121406). Mr. Bryson said that as of January 1, 2013 there were 68,540 street lights and 250 electrical substations operating in the City. There are 77,929 lights if alley, specialty and park lights are included. He said that street lights are predominantly high pressure sodium; about 3% are still mercury vapor. Mr. Bryson discussed the City’s use of LED street lighting . He said that several years ago metal halide lights in the 3rd Ward which had short lives and were replaced with LED lights. After installation, design flaws were discovered that caused the power supplies to blow up and take entire circuits out of service. The design was changed and all the lights were replaced at the manufacturer’s expense . It is believed the replaced lights will last 10 to 15 years. He said that the LED lights were installed at the Westlawn development, adding that Westlawn is the first area of the City to be lit City of Milwaukee Page 1 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 6, 2013 COMMITTEE entirely with LED lights. Mr. Bryson discussed the various components of the capital improvement program beginning with the largest component, paving related upgrades. He said that when a street is paved, the street light cable, which is just behind the curb, has to be replaced. Prior to a paving project with extensive curb removal, street lighting cables will be temporarily placed overhead. After the completion of the paving, cable will be permanently placed underground. Mr. Nicolini asked if it was possible to determine how many lamps are replaced through the paving program. Mr. Bryson said that there is a limited amount of conversion done through the paving program because of the size and configuration of the circuits. He said that large paving projects, Capitol Drive for example, could be converted by installing an additional service cabinet. However, it was not cost effective to do that for smaller projects. Mr. Bryson discussed the Neighborhood Lighting program. Ald. Bauman asked when the City began lighting neighborhoods on a systematic basis. Mr. Bryson said he wasn’t sure but he would find out. Mr. Bryson discussed the series circuitry issue, describing it as the greatest challenge the City is facing with regard to its street light system. He said that series technology is outdated, that transformers and ballasts are not commercially available, that a large portion of the city still uses series technology, and that the system is prone to cable failures in many areas. Mr. Bryson added that the City began installing multiple circuitry in the 1950’s. Based on the number of lamps, approximately 60% of the street light system is now on multiple circuits. Ald. Bauman asked if there was a map of the areas serviced by series circuits. Mr. Bryson said yes and said the department will provide one to the committee. Mr. Bryson said that the conversion of the 755 lights serviced by the ND substation at N. 24th Street and W. Vienna will be completed this year. The substation has approximately 20 circuits servicing an area roughly bounded by Capitol Drive, Burleigh Street, N. 9th Street and N. 27th Street. He said that in the mid-2000s the department began to replace entire substations in an effort to gain greater efficiencies. The number of failures in the system has caused the department to revise its strategy and the department will now focus its efforts on problematic circuits instead of wider geographic area conversions. Ald. Kovac asked for an estimate of the total conversion cost. Mr. Bryson replied that a very rough estimate would be between $75 million and $80 million to complete the remaining conversion. He added that between 275 and 300 lamps can be converted per million dollars of expenditure. Mr. Nicolini suggested that the department categorize, to the extent feasible, the remaining series lamps as highly problematic, moderately problematic or minimally problematic. Mr. Bryson said the department tracks cable problems and outages and would be able to determine the most problematic circuits. He also said that the number of failures alone does not make a circuit highly problematic and the underlying cause of the failures must be considered. Mr. Nicolini asked if the manufacture of street light components was charged to the capital budget. Mr. Bryson said that much of it is charged to the capital budget. He said that some replacements get charged to maintenance depending on why the lights were replaced. Ald. Kovac suggested itemizing both the capital cost to replace a circuit and the annual cost of maintaining it. Ald. Bauman asked if poles were replaced or the wattage of lamps was adjusted as part of the series conversion. Mr. Bryson said poles are replaced when they wear out. He also said that in residential areas the City generally uses 100 watt bulbs. He said there was a demonstration project in the Model Homes area that used 400 watt bulbs but that most of those bulbs have been replaced with 150 watt lamps. Ald. City of Milwaukee Page 2 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 6, 2013 COMMITTEE Bauman asked how many poles are replaced each year. Mr. Bryson said he was not sure of the exact number but thought it was several hundred, most of them related to knockdowns. Ald. Bauman said that to reduce pruning costs, most residential neighborhoods in Chicago have 16 or 18 foot poles with a pedestrian arm and a street arm. Mr. Bryson replied that the City’s street light system was designed using 21 foot poles. Shortening the poles would decrease the spread of light and require the poles to be closer together, which would add more poles and lights to the system. Ald. Bauman said that people are complaining that the sidewalks are too dark and asked if it is technically feasible to add a pedestrian mast arm to the existing street light poles 12 or 15 feet above the sidewalk. Mr. Bryson replied that it is feasible to the extent that the additional lights don’t overload the circuit. Mr. Bryson said that the department would evaluate ways to enhance pedestrian lighting and provide cost estimates. He said that there may be fixtures that would provide adequate light on the road and throw light on the sidewalk. Ald. Bauman asked if the primary purpose of street lighting was for pedestrian safety, neighborhood safety, or for the protection or vehicles. Mr. Bryson replied that street lighting served all of those purposes. Ald. Bauman said that based on the complaints that he receives, the City is failing on the pedestrian safety side. Mr. Bryson discussed the street lighting substations and master control system. He said approximately $100,000 each year is used to replace enclosures that are starting to rust or deteriorate. He said the master control system will replace a hard wired system for turning street lights on and off. The radio controlled system will have a fail-safe feature that will automatically turn the lights on in the event of a communication failure. It also provides failure alerts so the City will not have to rely on residents to report problems. He said the system is operational at 51 stations. Eleven stations will be added in 2013 and 40 stations are being designed. Mr. Bryson anticipates that the whole system will be operational by 2016. Mr. Schifalacqua asked what criteria the department uses to turn the street lights on at night and off in the morning. Mr. Bryson said that lights on the master control system are controlled by a photo cell located the Canal Street Shop. When the ambient light is reaches a certain level the lights are turned on or off. Some street lights are controlled by an astronomical clock. He said that the lights should go on roughly five minutes before dusk. Mr. Bryson discussed the replacement of decorative steel poles. He said that about 5 years ago, after a number of steel poles fell over, the department began inspecting steel poles on a two-year cycle. The most recent inspections found 19 poles in need of replacement. He said the shepherd’s crook poles and the double harp arms on Wisconsin Avenue are also corroding and DPW used its inventory to replace as many of them as possible. Some double harps were replaced with single harps. The remaining arms were banded to prevent them from falling to the pavement if they should fail. DPW will replace all 160 arms in the downtown area and attempt to recover the cost from the manufacturer. Mr. Bryson added that the corrosion was largely caused by water that collected inside the poles. The pole design was changed to allow water to drain out the bottom of the poles and weep holes were also added to the side of the poles. The poles are now constructed with galvanized steel instead of rolled steel and they are now powder-coated to provide additional corrosion protection. Mr. Bryson discussed uncollectible knockdowns. He said that roughly five percent of the street lighting budget is used to replace poles that are knocked down by drivers who leave the scene and cannot be identified. In 2012, the approximate cost was $335,000. City of Milwaukee Page 3 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 6, 2013 COMMITTEE 3. Presentation of the Traffic Control Condition Report. Individuals appearing: Bob Bryson, Department of Public Works Jeff Polenske, City Engineer Mr. Bryson gave a presentation on the condition of Traffic Controls (please see the attachment "Traffic Control and Bicycle Facilities Condition Report PowerPoint " to Council file 121406). Mr. Bryson discussed the City’s traffic control program . He said that there are over 109,000 traffic control signs in the City. Ald. Kovac asked why sign installation increased in the 1980s. Mr. Bryson answered that the City did a group replacement of street name signs over a four- or five-year period. Ald. Kovac asked when the City started using green and white signs for street names. Mr. Schifalacqua said that it was in the late 1970s. Mr. Bryson added that prior to that the signs were white with black letters. Mr. Bryson said that the 2009 update to the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) included some harsh compliance dates. He said that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) has relaxed and in some cases eliminated the compliance dates from the manual. Ald. Kovac asked if street name signs were upgraded because they were in all capital letters. Mr. Bryson said no; upgrades are required when a sign does not meet retro-reflectivity requirements. At that time, the sign must be converted to title case. Mr. Bryson said that studies have shown that signs are easier to read when they are not in all capital letters. He said title case is only required on informational signs. Regulatory signs will remain in capitals but will have a larger font that corresponds to the current vision requirements for driver’s licenses. Ald. Kovac asked how much the elimination of compliance dates will save the City. Mr. Bryson said that the City will have to spend the same amount, but it will be spread over a longer period of time. City of Milwaukee Page 4 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 6, 2013 COMMITTEE Mr. Bryson discussed the performance of the sheeting used for various signs. He said that yellow is the poorest performing color, lasting only 16 years on average. He said the white sheeting was performing the best, lasting 25 years. Ald. Kovac asked if the color of the sign affected performance or if there was some other variable. Mr. Bryson said that to his knowledge the pigmentation was the only difference in the sheeting. Mr. Bryson said that sign performance experienced in Milwaukee was substantially better than the national average. He said that any yellow signs older than 16 years will be scheduled for replacement and 414 yellow signs were replaced in 2012. Mr. Bryson said that red signs are in better condition and that 400 red signs were replaced last year. Mr. Bryson said that the City is behind on street name sign replacement. Close to 900 signs were replaced in 2012 but many more are past their useful life. Mr. Bryson discussed signage changes in school zones. He said that in 2010, the Wisconsin Legislature allowed fines to be double in school zones , but in order to be enforceable, “fines higher” and “end school zone” signs were required. He estimated that about 1,000 locations would need the new signage. Ald. Kovac asked if the new signs have had an impact on the safety of school children. Mr. Bryson said that he did not know. Mr. Polenske said that most schools seem to see the additional signage as a benefit. Mr. Bryson also said that the 2009 Manual made changes to school crossing signs, removing the crosswalks on the sign and adding a downward arrow sign below the standard pentagon. Mr. Bryson discussed traffic signals saying that all City traffic signals have been converted to LED. He said fire preemption is active at 310 locations, 387 intersections have pedestrian countdown signals, and 21 intersections have audible pedestrian signals. Ald. Bauman asked if all the LED conversions were done under the performance guarantee contract. Mr. Bryson said that only about 200 signals were converted under the performance contract. He said that most were converted using Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds which had a 10% local share. Some were converted in conjunction with paving projects and were funded at 100% for connecting highway projects or at 80% for regular state aided projects. Ald. Bauman asked if anyone was monitoring the performance contract. Mr. Bryson said no. He said that the monitoring contract had been allowed to expire because the result from the conversion had been demonstrated and there was little value in extending the contract. He said that City has realized a substantial reduction in energy costs because of the LED conversion project. Mr. Bryson said that when the LED lights were installed it was anticipated that they would have a life of 6 to 7 years. He said that many of them have exceeded their expected life and that it is possible that a large number of them may need replacement soon. Mr. Bryson discussed countdown pedestrian signals. He said that countdown pedestrian signals will be required at every signalized intersection by the state and federal government. The City has received grants that will cover 90% of the cost of the installations, which should be completed by 2014. Mr. Polenske added that Milwaukee was the first community to successfully make a case for this type of funding. It has saved the City millions of dollars. Mr. Bryson discussed the pavement marking program. He said that painted markings generally have a life of about one year and the department attempts to repaint them annually. He said that inlaid plastic is used for pavement markings on new asphalt pavements and epoxy is used on new concrete pavements. Mr. Bryson said that a key initiative is the installation of sharrow markings on 68 miles of roadway using a City of Milwaukee Page 5 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 6, 2013 COMMITTEE Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant. He said the first sharrows were painted on Grange Avenue. Sharrow markings will be used to provide direction to bicyclists and alert drivers of the need to share the lane with bicycles when the pavement width will not support a full bike lane. Mr. Bryson discussed uncollectible knockdowns. He said that $185,000 was expended in 2012 for damages that the City was unable to recover from the responsible parties. Mr. Bryson discussed pedestrian initiatives. He said that the two most common traffic control related complaints are that pedestrians have trouble getting across the street and controlling the speed of traffic. He said the 2009 Manual has expanded the options for addressing these concerns. He said there are four new initiatives with which the department is experimenting. Mr. Bryson said the first initiative is the installation of overhead “yield to pedestrian” signs. He said that the department tried in-street “yield to pedestrian” signs at a number of locations with mixed success. He said the signs were effective, but have a life expectancy of less than the five months because they get hit by vehicles. He added that they are expensive to replace. Ald. Bauman asked how much the in-street signs cost and if Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) were ever asked to contribute to the cost. Mr. Bryson said the installed cost of an in-street sign is about $500. Mr. Polenske said there are also annual costs associated with seasonal set-out of in-street signs. He said the City talked with the BIDs but the discussions did not generally produce partnerships. Ald. Kovac said he believed the in-street signs were more effective than overhead signs. Ald. Bauman agreed. Mr. Bryson said that overhead signs provide a permanent, year-round solution that can be used on both two-lane and four-lane roadways. Mr. Polenske said that while the in-street signs are effective in some instances, they are not always the best solution. The overhead signs provide an additional option that may increase pedestrian safety in a more cost effective manner. Ald. Bauman said that physical obstructions are the most cost effective way to slow down traffic and increase pedestrian safety. He added that a certain amount of congestion was a desirable thing. Mr. Schifalacqua asked if the department has considered re-installing button islands at some locations. Mr. Bryson replied that the department is increasing the size of median refuge islands because the old ones were too small and did not provide enough storage for pedestrians. He said the increased size will allow for the permanent placement of street level signage. Mr. Froh asked if the Police Department is enforcing existing pedestrian laws. Ald. Bauman said that passive, self-executing controls are far more cost effective than using police resources. Ald. Kovac said that he believes there needs to be a philosophical shift regarding the priority given to automobile traffic efficiency. Mr. Polenske said that greater consideration has been given to bicycles and pedestrian facilities, citing S. 2nd Street as an example. Ald. Bauman asked if the negative impacts that some anticipated the new facilities on 2nd Street would cause have occurred. Mr. Polenske said that on a day to day basis the street is operating well, even during peak hours. Mr. Bryson said that the second initiative involves pedestrian-actioned, LED-enhanced, pedestrian crossing signs. He said LED lights are incorporated into the outside edge of the sign. When the pedestrian pushes the button the sign begins to flash. The signs raise the conspicuity of pedestrians. Mr. Polenske said that TAPCO donated the signs, which were installed by City forces. Mr. Bryson said the third initiative is the installation of hawk signals. The first hawk City of Milwaukee Page 6 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 6, 2013 COMMITTEE signal was installed on Cesar Chavez south of Scott Street to replace a pedestrian actuated signal where there was low driver compliance. He said that when a pedestrian activates the signal, the bottom light will flash yellow for about 5 seconds, then the top two signals will go to red. Once the walk time has expired the red lights will alternately flash similar to a railroad crossing, allowing a vehicle to stop and then proceed if there is no pedestrian in the crosswalk. Mr. Bryson said a second signal is planned for Industrial Road near Direct Supply. Mr. Bryson said the fourth initiative is the installation of rectangular, rapid flashing beacons like the one that was installed on Market Street. He said that studies have shown that this type of signal can have compliance rates of nearly 90%. Compliance on Market Street before the installation of the beacons was near zero. It has improved to approximately 20%. He said the beacons will be modified so they only flash on the side of the roadway that the pedestrian is crossing. Mr. Bryson said that the City has requested to participate in a study being done by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI). The study will evaluate different methods of protecting pedestrian crosswalks. He said that if the City is chosen to participate, TTI will provide equipment and the City will identify locations and make installations. Ald. Bauman asked if illuminated crosswalk lines are allowable. Mr. Bryson said yes. He said the City planned to install them on Wisconsin Avenue , but the supplier had concerns about their functionality. He said that the installation angle is critical to visibility and that seasonal pavement movement could impair the light’s visibility . The City opted for the flashing beacon treatment because it was more reliable and has a high success rate. He added that the City may reconsider illuminated crosswalks if the technology improves. 4. Presentation of the Bike Facilities Condition Report. Individuals appearing: Bob Bryson, Department of Public Works Jeff Polenske, City Engineer Mr. Bryson gave a presentation on the condition of Bicycle Facilities (please see the attachment "Traffic Control and Bicycle Facilities Condition Report PowerPoint " to Council file 121406). City of Milwaukee Page 7 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 6, 2013 COMMITTEE Mr. Bryson discussed bicycle facilities. He said there are 114 miles of bike lanes, 2,000 bike racks, 24 bike lockers, 3 bike corrals and 10 miles of off-street bike trails in the city. Mr. Polenske said that the bike corrals were installed in partnership with the adjacent property owners. Ald. Kovac said that the bike corrals were a valuable amenity for the surrounding neighborhood and in addition to bicycle parking they provide traffic calming and improve pedestrian safety. Mr. Bryson discussed the raised bike lane that was constructed as part of Phase 1 of the Downtown to Bay View bike path. He said that raised bike lanes are most appropriate where there are not a lot of street crossings. He said that Phase 2 of the Downtown to Bay View bicycle path will be let to contract late in 2013 and an RFP is pending for an extension of the Beer Line bike trail. Mr. Bryson discussed the City’s Bike Facilities Plan, which was approved in September, 2010. He said that the City is actively seeking grants to implement the plan’s recommendations. Mr. Bryson said that the City received two grants to install sharrows. He said that the purchase of a paint rig allowed the City to do the work with local forces and reduce the cost of the installation. The department was able to install all the facilities planned for both grants with one of the grants. A CMAQ grant will also be used to make modifications to the open metal grates on three bridges; Wells Street, Cherry Street and Water Street over the Milwaukee River. Mr. Bryson said that the department would like to try green lanes on an experimental basis to help delineate transitions in bike lane alignment. Ald. Kovac said that although Milwaukee has a lot of bike lanes and off-street paths, they are not well-connected and the bike lanes sometimes disappear unexpectedly. He said that in Portland’s system clearly delineates where the bikes should go . Ald. Kovac noted that Portland spends less than 1% of its street budget on bicycle facilities and yet it has 10% mode share. Mr. Polenske said that the installation of sharrows would help provide information for motorists and bicycles where there are gaps in the bike lane system. Mr. Polenske said that a new Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator has been hired. Kristin Bennet, who is currently working in Colorado Springs, will be starting during the first week of March. He also said that UWM has hired an assistant professor who is teaching a bicycle and pedestrian planning course. He said there may be opportunities for partnership and collaboration. 5. Set next agenda. UG Conduit & Communications, DPW Buildings & Recreation Facilities Condition Presentations on February 28th. Meeting adjourned at 11:14 a.m. Staff Assistant Tobie Black This meeting can be viewed in its entirety through the City's Legislative Research Center at http://milwaukee.legistar.com/calendar. City of Milwaukee Page 8