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 12, 2014 9:00 AM City Hall, Room 301-B 1. Review and approval of the minutes of the January 23, 2014 meeting. Meeting convened: 9:12 A.M. Members excused: Mark Nicolini and Martin Matson (Glenn Steinbrecher) sitting in for Mr. Matson) Mr. Froh moved for approval of the minutes. There were no objections. 2. Presentation of the Street Lighting Condition Report. Mr. Bob Bryson, Dept. of Public Works, presenting this report. Patrick Hartman, Dept. of Public Works,also came to the table to answer questions. Mr. Bryson presented information regarding the condition of the City’s street lighting facilities. Mr. Bryson said that 96% of the City’s street lights are high pressure sodium. He said that metal halide is used in special applications like the 6th Street Viaduct because it is an absolutely white light source and has good color rendition . Mr. Bryson discussed light emitting diode (LED) street lights. He said that the LED lights in the 3rd Ward are performing well after the retrofit that addressed the issue of overheating power supplies. He said that there are several LED test areas including on South 97th Street and Indiana Avenue. He said that LED streetlights were installed at the Westlawn Housing project. Mr. Bryson said the next step is to test the feasibility of converting harp lights to LED. Fixtures from four manufacturers are being tested on Market Street. Ald. Kovac asked if the goal was to replace all street lights with LEDs. Mr. Bryson replied that it would depend on the cost. He said that when LED fixtures were first available, they were very expensive and didn’t have the same level of coverage as the existing street lights. He said that the technology is improving and it may now be more practical to begin converting to LED. Currently LED fixtures cost between $400 and $500 each. Converting all 77,000 street lights would be expensive. He said that the average life of LEDs is expected to be 15 or 20 years compared to a high pressure sodium lamp that lasts between four and six years. He said the high pressure sodium lamps cost around $30, but use significantly more energy. He added that LEDs cannot be used on series circuits which will limit where they can be installed. Mr. Schifalacqua asked if temperature affects the performance of LEDs. Mr. Bryson said they are not affected by the cold. He said there were some overheating issues in the summer with the higher temperatures. He said that is why the department is doing extensive testing to find fixtures that will perform well all year. Ald. Kovac asked how much the electricity for the street lights costs. Mr. Hartman City of Milwaukee Page 1 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 12, 2014 COMMITTEE said that for 2013, the total energy bill for street lights including alleys, street lights and traffic control was $4.8 million. He said that $4 million of that was for street lights. He said energy costs can be separated by circuit and by neighborhood. He added kilowatt usage for traffic signals has declined by 75% since 2005. Ald. Bauman asked if the City receives a special rate from WE Energies. Mr. Bryson said that the City pays a general secondary rate. The rate is lower for electricity used between 9 pm and 9 am. Ald. Bauman asked what kind of solar or wind capacity the City would have to build to supply electricity for the street lights. He also asked if the department has estimated the cost or payback period of such a project. Mr. Bryson said that several agencies nationally have their own power generation facilities, but the maintenance costs are tremendous and they are trying to move away from it. He said the department could contact them to determine their actual experience. It was suggested that the Department of Public Works contact the Office of Environmental Sustainability and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District. Ald. Bauman suggested having a communication file at Public Works on the subject. Mr. Bryson discussed the series circuit conversion project which is 61% complete. He said that the conversion of the ND substation, which was a four year project, was completed in 2013. The substation services 743 street lights. Mr. Bryson said that going forward the department will replace individual circuits that have high numbers of failures instead of replacing entire substations. He said the program will be developed using monthly failure reports. Ald. Kovac asked if the conversion from gas street lights to electric street lights was done all at once. Mr. Bryson said that he was not sure but that the department has records of the conversions in their archives. Mr. Bryson discussed the master control replacement project. He said this project will replace the current control system with a radio controlled system that will allow the department to automatically monitor the system for circuit failures. He said the system will also include a failsafe to turn the street lights on in case we lose communications. Mr. Bryson said the system currently has a photo cell at the Canal Street Shop which sends a signal out on nine circuits city wide to turn the street lights on. Ald. Kovac asked if the lights will go on earlier on cloudy days. Mr. Bryson said yes. He said that on a cloudy day it will be dark at dusk but on a clear day there will be light in the atmosphere for about half an hour after the sun goes down. Ald. Kovac asked how the department handled the reduced burn times that were in the City’s budget in past years. Mr. Bryson said that a timer was placed in the system that delayed the lights coming on. Mr. Bryson said that the new control system is functional at 62 locations and is being designed at 13 more. Mr. Bryson said the department began implementing the system in the areas that have the most circuit failures. Ald. Kovac asked if the system can report when a single street light is out. Mr. Bryson said the technology could be deployed that way, but that it’s not cost effective to install the technology in every street light. He said that area outages have a much higher impact on safety. Ms. Brengosz asked if the 2018 completion date was based on the requested capital budgets or recent funding levels. She also asked if the conversion of 175 substations in four years was feasible. Mr. Bryson said the completion date was based on requested budgets. He also said that the number of circuits controlled by each substation varies from 4 to about 24. He said that many of the remaining substations, especially the ones on the northwest side of the City, have fewer circuits can be converted very quickly. Mr. Bryson discussed the failure of steel poles in the downtown area. He said the steel poles are inspected every year because of high failure rates. He said 15 or 20 poles were identified in 2013 that needed immediate replacement. Mr. Bryson said there was a metal failure issue with the double harp arms on Wisconsin Avenue . The replacement of the harp arms was recently completed. The cost was $545,000. He said the department is discussing cost recovery options with the City Attorney . Mr. Hartman said that the costs for the project are currently in a reimbursable account and that a decision needs to be made soon regarding the final funding source. If the costs cannot be recovered from the contractor or manufacturer, they will be charged City of Milwaukee Page 2 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 12, 2014 COMMITTEE to the capital program. Ald. Kovac asked if the cost was primarily equipment or labor. Mr. Bryson said it was both and that he would provide a cost breakdown. He added that if the project is charged to the capital program it will likely delay the conversion of the shepherd crooks on Old World 3rd Street and around the Schlitz park area. Mr. Bryson discussed uncollectable knockdowns saying that as of right now, the uncollectable expenditures for street lighting knockdowns are $370,000. Total uncollectible street light knockdowns for 2012 were $470,000. Mr. Froh asked if it would be possible to use a source of funds other than the capital program. 3. Presentation of the Traffic Control Condition Report. Mr. Bob Bryson, Dept. of Public Works, presenting this report. Mr. Bryson discussed the City’s traffic control system. He said the department added five signalized intersections, three crosswalks with rapid flashing beacons and two additional crosswalks with hawk signals last year. He said the department will install two new traffic signals on Kilbourn at 16th and 17th in 2014. Mr. Bryson discussed the origin of the term wigwag. (Its an old railroad term) Mr. Bryson said that the City participated in a Federal Highway Administration study last year to determine what makes the pedestrian beacons successful. He said that researchers contracted by Texas A&M measured how often drivers yield to pedestrians and drivers reaction to the beacon. He said that the full results of the study are still pending but that compliance on Market Street went from 2% or 3% during peak hours to about 40%. Ald. Kovac asked if Market Street was a good test for the pedestrian beacons. Mr. Korban said that based on the volume of pedestrians, the intersection of Market Street and Kilbourn was a good test case. Mr. Bryson added that the location was easy to monitor. Ald. Bauman said he was skeptical of the effectiveness of the pedestrian beacons and asked if pedestrian actuated stop lights would be more effective. Mr. Bryson said that traffic signals are not always more effective. He said that if they don’t operate on a regular basis, driver compliance when they are actuated tends to be low especially if the signal is on a commuter route. Mr. Korban said stop lights have to be placed with care to avoid have traffic queuing that spills over into other intersections. Mr. Bryson said the department was experimenting with different types of pedestrian signals but emphasized the importance of determining effectiveness before installing them all over the City. Ald. Kovac also expressed concerns about the pedestrian beacons saying that drivers should always be looking out for pedestrians, the lights can be confusing, and they have no force of law. He asked if there are other ways to change the driving culture to place a higher priority on pedestrians rather than investing in infrastructure. Mr. Bryson said the committee can have a more in-depth discussion of pedestrian facilities when Ms. Bennett, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator reports to the committee. Ald. Kovac asked how the traffic signal at 14th and Wisconsin operates. Ald. Bauman said that the signal flashes yellow until somebody pushes the button. Then it goes to green then yellow then red so drivers see the normal sequence. Mr. Bryson said what makes it effective is the large number of students who actually cross there. Drivers know to expect that they may have to stop. Ald. Kovac asked if there had been any accidents since the stop light was installed at 14 th and Wisconsin. Mr. Bryson said that there was an accident at the intersection of 15 th and Wisconsin which has a flashing beacon. He said that according to the accident report, the student did not activate the beacon, was texting, and walked past a group of people who were waiting for traffic to clear. He said that after the accident the Marquette student government launched a media campaign to inform students what the beacons are, how the students should use them and how to act safely in the intersection. Mr. Bryson discussed traffic signal improvements made with state and federal aid. City of Milwaukee Page 3 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 12, 2014 COMMITTEE Mr. Bryson said that the department was able to upgrade all of the signals on the Capitol Drive and 27th Street corridors. He said three paving projects are schedule for 2014. He said that there will be a jurisdictional transfer on the Appleton Avenue project from 107th Street to Capitol Drive project. The City will take on the responsibility for the Appleton Avenue signals in exchange for the Dept . of Transportation (DOT) taking over the signals on Bluemound Road and 84th Street adjacent to the Zoo interchange project. This will allow the DOT to operate their adaptive signal system. Mr. Bryson said that Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds have been used for several initiatives including the conversion of traffic signals to LEDs and the installation of pedestrian countdown timers. He said that by the end of next year all intersections will have countdown signals. He said HSIP funds pay 90% of the cost. He said he was hesitant about the countdown signals at first but now believes that they are very effective. Mr. Bryson said CMAQ funds were used for the installation of dynamic parking signs which direct drivers to available parking spaces on the east side of downtown. The project began in late 2013. Ald. Bauman expressed concerns regarding the turning policy and signage on Wisconsin Avenue. He requested a complete sign inventory and legislative history for left turns off of and onto Wisconsin Avenue in the downtown area . Mr. Bryson said that static signs with plaques were installed when Wisconsin Avenue was repaved. He said those signs are gradually being replaced with electronic signs. Mr. Bryson said that in the past the department has attempted to eliminate turn restrictions but that certain intersections were challenging. He said traffic queuing was particularly problematic at 6th Street. He also said that queuing at Water Street affected bridge operations. Mr. Korban said that he does not believe the turn policy has been changed recently. Mr. Schifalacqua said that he believed the turn restrictions were put in place after the parking restrictions were removed from Wisconsin Avenue. He also said that Wisconsin Avenue has a lot of bus traffic which makes it more difficult to manage. Mr. Bryson discussed traffic signal coordination projects. He said the CMAQ funds are being used for projects in the Capitol Drive/Fond Du Lac corridor and in Bay View. Mr. Schifalacqua asked if the microwave vehicle detectors were pole mounted. Mr. Bryson said yes. He said that that the pole mounted sensors are used primarily for left turn signals and work very well especially in situations where the pavement is in poor condition and loops are difficult to install and maintain. He said that nearly all left turn signals are vehicle actuated. Ald. Kovac asked if the City had the ability to use vehicle detectors to adjust traffic signals at high volume intersections. Mr. Bryson said that vehicle detector technology is routinely use at low volume intersections. He also said that the department is using CMAQ funds to design an adaptive traffic control system in the South 27th Street, Forest Home Avenue and Oklahoma Avenue triangle area. He said detectors in the pavement will trigger changes in signal timing based on the actual traffic volume. He said the project will cost between $500,000 and $750,000 to upgrade 22 intersections. It will be the second system that the department has implemented. Mr. Bryson said the first area which included seven intersections near Capitol Drive, Fond Du Lac Avenue and N 51st Street wasn’t particularly effective. He said the system initially worked well, but at the time the loop detectors were the only option. He said it was difficult to maintain the communication system because of paving and maintenance operations in the intersections. With the new technologies and communication systems that are available, Mr. Bryson thinks the new project will be successful. Ald. Kovac asked for a breakdown of the costs on the project. Mr. Bryson said he will forward that information to the committee once the construction documents have been completed. Mr. Bryson discussed audible traffic signals. He said audible signals have been installed near Marquette University and MATC. He said locations near UWM are being identified. Mr. Bryson discussed the conversion of the traffic signals to LED. He said that the Wisconsin DOT began making conversions before the City did . Their service life City of Milwaukee Page 4 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS Meeting Minutes February 12, 2014 COMMITTEE experience is approximately about 8 years. He said the City began installing LED signal indicators in 2005 so we need to start planning for replacements in the very near term. Mr. Hartman said the City has seen a dramatic reduction in energy use related to traffic signals. Mr. Bryson said that the LED conversion project is complete. Mr. Bryson discussed the traffic sign inventory. He said there are about 22,000 street name signs in the City. He said the department has a procedure for measuring the reflectivity of sign sheeting as it ages. He said that green sign sheeting has lost two years of performance. He is hopeful that performance will improve in the future. He said the department replaces signs when they begin to fail. He said that some signs are past their useful life and that for the system to be 100% compliant the City would need to replace 2,000 white signs, 3,000 yellow signs, 200 red signs and 12,500 green signs. He said replacement of green signs is behind because of a group sign replacement project in the 1980’s. Mr. Bryson discussed changes in school zone signing. He said the City was required to add “Fines Higher” and “End School Zone” signs. Down arrows are also being added to school crossing signs. He said much of the increase in the yellow sign inventory over the last two years has been related to the upgrade of school zone signs. Mr. Bryson discussed the pavement marking program. He said that painted lines only last one year so they are not a capital item. He said that some of the lane lines and center lines are painted more than once a year based on heavy traffic volume. He said the department used a CMAQ grant to add 32 miles of bike lanes in 2013. There are now 146 miles of bike lane in the City. Mr. Bryson discussed uncollectable knockdowns. He said expenditures for traffic control devices to date for 2013 are $175,000. He said that is consistent with prior years’ experience. Ald. Bauman excused at 10:45 A.M. Meeting adjourned: 10:50 A.M. Linda M. Elmer Staff Assistant City of Milwaukee Page 5