Measure B Funding
The voters of Alameda County approved the reauthorization of Measure B, a one-half cent sales tax for transportation, on November 7, 2000. the Alameda County Transportation Improvement Authority (ACTIA) was created to administer the proceeds from this continued sales tax.
Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan
The City of Newark has been awarded a grant in the amount of $119,000 from the Alameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) for development of a Citywide Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan. This was a competitive grant through the Measure B Bicycle and Pedestrian Countywide Discretionary Fund Program (Cycle 4). The Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan is needed as a comprehensive planning document that will provide a vision for Newark’s future biking and walking environment. This will be the first such plan for Newark and will ultimately be incorporated into the City’s General Plan. The plan will identify necessary infrastructure projects as well as appropriate programs and policies to encourage increased biking and walking activity. See the Pedestrian and Bicycle Master Plan page for additional information.
2011 Curb, Gutter and Sidewalk Replacement
The City of Newark, in conjunction with the Alameda CTC, utilized Measure B funds for the 2011 Curb, Gutter and Sidewalk Replacement Project. This replacement project is coordinated with our annual grinding program.
Most concrete issues are corrected through grinding rather than replacement. Only severely damaged sidewalks, curbs, gutters and driveway entrances are replaced annually at pre-selected locations throughout the City. Work also includes tree root pruning and installation of root barriers to help prevent future tree root damages. Done together, these projects are very successful in terms of increasing public safety as well as contributing to the City’s overall beauty.
If you have any questions regarding this Newark project, please contact laura.kelly@newark.org at (510) 578-4211. For further information on Measure B projects, please visit the Alameda CTC website at http://www.alamedactc.org/.
2011 Pavement Maintenance Projects and Measure B
As part of the City of Newark’s ongoing effort to protect and extend the life of its streets, the Public Works Department annually inspects asphalt concrete pavement surfaces to identify areas of potential maintenance and determine the timing and type of appropriate repairs. The types of preventative maintenance performed on our streets include crack filling, patch paving, and cape seal and slurry seal resurfacing. For those streets in a more deteriorated state, a pavement overlay or even costly reconstruction may be necessary.
Annual patch paving, cape/slurry resurfacing, and pavement overlay projects are an integral part of the City’s Pavement Management Program. These projects are also partially funded with funds from Measure B.
Pavement overlays typically involve partial or full grinding of the existing surface and placement of a new 2” to 3” layer of asphalt concrete. A completed pavement overlay results in a significant structural upgrade and provides the appearance of a brand new roadway.
Slurry seal is a thin coating of a cold mixture consisting of asphalt, oil, water, and rock that seals and protects the pavement from the damaging effects of the sun’s ultraviolet light and rain water runoff. Applying a slurry seal is comparable to the repainting of a house to protect its exterior surface. A cape seal is similar, but more extensive in that the slurry seal coating is preceded with a chip seal - a layer of small aggregate rocks (“chips”) and asphalt binder oil that are compacted by heavy equipment on the existing pavement surface. These preventative maintenance processes are cost-effective measures to prolong the life of City streets and maximize the value of previous investments.
Patch paving consists of the removal and replacement of localized pavement failures. The project typically includes work on streets that will be resurfaced with a slurry seal or cape seal. It also includes streets where a failure is too severe to correct with a surface patch, but the entire street does not require a structural upgrade with an asphalt overlay.
For further information on Measure B projects, please visit the Alameda CTC website.