Caltrans Begins Repaving Deteriorated Ramps In North Oakland

At the beginning of this year, we reported that Caltrans had allowed several of its on-ramps and off-ramps in North Oakland to significantly deteriorate to the point of creating safety hazards as well as a very, very bumpy ride for motorists and commuters. These ramps included the southbound on-ramp at MLK and 52nd St. to Highway 24 and the northbound off-ramp from Highway 24 to MLK and 52nd St.. Surprisingly, these ramps were not resurfaced when Highway 24 was resurfaced several years ago. In addition to pointing out the terrible pavement conditions and significant potholes, we noted other deplorable conditions such as graffiti, dead landscaping, overgrown landscaping, litter, and homeless encampments in the Caltrans right-of-way that are contributing to blight in North Oakland. In February, Caltrans came out and removed overgrown vegetation from some, but not all, of its right-of-way and promised that the repaving work would occur this summer.

True to their word, Caltrans has begun to repave portions of the ramps. Grinding has started on both the northbound off-ramp and southbound on-ramp at MLK and 52nd St. It appears Caltrans is also beginning to stage the work for the southbound on-ramp at MLK and 52nd St. While we are not happy with the ongoing conditions in the Caltrans right-of-way and believe Caltrans needs to demonstrate a greater leadership role in graffiti control, landscape improvement and maintenance and litter containment, we are happy to see them finally resolving the deteriorated pavement issue. We would like to think our reporting on these issues and our inquiries to former Director, Will Kempton, played a role in getting the Oakland District Office moving on the pavement job.

If more residents felt empowered to take action and lobby government officials and elected legislators, perhaps we could get better service and infrastructure improvements in North Oakland and South Berkeley. The City of Oakland sued Caltrans because of the lack of maintenance in its right-of-way within the Oakland City limits. Caltrans and Oakland signed a Letter of Understanding in 2005 after the lawsuit in which Caltrans agreed to some minimum maintenance standards. Since then Caltrans and the Oakland Department of Public Works have met monthly to discuss maintenance issues. With this process in place you can let Caltrans and the City of Oakland know your concerns regarding the Caltrans right-of-way and maintenance.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the maintenance of Caltrans right-of-way in the City of Oakland please contact Jocelyn Combs, City of Oakland, Public Works Agency at 510-615-5583 or jcombs@oaklandnet.com. You can also contact the Caltrans, District 4, Deputy District Director for Maintenance, Nader Eshghipour, at 510-286-5893 nader_eshghipour@dot.ca.gov or Mike Marcum, Caltrans, East Bay Regional Manager for Maintenance, at 510-614-5942 mike_marcum@dot.ca.gov.

Caltrans in Action

Since writing to inform Caltrans about the problems at some key North Oakland over/underpasses and onramps, Caltrans Maintenance has responded with action. Crews have recently been busy repairing broken guardrails and removing overgrown brush. We have to credit Caltrans for a quick response. Not all of our concerns have been addressed, and we will be discussing those further with Caltrans, but they have responded with action. We appreciate that.

Updates on Blight Complaints

Inoperable Vehicles

There were a smattering of nine inoperable/abandoned vehicles in North Oakland that were reported quite some time ago, but were not either tagged or towed. Working with the Oakland Police, it was determined that there were some operational issues with the tow company. All nine vehicles have been tagged and the property owners notified. If the vehicles are not made operable or properly stored they will be towed within 10 days of tagging. In the vast majority of these cases, it appears that the tow companies were provided a junk slip but never towed the vehicles. The Abandoned Vehicle Detail will now be on-site waiting for the tow company to ensure the vehicle has been towed. We appreciate the efforts of Sergeant Steinberger and the Abandoned Vehicle Detail. Approximately 100 abandoned and inoperable vehicles have been removed from North Oakland since We Fight Blight begin its efforts last spring/summer.

Caltrans Right of Way

On January 7, 2009, we sent a letter to Caltrans Executive Director, Will Kempton, identifying a long list of problems with the underpasses in North Oakland and the highway onramp at 51st Street. This included overgrown vegetation, excessive litter, debris and refuse, excessive graffiti, homeless encampments, uneven and failed pavement, damaged guardrails, dead and dying landscaping. All of these issues contribute to the appearance of blight and pose a safety hazard to the traveling public. We requested that the issues be addressed in a timely fashion. We did get an immediate response from Director Kempton indicating that the matter was being delegated to District 4 Executive Director Bijan Sartipi. We also observed that a portion of the damaged guardrail on the highway onramp was fixed. However, to date we have not gotten any response from Director Sartipi or his Deputy Director for Maintenance, Nader Eshqipour. We are ware that Mr. Eshqipour was recently appointed to the position of Deputy Director for Maintenance and that he prides himself on being responsive to public concerns. Nevertheless, we have yet to hear from either Mr. Sartipi or Esqipour. We Fight Blight will wait unitl February 7, before we send another email request to Director Kempton. We feel one month is sufficient time for Caltrans District 4 to acknowledge our concerns and identify a plan to remedy them.

Proposed Mural for 55th Street Underpass

This is the proposed mural for the 55th Street overpass in North Oakland. The mural is being coordinated through Councilwoman Jane Brunner's Office. If you are interested in providing comments on the proposed artwork, please contact Geoffrey Johnson by October 23, 2008 at:

Geoffrey S. Johnson
Constituent Services & Legislative Aid
Councilmember Jane Brunner, District 1
Oakland City Council
1 Frank Ogawa Plaza, 2nd Floor
Oakland, CA. 94612
(510) 238-7001 or (510) 238-7062
Fax: (510) 238-6910
E:gsjohnson@oaklandnet.com

The mural is an important first step in reclaiming the Caltrans underpass. The underpass is reportedly used for illegal dumping, drug dealing, prostitution, homeless squatters and other sundry activities. Creating a more inviting pedestrian oriented space with artwork may encourage members of the community to treat the underpass with greater respect.