Albany Transportation Commission backs Phase 10 of sidewalk repair program, sends project to council

The City of Albany Transportation Commission on March 27 recommended that the City Council authorize construction of Phase 10 of the city sidewalk repair program, moving 40 repair locations forward for bidding and construction.

The recommendation follows a staff presentation that summarized the city’s multi-part sidewalk program, the data-driven scoping process based on a 2022 Beneficial Designs survey, and the city’s practice of trying to preserve street trees where possible. James Cirelli, associate engineer in Public Works, briefed commissioners on the program’s history and the technical criteria used to select repair sites.

The recommendation matters because the city’s program addresses sidewalks identified as hazardous or inaccessible and is funded currently by Measure C, the parcel tax approved by Albany voters. Cirelli told the commission, “California law and Albany municipal code places sidewalk repair and maintenance on the adjacent property owner,” and he framed the city program as a separate, publicly funded repair effort rather than a change in statutory responsibility.

In his presentation, Cirelli explained the program’s three elements — repair, shaving, and surveying — and said the current three-year repair plan (2024–2026) uses survey features such as “no best path to travel,” nonplanar pedestrian access routes and vertical/linear discontinuities to decide what to repair and when. Phase 10 focuses on the northwest and west parts of Albany and includes two sites on San Pablo Avenue for which Caltrans is currently evaluating repairs; if Caltrans does not act, the city will include those locations in this phase.

Commissioners probed several topics during the discussion: how the city balances tree preservation with repair (Cirelli said crews use shaving, root pruning and design adjustments and noted only five trees were proactively removed in recent phases), how homeowners’ own repairs affect long-term performance, and how urgent or emergency repairs outside the normal bidding cycle are handled (staff said on-call or purchase-order work is used for true emergencies). Staff said the program has repaired 444 locations since 2017 (about 67,000 square feet of sidewalk) and that Phase 10 consists of 40 identified locations, some addresses containing more than one repair site.

A motion to recommend that Council authorize the Phase 10 project, with an amendment referring the issue of missing and inaccessible sidewalks to the Active Transportation Plan process, carried on a voice vote. Commissioners recorded their votes: Commissioner Baldwin — Aye; Commissioner Barnes — Aye; Commissioner Kerr — Aye; Commissioner Heilley — Aye; Commissioner McCroskey — Yes; Commissioner Zuba — Aye; Chair Chavanagh — Aye.

The staff timeline presented calls for Council authorization to bid at an upcoming meeting, contractor selection in July, construction start in September and completion by Thanksgiving 2025.

Commissioners asked staff to continue documenting tree impacts and to return with follow-up details during implementation. The commission’s recommendation will go to Council for final authorization.

Ending: The Phase 10 recommendation advances the city’s multi-year effort to address hazardous sidewalks identified in the 2022 survey; Council authorization will set the contracting and construction schedule for fall 2025.