City staff say Measure FF funding and rising costs will fall short of earlier paving goals

Terrence Davis, director, and public-works staff told the Berkeley City Council at a March 25 workshop that Measure FF will provide new, predictable revenue but that cost pressures and regulatory requirements will limit how much pavement improvement the city can deliver in the near term.

Davis opened the presentation by introducing a team that included Wahid Amiri (deputy director for engineering and transportation), consultant Joe Ryrie of PEI, Ricardo Salcedo (acting supervising civil engineer), Eric Anderson (principal transportation planner) and Babak Dorje (Vision 0 program manager). The staff review laid out the scale of the backlog — roughly 212.8 centerline miles of city streets and about 39 million square feet of pavement — and the trade-offs the city faces in turning Measure FF revenue into on‑the‑ground improvements.

“Right now, like, if specifically for Measure FF there was a goal, and in the city's council paving plan, a goal of achieving 70 PCI. We will not get there,” Davis said, summarizing the staff projection that earlier plan estimates are now likely unattainable without additional resources or market changes. Ryrie told the council Berkeley’s average pavement condition index (PCI) is about 56 and estimated it would cost roughly $1.2 billion to rebuild the entire paved system.

Why the gap exists: staff cited rapid bid-price escalation, higher labor and trucking costs, and two major unfunded requirements that consume paving dollars — ADA curb‑ramp upgrades and post‑stormwater (green infrastructure) treatments. Ryrie and Amiri said some recent projects have seen construction-price increases of roughly 50% over two years and that complying with ADA and stormwater rules can consume an average of about 40% of each paving dollar in design and construction.

Staff presented five funding scenarios using the city’s StreetSaver/PTAP modeling: an unconstrained backlog of about $372.7 million; approximately $26.2 million per year to maintain the current PCI of 56; and roughly $41.7 million per year estimated to raise PCI by 5 points. The early Measure FF projection shown to the council was approximately $15.6 million in year one (before indexing). Davis also explained the ballot language allows the council each May to choose to index assessments by either the Consumer Price Index or a regional personal‑income growth index.

Safety and equity priorities: Wahid Amiri emphasized that 30% of Measure FF revenue is dedicated to safety projects and that the 2025 bicycle and pedestrian plan updates will prioritize Vision Zero high‑injury streets, equity‑priority communities and community engagement. Amiri reported preliminary engagement counts (about 521 participants and 615 comments) with roadway safety, bike facilities and intersection improvements among the top concerns.

Policy options and next steps: staff suggested several policy steps the council could consider to stretch dollars — bundling geographically adjacent projects to reduce contractor mobilization fees, strengthening “dig‑once” utility coordination and negotiating deeper utility reimbursements — and said the city is developing a program manual, staffing plan and Citizens Oversight Committee application process. The city expects first Measure FF receipts to be delivered in December and anticipates some FF‑funded construction in summer 2026, with the bulk of projects beginning in 2027 and later.

Council reaction and outstanding requests: council members repeatedly asked staff to provide a clear five‑year projection showing combined sources (Measure FF, baseline general‑fund paving, gas tax, Measure BB and grant leverage), requested a precise explanation of the general‑fund baseline contributions to paving, and pressed for a public‑engagement approach that produces deliverable safety projects rather than protracted processes. Staff agreed to provide a funding breakdown and to return with prioritization criteria for council review before projects enter design and appropriation.

Public commenters urged the city to examine alternative paving materials, to prioritize ADA transition plan funding and to improve neighborhood and business outreach. Davis said staff will return with additional financial detail, will post program dashboards for public transparency and will present policy recommendations and prioritization criteria for council consideration.

The workshop concluded with staff recruiting for the Citizens Oversight Committee (applications open through April 15) and a commitment to provide follow‑up financial clarifications and prioritization scenarios in the coming months.