San Francisco committee delays RMRA pavement list after supervisors press for PCI, shared-space notice

The committee heard Public Works'presentation and asked staff for more data before sending the resolution to the full Board.

At a Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting on May 17, Chair Supervisor Myrna Melgar called Public Works'presentation about the fiscal year 2022 list of local streets projects to be funded from the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Account (RMRA), established under Senate Bill 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. Elizabeth Ramos, Public Works, told the committee the department had identified six FY2022 projects that together include about 319 blocks and are currently in the design phase and expected to be advertised for construction this year or early next year.

Supervisor Aaron Peskin pressed staff for more context. Peskin said the committee should be able to explain to constituents why some streets that "look fine" are on the list. He asked Public Works to add the pavement condition index (PCI) value next to each block and a column noting whether subsurface work (for example sewer replacement) is driving the resurfacing decision. "If you can check that box, I can explain to my constituents that a street that looks pretty good is being torn up and repaved because we had to rip it up for a sewer," Peskin said.

DPW staff said the city's pavement program is funded by a mix of sources. Jeremy Spitz described the funding picture: the city reached a PCI score of 75 in 2020 after years of investment; RMRA contributes about $24 million (roughly 35% of a referenced goal) and other sources such as the 2020 Health and Recovery general-obligation bond, Prop AA and Prop K, and certificates of participation make up the rest.

Public notice for businesses with shared-space permits was another point of debate. Peskin asked how businesses that invested in curbside or sidewalk seating would be informed that a repaving project could require removal of improvements. DPW representatives said existing excavation-notice rules require 30-day notices for projects longer than 14 days and the paving program is coordinating with the Bureau of Street Use and Mapping to issue language specifically directed to shared-space permit holders.

Because staff filings included a date error and supervisors sought the additional PCI and shared-space notice fields, the committee first approved an amendment correcting a deadline and then voted unanimously to continue Item 1 to a June 18 special meeting to allow Public Works time to add the requested fields and return with the updated package.

What happens next

The committee continued the item to its June 18 special meeting and asked Public Works to provide the project list with PCI values and clearer notification plans for shared-space permit holders prior to forwarding the resolution to the Board of Supervisors.