Coming soon to a BART station near you: noise, dust and earthquake safety

By BAGASSI KOURA

As the busy holiday season nears, North Oakland residents and business owners can expect an added hassle as Bay Area Rapid Transit officials embark on a yearlong earthquake retrofit project.

Sometime between Thanksgiving and the New Year, construction workers will descend on the area around the Rockridge BART station and begin a makeover that will reconstruct it section by section. Noisy machines breaking concrete will drown out carolers and airborne dust will dim the twinkle of tree lights. Large excavation sites will replace parking lots. Bus stops will be moved and streets will be closed.

“This is heavy maintenance,” said Molly McArthur, a BART manager in charge of community relations. Although the majority of the reconstruction will be conducted between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., McArthur said “it is possible” to have to work at night if it is the only way a particular segment can be done.

This reconstruction is part of BART’s earthquake safety program that started in 2006 and will last until 2013. It will mainly focus on strengthening the station’s foundations by putting steel around each concrete column supporting the elevated tracks. BART also plans to put special anchors on the tops of the columns, and enlarge the column bases, which are currently too small to withstand a major earthquake (magnitude 7.5 and greater).

It will take two months of work to strengthen each of Rockridge BART’s more than 100 columns. McArthur said that because Rockridge is an aerial station, it has more columns supporting the tracks and requires more work than underground stations. The other part of the retrofit work will be on the station elevators, staircases and canopies.

McArthur said the public transportation company will do its best to minimize disturbances.

“You can’t break up concrete in a quiet fashion,” she said, adding that disruptions will be minimized by conducting the project in small sections. “We won’t engulf the entire space. It is not like a solid year of constant noise.”

Fred Womack, a Rockridge resident, said the disturbance is understandable. “It is the kind of thing that need to be done,” he said. “Let them do it.”

Some of the excavations will take place in parking lots. McArthur said more than 100 parking spots may be affected and traffic diverted in some situations.

“Some of the columns are right on the edge of the street,” McArthur noted, adding that the nearest bus stops will be moved. “We will put up signs well in advance to let people know,” she said.

Local business owners said they fear the changes will affect their business.

“It is going to be a hassle for a lot of people,” said Denise Mitidieri, a College Avenue clothing store manager. She said she fears her customers will not come in a noisy environment. “With this economy, we are concerned about any deterrent that comes in this neighborhood.”

Linda Sikorski, a grocery store owner, said the end of the year is not the right time to launch such a project. “It is a terrible idea to be doing that in the fourth quarter,” she said, adding that it is the busiest period of the year for businesses.

In the past few months, McArthur said BART has tried to reach out to the community, holding meetings with residents and school principals as well as setting up an information hotline, 510-874-7425. “Public safety is critical to us,” she said.

At a recent town hall meeting at the Rockridge library, McArthur said BART will work with residents to minimize disruptions. “If there is too much noise, call this hotline,” she advised, noting that if there is a noise complaint, BART will send an engineer to the site. If any infraction is found, the contractor will be asked to adjust to the noise requirements or the work causing the noise will be shut down.

At the library meeting in September, some residents expressed safety concerns about the pupils of Claremont Middle School, across the street from the Rockridge BART station.

McArthur said she will lead a team equipped with noise meters to conduct tests at the school during the first week of the retrofit project to find out “if they can’t study, if they can’t focus,” she said, referring to the pupils. She explained that everything will be done to allow pupils to study in a safe environment. Claremont Middle School Principal David Chambliss was not immediately available for comment.

The entire BART retrofit program is funded by Proposition AA, a $980 million bond measure adopted in 2004 by voters in Alameda, Contra Costa and San Francisco counties.

More Info:
BART information line: 510-874-7425
or online: http://www.bart.gov/about/projects/eqs/

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