May 29, 2024
Mr. Tumlin:
I live on Taraval between 44th and 45th Avenues. From 2019 to 2022, my neighbors and I were subject to and forced to endure the deafening noise, constant shaking, endless dust, and major disruption caused by the L Taraval Improvement Project.
The NTK crew was on our block the entire time of the stay-at-home order, sometimes digging up the west side of the street, which they did at least eight times, and sometimes the east side, which they did at least 10 times (and I have videos and photos taken over that entire period of time to prove it).
I called MTA several times to complain, only to be directed to an 18-year-old "project manager" who was as ill-informed as I. No one on the NTK crew would discuss this with me (in fact, they would turn and walk away rather abruptly when they saw me). Finally, the laborer who held up the Stop/Slow sign took pity on me, and against the directive of the crew chief, told me the reason they were on our block for so long was because "certain miscalculations were made." (I can't help but wonder how much these "miscalculations' cost the taxpayer.)
As you can imagine, I was less than delighted to see the NTK crew once again on lower Taraval, this time between 45th and 46th, pulling up and replacing tracks (some of which had already been replaced). According to the MTA website, this is the result of a "Requested Action" for additional $4.7 MILLION to "(e)xpand scope of work to include special track work on 46th Avenue and Taraval" which includes "replace(ing) curve, cross-over, and straight rail."
This begs two questions:
First of all, as this curve is essential to the operation of the full route of the L-Taraval, why was this not included in the original "improvement" plans?
Secondly, if the contractor did not include this in the original plans, then the contractor, as well as MTA, are responsible for this error and should be held accountable. Why are the taxpayers being asked to foot the bill for an additional $4.7 million for what was obviously an oversight/error on the part of both the contractor and MTA?
Please don't waste your time and my time by singing the praises of the project to me. Instead, I would appreciate a direct answer to these two above-stated questions as soon as possible. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Alyse Ceirante
Ms. Ceirante,
Thank you for reaching out, and for bearing with the impacts of this critical project. Construction is difficult and disruptive, there's no question about it, and we know it's especially frustrating to see work return to an area we said was completed.
Though it sounds counterintuitive, the added track work between 45th and 46th is an example of how we have learned from past mistakes to improve our project delivery. In recent years, we've taken hard-won lessons to reform how we deliver major projects from top to bottom.
One reform is that we continuously monitor the project scope as circumstances evolve to prevent future delays or cost increases. When the L-Taraval Project was scoped out a decade ago, this special trackwork was not included because at the time it wasn't considered necessary. Another reform we have made is to regularly inspect our infrastructure throughout construction. This proactive approach allows us to identify potential repairs or upgrades while projects are still underway, minimizing future disruptions.
While performing these routine inspections our engineers determined the rails at Taraval Street and 46th avenues would need to be replaced in the next 3- 5 years. They showed visible wear they didn't show a decade ago when the project was scoped, and while this this work wasn't necessary then, it is necessary now.
We could have waited a few years and done this later as a separate project. But that would've required another rail shutdown, another construction contract, and a lot more money. We're doing it now, during Segment B construction, to reduce costs and construction impacts, save taxpayer money, and work more efficiently. It also allows the contractors to use the existing equipment staging areas east of Sunset Blvd – if we did this later, they would also be staging more equipment near 45th and 46th.
I'm sharing this not to say that we're perfect, but that we're committed to keep improving. And we are systematically documenting lessons learned from all projects and conducting workshops to share insights to improve our delivery of every project the SFMTA is involved with.
We'll keep listening, learning, and making changes until we get it right—to be a better partner for our neighbors and small businesses, to be a better SFMTA, and to build a better city and transit system.
Your feedback helps us do that – and I'm grateful for it.
Sincerely,
Jeff Tumlin
Mr. Tumlin,
Thank you so much for your timely response. I really do appreciate it; however, I'm not buying it. Do you really expect me to believe that when this project was "scoped out a decade ago", it was determined that every single foot of the rail needed to be replaced except that tiny corner at 46th and Taraval? That's just plain crazy, so I'm afraid I'm going to have to beg a few more questions here:
Look, I'm no mechanical engineer, but even I know curved rails are subject to far more stress than straight ones. It didn't occur to those doing the "scoping" that, given this fact, these rails might as well be replaced at the same time as everything else? Seriously, doesn't that make more sense than waiting? I know you want to treat this as a "welp, I guess we learned something" moment, but at what cost?
Additionally, in your own words, the infrastructure was inspected "throughout construction" (emphasis added). I know from painful personal experience that the crew spent a very, very, very long time on that corner (some crazy things happened down there) allowing plenty of time for inspection. So why wasn't that corner inspected while the crew was still there; or, at the very least, shortly after they left? And if it was inspected at or around that time, why was it not determined then to replace the rails? If these inspections occurred as regularly as you suggest, shouldn't there be records? What did the inspector say at that time?
Why did the contractor not mention the fact the rails needed replacement while they were there? Surely, they could see this was an oversight on the part of those who planned this project. With all their experience in this area, why did they not take it upon themselves to do everything they could to rectify this glaring error? They owe that to both the city and the taxpayer. They really fell down on the job there (and in many, many, many other places – did you hear about the time they busted a gas line? That was a real blast, almost literally.)
(Just as an aside: the crew was more than two years on my particular block. I saw an inspector only once, and then only to be told everything was hunky-dory (not his words, but you get the drift). Other than that, he dodged all my questions. I have an inquisitive mind, so that did not sit well.)
Lastly, not one single streetcar has been on that part of the track since this project began in 2019. What was it that put so much stress on that corner that it suddenly needed to be replaced? Was it not anticipated that the project would take several years? Was that not factored in when calculating how long the track would last? Again, I'm no mechanical engineer (far from it), but even I know all of this needs to be taken into account when creating a project of this magnitude.
Call me a cynic, but I can't help but believe that the failure to include this corner in the original plans; the failure of whomever it was doing the inspecting to inspect and recommend in a timely manner; and the decision to bring the crew back now instead of earlier reeks of incompetence (or worse) on the part of both MTA and NTK. Where is the accountability?
Sadly, it is the taxpayer who must bear the brunt of these costly errors. And the cynic in me keeps shaking her head, knowing that the problems are just starting, that is going to get far, far worse once the streetcars start running (I think we are going to be seeing a lot of "welp, I guess we learned something" moments). NTK will continue to line their pockets at the cost of the taxpayers.
And just in general, I wish we, the above-mentioned taxpayers, had more say in all of MTA's projects. It has been observed by many that MTA holds "open houses" and cursory meetings only to do what it wants no matter how much public input it receives to the contrary. I don't know of one instance where public opinion was respected. Almost everything MTA does seems to cater to one, and only one, special interest group. This is not an ideal way to run an agency. You seem like a nice guy. Why on earth do you want to alienate so many people?
Thank you again for your response.
Sincerely,
Alyse Ceirante
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