ktf newsletter november 2013

8/13/2019 KTF Newsletter November 2013

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KERN TRANSPORTATION FOUNDATION

Newsletter

DIRECTORS

Donna CarpenterChairman

Bruce Biggar

Chief Financial OfficerPeter Smith

Secretary

Gary Blackburn

Leigh Ann Cook

David Couch

Steve Esselman

Ted James

Karen King

Barbara Lomas

Jess Ortiz

Patricia Poire

Cathy Prout

Howard Silver

John Spaulding

Will Winn

TECHNICAL

ADVISORS

Jim Hunter

John Shuler

Ted Wright

Inside this issue:

churches and homes than anyother alternative under

consideration.But it would still call fordemolition of the 174-bedBakersfield Homeless Centeron East Truxtun Avenue, as

well as new housing proposedat Mill Creek, parking for thedowntown convention center

and other properties.The real changes introducedThursday to the projects Kern

County portion related to

Shafter and Wasco.Those adjustments were madelargely to accommodate recentoil drilling activity in the area,

according to the rail authority.Shafter Assistant City ManagerScott Hurlbert explained that

the rail authoritys Aprilproposal failed to take intoaccount recent investments inoil production as well asincreasing development at thecitys economic hub, the

Paramount Logistics Park.The April plan would have hada heavier impact on both of

those, he said.There has been a significantamount of oil development inand around Shafter and Wascoin the last year and a half,primarily thru Vintages holdings

here, Hurlbert said, and Ithink that infrastructure wasmore extensive and moreexpensive than the railauthority had originally

believed.Vintage Petroleum LLCdeclined to comment, andrepresentatives of theParamount Logistics Park could

not be reached.

BY JOHN COX Californian staff

[email protected]

A surge in recent oil investmentnear Shafter has prompted asubstantial redrawing of theproposed high-speed rail

project through northern KernCounty.A recommended alignmentunveiled Thursday proposeslaying tracks near the BNSFRailroad through Shafter andWascoa reversal of a never-adopted April plan that avoided

those cities centers.The new proposed alignment,set for a vote Thursday by theboard of the California High-Speed Rail Authority inSacramento, has won qualifiedsupport from the city of Shafterand tentative agreement fromWasco officials, though bothcities generally oppose theproject because of its expected

disruptive effect on farming.Bakersfield City Manager AlanTandy, concerned about thedisruption the project wouldcause downtown, has asked railauthority officials to delay aroute decision south of 7thStandard Road until the agencyhas enough money to build all

the way to Bakersfield.

The compromise offeredThursday by the rail authoritywas that it would requestconstruction permits no farthersouth than 7th Standard,meaning it would not beginacquiring Bakersfield propertyto build on until late 2014 or

2015.A bullet train spokeswomansaid reviews by the U.S.Environmental Protection

Agency and the U.S. ArmyCorps of Engineers require it tochart a route from one railterminus to the next, ruling outthe possibility that the projectwould end at 7th Standard,roughly eight miles north of

Bakersfield.Both federal agencies must

approve the proposed route.Rail authority spokeswomanLisa Alley said time remains towork with Bakersfield on a

mutually agreeable plan.Theres always going to beroom to work with ourstakeholders and the city of

Bakersfield, she said.The recommended routethrough Bakersfield remainsunchanged from April, avoidingBakersfield High School andBethel Christian School, andrequiring the removal of fewer

November 2013Issue 6

Oil activity may spur rerouting of rail line

Dream Chasertested in KernDesert

2

US Cities InWhich TheFewest PeopleDrive To Work

2

Oil activity mayspur rerouting ofrail line

3

Highway funding

crisis will hurtstates

3

TRIPConstructionUpdate

3

State Route 58Gap Closureproject dedicated

4


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The Kern

Transportation

Foundation

promotes a modern,

balanced

transportation

system that

enhances the

quality of life and

advances the

economic vitality of

the residents of

Kern County.

Page 2KTF Newsletter

The Kern River Park-way trail is a nativeriparian area whichextends over 30 milesthrough Bakersfieldalong the Kern River.

Dream Chaser tested in Kern Desert

US Cities In Which The Fewest People Drive To Work

cleantechnica.com

The US is such a large country,that it has co-cultures and isalmost like multiple countries inone. As a part of that, peopleshabits and the accessibility oftransportation options varysignificantly throughout thecountry.For example, in Oklahoma City,

only 2.2% of people travel towork without cars. Tulsa andFort Worth are tied just anedge above that. Notably, Tulsais also in Oklahomaits second-largest city. Meanwhile, in NewYork City, 67% of people travelto work without cars. Its aworld of difference.Leading the nation at 67%,

NYCs subway system anddensity are surely big parts ofthat. There is also the fact thatintense congestion (largely aresult of high density) in someparts of the city can deterpeople from driving, as theydont appreciate long waits intraffic.The Institute For Quality

Communities, which is at theUniversity of Oklahoma,gathered data from Censusmetrics of how Americansusually travel to work to cometo the above conclusions.Read more at http://cleantechnica.com/2013/11/03/us-cities-fewest-people-drive-work/#MAqjfx19K2pLYqW1.99

in eastern Kern County,according to twin newsreleases from NASA and SierraNevada Corp.

During the two-hour test, anErickson Air-Crane helicopterpicked up a test version of theDream Chaser flight vehicleand flew it a distance of threemiles over a dry lake bed atEdwards Air Force Base at amaximum altitude of about12,400 feet. The spacecraftfollowed the projected path itwill fly during future approachand landing tests at Dryden,the releases said.

The spaceplanes flight

computer, along with itsguidance, navigation andcontrol systems, weretested, NASA said in itsrelease. The landing gearand nose skid also weredeployed during flight.Today is the first timewe have flown a fullyfunctional DreamChaser flight vehicle, andwe are very pleased withthe results, said Mark

Sirangelo, corporate vicepresident and head of SierraNevadas Space Systems.

This was the second captive-

carry test of the DreamChaser and its first at Dryden.Data obtained from the testwill provide valuableinformation about the vehicleshardware and groundoperations. The test paves theway for upcoming free-flighttests at Dryden this fall.According to the release,Dream Chaser will ultimatelylaunch atop an Atlas V rocket.Commercial human flightcapability has been projected

to begin as early as 2016.

The Bakersfield Californian

Kern County is no stranger tospaceships and rocketscientists. From Chuck Yeager

breaking the sound barrier in1947 to the first mannedprivate spaceflight bySpaceShipOne in 2004, easternKern has established a solidreputation as the Kitty Hawkof aerospace.Kern County, its time to meetDream Chaser.

Developed by Sierra NevadaCorp. of Louisville, Colo.inpartnership with NASAtheDream Chaser is a vertical-takeoff, horizontal-landing

spaceplane that is expected toprovide NASA with a safe,commercially operatedtransportation service to theInternational Space Station andback again.The seven-passengerspacecraft is still in its earlytesting stages, and on Thursdaya test version of the craftsuccessfully completed acaptive-carry test at NASAsDryden Flight Research Center

$20M SPIDERSEVs for US Military

Earlier this year, the De-partment of Defenselaunched a $20 millioninitiative to put more than90,000 alt-fuel and electricvehicles on military basesby 2020


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To preserve the fund, roadbuilders and engineers, statetransportation officials and theU.S. Chamber of Commerceare pleading with Congress toraise the federal gasoline taxfor the first time in 20 years.If Congress doesnt act, somewarned, states will feel thepain. We have to act, saidSen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif.,

Californian News Service

The federal highway trust fundwill run out of money by 2015,which will have a devastatingimpact in states that relyheavily on federal funds fortheir road maintenance andconstruction needs,transportation officials toldlawmakers Wednesday.

chairman of the SenateEnvironment and Public WorksCommittee. The country iscounting on us.The fund typically supportsabout $40 billion a year inspending on highway andtransit programs nationwide.But the Congressional BudgetOffice projects that in 2015,the tank will be empty.

Highway funding crisis will hurt states

TRANSPORTATION

The act of

transporting, or the

state of being

transported; carriage

from one place to

another; removal;

conveyance.

Page 3Issue 6

proposal for the Kern Countyroute would have had a totalprice tag of $6.8 billion; themore recent recommendations

estimate is $7.2 billion.The overall 520-mile routelinking the San Francisco BayArea and the Los Angeles areais expected to cost $68.5billion and use trains travelingas fast as 220 mph. The firstoperational segment, fromMadera to the San FernandoValley, is projected to becomeoperational by 2022. Theprojects proposed completion

date is 2029.

Continued from page 1

Wasco city officials could notbe reached for commentThursday. But in an Oct. 25

interview, City Manager DanAllen said Wasco preferred theApril plan that would haveveered away from the BNSFtracks versus any proposalrunning the project through the

center of town.

He did mention, however, thatnegotiations could make aroute through town more

agreeable.Theres a way toaccommodate us, but themitigations that the city hasproposed, (the project officials)would have to be amicable to,

Allen said.Alley, the projectspokeswoman, was unfamiliarwith the exact mitigationmeasures under consideration,but said they would involvethings such as avoiding

residential development.She said noted that the April

Oil activity may spur rerouting of rail line

working on earthwork andstorm drains on the south sideof State Route 178.No lane closures are in place atthe current time. Please drivecautiously through this areaand watch for constructioncrews and vehicles that may beentering or leaving the worksite.

Westside Parkway Phase6C - November 1-8, 2013The contractor for theWestside Parkway has closed asection of Renfro Road,between Stockdale Highwayand Johnson Road. The closureis in the vicinity of theWestside Parkway alignment,and affects all through traffic,including automobile, bicycleand pedestrian. Motorists candetour around the closure via

Stay alert while driving throughworkzones and follows detoursigns. Watch for constructionpersonnel, equipment and vehiclesleaving a construction site andmerging with traffic. Motoristsshould use alternate routes whenpossible. No pedestrians areallowed in construction workareas for safety reasons. Slow forthe cone zone!

SR 178/Morning DriveInterchange - November 1-8, 2013The contractor for the StateRoute 178/Morning DriveInterchange Project is workingon the south side of StateRoute 178. Concrete barrierrail has been placed betweenthe roadway and work area,and the contractor is currently

Allen Road and Brimhall Road.Access to neighborhoods southof the project alignment isavailable via Stockdale Highwayand Renfro Road. Access toneighborhoods north of theproject alignment is availablevia Allen Road and BrimhallRoad.The closure allows thecontractor to relocate utilitiesalong Renfro Road andconstruct a new bridge overthe Westside Parkway. Thissection of Renfro Road isexpected to be closed until late2014. The full closure isnecessary due to existingconditions at Renfro Road,which will not accommodate abypass road or allow part ofthe road to remain open duringbridge construction.

Thomas Roads Improvement Project Construction Update

Bullet train plansthrough Kern Countyremain unsettled


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KTF

KernTransportation

Foundation

www.ktfonline.org

P.O. Box 417Bakersfield, CA93302-0417

W e r e o n t h e W e b !

k t f o n l i n e . o r g

The mission of the KernTransportation Foundation is to

provide a forum for advancing

the requirements of a modern,

balanced transportation system

that meets the economic and

social needs of the public in

Kern County. The Kern

Transportation Foundation will

work to the following:

- Identify and create public

awareness of current and

future transportation needs inKern County.

- Investigate solutions to

providing a balanced

transportation systems.

- Build the private/public

partnership required to develop

a modern, balancedtransportation system.

State Route 58 Gap Closure project dedicated

Page 4KTF Newsletter

Kern TransportationFoundation

Mission Statement

The State Route 58 GapClosure project will add a third

lane in eachdirection to athree-milestretch of thefreeway

between StateRoute 99 andCottonwoodRoad. Theadditional laneswill beconstructed

within the median. The projectwill also widen the "P" Street

Bridge, Madison Street Bridge,Cottonwoood Road Bridge andthe Bakersfield Corral RailroadOverhead to accommodate theadditional lanes.

This project will improvesafety, relieve congestion,reduce travel times andprovide motorists with acontinuous seven-mile, three-lane freeway from State Route99 to State Route 184(Weedpatch 184).

ktf newsletter november 2013

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