CERTIFIED GREENROADS ARE NEW GATEWAY INTO SAN FRANCISCO
PRESIDIO PARKWAY PHASE II EARNS BRONZE CERTIFICATION
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – February 20, 2019
Greenroads is pleased to announce that Phase II of California’s Presidio Parkway Program has earned Greenroads Bronze Certification. The State of California is an international leader in sustainability policies and best practices, and Presidio Parkway Phase II is the fifth certified Greenroads project in the state.
“Greenroads provided the foundation, structure, and support that allowed the Presidio Parkway project to realize the project’s sustainability program goals. Not only was Greenroads instrumental in guiding this large complex project to a successful certification, the experience continues to provide valuable insight into the key role
sustainability holds across Caltrans’ mission, vision, and goals,” said Christopher Caputo, Chief, Office of Cultural Resource Studies, District 4 at Caltrans.
The Presidio Parkway Program is a 1.6 mile, $1.045 billion, two-phase corridor reconstruction project built to improve the structurally and seismically deficient roadway of historic Doyle Drive. Phase I construction rebuilt the southern access to the Golden Gate Bridge (Doyle Drive) and creating a park-like connection between Presidio and recreation areas at Chrissy Field. Phase I earned Bronze Certification in 2015.
Phase II completed the southbound connection to local streets and built the northbound lanes of Highway 101, including three new covered tunnels. Key elements recognized by Greenroads in the Certification included an extensive public involvement process with special attention paid to biological, cultural, and natural resources and minimizing traffic impacts.
“Presidio Parkway is an excellent example of a context sensitive, sustainable transportation project,” said Dr. Jeralee Anderson, Chief Executive Officer of Greenroads Foundation. “The team used a cooperative, interdisciplinary approach to involve stakeholders in project development. The result was a project that successfully preserves access to some of California’s most valuable scenic, community, and environmental resources, while enhancing safety and multimodal connectivity throughout the corridor.”
The project was a collaborative effort led by Caltrans and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority with support from the Federal Highway Administration. “Since its inception, the Presidio Parkway project aimed to become a national model for design, construction, and operation of sustainable roadways that is responsive to community needs, sensitive to its unique setting, and meets functional requirements. Having Greenroads involved on the project enabled this vision to be realized through a collaborative approach to incorporating sustainable elements on the project from beginning to end. It helped position Presidio Parkway Phase I as the first certified sustainable highway project in the country, and continuing through Phase II project completion,” said Tilly Chang, Executive Director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority.
This is also the first public-private partnership (P3) transportation project to successfully earn Greenroads Certification in the United States. A P3 is a long-term contract between a private party and a government entity, for providing a public asset or service. Golden Link Concessionaire (GLC) was selected to deliver Phase II as a design, build, finance, operate, and maintain (DBFOM) availability-pay concession. GLC is led by Hochtief PPP Solutions North America and Meridiam Infrastructure North America. The lead engineer was HNTB Corporation and construction was completed by Flatiron-Kiewit a JV.
"We consider this a huge recognition for the sustainability efforts of Caltrans, Golden Link Concessionaire, and Flatiron/Kiewit on this project, which is now not only the first public-private partnership transportation project delivered in California, but also the first P3 Program in the USA to successfully certify” said Peter van der Waart van Gulik, GLC’s Chief Executive Officer.
The P3 model has several advantages for taxpayers in highly complex projects such as Presidio Parkway Phase II, including accelerating the project’s delivery, transferring the risk of construction to the private sector, and guaranteeing maintenance for the 30-year operations period.
Caltrans specifically included the pursuit of Greenroads Certification in the P3 contract with a goal and target for the construction team to achieve. “Caltrans has the right idea! Incentivizing an independent third-party certification for construction contracts articulates a clear commitment to sustainable transportation and provides accountability and assurance to taxpayers,” said Anderson.
Sustainable features of the Project focused on seismic and traffic safety while improving access along the corridor. The project implemented a number of responsible design and construction practices to reduce environmental impacts as well as lifecycle costs. Activities in the Greenroads Rating System recognized in this project include:
• Improving transit circulation on the parkway and connectivity to Chrissy Field for pedestrians and bicycles
• Minimizing noise in sensitive areas including the San Francisco National Cemetery and Crissy Marsh
• Completing a visual impact assessment in early project planning and design to improve views of the iconic
Golden Gate Bridge
• Following a revegetation strategy that will ultimately improve the forest long term by planting more diverse
trees and included collecting, growing, and replanting native species of plants
• Using lifecycle cost analysis to select pavement and structural designs to last more than 40 years
PRESS RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT
Jeralee Anderson, President/CEO
media@greenroads.org
425.376.0685
ABOUT GREENROADS FOUNDATION
Established in 2010, Greenroads Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, which advances
sustainability education and initiatives for transportation infrastructure. As the developer of the Greenroads Rating
System, the Foundation manages the certification process for sustainable transportation construction projects in the
U.S. and internationally. For more information, visit www.greenroads.org and join us on Facebook at
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*Images available upon request.