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Testimony of Dan Tangherlini
Director, District Division of Transportation
Department of Public Works on
Rights-of-Way Management of Our Streets
July 5, 2000

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GOOD DAY CHAIRWOMAN SCHWARTZ AND COUNCILMEMBERS. MY NAME IS DAN TANGHERLINI. I AM THE ACTING DIRECTOR OF THE DISTRICT DIVISION OF TRANSPORTATION OF THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS. IT IS A PLEASURE TO BE HERE TODAY TO TESTIFY ON BEHALF OF THE WILLIAMS ADMINISTRATION'S MANAGEMENT OF THE RIGHTS-OF- WAY THAT ARE PART OF A VERY PRECIOUS ASSET -- OUR STREETS.

FIRST, I WANT TO EMPHASIZE HOW I VIEW MY ROLE AS MERELY A TEMPORARY STEWARD OF THIS VALUABLE ASSET. OUR STREETS ARE HISTORICALLY SIGNIFICANT: THEY DATE BACK TO THE FOUNDING OF THE CITY AND ITS DESIGN BY PIERRE L'ENFANT. NOW THEY ARE A MULTI- BILLION-DOLLAR ASSET THAT HAVE TO BE TREATED ACCORDINGLY. WE SHOULD NOT JUST MAINTAIN OUR STREETS; WE SHOULD IMPROVE THEM FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. ALONG THESE LINES, WE WANT OUR MANAGEMENT TO NOT ONLY MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR RESIDENTS, VISITORS AND BUSINESSES, BUT TO SET AN EXAMPLE FOR OTHER CITIES ACROSS THE COUNTRY. WE MUST NO LONGER BE AN EXAMPLE OF HOW NOT TO DO THINGS, BUT CREATE A MANAGEMENT STRUCTURE THAT IS AN EXAMPLE FOR PEOPLE FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY TO SEE AND EXPERIENCE.

SO HOW ARE WE DOING? OUR FIRST TASK WAS TO STOP THE DISORGANIZATION IN THE STREETS THAT HAD DEVELOPED IN EARLY 2000. UTILITY CUTS WERE BEING MADE IN NEWLY PAVED STREETS, PERMANENT REPAIRS WOULD TAKE WEEKS IF NOT LONGER AND FEES WERE A FLAT $24 PER CUT REGARDLESS OF LENGTH. IN ADDITION, EACH UTILITY COMPANY WAS ALLOWED TO DIG INTO A STREET WITHOUT REGARD TO WHETHER IT HAD JUST BEEN DISRUPTED BY ANOTHER INSTALLATION. IN ADDITION, UNTIL MARCH OF THIS YEAR, THERE WERE NO PERMANENT INSPECTION RECORDS.

INCIDENTALLY, EVERY PERMITEE IS NOT TECHNICALLY A 'UTILITY COMPANY.' THEREFORE, WHEN I USE THE TERM UTILITY, I REFER TO ANY COMPANY THAT IS DIGGING INTO THE STREET TO INSTALL OR MAINTAIN A SERVICE.

TO ESTABLISH SOME DEGREE OF CONTROL, MAYOR WILLIAMS ISSUED AN ORDER TO STOP ALL WORK IN THE PUBLIC SPACE. THE TWO-WEEK MORATORIUM ON PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES IN THE PUBLIC SPACE,' ISSUED ON MARCH 27, 2000, AND EXTENDED TO APRIL 23, GAVE US--AND THE PUBLIC--A CHANCE TO CATCH OUR BREATHS AND DEVISE A MANAGEMENT PLAN FOR RIGHT OF WAY ACTIVITIES. WE HAVE USED THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP RULES AND STANDARDS FOR RIGHT OF WAY WORK, ENHANCE INSPECTOR TRAINING AND EQUIPMENT AND STRENGTHEN RECORDKEEPING AND INTERNAL ADMINISTRATION.

WHEN WORK RESUMED, ONE OF OUR FIRST TASKS WAS TO AGGRESSIVELY ENFORCE THE REQUIREMENT THAT ALL CUTS MUST BE PERMANENTLY REPAIRED WITHIN 45 CALENDAR DAYS OR THE UTILITY WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO MAKE ANY NEW, NONEMERGENCY CUTS. THIS HAS BEEN A REAL SPUR TO PROMPT, PERMANENT REPAIRS AND WE ARE CONTEMPLATING SHORTENING THE 45 DAYS TO LESS THAN A MONTH.

WE ALSO RAISED THE STANDARDS ON MANY OTHER ASPECTS OF RIGHT OF WAY ACTIVITIES. THESE INCLUDE REQUIRING FULL-LANE RESTORATIONS, PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND SITE POSTINGS, MILL AND OVERLAY REPAIRS RATHER THAN THE CRUDER ROLLED PATCH, DETAILED AND ENFORCED TRAFFIC PLANS, AND A VIRTUAL BAN ON WEEKDAY WORK DURING RUSH HOUR. WE ALSO STEPPED UP ENFORCEMENT OF THE 1,200-FEET LIMIT ON CUTS, THEREBY STOPPING THE MILES-LONG MEANDERING TRENCHES THROUGH OUR CITY.

IN ADDITION, WE ARE REQUIRING THE UTILITIES TO PARTICIPATE IN THE PERMIT PROCESS BY REQUIRING THAT THEY PRE-CLEAR PERMITS BEFORE THEY ARE SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT. BEFORE, DPW WOULD TRY TO INSURE THAT THERE WERE NO CONFLICTS BETWEEN A PROPOSED ALIGNMENT AND OTHER UTILITIES' INFRASTRUCTURE, TAKING CONSIDERABLE STAFF TIME AND WEEKS OR MONTHS TO PROCESS. WITH PRE-CLEARANCE, THE UTILITIES MUST PERFORM THIS COORDINATION AMONGST THEMSELVES.

WE ALSO IMPROVED IN-HOUSE COORDINATION, COOPERATION AND INFORMATION. AS REQUIRED BY THE DEPARTMENT, UTILITIES RECENTLY SUBMITTED THEIR TWO-YEAR PLANS. THESE SUBMISSIONS REFLECT ALL PLANNED MAJOR EXCAVATION WORK, SHOW US WHERE DIGGING IS GOING TO TAKE PLACE AND IDENTIFY OPPORTUNITIES FOR JOINT TRENCHING. THE TWO-YEAR PLANS ALONG WITH A SEPARATE TWO-WEEK SUBMISSION, WILL PROVIDE US A BETTER MANAGED AND COORDINATED STREET CUT PROGRAM.

I AM PARTICULARLY PLEASED WITH THE RESPONSE TO THE REGULAR MEETINGS CONVENED IN MY OFFICE. THESE WELL-ATTENDED SESSIONS ALLOW US TO WORK WITH THE UTILITIES AND DISCUSS NEW TECHNOLOGIES AND IDEAS. THE LAST MEETING INCLUDED PRESENTATIONS BY THE INSPECTION OFFICE AND AN EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURER. THE LATTER DISCUSSED A POSSIBLY ATTRACTIVE ALTERNATIVE -- TRENCHLESS TECHNOLOGY.

I AM ALSO PLEASED TO MENTION THE RECENT RESOLUTION OF THE 'SITUATION IN GEORGETOWN THAT HAS ALLOWED THE RESUMPTION WORK IN THIS HEAVILY TRAVELED PART OF TOWN. THE GEORGETOWN BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION, THE CITIZENS ASSOCIATION OF GEORGETOWN, THE GEORGETOWN PARTNERSHIP AND THE ANC REACHED AN AGREEMENT IN THE FORM OF A JOINT LETTER TO CITY ADMINISTRATOR NORMAN DONG.

WORKING WITH THE DIVISION OF TRANSPORTATION AND THE CONTRACTOR, THE PARTIES AGREED TO A SERIES OF CONDITIONS TO ALLOW WORK TO RESUME ON M STREET. THE CONDITIONS INCLUDE: HIRING OFF-DUTY POLICE OFFICERS TO CONTROL TRAFFIC, 48HOUR NOTICE TO BUSINESSES BEFORE WORK PROCEEDS AND NO CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY ON FRIDAY OR SATURDAY.

OF COURSE WE HAVE ALSO ASKED THE FIRMS TO REALIZE THE VALUE OF THE ASSET THEY ARE GAINING ACCESS TO. THIS IS EXPLICITLY RECOGNIZED IN THE NEW RIGHT OF WAY FEES THAT WERE DUE ON JULY 1. AS OF MONDAY, WE HAVE RECEIVED PAYMENTS OF JUST UNDER $3 MILLION FROM FIVE UTILITIES: AT&T, BELL ATLANTIC, PEPCO, QUEST AND WASHINGTON GAS. WE EXPECT THE TOTAL TO REACH $4.6 MILLION AND WILL REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE ON THE PROCEEDS AS SOON AS WE HAVE THE FINAL INFORMATION.

THESE QUARTERLY PAYMENTS ARE BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CHARGES: 14¢/FOOT/YEAR FOR SUBSURFACE RIGHTS, 33¢ FOR AERIAL RIGHTS AND 39¢ FOR SURFACE RIGHTS. UNDER RECENTLY PASSED LEGISLATION, THIS WILL INCREASE ON OCTOBER 1, TO 88¢ FOR SUBSURFACE RIGHTS AND $1.32 FOR AERIAL AND SURFACE RIGHTS. THE WILLIAMS ADMINISTRATION WANTS TO WORK WITH YOU AND YOUR STAFF TO APPLY THESE NEW FEES AND CHARGES SO THAT THEY BETTER REFLECT THE ACTUAL IMPACT OF THESE ACTIVITIES ON OUR STREETS AND TOTAL TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE.

STEPPED-UP ENFORCEMENT IS A KEY PART OF OUR NEW APPROACH TO MANAGING OUR RIGHT OF WAY ASSET. WE HAVE INCREASED THE NUMBER OF INSPECTORS FROM SIX TO 16; WE HAVE PROFESSIONALIZED THEIR APPEARANCE WITH UNIFORMS AND BADGES AND ENHANCED THEIR EFFECTIVENESS WITH UP-TO-DATE TRAINING AND BETTER TOOLS, INCLUDING DIGITAL CAMERAS AND LAPTOPS COMPUTERS THEY USE IN THE FIELD.

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH IS DEVELOPING ANOTHER ENFORCEMENT TOOL. WE ARE WILL SOON SUBMIT LEGISLATION TO AMEND THE 1985 LITTER CONTROL ACT TO PROVIDE FOR ADDITIONAL PUBLIC SPACE VIOLATIONS. THIS ADDITIONAL MECHANISMS WILL ENSURE THAT A UTILITY THAT EXCAVATES IN THE PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY IS HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR FAILURE TO PERFORM WORK IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF ITS EXCAVATION PERMIT. THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION, ALONG WITH THE OTHER AGGRESSIVE MEASURES WE ARE TAKING, SHOULD GO A LONG WAY TOWARD IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF UTILITY CUT REPAIRS AND ENSURING MINIMAL DISRUPTIONS TO MOTORISTS AND PEDESTRIANS.

WE ARE ALSO ARE REORGANIZING THE TRANSPORTATION DIVISION TO ENHANCE COORDINATION AND COOPERATION BETWEEN THE PERMIT OFFICE AND THE INSPECTION TEAMS. RIGHT OF WAY INSPECTORS WILL BE MOVED TO THE NEW RIGHT OF WAY MAINTENANCE AND MANAGEMENT BRANCH. THIS UNIT, TO BE HEADED BY LARS ETZKORN, THE FORMER DIRECTOR OF TRANSPORTATION FOR ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI. HE WILL BE CHARGED WITH MANAGING AND MAINTAINING OUR TRANSPORTATION ASSETS.

BACKING-UP THESE REGULATORY, ORGANIZATIONAL AND STAFF CHANGES ARE SYSTEMS UNDER DEVELOPMENT THAT SHOULD PUT TIE DISTRICT IN A NATIONAL LEADERSHIP POSITION. ALREADY WE HAVE DECREASED THE PERMIT PROCESSING TIME TO 30 DAYS FROM AN OUTRAGEOUS FOUR TO FIVE MONTHS. OUR IMMEDIATE GOAL IS A TEN-DAY TURNAROUND FOR ALL PERMITS, EVEN THE MOST CHALLENGING ONES.

BY LATE THIS YEAR, WE ANTICIPATE ELECTRONIC FILING WITH THE HANSEN SYSTEM. THE SOFTWARE WILL FEED PERMIT DATA DIRECTLY TO THE STREET CUT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (SCMS). WHEN FULLY ONLINE, THE SCMS WILL: 1) SCHEDULE INSPECTIONS; 2) ALLOW INSPECTORS TO TRACK PERMITS, UTILITIES AND JOBS; AND 3) PROVIDE AN ON-LINE MECHANISM FOR UTILITIES TO UPDATE THEIR CONSTRUCTION PROGRESS. IN THE PAST WHEN THESE TASKS WERE PERFORMED -- IF THEY WERE AT ALL -- IT WAS VIA PAPER, FAXES AND SOMETIMES ON HANDWRITTEN LISTS!

SCMS WILL ALSO FEED DATA TO THE TRAFFIC OBSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (TOMS). THIS GIS-BASED SYSTEM ALLOWS US TO MAP CUT LOCATIONS AND BUILD OVERLAYS OF EACH RESPECTIVE UTILITY'S ACTIVE WORK SITES. IT WILL ALLOW US TO MAP THE TWO-WEEK PLANS -- AND BY MIDSUMMER, WE PLAN TO USE TOMS TO PREPARE A MAP OF THE TWO-YEAR UTILITY PLANS.

THIS IS JUST A BRIEF SUMMARY OF OUT RIGHT OF WAY ACTIVITIES. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE MADE CONSIDERABLE PROGRESS IN CONTROLLING ACCESS TO OUR STREETS AND MINIMIZING DISRUPTIONS THAT STREET CUTS CAUSE THE PUBLIC. AND WE HAVE INCREASED FEE COLLECTIONS AND IMPROVED ENFORCEMENT AND COORDINATION WITH THE UTILITIES. HOWEVER, THERE IS STILL MUCH TO BE DONE AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE COUNCIL TO MAKE SURE THESE IMPROVEMENTS CONTINUE AS WE STRIVE TO MEET THE STANDARD OF SERVICE THE CITIZENS OF THE DISTRICT EXPECT AND DESERVE.

I AM PLEASED TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.

THANK YOU.

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