The City of Fremont entered into a Community Rating System in 2001 with a rating of Class 7. The rating provides property owners within Special Flood Hazard Areas a 15% reduction in premiums for flood insurance.

FEMA maps indicating flood hazard areas, letter of map changes, and elevation certificates are on file with the City. The current maps are effective as of August 3, 2009. Updates to the current maps will only be done electronically through FEMA's National Flood Hazard Layer (NFHL) online. The NFHL is a computer database that contains flood hazard map information including data from Digital Flood Insurance Rate Map and Letters of Map Changes. Access to historical maps and the National Flood Hazard Layer can be obtained through https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home.

Flood zone maps can be accessed from the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) website.

You can receive updates by email on all Public Works projects using the City's online eSubscribe feature.

You can visit the Public Works Projects webpage to view the Annual Program - Pavement Maintenance, which outlines the current year's projects and locations.

The City of Fremont has two major pavement projects doing work throughout the city every year. They include the Pavement Rehabilitation Project and the Cape & Slurry Seal Project. The decision to do work on specific streets in a given year involves several steps and consideration of a number of factors.

The first step examines the condition of all pavements on every local road within the city. Based on the Pavement Condition Index (PCI) scores of each street (explained further below), each segment can be classified as being in good, fair, or poor condition.

The objective of pavement maintenance is to preserve streets in good condition, improve streets in fair condition, and rehabilitate streets in poor condition. There are different construction methods that can be applied to streets depending on their condition. Light maintenance treatments to the surface of pavements (such as a slurry seal) can help preserve and improve pavements in fair or good condition. Removal and replacement of asphalt pavements is an example of a rehabilitation effort that is often done for streets in poor condition.

After the conditions of the streets are known, the work needed on every street is estimated. The costs of performing the pavement work and the available funding resources are then compared to determine how much work can be done in a given year. The selection of which streets will be scheduled for repairs takes into consideration the following factors:

• The volume of traffic: Streets receiving a high volume of traffic serving many motorists are considered a higher priority over those receiving lighter traffic.
• Conflicts with other projects: If there are private developers or utilities planning to excavate into the roadway, pavement work on those streets will be deferred for a later time.
• Alignment with bikeway priorities: Streets where modified bikeway striping is proposed receive greater consideration for earlier pavement treatments.
• Eligibility for outside funding: Streets with a high level of needs that are eligible for sizeable outside funding sources can require a lengthy application process that could determine the timing when work can commence.
• Geographic fairness: To the extent possible, pavement work is distributed as broadly and as evenly as possible over the entire geographic area of Fremont.
• Community feedback: Community feedback is something that can be considered when choosing between several streets with similar conditions and repair needs.

By being a member of NFIP, property owners are provided an opportunity to purchase flood insurance to insure against flood losses. With the City's floodplain ordinance, monitoring of development and construction practices help reduce flood losses and high government costs associated with flood disasters.

If your normal trash pickup is scheduled on the same day as the pavement work, you can leave your trash containers out on the curb or street as you normally would. The contractor will coordinate their work with the garbage collectors to ensure that you do not experience an interruption in service.

Resurfacing activities will require temporary lane closures. Drivers should anticipate delays and are encouraged to use alternate routes around these work areas while construction is underway. Warning signs will be posted in advance of construction areas to inform motorists of lane closures.

The Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 and the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 requires the purchase of flood insurance as a condition of Federal or Federally related financial assistance for buildings within Special Flood Hazard Areas. For buildings located outside of the Special Flood Hazard Areas, purchase of flood insurance is not mandatory unless it is an established requirement of an institution's standard lending practices. However, purchase of flood insurance for buildings outside the Special Flood Hazard Areas is a prudent practice.

Yes, there are actually a few things you can do:

1. Given the uncertainties that arise during street construction, we ask for your understanding when the scheduling of the work must be revised. We recognize that the lack of parking and the traffic delays are an inconvenience and we will work to minimize their impact to the extent we can.
2. Towing someone's car is not something we enjoy doing. In order to perform the street work, we request that you park off the street or in some other convenient area during the days when work is scheduled as indicated by the posted signs.
3. While we try our best to keep everyone informed, we may not always be able to reach everyone. We appreciate your efforts to keep your neighbors and visiting guests informed of the work that will take place and especially of the parking restrictions.

Your cooperation is integral to the success of this project. We thank you in advance!

The California Streets and Highways Code (Sections 5610-5618) places the responsibility for the maintenance of the sidewalks on the owner of the property adjoining the sidewalk. As a service, the City provides the sidewalk repair project as a way to relieve the burden of maintenance from single family homeowners. All other property owners (e.g., owners of apartments, commercial properties, condominium complexes, churches, etc.) are responsible for any necessary repairs to the sidewalk adjoining their property.

If the curb is raised enough to pose a tripping hazard due to a tree root, the project will likely remove and replace the curb. This repair may or may not fix the drainage problem. In areas where the slope of the street is relatively flat, it is not uncommon to have some standing water in the curb after a rain event.

An asphalt overlay is a type of pavement reconstruction that is performed on streets to improve the driving surface and to extend the life of the pavement. The treatment basically involves grinding away a portion of the existing pavement and placing a new layer of asphalt on top of it. Portions of a street are typically closed off to parking and traffic while the work is in progress. Once the work is complete, the street is reopened to traffic and parking.

The project will also upgrade street intersections with new curb ramps that meet current accessibility requirements and repair curbs that have been damaged by street trees.

So long as the requirement to purchase flood insurance is not part of the institution's lending requirement, property owners can contest the lender's determination by requesting FEMA to review the lending institution's determination. A Letter of Determination Review (LODR) will be issued by FEMA indicating FEMA's finding. A fee for LODR is required and the LODR will not amend or revise the current NFIP maps.

Any decorative concrete, brick, or extensions to the sidewalk that poses a tripping hazard in the planter strip (i.e., the area between the curb and sidewalk) will be removed and filled in with topsoil. The project will not replace any concrete or paving within the planter strip.

If you have concerns about the removal of decorative concrete in the planter strip, please contact the Public Works Department - Engineering Division. 

Encroachment permits are required when any construction activity is performed in the public right of way (typically the area from the back of sidewalk to the street).

Maps showing the location of property lines and existing easements are available for viewing at the Engineering Division office located on the second floor of the Development Services Center, 39550 Liberty Street, Fremont, CA 94538. Determining the actual locations of property lines and easements in the field would require the services of a licensed surveyor.

Survey monuments records are available at:

Development Services Center
39550 Liberty Street
Fremont, CA 94538

We can fulfill your request for monument records by email. Send the address or street intersection you are interested in to engineering@fremont.gov.

Standards for street and sidewalk construction are written in the City Standard Details and Specifications.

Copies of the Standard Details and Specifications can be purchased at the Development Services Center located at 39550 Liberty Street, Fremont, CA 94538.

Bid documents can be obtained at the Purchasing Services office at 3300 Capitol Avenue, Building B, Fremont, CA 94538.

Projects are funded from a variety of sources at the Local, State, and Federal levels. They include:

Local:

• City General Fund
• Measure B and Measure BB
• Vehicle Registration Fee (VRF)

State:

• State Gas Taxes
• SB1 - the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017
• CalRecycle Rubberized Pavement Grant

Federal:

• One Bay Area Grant (OBAG)

For questions or comments about this project, please contact:

Engineering Division
510-494-4700
Engineering@fremont.gov

California Street and Highway Code 5610 states property owners are responsible for the maintenance of the sidewalks adjacent to their property.

There are City Programs that can help though. The 50-50 Sidewalk Program helps property owners pay for sidewalk repairs and each year the City fixes select sidewalk locations.

The City provides sidewalk repair and replacement as a service to Fremont property owners for as long as funding and staff are available. You can view the current year's sidewalk repair projects online by visiting the Public Works Projects webpage (see Annual Program - Pavement Maintenance).

Under the Flood Disaster Protection Act of 1973 and the National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994, lenders are obligated to review the current NFIP maps to determine a structure's location relative to the published Special Flood Hazard Area. If the lender determines that the structure is within the Special Flood Hazard Area, the borrower is notified to obtain flood insurance as a condition of the loan.

FEMA determines flood risk through available information for a community. While historical flood data is an important element in identifying flood risk, other elements such as rainfall and river-flow data, topography, wind velocity, tidal surge, flood-control measures, development, etc. are also used to evaluate flood risk.

In order to be repaired, your sidewalk must meet the following criteria:

1. The sidewalk is not in front of a single family home.
2. The sidewalk was damaged by a privately owned tree.
3. The damage was not considered a tripping hazard.

Neighborhood streets will still allow vehicular traffic while the asphalt overlay work is underway. However, there may be a brief period of time when access into a home will be temporarily limited while the asphalt overlay is being placed in front of the driveway.

Access into and out of adjacent shopping areas and business centers will also remain open throughout construction except for a brief period of time when work must progress in front of a driveway.

The project's main objective is to repair sidewalks and other concrete improvements so that the surface is safe for pedestrians to walk on. The amount of sidewalk replaced will depend on the amount of damage done by the trees. The project will not remove and replace sidewalks that have only cracks or other superficial damage. The project will not repair sidewalks that have been damaged by privately owned trees.

The City recognizes the benefits of preserving mature street trees in the neighborhood. In the interest of preserving as many trees as possible, the City will perform an exhaustive inspection of all the trees affected by this project to see what options are available. In many cases, the repair of a sidewalk or curb can be done by cutting a few roots from the tree. Trees that are known to have very shallow root systems and are notorious for damaging concrete improvements will likely be replaced with trees of a different species. A list of all trees proposed to be replaced will be made available on the Public Works Projects webpage (see "Annual Program - Concrete & Intersection Ramp Program" category) prior to construction. If you have any concerns about the proposed replacement of a tree, please contact the Engineering Division at Engineering@fremont.gov.

Due to the nature of the project, parking will be restricted on streets where work is scheduled. "No Parking" signs will be posted on each street 3 days prior to the work. The posted signs will state the date and times when parking will be restricted. Vehicles parked in areas where work is scheduled will be towed at the owner's expense.