Report to Mayor and City Council
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Consent
SUBJECT:
Title
CONSIDER A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CALTRANS) REGARDING ALAMEDA STREET (CITY COUNCIL)
Body
I. SUMMARY
Over the past several years, the City has made several requests for Caltrans to include Alameda Street in the state highway system, which would require the California Transportation Commission (“CTC”) to approve an application. The street currently is marked as State Route 47 (“SR-47”) and is on the state route alignment, but was constructed prior to the state highway as a local street and not to state highway standards.
In 2021, Caltrans expressed a willingness to apply to the CTC for the designation of Alameda as SR-47, but the process is a 12- to 24-month process. Preparation of the application has begun by Caltrans (“Exhibit 1”). Meanwhile, the City and Caltrans began to negotiate an interim MOU to cover maintenance and repairs during the application period. (“Exhibit 2”)
II. RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
1. APPROVE a Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Carson and the California Department of Transportation regarding Alameda Street/SR-47.
2. AUTHORIZE the Mayor to execute the document in a form acceptable to the City Attorney.
1.
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III. ALTERNATIVES
TAKE another action the City Council deems appropriate.
IV. BACKGROUND
Over the past several years, the City has made several requests for Caltrans to include Alameda Street in the state highway system, which would require the California Transportation Commission to approve an application. The street currently is marked as State Route 47 and is on the state route alignment but was constructed prior to the state highway as a local street and not to state highway standards.
Prior to 1982, SR-47 (Alameda Street) was not a State highway but was added to the State statutes with AB 3375 in 1982. However, the street was not adopted into the State Highway system by the CTC. The bill further stated that SR-47 shall not include that portion of the adopted route from Route 1 to Willow Street (Sepulveda, in Carson) and that portion of the adopted alignment from Willow Street to Route 405.
The legislation originally intended that all of Alameda Street in Carson that was ever going to be part of the State Highway system was the part between the 405 and Del Amo. (Alameda north of Del Amo is in unincorporated Los Angeles County.) The 1982 version of the statute provided that even the part of Alameda between the 405 Freeway and Del Amo would be included in the State Highway system only if a plan for financing improvements was completed by the end of 1984. That plan was never completed.
Therefore, Alameda Street between the 405 and Del Amo is part of the state highway system, but south of the 405 Freeway is not per the legislation, except that it is indicated as such on maps and signage, and by the type of use it receives.
Caltrans has determined that SR-47 from Lomita Boulevard to SR-91 is a Traversable Highway Category 4, approved as a future state route but not yet adopted by the CTC. It has been almost 40 years since the adoption of AB 3375, and until now the State had not moved forward on incorporating SR-47 into the State Highway system. Given that this category of highway is maintained by the City of Carson the highway has become burdensome on the local community.
The City has always maintained that the realignment of SR-47 onto Alameda Street was a matter of regional and statewide priority, and was part of the Alameda Corridor project, combining the street and adjacent rail line into a relatively high-speed corridor to streamline truck and container traffic from the port complex to east-west rail facilities and other logistics operations near Downtown Los Angeles. As a result, SR-47 traffic is dominated by freight-carrying trucks, at great maintenance expense to the City.
Now, Caltrans is pursuing the official adoption of Alameda Street into the State Highway System. Adoptions of roadways into the State Highway System require the approval by the CTC. The CTC is a separate agency from Caltrans and will make the final determination on the approval of all adoptions. Caltrans intends to coordinate with the CTC throughout the adoption process and has hired a Specialist to lead the effort on the Adoption process.
Concurrently to pursuing the adoption of Alameda Street, Caltrans has agreed to make significant repairs to Alameda Street, which will reduce the City’s maintenance obligations during the pre-Adoption process. This commitment is subject to the State funding process.
The MOU would be in effect until the Adoption of SR-47 into the state highway system is approved by the CTC.
There are two issues that are still being discussed as part of the MOU regarding liability for the design of the existing street (neither the City nor the State designed or constructed the existing Alameda Street) and the effective date of the MOU. Therefore, the recommendation is to approve the MOU in a form acceptable to the City Attorney to make any minor changes necessary.
V. FISCAL IMPACT
There is no increase in maintenance obligation to the City during the term of the MOU, as the City is already obligated to pay for maintenance on Alameda Street, as it is still a local street. Repairs and reconstruction of Alameda will be the financial responsibility of Caltrans, and will serve to reduce the City’s maintenance costs.
VI. EXHIBITS
1. Letter from Tony Tavares regarding Adoption application. (pg. 4)
2. MOU between the City of Carson and Caltrans regarding Alameda Street.(pg. 5-10)
Prepared by: John S. Raymond/Assistant City Manager