REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Travis Hopkins, City Manager
VIA: Chau Vu, Director of Public Works
PREPARED BY: Bob Stachelski, Traffic and Transportation Manager
Subject:
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Approve and authorize execution of an amended Freeway Maintenance Agreement between the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the City of Huntington Beach for the maintenance of areas on or bordering State Highway facilities within the City and an amended Electrical Cost Sharing Agreement for State Highway electrical facilities within Huntington Beach
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Statement of Issue:
On April 18, 2016, the City of Huntington Beach entered into a revised Freeway Maintenance Agreement with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to facilitate the construction of the I-405 Freeway Improvement Project, superseding a previous agreement. With the completion of the freeway project, a new agreement is needed to make appropriate adjustments reflecting the new construction. The agreement identifies responsibilities of each party in relation to the different features and elements.
Financial Impact:
The areas of responsibility being assigned to the City are within the normal scope of maintenance services provided in the past and is not expected to generate any significant increase in maintenance expenditures. For the first 5-10 years of this agreement, it is expected that maintenance costs will actually be lower because the infrastructure and improvements are new, with many elements covered under warranties.
Recommended Action:
recommendation
A) Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute the revised Freeway Maintenance Agreement between the State of California Department of Transportation and the City of Huntington Beach.
B) Authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to provide City’s approval of mutually agreed upon changes in maintenance duties, including minor revisions to exhibits.
C) Approve and authorize the City Manager to execute the revised Agreement for Sharing Cost of State Highway Facilities with the City of Huntington Beach.
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Alternative Action(s):
Do not approve the recommended action and direct staff accordingly.
Analysis:
Since 1978, the City and Caltrans have had a Freeway Agreement for I-405 between Magnolia Street and the Union Pacific Railroad crossing at the City of Westminster limits. A revised agreement was approved in April 2016 to address changes in access due to the recent freeway project. Now that the project is complete, a new Freeway Maintenance Agreement is required to finalize access points and clearly define maintenance responsibilities for roadways, signs, lighting, drainage, sidewalks, and landscaping.
An updated Electrical Cost Sharing Agreement is also needed. It includes updated maintenance shares reflecting current conditions and covers all shared traffic signals, primarily along Beach Boulevard (SR-39) and Pacific Coast Highway (SR-1), based on each agency’s jurisdiction at intersections. Staff reviewed all boundaries and responsibilities and determined the agreements are fair and do not impose undue burdens on the City.
For vehicular and pedestrian overcrossings at Magnolia, Heil, Newland, Edinger, and Edwards, Caltrans will maintain all structural components of the bridges and ramps over the freeway. The City will be responsible for the walking surfaces, lighting, railings, fencing, and graffiti abatement. These responsibilities align with both the current and previous maintenance obligations for these facilities.
The recommended action also authorizes the City Manager, or designee, to approve minor, mutually agreed-upon adjustments to maintenance responsibilities or electrical cost-sharing terms through written agreement, including any necessary updates to supporting exhibits. This allows for routine corrections or amendments without altering the overall responsibilities of either party.
Environmental Status:
This action is not subject to the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Sections 15060(c)(2) (the activity will not result in a direct or reasonably foreseeable indirect physical change in the environment) and 15060(c)(3) (the activity is not a project as defined in Section 15378) of the CEQA Guidelines, California Code of Regulations, Title 14, Chapter 3, because it has no potential for resulting in physical change to the environment, directly or indirectly.
Strategic Plan Goal:
Non Applicable - Administrative Item
Attachment(s):
1. Freeway Maintenance Agreement
2. Electrical Cost Sharing Agreement
3. PowerPoint Presentation