Purpose:        

At the April 6, 2004 Traffic and Transportation Study Session, the Council considered a proposed modification of the Empire Interchange Project design.  To provide an additional opportunity for community input, the Council directed staff to issue a press release on the proposed modification and to agendize it for an upcoming Council meeting.  This report describes the overall Empire project and the proposed modification, and recommends that the Council authorize staff to send a letter to Caltrans requesting that it incorporate the modification into the project design.

Empire Interchange Project

As shown on the following illustration, the Empire Interchange Project will connect San Fernando Road on the northeast side of Interstate 5 (I-5), with Empire Avenue on the southwest side. (See the following illustration.)  Proceeding easterly on Empire Avenue, the new roadway connection will go beneath Victory Place and the railroad tracks, intersect with the Southbound I-5 Scott Road off-ramp, continue beneath the I-5 freeway via a widened tunnel, before connecting with North San Fernando at a signalized intersection.  Westbound traffic will follow this same route.  Northbound I-5 traffic exiting via the Scott Road off-ramp will be able to turn left and proceed beneath the freeway to Empire Avenue.  Southbound I-5 traffic exiting via the Scott Road off-ramp will have the option of turning right and going beneath the railroad and Victory Place, turning left and going beneath the freeway, or continuing straight and getting back onto the freeway using the on-ramp that will be relocated from its current location approximately 1000 feet to the north.  That relocated on-ramp will also be accessible to both east- and westbound traffic on the new connecting road.

The new roadway connection, and direct freeway access, will draw traffic away from the former Five Points intersection.  It will be the most direct route between the Downtown and Hillside areas, and Northwest section of the city, and will facilitate the use of the Empire-Vanowen corridor for longer east-west travel.  Northbound I-5 motorists will be able to exit at Scott Road for direct access to the Empire Center and Airport area, rather than the more circuitous route of exiting at Burbank Boulevard and taking Victory Place.  Southbound I-5 traffic has the option of accessing the Empire Center via the Scott Road exit as an alternative to the Buena Vista Street off-ramp.  Freeway on-ramps accessible from the new connecting road will, likewise, provide direct connections to both directions of the I-5.   

Until relatively recently, the scope of the Empire Interchange Project has been limited to the improvements described above.  However, when Caltrans began developing plans to widen the freeway for High Occupancy Vehicle (carpool) lanes, they decided to incorporate the Empire Interchange improvements into the State Route 134-to-State Highway 170 segment of the I-5 HOV project.  The need to widen the freeway south of Empire Avenue will require the realignment of the railroad tracks to the west, using approximately 14 feet of Victory Place.  In addition to the realignment, the tracks will be gradually elevated beginning at Empire Avenue to reach a 15-foot clearance over Buena Vista Street.  This grade separation is now also a component of the Empire Interchange Project, which is collectively with the local improvements being designed by Caltrans as part of the I-5 HOV Project.

Proposed Design Modification

Staff has recently been exploring with Caltrans the feasibility of modifying the project design to permanently close the San Fernando Road underpasses of the I-5 and railroad in both directions, and also closing the Northbound I-5 Lincoln Street off-ramp.  (See the following overall schematic design, and the series of large-scale graphics of the segments.)  Northbound traffic currently using the underpasses and off-ramp would instead utilize the new Empire-North San Fernando connection, which would be accessed from the freeway via the northbound Scott Road off-ramp.  Alternatively, northbound freeway traffic could continue to utilize the Buena Vista off-ramp farther north.  Southbound traffic currently using the San Fernando underpass would instead either access the new roadway connection to reach the east side of the freeway, continue southbound on Victory Place on the west side of the freeway, or for longer trips would access the Southbound I-5 via the relocated on-ramp at Empire Avenue.  An analysis of the traffic re-distribution has shown that the new connecting roadway and other elements of the network have sufficient capacity to handle the forecasted traffic.

There are several benefits associated with this proposed design modification; including improved traffic safety, a more efficient and better designed street network, and a reduced level of traffic impacts to nearby residential neighborhoods.  Staff is not aware of any significant impacts or disadvantages of proceeding with this change.  The Police and Fire Departments support the design modification.  While the Burbank Airport has some concerns related to maintaining adequate access to the airport, especially in the immediate vicinity of the terminal, it has no objection to the proposed closures of the San Fernando Road underpass and the Scott Road off-ramp.     

The Police Department has reviewed records of prior traffic accidents within the project area, and specifically those that have occurred on the street segments and freeway ramp that would be closed as part of this design modification.  They have also been briefed on the design details of the proposed closures and how the traffic will be re-routed as a result of the closures.  The Police Department is also very familiar with the speeding and traffic enforcement issues that routinely occur within the San Fernando underpass, and the problem of Northbound I-5 motorists exiting the Lincoln off-ramp at too high of speed and having to quickly navigate the tunnel.  The Police Department believes that the proposed modification will improve traffic safety, and is in support of requesting that Caltrans incorporate it into the overall project design.   

This modification will greatly simplify the street system through the interchange area, eliminating a tangle of streets that is confusing even to residents.  With the new Empire connection in operation, motorists will find it to be more convenient and direct than the existing San Fernando underpass.  Existing traffic counts and forecasted demand show that the new roadway connection will accommodate all of re-directed traffic, including the Airport traffic that currently uses the Lincoln Street off ramp-to-Thornton Avenue route.  This is an opportunity to greatly improve the overall design of the surface street network, and to reduce freeway congestion caused by freeway entering and exiting at closely spaced ramps.     

An additional benefit of the modification is that it will reduce traffic volumes on North San Fernando Road adjacent to the residential neighborhood west of Grismer Avenue, and on Thornton Avenue adjacent to that residential area and community park.  Traffic that currently continues on North San Fernando Road to the northbound underpass would instead utilize the new connecting roadway, thus reducing traffic volumes adjacent to the Peyton-Grismer neighborhood.  The only motorists that would use the road north of North San Fernando would be the residents of the neighborhood and motorists accessing the Northbound I-5 on-ramp.  Traffic on Thornton Avenue adjacent to the residential neighborhoods and community park would likewise by reduced by replacing the San-Fernando-Lincoln-Thornton route to the Airport with the Empire Avenue corridor, which is developed entirely with commercial land uses.

Analysis and Conclusion

Staff is not aware of any significant disadvantages of moving forward with the closures of the San Fernando Boulevard underpass and Lincoln Street off-ramp.  This would improve the local street network, improve safety, and reduce traffic impacts to residential neighborhoods.  In that the modification would be part of the overall project, the cost of it would be funded through State allocations of budgeted funds when they become available.  It should be noted that the re-alignment of San Fernando Boulevard and Victory Place, and the Lincoln Street intersection, would need to be done using local funds.  However, the intersection reconfiguration is currently on our Capital Improvement Program (as a short-tem improvement, if necessary), and sufficient funding is currently available to construct the San Fernando-Victory Place realignment. 

Staff is currently attending monthly design meetings on the project at Caltrans, and has discussed the proposed modification with the full design team.  Caltrans agrees that the change would improve the overall design of the project, and would likely reduce construction costs.  Caltrans is awaiting final direction from the City before proceeding with this modification.

Fiscal Impact

There is no fiscal impact associated with incorporating the proposed design change into the Empire Interchange project.  The roadway and intersection realignments described above as being outside the project scope would be funded through local resources that are currently available and would be allocated at the appropriate phase of the overall project. 

Recommendation

Staff recommends that the Council authorize the submittal of a letter to Caltrans requesting that it incorporate the proposed design modification into the Empire Interchange project.

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