PURPOSE 

At the February 22, 2005 meeting, Council Member Golonski asked to have this item agendized for the Council to discuss whether to direct staff to prepare a project update for a future meeting.  This report provides a brief project description and requests Council direction on whether to schedule an update on project funding and implementation.                 

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The City has completed the local portions of the project, which were to realign the existing Westbound SR-134 off-ramp east of Hollywood Way and to relocate the BWP Hollywood Way electrical substation.  The remaining phase of the project is the construction of a new Westbound SR-134 on-ramp that will be accessed from Alameda Avenue, immediately east of the new electrical substation.  In accordance with the executed Cooperative Agreement between the Caltrans and the City, Caltrans is required to construct the new ramp at no additional cost to the City.  Although that construction was originally scheduled to begin last year, the State budget situation has caused this and many other projects statewide to be delayed. 

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has previously approved (programmed) the $32.6 million in funding needed for the remaining work, $5.8 million for right-of-way and $26.8 million for construction.  The right-of-way funding is needed to relocate utility infrastructure and to acquire temporary and permanent easements.  The right-of-way work will take approximately a year to complete, and must necessarily be done before construction of the new on-ramp can begin. 

The local Caltrans office, District 7, has requested that the CTC allocate the $5.8 million in right-of-way funding this September as part of its statewide disbursement of funds that are budgeted for right-of-way activities.  If that funding is made available then, the right-of-way activities would be completed in time for a start of construction in late 2006.  While there is no guarantee that the CTC will make the requested allocation, District 7 is anticipating that it will and is starting to develop a schedule for completing the right-of-way work, and the subsequent ramp construction.

Staff is continuing to monitor progress on the overall project funding issue, and will work with the City�s transportation lobbyist David Grannis and with Caltrans to ensure that the needed right-of-way funding is provided as soon as possible.  If for any reason that funding is not provided this summer, staff would report back to the Council with that information and with potential alternative methods of funding the initial right-of-way work.               

RECOMMENDATION

Staff requests direction on whether to agendize this for a project update and Council discussion. 

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