Purpose

Staff requests Council approval of a resolution accepting a Hazard Elimination Safety (HES) Grant to improve two railroad grade crossings on Buena Vista Street and amending the Fiscal Year 2005-06 budget to include this project.

BACKGROUND

The Hazard Elimination Safety Grant program provides funds for safety improvements on any public transportation facility, including roadway, bicycle, pedestrian and railroad grade crossing systems.  The program is authorized by Title 23 of the United States Code and funded by the Safe Accountable Flexible Efficient Transportation Equity Act � a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU).  The program in California is administered by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and eligible projects are solicited by Caltrans on an annual basis.  Approximately $16 million is available annually for program eligible projects, and approved projects are funded by Caltrans to 90 percent of the design and construction costs, with a maximum grant amount of $360,000 per project.

In March 2005, staff applied for two HES grants to: 1) improve railroad grade crossings of Buena Vista Street at San Fernando Boulevard and at Vanowen Street, and 2) to improve the traffic signal at Victory Boulevard and Hollywood Way.  The railroad grade crossing improvement project was estimated at $450,000, with a requested grant funding of $360,000.  On September 12, 2005, Caltrans notified staff that the grant application for improvements to the railroad grade crossings was approved for the total grant funding request of $360,000.  These funds are currently available from Caltrans, and they can be used starting in October 2005.

The proposed project includes the following design elements at the Buena Vista Street crossing at San Fernando Boulevard:

• Blank-out turn prohibition signs at the traffic signal to advise drivers not to cross the tracks when a train approaches,

• Pre-signals for the southbound direction to stop vehicles prior to the tracks to prevent queuing on the tracks,

• Sidewalk improvements, removal of guardrail, and installation of pedestrian barriers to increase safety of pedestrians north of and crossing the railroad tracks, and

• Extension of the center median on the north side of the tracks to improve southbound traffic channelization.

Potential improvements for the Buena Vista Street crossing at Vanowen Street include the following:

• Blank-out turn prohibition signs at the traffic signal to advise drivers not to cross the tracks when a train approaches,

• A raised center median on Buena Vista Street north of the tracks to improve traffic channelization in the southbound direction,

• An additional traffic signal in the center median to improve visibility of the traffic control for southbound drivers,

• Additional railroad crossing protection gates for the southbound departure lanes at the tracks and the left turn movements from Vanowen Street,

• An additional southbound right turn traffic lane to Vanowen Street, and

• Dual left turn lanes on Vanowen Street to northbound Buena Vista Street.

Concept approval has been received for these potential modifications from the Southern California Regional Rail Authority (SCRRA), Union Pacific (UP), and the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC).  The improvements will bring both locations to current safety standards recently adopted by the California Department of Transportation and included in the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). 

ANALYSIS

Several factors impact the design and implementation of the two railroad at-grade improvement projects. 

The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has ordered a very short implementation time frame for all new grant funded special projects in an effort to decrease the completion time for such projects.  A construction contract for this project must be awarded by September 30, 2006.  Thus, the project must be designed and approved by the affected railroads and the California PUC by the end of this fiscal year, June 30, 2006.  Caltrans will not release funds for construction until all affected parties are in agreement with the project scope.

Caltrans plans to begin the reconstruction of the Golden State Freeway (I-5) in early 2007, and the project will require 2� to 3 years to complete.  The freeway project includes the grade separation of the railroad tracks over Buena Vista Street.  Safety improvements at this at-grade crossing will be needed until the grade separation is complete, but we must be careful not to over design the improvements that will ultimately become obsolete.

Several other Public Works and developer required projects affect the work scope and timing of this safety project.  A project to improve the Buena Vista Street / Winona Avenue area will be ready for construction in the spring of 2006.  The safety project at Buena Vista Street and San Fernando Boulevard will be incorporated into the Buena Vista / Winona construction project to reduce overall costs and to fulfill some of the grant requirements for local match.

The Fairfield residential development project, at the southwest corner of Empire Avenue and Buena Vista Street, is conditioned to widen Buena Vista Street between Empire Avenue and the railroad tracks to provide a third southbound travel lane.  The design of the railroad crossing improvements must provide for this future widening of Buena Vista Street.

FISCAL IMPACT

The total project cost for the proposed railroad grade crossing improvements is $450,000.  A total of $360,000 will be received from the HES grant program, and the local matching funds are $90,000.  The proposed local matching funds include $10,000 from current design elements in the Buena Vista Street / Winona Street / San Fernando Blvd. intersection improvement project number 13280.  The remaining $80,000 of the local match is requested to be appropriated from the unappropriated fund balance in Fund 127 (Developer Impact Fees).

Burbank must undertake the construction of this project before requesting the grant funds from Caltrans.  Thus, the city must front the $360,000 grant component which will be reimbursed by grant funds, and the City must provide $80,000 in local matching funds.  Staff proposes to transfer $440,000 from Fund 127 account number 127.ND000.30004 to project account 127.CD33A.70002.0000.16343.  The grant requires that the project be awarded within one year of approval by Caltrans, so Fund 127 should be fully reimbursed for the $360,000 by July 2007.  The local match portion will not be reimbursed.

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RECOMMENDATION

Staff recommends that Council adopt the proposed resolution authorizing the Public Works Department to accept the Hazard Elimination Safety (HES) grant for the above railroad grade crossing improvement project, and amend the fiscal year 2005-06 budget by appropriating $440,000 of Fund 127 monies for the project.

Attachment:    Caltrans approval letter

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