REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
DATE: 07/21/2021
TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
FROM: Public Works Department
SUBJECT:
Title
Amendment to the Freeway Maintenance Agreement executed between the City of Corona and California Transportation Department for facilities within City of Corona limits along State Route 91 in connection to the McKinley Street Grade Separation Project.
End
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:
Approval of Amendment #1 to the existing Freeway Maintenance Agreement executed between the City of Corona and California Transportation Department on January 24, 2019, which defines maintenance responsibilities of each party for the McKinley Street/State Route 91 interchange, due to improvements to McKinley Street and the State Route 91 eastbound on- and off-ramps at McKinley Street as proposed as part of the McKinley Street Grade Separation Project.
RECOMMENDED ACTION:
Recommended action
That the City Council approve and authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to execute the attached Amendment #1 to the existing Freeway Maintenance Agreement executed between the City of Corona and California Transportation Department on January 24, 2019, along with any non-substantive revisions which are acceptable in form to the City Attorney and are consistent with the Council’s directions herein.
Body
BACKGROUND & HISTORY:
In 1987, City Council approved the Freeway Maintenance Agreement (“FMA”) between the City and the California Department of Transportation (“Caltrans”), wherein certain public facilities were identified and were agreed to be maintained by the City. In that agreement, local streets and roadway system facilities were identified and designated as being operated and maintained by either Caltrans or the City or both.
In 2013, the City and Caltrans consented to adjustments to the local street and roadway system as required by the development of the State Route 91 (“SR-91”) Corridor Improvement Project within the jurisdictional limits of the City.
With the SR-91 Corridor Improvement Project complete as of 2017, the City and Caltrans also consented to identify improvements/modifications to local streets and highway facilities within the City limits as created by the SR-91 Corridor Improvement Project and other City projects proposed. The City and Caltrans prepared a new FMA incorporating these changes from the 1987 Agreement. This new FMA was approved by the City Council on November 20, 2018, and ultimately was approved by Caltrans as of January 24, 2019.
As a requirement of the Caltrans Project Development Procedures Manual Chapter 24, the FMA identifies operation and maintenance responsibilities for both the City and Caltrans for various local streets and highway system facilities. Article 6 of the FMA dated January 24, 2019, includes the following:
1) When another planned future improvement has been constructed and/or a minor revision has been effected within the limits of the freeway herein described, which will affect the City of Corona and Caltrans division of maintenance responsibility as described in the FMA, Caltrans will provide a new dated and revised Exhibit A to said FMA, which will thereafter supersede the attached original Exhibit upon written consent by City.
The McKinley Street Grade Separation Project (“Project”) involves slight modifications to the existing roadway and right-of-way limits. As a result, due to Article 6 per above, this process will require an amendment to the 2019 FMA.
ANALYSIS:
The Project increases the width of both McKinley Street and SR-91 on- and off-ramp improvements. The Project requires encroachment permit approvals from Caltrans. As a result of the Project improvements and the encroachment permit process, Caltrans has requested the Amendment #1 to the 2019 FMA based on the language included therein. Caltrans will not issue encroachment permit approvals or allow any work within the State right of way until the Amendment #1 is executed between the City and Caltrans.
Amendment #1 to the FMA effectuates a fairly minor change to the 2019 FMA - it simply replaces Sheet 14, the McKinley Street/State Route 91 Interchange exhibit map, of Exhibit “A” to the FMA. Although the modifications increase McKinley Street right of way widths and pavement/roadway areas within both McKinley Street and SR-91 facilities, there are no financial ramifications, nor are there any changes in maintenance responsibilities between the State and City of Corona.
Upon execution of the Amendment #1, the City is still ultimately responsible for the operations and maintenance of the McKinley Street roadway improvements, including permitting and oversight of utilities within said roadway facilities, and Caltrans is responsible for the operations and maintenance of all SR-91 facilities. Approval of this Amendment #1 only helps clarify the McKinley Street and SR-91 improvements upon completion and construction of the Project.
FINANCIAL IMPACT:
There is no additional financial impact to the City. Both the City and Caltrans generally maintain the same maintenance responsibilities after the construction of the Project. Although roadway and right-of-way limits slightly increase as a result of the construction of this Project, additional maintenance and operations responsibilities for each agency are minimal, and the approval of this Amendment #1 will not create financial impacts for the City as a result of construction or through long term maintenance responsibilities.
ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS:
Per Public Resources Code Section 21080.13, all railroad grade separations projects which eliminates an existing at grade crossing is exempt from the laws for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). As a grade separation project, this Project is statutorily exempt under the California Environmental Quality Act.
PREPARED BY: JOSHUA COSPER, PE, PLS, CONSULTANT PROJECT MANAGER FOR THE MCKINLEY GRADE SEPARATION PROJECT
REVIEWED BY: SAVAT KHAMPHOU, PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR
Attachments:
1. Exhibit 1 - Amendment #1 to the 2019 Freeway Maintenance Agreement