Meeting_Body
PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 19, 2025
Subject
SUBJECT: REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM AMENDMENTS
Action
ACTION: APPROVE RECOMMENDATION
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
APPROVE the amendments to the Regional Transportation Improvement Program as shown in Attachment A.
Issue
ISSUE
In March 2024, the California Transportation Commission (CTC) adopted the 2024 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), which included the Regional Transportation Improvement Plan (RTIP) for Los Angeles County. In July 2024, the Board approved changes requested by the City of Los Angeles to State Route 710 Mobility Improvement Projects (SR-710 MIPs) that are currently programmed in the RTIP. The Board action necessitates changes to the RTIP to consistently reflect the updated MIPs, including partially deprogramming STIP funds from the Soto Street Widening Project and reallocating the STIP funds to other MIPs.
Background
BACKGROUND
The STIP is a five-year capital improvement program for transportation projects that is updated every two years. Metro is responsible for submitting the RTIP to every two-year STIP cycle and managing the RTIP in between STIP cycles. To manage the RTIP, Metro may request amendments to change the scope, cost, or program year of existing RTIP projects and propose new projects.
Two MIPs are currently programmed in the RTIP: the City of Los Angeles’ Soto Street Widening Project and the County of Los Angeles’ USC Medical Center Mobility Improvements [Valley Blvd Multimodal/Safety Improvements]. The Soto Street Widening Project is programmed with $26.3 million of STIP and will reconfigure Soto Street to increase travel lanes, introduce protected bicycle facilities, and widen and construct new sidewalks between Multnomah Street and Mission Road. The USC Medical Center Mobility Improvements [Valley Blvd Multimodal/Safety Improvements] is programmed with $27.3 million of STIP and will improve transit, bicycle, and pedestrian facilities on Valley Boulevard and surrounding streets between Soto Street and the LA County + USC Medical Center.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
To make the RTIP consistent with the Board-approved MIP updates and support the delivery of previously programmed MIPs, staff requests to shift STIP funding from one MIP to several others and update project sponsorship.
The July 2024 Board action deprograms $9.1 million from the Soto Street Widening Project and reallocates the funds to other City MIPs:
• $1.7 million to the Valley Boulevard Multi-modal Transportation Improvements and
• $6.5 million to the Northeast Los Angeles Active Transportation and Transit Connectivity Enhancements.
The Valley Boulevard Multi-modal Transportation Improvements will introduce transit, bicycle, and pedestrian improvements to Cesar Chavez Avenue, Mission Road, and Valley Boulevard between Union Station and the SR-710. The July 2024 Board action also updates project sponsorship of the USC Medical Center Mobility Improvements [Valley Blvd Multimodal/Safety Improvements] from County of Los Angeles to City of Los Angeles. The City will combine delivery of the USC Medical Center Mobility Improvements [Valley Blvd Multimodal/Safety Improvements] and the Valley Boulevard Multi-modal Transportation Improvements. Therefore, staff proposes to amend the RTIP to reflect both projects under the existing USC Medical Center Mobility Improvements [Valley Blvd Multimodal/Safety Improvements]. The Northeast Los Angeles Active Transportation and Transit Connectivity Enhancements will make pedestrian improvements on Figueroa Street, Meridian Street, and Avenue 63 in the northeast region of the City of Los Angeles. Staff proposes to program this as a new project to the RTIP.
In addition to the MIP updates already approved by the Board, there is an opportunity to program the remaining $1 million unprogrammed STIP balance to another MIP which is currently partially programmed. Staff has identified the County of Los Angeles’ Ford Boulevard Traffic Corridor Improvement Project (N-S) with an unprogrammed MIP commitment. The project will improve communication and traffic signal infrastructure and synchronize traffic signals on Ford Boulevard between Floral Drive and Olympic Boulevard. The STIP funds will allow the project to be fully programmed for the amount originally approved by the Board. Staff proposes to program this as a new project to the RTIP.
Attachment A describes and illustrates the programming amendments described above in more detail.
Determination_Of_Safety_Impact
DETERMINATION OF SAFETY IMPACT
Approval of the RTIP amendments will have no negative impact to the safety of Metro patrons or employees.
Financial_Impact
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of the RTIP amendments would have no negative impact to the agency. The RTIP amendments fulfill prior funding commitments for transportation projects in Los Angeles County.
Impact to Budget
The RTIP includes funding for FY 2025 through FY 2029 and has no impact to the FY 2025 budget.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
The proposed amendments are necessary to deliver projects that will provide multimodal improvement benefits. The STIP does not require that individual projects have or will conduct community engagement or meet equity criteria to receive funding. However, the STIP asks Metro to describe how engagement was conducted for the RTIP as a whole. For this discussion, Metro describes the engagement process for the 2020 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) and Measure M from which Metro staff identifies projects for the RTIP. Projects in the RTIP are included in or directly advance specific projects and programs in the 2020 LRTP or Measure M. The SR-710 MIPs are listed in the 2020 LRTP as investments supporting the “Less Congestion” priority area. Independent of any STIP requirements or conditions for funding, the project sponsor of each MIP has conducted engagement activities.
The Soto Street Widening Project and USC Medical Center Mobility Improvements [Valley Blvd Multimodal/Safety Improvements] currently programmed in the RTIP involve active transportation and safety improvements. Both projects are within Metro Equity Focus Communities (EFCs) in Lincoln Heights and El Sereno and are in the engagement, planning, and development stages led by the City of Los Angeles.
The proposed City of Los Angeles Northeast Los Angeles Active Transportation and Transit Connectivity Enhancements is partially located within an EFC in Highland Park. A project goal is to improve connections to transit for people walking to the Highland Park A Line Station. The City of Los Angeles is currently leading the engagement, planning, and development phases of the project. The proposed County of Los Angeles Ford Boulevard Traffic Corridor Improvement Project (N-S) is fully located within EFCs in unincorporated East Los Angeles. The project will upgrade technology to improve traffic safety and management along a corridor directly adjacent to the SR-710 in east Los Angeles. The County of Los Angeles is currently leading the engagement, planning, and development stage phases of the project.
Vehicle_Miles_Traveled _Outcome
VEHICLE MILES TRAVELED OUTCOME
VMT and VMT per capita in Los Angeles County are lower than national averages, the lowest in the SCAG region, and on the lower end of VMT per capita statewide, with these declining VMT trends due in part to Metro’s significant investment in rail and bus transit.* Metro’s Board-adopted VMT reduction targets align with California’s statewide climate goals, including achieving carbon neutrality by 2045. To ensure continued progress, all Board items are assessed for their potential impact on VMT.
This Board item will likely increase Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) in LA County, as it includes an investment in 0.6 miles of new lane miles which encourages driving alone. Although this item may not directly contribute to the achievement of the Board-adopted VMT Reduction Targets, the VMT Targets were developed to account for the cumulative effect of a suite of programs and projects within the Metro region, which individually may induce or increase VMT. Additionally, Metro has a voter-approved mandate to deliver multimodal projects that enhance mobility while ensuring the efficient and safe movement of people and goods.
At the same time, the changes proposed in this report will also enable the expansion of other modes, including new bikes lanes and improved sidewalks. which may help offset the VMT increase facilitated by the road improvements.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Implementation_of_Strategic_Plan_Goals
IMPLEMENTATION OF STRATEGIC PLAN GOALS
The recommendation supports Strategic Plan Goal #1 to “provide high-quality mobility options that enable people to spend less time traveling” by obtaining funding to support the delivery of transportation improvements that support the safety and performance of the highway system and expand high-quality transit options
Alternatives_Considered
ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED
The Board could elect not to approve the RTIP amendments. This alternative is not recommended as it is contradictory to previous Board action and would prevent staff from carrying out programming changes approved by the Board for the SR-710 MIP.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
With Board approval, staff will proceed with and monitor the following steps to secure CTC approval of the amendment:
• February 27, 2025 - Metro staff submits the complete amendment request to Caltrans
• March 20-21, 2025 - CTC receives notice of the amendment
• May 15-16, 2025 - CTC considers adopting the amendment
Attachments
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Amendments to Los Angeles County RTIP
Prepared_by
Prepared by: Shelly Quan, Manager, Transportation Planning, (213) 547-4303
Patricia Chen, Senior Director, Countywide Planning and Development (213) 922-3041
Mark Yamarone, Executive Officer, Countywide Planning and Development (213) 418-3452
Laurie Lombardi, Senior Executive Officer, Countywide Planning and Development (213) 418-3251
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4274
