Meeting_Body
CONSTRUCTION COMMITTEE
FEBRUARY 19, 2025
Subject
SUBJECT: CALTRANS QUARTERLY CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS UPDATE
Action
ACTION: RECEIVE ORAL REPORT
Heading
RECOMMENDATION
Title
RECEIVE the quarterly oral report on the status of the Caltrans construction projects.
Issue
ISSUE
Caltrans is a Metro funding partner and the lead agency on a few highway projects that are under construction in Los Angeles County. These projects include, but are not limited to, safety, mobility and operational improvements on freeways and state highways that are Measure M-funded.
At the request of Directors Horvath and Hahn, this report includes an update on the status of the Pacific Coast Highway Safety Enhancement Project and the I-105 at Studebaker Safety Enhancement Project, respectively.
Equity_Platform
EQUITY PLATFORM
Projects administered by Caltrans have federal aid and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) commitment goals based on the contract bid amount for federal aid projects.
The I-405 Crenshaw Auxiliary Lane Project’s DBE goal of 14% has been achieved. The I-405 Crenshaw Auxiliary Lane Project has been open to traffic for some time, only plant establishment construction activities remain.
The SR-71 South Segment Project did not have federal participation, so a DBE goal was not required, however, the Contractor achieved 0.45% in DBE participation. The SR-71 South Segment Project is under construction and expected to be completed and open to traffic by October 2025.
The Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) Safety Enhancement Project and the I-105 at Studebaker Safety Enhancement Project were emergency contracts administered by Caltrans to address unsafe conditions. The proposed safety and operational improvements for PCH Safety Enhancement Project are intended to reduce speeds and collision rates along the corridor, enhance safety through increased surveillance, and provide better and safer access for those who choose to walk, roll, cycle or drive.
The I-105 at Studebaker Safety Enhancement Project in Norwalk is located within equity focused communities and the SR71 South Segment Project is in Pomona which is reported to be a disadvantaged community. Both cities have communities that stand to benefit from the proposed improvements that address operational deficiencies and unsafe conditions.
As the lead agency, Caltrans is responsible for all the project development phases including procurement, environmental process, outreach, final design, and construction. Caltrans, in coordination with the local jurisdictions, determined community engagement processes specific to the type of transportation improvement. This coordination is aligned with the Caltrans Race & Equity Action Plan to address systemic racial inequities that exist within the transportation sector.
Throughout the construction phase for the projects noted, outreach efforts consisted of sending press releases to cities, communities, elected officials, and multiple media outlets (talk radio, cable news) and social media platforms (X/Twitter, Instagram) that cover Los Angeles and Ventura Counties. Specific notices regarding construction work and/or detours were made available in multiple languages (English, Spanish, Chinese, etc.,) based on the affected communities. In addition, Caltrans uses fixed and portable changeable message signs to report lane, ramp and/or local road closures; and QuikMap, a digital application, to provide real-time traffic information (including road closures) for motorists traversing to and through project areas impacted by construction activities. Caltrans also provides updates that are posted on Caltrans and Metro websites about active construction sites. Every effort is made to avoid, minimize, and/or mitigate construction impacts to communities by providing advance notice to the public when there are freeway and/or ramp lane closures for construction work and/or planned detours. Any unintended equity impacts that may arise will be responded to on a case-by-case basis by the appropriate project partners.
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.
While the agency remains committed to reducing VMT through transit and multimodal investments, some projects may induce or increase personal vehicle travel. However, these individual projects aim to ensure the efficient and safe movement of people and goods.
SR-71 South Segment Phase 1 Project
This project will likely increase VMT in Los Angeles County as it involves a construction project that adds an additional mixed flow lane approximately 3.1 miles in each direction that encourages driving alone (and also adds one HOV lane that extends north to the I-10 freeway to close the gap in the HOV system, provide mobility options, and promote increased carpool, vanpool and bus transit usage along the SR-71 corridor).
This safety and mobility improvement project along SR-71 is identified in the voter approved Measure M expenditure plan and was cleared environmentally decades ago; prior to Metro enacting VMT analyses. The Project has been under construction for almost four years and is scheduled to be opened to traffic in July 2025.
I-405/Crenshaw Boulevard Improvements Project
This project will likely increase VMT in Los Angeles County as the on- and off-ramp improvements will encourage driving alone. The operational improvements will enhance safety and mobility by eliminating the weaving and merging conflicts on I-405 between Western Avenue and Crenshaw Boulevard, and provide more ramp storage for vehicles to reduce congestion and prevent excess traffic from backing up and queueing along local arterials (Crenshaw Boulevard and 182nd Street). According to the Analysis of Collision Data in the Project Report, most of the ramp collisions were rear ends followed by sideswipes, hit objects, and overturns. Most of the collisions were caused by speeding, followed by improper lane change, improper turn, failure to yield, improper driving, and influence of alcohol.
The Project is identified in the voter-approved Measure R expenditure plan and was cleared environmentally in 2016. Construction began in 2021 without conducting a VMT analysis, and the new on- and off-ramps were opened to traffic in May 2024 (southbound) and June 2024 (northbound). With 97 percent of the construction completed to date, only plant establishment work remains.
Although the projects included 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.
*Based on population estimates from the United States Census and VMT estimates from Caltrans’ Highway Performance Monitoring System (HPMS) data between 2001-2019.
Prepared_By
Prepared by: John Yang, Deputy District Director, Caltrans District 7, (213) 761-3255
Michelle E. Smith, Executive Officer, Complete Streets & Highways,
(213) 547-4368
Avital Barnea, Senior Executive Officer, Multimodal Integrated Planning,
(213) 547-4317
Reviewed_By
Reviewed by: Ray Sosa, Chief Planning Officer, (213) 547-4274
