Attached is the official record distributed to the board.
Board_Correspondence_Date
JULY 7, 2022
Board_Correspondence_TO
TO: BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Board_Correspondence_Through_CEO
THROUGH: STEPHANIE WIGGINS
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Prepared_by
FROM: JAMES DE LA LOZA
CHIEF PLANNING OFFICER
Subject
SUBJECT: I-605 CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROJECT - MOTION 42 RESPONSE
Issue
ISSUE
At the October 22, 2020 Regular Board meeting, Directors Solis, Hahn, Garcia, Fasana, Garcetti and Bonin introduced Motion 42 on the 1-605 Corridor Improvement Project (CIP) (Attachment A). The Motion directed staff to pause the circulation of the 1-605 CIP Environmental Impact Report/ Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) and to provide a status update to the Board with additional alternatives that are locally supported and minimize right-of-way impacts. Additionally, the Board asked for a review of the project’s purpose and need and its alignment with various state policies related to equity, greenhouse gas emissions and vehicle miles traveled. This board box summarizes activities to-date and outlines next steps in the development of a revised suite of project alternatives.
Background
BACKGROUND
The 1-605 CIP project was initiated in October 2016 and encompasses a major segment of Interstate 605 in both the Gateway Cities and San Gabriel Valley Subregions, including the major freeway-to-freeway connections at the I-105, 1-5, SR-60 and 1-10. To increase the movement of people, ease congestion and improve mobility and safety, the current project alternatives are considering High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) or ExpressLanes alternatives. Moreover, the project is evaluating and developing local multimodal improvements within the project’s environmental impact area, inclusive of locally-prioritized complete streets improvements.
On 1-5, at the terminus of the construction currently underway in Norwalk, the addition of an HOV lane is being evaluated through the City of Downey. Improvements on SR-60 include the consideration of a general purpose lane through the SR-60/605 interchange and HOV or ExpressLane Direct connectors at 1-605/105 and 1-605/10 interchanges.
Discussion
DISCUSSION
Since the introduction of Motion 42, staff has worked with the cities of Downey and Santa Fe Springs, the Gateway Cities Councils of Governments (GCCOG), the I-5 Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and Caltrans to revisit the design of the current project alternatives. Through these collaborative efforts, staff developed design options that substantially reduce but do not eliminate potential property impacts. In early 2021 these new design options were presented to the 1-5 JPA Board, the 91/605/405 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and the 91/605/405 Corridor Cities Committee (CCC), comprising locally-elected officials from the corridors. These three bodies voted to include the design options in the Draft EIR/EIS and to circulate the document for public review and comment after their review and approval of an outreach plan.
While these efforts led to significant right-of-way impact reductions, a more holistic review of the current alternatives as well as the development of other possible alternatives is required to appropriately respond to Motion 42. Brief presentation updates in May and June 2022 were provided to the CCC and TAC to inform them of project re-engagement efforts that will be forthcoming.
Staff has also met with Caltrans leadership this year to discuss how recent changes in State policies, plans and guidelines may also inform the development of alternative refinements and/or new alternatives for the Project. For example, the Climate Action Plan for Transportation Infrastructure, Complete Streets guidance, SB743, and other policies will likely influence the new direction for the Project. Furthermore, the Board adopted the Multimodal Highway Investment Objectives (Attachment B) at the June 2022 meeting, which will inform the refinement of Project alternatives and all future community engagement efforts on the Project.
Next_Steps
NEXT STEPS
Starting July and through September, staff will meet with each of the cities within the corridor, the two Councils of Governments, i.e., Gateway Cities (GC) and San Gabriel Valley (SGV), the 1-5 JPA, and Caltrans to re-engage on the project, listen, gather input and develop updated alternatives/design options. Through these efforts, staff will seek to understand local priorities, concerns and uses of the 1-605 CIP.
Staff will also continue to work closely with Caltrans, the owner/operator of the State highway system, to develop and lead this collaborative review and consultation process with the corridors’ stakeholders. The consultation with each of the stakeholders above is critical to further develop locally-supported options to reduce the Project’s footprint and address the policy-level concerns raised by the Board in Motion 42. Following this initial consultation with agency stakeholders, and based on their feedback, the Project team will initiate a community engagement process in the fall of this year to update the public on the status of current project alternatives and new Board and State policies, and to listen to their perspectives, concerns and ideas on how the corridor can be improved, including any potential revision to the current alternatives and potential new ones.
Through these efforts, staff will develop revised project alternatives that reduce or eliminate community impacts and are consistent with current Caltrans and Metro policy objectives. A board report will be provided in December outlining the next steps on the project for the Board's consideration.