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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES NO 25-97 25 -97 RESOLUTION NO. A RESOLUTION OF ~ CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BAKERSFIELD SUPPORTING THE CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR PROJECT WHEREAS, there currently exists a serious "gap" in the Metropolitan Bakersfield's area transportation system continuity because of the off-set at Route 99 of Route 58, severely impacting the congestion on Route 99; and WHEREAS, the Centennial Transportation Corridor is the major intermodal and multi-modal corridor in the Kern Region and includes the State Route 58; and WI:IEREAS, the Centennial Transportation Corridor will close the "gaps" in Route 58 and Route 178; and WHEREAS, the Centennial Transportation Corridor will relieve congestion on the existing state and local transportation systems, provide grade separation of the highway and rail modes, assist in maintaining air quality, improve the mobility needs of the region and community, and improve the quality of life in the Bakersfield Metropolitan area and the Kern Region; and WHEREAS, for the past forty-one years, State Route 58 has been a major consideration in the planning and development of this metropolitan area and the project has been the number one priority project for the Kern region for several years; and WHEREAS, the construction of State Route 58 to freeway standards west of State Route 99 is an integral part of the Transportation Element of the Metropolitan Bakersfield 2010 General Plan; and WHEREAS, the City of Bakersfield, the County of Kern, the Golden Empire Transit District, the Kern Council of Governments and the California Department of Transportation are in the closing stages of completing a Route Adoption Study for the State Route 58 Corridor; and WHEREAS, as a part of the Metropolitan Bakersfield Transportation Impact Fee Program, the City of Bakersfield and the County of Kern have allocated $20 million to the construction of State Route 58, said funds being collected through impact fees over a period of twenty years; and WHEREAS, the City of Bakersfield and the County of Kern have shown additional local commitment to the State Route 58 Project by purchasing 35 acres of right-of-way for $1.4 million and protecting that proposed right-of-way from development; and WHEREAS, the California Transportation Commission has shown support for the State Route 58 Project during the past several State Transportation Improvement Program cycles; ORIGINAL and WHEREAS, additional federal funds would significantly aid the City and County's ability to adequately plan for future transportation needs. NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Bakersfield, as follows: 1. The foregoing recitais are true and correct and incorporated herein by reference. 2. The City Council of the City of Bakersfield does by this Resolution show its support for the Centennial Transportation Corridor and requests that this project be considered for Federal funding. .......... 000 .......... I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing Resolution was passed and adopted by the Council of the City of Bakersfield at a regular meeting thereof held on I~[[B 1 9 19,97 , by the following vote: AYes: COUNCILMEMBER DoMOND, CARSON, SMitH, McDERMOTt,.._.~:~.__~, gULLIVAN, SALVAGGJO NOES: COUNCILMEMBER ~ . ABSTAIN; COUNCILMEMBER ~ COUNCILMEMBER CITY CLERK and Ex Offiei8 Clerk of the Council of the City of Bakersfield APPROVED: ~leB 1 9 997 MAYOR of the City of Bakersfield APPROVED as to form: JUDY K. SKOUSEN ~f CITY ATTORNEY of the City of Bakersfield Attachments METROPOLITAN BAKERSFIELD CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL FUNDING Pu~oee and Need: The Centennial Transportation Corddot is the major intermodal and multi-modal corridor in the Kern Region. The Centennial Transportation Corridor includes both highway and rail facilities. The Corridor is the main rail and truck freight corridor for agricultural products from the San Joaquin Valley to the Midwest and eastern markets. Additionally, the Corridor connects to the daily San Joaquin Aretrak passenger trains. The Centennial Transportation Corridor Prolect consists of an unconstructed multi- modal transportation corridor through the Metropolitan Bakersfield Area. The completion of the Centennial Transportation Corridor will close the "gaps" in Route 58 and Route 178 (Exhibit A). Route 58 is the main connection in the San Joaquin Valley between Interstate 15/40 near Barstow, California and Interstate 5 west of Bakersfield (Exhibit B). Route 178 is the main access to the Burlington Northem/Santa Fe freight yard and the Amtrak passenger station. The Centennial Transportation Corridor will relieve congestion on the existing state and local transportation systems, provide grade separation of the highway and rail modes, assist in maintaining air quality, improve the mobility needs of the region and -- community, and the quality of life in Bakersfield Metropolitan area and the Kern Region. The Centennial Transportation Corridor is projected to handle 90,000 vehicles per day (Exhibit C). An estimated 20 percent of the traffic are trucks moving goods through this corridor (Exhibit D). Of the total vehicle tnps per day, an estimated 10% ar~'through trips~{that do not stop in the Kern Region. The lack of system continuity is the primary issue with the Centennial Transportation Corddor because of the off-set at Route 99 in Central Bakersfield and the off-set of one (1) mile at Route 43 west of the Metropolitan Bakersfield contributes to traffic congestion on that route. The segment of Route 99 through the Metropolitan Bakersfield area is the third most congested segment of the highway in California. The need to complete the Centennial Transportation Corridor has long been identified by both the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), local and regional agencies. Since the late 1960's both Route 58 and Route 178 have been identified as significant transportation facilities. Because of its prominent location through the center of the community, the Centennial Transportation Corridor has significant impacts on both the local and regional economies, congestion mitigation and the air quality of the southern San Joaquin Valley. ~ ,~ CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR METROPOLITAN BAKERSFIELD Project InformatJon: Name the Congressional District of the Primary Member of Congress sponsoring the project, as well as any other Members supporting the project (each project must have a single primary sponsoring Members). ResDonse: The majority of the Centennial Transportation Corridor is located in the 21 st Congressional District of Representative William Thomas. The western end of the Corndor is in the 20th Congressional Distdct of Representative Calvin Dooley. Identify the State or other qualified recipient responsible for carrying out the project. Reeoonee: The qualified recipient of these funds would be the California Transportation Commission (CTC) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). The local agencies in the Kern Region have been working with Caltrans District 06 to identify and design the Centennial Transportation Corridor for the past 10 years. Is the project eligible for the use of Federal-aid funds (if a road or bridge project, please note whether it is on the National Highway System)? Resoonse: The Route 58 portion of the Corridor is part of the National Highway System. The Centennial Transportation Corndor is the major intermodal and multi-modal corridor in the Kern Region. Route 58 is the connection between Interstates 15/40 in Barstow and Interstate 5 west of the Metropolitan Bakersfield area. The Centennial Transportation Corridor is projected to handle 90,000 vehicles per day, of which 20 pement are trucks (Exhibit C). Route 58 is off-set two (2) miles at Route 99 in Central Bakersfield. Additionally, the route is off-set by one (1) mile at Route 43 west of the Metropolitan Bakersfield area before it reaches Interstate 5. The lack of continuity at Route 99 contributes to traffic congestion on that route. The segment of Route 99 through the Bakersfield Metropolitan area is the third most congested segment of the highway in California. Route 178 is a Federal Aid Primary Route and is a pnncipal arterial within the Metropolitan Bakersfield area. Route 178 is on the California Freeway and Expressway System actopted by the California Transportation Commission. O~[GINAL CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR METROPOLITAN BAKERSFIELD Route 178 consists of a four lane arterial for Route 99 to "B" Street. From "B" Street to "M" Street, the route is a one-way couplet comprising 23 rd and 24 th Streets. At "M" Street, Route 178 converts to a six lane freeway, and continues east through the Metropolitan Bakersfield area. The Centennial Transportation Corridor (Routes 58 and 178) is eligible for state and federal assistance including Federal-aid funds. Describe the design, scope and objectives of the project and whether it is part of a la~ger system of projects. In doing so, identify the specific segment for which project funding is being sought including terminus points. Response: The Centennial Transportation Corridor addresses a 20.2 mite section of highway, Route 58 (post miles 35.4 to 52.3) and Route 178 (post miles 0.0 to 3.3). These two unconstructed segments connect at Route 99 in the Metropolitan Bakersfield area (Exhibit An ultimate eight (8) lane freeway is proposed for the Centennial Transportation Corndor. The initial project will be a six (6) lane freeway facility on an eight lane right-of-way. The project includes a freeway to freeway intemhange at Route 99. Interchanges and connections to the local circulation system, that meet federal standards, will be constructed along the Corridor. The Corridor is the main rail and truck freight corridor for agricultural products from the San Joaquin Valley to the Midwest and eastern markets. The activities for both the Burlington Northern/Sante Fe Railread and the Union PacificJSouthern Pacific connect with the Centennial Transportation Corridor. The project will provide grade separation between the highway/rail modes throughout the Corridor. What is the total project cost and source of funding (please identify the federal, state or local shares and the extent, if any, of private sector financing or the use of innovative financing) and of this amount, how much is being requested for the specific project segment described in item # 4? Response: The local agencies in the Metropolitan Bakersfield made a substantial commitment to the Centennial Transportation Comdor. As a part of the Metropolitan Bakersfield Transportation Impact Fee program, the city of Bakersfield and the County of Kern. have allocated $20 million to the construction of Route 58. The city of Bakersfield and the County of Kern have 1 CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR METROPOLITAN BAKERSFIELD shown additional local commitment to the Route 58 project by protecting the proposed right of way from development Of the amount requested, how much is expected to be obligated over each of the next 5 years? Rea!;)onse: What is the proposed schedule and status of work on the project? Real)onse: Portions of the preliminary engineeringand environmental work for the Centennial Transportation Corridor are moving forward. The Route 58 Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement has been completed and has been submitted to the Federal Highway Administration for review and comment. Caltrans has completed the preliminary engineering and is ready to proceed with final engineering and right-of-way activities. Final programming of funds in the STIP should occur December 1997. The project level Environmental Impact Statement is scheduled to begin January 1998. Construction would begin in the year 2001, The Route 178 Feasibility Stucly was completed in June 1990 and is presently being updated as part of the Metropolitan Bakersfield Major Transportation Investment Strategy (MTIS). The Metropolitan Bakersfield Major Transportation Investment Strategy will be completed by June 1997. The Route Adoptions Study and Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement are scheduled to begin in January 1998. Is the project included in the metropolitan and/or State transportation improvement plan(s), or the State long-range plan, and if so, is it scheduled for funding? ResDonee: The Centennial Transportation Corridor is included in both the Regional Transportations Plan (RTP) for the Kern Region and the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP), The Route 58 portion of the Centennial Transportation Corridor ~s the Kern Region's number 1 priority project. The Route 58 portion of the Corndor is identified for funding the State Transportation Improvement Program adopted by the California Transportation Commission, 1994. ~ ~:'~,~- .~. CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR METROPOLITAN BAKERSFIELD The Route 178 portion of the Corridor is identified for construction in the Regional Transportation Plan for 2010. Short range operational improvement have been identified but not funded. The Centennial Transportation Corridor is identified in the California Transportation Plan (1993) as part of the State designated Interregional Road System. The California Transportation Plan also shows the Metropolitan Bakersfield area as being served by two, "Major Transportation Corridors." These Major Transportation Corridors are Route 99 and Route 58, connecting to the 1-15 and 1-40 corridors. e The Centennial Transportation Corridor is also identified as a Federal Aid Primary Routes and on the California Freeway and Expressway System. Is the project considered by State and/or regional transportation officials as critical to their needs? Please provide letters of support from these officials, and if you cannot explain why not. Response: The Kern Council of Governments acting as the Metropolitan Planning Organization for the Metropolitan Bakersfield area has identified the Route 58 portion of the Centennial Transportation Corridor is the Kern Region's number 1 priority project in both the Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP). The City of Bakersfield and County of Kern Circulation Element for Metropolitan Bakersfield identified the Centennial Transportation Corddor as a high priority. In addition, the city and county have made significant financial contributions to the project. Letters from these agencies are attached. The Califomia Transportation Commission (CTC) in the 1990 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) stated that, "Two of the biggest, costliest and most important improvements on the interregional routes in the south part of the state are in Kern County: the Route 58 freeway west from Bakersfield..." CTC staff stated, "Staff recommends a start on this work, with $45 million to buy the right-of-way for the Route 58 freeway going west through Bakersfield from Route 99 toward Route 5." In the 1992 STIP, the CTC recommended funding of this Route 58 freeway project through Metropolitan Bakersfield. "The two highest priority capacity problems not yet in the STIP on Route 58 are through western Bakersfield..." CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR METROPOLITAN BAKERSFIELD The California Transportation Commission and the California Department of Transportation will not endorse a project except through the normal programming process (STIP). 10. Does the project have national or regional significance? 11. 12. 13. 14. Response: National Highway System, NAFTA, STAA Has the proposed project encountered, or is it likely to encounter, any significant opposition or other obstacles based on environmental or other types of concerns? Response: The Route 58 portion of the Centennial Transportation Corndor has encountered some concern by residents living adjacent to the corddor regarding the noise and increase in local traffic. These issues are being addressed in the Environmental Impact Statement process and the design of the corridor. Describe the economic, energy efficiency, environmental congestions mitigation and safety benefits associated with completion of the project. Resoonse: Has the project received funding through the Stete's federal aid highway apportionment, or in 'the case of a transit project, through Federal Transit Administration funding? If not, why, not? Resoonse: The Route 58 portion otf the Centennial transportation Corridor received $5 million in 1991 with the adoption of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficency Act of 1991. Is the authorization requested for the project an increase to an amount previously authorized or appropriated for it in federal statute (if so, please identify the statute, the amount provided, and the amount obligated to date), or would this be the first authorization for the project in federal statute? If the authorization requested is for a transit project, has it previously received appropriations and/or received a Letter of Intent of entered into a Full Grant Agreement with the FTA. Response: CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR METROPOLITAN BAKERSFIELD MetroDoliten Bakersfield Major TransPortation investment Strategy: During the past 3 years, Metropolitan Bakersfield has developed a major transportation investment strategy (MTIS) that identifies and defines major transportation i~rojects for the next 20 years. The MTIS was jointly developed to provide a coordinate(~nd comprehensive transportation plan for the Metropolitan Bakersfield area. The following agencies have worked closely in developing tills strategy: City of Bakersfield County of Kern Golden Empire Transit District Kern Council of Governments (MPO) San Joaquin Valley Unified Air Pollution Control District, and California Department of Transportation Project History: Beginning in the late 1950's, the State of California began the planning and development of Route 58, from Tehachapi through the Bakersfield Metropolitan Area. For the past forty years, Route 58 has been a major consideration in the planning and development in the Metropolitan Bakersfield Area. The Route 58 project through the Metropolitan Bakersfield area has been the number one pdority or~ject for the Kern region for several years. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and the California Transportation Commission continues to support the completion of the Route 58 project. Caltrans, the city of Bakersfield, the County of Kern, Golden Empire Transit District and the Kern Council of Governments are in the final stages of completing a Route Adoption Study for the Route 58 corridor. The California Transportation Commission (CTC) staff in the 1990 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) recommendation state that, "Two of the biggest, costliest and most important improvements on the interregional routes in the south part of the state are in Kern County: the Route 58 freeway west from Bakersfield and the Route 14 & Route 58 freeway bypass of Mojave." CTC staff further stated, "Staff recommends a start on this work, with $45 million to buy the right-of-way for the Route 58 freeway going west through Bakersfield from Route 99 toward Route 5/' Again in the 1992 STIP, the CTC staff recommended funding of this Route 58 freeway CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR METROPOLITAN BAKERSFIELD project through Metropolitan Bakersfield. "The two highest priority capacity problems not yet in the STIP on Route 58 are through western Bakersfield and through Mojave. The freeway extension through Bakersfield will be a high cost project, needing another $90 million for right-of-way and perhaps $200 million more for construction. a~project of this size must be spread out over several STIPs, must take its turn after building freeway Route 30 in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties, and will need local funding commitment, probably from a Kern County sales tax for transportation, if it is to be built in a timely way." As a part of the Metropolitan Bakersfield Transportation Impact Fee program, the city of Bakersfield and the County of Kern, have allocated $20 million to the construction of Route 58. The city of Bakersfield and the County of Kern have shown additional local commitment to the Route 58 project by protecting the proposed right of way from development. The State of California now needs to fulfill its commitment to the residents of the Metropolitan Bakersfield Area and the State of California by completing the Route 58 project. _ The State of California stopped construction of Route 58 in the early '19~BI7s just west of Route 99. Since construction ended, the Metropolitan Bakersfield Area has developed to the west several miles, making the continuation of the freeway along the original route difficult. Currently the freeway portion of Route 58 ends at a "T" intersection with a two lane collector street. The State of California has a responsibility to finish the work it began in the late 1950's, by completing the Route 58 project in Metropolitan Bakersfield. The final statement in the CTC staff recommendation of the 1996 STIP is a strong statement in support of the Route 58 project. "Although much of the benef~ of an improved Route 58 might be local, the Commission's primary concern is with interregional traffic between Tehachapi Pass, Bakersfield, and Interstate 5." Much of the traffic flowing through this corridor would be through trips not even stopping in Kern County. Some 10,000 to 15, 000 trucks daily utilize this corridor hauling goods to and from central and northern California. Currently, these trucks filter through the Bakersfield community using existing Route 58 (Rosedale Highway) and other city and county streets and roads. The proposed Route 58 corridor, now under study satisfies the "interregional" needs of the State of California and the local needs of the Bakersfield community. Having to construct two facilities, one to meet interregional goals and another for local needs is unrealistic. The limited transportation resources available to both state and local governments should be combined whenever possible so that both state and local goals can be met. The CTC staff recommendation identifies the Kern region as a "surplus" county. The CENTENNIAL TRANSPORTATION CORRIDOR METROPOLITAN BAKERSFIELD CTC staff is correct in stating that Kern is presently shown as a surplus county. However, this occurs only on paper. Since the beginning of the county minimum process, Kern County has never received its county minimum. The present STIP cycle is the first time that Kern County has ever been programmed to be above its county minimum. It should also be noted that Kern County has not received these programmed funds. Being programmed and actually receiving the funds are two very different things. Kern County has been waiting for our fair share for many years. In 1991 the Route 58 project was viewed as significance enough to be identified by the Congress of the United States as a major transportation project, and to receive an allocation of $5 million. These federal funds cannot be used for any other project. The failure of the CTC to fund this project could mean the total loss of these federal funds. I again want to emphasize that the Route 58 project through the Metropolitan Bakersfield area is the number one priority Droiect for the Kern region and supported by Caltrans. The CTC in the 1990 and 1992 STIPs supported the Route 58 prolect. The local agencies in the Metropolitan Bakersfield Area have allocated local funding to the project and protected right-of-way from development. The State of California has a responsibility to finish the work it began in the ~ate 1950's, by completing the Route 58 project in Metropolitan Bakersfield.