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Home My WebLink AboutCC AG PKT 2014-07-14 #JS At DATE: July 14, 2014 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council THRU: Jill R. Ingram, City Manager FROM: Sean P. Crumby, P.E. Director of Public Works 0 , :10111 4A. That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 6488 opposing High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes for the 1-405 Improvements Project. Project Background The Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has been in the process of planning improvements to the 1-405 freeway for almost 10 years. A Major Investment Study was prepared that encouraged public participation from the local agencies. In 2006, the voters of Orange County voted to extend Measure M (1990-2010) into Measure M2. One of the projects committed to the voters were improvements to the 1-405 freeway. Current Project Status Under the provisions of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), public agencies are required to prepare environmental documents for actions that may potentially affect the environment. Currently, an environmental document and analysis has been prepared for the 1-405 Improvements Project. The Environmental Impact Report and Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/EIS) for the proposed improvements are located on the 1-405 (San Diego) Freeway between State Route 73 (SR-73) on the south and the 1-605 Freeway on the north. The document has gone through the public comment period (May 18, 2012 through July 17, 2012), and has had a Traffic Supplement document prepared (to address comments from the City of Long Beach). In participation with the CEQA and NEPA processes, the City of Seal Beach has submitted formal comments during both comment periods. Additionally, the City of Seal Beach has sent numerous letters of correspondence and spoken publicly at numerous public meetings to effectively convey concerns regarding the 1-405 Improvement Project. Agenda Item_ J Additionally, the City of Seal Beach has participated in the Corridor Cities Group. The Group comprised of the Cities of Seal Beach, Huntington Beach, Costa Mesa, Fountain Valley, Westminster, and Los Alamitos have together sent numerous correspondences to OCTA to represent the desires of the residents that live along the proposed improvements. The project has three alternatives which are summarized as follows: • Alternate 1: Add One General Purpose Lane, • Alternate 2: Add Two General Purpose Lanes, • Alternate 3: Add One General Purpose Lane, and one High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lane. Convert the two High Occupancy Vehicle Lanes to High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes. On October 22, 2012, the OCTA Board of Directors selected Alternative 1 as the Locally Preferred Alternative for the 1-405 Improvements Project. On September 23, 2013 the OCTA Board of Directors again reaffirmed that Alternate 1 is the Locally Preferred Alternative. Prior to certification of the EIR/EIS Caltrans will select the preferred alternative (PA) for the project. Once the EIR/EIS is certified, the project can move forward. The project has been waiting a decision regarding the PA from Caltrans. The City of Seal Beach and Corridor Cities Group remain committed to HOT lanes being unacceptable on the 1-405 Freeway. On April 14, 2014 the City Council approved the mayor signing a letter requesting that a new Alternate 4 be considered. This new alternative will add one general purpose lane and one HOV lane to the existing freeway in each direction. There will be NO HOT lanes included in this alternative. Caltrans has indicated that an announcement will be made on the 1-405 Improvements project in late July. The announcement may indicate that Alternative 3 is the Preferred Alternative. The corridor cities are working together and are approving similar resolutions this week to reaffirm their position on the project. There is no environmental impact related to this item. LEGAL ANALYSIS: No legal analysis is required for this item. FINANCIAL IMPACT: There is no financial impact. That the City Council adopt Resolution No. 6488 opposing High Occupancy Toll (HOT) Lanes for the 1-405 Improvements Project. M51 0.1 A I 12 1:4 01 0-YA Sean P. Crumby, P.E. Director • Public Works Attachments: A. Resolution No. 6488 NOTED AND APPROVED: d" w 46 , Jill R. Ingram, City Manager RESOLUTION NUMBER 6488 A RESOLUTION OF THE SEAL BEACH CITY COUNCIL OPPOSING IMPLEMENTATION OF TOLL LANES ON i-405 AND ALL OTHER ORANGE COUNTY FREEWAYS WITHOUT AVOTE OF THE ENTIRE ORANGE COUNTY ELECTORATE WHEREAS, the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) in association with the State of California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) I- 605 freeways, has been working on the 1-405 Freeway Improvement Project; and VVHEREAG, there continues to be a strong push to implement High Occupancy Toll (HOT) lanes by converting existing High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes to HOT Lanes requiring the paying of tolls to use previously non-toll lanes: and WHEREAS, toll lanes only increase vehicle throughput in the Express toll lanes ed the expense ofvehicle capacity inthe general purpose or mixed flow lanes; and VVHEREA8, the voters Vf Orange County approved Measure M2 without approving conversion of existing freeway facilities to toll lanes; and VVHEREAS, polling of the voters of Orange County prior to placing Measure M2 on the ballot indicated that Measure M2 would not have passed had itinc|udedbm|||aneVorounvereionmfaxiotingfnyevmayfad|iUeatotoU|onao�and WHEREAS, any construction of new toll lanes or conversion of existing freeway lanes to toll lanes should be required to be placed on a ballot toallow the voters of Orange County to voice their opinion regarding toll lanes; and WHEREAS, the City agrees with DCTA that this is possibly the only chance in decades to improve the 1-405 corridor between SR-73 and 1-605, and because of this is a rare opportunity, the City believes the socially, economically, and politically responsible action is to construct the greatest transportation improvements that best utilize taxpayer funds without requiring motorists to pay hoUu to use portions of the improvements oonntnucted, which would be the mema under Alternative No. 3; THE SEAL BEACH COY COUNCIL DOES HEREBY RESOLVE OPPOSITION TO TOLL LANES ON THE 1405 FREEWAY AND ANY FREEWAY IN ORANGE COUNTY WITHOUT AVOTE OF THE ORANGE COUNTY ELECTORATE, (Intentionally Left Blank) Resolution Number 6488 PASSED, APPROVED and ADOPTED by the Seal Beach City Council at a regular meeting held on the 14th day of July 2014 by the following vote: AYES: Council Members NOES: Council Members ABSENT: Council Members ABSTAIN: Council Membe ATTEST: City Clerk STATE OF CALIFORNIA ) COUNTY OF ORANGE SS CITY OF SEAL BEACH 1, Linda Devine, City Clerk of the City of Seal Beach, do hereby certify that the foregoing resolution is the original copy of Resolution Number 6488 on file in the office of the City Clerk, passed, approved, and adopted by the Seal Beach City Council at a regular meeting held on the 14th day of July , 2014. City Clerk