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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAGENDA REPORT 2003 0319 CC REG ITEM 09E-/I "- cc) MOORPARK CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT TO: Honorable City Council �- FROM: Barry K. Hogan, Community Development Directo Kenneth C. Gilbert, Director of Public Works Prepared By: David A. Bobardt, Planning Managerj15 DATE: March 4, 2003 (CC Meeting of 3/19/2003) SUBJECT: Consider Potential Alignments for State Route 23 North of New Los Angeles Avenue. BACKGROUND On October 30, 2002, the City Council reviewed and discussed issues related to potential future roadway connections for the North Hills Parkway, Walnut Canyon Road, Spring Road, and State Route 23. A study prepared by the City Engineer on a potential alignment of State Route 23 between East Los Angeles Avenue and Broadway via Crawford Canyon was presented to the City Council as one option to address existing truck traffic on Walnut Canyon Road /Moorpark Avenue. The City Council asked staff for information on alternative alignments for State Route 23. Staff identified five alternative alignments; a comparison of the pros and cons of each alternative alignment is provided below. DISCUSSION The potential State Route alignments identified by staff include: 1. Continued use of Walnut Canyon Road /Moorpark Avenue; 2. Development of Spring Road between Walnut Canyon Road and Charles Street as part of Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan; 3. Development of a connection between East Los Angeles Avenue and Broadway via Crawford Canyon; 4. Development of a connection between East Los Angeles Avenue and Spring Road (in the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan Honorable City Council March 19, 2003 Page 2 area) via Crawford Canyon using the SR -118 reservation land on the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan; and S. Improvement of Grimes Canyon Road to state highway standards south of Broadway. These five (5) alternatives were then analyzed to identify both opportunities and constraints associated with their use over a long time horizon for the State Highway connection between the SR- 118/23 Freeway and the State Highway 23 north of the City limits. It should be noted that any alternative alignment would require review and approval from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), with a process that includes extensive public participation and environmental review. 1. Continued Use of Walnut Canyon Road /Moorpark Avenue The Toll Brothers and William Lyon Homes projects include a coordinated approach to widen and improve Walnut Canyon Road along their respective frontages as a two -lane highway. Staff will also be recommending that the Suncal applicant be required to construct improvements on Walnut Canyon Road north of Casey Road if the proposed project is to be approved. In addition, the Public Works Department is negotiating with a consultant for design and environmental services for a project to add a second southbound lane on Moorpark Avenue from Casey Road to Third Street. Although these improvements will help the flow of traffic along this route, they do not address the conflicts from numerous driveways on both Walnut Canyon Road and Moorpark Avenue. Many of these driveways require vehicles to back out on to the State Highway. Future traffic projections show these conflicts increasing, with an increase from 10,000 daily vehicles at present to 18,000 daily vehicles by the year 2020. If Walnut Canyon Road and Moorpark Avenue are to be used in the long term for the State Route 23, they should be reclassified in the Circulation Element from local collectors to arterials to accommodate the volume of projected traffic along this corridor. Neither road would currently comply with the arterial criteria for width (4 -6 lanes) or limited driveway access, and improvements would be both difficult and costly given the terrain and existing development. These limitations and the difficulty in resolving land use conflicts affect the Honorable City Council March 19, 2003 Page 3 ability for this alignment to adequately serve in the long term as an arterial route in the future. It should be noted that the near -term improvements along Walnut Canyon Road and Moorpark Avenue in the design and construction phases are needed to accommodate traffic from approved and planned projects along this corridor, even if an alternative alignment is selected for State Route 23. 2. Development of Spring Road between Walnut Canyon Road and Charles Street as part of Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan This alignment was considered as part of the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan. Spring Road was approved to be extended as a four -lane road from High Street to Walnut Canyon Road. Concerns were raised at the project hearings by residents along Charles Street over the potential truck traffic conflicts by making Spring Road the preferable route for trucks traveling between the Grimes Canyon quarries and the SR- 118/23 freeways. (It is estimated that heavy trucks currently represent 150 of the trips on Walnut Canyon Road.) A condition was placed on the project for the Spring Road extension to be posted to not allow truck traffic. This condition would make its reclassification as a State Highway highly unlikely. This route represents the least -cost alternative to the City in that the improvements will be provided as part of the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan. It also provides the most direct route for trucks from the quarries to the freeways, minimizing driveway conflicts and reducing the length of travel along Los Angeles Avenue /New Los Angeles Avenue. Development of this alignment would necessitate detailed study of projected traffic volumes and turning movements to create the best possible design for the intersection of Charles Street and Spring Road to optimize its operation. 3. Development of a Connection between East Los Angeles Avenue and Broadway via Crawford Canyon This alternative was presented to the City Council on October 30, 2002. Charles Abbott Associates provided an alignment study with an estimated cost of $23.4 million. A diagram of this alignment alternative is shown as Attachment 1. Although less expensive than the freeway Honorable City Council March 19, 2003 Page 4 connection shown in the Circulation Element, this still represents a significant construction cost. It is expected that most trucks using this alignment would connect to the freeway via East Los Angeles Avenue to the Princeton Avenue /Los Angeles Avenue on- ramps. The westbound on -ramp has very limited queuing at the present time. Significant truck volumes utilizing this on -ramp could cause congestion through the signal at Los Angeles Avenue and Condor Drive, with levels of services potentially declining to "E" or "F ". These impacts would reduce the potential acceptability of this alignment by Caltrans. It is possible that trucks going south on the SR -23 Freeway could use Spring Road south of Los Angeles Avenue, reducing this impact. However, the right turns of trucks from Crawford Canyon onto Los Angeles Avenue may impact traffic flow at this intersection given the length of time needed to turn and the limited sight distance. Finally, this route would involve grading in Coastal Sage Scrub habitat (currently a part of the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan California Gnatcatcher Preserve) that could be avoided under Alternatives 1, 2, and 5. 4. Development of a Connection between East Los Angeles Avenue and Spring Road (in the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan Area) via Crawford Canyon Using the SR -118 Reservation Land on the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan This alternative could be developed at a lower cost than Alternative 3, since Spring Road would already be developed as part of the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan. Pardee Homes has estimated the cost of this alternative at $13.6 million. A diagram of this alignment alternative is shown as Attachment 2. Approximately $3 million as estimated by Pardee Homes of this cost is related to the loss of 10 home sites created by the necessary transition of Spring Road to the SR -118 reservation land. Because development areas in the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan would be affected by this alternative, environmental review and an amendment to the Specific Plan would be needed, along with a modification to the Tentative Tract Map. This review process could add considerable time to the process for Pardee Homes to obtain grading permits, 01001153 Honorable City Council March 19, 2003 Page 5 with no assurance that Caltrans would accept this alignment. With similar potential traffic conflicts as Alternative 3, the review process by Caltrans could take up to four years for an alignment study, traffic capacity study, Project Study Report, Project Report and Environmental Impact Report just for Caltrans to determine whether or not it would accept this alignment for State Highway 23. Another five or more years would be needed for Plans, Specifications and Estimates, right -of -way acquisition and construction. In addition to the impacts on Los Angeles Avenue, this design would create an awkward intersection between Spring Road, the Crawford Canyon road, and the North Hills Parkway, with all three meeting at about the same location. Finally, this design utilizes land reserved for an extension of the State Route 118. If the State Route 118 extension is built without a connection to the southbound SR -23 freeway from the west, this alternative route would be bisected by the extension, requiring two turning movements between Spring Road and East Los Angeles Avenue. Although traffic issues would be similar to Alternative 3, this alternative would involve more extensive grading and construction on Coastal Sage Scrub habitat in the Moorpark Highlands Specific Plan California Gnatcatcher Preserve. Approximately $2.7 million of the cost is for the purchase of habitat mitigation land at a 3 to 1 ratio for the estimated 24.5 acres impacted. Review of a revision to the Habitat Conservation Plan would be required by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, California Department of Fish and Game, United States Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Army Corps of Engineers 5. Improvement of Grimes Canyon Road to State Highway Standards South of Broadway Grimes Canyon Road is developed as a 2 -lane road to County standards, with a relatively low volume of traffic contemplated. It has design constraints for use as a higher volume roadway that would require street widening and a remedy of both horizontal and vertical realignment problems. Upgrading this road would require widening 000154 Honorable City Council March 19, 2003 Page 6 bridges and culverts, relocating drainage ditches, installing paved shoulders and guardrails, and the construction of extensive retaining walls. In order to remedy grade problems at the railroad crossing just north of Los Angeles Avenue, both Los Angeles Avenue and Grimes Canyon Road would have to be raised about four feet. With all this work, it is staff's opinion that this alternative would not address the impact of truck traffic through the city. Almost 100% of trucks turning from Moorpark Avenue to Los Angeles Avenue turn left to access the freeway. Even if Grimes Canyon Road were a designated State Highway, most trucks would continue to use Walnut Canyon Road, unless truck restrictions were imposed. Even if truck restrictions were successfully imposed, this alignment would approximately double the length that trucks would have to travel through the city along Los Angeles Avenue to access the freeway. It is staff's opinion that, based on the analysis, the best long term alignment for State Route 23, in the absence of freeway bridges, is the Spring Road alignment. STAFF RECOI44ENDATION Direct staff to proceed with development of Spring Road as a future alignment for State Route 23. Attachments: 1. Alternative 3 alignment 2. Alternative 4 alignment Alternative 3 Broadway /Los Angeles Avenue Connection Broadway CC ATTACHMENT 1 000:156 Alternative 4 Walnut Canyon /Spring Road /Los Angeles Avenue Connection Broadway Championshi CC ATTACHMENT 2 J00:157