TO: TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
FROM: MARIA B. TIPPING, CITY ENGINEER
DATE: JUNE 27, 2024
SUBJECT:
Title
MOUNTAIN AVENUE CORRIDOR (BASE LINE ROAD TO BONITA AVENUE) COMPLETE STREETS PROJECT-UPDATE ON ADDED COMPLETE STREETS FEATURES
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SUMMARY
Consistent with the Claremont Complete Streets Policy, and as part of its implementation, the Traffic and Transportation Commission provided feedback and suggestions regarding Complete Streets features which could be considered for implementation into the Mountain Avenue pavement maintenance schedule at their October 28, 2021 meeting. As part of this process, the Commission suggested a number of improvements above and beyond basic roadway maintenance, which required that Mountain Avenue be pulled from the maintenance schedule to be evaluated for complete streets as a stand-alone project.
At its January 24, 2023 meeting, the City Council authorized the execution of a design contract with KOA Corporation for the design of the Mountain Avenue corridor to integrate Complete Streets components to the maintenance project, to include Class II bike lanes (striped/green bike lanes) and additional pedestrian and accessibility features at selected locations, as recommended by traffic studies previously performed and by the Complete Street Safety Assessment (CSSA) conducted by UC Berkeley experts.
During the project design phase, the City received additional public feedback requesting that the TTC consider new roadway configurations that accommodate Class IV bike lanes instead of Class II bike lanes. In order to address this request, the project consultant, KOA Consulting Engineers, was asked to conduct a separate study to analyze different roadway configurations that could consider Class IV bike lanes and to evaluate additional complete streets features that could be added to the project.
The TTC considered three different Class IV options at their October 26, 2023 meeting. At this meeting, the TTC concurred with Staff, supporting the recommendation that included Class II green bike lanes, with the addition of the recommended accessibility and pedestrian features, requested by the public during this re-evaluation process. The City Council will need to consider an item to authorize the City Manager to amend the current contract with KOA, to complete the design of the project to incorporate the additional recommended pedestrian and accessibility features.
At tonight’s meeting, staff will present the additional accessibility and pedestrian features recommended by the consultant based on the input received from the public and the Commission.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommended Action
Staff recommends that the Traffic and Transportation Commission receive and file the Mountain Avenue Corridor Complete Streets Project-Update on Added Complete Streets Features.
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FINANCIAL REVIEW
The current preliminary cost estimate to implement a Complete Streets project on Mountain Avenue from Base Line Road to Bonita Avenue is approximately $10,000,000. The City Council appropriated $3 million in the 2022-24 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budget for this project, with $900,000 allocated for design and $2,100,000 allocated for construction of roadway maintenance.
The City Council will need to consider an item to authorize the City Manager to amend the KOA contract to increase the contract amount, so the design of the project with the additional accessibility and pedestrian features can be completed. At this point in time, the KOA contract amount does not currently cover the design of the additional recommended features.
A funding source must be identified to bridge the existing funding gap to construct this project with complete streets features. Complete streets projects are very expensive and the City does not have means to provide dedicated funding for the construction of these types of projects on a regular basis. Future grant funding opportunities will need to be pursued for complete streets projects of this magnitude.
The cost to prepare this staff report is estimated at $2,248 and is included in the operating budget of the Community Development Department.
ANALYSIS
The Mountain Avenue Complete Streets 30% plan set prepared by KOA was presented to the TTC at their June 22, 2023 meeting. At this meeting, staff received new public feedback questioning the contract scope of work with Class II bike lanes and requesting consideration of Class IV bike lanes along the Mountain Avenue corridor.
In order to address these new requests and suggestions, KOA conducted a separate study to assess the feasibility of the suggested modifications. The updated KOA analysis was presented to the TTC on October 26, 2023. Ultimately, the Commission supported the Complete Streets project design that includes Class II green bike lanes, as originally proposed, with the addition of several new complete streets features to enhance accessibility and pedestrian safety. At this point in time, the KOA contract does not currently cover the integration of the additional recommended features into the project design. The City Council will need to consider a contract amendment to authorize the City Manager to add funding to the KOA contract, so the design of the project with the additional accessibility and pedestrian features can be completed.
The following describes the proposed features and the new features added, which will require additional funding under the KOA contract to complete the design:
• Class II green painted bike lanes
o Solid green throughout
• Accessible curb ramps
o Twelve New locations (overlaps with curb extension areas)
• Upgrades to existing walkways and driveways for accessibility
o Throughout the entire limits of the project
• Rapid Flashing Beacons at Pedestrian Crossing
o Hood Drive
o Wellesley Drive
o Eleventh Street
o Ninth Street
• Street Lighting at New Pedestrian Crossings
o Hood Drive
o Wellesley Drive
o Eleventh Street
o Ninth Street
• Additional bulb-out/curb extension locations (16 in total)
o Foothill Boulevard southeast corner
o Wellesley Drive
o Eleventh Street
o Harrison Avenue
o Northwestern Avenue
o Vanderbilt Avenue
o Santa Clara Avenue
o Baylor Avenue
o Bonita Avenue northeast and northwest corners
• Dedicated Class I bike/pedestrian path in front of El Roble
o Additional work needed to address overhead conflicting utilities
As previously stated, there isn’t sufficient funding for the construction of this project. Staff will be actively monitoring grant funding opportunities to pursue grant funding to complete this project.
CEQA REVIEW
This item is not subject to environmental review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
PUBLIC NOTICE PROCESS
The agenda and staff report for this item have been posted on the City website and distributed to interested parties. If you desire a copy, please contact Nhi Atienza at natienza@ci.claremont.ca.us.
Submitted by: Prepared by:
Maria B. Tipping P.E. Vincent Ramos
City Engineer Associate Engineer