Bill Text: CA AB287 | 2017-2018 | Regular Session | Amended

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Bill Title: State Highway Route 710.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Failed) 2018-02-01 - From committee: Filed with the Chief Clerk pursuant to Joint Rule 56. [AB287 Detail]

Download: California-2017-AB287-Amended.html

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Amended  IN  Assembly  January 03, 2018

Amended  IN  Assembly  April 06, 2017

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2017–2018 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 287

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Introduced by Assembly Member Holden

February 02, 2017

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An act to amend Section 253.1 of, and to add Section 622.2 to of the Streets and Highways Code, relating to transportation.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 287, as amended, Holden. State Highway Route 710: advisory committee. 710.

Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of all state highways and associated property. Existing law designates and describes state highway routes, and also describes the state highway routes in the California freeway and expressway system, including all of Route 710 in the County of Los Angeles.

This bill would require encourage the Department of Transportation, in consultation coordination with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, to establish the State Route 710 North Advisory Committee, with a specified membership, to study the alternatives considered in the State Route 710 North Draft Environmental Impact Review and other transit options to improve travel in, and environmental impacts of, the State Route 710 North project area, along with alternatives not considered by the environmental review. The bill would require the advisory committee, by January 1, 2019, to make recommendations in a report to the Legislature, the Department of Transportation, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the most appropriate and feasible alternative in the State Route 710 North project area to consult with local governments of cities and areas along the State Route 710 North corridor regarding development of the State Route 710 North project area, as specified, and would require the department to seek alternatives for the development of the State Route 710 North project area from those local governments that improve air quality and public health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve traffic safety, modernize the freeway design, address projected traffic volumes, address projected growth in population and employment, population, and create jobs. The bill would require the department, if appropriate and feasible, to implement any development alternative agreed upon by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and those local governments, in a manner consistent with applicable law. The bill would require the department to report to the Legislature on the progress of the State Route 710 North project on or before January 1, 2020.

The bill would require the department to implement the alternative recommended by the advisory committee, if appropriate and feasible, but would prohibit the advisory committee from considering or recommending, and would prohibit the department from implementing, a freeway tunnel or a surface freeway alternative. The bill would also limit the portion of Route 710 included in the California freeway and expressway system to the portion between Route 1 and Route 10. The bill would make legislative findings and declarations.

Digest Key

Vote: MAJORITY   Appropriation: NO   Fiscal Committee: YES   Local Program: NO  

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Bill Text

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:

(a)The I-710 Corridor is a critical artery to the state, region, and Los Angeles County for the transportation of goods and passengers by connecting the county’s ports to distribution centers and railways.

(b)The earliest iterations of I-710, former State Highway Routes 7 and 167, were designed in 1933 to improve north-south mobility in Los Angeles County extending from the harbors of San Pedro and Long Beach to the San Gabriel Valley.

(c)I-710 incorporated these former routes into the Interstate Highway System that was constructed in the 1950s and 1960s, specifically to connect the Port of Long Beach to the industrial center of Los Angeles, facilitating the transport of manufactured goods to the port.

(d)Construction of the I-710 freeway has terminated at the I-10 freeway, and I-710 does not extend through to I-210.

(e)The residents and commuters of the I-710 Corridor, north of I-10, are facing elevated levels of diesel particulate emissions and are experiencing traffic congestion, high truck volumes, and high accident rates on a daily basis.

(f)The United States Environmental Protection Agency has stated the South Coast Air Basin, which includes the I-710 Corridor, is an extreme ozone nonattainment area and a nonattainment area for small airborne particulate matter between 10 and 2.5 microns, which is commonly attributed to vehicle traffic and contributes to high rates of cancer.

(g)The highest levels of these air toxins in the Los Angeles Basin are found along the I-710 corridor.

(h)In 1998 the Federal Highway Administration published a record of decision approving a surface freeway with six mixed-flow lanes and two high-occupancy vehicle lanes to close the 6.2-mile gap between I-10 and I-210, crossing through Los Angeles, Alhambra, South Pasadena, and Pasadena, but in 2003 rescinded it due to community concerns and an injunction prohibiting freeway construction.

(i)The Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has conducted feasibility studies of alternatives to the surface freeway route including alternative freeway routes, light rail construction, bus system improvements, and tunnels to mitigate the environmental impacts of air toxins due to vehicle traffic.

(j)In 2015, Caltrans and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority completed a draft environmental impact report, the State Route 710 North Draft Environmental Impact Review, that studied the impacts of these alternatives, including a cost-benefit analysis, that evaluated the travel time benefits, capital expenditures, vehicle operating costs, system operations and maintenance costs, safety effects, emissions effects, employment benefits, and residual values.

(k)There continues to be significant community and local government concern about the safety and efficacy of the proposed tunnel alternative and its $3.1 billion to $5.6 billion cost.

(l)An advisory committee should be established by Caltrans, in consultation with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, to resolve the transportation problems in the State Route 710 North project area while fully considering the concerns of local communities.

(m)The advisory committee should review the transit options proposed in the State Route 710 North Draft Environmental Impact Review and also consider all other alternatives, other than a tunnel or surface freeway, including alternatives not included in the review, and recommend a proposed solution.

SEC. 2.

(a)The Department of Transportation, in consultation with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, shall establish the State Route 710 North Advisory Committee to study the alternatives considered in the State Route 710 North Draft Environmental Impact Review and other transit options to improve travel in, and environmental impacts of, the State Route 710 North project area.

(b)The advisory committee shall consist of all of the following:

(1)Three representatives of the Department of Transportation.

(2)Two representatives of the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, appointed by the authority.

(3)Two representatives each from the City of Alhambra, the City of Los Angeles City Council District 14, the City of Pasadena, and the City of South Pasadena, appointed by the applicable city.

(4)Three members of the Assembly that represent the State Route 710 North project area or their designees, appointed by the Speaker of the Assembly.

(5)Three members of the Senate that represent the State Route 710 North project area or their designees, appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules.

(c)Participation on, and appointment of members to, the advisory committee by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the cities shall be at the option of each local agency. Members of the advisory committee shall serve without compensation that is specific to serving on the committee. The Department of Transportation shall provide staff to the advisory committee.

(d)On or before January 1, 2019, the advisory committee shall make recommendations in a report to the Legislature, the Department of Transportation, and the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the most appropriate and feasible alternative for the State Route 710 North project area to improve air quality and public health, improve traffic safety, modernize the freeway design, address projected traffic volumes, and address projected growth in population and employment, and create jobs. In conducting its study, the advisory committee shall take into consideration the input of residents living in the State Route 710 North project area. The committee shall consider development of open space, light rail options, and traffic calming options, and may consider alternatives not considered in the State Route 710 North Draft Environmental Impact Review. The report to the Legislature shall be submitted pursuant to Section 9795 of the Government Code.

(e)The advisory committee shall not consider or recommend the freeway tunnel alternative proposed for implementation in the State Route 710 North Draft Environmental Impact Review, or the surface freeway alternative, and the department shall not proceed with implementation of those alternatives. The advisory committee shall have no authority to make recommendations regarding the properties acquired for the I-710 freeway.

(f)If appropriate and feasible, the Department of Transportation shall implement the alternative recommended by the advisory committee in its report submitted pursuant to subdivision (d) in a manner consistent with applicable laws.

SECTION 1.

 (a) The Department of Transportation, in coordination with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority, is encouraged to consult with local governments along the State Route 710 North corridor, including, but not limited to, the City of Alhambra, the City of Pasadena, and the City of South Pasadena, and those with jurisdiction in the 90032 ZIP Code, regarding the development of the State Route 710 North project area.

(b) (1) The Department of Transportation shall seek from local governments along the State Route 710 North corridor alternatives for the development of the State Route 710 North project area that improve air quality and public health, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve traffic safety, address projected traffic volumes, address projected growth in population, and create jobs.

(2) If the Department of Transportation determines that it is appropriate and feasible, the Department of Transportation shall implement any development alternative agreed upon by the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority and local governments along the State Route 710 North corridor, in a manner consistent with applicable law.

(c) On or before January 1, 2020, the Department of Transportation shall report to the Legislature, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, on the progress of the State Route 710 North project.

SEC. 3.SEC. 2.

 Section 253.1 of the Streets and Highways Code is amended to read:

253.1.

 (a) The California freeway and expressway system shall include:

Routes 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 14, 15, 18, 24, 28, 32, 34, 37, 40, 44, 47, 48, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 57, 59, 60, 61, 63, 65, 67, 68, 70, 71, 73, 74, 78, 80, 81, 83, 85, 87, 88, 89, 90, 93, 97, 100, 102, 103, 105, 107, 108, 118, 121, 122, 124, 125, 126, 134, 136, 139, 140, 145, 148, 149, 154, 156, 161, 163, 164, 179, 181, 183, 184, 199, 205, 210, 215, 217, 221, 223, 230, 232, 234, 235, 237, 238, 239, 241, 242, 247, 249, 251, 257, 258, 259, 261, 280, 330, 371, 380, 405, 505, 580, 605, 680, 780, 805, 880, and 980 in their entirety.

(b) The California freeway and expressway system shall also include Route 710 from Route 1 to Route 10.

SEC. 4.Section 622.2 is added to the Streets and Highways Code, to read:

622.2.

The department shall not implement a freeway tunnel or surface freeway for Route 710 between Route 10 and Route 210.