Title
Adopt Resolution:
a. Certifying the Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA) for the Davis Road Bridge Replacement and Road Widening Project, County Bridge No. 208, Existing State Bridge No. 44C-0068, New State Bridge No. 44C-0185, Federal Project No. BRLS-5944(068);
b. Adopting Findings for Project approval and Statement of Overriding Considerations;
c. Directing the Resource Management Agency to proceed with Project final design and related activities for the Davis Road Bridge Replacement and Road Widening Project, County Bridge No. 208, Existing State Bridge No. 44C-0068, New State Bridge No. 44C-0185, Federal Project No. BRLS-5944(068); and
d. Adopting a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan.
Report
RECOMMENDATIONS:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors adopt a resolution:
a. Certifying the Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Assessment (EIR/EA) for the Davis Road Bridge Replacement and Road Widening Project, County Bridge No. 208, Existing State Bridge No. 44C-0068, New State Bridge No. 44C-0185, Federal Project No. BRLS-5944(068);
b. Adopting Findings for Project approval and Statement of Overriding Considerations;
c. Directing the Resource Management Agency to proceed with Project final design and related activities for the Davis Road Bridge Replacement and Road Widening Project, County Bridge No. 208, Existing State Bridge No. 44C-0068, New State Bridge No. 44C-0185, Federal Project No. BRLS-5944(068); and
d. Adopting a Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Plan.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
A Final EIR/EA has been prepared pursuant to the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to assess potential environmental impacts of the Davis Road Bridge Replacement and Road Widening Project. The draft EIR/EA was circulated for public review between December 11, 2015 and February 5, 2016. The Notice of Availability (NOA) was submitted to the Monterey County Clerk on December 11, 2015 and the Notice of Completion (NOC) was filed with the California State Clearinghouse on December 11, 2015. A public hearing was held on Thursday, January 14, 2016 at the Government Center in Salinas. Thirteen agencies, organizations and individuals provided comments via letters, phone calls, or emails during the circulation period and public meeting. Responses to all comments are provided in the Final EIR/EA.
The County of Monterey (County) Resource Management Agency (RMA) is proposing to replace the existing two-lane, low-level bridge (Bridge No. 44C-0068) over the Salinas River with a longer bridge that meets current American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) requirements. The existing Davis Road Bridge is located approximately two miles south of the City of Salinas. The existing bridge is typically closed from January to April due to high water levels in the Salinas River. The Preferred Project Alternative (proposed Project) would demolish the existing bridge and replace it with a new four-lane, high-level bridge capable of withstanding a 100-year flood. The replacement bridge would span the defined floodway of the Salinas River and be open for year-round use. As part of the proposed project, the County is also proposing to widen Davis Road from two lanes to four lanes for a distance of approximately 2.1 miles between Blanco Road on the north and Reservation Road on the south. This alternative proposes to add class 2 bike lanes to each side of Davis Road. The project also proposes to widen the intersections at Blanco, Hitchcock, Foster and Reservation Roads. This is the preferred alternative which staff is asking the Board to approve.
However, there has been much discussion and debate about how to define the improvements at the Davis/Reservation Road intersection, including a possible roundabout instead of a signal. In the end, Caltrans weighed in and requested that the Davis/Reservation Road intersection not be changed from a signal to a roundabout for this step of the process because the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental assessment process has a very tight timeline for approval and Caltrans did not want to jeopardize the NEPA approval and related federal funding for this step of the process. Given that staff is still interested in the roundabout option for the Davis/Reservation Road intersection, and in deference to Caltrans’ request concerning NEPA timing and related federal funding issues, staff has decided to explore the possible change from a signal to a roundabout once the NEPA environmental assessment has been completed for this step of the process because any future change to the subject intersection will not be subject to NEPA. This means that for the time being, the Project will continue to describe a signal option for the Davis/Reservation Road intersection and that the County will have to prepare an addendum to the EIR or a Supplemental EIR, for CEQA purposes only, in the event the project is changed from a signal to a roundabout at the Davis/Reservation Road intersection.
As part the alternative analysis for the Project two other alternatives, in addition to the No-Build Alternative, were analyzed and considered. Alternative 2 for the Project was not recommended since it only proposed a two-lane bridge and would meet the projected traffic demands for this section of Davis Road. The design variation of the Preferred Alternative that included the cycle track was not selected because the cycle track design did not meet the design standards in regards to the minimum separation widths between cyclist, pedestrian traffic and vehicular traffic given the design speed of Davis Road.
OTHER AGENCY INVOLVEMENT:
As part of the proposed project, the County of Monterey is the lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is the lead agency under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The Office of the County Counsel has reviewed and approved the proposed Board Resolution as to form.
This project is part of the Salinas-Marina Multimodal Corridor that is led by Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC). As such, county staff continues to work closely with TAMC staff during the development of the Project. In finalizing and distributing the Response to Comments, RMA staff has been in contact with TAMC.
FINANCING:
The estimated total cost of the project, including engineering, environmental, right-of-way and construction, is $58,779,691. The Project is currently unfunded in the amount of $4,088,512 including mitigation costs. Currently, all available funds are committed; therefore, this could be a significant funding impact to the project. Staff is actively pursuing additional funding sources to fully fund the Project. In the event that full funding is not obtained for the project by the time final design has been completed, staff will analyze the option of phasing the construction of the Project. Funding from a variety of Federal, State and local revenue has been authorized for the design and environmental portion of the Project. There is no planned General Fund contribution for this Project. Appropriations of $2,410,000 are available for this project in the RMA FY 2016-17 Budget for Fund 002, Unit 8195 RMA012, in which $1,257,479 is identified towards this phase of the project.
Prepared by: Enrique Saavedra, P.E., (831) 755-8970
Approved by: Benny J. Young, Interim Director of Public Works and Facilities
Approved by: Carl P. Holm, AICP, Resource Management Agency Director
Dated: June 30, 2016
Attachments: Board Resolution; Attachment A - Mitigation and Monitoring Reporting Plan; Project Budget; Location Map; FEIR/EA (On File with the Clerk of the Board)