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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 01261993 - 1.68 & RECEIVED ,IAN 10 CONTRA COSTA [CLE�R[KIJOARD:F SUPERVISORS RA COSTA CO. TRANSPORTATION AUTHORITY COMMISSIONERS: Evelyn Munn Hon. Tom Torlakson, Chairman January 8, 1992 Chair Board of Supervisors Darrel Jay"Tucker Contra Costa County Vice Chair 651 Pine Street Sharon J.Brown Martinez, CA 94553 Byron Campbell SUBJECT: AVAILABLE OPTIONS AT EVORA ROAD IN THE VICINITY Taylor Davis OF THE ROUTE 4/WILLOW PASS ROAD INTERCHANGE Richard Heggis `rayy,— Joel Keller Dear Chairman Torlakson: Cathie Kosel With the assistance of the design consultant, Parsons Brinckerhoff, and the Beverly Cane County, following the meeting on January 4.we have some preliminary Sunne W.McPeak information concerning available options to reduce the impact of the relocation of Tom Torlakson Evora Road in the vicinity of the Route 4/ Willow Pass Road interchange on the Robert K.McCleary residents of Pomo Court. I am disappointed that there appear to be only a Executive Director limited number-of-options available to us at-this time.. .However, based on the constraints of construction staging and permissible roadway grades.and curves, the options which appear to be available to the Authority are as follows (subject to County and Caltrans approval): • Connection of Evora Road to Camino Andres. During the design process, the connection of Evora Road to Camino Andres was discussed. Such a connection would route through traffic to Port Chicago Highway rather than connecting Evora Road to Willow Pass Road. This would allow Evora Road to stay approximately at its present grade, and eliminate the fill. However, when discussed during the design phase of the project, this alternative was opposed by the Camino Andres neighborhood because of the traffic impacts which would result. It would also be more difficult to upgrade Camino Andres to a four lane facility in the future. The net cost of revising the street connections may be less than $50,000, but has not been estimated in detail However, the cost of potential mitigations along Camino Andres is unknown. This alternative may . . .require a supplemental EIR for im,plementation, :assuming the,County supported,it. 1340 Treat Blvd. Suite 150 Walnut Creek • Provide Visual Barrier and Replacement Landscaping. As we . CA 94596 described to the homeowners, a visual barrier and replacement Phone: 510/938-3970 Qubl &C, Lvorks c�°f• FAX: GG a 510/938-3993 �, ., .r �� � ..i•.n. .. � � .. _ .r .fit, � � ... � .... Tom Torlakson, Chairman January 8, 1992 landscaping can be provided to significantly improve the safety, privacy, and visual environment. If there are no other changes to the design, we believe that these mitigations are necessary to mitigate the impacts of the project. Estimated cost of the visual barrier is $35,000 to $40,000, a change order which could be approved administratively by Authority staff. We would expect landscaping costs in the range of approximately $20,000 to $30,000, depending upon a number of factors including the cost of design, density, etc. • Moving Evora Road at Pomo Street. Technically, it now appears to be feasible to move Evora Road further away from all the homes by moving the intersection of Pomo Street and Evora Road to the south (out) approximately 15 feet, and changing the angle of Evora Road's connection to Willow Pass Road from 90 degrees to 85 degrees. The intersection of Evora Road and Willow Pass Road cannot be moved under the current design because of grade and construction staging constraints. This plan would put Evora Road an.additional 15 to 20 feet from all of the Pomo Court homes, and permit all but three trees to be saved. A change order for this work would need to be initiated almost immediately if the cost is to be minimized, and under that circumstance it would be expected to cost well under $50,000. It could be approved ministerially by Authority staff. Close Willow Pass Road Freeway Access During Construction and Move Willow Pass Road to the East. At this stage of construction, to lower Evora Road in the vicinity of the end of Pomo Court would require: (1) closing Willow Pass Road freeway access for some period during construction; (2) constructing Willow Pass Road to the East, at the location where the current structures now stand; (3) redesigning and moving the Willow Pass Overcrossing structures east of the currently planned location. Such an effort would significantly impact the cost and schedule of the project. Redesign (including structures) is estimated to cost in the range of $500,000 to $1,000,000. Redesign would take approximately nine to twelve months, delaying the project's scheduled completion by a similar amount of time, and would also impact BART's schedule, assuming LEITER\PROJ93\EVORA-OP.TNS Page 2 Tom Torlakson, Chairman . January 8, 1992 Caltrans agreed that work of this scale could be incorporated as a change order. A bid could further delay the project. The likely cost of such a change would be in the millions of dollars. A more precise estimate cannot be generated without detailed analysis and extensive discussions with all parties involved. Because of the impact of the relocation of Evora Road on local residents, and the need for quick action, I am prepared to send a letter requesting a change order to move Evora Road 15' to 20' at Pomo Street, if that alternative is supported at.,your meeting with the neighborhood on January 11. I also believe that a visual barrier and replacement landscaping are warranted mitigation for the elevation in grade of Evora Road, and am prepared to take that issue to the Authority, preferably reviewing the circumstances with the Projects Committee on February 8, and obtaining subsequent Authority concurrence for necessary change orders on February 17. Please let me know if we can be of further assistance. Arielle Leonard will be attending the January 11 meeting as our representative. I am unable to come because-it directly, conflicts with our January Projects Committee meeting. I appreciate your interest in finding ways to mitigate the impact of this project on the residents of Pomo Court, and look forward to hearing from you soon regarding these issues. Sincerely, -ca7 ROBERT K. McC EARY Executive Directo cc. Caltrans: Maryam Babaki, Jim Siebe, Emile Jilwan, Kouroush Bouzarjomehri Contra Costa County: Mike Walford, Bob Faraone Authority: Members,Arielle Leonard, Paul Maxwell, Dale Dennis BART: Jim Tousey, John Datel, Tom Margro Parsons Brinkerhoff: Bob McFarland.