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Home My WebLink AboutMINUTES - 02151994 - T.C.1 Tc.. Contra TO:. BOARD OF SUPERVISORS _ Costa Gayle Bishop, District III Supervisor Tom Torlakson, District 5 Supervisor DATE: February 15, 1994 SUBJECT: Caltran's Notice of Preparation for Benicia-Martines Bridge System Project Supplemental Draft EIR/Z1S SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATIONS) S BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS Authorize the Chair ' of the Board of Supervisors to sign the attached response (see Exhibit B) to Caltrans' Notice of Preparation of a Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS on the Benicia-Martinez Bridge System Project. FINANCIAL IMPACT None. BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS The Transportation Committee met on this subject on February 14, 1994 and would like to bring it to the attention of the Board of Supervisors at the February 15 meeting for appropriate action prior to the close of the comment period on the Notice of Preparation. On January 11; 1994, Caltrans issued an NOP of a Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS on the Benicia-Martinez Bridge System Project (see Exhibit A) . A Draft EIR/EIS was prepared in September 1991. Substantial comments on that environmental document involved: 1) matching the scope of the project with the available funding; 2) providing for future rail transition the new bridge; 3) location of the new CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: BX YES SIGNATURE RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDATION OF BOARD COMMITTEE APPROVE X OTHER SIGNATURE(S) : Gayle Bishop Tom Torlakson ACTION OF BOARD ON S 9f APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER VOTE OF SUPERVISORS I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A UNANI14OUS (ABSENT TRUE AND CORRECT COPY OF AN AYES: NOES: ACTION-TAKEN AND ENTERED ON THE ABSENT: ABSTAIN: MINUTES OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS ON THE DATE SHOWN. Contact: S.Goetz, CDD, 646-2134 Orig: Community Development Department ATTESTED /.s- 9 cc: Public Works Department PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF CCTA THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS City of Martinez AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR BY ` , DEPUTY Report on the NOP for the Benicia-Martinez Bridge Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS February 14, 1994 Page Two BACKGROUND/REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS (continued) bridge- and toll plaza; 4) the direction of toll collection; and 5) construction impacts. During 1992 and 1993, Caltrans has been working with local agencies to revise the project to respond to these concerns and will prepare a supplemental environmental document to evaluate the revised project. The revised project would provide a new five-lane northbound bridge, including one auxiliary lane and one slow-vehicle lane, a new toll plaza, and new freeway-to- freeway connectors between I-680 and I-780. The existing bridge will be restriped and modified to provide four lanes southbound, including one auxiliary lane exiting at the Marina Vista southbound off-ramp, and a pedestrian/bicycle lane separated from traffic by a concrete barrier. The project limits include I-680, from south of the Marina Vista interchange to Bayshore Road in Solano County, and I-780 from East 5th Street to and including the I-680/I-780 interchange. Modification to the I-680/Marina Vista interchange and the I-680/I-780 interchange will be required, and will be considered in the preliminary engineering and environmental studies. In addition to the above, alternatives under consideration include: 1) taking no action; 2) providing for mass transit; and 3) providing for multiple modes . of transportation including bicycle and pedestrian facilities. Incorporated into and studies with the various alternatives will be design variations of grade and alignment. County staff prepared a response to the NOP for transmittal ' to Caltrans within time limits mandated by State law. This response recognizes that considerable progress has been made by Caltrans in revising the project to respond to the Board's comments on the Draft EIR/EIS and to response to subsequent Board policy statements concerning construction of the new bridge. The staff response addresses the following issues: - factors to be considered in modifying the I-680/Marina Vista interchange; - defining the project's pedestrian/bicycle facility to include links to viable trail facilities at both ends of the bridge; - use of variable toll pricing strategies as part of the project; - evaluating a bridge alternative that accommodates additional capacity only through HOV lanes and provisions for future rail transit service; - determining if the project adequately accommodates future rail transit; - determining if the. project would allow bottlenecks to develop elsewhere on I-680; - inconsistencies between growth assumed for the travel forecasts and growth allowed in adopted General Plans; and - including the provision of high-speed rail in this corridor as part of the cumulative impact analyses. We concur with the NOP response prepared by County staff and has included it for the Board's consideration. Transmittal to Caltrans from the Board would underscore the importance of these issues. bridge.bo Exhibit A • .SCH#87111007 •. I•.•t 1: 28 . NOTICE OF PREPARATION DE��_LC i DEPT Mr. Harvey Bargdon FROM: California Department of Transportation Director,Community Development District 4 County of Contra Costa P.O.Box 23660 651 Pine SL,4th Floor,North Wing Oakland,CA 94623-0660 Martinez CA 94553 SUBJECT: Notice of Preparation of a Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Report / Environmental Impact Statement [References: Division 13, Public Resources Code,Section 2108004 (State);40 C.F.R. 1501.7 and 1508.22 (Federal)] This is to inform you that the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), . in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), will be-the Lead Agency and will prepare a supplement to a draft Environmental Impact Report/Environmental Impact Statement (EIR/ELS) for the described project below. Your participation as a responsible/cooperating agency is requested in the preparation and review of this document. We need to know the applicable permit and environmental review requirements of your agency and the scope and content of the environmental information which is germane to your agency's statutory responsibilities in connection with the proposed project. Your agency will need to use the EIR/EIS prepared by our agency when considering permits or other approval for the project. In addition to agency comments, we are seeking input from homeowners' associations, residents, property owners, and concerned citizens, as described below under Scoping Process, as to the issues and alternatives that should be addressed in the ER/ES. The proposal under study is to build new approaches and a bridge across Carquinez Strait at Interstate 680 between the City of Benicia in Solan County and the City of Martinez in Contra Costa County. The project would provide a new five-lane bridge, including one auxiliary lane and one slow vehicle lane, a new toll plaza and new freeway-to-freeway connectors between I-680 and I-780. The existing bridge will be restriped and modified to provide four lanes, including one auxiliary lane, and a pedestrian/bicycle lane separated from traffic by a concrete barrier. A Draft EIR/IIS for the Benicia-Martinez Bridge System Project was circulated and a i TC.l The Board of Supervisors Contra ' Cerk fthehBoad and County Administration BuildingCOSta County Administrator 651 Pine St., Room 106 (510)646-2371 Martinez, California 94553-1290 County Tom Powers,1st District Jeff Smith.2nd District Gayle Bishop,3rd District Sunne Wright McPeak 4th District Tom Torlskson.5th District February 15, 199.4 . Mr. Stephen H. Yokoi Caltrans District 4 P.O. Box 23660 Oakland, CA 94623-0660 Dear Mr. Yokoi: The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors has reviewed the Notice of Preparation (NOP) of a Supplemental Draft EIR/EIS for the Benicia-Martinez Bridge System Project and transmits the following response for your consideration. The NOP indicates modification to the I-680/Marina Vista interchange will be required and considered in the EIR/EIS. Modifications to this interchange should consider: increasing the turning radius of the Marina Vista southbound off-ramp to account for the downgrade to Marina Vista and to recognize related impacts from Shell Oil's Clean Fuels project; and widening Marina Vista between the northbound and southbound ramps to accommodate turn channelization; The NOP indicates the existing bridge will be restriped to provide a pedestrian/bicycle lane. The EIR/EIS should evaluate the need to complete links from this facility to viable trail facilities at both ends :of the bridge. The NOP does not indicate how this project might affect future bridge tolls. The EIR/EIS should evaluate the use of variable toll pricing strategies as part of the project to moderate peak period demand and support the overall efficiency and effectiveness of the bridge 'system's performance. Previous correspondence by the Board of Supervisors on this project has requested the EIR/EIS to evaluate a bridge alternative that accommodates additional capacity only through HOV lanes and provision of future rail transit service. Mr. Yokoi February 15, 1994 Page Two The NOP does not indicate if the project includes the capacity to accommodate future rail transit. The Metropolitan Transportation Commission, the- Contra Costa Transportation Authority, and the Contra Costa Board of Supervisors have previously requested that project include this capability. The EIR/EIS should indicate to what extent the project, as proposed, will constrain the ability to construct future rail transit facilities at this location. To what extent will the project constrain the ability to consider, in the future, mass transit options to address transportation needs on other segments of the I-680 corridor? The EIR/EIS should evaluate the project's impacts on the capacity and operation of the affected freeway system. This is particularly important where sections of I-680 cannot be expanded any further and could become significantly overloaded if other freeway bottlenecks are relieved. The project should complement the operation of the overall freeway system and not move around bottlenecks. An operational analysis of traffic flow on the affected freeway system, particularly at the I-680/State Route 4 interchange, should be included in the EIR/EIS. The EIR/EIS should discuss any inconsistencies between growth assumed to occur during the travel forecast period and growth assumed in adopted General Plans. The EIR/EIS should specify the assumptions for the amount and location of growth if this varies among the alternatives it evaluates. Previous efforts by the state (AB-971 Study) , have identified potential corridors for high-speed rail such as the Sacramento- Bay Area Corridor. The state's Intercity High Speed Ground Transportation Commission is evaluating this corridor further. The cumulative impact -analysis of the EIR/EIS should include development of this corridor for high-speed ground transportation. Thank you for the opportunity to respond to the NOP and to help ensure a complete and adequate environmental review of this important project. Since y, Tom Powers, Chair Board of Supervisors cc: Darryl J. Tucker, CCTA Chair Commissioner Sharon Brown, MTC Mayor Menesini, City of Martinez