Wednesday, February 24, 2010

LA County Metting 2.20.10 Notes

For those of you that missed it, here's some great notes about the last meeting with the county.  Keep up the good work all!


Arroyo Seco Bike Trail - Back on Track



http://www.arroyoseco.org/bikepath2010.htm


February 20, 2010 - Transportation officials from the County of Los Angeles received a warm response to new plans to improve the Arroyo Seco trail system at a meeting Thursday night at the Los Angeles River Center.



Abu Yusuf of LA County Department of Public Works unveiled the County's new approach to the long-delayed project, extending a bicycle and pedestrian trail through an especially important link of the Arroyo from the Gold Line Lincoln Heights Station down towards the Los Angeles River. Yusuf and other County officials announced plans to construct the trail along the rim of the Arroyo Seco between Avenue 26 and San Fernando Road, near the Arroyo Seco Confluence with the Los Anegles River. The County will design and administer the construction of the trail, and the City of Los Angeles will maintain the trail upon completion of the project.



The California Department of Transportation is also participating in the project by granting an easement for the trail through their property under the Golden State (5) Freeway. Caltrans has also applied for grant funds to landscape the area with native plants and add amenities, although that funding has not yet been secured.



The 1280 foot trail will travel along the south rim of the Arroyo through the area directly beneath the Golden State Freeway and what is now a maintanance yard for the Los Angeles Bureau of Sanitation. A massive concrete trash transfer structure will be removed to make room for the trail to reach San Fernando Road. From there bicyclists will be able to connect to the Los Angeles River Bike Trail on the west side of the river. Gates will be installed at each end of the trail.



Great credit goes to Supervisor Gloria Molina and LA City Councilman Ed Reyes for getting the project back on track. The Arroyo Seco Bike Trail has gone through various iterations in the last twelve years. In the mid-80s the bike trail, extending from York Blvd to the Montecito Heights Community Center near Avenue 43, was initiated by Council Member Art Snyder and the County. This two-mile stretch runs along the concrete lining in the Arroyo Seco stream. The County Department of Public Works began work to extend that trail in 1998, but plans were slow in developing. In 2005 opposition from bicyclists and community activists related to safety and environmental issues quashed a plan to extend the in-channel path all the way from Avenue 43 south to Avenue 19. Last June, after considering other alternatives to the in-channel path, County officials announced at a public meeting that they were abandoning the project. Strong negative reaction from community leaders and bicyclists and the leadership of Supervisor Molina and Councilman Reyes, however, sent the County planners back to the drawing boards one more time.



Attendees at the LA River Center meeting on Thursday night were full of questions and enthusiastic suggestions about how to improve the project. "It's a modest plan," said Tim Brick, Managing Director of the Arroyo Seco Foundation, "but a good step forward in achieving the dream of a continuous bike and pedestrian trail along the Arroyo Seco all the way from Pasadena to downtown Los Angeles."

Monday, February 8, 2010

LA County Project Concept Report 1.28.10

Hi all I recieved to following from the county last week concerning the latest plans for the greenway between San Fernando Rd and Ave 26. 

The County is will be hosting community workshops for the County Master Plan between February 22nd and March 25th. Please visit lacountybikeplan.org for additional information.

Please leave your comments and concerns for discussion.

 See the full Project Concept Report here

Or read the text below (images not included):

January 28, 2010

PROJECT DESIGN SCOPE
ARROYO SECO BIKE TRAIL
FROM SAN FERNANDO ROAD TO AVENUE 26
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES SUPERVISORIAL DISTRICT 1
CITY OF LOS ANGELES COUNCIL DISTRICT 1
T.G. 594 J6, 7

This proposed project is located in the City of Los Angeles (City). It is proposed to construct a pedestrian and bike trail along the Arroyo Seco Channel between San Fernando Road and Avenue 26. The County will design and administer the construction of the trail and the City will maintain the trail upon completion of the project.

PROPOSED SCOPE OF WORK
• Construct 1280 feet of pedestrian and bike trail (17 feet wide).

• Remove the interfering portions of existing reinforced concrete structure at the City sanitation transferstation and back fill the transfer station with dirt.

• Install chain link fence along City Sanitation yard.

• Construct short wall or grade the dirt slope at locations where needed to provide enough width for the trail.

• Install gate at the entrances of trail and relocate existing gate at City Sanitation yard.

UTILITY RELOCATION
No utility relocations are anticipated, however a utility search will be completed and existing utility information for the City transfer station is needed from the City.

ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT AND PERMIT REQUIREMENTS
This project is anticipated to require a Negative Declaration due to the potential to effect historical resources.

ENVIRONMENTAL SITE ASSESSMENT (ESA)
A site assessment for potential soil contamination should be evaluated within the project limits.
New R/W Acquisition                             YES
New Wall                                               NO
Adding Traffic Lane                               NO
Tree Removal                                        NO
5 (or more) Tree Removals within 500’   NO
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January 28, 2010
Page 2

R/W REQUIREMENTS
Easement or permit will be required from Caltrans to construct the trail within Caltrans’ right of way under freeway ramps and easement or right of way will be required from City to construct the trail within the Sanitation property.

OTHER AGENCY COORDINATION
Caltrans – provide easements/permits as needed for the trail, review plans, and provide utility information.

City – provide R/W or easement as needed for the trail, provide utility information, transfer station plans/details, review plans and coordinate with construction.

PLAN REQUIREMENTS
Road Plan Layout – Construction plans (i.e., line drawings) are to be prepared in Plan and profile format.

Signing and Striping Plan Layout – Signing and striping plans will be required for the new trail.

DIVISION INVOLVEMENT
CON -- Coordinate utility notifications. Prepare specifications.
DES -- Prepare road construction plans and R/W ID map.
GME -- Prepare Materials Report and Environmental Site Assessment.
M&PM -- Acquire R/W or easement.
PDD -- Manage project, provide environmental determination and coordinate with City and Caltrans.
FMD -- Review and provide comments.
SUR -- Provide Electronic Topographic survey.
T&L -- Prepare Signing and Striping plans.

FUNDING
Fund Source Fiscal Year Phase Amount in 1,000’s
Federal Demo funds -
TCSPPP                           09/10-10/11 Design     $160
Federal Demo funds -
TCSPPP                           11/12 Construction       $100*
L.A. County Prop A funds 11/12 Construction       $350
                                                              Total:  $610

* - Pending approval to move unspent funds to construction phase
_____________________________________________page break
January 28, 2010
Page 3

PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE
Design Preliminary Engineering           $160,000
Construction Cost                                346,000*
Construction Contingency   (15 percent)  52,000
Construction Engineering     (15 percent) 52,000
                                                Total: $610,000

*Construction cost does not include any possible major utility relocation, contaminated soil removal and mitigation of any impacts caused by the project to the City’s yard.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Bikeway Master Plan Meeting Jan 14th!

Good Afternoon,

This is to inform you that the first Bicycle Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting for the County’s Bikeway Master Plan has been scheduled for Thursday, January 14th, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. The meeting details are as follows:

Location: Room 150 - County Hall of Records
320 W. Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Contact: Abu Yusuf, ayusuf@dpw.lacounty.gov, (626) 458-3940

Agenda:
Introductions (10 min)
Overview of Bicycle Master Plan Process (15 min)
Draft Goals and Objectives of Plan
Work Completed to Date
Purpose of BAC (30 minutes)
Staff describes intended purpose (e.g., review of deliverables; advise/assist on outreach, etc.)
Q&A
Outreach Strategy (20 minutes)
Tapping into Existing Meetings and Planning Processes
Formal Workshops
o Locations
o Potential Dates
o Meeting Format

Next Steps/Action Items (15 minutes)
BAC to provide input on Goals and Objectives by 02/05/2010
BAC to provide input on meeting locations and dates by 01/29/2010

Parking:
Parking is available at the music center located at the corner of Grand and Temple, or at the Cathedral which is right across from the Hall of Administration. There a a number of bicycle racks in the area. See below:

-County of Los Angeles Hall of Administration (West Side of building on N Grand Avenue)500 West Temple Street Los Angeles, CA 2 inverted U racks
-Los Angeles County Superior Court (west side of building110 N Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 2 Inverted U racks
-Los Angeles County Superior Court (east side of building)110 N Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 6 Inverted U racks
-Dorothy Chandler Pavilion135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 2 Inverted U racks
-Metro Civic Center StationIntersection of Hill Street and 1st Street 6 rack parking spots

Transit:
Both the Metro Purple Line and Red Line subways are serviced by the Metro Civic Center located at the intersection of 1st Street and Hill Avenue. Many buses also service this location. Metro lines 70, 71, 76, 78, 79, 96,378, 439, 442, 485, 487, 489, and Metro Silver Line stop at this location as well as Foothill Transit lines 493, 497, 468, 499, and 699.

Please feel free to inform others who may be interested in attending this meeting.
Sincerely,
Abu Yusuf
Bikeway Coordinator
Programs Development Division
Phone: (626) 458-3940
Fax: (626) 458-3192
Email: ayusuf@dpw.lacounty.gov