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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/12/2018 - Minutes - Regular MeetingCITY OF DIAMOND BAR MINUTES OF THE TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION MEETING APRIL 12, 2018 CALL TO ORDER: Chair Quan called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. in the Diamond Bar City Hall Windmill Community Room, 21810 Copley Drive, Diamond Bar, California 91765. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE: Commissioner Gonzalez led the Pledge of Allegiance. ROLL CALL: Commissioners Michael Gonzalez, Lisa Washington, Vice -Chair Mahendra Garg, Chair Cynthia Quan Absent: Commissioner Surendra Mehta Also Present: David Liu, Public Works Director; Kimberly Young, Senior Civil Engineer; John Beshay, Associate Engineer; Christian Malpica, Associate Engineer; Fabian Aoun, Assistant Engineer; and, Marcy Hilario, Administrative Coordinator. I. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: A. Minutes of the March 8, 2018 meeting. VC/Garg moved, C/Washington seconded, to approve the Regular Meeting Minutes of March 8, 2018 as presented. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: Gonzalez, Washington, VC/Garg, Chair/Quan NOES: COMMISSIONERS: None ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: Mehta APRIL 12, 2018 PAGE 2 T&T COMMISSION IV V PUBLIC COMMENTS: ITEMS FROM STAFF: None A. Traffic Enforcement Update: 1. Citations: February 2018 2. Collisions: February 2018 3. Street Sweeping: February 2018 VC/Garg moved, C/Washington seconded to receive and file the Traffic Enforcement Update for February 2018. Motion carried by the following Roll Call vote: AYES: COMMISSIONERS: NOES: COMMISSIONERS: ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: OLD BUSINESS: None NEW BUSINESS: Gonzalez, Washington, VC/Garg, Chair/Quan None Mehta A. Castle Rock Road Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) between Fountain Springs Road and Cold Spring Lane. AE/Malpica presented staffs report and recommended that the Traffic and Transportation Commission receive staffs presentation and public comments. Subsequently, a conceptual plan will be prepared for the neighborhood. The second neighborhood meeting will be held at a later date for presentation of the conceptual plan. Olivia Lozano, 2810 Castle Rock Road, said she was opposed to speed bumps on Castle Rock Road. She believes there should be strong and compelling information/data that suggests speeding that is occurring on Castle Rock Road. Ms. Lozano does not believe the illegal behavior of a few should compel a change that has potential adverse effects on the many drivers (and their vehicles) in her community who play by the rules and follow the law, as well as the adverse effect on emergency vehicle response time and property values. She requested additional information regarding the frequency and ratio of speeders versus non -speeders and the amount of actual traffic flow on the street. George Duarte, 2739 Castle Rock Road, a 55 -year resident, stated he was very pleased and grateful to be part of this process and that he was very APRIL 12, 2018 PAGE 3 T&T COMMISSION appreciative of staff's work and feels supported by his neighbors in his close- knit community. Residents have struggled with drivers flying up and down the street. There are now speed cushions from Cool Springs Drive to Cold Springs Lane and along Fountain Springs Road but none along Castle Rock between Fountain Springs to Evergreen Springs. This leaves Castle Rock Road open to people who appear to be making up for lost time reaching speeds of 50 mph and more. Over the years he has lost many pets and he has kids who have grown up in the area, as do others, and they feel afraid for their safety. SCENoung asked that speakers provide staff input as to what days of the week traffic counts would be appropriate to be taken. Fernando Olgin, 21320 Lasso Drive, lives on a cul-de-sac between Castle Rock and Evergreen Springs Drive. He has lived in his home since 1983 and has observed the H -Mart area developed, which has led to a significant increase in traffic volume. In addition, Evergreen Springs Drive and Castle Rock Road are sought-after elementary schools with many family homes in the area. This also presents a lot of traffic in the area and as Mr. Duarte stated, it seems drivers are speeding from one end to the other to make up time for the speed cushions. He has lost pets as well and he appreciates staff looking into this matter. Bruce Buller, 2668 Castle Rock Road, thanked the Commission and Public Works staff for taking time to address this issue. The reason he requested the Neighborhood Traffic Management Program (NTMP) for his neighborhood was for safety. His neighborhood is in the middle of three major schools, Castle Rock Elementary, Evergreen Elementary and Diamond Bar High School. Collectively, there are approximately 4,200 students in a half -mile radius. Students, faculty, staff, parents, etc. coming and going creates a lot of traffic in the area. Castle Rock Road is 40 feet wide which is unusual for residential streets. The traffic hours of concern are Monday through Friday from 7:15 am to 8:15 am and from 2:15 pm to 3:15 pm. Throughout any given school day, classes of 40 students walk to and from Castle Rock Elementary to Evergreen Elementary. Students from Diamond Bar High School travel to the shopping center on a regular basis. Consequently, there is a lot of foot traffic and bicycle traffic. There are no crosswalks at the intersection of Fountain Springs Road and Castle Rock Road and he would like to see them added at the stop signs. Mr. Buller stated he believes that if vehicles traveled at the proper speed and slowed down for speed bumps, there would not be vehicle damage as previously expressed. The majority of traffic during peak hours is not necessarily the residents who live in the area, rather people driving into the area for the schools or through the area to avoid freeway backup. Efforts to mitigate speeding traffic could include placement of speed trailers and the presence of law enforcement. PWD/Liu explained that with input and comments received this evening, staff will begin the process of collecting traffic data, analyze and evaluate the APRIL 12, 2018 PAGE 4 T&T COMMISSION information and come up with a draft plan at which point the item will be placed on a future agenda for consideration. VC/Garg referred to the NTMP that was initiated in 2006. PWD/Liu responded that the 2006 NTMP specifically addressed the cut through traffic along Fountain Springs Road and Cold Springs Lane. Brea Canyon Road and Diamond Bar Boulevard are major cut -through arterials and whenever something occurs on the SR -57 causing drivers to leave the freeway, they utilize those two arterials and connecting streets to move through the City. VC/Garg asked how long the schools have existed in the area. PWD/Liu replied the schools have existed in the area since the'60's. The schools were intended to be neighborhood schools; however, they draw students from outside of Diamond Bar. While no program offers 100 percent success, the NTMP will be a successful program if the residents participate. Once the devices are implemented, staff will collect six months of data to compare the before and after data to show how the program is working. C/Gonzales shared he visited the site and is interested to review the speed data. There is no traffic control between the two signs on Fountain Springs Road and Cold Springs Lane all the way to Evergreen Springs Drive, where it turns into the 15 mph zone. He was surprised there were no speed cushions built into that area in front of Evergreen Elementary, similar to what is in front of Castle Rock Elementary. Chair/Quan moved, C/Washington seconded, to receive and file staffs presentation and public comments. AYES: COMMISSIONERS: NOES: COMMISSIONERS: ABSENT: COMMISSIONERS: VI. STATUS OF PREVIOUS ACTION ITEMS: VII. ITEMS FROM COMMISSIONERS: Gonzalez, Washington, VC/Garg, Chair/Quan None Mehta C/Gonzales met with the City's traffic investigator from the Diamond Bar/Walnut Sheriffs Station. He was told the investigator would be pleased to attend any meeting, if requested by the City. APRIL 12, 2018 PAGE 5 T&T COMMISSION VIII. INFORMATIONAL ITEMS: A. Traffic Signal Infrastructure Upgrades Project, Phase III — AE/Malpica — This project was advertised for bid on February 20th. On March 121h, staff received five bids. Elecnor Belco Electric, Inc. submitted the lowest bid in the amount of $389,928. The engineer's estimate for this project is $400,900, with a schedule of 90 working days. On April 3rd, the City Council approved the contract and staff is working with the contractor to set the pre -construction meeting after which construction will begin. B. Adaptive Traffic Control Signal System (ATCS) —AE/Malpica — Request for proposals to install and integrate the ATCS's along Diamond Bar Boulevard, Golden Springs Drive and Grand Avenue was released on March 6th. On March 30th, staff received four (4) proposals which staff reviewed today. Upon selection of the qualified vendor, the contract is scheduled to be presented at the May 17th City Council meeting. C. Copley Drive/Golden Springs Drive Intersection Enhancements — AE/Malpica — Staff held a pre -construction meeting with the contractor on March 22nd and the contractor is expected to begin construction in June, with completion by mid-July 2018. D. City Entry Monument Sign Design Concepts —AE/Beshay—The bid opening for this project was held Thursday, April 5th. Staff received two bids and is currently checking those proposals for responsiveness. E. Pathfinder Road Rehabilitation (LA County) —AE/Beshay—The cold milling and final paving of the roadway along Pathfinder Road has been completed between Peaceful Hills Road and Canyon Ridge Lane. Construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of April. F. Citywide Drainage Improvement Project — Phase I and Phase If — AE/Beshay —Award of this project was approved by the City Council at its April 3rd meeting to Wright Construction Engineering Corp for a total bid amount of $400,873. Also, a contingency amount of $40,087 was authorized for any contract change orders to be approved by the City Manager for a total authorization amount of $440,960. Construction is expected to start later this month. G. Lemon Avenue Interchange Project — SCENoung — The westbound on- ramp and eastbound off -ramp were scheduled to be opened first on March 311 and then again last weekend; however, the openings have been postponed due to punchlist items created by Caltrans. They are trying to set the timing of the new signal at the eastbound on/off ramps at Lemon Avenue. Once the punchlist items have been addressed, the ramps will be opened on a future date which will be a weekday (Monday through Thursday). Once staff has a notification of the expected completion of the punchlist from Caltrans, the public will be notified when to expect the opening of the westbound on-ramp APRIL 12, 2018 PAGE 6 T&T COMMISSION and eastbound off -ramp. The new eastbound on-ramp will be opened at a later time, tentatively scheduled for this summer. Once the westbound on- ramp and eastbound off -ramp are opened at Lemon Avenue, the existing eastbound off -ramp at Brea Canyon Road (near the McDonald's, Chevron, Jack-in-the-Box location) will be permanently closed. Similarly, when the new eastbound on-ramp at Lemon Avenue is opened, the existing eastbound on- ramp at Brea Canyon Road will be permanently closed. The existing westbound ramps at Brea Canyon Road will remain open. H. SR -57/60 Confluence Project — SCENoung — Phase I includes the new westbound slip ramp, which is being constructed in the vicinity of where the old Honda Dealership and Burger King were located. Ramp construction was postponed for several months due to Edison construction; however, Edison has since resumed and completed the relocation of their facilities which has allowed the ramp to continue with construction. Barring any further unforeseen circumstances, the ramp is projected to be opened in October/November 2018. Phase 11 includes the reconstruction of the existing westbound off -ramp and the westbound loop on-ramp. The loop on-ramp was reopened on March 26th; however, it is open only for vehicles traveling north on Grand Avenue. Vehicles traveling south on Grand Avenue from the City of Walnut or the City of Industry cannot turn left onto the loop on-ramp, which continues to be restricted for another month or two. Similarly, when exiting the freeway to get off at Grand Avenue at the westbound off -ramp, vehicles are restricted to a right -turn -only, which means those traveling west on the SR -60 or south on the SR -57 are unable to exit at Grand Avenue and head south towards Diamond Bar or Chino Hills and must take a detour by exiting at Sunset Crossing Road or Diamond Bar Boulevard. These restrictions are expected to be in place for another month or two. Caltrans expects to have all of the construction completed by the end of April or May. Grand Avenue/Golden Springs Drive Intersection Improvements Update — SCENoung — Final project and landscape design continues with detailed finalization of the electrical design. This will incorporate additional lighting for the street trees that will be installed along Grand Avenue and Golden Springs Drive within the intersection area. This project will go to the City Council in a Study Session on Tuesday, April 17th for discussion of the landscape design details and direction to staff. Once the design is completed it will go out to bid in June, with construction to begin in January 2019. J. Morning Canyon Road Rehabilitation Project—SCENoung — No updates to report. The contractor is waiting for warmer weather to complete repairs and re -slurry of the roadway. Staff expects this project to be completed in May or June. K. TR 63623 — Southpointe Residential Development/Larkstone Park — AE/Aoun — No updates to report regarding the new home construction. The developer has modified the access gate to the development on Morning Sun Drive to allow vehicles to enter only from the LA County portion of the street. APRIL 12, 2018 PAGE 7 T&T COMMISSION Larkstone Park is near completion with staff performing final inspections with the developer. L. Diamond Bar Ranch Shopping Center (Sprouts/Chipotle/Coffee Bean/Ross/The Habit & McDonald's) — Development Update — AE/Aoun — The Habit pad recently received grading approval and will move forward within the next week or so after which they will pull permits for full construction of the building. There is no timeframe for construction or opening. McDonald's re- opened today to the public. M. Diamond Bar Boulevard Complete Streets Corridor - SCE/Young — This is a new project that is specific to Diamond Bar Boulevard between the SR -60 Freeway and Golden Springs Drive. The goal of this project is to design this section of Diamond Bar Boulevard to address various elements including complete streets which are elements that will enhance the roadway for all uses including transit, pedestrian, vehicular and bicycle traffic users. The Project goals are also to incorporate elements to address green streets or water quality that will enhance the street by treating the water before it gets into the storm/drain (catch basin) system and to include an overall streetscape enhancement to the corridor. As reported by AE/Aoun, the Diamond Ranch Center has been revitalized. To help promote the use of shopping centers and encourage further redevelopment, the City will continue enhancements of streetscapes wherever possible. This area was identified as the next target area to complete these improvements which will now move forward. Past improvements were done at the intersections of Diamond Bar Boulevard and Grand Avenue, Brea Canyon Road and Diamond Bar Boulevard; a City monument was installed at Longview Drive/Grand Avenue, and other monuments will be installed at various entry points in the near future. This is part of Council's Strategic Plan to enhance these intersections, streets and City entry points over the next several years. Two conceptual design alternatives for this project have been completed and were presented to the public in September 2017 to receive feedback regarding the public's preferred alternative. Public comments were received on all aspects of the project. The biggest difference between the alternatives was where the bicyclists would travel. The first alternative maintained bicyclists on the roadway grade with vehicles and enhancing the bike lanes by treating it with colored asphalt. The second alternative moves the bicyclists onto the same level as the pedestrians and separates the bicyclists from the pedestrians with a greenbelt/landscaped area. The second alternative was the preferred alternative of the residents and business owners who attended the open house in September. To move forward staff intended to take the conceptual alternatives to Council in April to discuss and receive Council's feedback to permit staff to move forward with the final design of one of the alternatives; however, that meeting has been postponed until after the FY 2018-19 budget is adopted and will likely take place in July or August, depending on the Study Session Agenda availability. Both alternatives are rather expensive. The first alternative is estimated at $4.5 million and the second alternative is estimated at $4.7 million. Once final APRIL 12, 2018 PAGE 8 T&T COMMISSION design is completed, staff intends to actively pursue various grant opportunities to fund this project. PWD/Liu provided Commissioners with copies of brochures that were provided to officials in Washington D.C. and Sacramento in connection with the pursuit of funding for the SR -57/60 Confluence Project. This project has regional and national significance and PWD/Liu explained the project in detail to the Commissioners. Chair/Quan thanked staff fortheir reports and thanked Castle Rock Road residents for their attendance and input. She encouraged everyone to attend the City's Annual Birthday Party on Saturday, April 14th at Pantera Park. IX. SCHEDULE OF FUTURE CITY EVENTS: ADJOURNMENT: There being no further business to come before the Traffic and Transportation Commission, Chair/Quan adjourned the meeting at 8:18 p.m. The foregoing minutes are hereby approved this Irl day of P4R 2018. Respectfully Submitted, IMF,,;vid G. - R_ li