BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    






           SENATE TRANSPORTATION & HOUSING COMMITTEE       BILL NO: AB 344
          SENATOR ALAN LOWENTHAL, CHAIRMAN               AUTHOR:  Caballero
                                                         VERSION: 4/15/09
          Analysis by: Art Bauer                         FISCAL:  yes
          Hearing date: June 23, 2009






          SUBJECT:

          State highway relinquishments

          DESCRIPTION:

          This bill relinquishes a segment of State Route (SR) 146 to the  
          City of Soledad, and a segment of SR 1 (Pacific Coast Highway)  
          and a portion of SR 55 to the City of Newport Beach. 

          ANALYSIS:

          Existing law:

                 Identifies the California state highway system through a  
               description of segments of the state's regional and  
               interregional roads that are owned and operated by the  
               Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

                 Defines a "state highway" as any roadway that is  
               acquired, laid out, constructed, improved, or maintained as  
               a state highway according to legislative authorization.

                 Specifies that it is the intent of the Legislature for  
               the routes of the state highway system to connect the  
               communities and regions of the state, and that they serve  
               the state's economy by connecting centers of commerce,  
               industry, agriculture, mineral wealth, and recreation.

                 Provides that any expansion or deletion of the state  
               highway system is through a statutory process requiring the  
               California Transportation Commission (CTC) to make findings  
               that it is in the best interest of the state to include or  
               delete a specified portion of roadway from the system.





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           This bill  :   

             1.   Authorizes the CTC to relinquish to the City of Soledad  
               a 1-mile segment of State Route (SR) 146, upon terms and  
               conditions CTC finds to be in the best interest of the  
               state.  

             2.   Requires the City of Soledad to provide signage  
               indicating the continuation of SR 146 through the city.

             3.   Authorizes the CTC to relinquish to the City of Newport  
               Beach a 4.12-mile portion of SR 1 (Pacific Coast Highway)  
               from the Santa Ana River Bridge to Jamboree, and a .18-mile  
               portion of SR 55 (Newport Boulevard) from Finley Street to  
               the Newport Channel Bridge. 

             4.   Requires the City of Newport Beach to provide signage  
               indicating the continuation of SR 1 and SR 55 through the  
               city.

             5.   Requires the City of Newport Beach to ensure that  
               traffic flows on the relinquished segments through the use  
               of traffic signal synchronization and other means. 

             6.   Provides that the relinquishments will become effective  
               immediately following the county recordation of the  
               relinquishment resolutions containing the CTC's approval of  
               the           specified terms and conditions.  

             7.   Specifies that following the effective date of  
               relinquishment the relinquished segments will no longer be  
               state highways and may not be considered for future  
               adoption as state highways.  

          COMMENTS:
          
           Purpose . For several years, the City of Soledad has been  
          planning and implementing various beautification projects within  
          the city, focused primarily on Front Street. A segment of SR 146  
          coincides with of Front Street. Because the beautification  
          features planned by the city are inconsistent with state highway  
          design standards, the relinquishment of SR 146 to the city will  
          allow the city to implement a consistent design standard for the  
          entire length of Front Street.  
          
          SB 290 (Transportation Committee bill), Statutes of 2001,  




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          relinquished a portion of SR 1 to the City of Newport Beach. The  
          relinquishment authorizes by this bill is a continuation of the  
          earlier relinquishment. The city would like to take over the  
          ownership of this segment of SR 1 so that it can maintain the  
          entire length of the highway through the community to the level  
          that it desires and at the time of low traffic volumes. 
          
          Assembly Votes:
               Floor:    79-0
               Appr: 17-0
               Trans:    10-0

          POSITIONS:  (Communicated to the Committee before noon on  
          Wednesday, 
                     June 17, 2009)

               SUPPORT:  City of Soledad (co-sponsor)
                         City of Newport Beach (co-sponsor)
                         Soledad Historical Society
                         Soledad Unified School District
                         Transportation Agency for Monterey County

               OPPOSED:  None received.