BILL ANALYSIS Ó SB 468 Page 1 Date of Hearing: July 6, 2011 ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON NATURAL RESOURCES Wesley Chesbro, Chair SB 468 (Kehoe) - As Amended: June 29, 2011 SENATE VOTE : 24-15 SUBJECT : Department of Transportation: north coast corridor project: high-occupancy toll lanes SUMMARY : Establishes a coordinated effort between the Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), and the California Coastal Commission (Commission) in the development of a public works plan for the North Coast Corridor Project (NCCP), which is a 27-mile long series of projects within the coastal zone in San Diego County that includes improvements to a segment of I-5 and the Los Angeles-San Diego-San Luis Obispo (LOSSAN) rail corridor. EXISTING LAW : 1)Requires, pursuant to the California Coastal Act of 1976, a person planning to perform or undertake any development in the coastal zone to obtain a coastal development permit from the Commission or local government enforcing a Local Coastal Program. 2)Defines "coastal zone" as that land and water area of the State of California extending seaward to the state's outer limit of jurisdiction, including all offshore islands, and extending inland generally 1,000 yards from the mean high tide line of the sea. In significant coastal estuarine, habitat, and recreational areas the coastal zone extends inland to the first major ridgeline paralleling the sea or five miles from the mean high tide line of the sea, whichever is less, and in developed urban areas the zone generally extends inland less than 1,000 yards. 3)Authorizes public works plans to promote greater efficiency for the planning of any public works project as an alternative to project-by-project review for projects in the coastal zone. SB 468 Page 2 4)Authorizes SANDAG to conduct, administer, and operate a value pricing and transit development demonstration program on a maximum of two transportation corridors in San Diego County. The program may direct and authorize the entry and use of high-occupancy vehicle lanes by single-occupant vehicles during peak periods for a fee. 5)Provides Caltrans with the full possession and control of all state highways and all property and rights in property acquired for state highway purposes. THIS BILL: 1)Requires that the public works plan approved for the NCCP within the coastal zone include all of the applicable elements of the NCCP to be carried out by Caltrans or SANGAD, including coastal access, highway, transit, multimodal transportation, community enhancement, and environmental restoration and mitigation. 2)Provides that once the public works plan for the NCCP has been approved and certified by the Commission, subsequent review by the Commission for specific projects will be limited to imposing conditions necessary to ensure consistency with the public works plan. 3)Requires that the public works plan include a process for obtaining coastal development permits, identifying specific project elements, and establishing mitigation measures to be undertaken by SANDAG and Caltrans. 4)Requires Caltrans and SANDAG, for all elements of the NCCP that are in the coastal zone, to comply with all of the following: a) Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that multimodal transportation (e.g. highways, rail lines, pedestrian walkways and bike lanes, and commuter transit services) are evaluated and included in the public works plan and in the project design. b) Establish safe routes to transit program that integrates the adopted regional bike plan with transit services. c) SANDAG shall recommend that Caltrans adopt an SB 468 Page 3 alternative no larger than the 8+4 Buffer Alternative (i.e. 12 highway lanes that include eight free flowing lanes and four multimodal managed lanes) for I-5 improvements. d) Concurrent construction of both rail and highway bridges that cross lagoons. e) Concurrent construction of highway, multimodal, and mitigation projects within each phase of the public works plan. f) Use revenue from the 2004 voter-approved transaction and use tax, commonly referred to as TransNet, to fund improvements on LOSSAN. 5)Requires the Commission, Caltrans, and SANDAG to work cooperatively toward completing all design approvals, reviews, determinations, and permitting for the NCCP on an expedited basis. 6)Authorizes SANDAG to conduct, administer, and operate a value pricing and transit development program in the I-5 corridor. 7)Directs any excess revenue to be used directly in the I-5 corridor exclusively for the improvement of transit service and for high-occupancy vehicle facilities. 8)Directs SANDAG, the North County Transit District, and Caltrans to cooperatively develop a single transit improvement plan for the I-5 corridor. FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown COMMENTS : The NCCP is a 27-mile long series of projects between the City of San Diego and the City of Oceanside that includes improvements to a segment of I-5 and the LOSSAN rail corridor. The NCCP has been designated as a high priority project pursuant to a September 18, 2002 presidential executive order. According to the author, the project is estimated to take up to 40 years to complete and cost between $3.4 billion and $4.5 billion. The LOSSAN rail corridor is used for intercity and commuter rail passenger service and for freight service. This rail corridor is the second most frequently traveled rail segment in the United States. Approximately 50 trains operate each weekday on SB 468 Page 4 the rail segment between San Diego and Oceanside. About half the San Diego rail corridor has been double tracked. Proposed infrastructure improvements include completing double tracking, bridge and track replacements, new platforms, pedestrian undercrossings, and other safety and operational enhancements. The segment of I-5 located in the North Coast Corridor experiences recurrent traffic congestion during weekday rush hours and also is heavily traveled on weekends. The average daily traffic is 261,000 vehicles and is projected to increase to 430,000 daily vehicles by the year 2030. The corridor currently consists of eight lanes with some segments currently operating high occupancy vehicle lanes. Caltrans is working with the federal government and SANDAG to develop a plan to accommodate increased capacity within the North Coast Corridor that includes heavy rail, bus rapid transit, bikeways, and other transit options, in addition to freeway expansion, the use of managed lanes, and other highway improvements. Coastal development permits issued by the Commission are required for projects within the coastal zone. Under this bill, the NCCP's public works plan will allow for an integrated regulatory review by the Commission rather than project-by-project approval, providing an expedited process that describes, evaluates, and establishes mitigation for highway, transit, multimodal, community enhancement, and environmental mitigation projects within the North Coast Corridor. Nothing in the public works plan provisions of this bill is intended to supersede the California Coastal Act of 1976. SANDAG and Caltrans are responsible for preparing the public works plan. Once the plan is approved by the Commission, projects will be reviewed for consistency with the plan by the Commission prior to a coastal development permit being issued. According to the author, this bill ensures that Caltrans and SANDAG work together to identify, fund, and complete multimodal transit solutions in coordination with constructing managed lanes or other freeway improvements. This ensures that those living and working within the North Coast Corridor will have viable and convenient transit options during the 40-year period that freeway improvements are underway. REGISTERED SUPPORT / OPPOSITION : SB 468 Page 5 Support Associated General Contractors San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce Opposition None on file Analysis Prepared by : Mario DeBernardo / NAT. RES. / (916) 319-2092