BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING
Senator Jim Beall, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 652 Hearing Date: 6/23/2015
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|Author: |Cooley |
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|Version: |6/16/2015 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant|Eric Thronson |
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SUBJECT: State Highway Route 16: relinquishment.
DIGEST: This bill authorizes the California Transportation
Commission (CTC) to relinquish segments of State Route (SR) 16
in the City of Rancho Cordova as well as in the unincorporated
portion of Sacramento County.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law:
1)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). Technically, a state
highway is any roadway that Caltrans is legislatively
authorized to acquire, lay out, construct, improve, or
maintain. Existing law 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.
2)Provides a two-step process for the state to expand or delete
a section of the state highway system that begins with the
Legislature amending existing law and then CTC making findings
that it is in the best interest of the state to include or
delete a specified portion of roadway from the system. This
is known as the state highway relinquishment process.
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This bill:
1)Authorizes CTC to relinquish to the City of Rancho Cordova the
westbound lanes of SR 16 between Sunrise Boulevard and Grant
Line Road, upon terms and conditions approved by CTC.
2)Authorizes CTC to relinquish to Sacramento County the portion
of SR 16 within the unincorporated area of the county that is
between Watt Avenue and 0.2 miles east of grant Line Road,
except for the westbound lanes relinquished to Rancho Cordova,
upon terms and conditions approved by CTC.
3)Provides that these relinquishments will become effective the
date following the county recordation of the relinquishment
resolution.
4)Specifies that following the effective date of these
relinquishments, the relinquished segments will no longer be
state highways and may not be considered for future adoption
as a state highway.
5)Requires the City of Rancho Cordova and Sacramento County to
apply for approval of a business route designation in
accordance with Chapter 20, Topic 21, of the Highway Design
Manual.
6)Requires Sacramento County to:
a) Ensure the continuity of traffic flow, including any
traffic signal progression, and to provide signage
directing motorists to the continuation of SR 16.
b) Maintain the federal Surface Transportation Assistance
Act truck route designation for SR 16.
c) Administer the operation and maintenance of the roadway
consistent with professional traffic engineering standards.
d) Ensure that appropriate traffic studies or analyses will
be performed to substantiate decisions affecting traffic on
the roadway.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. According to the author, planned local development
will transform SR 16 into a route of both interregional and
local significance. Sacramento County has major new
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development planned along the corridor, consistent with the
region's blueprint planning scenario, of over 55,000 new
residential units and 19 million square feet of commercial and
business space. The author contends that the state has long
been interested in relinquishing this portion of SR 16 to
local jurisdictions. This bill accomplishes that aim.
2)Relinquishments. Each session, the Legislature passes and the
governor signs numerous bills authorizing CTC to relinquish
segments of the state highway system to local jurisdictions.
Relinquishment transactions are generally preceded by a
negotiation of terms and conditions between the local
jurisdiction and Caltrans. Once an agreement has been
established, CTC typically approves the relinquishment and
verifies its approval via a resolution.
Of interest, the administration proposed budget trailer bill
language this year intending to streamline the state's
relinquishment process. According to the governor's budget
summary, a number of routes are still part of the state
highway system that no longer serve an interregional purpose,
and instead serve primarily regional or local purposes. The
proposed trailer bill language broadens and streamlines the
state process for relinquishing these portions of the
statewide system that primarily serve regional or local
purposes. This could be a win-win proposal, with both locals
and the state benefiting. On one hand, shifting ownership of
these segments, many of which run through a downtown area,
will increase local flexibility to add stoplights and make
better use of valuable real estate to support transit-oriented
development. Meanwhile, additional relinquishments reduce the
state's long-term costs for ongoing maintenance and repair of
the state system. There is merit in a proposal streamlining
the relinquishment process; however, it seems that such a
proposal should be considered through the policy bill process
and not as an add-on to the state's annual budget.
Luckily, Senator Allen has authored Senate Bill 254, which
proposes a similar streamlining process and is progressing as
a regular policy bill. SB 254 is pending in the Assembly
Transportation Committee.
3)SR 16 history. In 2014, the Legislature passed and the
governor signed AB 1957 (Dickinson, Chapter 95), which
authorized the CTC to relinquish segments of SR 16 in the City
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of Sacramento as well as in the unincorporated portion of
Sacramento County. This bill expands that relinquishment
further east, incorporating the southern boundary of Rancho
Cordova.
SR 16 is a statutorily defined interregional route and,
therefore, has potentially greater significance to the state
highway system than lesser routes for which relinquishments
tend to proceed without controversy. In fact, it is
precisely because SR 16 is an interregional route that the
Amador County Transportation Commission (ACTC) has opposed the
relinquishment. ACTC, along with the Rural County
Representatives of California (RCRC), argue that SR 16 is a
vital interregional connecting highway. They contend that it
is important to safeguard the route's "flow times" and they
are concerned that Sacramento County's planned development of
the area, including the planned improvements to SR 16, will
adversely affect drivers traveling to and from Amador County.
The bill's author has taken some amendments intended to
assuage ACTC and RCRC's opposition. Understandably, ACTC and
RCRC are concerned for the impact that encroaching urban
development will have on Amador County residents and visitors
who use SR 16. But as "unfair" as ACTC views Sacramento
County's planned development, which made the relinquishment
request necessary, the idea that a neighboring county could
impose the magnitude of conditions that ACTC is proposing on
Sacramento County is unreasonable. Furthermore, development
in Sacramento County is going to happen regardless of the
relinquishment, and Amador residents will be impacted. It
seems reasonable that the development be served by a planned,
thoughtful transportation network rather than a hodgepodge
relic of a previously rural highway.
Related Legislation:
SB 254 (Allen) - streamlines the state's highway relinquishment
process to not include legislative approval of each relinquished
segment. This bill is pending in the Assembly Transportation
Committee.
SB 461 (Hernandez) - authorizes the CTC to relinquish to Los
Angeles County a segment of SR 164 south of Temple City. This
bill is pending referral in the Assembly Rules Committee.
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AB 218 (Melendez) - authorizes the CTC to relinquish to
Riverside County a segment of SR 74 between Lake Elsinore and
Perris. This bill is also being heard in this committee today.
AB 1957 (Dickinson, Chapter 95, Statutes of 2014) - authorized
the CTC to relinquish segments of SR 16 in the City of
Sacramento as well as in the unincorporated portion of
Sacramento County.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 77-0
Appr: 16-0
Trans: 11-0
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Wednesday,
June 17, 2015.)
SUPPORT:
City of Rancho Cordova
City of Sacramento
County of Sacramento
Sacramento Area Council of Governments
Sacramento Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce
Stonebridge Properties
OPPOSITION:
Amador County Transportation Commission
Rural County Representatives of California
-- END --
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