BILL ANALYSIS Ó
SENATE COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND HOUSING
Senator Jim Beall, Chair
2015 - 2016 Regular
Bill No: AB 2731 Hearing Date:
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|Author: |O'Donnell |
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|Version: |3/15/2016 |
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|Urgency: |No |Fiscal: |Yes |
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|Consultant|Erin Riches |
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SUBJECT: Vehicles: Terminal Island Freeway: special permits
DIGEST: This bill establishes the method for weighing trucks in
a designated heavy-truck corridor near the Ports of Long Beach
and Los Angeles.
ANALYSIS:
Existing law generally limits vehicles and vehicle combinations,
such as trucks and tractor-trailers, to a gross weight of no
more than 80,000 lbs. The state Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) or a local authority may, at its discretion, issue a
AB 2731 (O'Donnell) Page 2 of ?
permit to transport an oversized or overweight load on highways
under its control. This exception generally does not apply to
state highways.
Existing law authorizes Caltrans to issue a special permit to
the operator of a vehicle that exceeds the maximum gross vehicle
weight rating (GWVR) to travel on specified portions of the
Terminal Island Freeway near the Ports of Long Beach and Los
Angeles:
a)A 3.66-mile portion of State Route (SR) 47 and SR 103 known as
the Terminal Island Freeway, between Willow Street in the City
of Long Beach and Terminal Island in the City of Los Angeles.
b)A 2.4-mile portion of SR 1 between Sanford Avenue in the City
of Los Angeles and Harbor Avenue in the City of Long Beach.
In order for Caltrans to issue the permit, all of the following
conditions must be met:
a)The City of Carson, the City of Long Beach, and the City of
Los Angeles must adopt a resolution or ordinance in support of
the heavy-truck corridor.
b)The vehicle, vehicle combination, or mobile equipment must be
used to transport intermodal cargo containers in international
commerce.
c)The vehicle, vehicle combination, or mobile equipment, in
combination with its load, must not exceed 95,000 lbs. GWVR.
d)The vehicle, vehicle combination, or mobile equipment must
meet axle weight limits prescribed by Caltrans.
This bill requires the City of Carson, the City of Long Beach,
and the City of Los Angeles to conform weight limits for the
Terminal Island heavy-truck corridor to the weight limits
determined by Caltrans.
COMMENTS:
1)Purpose. The author states that the Ports of Long Beach and
Los Angeles are two of the most active port facilities in the
world, and together represent the busiest port complex in the
U.S. Multiple studies have confirmed that the port complex
AB 2731 (O'Donnell) Page 3 of ?
produces more traffic congestion and air pollution than any
other commercial facility in Southern California. The
American Lung Association's 2015 "State of the Air" report
notes that the Los Angeles Basin has some of the nation's
highest ozone and fine particulate pollution, and the South
Coast Air Quality Management District consistently points to
the port complex as the number one polluter in Southern
California. The author states that by establishing a uniform
method for the localities to use to determine truck weights,
this bill will help ease traffic congestion and air pollution
in the port complex.
2)Background: establishment of the heavy-truck corridor. More
than 20 years ago, the Ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles
sought the authority to allow intermodal cargo containers to
carry larger loads and thus lessen the truck traffic near the
facility. AB 2438 of 1994 (see below) authorized Caltrans to
issue special permits allowing the operation of overweight
vehicles on portions of the Terminal Island Freeway, upon
enactment of an ordinance or resolution by the affected
cities. The specially designated corridors connect both ports
to warehouses and distribution centers throughout the region,
allowing customers to move certain types of heavier cargo to
and from the port complex.
3)When is 95,000 lbs, not 95,000 lbs? Existing law establishes
a maximum of 95,000 lbs. GVWR for the heavy-truck corridor.
However, while the City of Long Beach and City of Carson use a
common method of determining whether a truck is overweight,
the City of Los Angeles uses a different method. These
different approaches have led to confusion among users of the
heavy-truck corridor, resulting in fines, penalties, and
uneven enforcement among the three jurisdictions. To address
this problem, the City of Los Angeles approved a motion in
August 2015 to amend its ordinance to direct trucks in the
heavy- truck corridor to be weighed consistent with
surrounding jurisdictions. According to the author's office,
however, the city continues to weigh trucks in a manner unlike
the other jurisdictions, despite the amended ordinance. This
bill would set a uniform standard for the local enforcement of
trucks allowed to exceed normal weight limits.
4)Amendments. The amendments of June XX are technical and are
intended to assist and clarify implementation.
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Related Legislation:
AB 2438 (Karnette), Chapter 1037, Statutes of 1994 -authorized
Caltrans to issue overweight permits for the Terminal Island
Freeway, until 1998.
SB 839 (Karnette), Chapter 358, Statutes of 1997 - extended the
sunset on the weight exemption for five years, from 1998 until
2003.
SB 2072 (Karnette), Chapter 229, Statutes of 2002 - deleted the
sunset on the weight exemption, making the authority permanent.
AB 1128 (Furutani), Chapter 298, Statutes of 2011 - extended by
0.3 miles the portion of SR 1 for which Caltrans may issue
overweight permits.
Assembly Votes:
Floor: 78-0
Approps: 20-0
Trans: 15-0
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
POSITIONS: (Communicated to the committee before noon on
Wednesday,
June 8, 2016.)
SUPPORT:
California Association of Port Authorities
Mayor Eric Garcetti, City of Los Angeles
OPPOSITION:
None received
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