Title
Community Development Agency, Transportation Division, recommending the Board receive and file a presentation regarding the status of the Mount Murphy Road at South Fork American River - Bridge Replacement Project, CIP 77129. (Est. Time: 1 Hr.)
FUNDING: Highway Bridge Program. (100% - Federal)
Body
DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION
Community Development Agency, Transportation Division (Transportation), recommending the Board receive and file a presentation regarding the status of the Mount Murphy Road at South Fork American River - Bridge Replacement Project (Project), CIP 77129.
Transportation will continue work on the environmental process and the Environmental Impact Report for the Project with the focus on Alternative 1 and qualitative analysis of Alternatives 2 and 3. Transportation will return to the Board for Project approval at a later date.
DISCUSSION / BACKGROUND
On February 4, 2014 (Item 24), the Board received a presentation on the completion of Phase 1A of the Project in the form of a Feasibility Study. The results of this Study demonstrated that rehabilitation of the existing bridge is not feasible. The Board subsequently directed staff to complete Phase 1B, whereby several alternatives were studied and narrowed down to three (3) alternatives.
On December 16, 2014 (Item 47), the Board received a presentation regarding the status of Phase 1B, after the completion of a series of three Stakeholder Advisor Committee workshops held at the Gold Trail Grange (Grange) in Coloma. Materials from the workshops and meeting minute summaries are posted on the Project website at www.edcgov.us/MtMurphyBridge <http://www.edcgov.us/MtMurphyBridge>.
A public workshop was held at the Grange in late January 2015 to present these results to the public and to formally announce the beginning of the environmental process by issuance of the Notice of Preparation.
Transportation and their consultants have continued work on the technical analysis of the three alternatives considered for evaluation in the environmental process and as they pertain to funding, design practices, right-of-way impacts, environmental impacts, and cultural/historical impacts. The three alternatives are identified as:
• Alternative 1 “On-Alignment”
• Alternative 2 “Mid-Stream”
• Alternative 3 “Downstream”
The analysis supports the evaluated Alternative 1 “On-Alignment” (Alternative 1) as it applies to the California Environmental Quality Act and National Environmental Policy Act environmental documentation on the Project. Transportation supports this as the preferred alternative because it results in the least roadway expansion and disturbance areas, and minimizes environmental and cultural impacts to the least possible extent. Alternative 1 is also the most cost and schedule effective solution, meets the Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funding requirements, and is consistent with El Dorado County Transportation Commission’s (EDCTC) State Route (SR) 49 Realignment Study and California Department of Transportation’s (Caltrans) Draft 2016 SR 49 Transportation Concept Report. Caltrans will be starting construction this spring on a SR 49 bridge replacement to include pedestrian features. Transportation has had meetings with State Parks, Caltrans, and EDCTC to address the concerns on SR 49 through the historic park district as a separate Caltrans project.
Various meetings were held with Caltrans, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and the Marshall Gold Discovery State Park (Park) to keep these agencies well informed of the Project’s progress and requested their comments. Caltrans has expressed concerns on the structural stability of the existing bridge and also the sensitive nature of the site area, and is supportive of Alternative 1. The Park has expressed concern with consistency with their 1979 General Plan. Within the Park General Plan is a concept for new vehicle traffic bridges located up and downstream of the Park’s historic district and a pedestrian bridge at the existing bridge location. The Park agreed that Alternative 1 is the preferred alternative, but requested additional pedestrian safety features be added at the SR 49 intersection, if possible.
A public workshop was held at the Grange on January 12, 2017, which provided an update and presentation of Alternative 1, as the preferred alternative, to the public interested in the Project.
ALTERNATIVES
N/A
OTHER DEPARTMENT / AGENCY INVOLVEMENT
EDCTC, Park, Caltrans, and FHWA.
CAO RECOMMENDATION
It is recommended that the Board receive and file a presentation on the bridge at Mount Murphy Road at South Fork American River.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
The Project is included in the adopted 2016 Capital Improvement Program, with funding fully provided by the Highway Bridge Program, which is Federal funds. There is no Net County Cost associated with the Project.
CLERK OF THE BOARD FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Receive and file presentation.
TRANSPORTATION FOLLOW UP ACTIONS
Transportation will continue work on the environmental process and the Environmental Impact Report for the Project with the focus on Alternative 1 and qualitative analysis of Alternatives 2 and 3. Transportation will return to the Board for Project approval at a later date.
STRATEGIC PLAN COMPONENT
Infrastructure
CONTACT
Bard R. Lower
Director, Transportation Division
Community Development Agency, Transportation Division