REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Old Mountain View-Alviso Road Bridge Replacement at Calabazas Creek Project, and Approve Proceeding with the Project.
Report
BACKGROUND
The Old Mountain View-Alviso Road Bridge (Caltrans Bridge No. 37C-0254) is located on Old Mountain View Road between Patrick Henry Drive and Reamwood Avenue. It crosses over Calabazas Creek and is jointly shared between the City of Sunnyvale to the west and the City of Santa Clara to the east (Attachment 1 - Location Map). There is also a recreational trail that runs along the creek’s east side, under the bridge. The bridge was constructed in the mid-1960s, widened in 1974, and seismically retrofitted in1991 and 1997. It is a narrow, five span structure that is approximately 32 feet in total width and 113 feet in length, with four sets of piers in the creek channel. It has two 14-foot wide traffic lanes, no sidewalks and four-foot high barriers/floodwalls along each edge. The barriers/floodwalls on the bridge tie directly into the existing floodwall system along Calabazas Creek.
A bridge inspection performed by California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) in April 2012 listed the bridge as “structurally deficient’ with a bridge sufficiency rating of 49.7. Elements that influenced this rating include moderate to severe deck cracking and spalling, delaminated concrete, speckled rust and flaking on steel members, inadequate bicycle and pedestrian access, and being within the 100-year floodplain. Due to these deficiencies, the bridge is on the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Eligible Bridge List (EBL) and is therefore eligible for Caltrans-administered Federal Highway Bridge Program (HBP) funding for the design, right-of-way, and construction activities related to the project. When construction is completed, the bridge will be removed from the EBL.
A contract for design of this project was awarded to Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc. (BCA), of San Jose in the amount of $1,167,077 for engineering, design and environmental services on March 18, 2014 (RTC 14-0204). The scope of work is to provide design services for the demolition of the existing structure, which will be replaced with a wider two-lane structure that meets the Santa Clara Valley Water District (District) requirements for design flood clearance in Calabazas Creek. The new bridge also provides sidewalks and bicycle lanes on both sides.
EXISTING POLICY
General Plan, Chapter 3, Policy LT-5.4 - Maintain Roadways and traffic control devices in good operating condition and;
General Plan, Chapter 3, Policy LT-5.8 - Provide a safe and comfortable system of pedestrian and bicycle pathways.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The project requires both federal and state environmental reviews. The federal review was completed as of March 8, 2016. Completion of the state review is an action before the Council this evening.
National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA): The City is receiving federal funding for the bridge rehabilitation work through the FHWA HBP. The use of federal money required performing environmental analysis under the NEPA. To fulfill NEPA requirements, the City coordinated with the Caltrans Office of Local Assistance (OLA) to which FHWA has delegated its authority to prepare and certify NEPA documentation for certain qualifying projects. Caltrans OLA effectively served as lead agency for the NEPA review of the project; the City was a responsible agency.
On March 8, 2016, Caltrans OLA signed a Categorical Exemption/Categorical Exclusion (CE) for the project, effectively completing the NEPA documentation process. The CE for the project includes several environmental commitments that are similar to mitigation measures included in the Initial Study/Draft Mitigated Negative Declaration as discussed below.
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): The City is the lead agency for the CEQA review of the project. In March 2016, the environmental sub-consultant for the project, David J. Powers & Associates, prepared an Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration (IS/MND) for the subject project. The IS/MND determined that the proposed project could potentially have a significant effect on the environment. However, revisions to the project were made or agreed to by the City that mitigates all identified impacts, thus resulting in no significant impact.
A Draft IS/MND (available on the City website at: http://sunnyvale.ca.gov/Departments/PublicWorks/PublicWorksDivisions/Engineering.aspx) for the project was prepared and circulated for public review from April 1, 2016 to May 2, 2016. The Final Mitigated Negative Declaration (MND), included as Attachment 2; and the Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program (MMRP), included as Attachment 3, are presented today for Council adoption.
DISCUSSION
The project scope is to construct a new bridge on Old Mountain View-Alviso Road over Calabazas Creek. The replacement bridge will be constructed on the same alignment as the existing bridge and consists of a three span bridge approximately 125 feet in length and 52 feet in width. The bridge includes two 12-foot wide traffic lanes, two 8-foot shoulders-bike lanes, two 5-foot sidewalks and two 1-foot barriers. Temporary construction work within the creek for the replacement bridge is limited to approximately 50 feet on each side of the new bridge. One tree within the riparian corridor adjacent to the southwest corner of the existing bridge is being removed as a result of the new bridge construction.
The IS/MND for this project has been prepared to conform to CEQA and the regulations and policies of the cities of Sunnyvale and Santa Clara. The purpose of this IS/MND is to provide objective information regarding the environmental consequences of the proposed project to the public, as well as to the decision-makers who will be reviewing and considering the project. It also provides an analysis of environmental impacts under a number of subject areas including air quality, cultural resources, transportation and traffic, etc. Each subject area includes a checklist and the environmental impacts along with corresponding mitigation measures.
The mitigation measures outlined for the Calabazas Creek bridge project are related to minimizing impacts to fish, avoiding impacts on avian nesting, dewatering of the channel during construction, and preventing sediment or construction materials from entering the channel. The City will also require all construction related hazardous materials and hazardous wastes be stored, handled and used in accordance with applicable laws, and that measures will be implemented by the contractor for minimizing and controlling construction runoff to protect water quality. All of the potentially significant impacts were reduced to a less than significant level with mitigation measures proposed in the document. A MMRP has been prepared to ensure that all required mitigation measures are implemented (Attachment 3).
During the public comment period, staff received a total of eight written comments on the Draft IS/MND - all from the District. None of the comments identified any new or substantially more adverse environmental effects than had been noted in the MND. Staff prepared responses to the written comments and are included as Attachment 4.
Design work is nearing completion and the process of obtaining permits from regulatory agencies will commence soon. Permits include: Section 404 Permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Section 401 Water Quality Certification from the Regional Water Quality Control Board, Section 1600 Streambed Alteration Agreement from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, and Encroachment Permit from the Santa Clara Valley Water District for construction. The permitting agencies typically prefer to have the project CEQA document adopted by the lead agency before they will issue their respective permits.
Four temporary construction easements will be needed from adjacent private property owners, and are in progress. Construction is expected to take place in summer 2017.
FISCAL IMPACT
Capital Project 826850 (Calabazas Creek Bridge at Old Mt. View-Alviso Rd) is primarily funded through a HBP grant, which covers 88.53% of the project cost, with local matching funds providing the remaining 11.47%. The Sunnyvale local share of this project is funded by the Gas Tax Fund. As the bridge is jointly owned by Sunnyvale and Santa Clara, the two jurisdictions share local costs through a cooperative agreement. The total cost to replace the structure, including the proposed engineering, design and environmental services is estimated at approximately $9.9 million.
There is no fiscal impact with the adoption of the Mitigated Negative Declaration. A construction contract will be brought to council for consideration at a later date.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Senior Center, Community Center and Department of Public Safety; and by making the agenda and report available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, the Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
A notice was advertised in the local newspaper that the IS/MND was available for public review and posted at the Santa Clara County Recorder’s office, mailed to the County of Santa Clara, and sent to the California State Clearinghouse. Notices were also mailed to four adjacent landowners to the project site.
Responses to comments on the IS/MND have been sent directly to the District.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Make the Findings Required by CEQA (Attachment 5), Adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Old Mountain View-Alviso Road Bridge Replacement at Calabazas Creek Project, and approve proceeding with the Project.
2. Do not adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Old Mountain View-Alviso Road Bridge Replacement at Calabazas Creek Project. Without adopting the Mitigated Negative Declaration the project cannot proceed.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Make the Findings Required by CEQA (Attachment 5 in the staff report), Adopt the Mitigated Negative Declaration and Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program for the Old Mountain View-Alviso Road Bridge Replacement at Calabazas Creek Project, and approve proceeding with the Project.
Staff
Prepared by: Humza Javed, Senior Engineer
Reviewed by: Manuel Pineda, Director of Public Works
Reviewed by: Timothy J. Kirby, Director of Finance
Reviewed by: Kent Steffens, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Deanna J. Santana, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Location Map
2. Mitigated Negative Declaration
3. Mitigation Monitoring and Reporting Program
4. Responses to Comments on the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration
5. Findings for Adoption of Mitigated Negative Declaration