September – December Changes to California Highways

It’s time for the final highway page update of 2014. I know they have been few and infrequent this year, but that’s how it goes sometimes. Let’s dig in:

Updates were made to the following highways, based on my reading of the papers (which are posted to the roadgeeking category at the “Observations Along The Road” and to the California Highways Facebook group) as well as any backed up email changes. I also reviewed the the AAroads forum, but as usual it contained no additional information beyond what I gleaned on my own. I’ve given up on misc.transport.road. This resulted in changes on the following routes, with credit as indicated [my research⁽¹⁾, contributions of information or leads (via direct mail) from Russ Berckmoes⁽²⁾, Michael Carrillo⁽³⁾, Patrick Chandler⁽⁴⁾]: I-5^(1,2), Route 12⁽¹⁾, Route 17⁽¹⁾, Route 29⁽¹⁾, Route 33⁽³⁾, Route I-80⁽¹⁾, Route 84⁽¹⁾, Route 85⁽¹⁾, US 101⁽¹⁾, Route 103⁽¹⁾, I-110⁽⁴⁾, Route I-215⁽¹⁾, Route 258⁽¹⁾, I-280⁽¹⁾, I-580⁽¹⁾, I-710/Route 710⁽¹⁾, I-880⁽¹⁾. I also added information on the origin of the County Route Marker program brought to my attention by the folks handling AAroads over of Facebook, which also updated Lassen County Route A1.

Reviewed the Pending Legislation page, based on the new California Legislature site. As usual, I recommend to every Californian that they visit the legislative website regularly and see what their legis-critters are doing. Noted passage of the following items:

• AB 1721 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Linder) Vehicles: high-occupancy vehicle lanes. Existing federal law authorizes, until September 30, 2017, a state to allow specified labeled vehicles to use lanes designated for high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs). Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to designate certain lanes for the exclusive use of HOVs, which may also be used, until January 1, 2019, or until the date the federal authorization expires, or until the Secretary of State receives that specified notice, whichever occurs first, by certain eligible low-emission and hybrid vehicles not carrying the requisite number of passengers otherwise required for the use of an HOV lane if the vehicle displays a vehicle identifier issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles. Existing law exempts a vehicle, eligible under these provisions to use HOV lanes, from toll charges imposed on single-occupant vehicles in designated high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes unless prohibited by federal law.This bill would instead grant a vehicle, eligible under these provisions to use HOV lanes, a toll-free or reduced-rate passage in HOT lanes.

  This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 5205.5 of the Vehicle Code proposed by AB 2013, that would become operative only if AB 2013 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2015, and this bill is chaptered last.
  09/21/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 526, Statutes of 2014.

• AB 1957 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Dickinson) State Highway Route 16. Existing law gives the Department of Transportation full possession and control of all state highways. Existing law describes the authorized routes in the state highway system and establishes a process for adoption of a highway on an authorized route by the California Transportation Commission. Existing law authorizes the commission to relinquish certain state highway segments to local agencies.This bill would authorize the commission to relinquish to the City of Sacramento the portion of Route 16 that is located within the city limits of that city, and to relinquish to the County of Sacramento a specified portion of Route 16 that is located within the unincorporated area of that county, under certain conditions.
  09/15/14Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 335, Statutes of 2014.0140AB1957&search_keywords=
• AB 2013 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Muratsuchi) Vehicles: high-occupancy vehicle lanes. Existing federal law, until September 30, 2017, authorizes a state to allow specified labeled vehicles to use lanes designated for high-occupancy vehicles (HOVs). Existing law authorizes the Department of Transportation to designate certain lanes for the exclusive use of HOVs. Under existing law, until January 1, 2019, or until federal authorization expires, or until the Secretary of State receives a specified notice, those lanes may be used by certain vehicles not carrying the requisite number of passengers otherwise required for the use of an HOV lane, if the vehicle displays a valid identifier issued by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Existing law authorizes the DMV to issue no more than 55,000 of those identifiers.This bill would increase the number of those identifiers that the DMV is authorized to issue to 70,000. This bill would incorporate additional changes in Section 5205.5 of the Vehicle Code proposed by AB 1721, that would become operative only if AB 1721 and this bill are both chaptered and become effective on or before January 1, 2015, and this bill is chaptered last.
  09/21/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 527, Statutes of 2014.
• AB 2090 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Fong) High-occupancy toll lanes: San Diego County and Santa Clara County. Existing law authorizes the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) to administer and operate high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes on Interstate 15 and on 2 other transportation corridors within the county, under which single-occupancy vehicles may use high-occupancy vehicle lanes by paying a toll. Existing law similarly authorizes the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) to administer and operate HOT lanes on 2 state highway corridors within the county. Existing law requires that implementation of the HOT lanes ensure that specified levels of service, described as Level of Service C or D, as specified, be maintained at all times in the high-occupancy lanes and that unrestricted access to the lanes by high-occupancy vehicles be available at all times. Existing law requires SANDAG and VTA to establish, with the assistance of the Department of Transportation, appropriate traffic flow guidelines for the purpose of ensuring optimal use of the HOT lanes by high-occupancy vehicles without adversely affecting other traffic in the state highway system.This bill would delete the reference to Level of Service C or D, and instead would require SANDAG and VTA to establish, with the consent of the Department of Transportation, appropriate performance measures, such as speed or travel times, for the purpose of ensuring that optimal use of the HOT lanes. The bill would provide that high-occupancy vehicles using these HOT lanes may be required to have an electronic transponder or other electronic device for enforcement purposes.

  Existing law, with respect to the above-referenced HOT lane corridors, specifies the authorized uses of toll revenues generated from those lanes, including costs associated with operation of the HOT lanes, transit service improvements, and high-occupancy vehicle facilities within the affected corridor.

  This bill would additionally authorize the use of the toll revenues for transportation corridor improvements within the affected corridor..
  09/21/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 528, Statutes of 2014.

• AB 2250 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Daly) Toll facilities: revenues. Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation has full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law authorizes tolls to be imposed on certain facilities that are part of the state highway system, including toll roads, toll bridges, and high-occupancy toll lanes. Existing law, in certain cases, provides for the toll facilities to be administered by local agencies.This bill would require any toll revenues generated from a managed lane on the state highway system that is administered by a local agency to be expended only within the respective corridor in which the managed lane is located. The bill would define “managed lane” for these purposes.
  09/20/14Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 500, Statutes of 2014.
• AB 2752 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Lowenthal) Transportation. (1) Existing law provides for the adoption of the state transportation improvement program by the California Transportation Commission and for the adoption of a congestion management program by specified local agencies. Existing law specifies the duties of the Secretary of Transportation with regard to these programs.
  (2) Existing law establishes contracting procedures for local agencies….
  (3) Existing law establishes the State Highway System and designates state highway routes from Route 1 to Route 980, unless otherwise specified by name, and authorizes the California Transportation Commission to relinquish all or a portion of designated state highway routes to specified local agencies, including the City of Oxnard and City of Newport Beach, if certain conditions are met. Portions of state highways that have been relinquished are not state highways and become ineligible for future adoption as a part of the State Highway System.
  (4) Existing law requires the Department of Motor Vehicles to establish the California Legacy License Plate Program, under which license plates are issued that replicate the look of license plates from the state’s past. Existing law provides for payment of certain fees by an applicant for various services related to issuance of these plates, in addition to regular vehicle registration fees.
  (5) Existing law authorizes a county, upon the adoption of a resolution by its board of supervisors, to impose a fee of $1 on all motor vehicles…
  (6) Existing law requires the Department of the California Highway Patrol to regulate the safe operation of certain classes of vehicles….
  (7) Existing law exempts a driver employed by an electrical corporation, a gas corporation, a telephone corporation, a water corporation, or a public water district from hours-of-service regulations…
  (8) Existing law prohibits a person from operating, transporting, or leaving standing certain off-highway motor vehicles…(1) This bill would correct obsolete references in these provisions.
  (2) This bill would revise the provisions governing new county road construction and reconstruction work ….
  (3) This bill would acknowledge the relinquishment of specific portions of Routes 1, 34, and 232, to the City of Oxnard and the relinquishment of a specific portion of Route 55 to the City of Newport Beach, and would make other technical changes.
  (4) This bill would allow an applicant for legacy plates, upon payment of associated fees, to request that the plate contain a particular combination of letters or numbers, or both. The bill would require payment of a fee of $38 when the holder of a legacy plate containing a particular combination retains the plate but does not renew a vehicle’s registration.
  (5) This bill would require the Controller to post the annual revenue and expenditure summary…
  (6) This bill would instead refer to any vehicle or combination of vehicles transporting hazardous materials.
  (7) This bill would also exempt a driver employed by a local publicly owned electric utility…
  (8) This bill would delete the transportation of certain off-highway motor vehicles from the prohibition described above
  (9) The bill would also correct various other obsolete references and erroneous cross-references and make other related changes.
  (10) This bill would incorporate additional changes to Section 34500 of the Vehicle Code made by this bill and SB 611, to take effect if both bills are chaptered and this bill is chaptered last.
  09/15/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Chapter 345, Statutes of 2014.
• ACR 118 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Logue) California Small Business Owners’ Highway.
  Designates Route 99 between Hull Road and Stewart Road in Sutter County as the “California Small Business Owners’ Highway“.
  09/11/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Res. Chapter 174, Statutes of 2014.
• ACR 145 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Achadjian) Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial: highway signs.
  Requests the Department of Transportation to determine the cost of appropriate directional signs, consistent with the signing requirements for the state highway system, on US 101 at its intersection with westbound Route 41 in the City of Atascadero, to the Faces of Freedom Veterans Memorial.
  09/11/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Res. Chapter 175, Statutes of 2014.
• ACR 158 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Perea) The CHP Officers Brian M. Law and Juan J. Gonzalez Memorial Highway.
  Designates the portion of Route 99 from the Fresno/Tulare County Line to the Mountain View Avenue Overcrossing in the County of Fresno as the “CHP Officers Brian M. Law and Juan J. Gonzalez Memorial Highway“.
  09/11/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Res. Chapter 176, Statutes of 2014.
• ACR 159 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Chesbro) Deputy Sheriffs Deeds and Del Fiorentino memorial highways.
  Designates the five mile portion of Route 116 immediately south of the junction of Route 1, in the County of Sonoma as the “Deputy Sheriff Merrit W. Deeds Memorial Highway“; also designates the portion of Route 1, between milepost marker 62.0 and milepost marker 65.0, adjacent to MacKerricher State Park in the County of Mendocino as the “Deputy Sheriff Ricky Del Fiorentino Memorial Highway“.
  09/11/14Chaptered by Secretary of State – Res. Chapter 177, Statutes of 2014.
• ACR 162 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Medina) CDF Firefighter John D. Guthrie Memorial Highway.
  Designates the portion of Route 215 between the Ramona Expressway Exit, at postmile 31.08, and its junction with Route 74, at postmile 26.31, as the “CDF Firefighter John D. Guthrie Memorial Highway“.
  09/09/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Res. Chapter 160, Statutes of 2014.
• ACR 170 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Holden) Pasadena Police Agent Richard Morris Memorial Highway.
  Designates the portion of Route 210 from Rosemead Boulevard on the east to Allen Avenue on the west in the City of Pasadena as the “Pasadena Police Agent Richard Morris Memorial Highway“.
  09/11/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Res. Chapter 181, Statutes of 2014.
• ACR 173 [2013-2014 Legislative Session] (Gomez) Joe Gatto Memorial Highway.
  Designates the portion of I-10 between I-710 and I-5 in the County of Los Angeles as the “Joe Gatto Memorial Highway“.
  09/11/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State – Res. Chapter 184, Statutes of 2014.
• SB 842 (Knight) Highway signs: Veterans’ Home of California.
  Existing law provides that the Department of Transportation is in full possession and control of the state highway system. Existing law provides for placement of signs on state highways, as specified.This bill would require the department to erect, at appropriate locations on highways in the state highway system, generic directional signs to each Veterans’ Home of California, upon receiving funds from nonstate sources sufficient to cover the cost.
  09/27/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 654, Statutes of 2014.
• SB 1368 (Wolk) State highways: relinquishment.
  Existing law gives the Department of Transportation full possession and control of all state highways. Existing law provides for the relinquishment of state highways or portions of state highways to any county or city by the California Transportation Commission in accordance with specified criteria and procedures. Existing law, in addition, authorizes the commission to relinquish to a county transportation commission or regional transportation planning agency a park-and-ride lot within their respective jurisdictions, if the department enters into an agreement with the county transportation commission or regional transportation planning agency providing for that relinquishment and other conditions are satisfied.This bill would also authorize the commission to relinquish a park-and-ride lot to a transit district or a joint powers authority formed for purposes of providing transportation services, in the manner described above.
  09/09/14 Chaptered by Secretary of State. Chapter 315, Statutes of 2014.

I checked the CTC Liaison page for the results of the CTC meetings from September through December 2014. The following items were of interest (note: ° indicates items that were below the level of detail for updating the specific route pages) :

2.2b. Submittal of Notice for Two Documents Available for Comment (DEIRs)

(Dec) Submittal of Notice for Two Documents Available for Comment (DEIRs): [Approved.]

1. 04-SM-82, PM 13.69: Route 82 at Floribunda Avenue Intersection Safety Project: Construct safety improvements on Route 82 at Floribunda Avenue in San Mateo County.
2. 07-LA-14, PM 57.8/64.1, 08-SBd-18, PM 84.3: High Desert Corridor Project: Construct a new 63 mile long transportation facility in Los Angeles and San Bernardino Counties. [Although the CTC tagged this as 07-LA-14 and 08-SBD-18 (e.g., Route 14 and Route 18), the information on the HDC is currently with Route 138]

2.2c. Approval of Project for New Public Road Connection and Consideration of Funding

(Oct) (2) Approval of Project for New Public Road Connection and Consideration of Funding: 03 – Colusa County – Route 20 Connection Project – construction of a new public road connection to I-5 and Route 20 in the City of Williams. (MND) (STIP) (PPNO 1105) [Approved, as in the Pink Handout distributed at the meeting.]

(Dec) (1) Approval of Projects for Future Consideration of Funding: [Approved.]

1. 04-CC-680, PM R11.2/16.6: I-680 Southbound HOV Gap Closure Project: Add a 5.4 mile long HOV lane to Interstate 680 in Contra Costa County.
2. °04-Ala-580, PM R3.9/R4.2: I-580 Storm Damage Repair Project: Construct drainage improvements and repair storm damage on I-580 in Alameda County.
3. °04-Ala-580, PM R4.9/R5.6: North Flynn Road Slipout Project: Storm damage repair and improvements on I-580 in Alameda County.
4. °04-Ala-580, PM 0.0/8.0, 04-ALA-205, PM 0.0/1.0: I-580 Roadway Rehabilitation Project: Construct roadway improvements on I-580 in Alameda County.
5. °04-Ala-580, PM 0.0/8.1, 22.0/30.3, 10-SJ-580, PM 13.5/15.4: Freeway Performance Initiative I-580 in Alameda and San Joaquin Counties: Install traffic control equipment on I-580 in Alameda and San Joaquin Counties.
6. °04-Son-116, PM 13.7: Pocket Canyon Creek Retaining Wall Project: Repair and re-install retaining wall on Route 116 and repair roadway damage on Route 116 along Pocket Canyon Creek in Sonoma County.
7. °05-SCr-17, PM 0.7/2.2: Santa Cruz 17 Sediment Control Project: Install erosion control devices on a portion of Route 17 in Santa Cruz County.
8. 06-Tul-190, PM 4.0/5.0: Laird’s Corner Roundabout Project: Intersection improvements on Route 190 and Bliss Lane in Tulare County.
9. 06-Mad-41, PM 11.7/13.6: Route 41 Passing Lanes Project: Construct passing lanes on a portion of Route 41 in Madera County.
10. °09-Iny-395, PM 20.3/22.3: Haiwee Clear Recovery Zone Project: Roadway improvements (a recovery zone with widened shoulders and corrected roadside slope) on a portion of US 395 in Inyo County.
11. 10-Mer-99, PM R28.8/R37.3: Livingston Median Widening Project: Construct additional lanes on a portion of Route 99 in Merced County.

(Dec) (2) Approval of Projects for Future Consideration of Funding: 05-SB-101, PM 1.4/12.3 South Coast US 101 HOV Lanes Project: Add HOV Lanes to a portion of US 101 in Santa Barbara County. (FEIR) (PPNO 7101) (STIP) [Approved, as modified.]

(Dec) (3) Approval of Projects for Future Consideration of Funding: 06-Fre-180, PM R74.1/R78.6: Kings Canyon Expressway Segment 3 Project: Widen and realign a portion of Route 180 in Fresno County. [Approved.]

°(Dec) (4) Approval of Project for Future Consideration of Funding: 01-Men-1, PM 61.2/61.6: Main Street Merge Project: Construct roadway improvements on a portion of Route 1 in the city of Fort Bragg. This project in Mendocino County will relocate an existing merge lane and construct improvements to the sidewalks and intersections along Route 1 in Fort Bragg. [Approved.]

2.3a. Route Adoptions

(Dec) A Route Adoption as a State Highway at 08-Riv-111-PM R18.5/R19.4: Near Mecca from Route 86 to junction Route 111, in the county of Riverside. [Approved.]

2.3b. New Public Road Connection

(Oct) New Public Road Connection to Route 20 at Marguerite Street, in the city of Williams. 03-Col-20-PM R22.5 [Approved.]

2.3c. Relinquishments

(Oct) Three Relinquishment Resolutions: [Approved.]

1. 04-Ala-880-PM 27.4/27.7: Right of way along Route 880 on Oakport Street, in the city of Oakland.
2. 11-SD-76-PM R8.1: Right of way along Route 76 on Jeffries Ranch Road, in the city of Oceanside.
3. 11-SD-76-PM 9.5/12.3: Right of way along Route 76 between East Vista Way and South Mission Road, in the county of San Diego.

(Dec) Seven Relinquishment Resolutions: [Approved.]

1. 02-Plu-70-PM R78.2: Right of way along Route 70 at 0.6 miles west of Grizzly Road, in the county of Plumas.
2. 03-Pla-49-PM 4.5/6.4: Right of way along Route 49 from Marguerite Mine Road to Bell Road, in the county of Placer.
3. 03-Pla-49-PM 3.3/4.2: Right of way along Route 49 from Fulweiler Avenue to Persimmon Drive, in the city of Auburn.
4. 06-Fre-180-PM 68.09: Right of way along Route 180 at Thompson Avenue, in the county of Fresno.
5. 11-SD-125-PM L1.8: Right of way along Route 125 at Lonestar Road, in the city of San Diego.
6. 11-SD-94-PM 16.4/16.8: Right of way on superseded Route 94 (Old Campo Road) between Miller Ranch Road and Fair Oaks Drive, in the county of San Diego.
7. 11-Imp-78-PM R9.2/R12.6, 11-Imp-86-PM R23.2/R24.2: Right of way along Route 78 between existing Route 86 and New River, and along Route 86 between Fredericks Road and Gardner Road, in the county of Imperial.

2.3d. Vacation Resolutions

(Dec) One Vacation Resolution: 06-Fre-180-PM 71.13: Right of way along Route 180 (East Kings Canyon Road) between South Bethel Avenue and South Academy Avenue, in the county of Fresno. [Approved.]

2.5b. Financial Allocations for Federal Discretionary Grant Funds

(Oct) (2) Financial Allocation: $300,000 in Federal Truck Parking Grant funds for the State administered Route 76 East Roadway widening (PPNO 11-0760B) project, in San Diego County, on the State Highway System. [Approved.]

°(Dec) (1) Financial Allocation: $33,198,000 for 11 SHOPP projects, as follows: $28,853,000 for seven SHOPP projects; $4,345,000 for four project amended into the SHOPP by Departmental action. All of these were minor projects — roadway rehabilitation, slope control, sign replacement, etc. [Approved.]

2.5c Financial Allocations for STIP Projects

(Oct) (1) Financial Allocation: $5,220,000 for three State administered STIP projects, on the State Highway System. Contributions from other sources: $20,000,000. The main project of interest to the highway pages are some passing lanes being added to Route 246 near Lompoc. [Approved, as in the Yellow Replacement Item, distributed at the meeting.]

(Oct) (2) Financial Allocation: $3,500,000 for the locally administered Route 20 at Marguerite Street (PPNO 1105) STIP project, in Colusa County, on the State Highway System. [Approved.]

(Dec) (1a) Financial Allocation: $79,507,000 for the State administered Route 15 Widening Phase 2 STIP project, on the State Highway System. Contributions from other sources: $3,637,000 [Approved.]

2.5e. Financial Allocations for Supplemental Funds

(Oct) (1) Financial Allocation: $620,000 in supplemental funds for the previously voted SHOPP Operational Improvements (PPNO 3343) project in Los Angeles County to close-out the construction contract. The current SHOPP allocation is $25,430,000. This request for $620,000 results in an increase of 2.4 percent over the current allocation. [Approved.]

(Oct) (2) Financial Allocation: $3,000,000 in supplemental funds for the previously voted SHOPP Operational Improvements (PPNO 3348) project in Los Angeles County to complete the construction contract. The current SHOPP allocation is $19,249,800. This request for $3,000,000 results in an increase of 15.6 percent over the current allocation. [Approved.]

(Dec) (1) Financial Allocation: $64,700,000 in supplemental STIP funds for the Willits Bypass project (PPNO 0125F), in Mendocino County on US 101. The original allocation was $135,511,000 This request for $64,700,000 in STIP funds results in an increase of 49 percent over the award allotment of $131,125,000. [Approved, as modified.]