City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
Meeting Date: 04/08/13 Item Number: PH-1
CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM: PUBLIC HEARING – (1) Discussion of Linwood E.
Howe Safe Routes to School Project, and (2) (If Desired) Direction to the City
Manager Related Thereto.
Contact Person/Dept.: Sammy Romo/PW,
Gabe Garcia/PW
Phone Number: (310) 253-5619
(310) 253-5633
Fiscal Impact: Yes [X] No [] General Fund: Yes [] No [X]
Public Hearing: [X] Action Item: [] Attachments: [X]
Commission Action Required: Yes [] No [X] Date: _______________
Public Notification: (E-Mail) Agenda and Meetings – City Council (04/02/13); (Mail)
Neighborhood south of Downtown; (Mail) Full blocks where physical improvements are
proposed which are not in the immediate vicinity of Linwood E. Howe Elementary School;
(Mail) the residential neighborhood south of Downtown; (E-Mail) Downtown Neighborhood
Association; (E-Mail) the Culver City Bicycle Coalition; (E-Mail) the Downtown Business
Association; (E-Mail) the Culver City Chamber of Commerce; publication in the Culver
City News on 03/28/13 and 04/04/13; Link from the City web site home page to a
Courtesy Notice for this item; (E-Mail) all who provided input via e-mail; (Mail) all who
provided input by letter; CCUSD Superintendent; Linwood E. Howe Principal, Safe
Routes to School Committee, PTA, and Culver City Police and Fire.
Department Approval:
Charles D. Herbertson (03/28/13)
City Attorney Approval:
Carol Schwab (by H. Baker) (04/01/13)
Chief Financial Officer Approval:
Jeff Muir (04/02/13)
City Manager Approval:
John M. Nachbar (04/02/13)
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends the City Council discuss the Linwood E. Howe Safe Routes to
School project and direct the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
PROCEDURE:
(Note: This is not a legally required public hearing. Therefore, no affidavits of
publishing were required.)
1. Mayor calls on staff for a brief staff report.
2. Mayor requests a motion to open the public hearing to allow for public comments,
if any.
3. Receive comments from the public.
4. Mayor requests a motion to close the public hearing after all testimony has been
presented.
5. The City Council discusses the matter and provides direction to the City Manager
as deemed appropriate. City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION:
The City was awarded a State grant for the Linwood E. Howe Safe Routes to School
Project (P-941), in the amount of $447,480, with a City matching contribution of
$49,720 and $30,280 in design costs. The purpose of the grant is to create more
comfortable routes for walking and biking to and from school, by using nationally-
proven physical improvements to address common safety concerns for pedestrians,
bicyclists, and drivers. The proposed project consists of adding bike facilities along
several streets near the school, and constructing physical improvements, such as
new curb extensions, perpendicular curb ramps, and striping high visibility
crosswalks and advanced STOP bars at a number of locations on routes to the
school.
After receiving the grant award, the City went through the process of encumbering
the grant funds and hiring an engineering firm to do the design of the proposed
physical improvements. The designs were completed in June 2012.
Recognizing the sensitivity of the project, the Public Works Department decided to
model the proposed improvements at select locations with temporary measures
using paint, sand bags, delineators, and barricades before moving forward with
advertising the project for construction bids. The modeling began in July 2012 and
concluded after the first week of school in September 2012. About 200 e-
mails/phone calls were documented. The general input was the project is not
warranted based on the poor economy or lack of necessity The commentators who
provided location-specific input cited their opinion that the streets were already
narrow and that by narrowing them further would cause difficulty when cars turn in or
out of the streets. The greatest number of comments referred to Farragut
Drive/Duquesne Avenue and the right turn movement from southbound Duquesne
Avenue onto westbound Braddock Drive.
To encourage further input, subsequent to the modeling, staff made presentations at
two community meetings: one organized by the Downtown Neighborhood
Association and the other by the Culver City Bicycle Coalition.
In response to the site-specific comments that were received from the community,
staff modified the original plans. The following are the proposed modifications:
• A reduction of nearly all curb-extensions from six feet, down to four feet. This
reduction of two-feet from each curb extension on two sides of a street yields
a gain of four additional feet for roadway width and a greater comfort as
drivers execute their turns at the project intersections;
• The intersection with the greatest number of negative comments, Farragut
Drive/Duquesne Avenue, has been dropped from the project; City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
• The specific corner with the second greatest number of negative comments,
the northwest corner of Braddock Drive/Duquesne Avenue (the right turn from
southbound Duquesne Avenue onto westbound Braddock Drive) has been
removed from the project. The proposed physical improvements at the other
three corners of this intersection remain part of the project, and the curb-
extensions are proposed to be reduced from six feet down to four feet, as
indicated previously. One exception is that the curb-extension at the
northeast corner will be longer so that its curb aligns with the curb extension
at the southeast corner;
• At intersections with one-way streets (such as at A Street/Van Buren Place,
Braddock Drive/Irving Place, Farragut Drive/Irving Place, and Farragut
Drive/Van Buren Place), the curb-extensions are proposed to be of a longer
length due to the lack of some of the turning movements;
• For the intersection of Braddock Drive/Lincoln Avenue, new perpendicular
curb ramps are proposed. No curb extensions are proposed;
• For the intersection of Higuera Street/Lucerne Avenue, new high-visibility
crosswalks and advanced STOP bars are proposed.
Below is a summary of the modifications to the original proposal by intersection:
1. Braddock Drive/Lafayette Place (reduced curb extensions from six feet down
to four feet);
2. Duquesne Avenue/Braddock Drive (curb extension at northwest corner of
intersection removed from plans);
3. Braddock Drive/Madison Avenue (reduced curb extensions from six feet to
four feet);
4. Duquesne Avenue/Farragut Drive (removed from project);
5. Duquesne Avenue/Lucerne Avenue (reduced curb extensions from six feet to
four feet);
6. Irving Place/Farragut Drive (lengthier cub extension at southeast corner of
intersections and reduced curb extension width from six feet to four feet);
7. Irving Place/Braddock Drive (reduced curb extensions from six feet to four
feet);
8. A Street/Van Buren Place (lengthier curb extensions and reduced curb
extension widths from six feet to four feet);
9. Farragut Drive/Van Buren Place (lengthier curb extension and reduced curb
extension width from six feet to four feet);
10. Lucerne Avenue/Ince Boulevard (reduced curb extensions from six feet to
four feet);
11. Higuera Street/Lucerne Avenue (only striping) ;
12. Higuera Street/Washington Boulevard (no change); and
13. Braddock Drive/Lincoln Avenue (Installation of new curb ramps only). City of Culver City, California
Agenda Item Report
The engineering design firm hired by the City was asked to make revisions to the
original plans to incorporate the modifications indicated above. The revised plans
are 95% complete. Accordingly, staff is returning to the City Council for a discussion
of the project and revised plans. After receiving input from the public and City
Council, staff anticipates scheduling another City Council meeting within
approximately one month, to approve the revised plans and specifications (taking
into account any additional input and direction received during this meeting), and
authorize staff to advertise for construction bids. If the City Council agrees to this
process, the construction contract is anticipated to be awarded in June, and the bulk
of the construction is anticipated to occur during the summer to minimize impacts to
Linwood Howe School.
In addition to physical improvements, the grant also includes some funding for
education, encouragement, and traffic enforcement efforts so that students can feel
safer walking or bicycling to or from their school. These funds will complement the
separate federal Citywide K-8 non-infrastructure Safe Routes to School grant that
the City received in 2011.
ATTACHMENT:
1. Draft Project plans for the Linwood E. Howe Safe Routes to School Project, P-
941.
MOTION:
That the City Council:
Discuss the Linwood E. Howe Safe Routes to School physical improvements
project and direct the City Manager as deemed appropriate.
MEETING DATE: 04/08/13
AGENDA ITEM: PUBLIC HEARING — Discussion of Linwood E. Howe Safe
Routes to School Project
ATTACHMENTS
Pages
1 Design Plan Layouts for 13 Intersections
1-13 PROTECT IN PLACE
EX. FIRE HYDRANT
cz3.
, tV,4
RELOCATE STREET
LIGHT PULL BOX
RELOCATE EX.
STREET LIGHT
RELOCATE EX.
GATE VALVE
/
INTERSECTION I
BRADDOCK DRIVE AND LAFAYETTE PLACE
20 0 20' 40' 60'
1
SCALE: 1" = 20'
1 REMOVE EXISTING AND
0
co
INSTALL NEW STOP SIGN
8.35'
REMOVE EXISTING AND
DUQUESNE
AVENUE I -
REMOVE EXISTING AND
INSTALL NEW STOP SIGN
20'
INTERSECTION 2
DUQUESNE AVENUE AND BRADDOCK DRIVE
40' 60' 20' 0
SCALE: 1" = 20' 60'
MADISOW .
AVENUE "2
ci
0
10.96' 18.86' 15.14'
0
0 LLI
cuD
20' 0 20' 40' 60'
INTERSECTION 3
SCALE: 1" = 20' BRADDOCK DRIVE AND MADISON AVENUE
3 UQUESNE AVE
INTERSECTION 4
DUQUESNE AVENUE AND FARRAGUT DRIVE
20'
20'
40'
60'
SCALE: 1" = 20'
Lf EDISON BOX
RELOCATE EX. STREET
LIGHT PULL BOX
REMOVE EXISTING AND
NSTALL NEW STOP SIGN
7
15.14'
REMOVE EXISTING AND
INSTALL NEW STOP SIGN
RELOCATE EX.
RELOCATE EX.
WATER METER
OUQUESNE AVENUE
REMOVE EXISTIN
INSTALL NEW STOP SIGN
;TVG
REM VE
EXIS ING R41P
EWAY
INTERSECTION 5
DUQUESNE AVENUE AND LUCERNE AVENUE
20' 0 20' 40' 60'
5eiee
SCALE: 1" 20' K/Y DRAINS
RELOCATE EX.
GATE VALVE
INTERSECTION 6
IRVING PLACE AND FARAGUT DRIVE
20' 60' 40' 20'
III • =111Mnn •
MI III IN • •
SCALE: 1" = 20' RELOCATE EX. STREET
IGHT PULL BOX
PROTECT IN PLACE
X. STREET LIGHT
PROTECT IN PLACE
EX. STREET LIGHT
PROTECT IN PLACE
EX. MANHOLE
INTERSECTION 7
IRVING PLACE AND BRADDOCK DRIVE
20 0 20' 40' 60'
SCALE: 1" = 20' VAN BUREN PLACE
INTERSECTION 8
A STREET AND VAN BUREN PLACE
20' 0 20' 40' 60'
SCALE: 1" = 20' SCALE: 1" = 20'
INTERSECTION 9
FARRAGUT DRIVE AND VAN BUREN PLACE
9 20' 0 20' 40' 60'
SCALE: 1" = 20'
INTERSECTION 10
LUCERNE AVENUE AND INCE BOULEVARD
I 0 20'
a
20'
INTERSECTION 11
HIGUERA STREET AND LUCERNE AVENUE
40' 60'
SCALE: 1" = 20'
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PROPOSED SION MID POST.
m EXISTING SIGN ANE POSY.
m EXISTING SIGN AND POST TO BE REMOVED.
EXISING STRIPING, MARKINGS AND/OR RAISED PAVRAENT MARKERS TO REMAIN.
E1151102 STRIPING, MARKINGS AND/OR RAISED PAVEMENT MARKERS TO SE REMOVED.
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CALTRAKS SUBMITTAL
CITY OF CULVER CITY
PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT
ENGINEERING DIVISION - CULVER CITY, CALM
CULVER CITY PEDESTRIAN IMPROVEMENT PROTECT, P-96,0
!TIMER. AID POOL K. RESOLE 5240 (025)
WASHINGTON BL AT ROBERTSON BL
REVISION BY APPR. DATE
01110515 NC L
Sheet 6 Of 9 Sheets
INTERSECTION 12 PROTECT IN PLACE
EX, POWER POLE
INTERSECTION 13
BRADDOCK DRIVE AND LINCOLN AVENUE
20' 60'
3
SCALE: 1" = 20'