TO:
Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
THROUGH:
Mark Danaj, City Manager
FROM:
Tony Olmos, Director of Public Works
Joe Parco, City Engineer
SUBJECT:Title
Approval of a Joint Use Agreement (JUA) with Southern California Edison (SCE) for the Undergrounding of Overhead Facilities on Rosecrans Avenue (Public Works Director Olmos).
APPROVE
Line
_________________________________________________________
Recommended Action
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff recommends that the City Council approve a Joint Use Agreement (JUA) with SCE for the undergrounding of overhead facilities on Rosecrans Avenue from Redondo Avenue to Manhattan Gateway
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
The total costs expended to date to underground SCE facilities on Rosecrans Avenue from Redondo Avenue to Manhattan Gateway is $2.14 million (See attachment 2). No additional costs are anticipated.
BACKGROUND:
On September 15, 2005, the City entered into a Call for Projects Memorandum of Understanding with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority for the Nash/Douglas and Rosecrans Avenue Intersection Improvements Project. These improvements that make up the Rosecrans Corridor Transportation Improvement Project (RCTIP) were developed to enhance transportation capacity, reduce congestion and provide better ingress and egress to businesses located along the Rosecrans Avenue Corridor.
Phase 1 of the RCTIP included Intersection Capacity Improvements for Rosecrans Avenue at Nash, Apollo and Continental. Work consisted of the following improvements:
• Nash Street - Construction of a 2nd westbound left-turn lane and southbound receiving lane and conversion of an existing northbound approach lane to a left-turn lane and shared thru-right lane
• Apollo - Construction of a southbound right-turn lane and a 2nd southbound receiving lane.
• Manhattan Gateway - Construction of a 2nd southbound left-turn lane, 2nd westbound left-turn lane, 2nd northbound left-turn lane, 2nd eastbound left-turn lane and an eastbound right-turn lane.
This project was completed in 2007. The total cost for this phase of the RCTIP was $1.53 million, and was completely funded through a settlement agreement with Rosecrans-Sepulveda Partners LLC, the developers for the Plaza El Segundo Development Project (See attachment 2).
Phase 2 of the RCTIP improved the intersections of Rosecrans at Redondo Avenue and Rosecrans Avenue at Aviation Blvd. Work consisted of the following improvements:
• New traffic signals, pedestrian signal heads, and traffic loops at Redondo Avenue and Rosecrans Avenue intersection
• 2nd left-turn lane from southbound Redondo to eastbound Rosecrans
• 2nd left-turn lane from westbound Rosecrans to southbound Redondo
• 2nd eastbound left-turn lane from Rosecrans to northbound Redondo
• 2nd left-turn lane from northbound Redondo to westbound Rosecrans
• 4th eastbound travel lane along Rosecrans between Redondo and Aviation Blvd.
• Creating a right-turn lane from southbound Douglas/Redondo to westbound Rosecrans
This phase was also completed in 2007. Total cost for this phase of the RTCIP was $1.45 million, which was funded with $945,000 of City Proposition C funds and $508,000 from Rosecrans-Sepulveda Partners LLC (see Attachment 2).
Phase 3 is the last phase of the RTCIP which includes the undergrounding of existing utility power lines in the area between Redondo and Manhattan Gateway, and construction of a 4th eastbound lane between Redondo and Manhattan Gateway along the Rosecrans Corridor. The existing utility lines are in conflict with the proposed street widening project and will therefore need to be underground as part of the overall project.
The cost is estimated at $2.14 million for the undergrounding portion and $477,250 for the street widening portion for a total of $2.62 million for this last phase of the RCTIP. Developers within this undergrounding district have deposited funds with the City to accomplish the undergrounding project for a total of $1,000,000. The remaining $1.62 million will be paid for through Proposition C and Metro Grant Funds (see Attachment 2).
DISCUSSION:
The City entered into the initial agreement with SCE establishing the City's request for the replacement of overhead facilities with underground distribution facilities on Rosecrans Avenue from Redondo Avenue to Manhattan Gateway on September 27, 2002. This area of Rosecrans contained both distribution and transmission lines. The City paid SCE $179,770 for the undergrounding and construction of the distribution lines and to initiate the design for the undergrounding of the transmission lines.
On June 20, 2006, City Council approved a second agreement with SCE establishing the cost for the undergrounding of the transmission lines to be $1,707,987. On May 18, 2010, the City approved a third agreement which increased the cost for the construction of the transmission lines by $170,000. The increase in cost was due to construction costs escalations encountered since the 2006 agreement.
This Joint Use Agreement (JUA) with SCE identifies the exact SCE facilities that are to be underground and establishes the extent and location of the new underground facilities and structures. Since the City requested that SCE underground the existing overhead facilities for purposes of the RTCIP, the JUA also establishes that the City pay for any reasonable costs required for future relocation of the underground facilities, if required. There are no future projects identified in the City's utilities' master plans that would require any future SCE relocations, nor are there any future plans to further widen Rosecrans in the City's General Plan beyond the current proposed widening project. Therefore, the possibility of City requesting for future relocation of SCE underground utility lines is extremely low.
PUBLIC OUTREACH/INTEREST:
Numerous meetings with adjacent property owners for the previous phases of the RCTIP have been held. Staff and SCE met with property managers directly affected by the last phase of the RCTIP to discuss details of the final phase such as lay down area, working hours, traffic control, etc This communication and outreach with all adjacent businesses and owners within the undergrounding construction area will continue prior to the start of construction.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends approval of the Joint Use Agreement with SCE in order to complete the last phase of the Rosecrans Corridor Transportation Improvement Project (RCTIP)
Attachments
1. SCE Joint Use Agreement
2. RCTIP Budget Summary
3. Location Map
4. SCE 9/27/2002 Agreement
5. SCE 6/30/2006 Agreement
6. SCE 5/18/2010 Agreement