Office of the City Manager
RIVERSIDE
City of Arts & Innovation
Anne Mayer
Executive Director
Riverside County Transportation Commission
4080 Lemon St. 3rd Floor
Riverside, CA 92502
SUBJECT: RCTC's Draft Traffic Relief Plan - Recommended Programmatic Changes Dear Ms. Mayer,
Thank you for the opportunity to review RCT's Draft Traffic Relief Plan (Plan). As requested, the City of Riverside team has developed a preliminary list of priority projects and programmatio recommendations related to the implementation of the Plan. This project listing has been included in the upcoming joint February 6, 2024 City Council presentation; however, this letter contains additional general comments and recommendations for RCTC's consideration.
General Comments & Recommendations:
1. The City requests that RCTC consider a modification to the Plan's spending distribution model to provide additional funding for pavement management programs and local roadway projects under a direct allocation model, allowing for increased local control:
a. Safe Streets and Roads - Increase to 20% from 8% (full 20% direct allocation) b. Highway - 25%
c. Public Transportation - Reduce to 20% from 25%
d. Regional Connections - 12%
e. Commuter Assistance - Reduce to 0% from 2% and include in Highway component
f. Active Transportation - 3% (proposed as a direct allocation for agencies who have an adopted complete streets ordinance) Regional active transportation projects should be included in Regional Connections; alternatively, agencies with a direct allocation should be allowed to defer a percentage of funding to RCTC for completion of regional Active Transportation projects. g. Environmental Mitigation - Reduce to 20% from 25%.
2. The City is working with the RCTC team to schedule a follow-up discussion regarding environmental mitigation and public transportation portions of the Plan. We especially would like to understand the 50% allocation of all environmental mitigation spending to the MSHCP.
3900 Main Street, Riverside, CA 92522 | Phone: (951) 826-5771 | RiversideCA.gov
3. The City is embarking on the development of its General Plan and the associated Circulation Element. This vision for Riverside's future will include new and innovative means to meet our transportation needs over the next several decades. The City requests that RCTC includes a process whereby Cities may request amendments to the Traffic Relief Plan following major developments such as the adoption of a General or Specific Plan to include the Active Transportation Master Plan.
Preliminary Project Listing:
While this project listing will be presented to Riverside's City Council on February 6th, City Staff plan to bring the item before the Mobility and Infrastructure Committee shortly thereafter for prioritization purposes. The City understands that RCTC has requested that all projects be prioritized as part of a single list. City would like to share its concern that projects of substantially different scale and purpose may not be best assessed through direct comparison; however, if a change in approach is not feasible staff will endeavor to prioritize the below-listed projects:
Grade Separations:
1. Madison Street
2. Spruce Street
3. Jackson Street
4. Mary Street
5. Tyler Street (Potentially an Interchange Project)
6. Mission Inn Avenue
Local Roadway Widenings
7. Van Buren Boulevard (Wood to SR 91)
8. Cajalco Road (Within County of Riverside)
Bridge and Interchange Improvements
9. SR 91 and Adams Interchange
10. Columbia Avenue and Center Street Interchanges
11. Mission Boulevard Bridge Replacement
12. Market Street Bridge Replacement
13.91/215/60 Interchange
14. 14th Street RR Undercrossing Pump Facility
Freeway Widenings & Aux Lanes
15. SR 91 Widening (Pierce to 1-15)
16. SR 91 Aux Lanes (Various Locations)
Express Lanes (To Include Widenings)
17. 1-215 Express Lanes
Active Transportation (Major Projects)
18. Downtown Pedestrian Bridge
19. Santa Ana River Trail - Enhancement & Regional Connectivity
20. Gage Canal - Trail completion + Regional Connectivity
21. Pedestrian bridge over RR XING for trails network (University Neighborhood)
Housing & Transit Centers
22. La Sierra Metrolink Station
23. Downtown Metrolink Station
Additional Priorities:
24. Region-wide VMT Mitigation Bank
25. Citywide implementation of the Riverside PACT - bikeways and pedestrian connectivity
26. Citywide Intelligent Transportation Systems
27. Continual bridge inspection and repair funding
28. Regional transit connections to: Ontario Airport, San Diego County
29. Riverside Fleet Conversion to Zero Emissions & Supporting Infrastructure
30. Implementation of concrete approaches at signalized intersections in industrial zones
31. 91. 215 Coordinated Adaptive Ramp Metering + Add SR60 Thank you for the opportunity to review the Draft Traffic Relief Plan. We look forward to the Plan's success and the continued partnership between the City of Riverside and RCTC in advancina the transportation needs of Riverside County residents.
Sincerely,
Charles Miks Futrell
Mike Futrell
City Manager
City of Riverside