Council Member Speake Request –
Development of an I-15 Corridor
Lobbying Group
Savat Khamphou
Public Works Director
August 21, 2024
1 City of Corona
The Ask…
That the City Council provide feedback
on the proposed format of an I-15
corridor lobbying group or direct staff to
no longer pursue this request.
City of Corona
• Future agenda item request from Council Member Wes Speake to:
o Form a lobbying group of cities to support improvements to the I-15 o Get Caltrans to formally recognize the effort and initiate a project o Go after regional, State, and federal funding
o Complete the projects
Background
3 City of Corona
• At its Fall Policy Workshop on October 12, 2023
o Council gave direction to begin working on a lobbying group o Bring back to Council what it would look like
Background
4 City of Corona
• City staff to schedule a meeting with elected representatives of communities along the I-15 corridor in Riverside County to be chaired by City of Corona Council Member
• Discuss projects and funding needs for projects on the I-15 corridor • Write a joint letter to State and Federal elected representatives to lobby for future projects and funding opportunities for the I-15 corridor I-15 Lobbying Group Proposal
5 City of Corona 6
• Interim Corridor Operations Project, use of shoulder lane for auxiliary lane, total project cost of $5 million, construction completed in 2022 • I-15/SR 91 Express Lane Connector $270 million – Opened late 2023 • Corridor Operations Project – between Cajalco to Weirick total project cost of $21 million, construction complete in 2027 • I-15 Express Lane Southern Extension – between Cajalco to SR-74, total project cost of $650 million, construction to begin in 2026 • Feasibility study of smart freeway pilot project
• Included a I-15 rail project in RCTC’s Traffic Relief Plan Riverside County Transportation
Commission (I-15 projects in Corona)
City of Corona 7
• Re-stripe southbound I-15 at Cajalco to eliminate lane drop (EA 1N690) Cost estimate of $1.1 million with construction to begin fall 2024 • Southbound deceleration lane from Old Temescal to Ontario (EA 1N610) Cost estimate of $7.6 million, with construction to begin fall 2026 • Northbound auxiliary lane from Magnolia to SR-91 (EA 1P790) Cost estimate of $10.2 million with construction to begin spring 2027 • Staff continue to partner with Caltrans to advocate for projects Caltrans projects on I-15 in Corona
City of Corona 8
• Eighty ($80) million in new competitive grants since January 2021 o Federal: demonstration and discretionary from FHWA, FAA, and FHA o State grants: beautification, maintenance, and safety from Caltrans, OTS, HBP o Regional: roadways, storm drain, and ped safety from RCTC, RCFC, WRCOG o $28 million since October 2023*
• 2 years of supplemental staff through the I-REN program • Not inclusive of formulaic grants (ARPA, Measure A, SB1-RMRA) • Staff continue to go after future grants (SMART, ATP, BIP, RCE, RAISE) • Partner with RCTC and WRCOG fund regional projects in Corona Federal, State, and Regional grants
City of Corona 9
Projects Federal State RCTC WRCOG RCFC &WCD
McKinley Grade Separation $19.89
($10 in new funding)*
$11.22*
Ontario Widening at I-15 $8.00 $7.94 $6.16
Green Alleys $5.00
Magnolia Bridge Widening $4.00
WRCWRA Reclaimed Waterline $3.93
Magnolia Drain Line 9A $3.71*
Radio Rd RR-Xing Safety Improvements $3.34
Ontario Widening at Lincoln Avenue $2.30
Joy Street Storm Drain $1.43*
Victoria Avenue Storm Drain $1.43*
Chase and Smith Sidewalks $0.43
Bicycle Master Plan Update $0.40
Bridge Preventive Maintenance Plan $0.14
Local Road Safety Plan $0.13
Sub-Total (in millions) $15.34 $5.27 $28.66 $19.68 $10.50 GRAND TOTAL (in millions) $79.45
City of Corona
Options
10 City of Corona
City Council Options
11 Option #1
Direct City staff to form an I-15 lobbying group with the following agencies: Temecula, Lake Elsinore, Murrieta,
Wildomar, Riverside County, Norco, Eastvale, Jurupa
Valley
Option #2 (recommended)
Continue to advocate for Corona via state and federal
lobbyists, annual meetings with federal/state
representatives, and partnerships with Caltrans, RCTC
WRCOG
PROS
• City of Corona can lead the discussion
• May influence Caltrans and RCTC to take initiatives on I-15 improvements
CONS
• Significant amount of staff time and effort to form the lobbying group
• May be difficult to get commitment or consensus from other agencies
• Other agencies may not have the resources (staff, funds, etc.) to participate
• Funding could go to other cities or areas instead of Corona PROS
• Continued partnership and advocacy with Caltrans, RCTC & WRCOG for funding opportunities
• RCTC accelerated construction of the I-15 SB auxiliary lane from Cajalco to Weirick
• Caltrans initiated 3 projects on I-15: removal of lane drop, a deceleration lane, and auxiliary lane
CONS
• There is less strength in numbers for legislative or grant requests
City of Corona
The Ask…
That the City Council provide feedback
on the proposed format of an I-15
corridor lobbying group or direct staff to
no longer pursue this request.
Thank you.