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CITY OF GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA
REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
AGENDA ITEM
Report: Doran Street Grade Separation Project Dedications and Maintenance Agreements
1. Resolution dedicating a portion of city-owned property for public street and ramp purposes and accepting the same into the city street system
2. Resolution dedicating a portion of city-owned property to the Los Angeles County Flood Control District for storm drain purposes
3. Motion authorizing the City Manager to execute a citywide master freeway maintenance agreement with Caltrans.
4. Motion authorizing the City Manager to execute an operations and maintenance agreement with the City of Los Angeles.
COUNCIL ACTION
Item Type: Action Item
Approved for April 28, 2026 calendar
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The Doran Street Grade Separation Project (Project) is located at the Metrolink rail corridor crossing along Doran Street, between San Fernando Road in Glendale and San Fernando Road West located in Los Angeles. This crossing is one of the highest-risk rail crossings in Los Angeles County, with a history of collisions and fatalities, making this grade separation project a critical safety investment. The project will replace the existing at-grade railroad crossing with a grade-separated connection to the Fairmont Avenue overpass and includes roadway circulation improvements in the vicinity of San Fernando Road West and Doran Street.
The purpose of this report is to obtain City Council approval of several actions necessary to support implementation and long-term operation of infrastructure improvements associated with the Project and related transportation improvements in the area.
These actions will establish the property rights, jurisdictional responsibilities, and interagency agreements necessary to support transportation, storm drainage, and operational coordination associated with the project area. 10b2
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RECOMMENDATION
Approve the resolution dedicating a portion of city-owned property for public street and ramp purposes and accepting the same into the city street system, and approve a resolution dedicating a portion of city-owned property to the Los Angeles County Flood Control District for storm drain purposes; and approve motions authorizing the City Manager to execute a freeway maintenance agreement with Caltrans, and an operations and maintenance agreement with the City of Los Angeles related to the Doran Street Grade Separation Project.
ANALYSIS
The Doran Street Grade Separation Project is a regional transportation improvement aimed at enhancing safety and improving traffic operations at the existing at-grade railroad crossing along Doran Street, located at the Metrolink rail corridor between San Fernando Road in the City of Glendale and San Fernando Road West partially in the City of Los Angeles. The project will replace the existing at-grade railroad crossing with a grade-separated crossing connecting San Fernando Road West to the Fairmont Avenue overpass, improving traffic circulation and eliminating conflicts between rail and roadway traffic. Upon completion of the San Fernando Road West Extension Bridge and opening of the new roadway connection to traffic, Doran Street will be permanently closed at the railroad crossing to eliminate the existing at-grade rail crossing.
The project is being advanced through coordination between the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro), the City of Glendale, the City of Los Angeles, Metrolink, Caltrans, and other regional agencies. Improvements associated with the project include construction of a new bridge structure, roadway realignments, and related drainage and traffic infrastructure.
The project area includes the Metrolink rail corridor that crosses Doran Street between San Fernando Road and San Fernando Road West, which are two parallel roadways that run along the rail corridor in this portion of both cities.
The jurisdictional boundary between the City of Glendale and the City of Los Angeles in this area generally follows an east-west alignment along the north side of Doran Street, west of the railroad right-of-way. East of that point, the boundary shifts and follows along the railroad right-of-way south of Doran Street. The general project location and jurisdictional boundary configuration are shown on Exhibit “A.” As a result of this boundary configuration, portions of the project area are located within each city’s jurisdiction.
Accordingly, improvements associated with the Doran Street Grade Separation Project and related roadway connections require coordination between both cities to establish operational responsibilities and long-term maintenance obligations.
San Fernando Road West south of Doran Street is entirely within the jurisdiction of the City of Los Angeles. However, the proposed San Fernando Road West extension, including the San Fernando Road West Extension Bridge, will be constructed primarily within the City of Glendale jurisdiction. The new roadway and bridge will connect to the existing Fairmont Avenue bridge via a new San Fernando Road West Extension Bridge. 10b3
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The bridge portion of the San Fernando Road West extension will be located entirely within the City of Glendale and will pass beneath the State Route 134 freeway and the Fairmont Avenue overpass before it elevates over the Verdugo Wash (a tributary of the Los Angeles River) and connects to the Fairmont Avenue Overpass bridge structure.
The proposed San Fernando Road West extension will traverse property currently owned by the City of Glendale and utilized by Glendale Water and Power (GWP) for maintenance equipment storage and parking. GWP is currently utilizing portions of the city-owned parcel located beneath the Fairmont Avenue overpass for staging, operations trailers, and storage of equipment and materials associated with the Grayson Power Plant Replacement Project. Construction schedules have been coordinated to avoid conflicts, with GWP anticipating to vacate the site by November 1, 2026. The roadway extension will bisect the existing parcel, creating a new public roadway connection that will improve circulation and connectivity in the project area while supporting the planned grade separation improvements.
Based on the current project schedule, Metro’s contractor for the Doran Street Grade Separation Project may require access to portions of the city parcel during Stage 2 construction. Staff recommends that Metro include provisions in the construction contract bid documents requiring the contractor to coordinate with the City of Glendale Public Works Department and Glendale Water and Power prior to accessing the city parcel, the proposed street dedication area, or the storm drain easement areas. Access and construction activities will also be subject to the city’s Public Works permit process to ensure appropriate coordination between the contractor and city departments.
Required Dedications and Maintenance Agreements
When streets are constructed or improved on city-owned properties, the City Council must dedicate the properties for public street purposes. State law also requires that public streets and alleys be accepted by City Council resolution into the City Street System.
Furthermore, when a storm drain system is constructed within the city, the city and the Los Angeles County Flood Control District (District) have a long-standing practice of transferring such facilities to the District for ownership, maintenance, and operation, provided they are constructed to District standards. In this case, the city is dedicating the land on which the storm drain will be permanently installed as part of the project. The design and construction of the storm drain are being led by Metro, and upon completion, the facility will be transferred to the District to be operated as part of the regional storm drain system.
To accommodate the roadway extension and related infrastructure improvements, portions of this city-owned parcel must be dedicated for public street and ramp purposes, while other portions must be dedicated to the Los Angeles County Flood Control District for storm drain purposes.
In addition to the property dedications, the city must execute interagency agreements that define long-term maintenance responsibilities for transportation infrastructure associated with the project.
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The proposed Operations and Maintenance Agreement between the City of Glendale and the City of Los Angeles establishes each agencies responsibilities for maintaining transportation infrastructure within its jurisdiction, The City of Glendale will maintain improvements within Glendale city limits including roadway, bridge, drainage, landscaping, traffic signal, and lighting infrastructure constructed as part of the project.
The City of Los Angeles will maintain similar improvements within its jurisdiction along San Fernando Road West.
The proposed Freeway Maintenance Agreement with Caltrans is a citywide agreement that updates and supersedes prior maintenance agreements between the city and Caltrans and clarifies the division of maintenance responsibilities for facilities located where city streets cross over or under the State freeway system. The agreement applies to existing city street overcrossings and undercrossings of State Routes within the City of Glendale, and facilities along State Routes 2, 5, 134, and 210, including walls, landscaped areas and bicycle and pedestrian paths, lanes, and trails. The agreement establishes the respective responsibilities of Caltrans and the city for maintaining roadway, structural, and operational elements associated with these facilities. Under the agreement, Caltrans will retain responsibility for the structural components of freeway bridge structures and related elements located within the State highway right-of-way, including bridge decks, superstructures, substructures, and other structural components associated with freeway facilities. The City of Glendale will be responsible for maintaining the local street improvements located on or above the bridge deck or within the city roadway portion of undercrossings. These responsibilities include roadway asphalt pavement, striping, signage, traffic control devices, sidewalks, street lighting installed by the city, and other roadway features within the city’s jurisdiction.
Ongoing Operations and Maintenance Costs
Approval of the proposed actions will not result in an immediate fiscal impact. However, upon completion of the project, the city will assume future operation and maintenance responsibilities associated with the San Fernando Road West extension roadway and bridge facilities that will be owned and maintained by the City of Glendale.
These responsibilities include bridge structural inspections and maintenance, roadway pavement and striping, traffic signals, drainage facilities, landscaping and irrigation systems and street lighting. The city’s maintenance responsibilities will also include removal of graffiti, debris, and un-housed encampments within the city street portions of overcrossings and undercrossings, and other facilities including walls, landscaped areas and bicycle and pedestrian paths, lanes, and trails consistent with city policies and applicable State and Federal law.
Preliminary cost estimates have been prepared for these facilities over a twenty-year life cycle and are expected to increase over time as infrastructure ages and additional maintenance activities are required. Estimated annual costs are as follows:
Years 0–5 following project completion: approximately $243,840 per year 10b5
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Years 6–10: approximately $338,320 per year
Years 11–15: approximately $486,896 per year
Years 16–20: approximately $740,372 per year
The increase in projected costs in later years reflects the anticipated need for more extensive maintenance activities associated with aging infrastructure, including bridge maintenance and inspections, roadway rehabilitation, replacement of landscaping and irrigation components, and repair or replacement of electrical and lighting equipment, along with escalation and inflation adjustments.
Future costs will be incorporated into ongoing Public Works infrastructure maintenance programs and will be subject to future budget appropriations by the City Council.
Approval of these actions will establish the necessary property rights and clearly define interagency maintenance responsibilities needed to support construction, operation, and long-term maintenance of transportation infrastructure associated with the Doran Street Grade Separation Project.
STAKEHOLDERS/OUTREACH
Metro is responsible for stakeholder outreach and communications, with support from the City of Glendale, City of Los Angeles, and Caltrans, except as otherwise provided in any existing Cooperative Agreement or Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The Doran Street Grade Separation Contractor shall support Metro’s outreach efforts, as directed, by providing timely and accurate construction schedules, phasing plans, and impact information necessary to support coordination with the City of Glendale and the public.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report at this time. However, upon completion of the project, the city will assume long-term operations and maintenance responsibilities for the San Fernando Road West extension roadway and bridge facilities, as described in the Analysis section. The estimated annual cost is approximately $243,840 per year for the first five years, with increases expected in subsequent years. These costs will be incorporated into future Public Works maintenance programs and subject to annual budget appropriations.
The proposed citywide master freeway maintenance agreement does not incorporate new street maintenance responsibilities but rather better outlines agency division of responsibilities where city streets cross under or over freeway facilities and State of California right-of-way. Stakeholder coordination with internal departments including but not limited to Police Department, Community Development, Community Services & Parks, and Public Works confirmed that the proposed freeway maintenance agreement provide the appropriate division of responsibilities and are in line with current maintenance and response activities.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW (CEQA/NEPA)
The activity under consideration is categorically exempt either as a Class 1 project 10b6
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pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15301, which consists, among other things, of minor alterations to existing public facilities or mechanical equipment; or, in the alternative, as a Class 3 project pursuant to 15303, which consists, among other things, of the construction and location of limited numbers of new, small facilities. In any event, it can be seen with certainty that there is no possibility that the activity in question may have a significant effect on the environment; thus, it is exempt from CEQA pursuant to CEQA Guidelines section 15061(b)(3).
CAMPAIGN DISCLOSURE
This item is exempt from campaign disclosure requirements.
ALTERNATIVES TO STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Do not approve the resolutions dedicating and accepting a portion of city-owned property for public street and ramp purposes into the City Street System or dedicating a portion of city-owned property to the Los Angeles County Flood Control District for storm drain purposes, nor approve the motions authorizing the City Manager to execute a Freeway Maintenance Agreement with Caltrans and an Operations and Maintenance Agreement with the City of Los Angeles related to the Doran Street Grade Separation Project. Doing so will prevent the project from being constructed, leaving one of the highest-risk existing at-grade crossing in Los Angeles County in place.
ADMINISTRATIVE ACTION
Submitted by:
Daniel Hernandez, Director of Public Works
Prepared by:
Sarkis Oganesyan, P.E., Assistant Director of Public Works / City Engineer Pastor Casanova, T.E., Principal Traffic Engineer
Negin Rezaei, Civil Engineering Associate
Approved by:
Roubik R. Golanian, P.E., City Manager
EXHIBITS/ATTACHMENTS
Exhibit 1: Vicinity Map
Exhibit 2: Legal Descriptions and Dedication Maps
Exhibit 3: Correspondence from Los Angeles County Flood Control District Exhibit 4: Freeway Maintenance Agreement
Exhibit 5: Operations and Maintenance Agreement with the City of Los Angeles