Item Number: 18
City Council / Board of Directors
Written Communications
Meeting of: January 20, 2026
Submitted By:
Fredy Bonilla, City Engineer
Subject:
Cooperative Agreement with the County of San Bernardino for the Ridgecrest Road at Bluff Crest Street and Vista Point Drive Traffic Signal Project Recommendation:
That the Honorable City Council:
(1) Approve entry into a Cooperative Agreement with the County of San Bernardino to jointly participate in a project installing offset traffic signals at the Ridgecrest Road intersections with Bluff Crest Street and Vista Point Drive; and (2) Authorize the City Manager and City Attorney to make non-substantive changes and clarifications to the Cooperative Agreement.
Fiscal Impact:
Approval of the Cooperative Agreement will result in a fiscal impact of $695,264 to the City of Victorville. This amount represents the City’s 50 percent share of the total project cost of $1,390,528 with the remaining 50 percent ($695,264) funded by the County of San Bernardino (“SB County”). Planned revenue for SB County’s share of cost and expenses for this project will be included in a subsequent budget amendment request for Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2025/26 or will be included in the budget for FY 2026/27. An additional appropriation is not required at this time. The City’s share will be evenly split by Fund 200 (SLAD), Fund 250 (Measure I), and Fund 352 (Road DIF). Please see the available fund balances in the table below:
Fund Available Fund Balance
Fund 200 (SLAD) $3,312,987
Fund 250 (Measure I) $17,804,410
Fund 352 (Road DIF) $7,091,271
4 5
1 2
Strategic Plan Goal:
This item aligns with Goal E, Invest in Infrastructure, in the City of Victorville Strategic Plan 2023-2026. Entering into a cooperative agreement with SB County will provide funding to support the design and construction of the traffic signal.
Background:
In April of 2025, SB County’s Department of Public Works contacted and notified the City of Victorville Engineering Department of SB County’s initiation of an investigation for the potential installation of a signalized intersection on Ridgecrest Road. The investigation focused on the offset intersection of Ridgecrest Road with Vista Point Drive and Bluff Crest Street. Following the investigation, SB County traffic engineering staff informed City staff that the collected traffic data supported the installation of a traffic signal, based on the traffic signal warrant analysis. SB County requested the City’s input and participation in the project, as the centerline of Ridgecrest Road at the offset intersection serves as the boundary between the two agencies, effectively splitting the project area in half. The attached Vicinity Map (Attachment A) depicts the location of the proposed project.
Discussion:
The proposed Cooperative Agreement, (Attachment B) between the City of Victorville and SB County provides for joint participation in a project to install a new offset traffic signal on Ridgecrest Road along with necessary upgrades to existing infrastructure to address accessibility concerns. An offset intersection includes one main road on a straight line intersected by two side roads that do not line up exactly with each other. The two side roads are typically offset, being less than two hundred feet apart. The intersections of these two streets are too close to one another to be considered separate tee- intersections, so they are combined into one.
The City and SB County have discussed and agreed on how the project will be funded and who will be responsible for the work. The cost of the project will be split 50/50 between both agencies. The City of Victorville will be the lead agency on the project. The Public Works Traffic Engineering Division currently maintains a cooperative agreement with the County for the maintenance of the other existing shared traffic signals located on Ridgecrest Road. For the City to agree to take on the responsibility of the maintenance for the new signal, Engineering requested that the City take the lead on the design and construction of the project. This request was made for the new signal to meet current City design and equipment standards that will be compatible with existing equipment and to smoothly integrate it into the maintenance schedule. SB County agreed to the City’s request to be the lead agency and to pay their fair share of the planning and construction costs.
The scope of work that will be reimbursable to the City may include consultant services provided for the design of the offset traffic signal, City staff time to prepare and manage contracts, field investigations, and construction contract costs. The Cooperative Agreement with SB County includes limitations on the amount of funding the City can expend beyond the agreement amount without justification and their permission. The agreement is based upon an estimated cost considering a preliminary scope of work. 4 5
1 2
During the course of project development, the scope of work and estimated project costs may change. Amendments to the agreement may be required to increase the share of cost amount for any phase of the project development. Therefore, staff is seeking authorization to make minor adjustments to the agreement, should such changes be deemed necessary.
SB County has requested that the City provide a copy of the signed agreement to present to the County Board of Supervisors for approval. Once the agreement is approved by the County Board and returned, the City will proceed with issuing a Request for Proposals for consultant services to design the traffic signal. After the proposals are received and reviewed by City and County staff, the selected consultant and a recommendation will be presented to the City Council for consideration. This will allow the Council to determine whether to proceed with a budget amendment to include the project in the City’s Capital Improvement Program, funding the City’s estimated share of the project and approve an agreement with the recommended consultant, or to defer the project to the next fiscal year’s budget.
Staff recommends that the Honorable City Council approve the attached Cooperative Agreement with SB County to jointly install an offset traffic signal at Ridgecrest Road with Bluff Crest Street and Vista Point Drive, and to authorize the City Manager and City Attorney to make non-substantive revisions to the Cooperative Agreement as deemed necessary.
Staff is available for any questions Council may have.
Prepared By:
Harry Mayo, Senior Civil Engineer
Attachments: A. Vicinity Map
B. Cooperative Agreement