REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL FROM: RANDALL W. MORRISON, PE, Director Capital Projects Department SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director Public Works Department BY: JESUS AVITIA, PE, Assistant Director Capital Projects Department, Transportation Project Management Division MAGDALENO JIMENEZ, Engineer II Capital Projects Department, Transportation Project Management Division SUBJECT ..Title RESOLUTION - Adopt a resolution for dedicating a portion of City-owned property for the purpose of a Constructing Public Street Improvements for Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project In and Around the Veterans Overpass and Through the New Golden State Boulevard Realignment (Council District 2) ..Body RECOMMENDATION Staff recommends that City Council adopt the attached resolution dedicating a portion of City-owned properties for the purpose of a public street easement as part of the construction of the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation and Interchange Project as described in Exhibit "A" and shown on Exhibit "B". EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation and Interchange Projects involves the establishment of a new road right of way, situated on City-owned parcels that were acquired for the purpose of the project. The construction consisted of grade-separated structures, carrying the roadway up and over the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) and future High-Speed Rail (HSR) tracks. The proposed dedication of the public street easement is outlined in Exhibit "A" and illustrated in Exhibit "B" of the attached resolution. By adopting the resolution, a portion of the City-owned properties will be dedicated for the purpose of a Public Street Easement. BACKGROUND The Veterans Boulevard Project proposes a new super arterial roadway in northwest Fresno, which will include six travel lanes, a Class I bicycle lane/pedestrian trail on one side, Class II bicycle lanes on both sides and a partial cloverleaf interchange connecting State Route 99 and Veterans Boulevard. The project will include bridge structures for the overcrossing of State Route 99 and future Golden State Boulevard and one to cross over the existing UPRR tracks and the future HSR tracks. The City has broken up the overall Veterans Boulevard Project into five phases, due to funding availability, size, and deliverability. All phases are now in construction or have been completed, with the overall project scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023. The Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation Project is the second phase of the overall project and the last phase needed to complete the HSR related work. The Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation is now open to traffic and includes two lanes of Veterans Boulevard; a bridge structure over the existing UPRR and future HSR tracks, and a roadway connection from Veterans Boulevard to future Golden State Boulevard. The Veterans Boulevard Interchange Project, has been under construction since February 07, 2022 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2023. The City acquired the properties with APN numbers 504-081-28ST, 504-081-29ST, 504-081-30ST, 505-080-16T, 505-080-21ST, 505-080-30ST, and 505-080-31ST for the construction of the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation and Interchange Project. The proposed dedication of a public street easement, as described in Exhibit "A" and shown in Exhibit "B" of the attached resolution, would transform the current public use of the area into a public street easement. The City Attorney's Office has reviewed and approved as to form. ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS On March 5, 2020, the City Council adopted findings pursuant to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15091 and 15093, as required by CEQA Section 15096, for the Veterans Boulevard Grade Separation & Interchange Project. This piece of land was included in the original Environmental Impact Report and subsequent CEQA Findings. Therefore, a subsequent Environmental Impact Report (EIR) is not required for this approval. LOCAL PREFERENCE Local preference does not apply because the dedication of public street easement does not involve bidding or awarding of a Contract. FISCAL IMPACT The Veterans Boulevard Project, which is located in Council District 2, will have no impact on the General Fund. The overall Veterans Boulevard Project is being funded through California High Speed Rail Authority (CHSRA) funding, various types of Measure C funding, Regional Transportation Mitigation Fee (RTMF), State and Federal grant funds and City of Fresno Development Impact Fees. The Right of Way Phase of the Project is funded by a combination of local Measure C, RTMF, and Citywide Regional Street Impact Fees. Attachments: Resolution Vicinity Map