LAKEPORT >> Citing a busy intersection of the Lakeport Boulevard/Bevins Street/Todd Road confluence straddling Highway 29 as a Gateway of commerce, civic leaders urged the city council to set up an interchange improvement project during city council deliberations Tuesday.
“We’re looking at furthering traffic safety, relieving traffic congestion and monitoring delays in an active thoroughfare,” noted Ron Ladd, public works director. “The entire city staff has been working quite a while to get some alternate designs at the Bevins/SR-29 intersection.” He went on to add that approval and adoption of this plan will facilitate moving the project toward funding applications. Noting a history of working closely with WHM Corporation, he turned over the presentation to Sean Charles, a vice president and senior project manager. Charles showed benefits of enhanced economic activity which a roundabout could expedite once regional funding is secured. “This Gateway is a big piece of the Lakeport location,” he said. He went on to note access for all modes of transit, cyclists, pedestrians, cars, trucks and buses are part of the mix that will minimize impacts of delays by focusing on obtaining right-of-way from Caltrans by making sure the city adheres to their requirements.
“Why roundabouts,” asked Charles. He pointed out the second phase of the modern roundabout versus the original circular model is vastly superior to the initial concept. “They increase capacity, improve safety and we slow vehicles down but don’t have to stop them, and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.” He maintained the roundabout renders good safety for pedestrians and cyclists and for landscaping opportunities and also support growth without having to do bridge widening, which would be expensive. He said people still believe there’s more accidents caused by roundabouts, but he explained in the modern roundabout design, motorists are compelled to enter it parallel rather than approaching the standard right-angle intersection at a perpendicular that prompts more collisions.
He added, it offers a separate Class 1 bicycle facility to the north side, a greater width that takes people around and across SR-29 and ties to existing pedestrian access on the bridge itself. Using a pointer, Charles pointed out as motorists approach and merge into a parallel route to get to their different exits. The orange designation in the slide depiction indicated the portion where the roundabout accommodates trucks. He also, briefly explained the PID document, (Proportional and Integral Derivative controller). Basically, a PID controller in a closed loop mechanism, continuously calculates an error value as the difference between a desired setpoint (SP) and a measured process variable (PV) and applies a correction based on proportional, integral, and derivative terms (denoted P, I, and D respectively), hence the name. It is being readied for approval so, the city can apply for funding, advancing to the environmental process. The project over the prior 12 months prepared the PID and will seek approval and outreach for funding. Next step, technical studies, preliminary engineering reports, and environmental document permitting. That is followed up by a contracting a builder and securing right-of-way support, followed by construction.
Councilmember Kenneth Partlet reminded the audience during a prior iteration of the project, concerns were raised about cost. “It’d take money we’d get over the next 15 years,” he cautioned. “The overhead will leave a small percentage of the (financial) pie.” But City Manager Kevin Ingram pointed out it is a regional, not a local project and the idea is to get funding started through a long-term process so, push on state and federal resources. “The second stream of funding will be when we have new development coming in, we can take this study and help us establish their fair share contribution,” he said. “As developers come forward, we can apply their pro-rata share.” Meanwhile, he noted, because this is such an important regional project, it is likely to receive lots of attention, they can start putting a funding mechanism together now.
But Mayor Michael Froio expressed concern, though the presentation indicated a six to seven-year completion date he wondered realistically if it was not closer to 10 years. Charles explained the project is divided into bite-sized pieces, and by doing that more people will be drawn in who want to help out. Ingram noted having the PID report in place will assure when the next window of opportunity opens, the city is prepared to submit this project. “We want to have this project not shovel ready, but design ready,” he said. “When funding opportunities avail themselves, we can take the project off the shelf and move to the next phase.” Council voted unanimously to adopt a resolution adopting the project study report for the interchange improvement project.
