TO: Board of Supervisors
FROM: Steven Lederer - Director of Public Works
REPORT BY: Graham Wadsworth, Engineering Supervisor
SUBJECT: Resolution certifying mileage of County-maintained road system and changing the functional classification of Devlin Road
RECOMMENDATION
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Director of Public Works requests adoption of and authorization for the Chair to sign two resolutions:
1. Certifying to the State Department of Transportation, the total mileage of Napa County maintained roads as of May 2021 in accordance with the provisions of Section 2121 of the California Streets and Highways Code; and,
2. Request that Caltrans change the functional classification of Devlin Road from a Local road to a Minor Arterial road.
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Section 2121 of the California Streets and Highways Code requires the County to file an annual report of the total mileage of the County-maintained road system, noting any additions or exclusions. This report was last prepared and submitted in 2020. Since that time, there have been two additions, several exclusions and numerous changes to the measured lengths of County roads. The County-maintained road system now totals 419.10 miles.
The Napa County General Plan Circulation Element lists Devlin Road as an Arterial; however, the California Road System Map shows the functional classification as Local. The Director of Public Works recommends that the Board of Supervisors approve changing the functional classifications shown in the attached “Function Classification Change Request Form”.
FISCAL & STRATEGIC PLAN IMPACT
Is there a Fiscal Impact? Yes
Is it currently budgeted? No
Where is it budgeted? The State Controller distributes a portion of the gas tax revenue derived pursuant to Section 2103, 2104, 2105, 2106 and 2034 of the Streets and Highways Code based on, among other factors, the total mileage of the County-maintained road system.
Is it Mandatory or Discretionary? Mandatory
Discretionary Justification: This is a mandatory provision of the California Streets and Highways Code.
Is the general fund affected? No
Future fiscal impact: This is an annual requirement of the Streets and Highways Code that may cause a minor fluctuation in revenue, if the amount of County-maintained mileage changes in future reports.
Consequences if not approved: The State of California could withhold payment of revenues allocated from Sections 2100 through 2121 of the code if the County did not comply with the provision.
County Strategic Plan pillar addressed: The project will improve the existing transportation and roads system to safely accommodate all users.
Additional Information: In Fiscal Year 2019-20, the County received $4,147,610 in HUTA revenue, $3,183,326 in RMRP revenue and $7,330,936 in Measure T sales tax for road maintenance revenue. It is estimated that the gas tax (i.e. HUTA and RMRP) revenue will decrease by approximately $100,000 compared to the amount received last Fiscal Year 20-21.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ENVIRONMENTAL DETERMINATION: The proposed action is not a project as defined by 14 California Code of Regulations 15378 (State CEQA Guidelines) and therefore CEQA is not applicable.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
The Public Works Department maintains 419.10 miles of roads in the unincorporated portions of Napa County. The county road system consists of 38.16 miles of arterial roads, 108.93 miles of collector roads, 5.74 miles of urban local, and 257.46 miles of local roads. The 2020-21 Pavement Management Program (PMP) Update states that the cost to reconstruct the county road system, given current deferred maintenance, is $470 million. To effectively maintain this significant asset with gas tax and sales tax revenue, the County uses the PMP to prioritize road maintenance, repair and rehabilitation. The State Controller's Office distributes Highway Users Tax Account (gas tax) funds to the various agencies in the state based on a variety of formulas, in accordance with Sections 2100 to 2121 of the Streets and Highways Code. Factors used in calculating these apportionments include population, number of vehicle registrations, assessed value, assigned percentages, fixed sums per payment period and maintained mileage, which data is reported in the annual Road Fund Report submitted to the State Controller's Office by the Auditor Controller’s Office. Section 2121 of the Streets and Highways Code requires each county to submit a certified total of all the mileage of maintained county roadways and a listing of all additions or exclusions, to the State Department of Transportation, who certifies the data to the State Controller. The State Controller uses this data in proportioning the distribution of funds from the Highway Users Tax Account and SB 1 “Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Program”. In Fiscal Year 2019-20, the County received $4,147,610 in HUTA revenue, $3,183,326 in RMRP revenue and $7,330,936 in Measure T sales tax for road maintenance revenue. For the County to be eligible to receive regional discretionary funds through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for road and safety projects, the County must certify a PMP and the number of miles of county maintained roads. Over the past three years, County staff verified that the county maintained roads that are traversable by ordinary automobiles, have become county roads through due legal processes, are open to the general public, and are outside of incorporated cities. In 2020, Harris and Associates measured the actual lengths of county roads and provided a pavement condition index for segments of county roads. The total centerline mileage of roadway maintained by the County for 2021 is 419.10 miles, reflecting a decrease of 27.4 miles since the 2020 and 27.2 miles since 2016. Chapter 18 “Maintenance” of the Caltrans “Local Assistance Procedures Manual” states: “The Maintained Mileage Report should accurately summarize in tabular format, the existing functional classification system of roadways.” The spreadsheet attached to this report includes the additions and exclusions since 2016. Additions typically come from the acceptance of new roadways or relinquishment of former State highways. Exclusions typically come from the annexation of roadways into incorporated cities or from abandonments. Caltrans also requests a GIS Shapefile that County staff will download from the StreetSaver Program and send to Caltrans. This update in mileage reflects some 20 years of “catching up”, which was supported by the 2020 PMP analysis which was done digitally for the first time. It resulted in many roads changing in length by small amounts (such as 0.1 miles) due to the accuracy of measurement. We identified roads that had been annexed into cities, and we also identified several roads where the original mapping was incorrect, for example counting the full length of a road, even though the last mile was behind a locked gate and privately maintained. The net result of this is a much more accurate view of our road system.
After a federally declared disaster, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) funds disaster repairs on Federal-aid routes and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds disaster repairs on Non-Federal-aid routes. FHWA classifies Federal-aid routes as Major Collector, Minor Arterial, Other Principal Arterials and higher, and Non-Federal-aid routes as Minor Collector and Local. The FHWA has a functional classification system for roads in the United States, which starts with local roads that connect to collectors that connect to arterials that connect to interstate highways. Local roads have high accessibility with many driveways, low speeds and low mobility. These roads are used for short trips and are often two-lane residential roads or cul-de-sacs. Interstate highways have low accessibility with limited access, high speeds and high mobility. Interstate routes are used for long trips between cities and have multiple lanes. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) identifies the functional classification system on California Road System (CRS) Maps. The Napa County General Plan Circulation Element (GPCE) identifies arterial, collector and local roads; however, there are differences between the GPCE Map and the CRS Maps. In February 2020, the County completed Devlin Road Segment E Project, which completed Devlin Road from Soscol Ferry Road to South Kelly Road. The GPCE Map shows Devlin Road as an arterial road that connects the Napa Valley Commons Business Park in the city of Napa to the Napa Valley Business Park near the Napa Valley Airport to the Green Island Industrial Park in the city of American Canyon. The CRS Map identifies Devlin Road a Local road parallel to Highway 29, which is an “Other Principal Arterial”, and North Kelly Road and South Kelly Road, which are “Major Collector”. The FHWA “Highway Functional Classification Concepts, Criterial and Procedures” recommends that parallel routes have different functional classifications, and that Minor Arterials “provide service for trips of moderate length, serve geographic areas that are smaller than their higher Arterial counterparts and offer connectivity to the higher Arterial System. In the attached “Functional Classification Change Request Form”, County staff recommend changing Devlin Road from a “Local” road to a “Minor Arterial”, because it has multiple lanes, is the Vine 11a bus route and connects to an “Other Principal Arterial” at the north end to a “Major Collector” at the south end.
For Caltrans to change the functional classification on the CRS Map, the County must submit a Board adopted resolution, “Functional Classification Change Request Form”, and a concurrence letter from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS
See attached
CEO Recommendation: Approve