The city of Seal Beach has received more $1.9 million from the Orange County Transportation Authority to help mitigate costs and impacts of the I-405 Improvement Project, according to a statement issued Tuesday, Oct. 23, by city officials.
In March of 2018, the city executed a settlement agreement to end its lawsuit challenging the adequacy of the Environmental Impact Report Caltrans and OCTA prepared for the I-405 improvement project. The parties have been working on compliance with the agreement over the course of the past seven months.
The settlement agreement required OCTA to make two payments to the City: approximately $280,000 to reimburse the city for attorney fees and costs of the lawsuit, and almost $1.7 million for the city to construct a variety of repairs and improvements identified unanimously by the City Council in 2015.
Those improvements are specified in the settlement agreement. OCTA remains responsible for constructing approximately $2.455 million worth of additional project improvements, as unanimously requested by the City Council in 2015.
These improvements include constructing a new dedicated right-hand turn lane from the southbound Seal Beach Boulevard 405 off-ramp, to reduce backup exiting the freeway and attempting to turn right onto Seal Beach Boulevard. OCTA and the city also agreed on a formula and a study process whereby OCTA will pay its fair share of the cost of repaving Seal Beach Boulevard and
Westminster Avenue if “cut through” traffic from the project causes additional damage to City arterials.
Further, OCTA, Caltrans and city staff will continue to work on other project improvements that were agreed as part of the settlement, including mitigating the impacts of moving the Almond Avenue sound wall.
The “Seal Beach Improvements” that the City will construct with the $1.7 million, likely after the I-405 Project is completed, include resurfacing of portions of Almond Avenue and Lampson Avenue after utilities are undergrounded, the resurfacing of Old Bolsa Chica Road and the intersection of North Gate Road and Seal Beach Boulevard, repair of a drainage deficiency on Lampson Avenue and installation of certain landscaping improvements in the project area.
It is anticipated that the City will hold the money to complete the projects after the I-405 project is finished.
Finally, as agreed in the settlement, Caltrans has programmed the repaving of PCH from city limit to city limit into its State Highway Operations and Protection Program which the city reports is a necessary step to obtain an estimated $10 million in state funding for that project.
For more information, visit the city’s website at http://www.sealbeachca.gov/I-405-Improvement-Project.
