REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
March 4, 2021
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
THROUGH: ANDREW J. BENELLI, PE, City Engineer/Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Traffic Operations and Planning Division
BY: JILL GORMLEY, TE, City Traffic Engineer / Traffic Operations and Planning Manager
Public Works Department, Traffic Operations and Planning Division
Title
***RESOLUTION - Adopting the 66th Amendment to the Annual Appropriations Resolution No. 2020-159 Appropriating $500,000 ($250,000 was previously appropriated for a total of $750,000) for the South Fresno AB 617 Truck Rerouting Study Project. (Council Districts 1, 3, 5 and 7) (requires five affirmative votes) (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends the Council to adopt the 66th Amendment to Annual Appropriations Resolution (AAR) No. 2020-159 appropriating $500,000 for the South Fresno AB 617 Truck Rerouting Study Project.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The San Joaquin Air Pollution Control District (Air District) and the City of Fresno propose to join forces to undertake the AB 617 Truck Reroute for the South Central Fresno Community (Project). The Project aims to identify, analyze, and evaluate potential strategies that freight-impacted communities in the AB 617 area might take in cooperation with the City of Fresno to abate truck impacts. Such truck impacts include air pollution, noise, polluted runoff, traffic crashes, traffic congestion, and excess wear on the streets. This element of the AB 617 plan will study whether heavy-duty trucks travelling within the community can be rerouted to reduce emissions exposure of South Central Fresno community residents. The amended FY2021 budget, as adopted by the Council, included $250,000 for the Truck Rerouting Study Project. This proposed AAR budget amendment will increase the total appropriations for the study to $750,000, utilizing $500,000 in AB 617 funding from the Air District and $250,000 in Measure “C” funding.
BACKGROUND
Assembly Bill (AB) 617, signed into law in July 2017, initiated a state-wide effort to monitor and reduce air pollution, and improve public health, in communities that experience disproportionate burdens from exposure to air pollutants through new community-focused and community-driven actions. The community of South Central Fresno was prioritized by the Air District and subsequently selected by the California Air Resources Board (CARB) as one of two first-year communities in the San Joaquin Valley to receive clean air resources newly available under AB 617, based on a technical analysis of several pollution and poverty-related criteria.
Air pollution emission reduction and exposure reduction measures implemented under AB 617 programs will further advance ongoing state and District efforts to reduce regional and community exposure to air pollutants. Staff has been participated in monthly Community Steering Committee meetings since the initiation of the AB 617 efforts here in Fresno. A significant effort in the first year was the preparation of a Community Emissions Reduction Program (CERP), where the Air District worked closely with CARB, the Community Steering Committee, local agencies including the City of Fresno, business and industry representatives, and numerous community members. The final CERP incorporated a number of initiatives to improve air quality and reduce exposure to air pollutants, including partial funding of a truck rerouting study within the AB 617 boundary.
The CARB-derived 2017 community-scale emissions inventory for South Central Fresno indicates that heavy duty trucks emit 596 tons per year of NOx, which is 54% of the mobile source NOx Inventory, and 32% of the overall NOx inventory. Furthermore, heavy duty trucks account for 76 tons per year of toxic diesel PM emissions in this community, which is 40% of the overall diesel PM inventory. The study will focus on the analysis of existing and future planned truck routes as defined on the September 25, 2005 City of Fresno Designated Truck Route Map in the AB 617 study area, where there are either a large number of trucks or where a more moderate number of trucks conflict with sensitive land uses. Recommendations for rerouting or the elimination of existing or proposed routes as identified in existing and in process plans and during the community engagement process will also be included in the analysis. The overall effort will include a transportation study as well as a health impacts study. Both of these efforts will involve agreements which will come back to the Council for approval prior to commencing the work.
The evaluation will form the basis for modifications to established and planned truck routes as shown on the 2005 City of Fresno Designated Truck Route Map, which could then be adopted by the Council as an amendment to the truck route ordinance.
The AB 617 study area includes a number of existing manufacturing, warehousing, and logistics businesses. Additionally, several vacant sites are being developed. Increased residential and commercial activities, along with continued growth of the freight related industry have resulted in increased traffic congestion and conflict. The area has also been identified as an area with a high concentration of households with low incomes, as well as high concentrations of minority residents or residents with limited proficiency in English. This study acknowledges the need for goods movement, and the economic benefits of the freight industry for the Central Valley Region, while also providing solutions to improve the quality of life and abate the air quality, noise, safety, congestion and other impacts that truck traffic can impose on communities.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
Pursuant to the definition in the California Environmental Quality Act Guidelines section 15378, this action not a project.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference was not implemented, as this item does not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
All costs for the truck rerouting study, including consulting services, community outreach, traffic counts and staff costs to manage the consultant team, will be funded through the Air District AB 617 and City of Fresno Measure “C” revenues as included in this AAR amendment and the adopted FY2022 budget. This item will not impact the General Fund.
Attachment:
Resolution