TITLE
Recommendation to adopt resolution making certain findings regarding certain public improvements on Long Beach Boulevard with North Long Beach Redevelopment Project Area Funds. (District 8)
DISCUSSION
There are about 200 miles of major and secondary streets within the City of Long Beach,
and Long Beach Boulevard is one of the longest and most important of the City’s major
arterial streets. The segment of Long Beach Boulevard within the North Long Beach
Redevelopment Project Area is approximately five miles long, stretching from just north
of Wardlow Road to the City’s northern boundary. For many years, the North Long
Beach community has been asking the City to consider repaving all of Long Beach
Boulevard north of Wardlow Road.
There are two primary funding sources available for street improvement projects. These
include Proposition C funds and Federal Gasoline Tax funds. While the Proposition C
source of funding is the City’s largest (approximately $4.5 million per year), it comes
with the greatest restrictions. These funds can only be used on streets that have
regularly scheduled bus services. Federal Gasoline Tax is the City’s next largest
source of funding (approximately $1.5 million per year). These funds are commonly
known as TEA-21 funds and are limited to major arterials identified on federal maps
provided to the City by the California Department of Transportation.
While Long Beach Boulevard qualifies under both funding sources, the City’s total street
repair needs far exceed the availability of these funds. To prioritize and allocate such
limited funding, City staff uses the structural condition and remaining life of a street tii
determine where the limited amount of funding will best be used. For example, a street
with failing pavement, evidenced by many potholes and severe cracking, will rank as a
much higher priority than a street that simply suffers from poor appearance or ride-
ability (the smoothness of the roadway surface).
Administration...
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