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08-1110_ORANGE,COUNTY OF_Agenda Report_D5 1/28/2®1® AGENDA REPORT D5 TO: Joe Tait, City Manager FROM: Nasser Abbaszadeh, Public Works Director SUBJECT: Consideration of Amendment No.1 to Extend Agreement No.1 C-8-0861 for Railroad Grade Crossing Safety Enhancements and Safety Measures Related to Quiet Zone Implementation (Orange County Transportation Authority) RECOMMENDATION By motion, approve Amendment No.1 to Agreement No. C-8-0861 between Orange County Transportation Authority and the City for Railroad Grade Crossing Safety Enhancements and Safety Measures related to Quiet Zone Implementation. Background The City Council approved the original Agreement on November 10, 2008, and it expired on December 31, 2009. Due to project delays, the construction time table for the City of San Juan Capistrano has shifted and signal work related to crossing safety is slated to commence in May 2010. The construction work will be on-going until March 2011, Amendment No.1 extends the Agreement to August 31, 2012. A recent change in federal regulations regarding the use of train horns has created a problem for residential communities near rail road tracks. For. safety considerations, passing trains sound their horns for long periods of time and rob people from their comfort and sleep at night. To combat the noise problem, under the federal rules, it is possible to establish "Quiet Zones" (QZ) at public rail road crossings once certain safety enhancements have been implemented. To enhance safety, raised median islands and/or gates are proposed at the five public City crossings: • Del Obispo • La Zanja • Verdugo • Oso, and • Aeropuerto Agenda Report ,January 19, 2010 Page 2 Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) is the owner of the tracks in San Juan Capistrano and has initiated a project to improve railroad crossings in participating cities that include San Juan Capistrano, Dana Point, San Clemente, Irvine, Tustin, Anaheim, Orange, Yorba Linda, Placentia, and Fullerton. COMMISSIONS/BOARD REVIEW RECOMMENDATIONS Improvement plans have been reviewed and commented on by Transportation Commission, Design Review Committee, and Planning Commission. FINANCIAL CONSIDERATIONS The required City's match (12% of the total project cost) is $864,372 and the City's CIP has the necessary funds for the project. NOTIFICATION Orange County Transportation Authority RECOMMENDATION By motion, approve Amendment No.1 to Agreement No. C-8-0861 between Orange County Transportation Authority and the City for Railroad Grade Crossing Safety Enhancements and Safety Measures related to Quiet Zone Implementation. Respectfully submitted: Nasser Abbaszadeh, PE Public Works Director Attachments: I. Amendment No.1