Agenda Item Wording:
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Caltrans Presentation of New Interchange at Road 148 and State Route 198 - Receive a presentation and provide comments regarding the New Caltrans Interchange at Road 148 and State Route 198.
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Deadline for Action: 12/16/2024
Submitting Department : Engineering & Building Department
Contact Name and Phone Number:
Rebecca Keenan, Senior Civil Engineer, Rebecca.Keenan@visalia.city, 713-4541
Christopher Crawford, City Engineer, Chris.Crawford@visalia.city, 713-4331
Jason Huckleberry, Eng. & Bldg. Director, Jason.Huckleberry@visalia.city, 713-4495
Mohamad A. Annan, Caltrans Project Manager, mohamad.annan@dot.ca.gov, 243-3832
Department Recommendation:
Staff recommends that the City Council receive the presentation from the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) regarding the new interchange at Road 148 and State Route 198.
Background Discussion:
The City of Visalia has partnered with Caltrans and the Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) to begin the preliminary planning of a brand new multi-modal, gateway interchange to be located on State Route 198 (SR 198) at the Road 148 alignment. The City’s 2014 General Plan Circulation Element identifies future circulation needs, based on the Tulare County Association of Governments (TCAG) Regional Travel Demand Forecast Model (RTDFM), which models future traffic volumes along streets that connect future land uses (i.e., residential and non-residential uses). The regional model is based on each city’s and the county’s general plan, and this model was used to identify future traffic volumes along local, collector, and arterial roads and freeways. The circulation element identifies the type of street, and when it should be implemented, to ensure that there is sufficient roadway capacity to accommodate traffic generated by planned future development. The 2014 circulation element identified a 11-25 year timeframe for the arterial street and interchange to be constructed at this location. This is an estimated time to begin implementation of the improvement, from the 2014 baseline year, meaning between 2025 and 2039. This current planning effort is the first step to implement the planned improvements.
In December 2020, TCAG and Caltrans executed a Cooperative Agreement authorizing Caltrans to begin work on a Project Initiation Document (PID) for the new interchange. The PID is a scoping document that identifies the purpose and need of a project, performs preliminary traffic analysis, develops various alternatives, and identifies preliminary capital outlay estimates. Caltrans is nearing completion of the PID document and has developed five (5) interchange layout alternatives and three (3) artistic themes for consideration by the City Council. Staff and Caltrans request feedback regarding the various concepts, as these comments will be carried forward into the final PID document for further consideration in the Project Development phase. As shown in the presentation, the Caltrans project process commences with the Scoping Phase, which is the current phase. Upon completion of the Scoping Phase, the project will move consecutively through the following phases: Programming Phase (funding) -> Project Development PA&ED Phase (environmental, project approval, design, and right of way) -> Construction Phase (biding, award, construction). Work on the current Scoping Phase will continue through the first quarter of 2025 and will include additional public outreach to obtain further input regarding the alternatives and themes. Following that, the PID will be finalized, and adopted as soon as the summer of 2025.
Per the PID Project Description, this project will construct a new interchange approximately one mile east of the existing Lovers Lane Interchange on SR 198 in Tulare County. Road 148 is proposed to connect to Mineral King Avenue and Noble Avenue. In addition, auxiliary lanes are being considered for both directions of SR 198. This project proposes to integrate a Class 1 bike path into the interchange from Noble Avenue to the existing trail south of Mill Creek; and a Class IV bike path is anticipated on the north and south side of the realigned Mineral King Avenue and Noble Avenue. As an option, a Class II bike lane may be proposed along the existing Mineral King Avenue and Noble Avenue to reduce impacts to residences and businesses. Drainage basins will be proposed in the areas between the frontage roads and ramps, and construction of sound walls and retaining walls may be necessary within project limits. This scoping process includes the following interchange treatment alternatives for further consideration: A roundabout interchange, spread diamond interchange, partial clover leaf interchange, clover leaf interchange, and a diverging diamond interchange.
Interchange Alternatives:
Following is a summary of the interchange alternatives that are included in the PID.
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Alternative 1A |
Roundabout Interchange |
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Description of Work |
• Roundabouts to connect between the freeway ramps the new north/south arterial street, and Mineral King Avenue and Noble Avenue; • A bridge crossing over State Route 198; • Class IV bike path on Mineral King Avenue and Noble Avenue; • Class 1 shared use path over the bridge and connecting to the existing trail located north of Mineral King Avenue. |
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Alternative 1BL-2 Type Interchange (Spread Diamond) |
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Description of Work |
• The spread diamond (Type L-2) is adaptable where the grade of the cross street is changed to pass over or under the freeway. The ramp terminals are spread in order to achieve maximum sight distance and minimum intersection cross slope. • A spread diamond has the advantage of flatter ramp grades, greater crossroads left-turn storage capacity, and the flexibility of permitting the construction of future loop ramps if required. • This L-2 will provide direct on-off ramps connected between the freeway and Road 148; • A bridge crossing over State Route 198; • A class IV bike path on Mineral King Avenue and Noble Avenue; • A class 1 shared use path over the bridge and connecting to the existing trail located north of Mineral King Avenue. |
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Alternative 1CL-7 Type Interchange (Cloverleaf) |
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Description of Work |
• The L-7 is a cloverleaf interchange, which is a two-quadrant cloverleaf; • The L-7 eliminates the need for left-turn storage lanes, on or under the structure, thus reducing the structure costs. • This L-7 will include 2 direct off-ramps from SR 198 and 2 loop on-ramps to SR 198; • A bridge crossing over State Route 198; • A class IV bike path on Mineral King Avenue and Noble Avenue; • A class 1 shared use path over the bridge and connecting to the existing trail located north of Mineral King Avenue. |
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Alternative 1DL-9 Type Interchange (Partial Cloverleaf) |
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Description of Work |
• The Type L-9 is a partial cloverleaf interchange that provides loop on-ramps in addition to the four diamond-type ramps. • This interchange is suitable for large volume turning movements, since left-turn movements from the crossroads are eliminated, thereby permitting two-phase operation at the ramp intersections when signalized. • The L9 interchange usually has capacity to handle the higher volume traffic on the crossroad. • This L-9 will include 2 direct on-ramps to SR 198, 2 direct off-ramps from SR 198 and 2 loop on-ramps to SR 198; • A bridge crossing over State Route 198; • A class IV bike path on Mineral King Avenue and Noble Avenue; • A class 1 shared use path over the bridge and connecting to the existing trail located north of Mineral King Avenue. |
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Alternative 1EDiverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) |
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Description of Work |
• The primary difference between a DDI and a conventional diamond interchange is the design of the ramp terminal intersections. • Directional crossover intersections (DCI) on either side of the interchange divide and transpose the directions of local road traffic between the signalized crossover intersections. • Vehicles on the local road making a left-turn to or from the ramps do not conflict with vehicles approaching from other directions. • The DDI design improves the operation of the ramp terminal intersection by removing left-turning movements to and from the freeway facility at the signalized intersections. • This DDI will include 2 direct off-ramps from SR 198, 2 direct on-ramps to SR 198, and a bridge crossing over State Route 198; • A class IV bike path on Mineral King Avenue and Noble Avenue; • A class 1 shared use path over the bridge and connecting to the existing trail located north of Mineral King Avenue. |
Artistic Themes:
The Caltrans Landscape Architect took inspiration from the local scenery to develop three artistic themes for the interchange. All three feature the well-known Visalia Fox Theatre tower as decorative bridge pilasters, combined with scenic views of the Sierra Nevada.
Following is a summary of the interchange artistic themes that are included in the PID.
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Artistic Theme 1Color Splash |
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Description of Work |
• Fox Theatre pilasters • Perforated metal Sierra Nevada abstraction • Perforated metal agricultural field abstraction • Visalia lettering • Oak tree and citrus artwork • Colorful artwork |
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Artistic Theme 2Silhouette Railing |
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Description of Work |
• Fox Theatre pilasters • Metal mesh with Sierra Nevada abstraction • Acorn & leaves with Visalia lettering • Four creeks silhouette • Vinyard, oak tree and Sequoia silhouettes |
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Artistic Theme 3Stenciling Abstraction |
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Description of Work |
• Fox Theatre pilasters • Sepia colored metal die cut pattern with Sierra Nevada abstraction • Visalia lettering with four creeks and grapes silhouette • Agricultural field silhouette • Oak and sequoia tree silhouettes |
Conflicts with East Side Regional Park:
During the PID preparation, Caltrans is required to layout the new interchange alternatives following the Caltrans Highway Design Manual (HDM). This manual establishes uniform policies and procedures to carry out the State highway design functions. In following the Manual’s criteria, the preliminary interchange alternatives are shown impacting the City’s master planned East Side Regional Park (ESRP), which recently completed the Environmental Impact Report (EIR) process. City staff have coordinated with Caltrans to inform them of the importance of maintaining the ESRP site layout, as per the adopted EIR. Unfortunately, the Caltrans designers are unable to adjust the preliminary alternatives at this time because of the requirement to adhere to the HDM during the scoping phase. The HDM stipulates criteria such as spacing requirements between interchanges; and between freeway ramps and local streets. Caltrans has indicated that adjustments to these requirements may be considered during the Project Approval & Environmental Document (PA&ED) preparation of the project, through the Caltrans Design Exemption process. City staff will continue to provide comments to the Caltrans team throughout the upcoming phases to encourage the adjustment of the alternatives to minimize the impacts to the ESRP.
Funding & Public Outreach:
TCAG is funding the Project Initiation Document (PID) being prepared by Caltrans. Upon completion of the PID, the project team, including TCAG, Caltrans, and the City will pursue state and federal funding for the upcoming project phases. Potential funding may come from State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), Tulare County Regional Transportation Measure (Measure R) funds, and other federal funding. The team will begin pursuing potential funding in 2025.
In addition to identifying and pursuing funding next year, the team will also begin conducting community meetings to obtain public feedback regarding the interchange alternatives and artistic themes. Potential meeting locations include the City’s Convention Center, local schools, and other various community groups and organizations. City staff will work with the Caltrans Public Information Officer to advertise and reach out to people in advance of the meetings. Additional outreach will be achieved through various social media platforms and the agency web pages.
Road 148 Rename:
Concurrent to development of the new interchange, City staff will start work on the north/south arterial street that will connect the interchange to Houston Avenue to the north, and Tulare Avenue to the south. Per the City’s General Plan Circulation Element, this new arterial street will eventually extend north to Saint Johns Parkway and south to Caldwell Avenue. Construction of these new facilities provides the City with a unique opportunity to name the new arterial street. The project team will solicit name ideas as part of the public outreach and will also bring back further discussion about the current naming policy and a process for further soliciting and selecting a name(s).
Next Steps:
This project will go before the California Transportation Commission (CTC) in June 2025 for adoption of the Project Initiation Document (PID), which will conclude the Caltrans Scoping Phase. The Programing Phase will begin thereafter. Following is the estimated project schedule:
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Project Milestone |
Target Schedule |
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Project Initiation Documents (PID) adopted by CALIFORNIA TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION (CTC) |
June 2025 |
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Programming (STIP adoption by CTC) |
March 2026 |
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Begin Environmental Phase |
July 2026 |
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Complete Environmental Phase |
July 2029 |
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Complete Design & Right of Way Phases |
July 2032 |
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Begin Construction |
December 2032 |
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Construction Complete |
October 2035 |
Fiscal Impact:
There is no fiscal impact at this time. The current phase is being funded through TCAG. As previously stated, the team will commence the Programming (funding) Phase in 2025.
Prior Council Action:
None.
Alternatives:
None recommended.
Recommended Motion (and Alternative Motions if expected):
recommendation
No motion required.
end
CEQA Review:
The Environmental Document will be prepared by the State of California Department of Transportation during a future project phase.
Attachments:
1. Location Map
2. Presentation