Company:
City of Laguna Niguel
Status:
Awarded
Awarded:
Bikeways & Trails Project of the Year
Additional Files
Bioretention planter
Trail at OCFCD channel access ramp
Seating area
Trails looking north
Additional Information

N/A

Oso Creek Multi-Use Trail

Project Location:

Forbes Road, Laguna Niguel CA 92677

Project Description:

100-year-old railroad tracks, the I-5 and SR-73 freeways, a heavily-travelled arterial roadway, and an assortment of small commercial businesses were all crowded along Forbes Road and the banks of Oso Creek in November 2011, at the time the City of Laguna Niguel approved the “Gateway District” Specific Plan.  Key to the Plan to transform the aging low-rise commercial area into a high-density, mixed-use transit-oriented community was the trail link, planned along Oso Creek to offer local pedestrian and bikeway access to the Laguna Niguel Metrolink Commuter Rail Station, bus system transfers, and the regional trail network.  Construction of the Oso Creek Multi-Use Trail effectively narrowed the existing overly-wide Forbes Road cul-de-sac to bring it down to a more pedestrian-friendly scale.  The trail created new community green space alongside a once-bleak trapezoidal creek channel, and reduced the area’s carbon footprint by encouraging walking, biking and mass transit ridership by residents in the 3,000 new high-density dwelling units planned for the vicinity.  In conjunction with the overall land use redevelopment, the trail project helped reverse the hydrologic and water-polluting impacts of 1960’s-era urbanization, removing 2.8 acres of existing pavement within Forbes Road and the Orange County Flood Control District’s right-of-way.  The old impervious road surface was replaced with a permeable-asphalt off-street bike trail, a decomposed-granite pedestrian path, and a parkway landscaped with drought-tolerant plants.  Stormwater from Forbes Road and adjacent street intersections was directed into the parkway, which was designed as a bioretention system to filter out stormwater pollutants.  Interpretive signage, describing watershed issues and explaining the water quality benefits of the project to trail users, was added to enhance a small plaza seating area.  The land use concept and trail features were quickly embraced by land developers, who by 2015 had started construction on over 1,500 new dwelling units in the new Gateway neighborhood.

Project Justification:

The Oso Creek Multi-Use Trails project stands out in leveraging the potential of narrow strips of right-of-way to foster sustainability and create a new sense of community.  The bike and pedestrian trails connect residents’ high-density homes functionally to the Metrolink Station and provide opportunities for outdoor interaction with both people and environment,, while providing water quality benefits to Oso Creek and air quality benefits to the region.  In terms of surface water resources, the 3,650’-long project site drained storm water runoff from 1.6 total lane miles of roads.  The storm drain pipes that used to outfall directly to adjacent Oso Creek were detoured by the project through landscaped infiltration strips and bioretention planters, which reduce the discharge rate and filter out pollutants.  The project landscaping featured native trees and understory shrubs, which offered new shade, aesthetic enhancement and habitat value along a segment of the creek channel that had been mostly devoid of these qualities for 40 years.

Special Circumstances:

The trails in the north half of the project occupy a 30’-wide swath of what previously was street pavement in the City’s North Forbes Road right-of-way.  The southern half of the trail alignment overlays the Oso Creek Channel maintenance access road owned by the Orange County Flood Control District (OCFCD), which runs parallel and contiguous to South Forbes Road.  Under a joint use agreement between the City of Laguna Niguel and the OCFCD, OCFCD maintained its ownership and allowed use of its property for the trails, while the City acted as the Lead Agency responsible all project construction and long-term maintenance.  This interagency partnership helped enable the project to earn recognition in the form of funding grants from the Orange County Transportation Authority under its Measure M2 Tier 2 Environmental Cleanup Program, and from the State Water Resources Control Board under its Stormwater Program.

Project Attachments:

N/A

Award Citation::

By creating walking and bicycle trails to the local Metrolink Station, the project was a linchpin in the plan to redevelop a low-rise commercial district into a vibrant, high-density, sustainable community. Permeable pavements and bioretention planters served both aesthetic and environmental functions.

Suggested Award Summary:

The project was a linchpin in the plan to redevelop the City of Laguna Niguel’s Gateway District from an aging, low-rise commercial area into a vibrant, sustainable community.  The new trails alongside Oso Creek offered local pedestrian and bikeway access from new high-density residential complexes to the Metrolink Rail Station.  Space for the trails was carved out by narrowing the existing overly-wide Forbes Road cross-section to bring it down to a more pedestrian-friendly scale, and utilizing Orange County Flood Control District maintenance accessway. Impervious roadway pavement was replaced with permeable asphalt, decomposed granite, and landscaped bioretention areas to help reverse the hydrologic and water-polluting impacts on the creek.  The trail created new community green and recreational space alongside a once-bleak trapezoidal creek channel, and reduced the area’s carbon footprint by encouraging walking, biking and mass transit ridership by residents in the 3,000 new dwelling units planned for the neighborhood.

Project Awards

Burris Pump Station Project, Phase 1 Skimming the Waters of Newport Habor Sunset Ridge Park Lake Forest Sports Park Coyote Creek Class I Bikeway The Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) Corona del Mar Water Transmission Main Santa Ana River Interceptor (SARI Line) Relocation Project State Route 57 Northbound Widening (Central Phase) 20 Story Office Tower and 8 Story parking Structure @ 650/670 Newport Center Drive Tustin Ranch Road Extension Balboa Boulevard Beautification Park Place SR 57 Widening North Segment Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center (ARTIC) Irvine Regional Park Maintenance Building Replacement Project Sand Canyon Avenue Grade Separation SR-57 Improvements Newport Forcemain Project Emergency Roof Stabilization, Tustin Hangar 1 Lower Santa Ana River Reach 9 Phase 2B Project Newport Beach Civic Center & Park City of San Clemente Recycled Water Expansion Project Groundwater Replenishment System Initial Expansion Cerritos Avenue Reconstruction and Sanitary Sewer Improvement Project Bristol Street Improvements Phase II New Ocelot Exhibit at the Santa Ana Zoo Newport Beach's Harbor Litter Removal Project Brookhurst Street Widening Project I-5/SR-74 Interchange Improvement Project Oso Creek Multi-Use Trail PCH/Del Prado Street Improvements Marina Park Newland, Edinger, and East Garden Grove Wintersburg Storm Channel Confluence System Gobernadora Multipurpose Basin Lincoln Avenue Widening over the Santa Ana River Gilbert Street Improvements LAGUNA BEACH FESTIVAL OF ARTS FAÇADE/ENTRANCE PROJECT ALEGRE AFFORDABLE APARTMENTS Cow Camp Road Design – Phases 1A & 1B West County Connectors Project Waste to Energy - Bowerman Power Project Glassell Yard Campus Stormwater Low-Impact Development Retrofit Project Esencia, Rancho Mission Viejo Irvine Boulevard Pedestrian Bridge Orange County Water District La Palma Groundwater Recharge Basin Stanton Central Park Jeffrey Open Space Trail Emerald Bay Entrance Widening Peters Canyon (Wash) Channel Water Capture and Reuse Pipeline Project 91 Express Lanes Pavement Rehabilitation and CMS Replacement Memory Lane Park, Santa Ana La Pata Extension Project SR-91 Westbound Widening Newport Beach Country Club Clubhouse 400 Spectrum Center Drive Soil Nail Wall Myra 3 Stormwater Pump Station Sunset/Huntington harbour Dredging and Waterline Project Huntington Beach Senior Center In Central Park Newport Boulevard Widening Crown Valley Park Channel Entry Improvements Anaheim Convention Center Betterment VII Mackay Park Tesoro Zone II and Zone B Water Facilities Park Avenue Bridge over Grand Canal I-5/La Novia Roundabout Dairy Fork Wetland and Habitat Restoration Jeffrey Road Park n' Ride Lot Expansion Project Tustin-Rose Grade Separation Project, Part of the OCTA OC Bridges Grade Separations Program Argyros Girl Scout Leadership Center Wagon Wheel Creek Restoration and Stormwater Management OCTA OC Bridges Program ABC Green Home 3.0 Project Laguna Beach Festival of the Arts Grounds Renovation Ortega Highway Emergency Repair Project The Tracks at Brea Baker Ranch City of Buena Park Fire Station No. 61 Arlington Drive Bioswale & Dry Weather Diversion Project Altair Irvine Village Pond Park/Veterans Park Renovation Mid-Basin Injection: Centennial Park Agua Chinon Corridor Tarbut V’ Torah Phase III & Phase IV Rancho Mission Viejo Joint-Use Pavilion I-5 HOV Improvement Project between Avenida Pico and Avenida Vista Hermosa Orange County Great Park Sports Complex Crawford Canyon Road Drainage Improvements & Reconstruction South Cove Development Great Park Ice & FivePoint Arena Lido House Hotel Broadcom Corporate Campus (now FivePoint Gateway West Orange County Water Board Feeder No. 2 Relocation Newhope-Placentia Trunk Sewer Replacement Project State College Boulevard Grade Separation Los Patrones Parkway Rancho Mission Viejo Multipurpose Path Urth Caffe - Orange Environmental Nature Center Preschool Building 16

Candidate Awards

Natalie A. Meeks, P.E. Tasha M. Kamegai-Karadi Yazdan (Yaz) T. Emrani, P.E., Byron Tobey, PE, QSD, LEEP AP Eric Walker Gidti Ludesirishoti Victoria Pilko Pratanu Ghosh Steven R Marvin Phil Jones, PE Joshua Nelson, PE Victor Aguirre Kenneth H. Rosenfield, PE George A. Jurica, PE Tom Bogard Ravi Shah, PE, QSP/QSD Amy Choi, EIT Elizabeth Ruedas, EIT, ENV SP Mujahid Chandoo Roxanne Follis Amir Aghakouchak, Ph.D., M-ASCE, P.E. Fred Minagar Jeffrey Okamoto, PE Harvey Gobas Chloe Gharios Kevin Onuma, P.E. Ryan Chamberlain Dr. Adrian Moore Michael Pierce, A.M.ASCE Remi Candaele, PE, MS, QSD/QSP, M.ASCE Thomas A. Broz, P.E., S.E, F.ASCE Karen Cervantes, S.M.ASCE Isamar Escobar, A.M.ASCE Kevin Kondru, P.E., M.ASCE Douglas J. Johnson, P.E., M.ASCE Jeremy Redman, PhD Christopher Haire Mojgan Hashemi, P.E., M.ASCE OC Report Card Executive Committee Steven J. Huff, P.E., M.ASCE William Bennett, P.E., M.ASCE Bruce Phillips, P.E. Brad Dybel, PE Bryant Wong Gyssela (Jazzy) Quinabo, E.I.T. Nestor Godinez, PE Professor Joel Lanning Elizabeth Ruedas Dave Lowe Wei Koo Bill Lawson Amber Ganapathy Bob Kallenbaugh State Senator Josh Newman Gary Urban Dr. Sudarshan Kurwadkar Clint Isa, PE Jason Fix, PE Chirath "Chuck" Karunathilake Amber Shah Ashlyn Alexander John C Hogan Marionne Lapitan Dr. C.T. Bathala, PhD, P.E. Kevin Du Mont, P.E. Ziad Mazboudi, P.E., D.WRE, MBA David Frattone, P.E. Lisa Bartlett Jennifer Bohen Gyssela (Jazzy) Quinabo, E.I.T. Adeleine J. Tran, P.E. Jared Lindo Janelle Gonzalez Marionne Lapitan, E.I.T., ENV SP Chirath "Chuck" Karunathilake Gabreelle Gonzalez, P.E. George A. Jurica, P.E. Jeff Braun, P.E. Representative Harley Rouda Jeremy R. Squire, P.E. Kathereen Shinkai, P.E. Mobility 21 Douglas J. Sereno, P.E., F.ASCE Dr. Lisa Star, Ph.D., P.E. Lisa M. Penna, P.E., F.ASCE, QSD Michael A. Kraman, P.E. Tapas Dutta, P.E., F.ASCE Raul Omar Rodriguez Mathew Picardal Darlyn Hernandez Keenan Do Guillermo Medina Jesse Bennett Rob Himes Jennifer Marks Andrew Oshrin Sam Ali Stephanie Wiggins Patrick Tierney, P.E. Rudy Emami
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