Company:

City of Anaheim

Status:

Awarded

Awarded:

Construction Project of the Year

Additional Files

Map and before and after project photos.

Additional Information

None.

Brookhurst Street Widening Project

Project Location:

The Brookhurst Street Widening Project took place on Brookhurst Street between Katella Avenue and Ball Road in the City of Anaheim, Orange County, California.  This one-mile long project is almost centered between Interstate 5 to the north and California State Route 22 to the south.  This segment of Brookhurst is a major arterial highway.  The neighbors adjacent to the project consist primarily of single family homes.

Project Description:

Overview.  The Brookhurst Street Widening Project consisted of property acquisition, road widening, and the installation of a linear park.  New street enhancements included the installation of curb and gutter, catch basins, sidewalk, bikeway, driveway approaches, rubberized asphalt overlay pavement, streetlights, traffic signal improvements, raised landscaped median islands and parkways, drainage system improvements, and a (±30’) wide greenbelt with meandering sidewalk around bioswales on the east side of Brookhurst Street between Forest Lane and Harriet Lane.  The one-mile long project widened the east side of Brookhurst Street from Ball Road to Katella Avenue to expand the existing four lane facility into a six lane roadway with median islands and parkways, including three northbound through lanes and two southbound through lanes transitioning to three southbound through lanes midway between Chanticleer Road and Cerritos Avenue. 

Traffic safety was enhanced by minimizing and channelizing left turn lanes, painting on-street Class II bike lanes, and adding parkway/sidewalks.  On street parking along Brookhurst Street was eliminated. 

The project reduces travel time, greenhouse gas emissions, enhances quality of life for the neighborhood, and improves the Level of Service from an F to A.  The $21,722,067 project was funded through multiple agencies and completed June 2015.

Project Justification:

Eliminating the Regional Bottleneck.  This Brookhurst Street Widening Project was selected for improvement under the Arterial Capacity Enhancement (ACE) program because it was the last bottleneck segment of the 14.7-mile Brookhurst Street corridor between Interstate 5 and Pacific Coast Highway that had not been improved to six lanes.  With documented Average Daily Traffic volume of 30,500 vehicles, Brookhurst Street within the Project limits operated at a   Level of Service (LOS) F, with volume to capacity ratio of 1.22.  This Project improved the capacity to a LOS A (0.54). 

Improved Safety.  Brookhurst Street is a principal arterial roadway with an extremely high average daily traffic count of approximately 30,500 vehicles.  The 2035 forecasted ADT is approximately 35,000.  The EPA Low Impact Development (LID) Brookhurst Street Widening Project increased motorized and non-motorized traffic mobility and safety by providing:  Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant curb ramps and pedestrian push buttons at signalized intersections; raised and landscaped medians with channelized left turn lanes (from Midwood Lane northerly to Ball Road); a wide greenbelt with meandering sidewalk along the east side of Brookhurst Street (between Katella Avenue to Harriet Lane); and northbound and southbound six-foot wide Class II bike lanes.  Research indicates roadways with raised medians are 25 to 30 percent safer than undivided roadways.  Similarly, roadways with raised medians are 10 to 15 percent safer than divided roadways with two-way left-turn lanes.
Drainage Issues.  The Project constructed 3.4 acres of vegetated swales (bioswales) and permeable pathways which emulate natural landscape functions to: 1) divert stormwater from streets to flow through vegetation and then infiltrate into the groundwater, and 2) remove transportation-related pollutants (including toxic sediment and metals) from stormwater that flows through and out the swale before it reaches the stormwater channels.  These proven storm water BMPS (best management practices) will help improve storm water quality by retaining, filtering, and infiltrating runoff contaminated with transportation-related pollutants from the adjacent principal arterial roadway (Brookhurst Street) and local collector streets in close proximity to the source of water.  The catchment area is estimated to be approximately 66 acres.  Improvements included the installation of catch basins and connector pipe screens in order to improve the City’s existing storm drain system and to reduce the size of the existing underground contamination plume.

Aesthetic Enhancement.  Carbon sequestering shade Trees (250) and plants (4,551 1-gallon and 5,047 5-gallon) with root systems that will help retain passing stormwater and filter contaminants also provide flora and fauna to beautify the new linear park.  Evapotranspiration (ET) Controllers help prevent overwatering and ensure vegetation remains healthy.  A new eight foot high concrete sound-wall was installed along the east side of Brookhurst Street between Katella Avenue and Harriet Lane.  Signage in the park educates the community about the project techniques used and ways residents can help reduce storm-water pollution.  Kreuzer Consulting Group coordinated the work to move existing City and Southern California Edison power lines underground.

These new amenities, along with the ten-foot wide parkway/sidewalks and 1.5-acre linear park, improve air quality, stormwater quality, and aesthetics, and expand recreational opportunities to improve the community’s quality of life.

Funding through multiple agencies.  The Project costs were Design $1,240,214 (5.71%), Right of Way $11,287,944 (51.97%), and Construction $9,193,909 (43.33%), for a total project cost of $21,722,067.

Funding for the project comprised of: Anaheim Public Utility Department $624,500 (2.9%), The City of Anaheim $6,166,667 (28.4%), County of Orange (OCTA M2-ACE) $3,393,000 (15.6%), and (OCTA M2-ECP) $1,085,700 (5%), and State of California (Prop 84) $1,177,200 (5.4%), (Prop 1B) $5,882,000 (27.1%), and (SLPP) $3,393,000 (15.6%).  Some of these funds were awarded through a very competitive grant process.

It was critical that the Project stayed on schedule to comply with the funding requirements.  Planning started in May 2009 and construction was completed August 2015.

Special Circumstances:

This large and complex project also included an agreement between the City and Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) – the owner and operator of the rail lines crossing Brookhurst Street just north of Crestwood Lane (within the project limits).  The $510,000 agreement, of which $382,500 (75%) was funded through Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA)’s M2 program and $127,500 (25%) was matched by the City, allowed the City to make improvements to UPRR’s rail line, including: relaying rails, installing concrete and crossing panels, installing ballast and other track and surface materials, and installing automatic flashing light crossing signals with gates and other signal materials.  The agreement with UPRR allowed the City to improve safety and driving conditions for rail operators, motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists navigating this portion of Brookhurst Street.

Project Attachments:

The Project shifted the roadway centerline and widen the roadway right-of-way in order to accommodate (1) the additional lanes in the northbound and southbound directions and (2) the proposed bikeways, sidewalks, and landscaped areas.  Prior to commencing construction, immense coordination was required for the City to acquire and permanently relocate 18 households then demolish 21 single-family residences on the street corridor within City of Anaheim jurisdiction.  This portion of the project was successfully completed over a period of 21 months. 

The improvements mitigated existing and future traffic volumes along Brookhurst Street, and brought the street into compliance with the City’s General Plan and the County of Orange Master Plan of Arterial Highways.  The Project also improved vehicular safety and enhanced the corridor’s aesthetics through construction of landscaped medians and parkways.

Award Citation::

This Brookhurst Street Widening Project improved safety by removing the last bottleneck segment of the 14.7-mile Brookhurst Street corridor.  By widening Brookhurst Street from a four-lane to a six-lane facility between Katella Avenue and Ball Road, the project reduces travel time, greenhouse gas emissions, and improves the Level of Service from an F to A.  The $21,722,067 project, funded through multiple agencies, was completed June 2015.

Suggested Award Summary:

This Brookhurst Street Widening Project was selected for improvement under the Arterial Capacity Enhancement (ACE) program because it was the last bottleneck segment of the 14.7-mile Brookhurst Street corridor between Interstate 5 and Pacific Coast Highway that had not been improved to six lanes.  Traffic congestion between Katella Avenue and Ball Road in the City of Anaheim caused the street to operate at a Level of Service (LOS) F (1.22).  This project improved the capacity to a LOS A (0.54).  Prior to construction, the City acquired 21 homes along the east side of Brookhurst.  The one-mile long project widened the east side of Brookhurst Street from Ball Road to Katella Avenue to expand the existing four lane facility into a six lane roadway with median islands and parkways, including three northbound through lanes and two southbound through lanes transitioning to three southbound through lanes midway between Chanticleer Road and Cerritos Avenue.  New street enhancements included the installation of curb and gutter, catch basins, sidewalk, bikeway, driveway approaches, rubberized asphalt overlay pavement, streetlights, traffic signal improvements, raised landscaped median islands and parkways, bioswales, drainage system improvements, and a wide greenbelt with meandering sidewalk on the east side of Brookhurst Street between Forest Lane and Harriet Lane. 

Traffic safety was enhanced by channelizing left turn lanes, adding Class II bike lanes and parkway/sidewalks.  Landscaped median islands and parkways improve storm-water quality.  The project reduces travel time, greenhouse gas emissions, and improves the Level of Service from an F to A.  The $21,722,067 project was funded through multiple agencies and completed June 2015.