On Friday morning, the San Marino City Council was expected to discuss at the Crowell Public Library whether the city should continue to hold Metro funds and further refine the proposals for $8 million in intersection work at Atlantic Boulevard/Huntington Drive/Los Robles Avenue/Garfield Avenue.
The council was also expected to discuss the direction and seek clarity on additional proposals within the 710 North project, funded by the $32 million in Measure R sales tax funding meant for traffic issues. The funds are meant to address traffic impact due to Metro’s decision to not construct the 710 tunnel project. The tunnel project aimed to link the 710 and 210 Freeways.
At its Wednesday, July 10 meeting, the council discussed seven motions with three motions passing in a 3-1 vote. Four motions failed to pass as a result of a tie vote with Council Member Susan Jakubowski out on an excused absence.
The motions that passed included: directing the city manager to correspond with Metro in order to withdraw the funding request for traffic signal synchronization on Huntington Drive, to direct Metro that they city was unwilling to accept any funds that did not benefit projects around schools and to reject all funds on every intersection save for Atlantic Boulevard.
The city staff report noted that the motion language was “somewhat competing and contradictory.” Staff believed the spirit of the council’s intention for the five projects was as follows: For Project 1 (intersection improvements, $12 million), to reject the project and funding for three of the four intersections ($4 million) and to reconsider the fourth intersection, Atlantic Boulevard/Huntington Drive/Los Robles Avenue/Garfield Avenue, ($8 million). For Project 2 (Huntington Drive improvements, $6 million), to continue holding the funds and have city staff return to the council with refined and clarified proposals in September.
For Project 3 (Sierra Madre Boulevard improvements, $4 million), Project 4 (Huntington Drive signal synchronization, $7 million) and Project 5 (San Gabriel Boulevard signal synchronization, $3 million), to reject all of the projects and funding outright.
If the City Council agrees with these points at the July 26 meeting, the last remaining discussion item is expected to be whether the city should continue to hold funds and further refine the $8 million Project 1 portion of the intersection of Atlantic Boulevard/Huntington Drive/Los Robles Avenue/Garfield Avenue.
