20A - AA FIRST ST BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT

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LSA ASSOCIATES, INC. INITIAL STUDY/MITIGATED NEGATIVE DECLARATION JULY 2010 FIRST STREET BRIDGE REPLACEMENT PROJECT CITY OF SANTA ANA Four other recreational facilities including a golf course are located within a 1-mile radius. The proposed project will not increase the demand and use of the above recreational parks and would not cause substantial physical deterioration of these facilities. The proposed project will not incorporate any new housing that would foster the use of these parks. Cyclists will continue to use the Santa Ana River Trail or other recreational parks, but the project would not cause an increased demand for these recreational uses because road widening does not affect bicycle trail use. During construction, the trail will be temporarily rerouted and a bike detour plan will be implemented to accommodate users of the Santa Ana River Trail. As stated in Section 2.0, the detour plan will reduce the impacts associated with the bridge construction and will help to avoid full bike trail closure. After the completion of construction activities the bicycle traffic will continue to move along Santa Ana River Trail. Therefore, the implementation of the detour plan will result in no impact to recreational facilities and no mitigation is required. B. Does the project include recreational facilities or require the construction or expansion of recreational facilities which might have an adverse physical effect on the environment? Less than significant impact. The proposed project is not required to build recreational facilities subject to local or State park standards as these apply to residential uses. Refer to XIV.A for additional discussion. However, the construction activities on the bridge will require temporary bike detour to the nearby streets, Mc Fadden Avenue and Fifth Street. According to the OCTA Commuter Bikeways Strategic Plan (CBSP), the following safety policy applies to all classes of bikeways. 1.12 Bicycle Safety: Separate bicycle and automobile traffic wherever possible, taking into consideration safety, users of the facility, economic factors, and physical feasibility, and by designing only one-way bike lanes, thereby minimizing conflicts at intersections and reducing the hazards of bicyclists traveling against traffic. The detour plan is designed to prevent bicyclists from crossing lanes as they access local streets from the Bicycle Trail. Because the detour will be temporary, the plan will not interfere with the goals set in the City's Recreation Element, the OCTA CBSP and will not have an adverse physical effect on the environment. Construction activities will be temporary and will cease upon the project completion. Therefore, less than significant impacts are anticipated, and no mitigation is required. XV. Transportation/Traffic Would the project: A. Cause an increase in traffic which is substantial in relation to the existing traffic load and capacity of the street system (i. e., result in a substantial increase in either the number of vehicle trips, the volume to capacity ratio on roads, or congestion at intersections)? 07/25/10 «PADMJ070l\MND\4.0 Environmental Analysis.doc» 4-37 20A-88