Item 12 - Select Locally Preferred Alternative for the First Street Multimodal Boulevard Study

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Select Locally Preferred Alternative for the First Street Multimodal Boulevard Study May 5, 2026 Page 2 multilingual community engagement process that reached over 1,100 participants and generated more than 10,000 unique online interactions. Based on this work, staff recommends that City Council select Option 2, Enhanced Bicycle and Pedestrian Zone Concept as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). Option 2 introduces a five-lane configuration that reduces crossing distances, incorporates separated bikeways on both sides of the street at sidewalk level, and provides wider sidewalks to enhance pedestrian comfort. The concept also includes key operational improvements such as Transit Signal Priority (TSP) and GIS-based Emergency Vehicle Preemption (EVP). Option 2 represents the most balanced and implementable solution. It directly addresses community traffic safety concerns while maintaining optimal vehicular traffic operations and supporting existing transit service. It is also consistent with the City's General Plan Mobility Element, Vision Zero Action Plan, and the designation of First Street as a Pedestrian Opportunity Zone. By contrast, Option 1 largely maintains the existing six-lane configuration and prioritizes vehicular travel time, resulting in only marginal improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists despite requiring full roadway reconstruction. It does not meaningfully address the corridor's safety concerns for non-motorists. Option 3, while offering a more transformative approach with dedicated transit emphasis, would significantly increase vehicular travel times, reduce landscaping opportunities, and rely on increased transit service that the Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) has confirmed is not currently planned. As a result, its benefits cannot be fully realized. Selection of an LPA at this time will allow the City and OCTA to complete final design plans, specifications, and engineering estimates by the December 2026 grant deadline and position the project to competitively pursue construction grant funding. At present, construction funding has not been secured, and implementation will be contingent upon future grant awards. Construction costs are estimated to be approximately $45 million. Due to the reliance on securing grant funds and timelines related to the grant process, Staff estimates that construction would not commence until 2028, at the earliest, and in all cases would be scheduled to not commence until other major corridor projects such as Bristol Street widening and Warner Avenue widening are completed. BACKGROUND First Street, from Bristol Street to Tustin Avenue, is a six-lane arterial that serves as a major east-west transportation corridor but functions as a connection barrier between neighborhoods to the north and south of the corridor. The section of First Street between Standard Avenue and Grand Avenue is four lanes, constrained by the Metrolink overcrossing. The street is reduced to five lanes from Golden Circle Drive to the City's eastern border with the City of Tustin ("Eastern Segment"). While it