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2017 LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM <br />First/Last Mile Connections to Santa Ana <br />Regional Transportation Center <br />(Public Works Agency) <br />New first and last mile connections to regional <br />rail and bus passengers are critical to expand <br />regional mobility. One key to expand system <br />capacity is adding seamless travel connections at <br />the Santa Ana Regional Transit Center (SARTC) to <br />access Civic Center, Downtown, the Museum <br />District and other employment, cultural, <br />commercial and educational centers. <br />Funding to plan and construct these first and last <br />mile travel connections is needed, including bike <br />lanes and infrastructure, safe and accessible <br />pedestrian routes, and convenient transit <br />facilities. Infrastructure may include protected <br />bike lanes, bike lockers and racks, new sidewalk <br />and access ramps, upgraded bus shelters. <br />Programs and planning efforts could include <br />educational campaigns, travel safety <br />advertisements, and community based complete <br />streets planning. <br />The City supports Federal, State and regional <br />funding programs and policies which would <br />facilitate first and last mile connections. <br />(PWA) Consistent with this effort, the Santa Ana <br />Blvd and 5th Street Protected Bike lanes project, <br />funded with Active Transportation Program grant <br />funds, will install 4.2 miles of median protected <br />bike lanes to connect the downtown Civic Center <br />area with the SARTC. Being that a significant <br />portion of the project shares the same roadway <br />alignment as the OC Streetcar project; the City <br />has been working closely with OCTA to ensure <br />our design efforts are coordinated. In 2017, the <br />project was in the design phase with construction <br />scheduled to begin in conjunction with the OC <br />Streetcar project as early as summer 2018. <br />Grade Separations <br />(Public Works Agency) <br />Grade separation projects allow incompatible <br />mobility modes to coexist These types of <br />projects work by not only making existing <br />incompatible transportation systems successfully <br />match, but will greatly improve crossover <br />connections between multimodal mobility and <br />goods movement, and also result in reduced <br />congestion, improved air quality, and reduced <br />dependence on fossil fuels. <br />Three separate grade separation projects have <br />completed the conceptual engineering and <br />environmental analysis phase. The three <br />projects are located on Santa Ana Boulevard, <br />Grand Avenue, and 17' Street. The three <br />currently intersect with railroad tracks carrying <br />Amtrak and Metrolink commuter traffic, and <br />Union Pacific Railroad freight cars. <br />Daily rail traffic is now 75 trains per day and is <br />expected to increase to 110 per day by the year <br />2035. The grade separation projects are <br />essential to allow for future and current <br />commuter and goods movement, while also <br />maintaining and improving train, pedestrian and <br />bicycle mobility, and safety by uniting divided <br />neighborhoods and commercial districts. <br />The City of Santa Ana is the lead for the Santa Ana <br />Boulevard project. This is a unique Grade <br />Separation Plaza because it not only allows and <br />encourages mass pedestrian and bicycle traffic to <br />safely cross rail tracks adjacent to the Santa Ana <br />Regional Transit Center (Amtrak and Metrolink <br />station). It would also allow for the extension of <br />the OC Streetcar across the rail tracks without <br />any additional infrastructure but the streetcar <br />line. <br />The environmental clearance of the Santa Ana <br />Boulevard Grade Separation Plaza was <br />CIN OF SANTA ANA <br />19 <br />66&41 <br />