Arroyo Verdugo joint powers authority gathering input on proposed regional projects
Bus service in Burbank as well as street projects in both Burbank and Glendale were among the topics brought up during a recent meeting with representatives of the Arroyo Verdugo Communities Joint Powers Authority as they make their rounds to each member city and gather input about proposed regional transportation projects.
The first stop was at the Burbank Transportation Commission on Monday, when officials with Cambridge Systematics, a consultant hired by the joint powers authority, briefed commissioners on the proposed transit and street projects the city would like to see funded with Measure M monies over the next five years.
A steering committee, which was officially formed earlier this year, includes representatives from Burbank, Glendale, La Cañada Flintridge, Pasadena, South Pasadena and the unincorporated areas of La Crescenta and Montrose.
The reason why these cities and neighborhoods formed a joint powers authority was to ensure that they receive funding from Measure M, a half-cent sales tax voters approved in November 2016 to generate revenue for countywide transportation improvements.
Jon Overman, a transportation analyst with Cambridge Systematics, said Metro, the agency in charge of distributing the funds, is leaning toward distributing money to the steering committee on a per-capita basis.
The transportation agency is expected to give the group about $24 million over the next five years to help pay for transportation projects approved by Metro.
Of that amount, Burbank is expected to receive almost $4.9 million, Overman said. Meanwhile, Glendale could get roughly $9.4 million because of its larger population.
According to the 2016 census, Glendale’s population was 200,831, while Burbank’s was just 104,447.
Two transit projects requested by Burbank both involve replacing the buses used for the city’s BurbankBus program. The city would need about $1.8 million to replace three buses in 2020 and approximately $3.25 million to replace five in 2023.
Mark Ehrhardt, transportation commission chairman, said he had concerns about using the money to replace buses, adding that the City Council and the commission have both struggled to decide whether to continue the city bus service.
For the past few years, city staff has said BurbankBus has struggled to perform well due to declining ridership and high costs.
“Does the city of Burbank want to continue to be in the bus business at all?” Ehrhardt said. “That has been a question that has not been resolved, and it’s going to have to be resolved at some point.”
Burbank officials are also looking to use some of the Measure M funding for two streets projects that would improve bicycle and vehicle mobility between Burbank and Glendale.
One involves connecting the Chandler Bikeway in Burbank to the Los Angeles River bike path in Glendale via the Burbank Western Channel and Victory Boulevard.
This project is estimated to cost Burbank roughly $3.5 million and Glendale about $7 million.
The other is a complete street renovation on Glenoaks Boulevard between Brand Boulevard in Glendale and Verdugo Avenue in Burbank.
The Burbank portion of the project involves constructing high-visibility crosswalks, sidewalk bulb-outs on corners and protected bicycle lanes along Glenoaks between Verdugo and Alameda avenues and on Verdugo between Glenoaks and Ikea Way.
Glendale will make the same improvements on Glenoaks from Alameda to Brand Boulevard.
Burbank’s portion of the project is estimated to be $5 million, while Glendale’s part is projected to cost about $16 million.
Joint powers authority representatives are scheduled to return to Burbank on Oct. 16, when they are expected to present the regional projects to the City Council.
Steering committee officials are asking the public from each city and neighborhood to review the proposed projects and submit feedback.
A survey and list of potential projects can be found at tinyurl.com/AVCJPASurvey.
anthonyclark.carpio@latimes.com
Twitter: @acocarpio
