E 232 Select Streets (Select System Streets)

Some City streets are designated as Select Streets by the Bureau of Street Services, indicating a street requires a thicker pavement design to accommodate greater traffic loads.  See Section E 212 Select Streets.  (This list has been approved by the California Highway Commission, pursuant to Sections 186.3 and 186.4 of the Streets and Highways Code.  See Section E 020E. State Highways within the City are included in the Select System.)¹

E 232.1 Capital Improvement Projects

A project financed wholly with public funds is called a capital improvement project. From the standpoint of financing, resolution projects are considered as capital improvement projects. See Subsection E 232.14, Resolution Projects. Assessment projects normally initiated by property owners are not included in the capital improvement project designation. See Subsection E 232.2, Assessment Projects.

Capital projects are generally recommended by City officers and departments. The projects are then considered by the Technical Committee for Capital Programming and included in the Five-Year Capital Program.  Finally, projects are selected by the Public Works Priority Committee, the Mayor, and the Council for inclusion in the Capital Program Funds of the Budget. The projects recommended under this procedure are financed as follows:

E 232.11 Payment with Gas Tax Funds

Eligible items may be paid for with gas tax funds as described below.

E 232.111 City Must Pay:

The following are always paid for by the City:

1. All right of way not already available.
2. Pavement.
3. Curbs and gutters.
4. Safety street lighting.
5. Traffic control devices (signals and conduit).
6. Drainage facilities required for the street improvement.
7. Guard rails and other safety items.
8. Retaining walls and other items required for the street improvement.

As a “rule of thumb,” 60 percent of the estimated storm drain costs for those drains within the Select System street may be considered eligible for financing with Gas Tax Funds.  For particulars in this regard, refer to City and County Projects Manual or Section CI 031.1 of Part G of the Manual, Storm Drain Design. The ineligible portions of the storm drain installation are then paid for with Permanent Improvement (P.I.) money for publicly financed improvements and with private capital for privately financed improvements.

Permanent Improvement (P.I.) funds up to $5,000 should be requested on all new street projects even though the project is apparently 100 percent eligible for Gas Tax expenditures. This will eliminate many late requests to Council for P.I. funds due to a small change in eligibility.

E 232.112 City May Pay:

The following are sometimes paid for by the City:

1. Permanent concrete sidewalks on structures, medians, and were determined by the City to be of no benefit to owners abutting property.
2. Landscaping of medians to basic City standards, functional planting for erosion or weed control purposes, and street trees where determined by the City to be of no benefit  to owners of abutting property. Landscaping shall include lawn, specimen trees, and automatic electrically controlled sprinkler system as may be determined by the City to be appropriate to the use of the facility.
3. Pedestrian, equestrian, or vehicular underpasses or overhead crossings.
4. Any replacement or reconstruction necessitated by the street improvement, including street trees.

E 232.12 Payment with Other Than Gas Tax Funds: 

Items not eligible for gas tax funds may be paid for as described below.

E 232.121 By City: 

City will provide funds to complete the following:

1. Additional street lighting may be necessary to provide for a continuous underground system of conduit, cable, and foundations, plus electroliers at intersections and other points of hazard. See Subsection E 232.111 (4).
2. Additional traffic control devices as may be necessary in conjunction with the street improvement. See Subsection E 232.111 (5).
3. Drainage facilities and betterments incidental to the street improvements. See Subsection E 232.111 (6).

E 232.122 By Property Owner:

Property owners pay for other improvements, including the following:

1. Sidewalks, except those which may be financed by City. See Subsection E 232.112 (1) and (4).
2. Electroliers are necessary to complete the street lighting system. See Subsections E 232.111 (4), E 232.112 (4), and E 232.121 (1).
3. Street trees, except those which may be financed by City. See Subsection E 232.112 (2) and (4).
4. Landscaping as may be desired over and above that set forth in Subsection E 232.112 (2). These improvements should be installed under assessment proceedings initiated by property owners or by Council resolution, but not necessarily concurrent with the construction of pavement or other facilities.

E 232.13 Stage Construction

This refers to the construction of part of an improvement (usually in an undeveloped area) that will handle traffic in an interim period until traffic density warrants the completion of the improvement to its ultimate development. The portion in the initial stage should be designed so that it may be used in its entirety with little or no modification as part or the ultimate development. Where stage construction is being used on Select System streets, the City will provide pavement for two lanes of traffic in each direction, plus channelization at intersections, and such other facilities as may be needed for drainage control, traffic control, and safety, including rights of way for utility and pedestrian needs.

E 232.14 Resolution Projects

These projects are improvements processed under assessment proceedings, but for programming and financing purposes they are considered capital improvement projects. Authority to proceed with design or other processing is contingent upon availability of public funds.

Capital improvement projects may be advanced in priority consideration for financing through property owners providing or paying for acquisition or improvements. This would be accomplished by adoption of a Council resolution which would initiate assessment proceedings for right of way acquisition and complete improvements. Public funds may be provided as follows:

1. City may pay for all right of way not already available when property owners pay for complete street improvements except traffic control facilities and portions of street lighting, for which other public funds would normally be provided. OR
2. City may pay for “curb to curb” improvements when property owners provide the remaining complete street improvements. Examples or “curb to curb” improvements are full pavement for which other public funds are not already available, curb and gutter, drainage facilities, traffic control devices, and portions of street lighting. OR
3. City may provide or pay for the right of way except severance and improvement damage to major improvements, for which other public funds may be provided.

E 232.2 Assessment Projects

Select System street improvements may be included in assessment proceedings. These projects, which are normally initiated by property owners, are not to be considered as capital improvement projects for programming and financing purposes.

E 232.21 Payment: 

Select System street improvements are paid for as described below.

E 232.211 City Must Pay 

The following are always paid for by the City:

1. Pavement more than local street width. See Section E 234, Improvements Abutting Railroad and Public Property.
2. Street lighting underground system plus electroliers at intersections and other points of hazard.
3. Traffic control devices.
4. Severance and improvement portion of requisition costs.

E 223.212 City May Pay 

Storm drains which are included in an assessment district where the drainage facilities required are more than the normal minimum catch basins and connector laterals necessary to make the street improvements functional may be paid for by the City. See Part G of the Manual, Storm Drain Design, Section G 031, Financing.

1. Sidewalk.
2. Remaining street lighting electroliers.
3. Street trees.
4. Traffic signal interconnect conduit.
5. Local drainage facilities.
6. Local sewer.
7. Fire hydrant initial installation.
8. Water service initial installation. Reference: Council File No. 85,446.

Footnotes

1. The text in parenthesis is from the legacy Street Design Manual text and is no longer in use.