WEST CONNECTOR ROADWAY

The proposed new County owned and operated major collector is intended to provide residents with local connections to existing County Roads, minimizing the travel dependency on SR-299 and providing an alternative means of traveling in Weaverville.  Accordingly, the project will reduce traffic congestion and delays along SR-299 through downtown Weaverville and at key intersections with SR 299.  The project will originate on SR 299 on Industrial Park Way and terminate on SR 299 near Oregon Pass, with connections at Glen Road, Mountain View Street, Mill Street and Oregon Street.   It would follow Industrial Park Way, then run above or below the Weaverville Sanitary District sewer ponds, and cross Weaver Creek on a new bridge just east of Mill Street.  After crossing Mill Street, it would follow the south side of West Weaver Creek through the BLM property, and cross Oregon Street.  From there, the West Connector would contine north towards SR 299, where it would intersect north of Trinco Lane.

 ALTERNATIVES:  Alternatives include minor variations in the alignment, and the design of the intersection with SR 299.  Only alternatives that meet the stated purpose and need will be considered in the environmental studies for the West Connector.   Depending on the ultimate alignment and configuration, the total project length will vary from 3.1 miles to 4.0 miles, including up to three stream crossings.  The alternative connection designs for the western project terminus involve grade-separated interchanges (on-an off ramps) on SR 299 near the base of the truck-climbing lane on Oregon Grade north of West Weaver Creek, or an at-grade T intersection with a bridge over West Weaver Creek.  Alternative routes around the Weaverville Sanitary District sewage treatment ponds are also being considered.

 SCHEDULE:  As recommended in the Weaverville Basin Traffic Circulation Study; Recommended Circulation Plan, (see “background” section, below), the County has begun “planning and right-of-way acquisition for the eventual long-term implementation” of the West Connector.  Funding for the environmental analysis has been programmed and allocated, and an Environmental Impact Study (EIS) and Environmental Impact Report (EIR) are underway.  The EIR portion is expected to be complete in late 2006 or 2007, and there will be public hearings on that document before the Trinity County Planning Commission and the Board of Supervisors.  The EIR will be the basis for the Trinity County Board of Supervisors to decide whether to proceed with this project.  If the Board of Supervisors approves, an EIS will be prepared and submitted to the Federal Highway Administration, who will use the information to decide whether to fund the project.  If both the County and the Federal Highway Administration approve, then funding for right-of-way and design would be programmed and allocated.  As recommended in the Circulation Plan, the County intends to acquire right-of-way for the entire alignment as soon as possible, to preserve the corridor.    However, construction is not scheduled to begin until at least 2009.  The project will be developed in three phases:

Phase 1 will start at Industrial Park Way, or at SR 299 south of Industrial Park Way, and connect Glen Road, Mountain View Street and Mill Street.  This phase is expected to be constructed in 2009 to 2010, subject to funding availability. 

Phase 2 will connect Mill Street to Oregon Street, along the west side of West Weaver Creek.  This phase is expected to be constructed in 2012 to 2014, also subject to funding availability. 

Phase 3 will connect Oregon Street to SR 299, west of Weaverville.  This phase will not be constructed until increasing traffic congestion in the historic downtown area and increased delays at the intersections of SR 299 with SR 3 and local county roads create a need for further congestion relief.  The traffic analysis included in the EIS and EIR will attempt to predict approximately when that need will arise, but Phase 3 will not be constructed until “real world” conditions indicate that it is necessary, or sooner if the community requests it, subject to funding availability. 

The intent of this approach is to initiate the lengthy advance planning process and to preserve the future road corridor now, so that when the need arrives, the project can be built quickly, without displacing homes or businesses that may have otherwise developed in the corridor

BACKGROUND:

The options of a “Bypass” and a “Connector” have been discussed in Weaverville since before 1988.  A “Bypass” would be a State Highway facility, designated as State Route 299 (SR 299).  The existing highway through town would probably be designated as “Business 299” and remain in State (Caltrans) control.  A bypass would have no connections to local County roads, and would pass over Oregon Street and Mill Streets on overpasses without on or off ramps.  A “Connector” would be a County road, maintained and controlled by Trinity County Department of Transportation.  It would be signed as a County Road, not as an alternate route around Weaverville.  There would be connections to local County Roads, so that local traffic can get to various areas in the town without getting onto SR 299.  Furthermore, western Weaverville residents would have an alternate route when traveling to and from outlying areas, further reducing traffic on Main Street (SR 299).  Trucks would be allowed, to reduce truck traffic in the downtown area.  Therefore, alignment and grade must be designed to accommodate trucks safely.  This includes considerations for trucks safely entering SR 299 and reaching truck highway speeds when they encounter the Oregon Mountain grade.

Caltrans originally proposed the concept of a Highway Bypass in 1988, but took no immediate action.  In 1989, the Trinity County Long Range Traffic Study proposed several new roadways, including a “West Bypass” and westerly connector routes from the Industrial Park to Bremer Street, and Oregon Street to 299 via the “Trinco Road”.

In 1990, the Weaverville Community Plan identified the possibility of an alternate route around the downtown area.  The Plan incorporated zoning restrictions to prevent commercial development along the proposed “West Weaver Bypass” route.  The West Connector Route and alternates currently being evaluated reside within the West Weaver Bypass Corridor identified in the 1990 Plan. 

On the November 1992 ballot there was an advisory measure requesting voter’s opinion on the Bypass issue.  Voters were asked whether or not they favored a Bypass, and if so, did they favor a route around the east side of SR 299, or around the west side.  Sixty-four percent of the voters voted “yes” to a bypass.  Of those, 59% favored the western route along the West Weaver Creek drainage, along an alignment similar to the currently proposed West Connector. 

In March 1994, Trinity County Department of Transportation held a public meeting to introduce the concepts of County owned and operated “Connector Roads” to connect local streets and provide alternate routes around Weaverville, east and west of SR 299. 

The 1996 Trinity County Regional Transportation Plan identified the “Weaverville Bypass” along the west side of Weaverville as the County’s highest priority for highway construction.  Policy 4.12.C in the 1996 RTP was to initiate a scoping document that identifies and preserves right-of-way for the preferred Weaverville bypass route.  The corridor identified in 1996 Plan was a wide swath in the same general location as the currently proposed West Connector.  The 1996 plan also identified several connector roads as priorities, including one from Industrial Park Way to Oregon Street, with connections to Davis, Mountain View and Mill Streets, and a connector from Oregon Street to 299 via the proposed “Trinco” Road. 

The elections of 1996 resulted in the replacement of three of the five members of the Trinity County Transportation Commission (TCTC), which is made up of the same individuals as the Board of Supervisors.  In March 1997 the TCTC held a public hearing to discuss possible requests to Caltrans for highway improvements, including the West Weaver Bypass.   At that time, public comments were generally opposed to a State Highway Bypass.  The TCTC voted against requesting Caltrans to build the Bypass, and decided instead to take a detailed look at options for improving traffic circulation in the Weaverville Basin. 

The TCTC appointed a Citizen’s Advisory Committee on January 20, 1998.  In March 1998, TCTC hired Transportation Consultants LSC, Inc, to work with the Citizens Advisory Committee to study existing and projected traffic patterns in Weaverville and to come up with a plan to guide the improvement of transportation facilities in the basin, to relieve traffic congestion on SR 299, to improve safety for motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists, and to best serve the traffic demands while maintaining the high quality of life enjoyed by Weaverville residents and visitors.  The group held six Advisory Committee meetings, three public workshops, a public hearing and a meeting before the TCTC and Board of Supervisors to adopt the study and prioritized project list. 

As part of the study, the Committee considered the West Highway Bypass, and several variations of the “West Central Roadway”, that would follow the same general alignment as the West Bypass.  The combination of scientific analysis by the Consultants and community input from the Committee and public workshops resulted in a Recommended Plan to accomplish the objectives.  The Plan identified an East Connector route and signalization of the intersection of SR 299 and Glen Road as the first and second priorities.  Funding has been programmed and environmental studies are currently underway for these combined projects.  The third priority is “begin planning and right-of-way acquisition for the West Connector Roadway” TCTC accepted the recommendations in the Weaverville Basin Traffic Circulation Study and directed staff to use them during the update of the Regional Transportation Plan in a public hearing on November 4, 1998.

To implement the recommendation in the Plan, a Project Study Report for the West Connector was prepared and adopted by the TCTC in September 1999.  This document provided preliminary engineering, environmental and cost information for the purpose of obtaining State and Federal Transportation funding.  The document proposed three minor alternatives on the same basic alignment that has been considered since 1989.  Upon adoption of the Project Study Report in 1999, the County applied for State and Federal Transportation Improvement Program funding.  The funding for the environmental studies was allocated to the Trinity County Department of Transportation in May 2000. 

A Public Scoping Meeting on the West Connector EIS/EIR was held on Wednesday, November 14, 2001 at the Weaverville Library, 311 main Street, Weaverville.  An announcement of the meeting was published in the Trinity Journal and mailed to all organizations, businesses, and residents with Weaverville addresses. 

Throughout the numerous public meetings, committee meetings and workshops regarding both the SR 299 Bypass and the West Connector, the public’s major concerns have centered around two fundamental issues:

1)      Loss of revenue from businesses along SR 299 in Weaverville due to:
a)      Loss of drive-by customers
b)  Loss of tourist revenue from those that “discover” Weaverville while driving through to other destinations and return as                tourists
c)      Competition from new businesses developing along the new route.

2)      Increased traffic on local residential streets that are currently dead-end