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HomeMy WebLinkAbout50-Council Office C'ITY OF _.SAN BERQRDINO ;@REQUEST Q)R COUNCIL ACTION From: Councilman Jess Flores Su~e~: Application for Grade Separation Funding of Santa Fe Railway Cross- ing at Rialto Avenue Dept: Council Office OM': November 6, 1989 Synopsis of Previous Council action: 'Z :-:> f::<;) IT, None <0 (') =-: ;:i c.:,) - . I l.. C) to:; :;;,; =:.? .Ii' ,'... .. C ..,., r...;, -"1 " , Recommended motion: That the Mayor and Common Council discuss and take possible and appropriate action regarding the application for grade separation funding of the Santa Fe Railway Crossing at Rialto Avenue in San Bernardino. ~- ~.~ nature Contact person: Councilman Jess Flores Phone: 5333 Supporting data attached: Yes Ward: 3 FUNDING REQUIREMENTS: Amount: Source: (Acct, No.! (Acct. DescriPtion) Finance: Council Notes: 75-0262 Agenda Item No So . . 51"".;. OF CAUFOItNlA . .r;'O LC;Jf.INC' '-"'1... "V ~.s , f.J,...- \, (COG( DEUltMEJlAN. 0.- PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMISSION _ VAN NESS"'WNW " SAN f....NCISCO. CA '.I02~ @ october 25, 1989 ,f)11'" "I · .c., 4~O~ 1JIIr- ,-,., . , ~ ~-. -; ..~ The Honorable W. R.'Holcomb citI of San Bernardino Off ce of the Mayor 300 North 'D' street San Bernardino, CA 92418-0001 g !:.~:: ""-4 r ._ ~ w o '..-. :':;:L: r-;-o. : ~ fi;::: ~ i-..;-' :.:c:=:; ~r-CI o Dear Mr. Holcomb: This letter is to confirm our receipt of your October 18, 1989 letter requesting consideration of applicatfon for grade separation funding of the Santa Fe Railway Crossing at Rialto Avenue in San Bernardino. Your letter is being forwarded to Mr. Vahak petrossian, Supervising Engineer, Special Projects section, 107 South BroadwaI' Room 5103, Los Angeles, California 90012. Mr. Petross an's telephone number is (213) 620-2644. Mr. Petrossian has the responsibility for the commission's grade separation progr_. While your request is being considered by Mr. petrossian, please be assured that the Commission's Railroad operation and Safety Section has brought your blocked crossing concerns to the attention of the Santa Fe Railway and complete compliance with Commission General Order 135 is anticipated. , Should your office ever wish to bring noted violations of the General Order to our attention, please contact Mr. T. P. Hunt or Mr. R. M. Harwood of our Los Angeles staff. The Los Angeles Railway operations Section number is (213) 620-3467. You should be advised that there should be some mitigation of crossing-blockage problem occurring in November of this year as the Santa Fe institutes some dispatching operational changes that should expedite train movement over the Rialto crossing. .. . " ~ o The Honorable W. R. Holcomb city of San Bernardino October 25, 1989 Page 2. o We look forward to working with the city of San Bernardino and the Santa Fe Railway in seeking a successful resolution of your interim blocked crossing concerns. Sincery tI~ J. . RICH, superintendent Ra road Operations and Safety Safety Division cc: Roger Hargraves Vahak Petrossian-cPUC T. P. Hunt-CPUC R. M. Harwood-CPUC R. Curtis Ballantyne-ATSF J. R. Merritt-ATSF Leon Amendt-Amendt Oil Co. section . ~,. , ...... o o mendt Oil Company October 19. 1989 " --; THE HONORABLE JESS FLORES Councilman-Third Ward City of San Bernardino 300 North D Street San Bernardino. California 92"01 _J - , , 1 ~ "1 '- \ Dear Mr. Flores. The enclosed material IS self-explanatory. I am sorry you were unable to join us for lunch. I appeared before the Public Utilities Commission from San Francisco on Tuesday.October 17th. I have attached correspondence that will give you an overview of the developments prior to you taking over as our Third Ward Councilman. I have on file over 100 letters protesting the long and unnecessary delays at the Railroad Crossing west of Mt. Vernon on Rialto Avenue. and have attached several of them for your information. The residents. motoring public utilizing this corridor. and the businesses' affected by this situation would appreciate an all-out effort on your part and on the part of the entire City Council to remedy the matter. Please make this a priority....we now have the support of the Public Utilities Commission. Thank you in advance for your efforts on our behalf. / 1405 WEST RIAL TO AVENUE. SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA 92410-2398 . TELEPHONE (714) 885-3411 . (714) 824-3163 11 ) " , o mendtOil Company o cccg[p1f OCTOBER 18, 1989 MR, ROGER HARGRAVES CHIEF CITY ENGINEER CITY HALL SAN BERNARDINO, CA 92401 DEAR ROGER: I TALKED WITH MAYOR HOLCOMB THIS MORNING AND HE REQUESTED THAT I SEND THIS LETTER TO YOU AND A COPY TO HIM, I ATTENDED THE PUC MEETING YESTERDAY AND I INFORMED THEM OF THE FACTS AND PROBLEMS THAT RESULT FROM THE SPUR TRACK RUN- NING THROUGH RIALTO AVENUE. ONE BLOCK WEST OF MT, VERNON AVENUE, /"- C ~.... WE HAVE HAD A TREMENDOUS INCREASE IN TRAIN TRAFFIC FROM TRAINS GOING to LONG BEACH THROUGH THIS SPUR. THESE TRAINS HAVE BEEN CONSISTENT AND EXTREMELY LONG, ANYWHERE FROM 80 TO 100 CARS AND 3 OR 4 ENGINES EACH---AND TRAVELING AT A VERY SLOW PACE. NO MORE THAN 4 OR 5 MILES AN HOUR, WE HAVE ALSO ASCERTAINED FROM THE PUC SUPERVISOR THAT UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD IS ALSO USING THE SAME TRACK AND RUNNING AT LEAST 21 TRAINS DAILY. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE SANTA FE TRAINS USING THE SAME SPUR TRACK, THIS HAS BROUGHT A TREMENDOUS LO~D OF TRAINS OVER RIALTO AVENUE, , - WE HAVE- KEPT A LOG ON TRAINS PASSING OVER RIALTO AVENUE SINCE 1979. AND THE INCREASED TRAFFIC FLOW HAS BECOME UNBEARABLE AND A HAZARD TO ALL THE MOTORING PUBLIC ON RIALTO AVENUE, TRAFFIC HAS BEEN BACKED UP AS FAR AS 3 BLOCKS WEST OF OUR PLAN AND 2 TO 3 BLOCKS TO THE EAST DUE TO TRAINS FLOWING ACROSS RIALTO ~ AVENUE. IN ADDITION, RIALTO AVENUE HAS DEEP CULVERTS AND THE STREET HAS A JAGGED CURB LINE DUE TO FAILURE OF STREET ALIGN- MENT, CONTRIBUTING TO THE TRAFFIC CONGESTION, THE PUC COMMISSION AND STAFF CLEARLY STATED TO ME ON RECORD THAT IMMEDIATE ACTION WILL BE TAKEN ON THIS PROBLEM. I WAS APPROACHED BY JACK S, RICH. SUPERINTENDENT OF THE PUC IN SAN, FRANCISCO. AND HE TOLD ME THAT THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO WAS NOT ON RECORD WITH THE PUC FOR GRADE SEPARATION ON ANY LOCATION IN THE CITY. THEREFORE, HE SUGGESTED -IHAI-IHEJMAYQR 1405 WEST RIAL TO AVENUE. SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA 12410-2318 . TELEPHONE 1714) 885-3411 . 17141824,3183 ROGER HARGRAVESc:tHIEF CITY ENGINEER <:> OCTQBER 18, 1989 PAGE Two IMMEDIATELY SUBMIT AN APPLICATION REQUESTING A GRADE SEPARATION FOR THE CITY OF SAN BERNARDINO AT THIS lOCATION ON RIAlTO AVENUE.- THE APPLICATION SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO MR, RICH. MR, RICH TOLD ME THAT THE PUC HAS MONEY ALLOCATED FOR 5 GRADE SEPARATIONS, THIS MONEY WILL BE ALLOCATED THIS COMING NOVEMBER, 1989. HE SAID IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT THIS REQUEST FROM THE MAYOR BE SUBMITTED AT ONCE. THIS WOULD ENABLE US TO SECURE THE FUHDS FOR THE GRADE SEPARATION, MR. RICH IS SENDING pue MEN DOWN HERE TO SPOT, COUNT AND TIME TRAINS ON THIS SPUR TRACK, WHICH WILL ENABLE THEM TO WRITE CITATIONS AND SUBM~T THEM TO THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY FOR LEGAL ACTION AGAINST THE RAILROAD. pue IS ALSO SECURING ALL THE TRAIN SCHEDULES FROM SANTA FE RAILROAD TO DETERMINE HOW OVERLOADED THIS SPUR TRACK HAS BECOME. I TOLD THE PUC COMMISSIONER THAT MAYOR HOLCOMB AND I HAVE BEEN FIGHTING THIS FOR 10 YEARS, THIS IS OUR OPPORTUNITY TO CORRECT THIS SITUATION ON RIALTO AVENUE WITH THE HELP OF THE PUC. IF YOU WILL CHECK WITH YOUR TRAFFIC ENGINEER, I THINK YOU WILL FIND THAT THE TRAFFIC FLOW HAS DECREASED BY 20 TO 30 PER CENT. OUR . CUSTOMERS HAVE SAID THEY DON'T WANT TO USE RIALTO AVENUE TO REACH OUR FUELING FACILITY BECAUSE OF THE FREQUENT TRAFFIC TIE-UPS CREATED BY THE LONG, SLOW AND SOMETIME STOPPED FREIGHT TRAINS PASSING OVER RIALTO AVENUE, THEY USE OTHER STREETS, THEREBY REDUCING SEVERElY OUR VOLUME OF BUSINESS AND ALSO THAT OF OTHER BUSINESSES ON RIALTO AVENUE. ROGER, I WILL BE GRATEFUL TO YOU IF YOU WILL GIVE THIS YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION, Now THAT I HAVE THE COMMISSIONERS OF THE pue COMMITTED TO HELP US, THIS IS THE TIME TO TAKE PROMPT ACTION, PLEASE FOLLOW UP ON THIS MATTER RIGHT AWA~, YOUR HELP WILL BE VERY MUCH APPRECIATED BY ALL THE MOTORISTS IN SAN BERNARDINO, AND ESPECIALLY THE BUSINESSES ON RIALTO AVENUE, SINCERELY, LEO AMENDT PRESIDENT LA:EA COPIES TO: MAYOR BOB HOtCOMB PATRICIA ECKHART, pue COMMISSIONER J, S. RICH, SUPERINTENDENT, PUC o o ~., 'f ( ~(Q)~1? '" i THE PAT MICHAELS' REPORT AS BEARD ON KQLII/KWRM One ; man~8 q:8nion news commentaEy. Mr. Mk:hae1s' comllentaEy does not r-:- rilr xeflect., the views ~ the staticn which aimd, ncr lipOIlIlOut ex" emp1oyees. We are p....9"d to send you a copy ~ the news oommentaEy einld en: 10124186 ........................................................................ An qlen letter to the DiS:rict Attorneys ~ San Bernatdino and River:slde Counties: I Ftir SJme time, community group; and cxganizations have tried to do SJmething , about mquiring the Iegional c:ffioes ~ the Santa Fe Rdway Company to ~,:; .-_ comply with local laws an:! have CXIr8idemtlon fir its nei9hbcm ~ the Inland c:;, Em(.ire. This mdio ltation has cited irBtanoes in the pIlIIlt whem RailroIId C:5 ~-,., nFf'!"",la have taken wx:ooper:ative and cavalier AH-lt.Jdes over outrageous "'" . ,_ conduct that mig~ have dsked risked human liws. ~ ;:: " Most c1 the IZOb1em S:e1ll8 from trains blocking ~ted il*A~ tmp(:ing ~ P'""'Pl<!, s:>metimes fer hews at a time. '!'be inc:ldents in San BemanIino have CD caused citizens ~ to demand action.lD Riverside County, there has been no .:.:. concerted action - even though we've Ieported how at Po:phry at8!Iing a train - trawed a !J:OUP c1 p30['1", Q1 a dead end ~.ecl. fer hews SJme months ago and when a trainmaster was called and ta1d ale c1 the pel'9OIlS in the trawed area 11 e e iAd to be tn<(>l~.ll,.ed, Jmtead c1 moving cr I:naking the train, as the law mquires after five minutes, the trainmaster ta1d the caller "go tile a ....1l00pter if you want him to live - we'Ie not movin;J.. : , ~. . . . Local and ~ utilities laws mquire that trains do not tiock saeet:s cr Iighways fer mere than five minutes. When this Iepcrter has called the San BemaIdino ..,Floes c1 SaIU Fe Railway to IepOrt trains ~ im:emec:t:iom Cae houm, he was told CIIOe the train CQMn't IIICMl because the train enw hid gone to lunch, leaving the train aacs thme ex" four bJsy ...a~ and bdnging traffic Q1 them to a halt.. On that day, dozeIII c1 P""{)'I", tmwed Q1 dead-end cL......d:.t, WeEe not able to go to lunch while the train aew did. lD another incident. when this Iepcrter ....n-eJ the San Bemudino Santa Fe nFFloes over complain:a ~ traim tm:king traffic, the trainmaster thmatened this lepOL1:ec. '!'be concern c1 "';H'el8 group; over ru::h 00trage0us axxiuct comES to a head when in:idents occur like yest:erdayts when the PcEphry and cd1er j,nt-..~ were twcJced for almost an hour and a half. '!'be trains WeEe not Ixoken as the law mquires to let traffic through. The aJ&t to the community c1 the man how:8 lest in this kind ~ CQtrageous CXlnduc:t IlIUIIt amount to a Iu.Je IIJIII each year. ]f the Santa Fe Railway cannot axxiuct Jtae1f in a msponsbile mamer, and if it. Iefuses to Ji:IDow the state and munl.-lpal crdinances Q1 the ~ ~ ~eeI:6' ADd highways, then it's time to erlfo..... the law. When two ~ get. together ADd violate a misdemeancr, that's a CXldsplmcy. And, a conspiracy is a fe1cny. ~'s time the nicl-rl~ AtIxlmeys c1 this area listen to the toIri"ens who are complaining about the oonduct c1 the Santa Fe Rdway and look iI1:o felony cbaIges agai,Mt any engineers, trainmastem cr aJpedJUndents who lIIe fbund """""''1lJ at the laws an:! taJtioJ a cavalier attitude towllId the p""'pl.. they' deprive ~ their time by making them sit, tmpped, unable to get. to their families cr );lbs cr, SJmetimes, even to emergency m~l~l tleatment while they wait. for the santa Fe TIainI to move. ]f the [lnhll(' can have nl"9l"l psrJdnq laws enforced against them, even ~Ulager enforoement ltIou1d be applied againat train qleratc:llS becaUge men P""{>.... are affected.