Anaheim council approves OCTA amendment for SR‑91 improvements; city manager announces $21 million La Palma corridor grant

The Anaheim City Council on Tuesday approved Amendment No. 1 to an agreement with the Orange County Transportation Authority to reimburse Anaheim for construction-phase work on three SR‑91 corridor projects and heard a City Manager announcement that the city had been awarded a $21,000,000 grant for improvements along the La Palma corridor between Brookhurst and Euclid.

The amendment increases reimbursable funds to Anaheim by $1,200,000 for a total of $1,400,000, the City Engineer said during a staff presentation. The projects are being delivered by OCTA in partnership with Caltrans and neighboring cities and are intended to reduce weaving and merging conflicts and improve traffic operations along the SR‑91 corridor.

City Manager (unnamed) told the council that the $21 million grant — obtained through the Local Transportation Climate Adaptation Program created by California Senate Bill 198 — will pay for flood-reduction work on La Palma, upgrades to bus stops and traffic signals, and lighting and amenities at John Marshall Park. “If you're familiar with this area, you know exactly what I'm talking about in terms of flooding,” the City Manager said.

City Engineer Carlos Castellanos described three project segments for the SR‑91 work and several project features: a new “drop ramp” to give a direct connection from SR‑91 to SR‑55 and reduce weaving, reconstruction of the Lakeview Avenue overcrossing, an eastbound general-purpose lane and reconstruction of the Cramer Boulevard and Tustin Avenue overcrossings, and improvements to connectors between SR‑91 and SR‑57 including an auxiliary lane and reconstruction of the La Palma Avenue overcrossing. Castellanos said the amendment includes reimbursable costs of up to $700,000 for insulation of a sewer liner and $500,000 for maintenance of a concrete barrier near a recycling facility, and it facilitates a sewer easement exchange on that property. “This item before you is seeking approval of amendment number 1 to the agreement with OCTA for the Statewide 91 improvement project, increasing reimbursable funds to Anaheim by 1,200,000.0, for a total of 1,400,000.0,” Castellanos said during his presentation.

Council Member Leon moved approval of the item; the council voted unanimously. The clerk announced the result: “The vote is 7 ayes no nays motion carries.” Mayor Pro Tem Meeks, who had asked staff to brief the council earlier, said outreach to the community about overnight freeway closures needed for bridge work would be important. Staff noted segments have staggered schedules; Castellanos gave estimated windows for each segment, including work that will require overnight freeway closures for La Palma bridge replacement.

The City Manager said the La Palma grant was the product of a coordinated application including Anaheim Public Works, Anaheim Public Utilities and the community services department, and thanked staff: “Congratulations to Team Anaheim for always bringing needed funds home here to Anaheim.”

The council discussion focused on procedural approval of the OCTA amendment and on notifying residents about construction impacts; no changes to the scope of the OCTA program were made at the meeting.

Votes at a glance: The council approved the OCTA amendment (Amendment No. 1 to OCTA agreement for SR‑91 projects) by a recorded vote of 7 ayes, 0 nays. Earlier in the meeting, the council also moved the meeting agenda (procedural vote) with 7 ayes; the clerk noted a recorded abstention by Council Member Bayless on item 7 when the agenda was moved.

City staff said they will present project information at a District 6 meeting and provide outreach to warn motorists about overnight closures as bridge replacement work and other construction phases begin.