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Council approves $1.53 million Caltrans abatement payment as Pine Avenue connector project is re-scoped
Summary
Council approved repayment of $1,529,549 to Caltrans after the city learned key design contracts had lapsed, making some past costs ineligible for federal Safety LOO reimbursement; staff will open a new project for a revised bridge concept and seek restoration of funds from Caltrans.
The Chino City Council on April 1 approved an abatement payment of $1,529,549 to the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) after a review found contract lapses that made costs ineligible for federal reimbursement under the Safety LOO program.
Public Works Director Hye Jin Lee and Contracts and DIF Administrator Sylvia Ramos briefed the council on the long-running Pine Avenue Connector project, which proposes widening Pine Avenue and building a four-lane extension to State Route 71. Ramos said the project has been in preliminary engineering and design for more than a decade and evolved through coordination with Chino Hills, SBTCA and Caltrans.
Ramos said the city used Safety LOO federal funds with an 80% reimbursement rate and to date had received just over $3 million in reimbursements against more than $5 million in committed costs. During a 2024 audit Caltrans found that Hewlett‑Zollars’ agreement had lapsed due to missed renewals; costs charged from 2020 onward were deemed ineligible, resulting in a required reimbursement of $1,529,549 back to Caltrans.
Council approved a staff recommendation to pay the abatement and to establish a new CIP (ST‑261) for a revised Pine Avenue connector bridge concept, informally closing out the prior ST‑061 project. Ramos said staff will reassign eligible costs to the new scope where appropriate and will offset portions of the abatement with development-impact and Measure I arterial funds and general-fund resources; staff also reported seeking Caltrans review to restore the abatement amount into the project’s available Safety LOO balance.
Council members and infrastructure committee members emphasized improved timeline compliance going forward. A motion by Mayor Pro Tem Burton, seconded by Councilman Lucio, passed 4–0 with one absence.
Why it matters: the connector is a regional mobility and safety priority; loss of reimbursable federal funding increases local costs and delays the project until the new design, environmental work and funding adjustments are completed.
Sources: report by Sylvia Ramos and Hye Jin Lee to Chino City Council, April 1 meeting.
