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Council reviews AB 98 truck-route revisions; asks staff to research litigation and Caltrans signage options
Summary
City staff presented proposed additions and removals to truck routes under AB 98. Developers asked the council to preserve San Jacinto Avenue as an interim truck route; council directed staff to research legal implications, Caltrans signage and return with options.
City staff presented proposed changes to the circulation element on March 25 to comply with Assembly Bill 98, the state law that requires jurisdictions with large warehouse concentrations to designate truck routes that limit industrial truck travel to streets suited for heavy vehicles.
Principal planner Rafael Garcia presented staff’s recommendations to add and remove several segments, including adding Ethanack Road between Getz and Barnett, adding Case Road (Bonnie Drive to Watson), and removing sections of Ellis Avenue and a portion of San Jacinto Avenue between I-215 and Dunlap Drive. Staff also sought direction on Ramona Expressway between I-215 and Indian Avenue; that segment had been undesignated in 2022 and stakeholders said inconsistent freeway signage is leading drivers onto Ramona.
Developers and property owners asked the council to retain a truck-route designation on the San Jacinto Avenue segment that serves proposed and in-progress industrial projects. Joseph Edwards, representing the Perris Valley Town Center project, requested that the council “maintain San Jacinto Avenue between Interstate 215 and Dunlap Avenue” as an interim truck route until the Ellis Avenue overpass is built; he noted the city’s project team expects overpass construction to begin in 2029 with an opening around 2032, subject to funding. Jonathan Langford of Perris Property LLC urged preserving truck access on the San Jacinto frontage of his property until the Ellis Avenue/Evans Road overpass is constructed, citing the alignment the council previously endorsed.
Garcia explained staff will perform the technical traffic and environmental analyses required under AB 98 and incorporate council direction. Councilmembers debated public-safety and neighborhood impacts, noting the proximity of residential areas to some candidate truck-route segments and the mixed industrial/commercial character of other corridors.
Council asked for additional research before any final designation: staff should investigate whether a court decision following a prior jurisdictional truck-route dispute (litigation involving a neighboring city) changes the city’s ability to unilaterally remove a truck-route designation; staff should also consult with the city engineer and the state about Caltrans signage options at freeway ramps, because some signage on freeway ramps is controlled by the state and would require Caltrans approval. City staff said an earlier inquiry to Caltrans indicated that signs on state freeway ramps require state action and that the city had not pursued a formal statewide request after receiving that response.
No final vote was taken on the truck-route map. The council directed staff to return with legal research about the pending litigation and AB 98 implications, a traffic analysis, and options for Caltrans signage or other mitigation measures that would reduce truck traffic impacts on residential streets.
