DPW five-year capital improvement program released

The county’s Department of Public Works has released its Fiscal Year 2006-11 five-year capital improvement program.

The document released in early November covers a wish list of more than 1,000 projects and reflects input from each community planning group and community sponsor group in the county’s unincorporated area.

“It’s nice for us from the standpoint of advanced planning,” said Department of Public Works deputy director Donna Turbyfill. “I’m really excited about it. I think it’s great.”

The projects include road reconstruction, Community Development Block Grant projects, bicycle lanes and pathways, traffic signals, intersection improvements, sidewalks, drainage improvements, bridges, wastewater, airports, and underground utility districts. While detailed projects are listed by category, a list of projects by community is also included.

Although DPW has previously produced five-year plans, this is the most detailed one. “It was a long time coming. It was a really big effort on the part of our project managers. They spoke with community planning groups throughout the county and got their input,” Turbyfill said.

Funding sources include local gas tax revenue, state Proposition 42 funds from the sales tax on gasoline, TransNet funding from the countywide half-cent sales tax, Transportation Impact Fee revenue and other developer fees, special district fees assessed to property owners in the benefit area, Community Development Block Grant funding through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, state Safe Routes to School program grants, Federal Highway Administration funds for eligible roads and bridges, Indian Gaming Special Distribution Fund revenue to mitigate off-reservation impacts, Transportation Development Act revenue from a portion of the state sales tax, grants from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program and the California Division of Aeronautics’ California Aid to Airports Program, and Airport Enterprise Fund revenue derived from rental of airport land. In addition, each County Supervisor has a discretionary Community Projects budget which may be used for schools and non-profit organizations which provide services to county citizens and can also be used to supplement other county funding for specific county projects.

The five-year plan will be used as a base for shorter-term plans, most notably to produce the annual one-year budgeted Detailed Work Program. “The farther out you get, the less you know the details,” Turbyfill said. “Things can shift, but this is a really nice start.”

Even the Detailed Work Plan is subject to change if emergency needs or unanticipated grant revenue merits amendments.

The five-year capital improvement program itself may also change if other capital needs arise or if projects are determined not to be feasible. “Most of the things in the five-year CIP program are not designed yet,” Turbyfill said. “There’s nothing in there that’s completely etched in stone.”

Five Bonsall road reconstruction projects are listed: the extension of Camino Del Cielo, widening of East Vista Way, safety improvements to Gopher Canyon Road, sight distance improvements on Osborne Street, and traffic calming on Osborne Street. Bonsall also has one intersection improvement project, at Old River Road and Camino Del Rey.

The Fallbrook road reconstruction projects are the widenings of Burma Road, Calmin Drive, Mission Road (from Hill Avenue to Main Avenue, Old Highway 395 to the I-15 southbound ramps, I-15 to Main Avenue, and Winterhaven Road to State Route 76), Porter Street, Ranchwood Lane, and Stage Coach Lane, extensions of Fallbrook Street, Knottwood Way, and Pepper Tree Lane, construction of Palomino Road, and safety improvements to Gird Road. Sidewalks for Alvarado Street and Old Stage Road are Community Development Block Grant projects while sidewalks are also slated for Clemmens Lane. Traffic signals are planned for Stage Coach Lane and Reche Road and for Mission Road and Old Highway 395. Intersection improvements are slated for Mission Road and Ranger Road, Mission Road and Yucca Road, Reche Road and Stage Coach Lane, Reche Road and Tecalote Drive, Reche Road and Via Vista, Reche Road and Wilt Road, and Stage Coach Lane and Alvarado Street. The planned Fallbrook Community Airpark improvements would construct a runway area, extend Taxiway Alpha, construct Taxiway Delta, rehabilitate Taxi A and construct the Western Transport Apron, and design a terminal building. An underground utility district will be formed for the Hill Avenue to Main Avenue area covered by the Mission Road Phase III project.

Pala is slated for culvert improvements along Pala Temecula Road. The two listed Rainbow projects are the Rice Canyon Road curve improvement reconstruction and the Fifth Street Bridge over Rainbow Creek to eliminate the dip.