Moorpark City Reaches Milestone In Princeton Avenue Project

Press release from the City of Moorpark:

January 6, 2021

The City of Moorpark is announcing that it has obtained an Encroachment Permit from Caltrans for its Princeton Avenue Improvement Project, which represents Caltrans approval of the City’s construction plans and permission to enter the Caltrans right-of-way to construct the project.

Although some work remains before the City can break ground, this represents a major milestone for the project. The City is now in the final phase before having complete control over construction, which involves certifying the project can fit within the right-of-way obtained for the project. Following that, the City will seek a Notice to Proceed and initiate the process to solicit bids for construction.

“Obtaining the encroachment permit isn’t the final domino, but it is the biggest domino that needs to fall so we can break ground,” said Mayor Janice Parvin.

She added: “We have been working hard at meeting their design standards and pushing Caltrans for this crucial permit for months, and I want to thank both the City staff and the Caltrans District 7 staff for their perseverance and thoroughness in getting to this point.”

While the earliest preliminary design work on the long-awaited project began in 1999, the City spent the 2000s and 2010s finalizing the project design, acquiring land from 39 separate private property owners along the project frontage, securing $900,000 in federal funding toward the project, and completing numerous required environmental studies.

The City began the Caltrans Encroachment Permit process in October 2018, and during the process went through six plan review processes, added a new retaining wall to protect a bridge pier for the 118 Freeway at Caltrans’ request, completed additional geotechnical and soils studies, completed testing for asbestos and lead, and developed a Lead Compliance Plan. Daniel Kim, City Engineer, remarked: “We have been working very closely with Caltrans to move the project forward as quickly as possible. Although the process to obtain an encroachment permit has taken longer than we would have preferred, we also must complete this project safely to protect the health and safety of those who will use this vital transportation corridor over the next several decades. Caltrans’ review process ensures design quality and considers impacts to the surrounding areas. Through the process we have protected the freeway bridge and mitigated all known potential impacts to the freeway overpass structure.”

The Princeton Avenue Improvement Project includes straightening the street alignment, widening the traffic lanes, adding left-turn lanes in the middle of the street, adding bike lanes, and adding sidewalks. To create space, a large retaining wall will also be constructed on the north side of the street. The project runs along Princeton Avenue between Condor Drive and Spring Road.

The final step before the City can solicit bids and begin construction is to obtain temporary construction easements and certify the right-of-way acquisitions in order to receive federal funding for the project. “Once the project plans were finalized and we no longer have a moving target, we could finalize all of the land-related paperwork needed to begin construction,” added Kim. The City submitted the last remaining documentation to Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration on December 22 and expects the process to take several months. At that point, the City will solicit construction bids to begin the project. “We expect to both get construction bids and break ground in 2021,” predicted Kim.

Additional information about the Princeton Avenue Improvement Project, including the project timeline and before-and-after renderings, is available on the City’s website at www.moorparkca.gov/princeton.

This press release was produced by the City of Moorpark. The views expressed here are the author’s own.