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Agenda Item # 8

BOARD MEMORANDUM

November 15, 2004

RECOMMENDATION

That the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) review and comment on the attached outline for development of a Litter and Landscape Maintenance Plan (LLMP) for Santa Clara County freeways.

BACKGROUND

Significant litter accumulation and poorly maintained landscaping on Caltrans freeways throughout Santa Clara County is a serious issue that constitutes a visual, environmental and economic blight affecting all VTA member agencies.   The extent of the problem varies across the County and depends on freeway mileage, usage, design and location characteristics within each jurisdiction.

Currently, local agencies work individually with Caltrans District 4 officials to address litter and landscaping issues along mainline freeways, interchanges and access points with varying degrees of success.   Local agencies also work with waste management companies, law enforcement agencies, businesses and community groups to target litter “hot spots.”   However, there is presently no coordinated regional mechanism in place to provide consistent, long-term litter control and landscape maintenance of freeways within the County to the standards desired by the public and local agencies.

There are many contributing factors to the litter and landscape maintenance problem in Santa Clara County, including resource availability and expenditure decisions within Caltrans District 4; environmental regulations (e.g., limitations on the use of herbicides and pesticides); age and planting characteristics of existing landscape material; varying freeway interchange, on-ramp and shoulder designs; and worker safety considerations.   A comprehensive assessment of the litter and landscape maintenance challenges is needed to begin developing realistic solutions for the County.

DISCUSSION

Santa Clara County has effectively developed regional solutions to complex problems in many areas, including transportation and affordable housing.   Often these solutions include identifying new sources of revenue and new ways of implementing programs.   This successful model could be utilized to develop a solution to the problem of freeway litter and landscape maintenance.

A potential first step would be to establish a working group of key stakeholders to define further the scope of the problem and desired outcomes.   A lead agency or group needs to be identified to refine the scope of work and oversee the analysis.   Following an initial analysis of issues, recommendations for addressing the litter and landscape maintenance problem in the County would be developed.   VTA, as the County’s regional transportation planning agency, should be a considered as a potential lead agency to manage this effort.

Key stakeholders might include: local governmental officials; transportation professionals; environmental groups; Caltrans; solid waste collection companies; landfill operators; and business leaders. 

Initial analysis would require establishing a baseline inventory of Caltrans facilities within the County by jurisdiction, including the condition of existing landscaping; documenting existing litter and landscape maintenance practices, schedules and standards; historic and current budget allocations and staffing for Caltrans District 4 (as compared with other Caltrans Districts); review of Adopt-A-Highway program efforts within the County; survey of existing agreements and programs for litter and landscape maintenance between Caltrans and local agencies and/or businesses (e.g., the City of San Jose’s Regional Freeway Clean-Up Program); identification of best practices within Caltrans or other state transportation departments; and establishment of various maintenance schedules and standards along with projected costs for achieving the desired levels of maintenance.

Additional work plan items could include a review of related legislative and legal issues, such as hauler requirements for vehicle tarping; use of the County’s Alternative Work Program crews or inmate populations for freeway clean-up; organized labor considerations; and successful educational campaigns to reduce sources of freeway litter.

Working with key stakeholders, a series of recommendations regarding a long-term, regional solution to litter control and landscape maintenance would be developed.   This could include options for more stable funding, greater local control, and/or restructuring within Caltrans to ensure a stable and desired level of litter control and landscape maintenance.

Prepared By:              Bob Kass, Director of Public Works, City Of Campbell

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