Art3_County_FY17_BikePed_JTree_App_CLOSED
Transportation Development Act Article 3 Phase 1 Call for Projects
For Active Transportation Program Local Match Assistance
Please use this MS Word file as your response to the Call-for-Projects
Responsible Parties
Project Name Joshua Tree Class II Bike Path
Applicant (Agency name) County of San Bernardino
Applicant Contact (Name, title, email, phone #
of individual authorizing the application)
Mazin Kasey, Deputy Director, Transportation Planning
Division, mkasey@dpw.sbcounty.gov, (909) 387-8166
Partner Name(s) (if applicable) N/A
Project Type
Bicycle x
(Bicycle projects must be consistent with San
Bernardino County NMTP)
Pedestrian □
Bicycle/Pedestrian □
Safe Routes to School □
Recreational Trail □
Overview and Description of the Project (0-30 points)
Provide basic information regarding the nature and location of the project, prior project
development activities, if any, current status, and overall scope of the proposed effort.
Additional background information, photos, etc. may be attached, but are not required.
The proposed project is to widen a roadway and construct a Class II bike path as a continuation
of an existing Class I bike path located in the unincorporated area of Joshua Tree on Sunburst
Street, from State Highway 62 (SH 62) north to Calle Los Amigos. Currently, there exists a Class I
bike path on Sunburst Street that reaches from SH 62 to the now closed Joshua Tree
Elementary School. The old Joshua Tree Elementary School was closed due to its location on an
active earthquake fault line. The new Joshua Tree Elementary School is located approximately 1
mile north of the old elementary school. Currently, bicyclists are only able to use the Class I bike
path, which terminates at the old elementary school, and then must travel in the roadway to
continue on to the new elementary school. Installing a new Class II bike path will provide a
connecting bike link from the old elementary school to the new elementary school, which in
turn, provides children a designated lane to ride their bikes separate from the motorists.
Project Funding
ATP funds to be requested in Cycle 3 (80% of
total project cost) $894,640
Requested matching funds from TDA Article 3
(16% of total project cost) $178,928
20% Local Match (4% of total project cost –
please also identify the source of those funds) $44,732 (Local Measure I funds)
Total project funds $1,118,300
Narrative Question
RESPOND TO THE DRAFT ATP CRITERIA BY DESCRIBING BRIEFLY THE BENEFITS OF THE PROPOSED PROJECT
RELATED TO INCREASING ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION MODE SHARE, SAFETY, PUBLIC PARTICIPATION, COST
EFFECTIVENESS, AND PUBLIC HEALTH.
(PLEASE NOTE THE QUESTIONS IN THE ATP CYCLE 3 APPLICATION FOR DESCRIPTION/EXPLANATION OF EACH
CRITERION – BULLET POINTS MAY BE USED TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS – ADDITIONAL MATERIAL MAY BE
ATTACHED, BUT IS NOT REQUIRED)
(0-20 POINTS)
1. Describe how your project will encourage increased bicycling and walking and generally improve the
ease of travel for non-motorized users
This project proposes to extend the existing bikeway on the east side of Sunburst Street north from its
current terminus at the (closed) Joshua Tree Elementary School by widening and striping the travel lanes
by a total of six feet to provide Class II bike lane access to the new elementary school site at the
intersection of Sunburst Street at Calle Los Amigos. The new school has been constructed on a new site
in response to the old school buildings being located within an earthquake zone, so legally could no
longer be used as a school. Within the Non-Motorized Regional System, the existing Class I bikeway is
mapped from SH 62 north 0.5 miles to Joshua Tree Elementary School. Sunburst Street is one of the few
north south roads in the community providing a direct connection for established developments to the
north with access to SH 62, the communities’ principal east-west connection.
The new Joshua Tree Elementary school is built on 39.5 acres adjacent to an earlier single family home
tract development about a mile north of the old school site. The school catchment area includes
students south of SH 62. Many students used the existing bike path from SH 62 to the old school site.
However, in this location further north, the tracts have little connectivity within the wider community
and the school site is isolated from the larger student catchment area by a narrow two lane road with
limited pedestrian/bike access. By providing a linkage dedicated to bike access, many students and
community residents will benefit from continuation of the bicycle path of travel.
The Transport Policy Journal published a study entitled Cycling to Work in 90 Large American Cities: New
Evidence on the Role of Bike Paths and Lanes (http://policy.rutgers.edu/faculty/pucher/bikepaths.pdf),
by Ralph Buehler and John Pucher that found that the presence of off-road bike paths and on-street bike
lanes were, by far, the biggest determinant of cycling rates in cities. The study measured the relationship
between cycling levels and bikeways, as well as other explanatory and control variables and confirmed
that cities with a greater supply of bike paths and lanes have significantly higher bike commute rates—
even when controlling for land use, climate, socioeconomic factors, gasoline prices, public transport
supply, and cycling safety.
2. Describe how the project creates or improves walking and/or bicycling routes and connectivity to
destinations, and how it removes barriers to walking and/or bicycling.
Currently, bicyclists are only able to use the Class I bikeway to the old elementary school and must travel
in the roadway to continue on to the new elementary school campus. By providing a linkage dedicated
to bike access, many students and community residents will be able to travel on a continuous bicycle
facility to the new school.
The proposed Class II bike lane additionally provides connectivity to community activity centers,
including the Senior Center and Park, as well as a non-motorized connection with transit (Morongo Basin
Transit Authority route) on SH 62. The community is tourist oriented, being the entrance community to
the Joshua Tree National Park. Bicycling within the community is supported with local maps showing
various loops and distances on the paved roads in the area. Providing pavement improvements oriented
to bicycling will encourage additional riding activities.
As the proposed Class II Bicycle lanes extends a non-motorized connection to the new school site
approximately one mile further north than the old school, on its face, the project improves connectivity
as the community and school activity has moved north to the new school site and the extension
provides a link with existing infrastructure. As the existing paved road has narrow traffic lanes, providing
additional width to the road closes the gap from the existing Class I bicycle path for pedestrians and
bicyclists and potentially also removes a barrier to mobility for people with physical disabilities. In
addition, with the close proximity of transit stops at the beginning of the Class I bike path at SH 62, the
proposed project will create connectivity with multiple destinations via the Morongo Valley bus route
system.
3. Describe how the project reduces the number and/or rate of pedestrian and bicycle fatalities and
injuries.
The road widening for a Class II bikeway has significant potential to reduce pedestrian and/or bicycle
interaction with vehicles. The current traffic lanes are 11 feet with a fog line adjacent to the edge of
pavement. Widening the road pavement to include a 6 feet path of the current pavement will provide
for bicyclists and/or pedestrians outside of the travel lanes, reducing the potential for interaction with
vehicles. The addition of the Class II bike path will serve to channelize both motorists and bicyclists,
creating a buffer between bicyclists and vehicles. The Florida Department of Transportation determined
that the provision of bike lanes/paved shoulders on roadways has been found to reduce vehicle
collisions with pedestrians walking along the roadway (FDOT 2005). Bike lanes define a space on which
to ride and help novice cyclists feel more confident, and also provide a traffic calming effect, particularly
on narrow roads. Bike lanes facilitate predictable behavior and movements between bicyclists and
motorists, which reduces the potential for bicyclist fatalities and injuries.
A report published in the American Journal of Public Health entitled, “Route Infrastructure and the Risk
of Injuries to Bicyclists: A Case-Crossover Study” examined different types of bicycle infrastructure and
found that cycle tracks (a bike pathway separated from the road) provided the lowest injury risk, about
one ninth the risk of roadways with no bike infrastructure.
Source: http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2012.300762
4. Describe the community-based public participation process that culminated in the project proposal.
The Joshua Tree Community has a very active Municipal Advisory Council (MAC) and strong Chamber of
Commerce for a 96 square mile unincorporated section of the Mojave Desert between the communities
of the Town of Yucca Valley and the City of Twentynine Palms. The Local CHP commander and
patrolmen currently and have previously supported infrastructure improvements to improve safety on
Sunburst Street.
At the March 2014 meeting of the MAC, David T. Cooper, a local resident and cyclist, requested that the
County consider additional improvements to the local roads for bicyclists. Additional supporting letters
have been received by the Morongo Unified School District and the Morongo Basin Transit Authority.
The County has also coordinated this project through discussions with staff at the Morongo Valley
Unified School District and the California Highway Patrol, which have indicated support for the
improvements.
The County is in the process of scheduling community meetings for additional feedback and support for
the project.
5. Describe the health issues in the project area and how the project will address each of them. Provide
local health data and sources, and collaborative efforts with health agencies where possible.
Traditional community health assessment databases, such as the County of San Bernardino Department
of Public Health’s Healthy San Bernardino and the California Health Interview Survey from the UCLA
Center for Health Policy Research provide health, economic, and social data for communities based on
zip code. However, the unincorporated community of Joshua Tree has such a small demographic that
health data for this community was not collected and is therefore unavailable.
Health data for San Bernardino County, as a whole, is readily available and, at a minimum, is a good
indicator of health issues in the community of Joshua Tree. The Health San Bernardino database
indicates that 69.1% of San Bernardino County adult residents are obese or overweight and 10.6% of all
residents have been diagnosed with diabetes. In addition, 13.8% of San Bernardino County adults and
21.4% of children and teens suffer from asthma and only 15.5% of San Bernardino County adults engage
in moderate physical activity. Obesity rates and the rate of physical activity for children in San
Bernardino County were not available on either database.
This project will address the following health issues:
Obesity/Overweight: Regular exercise and proper nutrition helps reduce body fat as well as protect
against chronic diseases associated with obesity. Extension of the bikeway will provide a longer exercise
facility. Cycling is one of the easiest ways to exercise and can be done at low cost. Steady cycling burns
approximately 300 calories per hour. Extension of the bikeway could induce residents to exercise.
Asthma: As reported in the Health Behavior News Service, appropriate exercise programs can provide
valuable benefits to people with asthma, helping to reduce the severity of attacks or prevent them
entirely. Evidence in support of this conclusion can also be found in a review of trials found online at
The Cochrane Library website. The review also found that, contrary to fears that patients and parents of
asthmatic children sometimes have, exercise does not generally worsen the condition. If a person’s
asthma is stable and controlled, exercise can help reduce the symptoms and the reliance on medication.
Exercise can help improve breathing performance and cardio respiratory conditioning. Exercise also
increases muscular strength and endurance, which improves oxygen uptake. The availability of a
functional bikeway will provide opportunities for asthmatics to exercise, which can help alleviate
symptoms.
Source: http://www.cfah.org/hbns/2013/exercise-benefits-people-with-asthma
Source: http://www.cochrane.org/CD001116/AIRWAYS_physical-training-for-asthma
Engaging in Physical Activity: Extension of the bike path would create a walking and biking path of travel
from SH 62 to the Joshua Tree Elementary School. As the Buehler and Pucher study mentioned above
noted, the presence of off-road bike paths and on-street bike lanes were, by far, the biggest
determinant of cycling rates in cities. In recognition of the benefits of bicycling, and in response to
strong public pressure, public policies in the United States have become more supportive of bicycling. If
the County were able to extend the bikeway, the bikeway would provide an opportunity to increase
bicycling in the community. And, as noted earlier, cycling is one of the easiest ways to exercise.
DTP-0001 (Revised July 2013)
End Construction Phase (Construction Contract Acceptance Milestone)
ND/FONSIDocument TypeCirculate Draft Environmental Document
ADA Notice
10/30/22
02/28/23
Begin Closeout Phase
Element
mkasey@dpw.sbcounty.gov
Supports Sustainable Communities Strategy (SCS) Goals Reduces Greenhouse Gas Emissions
County of San Bernardino
Purpose and Need See page 2
Project Benefits See page 2
Currently, bicyclists are only able to use the Class I bikeway to the old elementary school and must travel in the
roadway to continue on to the new elementary school campus. By providing a linkage dedicated to bike
access, many students and community residents will be able to travel on a continuous bicycle facility to the
new school.
Phone
909-387-8166
Includes Bike/Ped ImprovementsIncludes ADA Improvements
MPO ID TCRP No.
For individuals with sensory disabilities, this document is available in alternate formats. For information call (916) 654-6410 or TDD
(916) 654-3880 or write Records and Forms Management, 1120 N Street, MS-89, Sacramento, CA 95814.
N/A
N/A
08/1/22
03/30/22
E-mail Address
Project Study Report Approved
Component
STATE OF CALIFORNIA ● DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
PROJECT PROGRAMMING REQUEST
Date:3/11/16
General Instructions
In the unincorporated community of Joshua Tree from State Highway 62 (SH 62) north 0.5 mile to Calle Los
Amigos. This project proposes to extend the existing bikeway on the east side of Sunburst Street north from
its current terminus at the closed Joshua Tree Elementary School by widening and striping the travel lanes
by a total of six feet to provide a Class II bike lane access to the new Joshua Tree Elementary School site
at the intersection of Sunburst Street at Calle Los Amigos, approximately one mile further north.
MPO
Location, Project Limits, Description, Scope of Work See page 2
Sunburst Road Widening and Class II Bike Lane Construction
PA&ED
06/30/21
10/30/22
06/30/21
Implementing Agency
County of San Bernardino
County of San Bernardino
N/A
Begin Environmental (PA&ED) Phase
The new school has been constructed on a new site in response to the old school buildings being located
within an earthquake zone, so legally could no longer be used as a school. Within the Non-Motorized
Regional System, the existing Class I bikeway is mapped from SH 62 north 0.5 mile to the old Joshua Tree
Elementary School. This new Class II bikeway provides a connecting bike link from the old school site to the
new Joshua Tree Elementary School. Sunburst Street is one of the few north south roads in the community
providing a direct connection for established developments to the north with access to SH 62, the
communities’ principal east-west connection.
N/ADraft Project Report
Route/Corridor
09/30/20
03/30/21
Proposed
N/A
Project Milestone
District
Project Manager/Contact
Capital Outlay
PPNO
County Project Sponsor/Lead Agency
County of San Bernardino
EA
PM Bk PM Ahd
08
Project ID
End Right of Way Phase (Right of Way Certification Milestone)
Begin Construction Phase (Contract Award Milestone)
PS&E
Construction
Mazin Kasey
End Closeout Phase (Closeout Report)
End Environmental Phase (PA&ED Milestone)
Begin Design (PS&E) Phase
End Design Phase (Ready to List for Advertisement Milestone)
Begin Right of Way Phase
Right of Way
SCAG
Project Title
New Project
TDA Article 3 Grant Application
Sunburst Street/Joshua Tree
Source: Google Maps, 2017 MAP NOT TO SCALE
Class I Bike Path Reconstruction
Sunburst Street
Joshua Tree, California
Vicinity Map Showing
Sunburst Street Project Site
Project
Location
N
Project
Location
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