TITLE:
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RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING STREET CLOSURES FOR THE 2021 ORANGE COUNTY MARATHON RUNNING FESTIVAL
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DEPARTMENT: PUBLIC SERVICES DEPARTMENT / TRANSPORTATION SERVICES DIVISION
PRESENTED BY: RAJA SETHURAMAN, PUBLIC SERVICES DIRECTOR
CONTACT INFORMATION: JENNIFER ROSALES, TRANSPORTATION SERVICES MANAGER (714) 754-5343
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council adopt Resolution No. 2021-xx, designating event routes for the 2021 Orange County (OC) Marathon Running Festival and approving the temporary street closures for November 6, 2021 and November 7, 2021, as requested for the 2021 OC Marathon Running Festival (Attachment 1).
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BACKGROUND:
A Special Event Permit application was submitted to the City on May 18, 2021 (Attachment 2), requesting permission to close certain streets to conduct the 2021 OC Marathon Running Festival. The application is currently being reviewed by the City’s Special Event Committee, comprised of representatives from various City departments.
This is the twelfth year the City of Costa Mesa will participate in the OC Marathon, which has been an annual event in the Orange County area since 2004. Similar to the previous marathons, the proposed route for the 2021 OC Marathon Running Festival begins at Fashion Island in the City of Newport Beach and finishes at the Orange County Fair and Event Center in Costa Mesa. The full OC Marathon will not take place this year. This year’s OC Marathon Running Festival is comprised of two (2) sub-events:
1. 5K Fun Run/Walk (3.1 miles) on Saturday, November 6, 2021
2. Half Marathon (13.27 miles) on Sunday, November 7, 2021
The routes within Costa Mesa for the 2021 Half Marathon event are shown on Attachment 3. A map depicting the route for the 2021 5K Fun Run/Walk is shown on Attachment 4. There are no changes to the proposed routes on public streets for the above events from the 2019 OC Marathon Running Festival.
Within Costa Mesa, the streets affected by the Half Marathon include portions of Santa Ana Avenue, Mesa Drive, and Newport Boulevard Southbound Frontage Road. The affected streets for the 5K Fun Run/Walk are Arlington Drive, Fairview Road, and Merrimac Way.
The Half Marathon event is proposed to start in the City of Newport Beach at 6:15 a.m. For the Half Marathon event, street closures in Costa Mesa begin at 7:00 a.m. and the last affected road segments reopen no later than 10:30 a.m.
The 5K Fun Run/Walk event will begin and end at the Orange County Fair and Event Center. For the 5K Fun Run/Walk, street closures will begin at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday and the last affected road segment will reopen no later than 6:00 p.m.
Since the proposed routes for the two (2) events are not among the previously approved Special Event street areas in the currently approved resolution (Attachment 5), City Council approval is required for these new street closures.
ANALYSIS:
Prior years’ marathon events have enjoyed success due to the efforts of organizers, as well as City staff. Similar to prior Marathon events, the organizers will be required to conduct extensive outreach to churches and businesses that are open during the time of the street closures and detours. In addition, residential areas affected by closures will be notified in advance.
On the event day of the 2019 OC Marathon and Half Marathon, police management personnel, sworn officers, civilian officers, and explorers (from Costa Mesa and other agencies) provided support for the event. The Fire Department had personnel stationed at the Emergency Medical Services (EMS) tent for the event. As a result of close coordination between various City departments and event organizers, and implementation of traffic control, impacts on many residential and commercial areas as well as arterial streets were minimized.
Street Closures:
A few minor and major arterial streets will require full closure, while other streets will require either half-closure (one direction), or partial closure (only the closure of one or two lanes in one direction). In order to minimize impacts to the public, the closure of streets will be phased to occur as the fastest runners approach, and will be reopened as the last of the runners and the official sweep vehicle passes by. The fastest half marathon runners are expected to finish in approximately one (1) hour. The overall length of time for the slowest runners of the half marathon with traffic control will be limited to a maximum of three and one half (3.5) hours. The half marathon begins at 6:15 a.m., therefore the last runner permitted on the course with traffic control would finish at approximately 9:45 a.m. A sweep vehicle will circulate through the course in time with the slowest paced runner to ensure the course is clear and that streets can be reopened as soon as possible.
Attachment 6 presents a brief summary of the arterials affected by the proposed Half Marathon and 5K Fun Run/Walk routes through Costa Mesa. Impacts to traffic flow will occur at various intersections including Newport Boulevard at Mesa Drive as the Half Marathon participants move along the route, beginning as early as 7:00 a.m. and ending at approximately 10:00 a.m.
Advance warning signs will be positioned to advise drivers of possible delays during this time. Traffic control will be actively managed by Costa Mesa Police Officers, allowing traffic to pass through the closed area as much as possible.
Staff has also reviewed planned street improvement projects within the City for any conflicts with the 2021 OC Marathon Running Festival and confirms that no projects are scheduled on streets that would impact the proposed route for this event. Close monitoring of project schedules will continue as the date of the Half Marathon approaches.
Traffic Control:
OC Marathon Running Festival representatives estimate up to 8,000 participants and approximately 8,000 spectators along the 13.1-mile route. Due to the large scale of the event and magnitude of street closures, lane closures, and detours, the Transportation Services Division will require that the applicant be responsible for the preparation and submittal of detailed traffic control plans prepared by a Registered Traffic Engineer. Additionally, the applicant will be responsible for furnishing all traffic control devices such as cones, signs, and barricades required for the event. The overall traffic control at intersections and driveways will be directed by Costa Mesa Police Department Officers and Explorers.
The Police Department will staff this event similarly to prior years’ events making any necessary adjustments based on actual field conditions. Since the OC Half Marathon is being held on a Sunday, it will not affect weekday peak rush-hour traffic. Therefore, during the hours in which the event occurs in Costa Mesa, it is expected to have a lesser impact on traffic flow. With traffic control at all locations monitored and managed by the City’s Police Department, emergency access to all properties is assured at all times. Fire Department personnel on the Special Event Committee are involved in reviewing the Special Event Permit application and will include any necessary conditions and implement appropriate measures to ensure emergency response is not adversely affected.
Public Information:
The applicant will be conditioned to provide written notification prior to the event to all property owners and tenants affected by the street closures. Some samples of correspondence are included with the Special Event Application (Attachment 2). The applicant is engaged in discussions with the Orange County Fair and Event Center, for approval to utilize the property for the event and based on those discussions, anticipates their approval.
Similar to prior years, staff will work with the applicant to identify and be certain that all properties directly affected by the event receive adequate notice of the time and period of closure, as well as proper detour information.
Additionally, as part of the traffic control requirements, the Public Services Department will require the placement of changeable message signs at key locations in advance of the event to give adequate notice of the planned street closures.
Areas of Improvement:
The following are some of the observations and areas for improvement identified for earlier OC Marathon events and will apply to the 2021 OC Marathon Running Festival:
• Event start times should be maintained as close to schedule as possible.
• Field-review all water stations and band locations, particularly near residential areas.
• No music or loud noises near residential areas before 8:00 a.m.
• Address traffic issues related to vehicles exiting the Fairgrounds parking lot and on Fair Drive.
• Improve course signage for all events.
ALTERNATIVES:
The City Council may choose to not approve the requested route and street closures as submitted and direct the applicant to revise the route to use other streets. This alternative, however, would not be preferred by the organization as it will potentially have significant impacts and may result in cancellation of the 2021 OC Marathon Running Festival.
FISCAL REVIEW:
The applicant will reimburse the City for the cost of Police and Fire support during the event per the Special Event Permit application.
LEGAL REVIEW:
As part of the Special Event Permit application, the applicant will be required to provide the City with indemnity and insurance per the City’s requirements. The City Attorney’s Office has reviewed this report and proposed Resolution and approves them as to form.
CITY COUNCIL GOALS AND PRIORITIES:
This item supports the following City Council Goal:
• Strengthen public safety and keep the community safe.
CONCLUSION:
A Special Event Permit application has been submitted to the City requesting closure of certain streets on November 6 and 7, 2021, to conduct the 2021 OC Marathon Running Festival. Staff requests City Council’s approval to close the identified streets for this event. In addition, staff requests adoption of the Resolution, designating the event routes in compliance with Costa Mesa Municipal Code, Section 9-208.9.