The city of Whittier will take ownership of Whittier Boulevard in an agreement with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) passed by the City Council Tuesday.
In the relinquishment, 6.5 miles of Whittier Boulevard from Lockheed Avenue to Valley Home Avenue will go to the city. Caltrans will pay the city $16.7 million as part of the hand-off, the funds going to a dedicated account for maintenance and operations. It will generate $600,000 per year, cover annual costs.
Whittier is the last city to gain ownership of what Mayor Joe Vinatieri said is the city’s El Camino Real, “the backbone of Whittier from east to west.” Neighboring Pico Rivera and Montebello have owned their portions of the road for decades.
“This is a big, big deal,” Vinatieri said. “Tonight is a historic occasion. This is El Camino Real through Whittier, the King’s Highway, the original path from San Diego to San Francisco up to Santa Rosa, for all the missions in California. It went right through Whittier. This is just the beginning of making something really big happen ‘down the road.’”
Kyle Cason, director of public works, explained the connection between the city’s recent annexation of portions of west Whittier and transfer of the thoroughfare from Caltrans to the city of Whittier.
Talks of gaining ownership of the boulevard began in the 1990s and early 2000s, with negotiations stalling until 2018. On Oct. 8, 2019, Gov. Gavin Newsom signed AB 1810 into law which started the relinquishment process with the city of Whittier. Since Caltrans could only relinquish the roadway to one jurisdiction, and Los Angeles County and the city of Whittier owned portions of the boulevard, work on annexing 58 acres of unincorporated county parcels began.
“Whittier Boulevard is one of two freeway exits off the 605 and is a gateway into Whittier,” Cason said. The move will allow the city to have better local control of this right of way, including improving traffic flow. The corridor is also in a good state of repair, meaning it doesn’t need any major work.
The agreement is expected to be approved by the California Transportation Commission in March.
“For decades, Whittier has worked toward gaining control of Whittier Boulevard, and this agreement with Caltrans finally makes that possible,” said interim city manager Shannon DeLong. “A key step in this process was the recent annexation of unincorporated areas along the boulevard, which ensured that the entire stretch under consideration was within city limits. With that in place, we were able to move forward with relinquishment, allowing Whittier, not the state, to take charge of its future.”
All five councilmembers were unanimous in approving the move, with plans including the possibility of synchronizing the 37 traffic signals in that stretch as well as replanting medians and erecting entrance and exit monuments.
“This is kind of step one to having those types of conversations,” Cason said.
Whittier Police Department will have jurisdiction over the relinquished section of Whittier Boulevard, taking over from Los Angeles County Sheriffs.
City staff will also work with the city of Pico Rivera as it implements its own Historic Whittier Boulevard Multimodal Plan.
“I can’t tell you how happy I am that the city of Whittier will own Whittier Boulevard,” said Councilmember Fernando Dutra. “It’s time we take this thing over.”
In other business, the council also approved a $780,060 one-year contract with Circuit Transit Inc. to run a Neighborhood Electric Vehicle service focusing first on Uptown Whittier. It will be paid from Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority Prop-C Local Tax Return Funds.
The pilot program can be operational within 90 days and will run 12 hours daily Wednesday to Sunday, with times of service to be decided. Six electric vehicles will service an area that will include three retail centers within the city, PIH Health Whittier Hospital, as well as close access to the Turnbull Canyon trailhead.
Each car seats five passengers plus the driver. The service will be app-hailed and will work much like Uber or Lyft. Fares, if any, are yet to be determined. Santana said staff will work to integrate the ride app into the city’s Whittier 365 app.
Reports will be submitted on the sixth and 11th month of service for evaluation, said Virginia Santana, Whittier’s director of parks, recreation and community services. At that time, changes to hours, days and routes can be proposed.
The City Council first proposed the idea of a Whittier People Mover in 2021 as an alternative to traditional transit. It chose a business district-focused service in October 2024.
“We’re so excited to bring this fun and easy transportation option to Whittier,” Santana said. “The (pilot program) is all about making it easier for people to get around Uptown, visit local shops and restaurants, access Whittier College, and even hit the trails, all without the hassle of parking. With no fixed stops, riders can hop on and off wherever they need within the service area, making it super convenient to check out our city’s best spots.”
Circuit Transit runs in 45 cities and nine states, according to Daniel Kramer, vice president of business development at the company. Its largest markets are in Southern California and South Florida. Local users include the cities of Long Beach, Inglewood, Huntington Beach, Seal Beach, Costa Mesa and Oceanside. The company has also bid to bring its service to Rosemead.
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