BOOMING BUSINESS A TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE CITY LEADERS WEIGH COMMUTE SOLUTIONS.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

BURBANK - With the city becoming a regional employment center, officials have started looking for solutions for what is expected to be more and more traffic congestion with nearly 100,000 rush-hour trips per day possible by 2008.

Traffic concerns have city leaders thinking about what kinds of development projects they will approve and looking at alternatives to car travel. City Councilman Todd Campbell believes part of the solution could be a light-rail trolley system.

``I think the major thing that distinguishes our community from other communities is that it does have a hometown feel. And part of the reason it does have that hometown feel is it is not as busy or congested as other cities, particularly Los Angeles,'' Campbell said.

But traffic is getting worse in Burbank, particularly because it is such an employment hub, he said.

``It's a Catch-22. You want people to come to Burbank, work, raise the tax revenue. But at the same time you don't want the traffic.''

Burbank has about 84,060 afternoon rush-hour vehicle trips per day. By 2008, a time period used in a modeling exercise, traffic is expected to grow to between 92,240 and 96,410 rush-hour trips, said Greg Herrmann, assistant community development director for transportation.

The city's worsening traffic has been developing over several years. In 1995, the city had 71,780 daily afternoon rush-hour trips.

Officials expect a rise in activity at Burbank production studios to account for some of the spike in traffic congestion, and offices in the city are also expected to generate more trips. Another big factor is how several sites around the city will be developed in the years ahead.

A study done in cooperation with the Southern California Association of Governments showed that, whereas Burbank's employment was 91,000 in 2000, in 2010 that is expected to increase to 105,000, Herrmann said.

At a study session on traffic at City Hall this past week, City Councilman Jef Vander Borght said the way to deal with increased congestion is not to simply halt all development.

``We are mired in a deep traffic problem throughout Southern California,'' he said, adding that the traffic statistics presented by Herrmann are ``staggering.''

More passengers are also expected to use Bob Hope Airport, which will affect city streets. The airport had 4.7 million passengers last year. In five years, another 1 million annual passengers could be using the airport, Herrmann said.

A bikeway along Chandler Boulevard is under construction, and the city is developing other transportation projects. As part of a California Department of Transportation project to widen the Golden State Freeway, an underpass could be widened to connect Empire Avenue with North San Fernando Boulevard on the other side of Interstate 5, Herrmann said.

That would provide a better route to the airport, but it would break up San Fernando, which runs diagonal to Empire Avenue and passes under Interstate 5, he said. But because of the state's financial troubles, the project, which was originally scheduled to begin in 2005, could be pushed back to as late as 2009.

Herrmann, however, said he expected little increase in traffic on surface streets from people getting off clogged freeways and crossing through Burbank to get where they want to go. As the city's traffic worsens, that will be less appealing for freeway travelers, he said.

As for the idea of building a trolley system, Campbell said its advantage is that it would promote a hometown feel. If Burbank were to join with surrounding cities to create a transportation agency, it could qualify for state and federal funding to pursue such a project, he said.

Alex Dobuzinskis, [phone]

alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com

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Traffic is clogged where Victory Boulevard, Victory Place and Burbank Boulevard come together in Burbank. Increased employment in the area has also meant an increase in traffic, with nearly 100,000 rush hour trips per day possible by 2008.

Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News