3. Affected Environment
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3. Affected Environment 3.1. TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS This section presents an overview of the traffic and transportation systems in the vicinity of the Hercules ITC in Hercules, California and describes the potential effects on these transportation systems from constructing and operating the proposed project. The existing transportation modes include roadways, railways, and pedestrian/bicycle trails. The transportation portion of the proposed project includes development of a bus-to-train connection for an anticipated usage of up to 837 riders per day (Fehr & Peers 2009), extending John Muir Parkway, and providing a 220-space surface parking lot (on Block N) in the near- term. In the long-term, a transit area garage with approximately 450 spaces would be constructed. The proposed project would improve access to public mass transit and would be a benefit to the residents and workers in the vicinity of the Hercules ITC and the region. In fact, the majority of transit riders using the Hercules ITC are projected to come from the new residential units located within one-half mile of the transit center and the immediate surrounding cities and communities of Hercules, Pinole, and Rodeo-Crockett. Residents and commuters from the unincorporated communities of Contra Costa and Solano counties along I-80 east of Hercules are also likely to utilize the Hercules ITC. The traffic related to proposed project would result in minor net benefit to the area-wide transportation systems that serve the seven-million people who live in the Bay Area. This discussion, therefore, focuses on the cities of Hercules, Pinole, and Rodeo-Crockett (the area of western Contra Costa County) and does not address the traffic conditions or transportation systems in the larger Bay Area. 3.1.1. Regulatory Framework Local Plans and Policies Measure C (1988) and Measure J (2004) The current transportation planning approach in Contra Costa County began in 1988 with the passage of Measure C, which established a one-half cent sales tax in Contra Costa County to fund a specified set of transportation improvements. It also included a growth management element that established service standards for the transportation system and mandated that the standards be maintained on certain routes as growth occurs. Measure C created the Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA) as the agency responsible for implementing its provisions. Since 1998, the CCTA has further refined the Measure C policies and procedures through a series of published documents. Of particular importance to transportation analysis are their review requirements for General Plan amendments, which refer to “Action Plans for Routes of Regional Significance” that the County and the applicable regional agencies have agreed upon. Hercules ITC Draft EIR/EIS Page 3-1 September 2010 Section 3 Measure C was renewed in 2004 with the passage of Measure J, which extends the sales tax for an additional 25 years (through 2034). Contra Costa County 2007 Congestion Management Program Under state law, the CCTA is responsible for preparing and adopting a Congestion Management Program (CMP) and updating it every other year. The most recent update was adopted on December 16, 2009. CMPs must contain level of service (LOS) standards for state highways and major arterials, measures to evaluate system performance, a seven-year capital improvement program, a program to analyze the impacts and costs of local land use decisions on the regional transportation system, and a travel demand element that promotes transportation alternatives to single-occupant vehicles. The CCTA has drawn the CMP performance measures from the traffic service objectives (TSO) in the Action Plans for Routes of Regional Significance. For roadways in the project vicinity, the CMP uses the TSOs established in the West Contra Costa County Action Plan 2000 Update. West County Action Plan 2009 Update Service level standards for “Routes of Regional Significance” are to be established through a cooperative process among jurisdictions and are to be institutionalized in documents called Action Plans. The West County Action Plan 2009 Update was adopted for the jurisdictions in western Contra Costa County. TSOs were revised for these facilities. The CCTA’s 2009 Congestion Management Program updated the TSOs and is used as the basis for evaluating transportation impacts on “Routes of Regional Significance.” The following facilities in the project study area are considered “Routes of Regional Significance”: I-80, SR-4, San Pablo Avenue, and Willow Avenue. The primary TSOs that apply to all of the West County Routes of Regional Significance are: Maintain LOS D or better at all signalized intersections along Willow Avenue; Maintain LOS E or better on all roadway segments of San Pablo Avenue and SR-4; Maintain LOS E or better on all roadway segments of SR-4; Maintain LOS E or better at all signalized intersections along San Pablo Avenue; Increase the I-80 HOV lane vehicle usage rate by 10 percent; Maintain a drive-alone rate of no more than 75 percent; Increase transit ridership in West County by 10 percent between 2007 and 2012; By 2012, increase the bicycle and pedestrian mode splits to 3 percent for commute trips; Maintain a 3,000 per day ridership on the Capitol and San Joaquin Corridor trains by the year 2005; and Achieve a 500 per day ridership on the Hercules-San Francisco ferry line by 2012. Page 3-2 Hercules ITC Draft EIR/EIS September 2010 Section 3 In addition to TSOs, the Action Plan contains actions that were cooperatively determined by the cities and the county to support achievement of the TSOs. One of these key actions required the local agencies to work with CCTA and MTC to actively pursue funding to expand bus service to/from Pinole, Hercules, Rodeo, and Crockett. Three primary fee programs are in place to help finance improvements to transportation facilities within the study area. The City of Hercules assesses and collects a Development Impact Fee to support improvements to local transportation facilities. Two additional fee programs, the Hercules-Rodeo-Crockett Area of Benefit Fee and the West Contra Costa Sub-regional Transportation Mitigation Fee, are administered by the West Contra Costa County Transportation Advisory Committee. The City of Hercules traffic impact fee supports local capital improvements. The Hercules-Rodeo-Crockett and West Contra Costa fees administered by the county are assessed on new development in western Contra Costa County. City of Hercules General Plan The City’s General Plan Circulation Element includes a policy of “... maintaining a Level of Service D or better for peak hour traffic operating conditions.” (City of Hercules 1998a) The Circulation Element also presents a series of transportation policy statements; the policies with direct applicability to this EIR/EIS are reproduced below. Circulation Element Policy 2 on page II-20 of the General Plan provides: “The policy on traffic level of service reflects the ’traffic service objectives’ defined in the West County Action Plan. The City has adopted a Growth Management Element to comply with Contra Costa County Measure C (1988). This element includes adoption of level of service standards on ’basic routes’ depending upon the location of the route: CBD (central business district), urban, suburban, semi-rural, and rural.” As noted in the Growth Management Element of the General Plan, the following are the traffic service standards for Basic Routes (Local Streets) in Hercules: LOS “High” D to “Low” E (maximum volume-to-capacity [v/c] ratio is 0.94) Sycamore Avenue (from Willow Avenue to San Pablo Avenue) Willow Avenue (from I-80 ramps to Sycamore) LOS “High” D (maximum v/c ratio is 0.89) Sycamore Avenue (Highway 4 Freeway – Willow Avenue) Refugio Valley Road (Sycamore – Redwood/Falcon) Alfred Nobel Drive Linus Pauling Drive James Watson Drive John Muir Parkway Hercules ITC Draft EIR/EIS Page 3-3 September 2010 Section 3 LOS “Low” D – (maximum v/c ratio is 0.84) All other Basic Routes (that is, except Routes of Regional Significance) For health, safety, and general welfare, it is the City’s policy to provide adequate levels of traffic service throughout the City. Level of Service D or better is the citywide standard for traffic operating conditions during peak hours on residential streets and intersections. Level of Service D for the commercial/industrial development is acceptable under certain specified conditions. New development is required to pay its fair share of the cost of improving regional routes so that compliance with the service standard specified in the Action Plan is maintained. a. Neighborhood design should discourage through traffic on local streets. b. Residential streets will be designed in relation to the needed capacity and the adjoining housing patterns. c. Proposed elements within view of designated scenic routes in the City should be reviewed in terms of their visual impact. d. The City shall actively participate in cooperative efforts to provide effective public transit to the City and adjacent communities, including promoting a commuter rail extension of BART in the City and a train station along San Pablo Bay within the Lower Refugio Valley serving the Capitol Corridor to intercept through travelers on I-80. e. The City should promote the establishment of riding and hiking trails throughout the community and coordinate with other agencies planning trail systems in the area and region. f. Minimize through traffic in residential neighborhoods. g. The City shall participate in and/or encourage the following planned capital improvements, as applicable: Installation of ramp-metering hardware at all on-ramp locations on I-80; Reconstruction of I-80/Highway 4 freeway interchange; Construction of Highway 4 freeway; and Widening of I-80 to include HOV lanes, Atlas Road to Carquinez Bridge. h. Additional transportation policies included within the Growth Management Element. Page 3-4 Hercules ITC Draft EIR/EIS September 2010 Section 3 3.1.2.