AGENDA ITEM I-3 Public Works STAFF REPORT City Council Meeting Date: 9/12/2017 Staff Report Number: 17-212-CC Informational Item: Update on the Dumbarton Transportation Corridor Study Recommendation This is an informational item and does not require Council action. Policy Issues As part of the City Council Work Plan for 2017 (Item No. 46) preparing for the Transportation Master Plan, the City has been engaged with SamTrans as part of the ongoing Dumbarton Transportation Corridor Study. The Circulation Element of the General Plan includes policies that support and encourage the use of public transit and revitalizing the Dumbarton Corridor. Background The revitalization of the Dumbarton Corridor for transportation purposes has long been envisioned by peninsula communities and regional commuters. In 1994, SamTrans purchased the Dumbarton Rail right- of-way and the bridge crossing the San Francisco Bay between Redwood City and Newark. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, planning-level studies of activating rail service along the existing right-of-way were initiated, and station locations were identified by local communities including the City of Menlo Park. The San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA) identified funding to support this ongoing work in the 2004 renewal of Measure A, a half-cent sales tax measure for transportation improvements within the County. In 2004, voters passed Regional Measure 2 (RM2), a $1 bridge toll measure for seven state-owned bridges in the Bay Area, which identified projects that reduce congestion or improved travel in the bridge corridors. The Dumbarton Corridor was identified as a potential project to receive funding. Project feasibility, planning and environmental review was initiated by SMCTA with the RM2 funding. However, in 2012, while the SMCTA completed the administrative draft environmental impact statement/environmental impact report (EIS/EIR), the funding plan was deficient and SMCTA and the Federal Transit Authority decided not to pursue public review or certification of the EIS/EIR and placed the project on indefinite hold. Following this action, in 2013, Metropolitan Transportation Commission voted to repurpose the remaining RM2 funds to the BART extension to Fremont and San Jose. Very limited funding remains in RM2 for improvements to the Dumbarton Corridor. However, traffic congestion and regional transportation needs in the Corridor have continued to grow, with directional commuter traffic between the Dumbarton, US 101, and mid-Peninsula cities creating significant quality of life issues in several Menlo Park neighborhoods, particularly Belle Haven, the Willows, and Suburban Park, Flood Triangle and Lorelei Manor. In 2015, Facebook, Inc. provided funding to SamTrans for the Dumbarton Transportation Corridor Study (Study), a feasibility study of transportation improvement options on the Dumbarton Highway Bridge and its approaches as well as improvements to the Dumbarton Rail Bridge to the south. SamTrans published the draft report on August 14, 2017. A copy of the study is available on the SamTrans website at the following City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, PAGECA 94025 185 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.org Staff Report #: 17-212-CC link (http://www.samtrans.com/Planning/Planning_and_Research/DumbartonTransportationCorridorStudy.html). The draft Executive Summary is included in Attachment A. The section below summarizes the efforts to prepare the draft Study, its recommendations, and anticipated City comments on the draft Study. Analysis The Study identifies potential improvements to both the Highway and Railroad bridges, based on the following needs: • Worsening roadway congestion • Worsening jobs-housing imbalance • Lack of regional transit connectivity • Increasing threats to economic growth • Increasing safety concerns Improvement alternatives were identified through a two-step process: development of a comprehensive list of potential modifications to the Highway bridge, Railroad bridge, both bridge approaches, and other transbay crossing options that would not require either bridge. These improvements were then screened against four goals of the Study: • Enhance mobility for local and regional travelers • Cost-effective improvements with return on investment • Manage and minimize environmental impacts and financial risk, and maximize safety • Ensure local communities are protected from adverse impacts The improvements that screened the highest against these goals were carried forward for additional review and evaluation. Ten alternatives for bus and rail improvements were assembled from these improvements for further modeling purposes and analysis, as described in Chapter 7 of the Study: 1. No Build (2020) 2. Short-Term Enhanced Bus on Highway Bridge (2020) 3. No Build (2030) 4. Long-Term Enhanced Bus on Highway Bridge with Reversible Express Lanes (2030) 5. Long-Term Enhanced Bus on Highway Bridge with One Express Lane in Each Direction (2030) 6. Busway on Rail Bridge (2030) 7. Rail Shuttle on Rail Bridge (2030) 8. Rail Commuter Single-Track on Rail Bridge (2030) 9. Rail Commuter Double-Track on Rail Bridge (2030) 10. Combination Bus and Rail (2030) Further, the Study described a potential multi-use pathway along the peninsula rail right-of-way that could be coupled with any of the alternatives above where the physical space constraints of the corridor would allow. Summary of SamTrans’ Draft Recommendations The improvement alternatives and goals of the Study were developed with community input through a series of meetings in 2016 and 2017. The draft recommendations were presented at a series of community workshops, including those in the City of East Palo Alto on August 15, 2017, a presentation to the City of Menlo Park Council on August 22, 2017, and scheduled future community workshop at the Menlo Park Senior Center on Monday, September 25, 2017 at 6:30 pm. The draft recommendations of the Study City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, PAGECA 94025 186 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.org Staff Report #: 17-212-CC include a phased approach to improvements over an approximately 20 year timeframe, and are summarized below. • Short-term (2020) improvements to enhance bus service and Highway bridge approach improvements, including new bus routes serving Menlo Park and Redwood City • Mid-term improvements: • Express lanes on the Highway bridge and arterial approaches • Modifications to toll payment collection methods (all-electronic tolling) • Implementing bus-only lanes on Bayfront Expressway and Willow Road • Constructing grade separations at Willow Road and University Avenue intersections with Bayfront Expressway • US 101/Marsh Road express lane direct connector • Expanded park-and-ride facilities at Ardenwood in Newark • Adding a direct connector (ramps) between the Dumbarton Rail right-of-way and US 101 for buses to speed the connection to 101 Express lanes • Implementing Rail Shuttle service between Redwood City and Newark • Long-term improvements: • Increasing frequency of bus service • Extending Rail Shuttle service from Newark to Union City Anticipated City Comments Staff is preparing a draft comment letter and anticipates returning to the City Council on September 26, 2017 for approval prior to submitting comments by the end of September. Based on a preliminary review of the Study and past Council input and direction on these efforts, staff anticipates commenting on the following key areas: • Desirability of a bicycle and pedestrian pathway along the peninsula right-of-way • Support for: • Alternatives that improve quality of life, especially those that would provide multi-modal transportation options for local residents • A balanced approach to reducing congestion and reducing single occupant vehicle (SOV) travel in the Corridor • Near-term improvements that could be implemented as soon as possible, such as transit signal priority, expansion and improvement of bus service and improved/expanded park-and-ride facilities in the East Bay to encourage carpooling on the Highway bridge • Long-term improvements to capitalize on the regional rail connections with ACE, Capitol Corridor and Caltrain service • Improvements that encourage vehicular traffic connection at US 101/Marsh Road interchange to reduce travel demand on Willow Road and the impact on the Belle Haven neighborhood, including Express Lanes on Bayfront Expressway, Marsh Road and US 101 • Request for additional information on: • Grade separation concepts at Willow Road and University Avenue and Bayfront Expressway, including an estimate of the height of any bridge structures that could be constructed with such alternatives • Bus stop locations that could serve the Belle Haven neighborhood in Alternatives 2, 4, 5, 6 and 10 • Summary of technical comments on the travel forecasting and alternatives concepts, especially related to the City’s approval of ConnectMenlo Land Use and Circulation Elements in November 2016 and City of Menlo Park 701 Laurel St., Menlo Park, PAGECA 94025 187 tel 650-330-6600 www.menlopark.org Staff Report #: 17-212-CC Facebook’s recent pending application for development of the Willow Campus Staff will be attending the SamTrans hosted community meeting on September 25, 2017, and will continue to refine the comments to incorporate feedback from the community as the public review period continues through September 2017. Public Notice Public Notification was achieved by posting the agenda, with the agenda items being listed, at least 72 hours prior to the meeting.