Belleview Avenue Corridor Study Existing Transportation Conditions
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BELLEVIEW AVENUE CORRIDOR STUDY EXISTING TRANSPORTATION CONDITIONS Prepared for: Arapahoe County Public Works Department Lima Plaza 6924 S. Lima St. Centennial, CO 80112 Prepared by: Felsburg Holt & Ullevig 6300 South Syracuse Way, Suite 600 Centennial, CO 80111 303/721-1440 Project Manager: Christopher J. Fasching, PE FHU Reference No. 12-069-01 September 2015 Existing Transportation Conditions Draft Report TABLE OF CONTENTS Page List of Abbreviations and Acronyms ----------------------------------------------------------------------- iii 1.0 Introduction ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1 2.0 Roadway Network ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 2.1 Vehicular Traffic Operations ------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Demands ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 3 Operations ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Accidents ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 3.0 Alternative Transportation Modes ---------------------------------------------------------------- 12 3.1 Transit --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12 3.2 Pedestrian and Bicycle Facilities ----------------------------------------------------------- 15 3.3 Transportation Demand Management ----------------------------------------------------- 15 3.4 Intelligent Transportation Systems --------------------------------------------------------- 18 4.0 Surrounding Land Use -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 5.0 Environmental Considerations --------------------------------------------------------------------- 23 5.1 Biological Resources -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Wetlands ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Noxious Weeds --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Wildlife Habitat ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26 Special Status Species ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 27 5.2 Water Resources ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 5.3 Air Quality ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 Carbon Monoxide ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 30 Particulate Matter ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Ozone --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30 Mobile Source Air Toxic Pollutants --------------------------------------------------------- 31 Mitigation and Best Management Practices ---------------------------------------------- 31 5.4 Environmental Contamination Issues ------------------------------------------------------ 32 5.5 Noise ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33 5.6 Cultural Resources ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 5.7 Parks and Recreational Trails --------------------------------------------------------------- 39 6.0 References ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 42 LIST OF APPENDICES Appendix A Traffic Count Data Appendix B Level of Service Calculations Appendix C Crash Data Page i Existing Transportation Conditions Draft Report LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 1.1 Belleview Corridor Study Area ---------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Figure 2.1 Existing Roadway Conditions------------------------------------------------------------------ 4 Figure 2.2 Existing Belleview Avenue Study Area Traffic Demands ------------------------------- 5 Figure 2.3 I-25/Belleview Interchange Traffic Patterns ------------------------------------------------ 7 Figure 2.4 Existing Intersection Geometry and Levels of Service ---------------------------------- 8 Figure 2.5 Signalized Intersection Crash Summary (2009-2011) --------------------------------- 10 Figure 3.1 RTD Transit Serving the Belleview Corridor --------------------------------------------- 13 Figure 3.2 RTD Transit Stop Daily Activity ------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Figure 3.3 Existing Sidewalks and Connecting Trails ------------------------------------------------ 16 Figure 3.4 Existing and Planned Bike and Multi-use Facilities ------------------------------------- 17 Figure 4.1 Existing Land Use ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 21 Figure 4.2 Existing Transportation Analysis Zones (TAZs) ----------------------------------------- 22 Figure 5.1 Environmental Resources Evaluation ----------------------------------------------------- 24 Figure 5.2 Noise Issues ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 35 LIST OF TABLES Page Table 4.1 DRCOG Land Use ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 19 Table 5.1 Summary of Potential Environmental Issues -------------------------------------------- 23 Table 5.2 Special Status Species ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 27 Table 5.3 National Ambient Air Quality Standards --------------------------------------------------- 29 Table 5.4 Hazardous Material Sites --------------------------------------------------------------------- 32 Table 5.5 CDOT Noise Abatement Criteria ------------------------------------------------------------ 34 Table 5.6 Developed Properties within the Study Area --------------------------------------------- 38 Page ii Existing Transportation Conditions Draft Report LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS µg/m3 micrograms per cubic meter AST above ground storage tank BCZ Block Clearance Zone CAP Corrective Action Plan CDOT Colorado Department of Transportation CFR Code of Federal Regulations CPW Colorado Parks and Wildlife CDPHE Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment CHS Colorado Historical Society Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation CO Carbon Monoxide CRS Colorado Revised Statutes dBA A-scale decibels DOT Act U.S. Department of Transportation Act DRCOG Denver Regional Council of Governments DSEDP Denver South Economic Development Partnership DSTMA Denver South Transportation Management Association DTC Denver Technological Center FHU Felsburg Holt & Ullevig FHWA Federal Highway Administration IPaC Information, Planning, and Conservation System I-25 Interstate 25 ITS Initial Site Assessment IRA Intelligent Transportation System Leq equivalent sound level LPG liquefied petroleum gas LOS Level of Service LUST leaking underground storage tank LWCF Land and Water Conservation Funds MPH miles per hour MSAT Mobile Source Air Toxics NAAQS National Ambient Air Quality Standards NAC Noise Abatement Criteria Page iii Existing Transportation Conditions Draft Report NDIS Natural Diversity Information Source NEPA National Environmental Policy Act NRHP National Register of Historic Places NWI National Wetland Inventory O3 ozone OPS Colorado Department of Labor and Employment Division of Oil and Public Safety PEL Planning and Environmental Linkage PM10 particulate matter less than 10 microns PM2.5 particulate matter less than 2.5 microns ppb parts per billion ppm parts per million RTD Regional Transportation District RTP 2035 Regional Transportation Plan (Metro Vision) SPIMD Southeast Public Improvement Metropolitan District TAZ transportation analysis zone TMA Transportation Management Agency TMDL total maximum daily load USACE U.S. Army Corps of Engineers USEPA U.S. Environmental Protection Agency USFWS U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service USGS US Geological Survey UST underground storage tank Page iv Existing Transportation Conditions Draft Report 1.0 INTRODUCTION Belleview Avenue is a key east-west arterial road in the southern Denver metropolitan area. Besides serving as a connection between the Denver Tech Center (DTC) area and Littleton, Belleview Avenue provides critical access to Interstate 25 (I-25) for the Denver Tech Center area. Poor traffic operations have spurred the need to assess this corridor around the interchange area, particularly given the plans for additional development in the immediate area. Arapahoe County has taken the lead by sponsoring this effort, developing a partnership with the City of Greenwood Village, the City and County of Denver, the Denver South Economic Development Partnership (DSEDP) in association with the Denver South Transportation Management Association (DSTMA), Southeast Public Improvement Metropolitan District (SPIMD), and Greenwood North Metropolitan Improvement District. In addition, other entities are providing support including the Regional Transportation District (RTD), the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), Cherry Hills Village, and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG). The primary goal of the study is to determine the appropriate improvements, their lay out, and phasing in developing a solid foundation for subsequent National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) efforts and funding pursuits in support of improving mobility