4.13 Transportation and Traffic
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Environmental Impact Analysis Transportation and Traffic 4.13 Transportation and Traffic This section evaluates the proposed Specific Plan’s potential impacts to local transportation and circulation system. The analysis is based on the information included in the Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) prepared by Kittelson & Associates, Inc. in September 2017. The study is included in Appendix D. 4.13.1 Setting a. Existing Street Network The street network within the Specific Plan Area is defined by several primary roadways that serve both regional and local trips. From a regional context, the Specific Plan Area is located adjacent to several interstates and highways that provide direct roadway connections to other portions of the Bay Area. These regional connections include to and from the South Bay via Interstate 880 (I‐880); to and from the Tri‐Valley via Interstate 238 (I‐238) to Interstate 580 (I‐580); and to and from Oakland via I‐880 and I‐580. As shown in Figure 275, several of the streets within the study area for the TIA have interchange connections to these regional roadways, and are therefore affected by regional traffic patterns. The following are the primary freeways, arterials, and collector streets within the TIA study area. Freeway . I‐238 is a six‐ to seven‐lane freeway with a posted speed limit of 65 miles per hour. The east‐ west freeway serves as a connection between I‐880 and I‐580. The average daily traffic on I‐238 between the East 14th Street junction and the Hesperian Boulevard junction is between 105,000 and 147,000 vehicles per day. The Specific Plan Area is served by the interchanges at East 14th Street and Hesperian Boulevard. Bicyclists and pedestrians are not allowed on this facility. I‐580 is an eight‐ to ten‐lane freeway with a posted speed limit of 65 miles per hour. The north‐ south freeway connects San Leandro with nearby cities, such as Oakland and Pleasanton, and regional destinations, such as Stockton. It also provides access to the greater freeway network with direct connections to Interstates 5, 205, 238, 680, 80 and 880, and State Routes (SR) 13, 24, and 94. The Specific Plan Area is served by the interchanges at 150th Avenue. The average daily traffic on I‐580 in the vicinity of the 150th Avenue interchange ranges between 120,100 and 160,000 vehicles per day. Bicyclists and pedestrians are not allowed on this facility. I‐880 is an eight‐ to ten‐lane freeway with a posted speed limit of 65 miles per hour. The north‐ south freeway connects San Leandro with nearby cities, such as Hayward and Oakland, and regional destinations, such as Fremont and San Jose. It also provides access to the greater freeway network with direct connections to Interstates 80, 580, 980, 238, US Highway 101, State Routes 92, 237 and 17. The Specific Plan Area is served by interchanges at Washington Avenue and off‐ramps at Hesperian Boulevard. The average daily traffic on I‐880 in the vicinity of the Washington Avenue interchange ranges between 172,000 and 237,000 vehicles per day. Bicyclists and pedestrians are not allowed on this facility. 5 Incorrect reference in Draft EIR. Should reference Figure 31 on Page 294. Draft Environmental Impact Report 293 City of San Leandro Bay Fair Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan Figure 31 Traffic Study Area Freeways, Roadways, and Intersections 294 Environmental Impact Analysis Transportation and Traffic Arterials . East 14th Street (State Route 185) is a north-south arterial that provides access to I-238 south of the Specific Plan Area. East 14th Street also connects with the City of Oakland to the north and unincorporated Alameda County and the City of Hayward to the south. East 14th Street is designated as a truck route, and Caltrans is responsible for the design, operations and maintenance of this street. The City of San Leandro has some ability to influence the design of East 14th Street, depending on the City’s level of investment in the corridor. East 14th Street south of Bayfair Drive has four through lanes, a left turn lane and a median. The vehicle lanes are 10 to 12 feet and there are sidewalks on both sides. There are no bicycle lanes, and parallel parking exists on both sides of the street. The Countywide Multimodal Arterial Plan classifies the primary mode on East 14th Street as transit within the Specific Plan Area. Hesperian Boulevard is a north-south arterial that connects the Specific Plan Area to I-880 in the south and serves the cities of Hayward and Union City. Hesperian Boulevard is designated as a truck route by the City of San Leandro. From East 14th Street south to Fairmont Drive, Hesperian Boulevard has four through lanes and a median. From Fairmont Drive south, there are six through lanes. Vehicle lanes along Hesperian Boulevard range from 10 feet to 12 feet and there are sidewalks on both sides. There are Class II bike lanes northbound and southbound; on- street parking is provided along the section south of the BART rail corridor. The Countywide Multimodal Arterial Plan classifies the primary mode on Hesperian Boulevard as trucks between East 14th Street and Fairmont Drive, pedestrian between Fairmont Drive and Thornally Drive, and transit south of Thornally Drive. Fairmont Drive is an east-west arterial that provides access from the Specific Plan Area to I-580. Fairmont Drive is part of a longer corridor extending from west of I-880 to Castro Valley in the east. Fairmont Drive east of Bayfair Drive has a six-lane cross section with a median. The vehicle lanes along Fairmont Drive range from 11 feet to 14 feet. There are no bicycle facilities located on Fairmont Drive. West of Hesperian Boulevard, Fairmont Boulevard changes to Halycon Drive. The Countywide Multimodal Arterial Plan classifies the primary mode on Fairmont Drive as pedestrian within the Specific Plan Area. Halcyon Drive is a residential arterial street that connects Hesperian Boulevard and Fairmont Drive with Washington Avenue to the west. Halcyon Drive is classified as a truck route by the City of San Leandro. Within the Specific Plan Area, Halcyon Drive is a four-lane divided street with bicycle lanes on both sides between Hesperian Boulevard and the UPRR tracks. The Countywide Multimodal Arterial Plan classifies the primary mode on Halcyon Drive as bicycle within the Specific Plan Area. 150th Avenue is an arterial that provides access to the Specific Plan Area from I-580. 150th Avenue generally runs parallel to Fairmont Drive between I-580 and Hesperian Boulevard and is designated as a truck route by the City of San Leandro. Near the Specific Plan Area, 150th Avenue is a four-lane street with on-street parking. Class III bicycle routes currently exist along the street. The Countywide Multimodal Arterial Plan classifies the primary mode on 150th Avenue as trucks between East 14th Street and Robin Street and automobile east of Robin Street. Draft Environmental Impact Report 295 City of San Leandro Bay Fair Transit Oriented Development (TOD) Specific Plan Collectors . Bayfair Drive is a collector street that extends through the Bayfair Center site and connects Hesperian Boulevard and East 14th Street. Bayfair Drive forms part of the loop for Bayfair Center and provides direct access to parking aisles for the center. The majority of Bayfair Drive within the Specific Plan Area is a two‐lane street with intermittent sidewalks and no bicycle lanes. Springlake Drive is an east‐west collector street that connects Hesperian Boulevard to Washington Avenue. Springlake Drive is a two‐lane median divided street with on‐street parking, sidewalks on both sides and bicycle lanes. Thornally Drive is a collector street that provides access to the parking areas for the Bay Fair BART Station. Thornally Drive includes an underpass connecting either side of the Union Pacific and BART rail corridors. Within the Specific Plan Area, Thornally Drive is a two‐lane street that is marked as a Class III bicycle route. The Estudillo Canal is located along the north side of Thornally Drive between the BART station and Bayfair Center. b. Existing Roadway Traffic Volumes and Automobile Levels of Service For the purposes of evaluating the transportation improvements and other policy directives that will ultimately result from the proposed Specific Plan, conditions at a set of intersections were analyzed based upon the anticipated volumes and distributional patterns of Specific Plan traffic from the 2035 General Plan. The intersection and freeway segment locations are listed below, and the study intersections are presented in Figure 27.6 1. East 14th Street & 143rd Avenue 2. East 14th Street & Hesperian Boulevard/Bancroft Avenue 3. Hesperian Boulevard & 150th Avenue 4. East 14th Street & 150th Avenue 5. Hesperian Boulevard & Halcyon Drive/Fairmont Drive 6. Bayfair Way & Fairmont Drive 7. East 14th Street & Fairmont Drive 8. Hesperian Boulevard & Bayfair Drive 9. East 14th Street & Bayfair Drive 10. Hesperian Boulevard & Thornally Drive 11. Hesperian Boulevard & Springlake Drive 12. Hesperian Boulevard & Lewelling Boulevard The existing operation conditions of the study intersections were assessed based on traffic count data collected. Traffic counts of this study are from three different sources: the San Leandro Halcyon Drive Industrial TIA, the San Leandro 2035 General Plan EIR, and new counts collected in May 2017. Intersection turning movement volumes were collected during typical weekday morning (AM) peak period (7:00 AM to 9:00 AM) and afternoon (PM) peak period (4:00 PM to 6:00 PM). Since the San Leandro Halcyon Drive Industrials TIA (2016) and 2035 General Plan (2015) were conducted less than three years ago, the traffic turning movement counts are still considered valid.