Historic Columbia River Highway Congestion and Transportation Safety Improvement Plan Technical Memorandum No
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
MEMORANDUM Historic Columbia River Highway Congestion and Transportation Safety Improvement Plan Technical Memorandum No. 3: Congestion Mitigation and Safety Toolkit and Analysis PREPARED FOR: Terra Lingley/Oregon Department of Transportation PREPARED BY: Kirsten Pennington/WSP Kate Drennan/CH2M Ray Delahanty/DKS Associates Owen Ronchelli/Rick Williams Consulting DATE: August 10, 2018 Introduction and Context This technical memorandum includes potential mitigation techniques and strategies to address safety, congestion, and user experience issues along the Historic Columbia River Highway between Portland Women’s Forum and Ainsworth State Park. The information in this memo builds upon previous work for the Historic Columbia River Highway Congestion and Transportation Safety Improvement Plan, known as the Plan. Earlier memos introduced the Plan’s vision, goals, and evaluation criteria, and documented existing conditions in the corridor and study area. Although the mitigation strategies presented in this memo focus on a specific segment of the Historic Highway for this planning effort, agencies can use the information in this memo to extrapolate solutions for other areas in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area experiencing similar crowding and congestion conditions. This memo has three sections: • Section 1: The first section summarizes data collected on the Historic Highway, including key findings and critical issues that are contributing to congestion issues and poor user experience. • Section 2: The second section introduces three scenarios to address congestion and safety within the corridor. Each scenario includes a different mix of projects, strategies, and programs (tools for implementation). The project team created the scenarios to represent packages of potential solutions. Scenario 1 continues the programs and policies that operate today. Scenarios 2 and 3 include a shared set of baseline tools, with one scenario focused more heavily on parking management and another focused on transit expansion and a change in roadway operations. The project team will conduct a technical analysis (analyze the scenarios by applying the evaluation criteria) to learn about the scenarios’ benefits and impacts, and will test the scenarios and their components with the public through an online open house and in-person event in May 2018. • Section 3: The third section is a toolkit that includes profiles of a wide range of tools and strategies used across the country to address congestion. The cut sheets provide descriptions, context, and considerations for each tool. Only the tools that are most applicable and implementable in the Historic Highway, and that most directly address the critical issues, have been included in the draft scenarios. TM 3 CONGESTION MITIGATION AND SAFETY TOOLKIT ANALYSIS 1 TM 3 CONGESTION MITIGATION AND SAFETY TOOLKIT ANALYSIS The public provided input on potential tools in February 2018. The Project Leadership Team reviewed the tools, proposed scenarios, and recommended preferred tools and scenarios for tradeoff consideration and evaluation. In Technical Memorandum 4, the project management team will analyze the draft scenarios (comprising solutions and tools) to further evaluate the extent to which the different scenarios achieve the vision, goals, and evaluation criteria for the Plan. During the May 2018 online and in-person open houses, the public will have an opportunity to weigh in on the draft scenarios and prioritize the criteria they most value. In fall 2018, stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide comments on the recommendations and action plan. 2 TM 3 CONGESTION MITIGATION AND SAFETY TOOLKIT ANALYSIS TM 3 CONGESTION MITIGATION AND SAFETY TOOLKIT ANALYSIS 1 – Key Findings Related to the Historic Highway Technical Memorandum 2 – Existing Conditions (March, 2018) accessible at www.oregon.gov identified key findings from a review of the policy and regulatory context; recreational trends; vehicle, bicycle, and pedestrian access and volumes; transit and parking utilization; and other subjects for the study area (Historic Highway from Portland Women’s Forum to Exit 35). Key among the findings is that millions of visitors recreate in the Columbia River Gorge annually, and that number is expected to continue to grow each year. The growth will bring additional pressure to roadway and parking infrastructure that is already at capacity during peak periods. The key findings reveal a number of critical issues and hot spots that affect roadway operations and the experience of traveling on the Historic Highway. The list of critical issues below is not exhaustive, but includes issues that contribute the most to congestion and safety issues along the Historic Highway and to diminishing the quality of experience for visitors and residents. The tools recommended in the scenarios respond to these critical issues. More detail on each of these key findings is included in Technical Memorandum 2 – Existing Conditions (March, 2018) accessible at www.oregon.gov. Congestion building from parking maneuvers As visitors seek parking, drivers often idle in travel lanes waiting for a spot on the shoulder of the Historic Highway or in a parking lot. Drivers may also stop lane movements through parallel parking maneuvers or by making three-point turns to park on the opposite side of the road. With single lanes in each direction, any maneuver that stops vehicles in lanes creates delay that compounds for the vehicles behind it, causing congestion throughout the corridor at peak times. Figure 1 Parking maneuvers along the shoulder cause backups on the Pedestrians crossing the Historic Highway Historic Highway cause vehicle delay Nearly all vehicle traffic delay within the Study Area occurs between Bridal Veil Road and Ainsworth State Park. The delay is centered on the Multnomah Falls Historic Highway parking lot. On a typical summer weekend, between 1,000 and 1,600 people per hour use the uncontrolled, painted crosswalk as well as the entire frontage of the lodge. This number exceeds nearly any crossing in the state of Oregon, including Downtown Portland. In addition, many pedestrians do not cross at the marked crosswalk and instead use the entire frontage of the lodge and parking lots. The uncontrolled and continuous stream of pedestrians affects both turning and through-vehicle movements, causing delay and long queues in the vicinity. Parking capacity and turnover rates Parking lots along the Historic Highway are limited, fill early, and remain at capacity throughout most of the day during peak season. Turnover rates vary, with average length of stay between 37 minutes and 2 hours and 30 minutes. At Multnomah Falls, on average there is one parking spot available every 90 seconds, which contributes to idling in the parking lot and backups on the Historic Highway from waiting vehicles. TM 3 CONGESTION MITIGATION AND SAFETY TOOLKIT ANALYSIS 3 TM 3 CONGESTION MITIGATION AND SAFETY TOOLKIT ANALYSIS Higher demand to access the corridor Increased regional population and employment growth, low fuel prices, and increasing awareness of the Pacific Northwest as a tourist destination have led to growing interest in Columbia River Gorge scenic/recreational sites and activities. Traffic volumes increased 50 percent in the last 5 years. Bicycle access and safety The Historic Highway and State Trail is a popular recreational destination for bicyclists. Data collected last summer indicates that there are higher volumes eastbound and that peak earlier in the day. Vo lumes at Figure 2 Characteristics of popular parking areas along the Historic Highway Multnomah Falls are much lower, indicating a preference for other connecting roads, such as Larch Mountain or others. Cyclists are often stuck in the same vehicle congestion as drivers without the ability to pass on the Historic Highway due to narrow travel lanes and shoulders, especially at constrained areas such as the Multnomah Falls Viaducts. Existing transit service cannot keep up with demand The introduction of the Columbia Gorge Express created the first public transit option from the Portland Metro area to Multnomah Falls and Rooster Rock. The 2016 pilot season exceeded ridership expectations, and the 2017 season was on track to exceed 2016 before the Eagle Creek fires prompted service cancellation. On-board surveys found that the Columbia Gorge Express is used by both tourists and local residents. While a high percentage of the transit riders originated from Portland hotels and short-term rentals, many locally-based riders who lack access to a vehicle also took advantage of the service. Both user groups reported high satisfaction rates. As popularity for the services grows, there is an increasing demand to expand service hours and destinations. Large vehicles issues Large vehicles such as commercial buses and recreational vehicles traveling on the narrow roadway can crowd other users. This can include bicyclists or pedestrians walking along the roadway, or vehicles traveling in the opposite lane. Tour bus operators have observed issues particularly when two large vehicles meet at pinch points on the roadway, such as the viaducts near Multnomah Falls. In some places, including the Multnomah Falls viaducts, the lanes are just 9 feet wide. 4 TM 3 CONGESTION MITIGATION AND SAFETY TOOLKIT ANALYSIS TM 3 CONGESTION MITIGATION AND SAFETY TOOLKIT ANALYSIS Negative user experience Congestion and long travel times on the Historic Highway create frustration for both visitors and residents.