Los Gatos Creek Bridge Replacement/ South Terminal Phase III Project
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Contract# 10-PCJPB-P-44A Work Directive #6851 Los Gatos Creek Bridge Replacement/ South Terminal Phase III Project Traffic Technical Report San Jose, California December 2013 Prepared for: Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board Prepared by: Table of Contents 1.0 Summary ...................................................................................................... 1 2.0 Introduction .................................................................................................. 1 2.1 Project Location................................................................................................. 2 2.2 Purpose and Need ............................................................................................. 4 2.2.1 Existing Safety Concerns ............................................................................. 4 2.2.2 Need for Tail Track ...................................................................................... 5 2.2.3 Purpose of the Proposed Project ................................................................. 6 2.3 Project Description ............................................................................................ 6 2.3.1 Construction Staging .................................................................................... 9 2.3.2 Project Coordination .................................................................................. 11 3.0 Methodology .............................................................................................. 18 3.1 Intersection LOS Criteria ................................................................................. 18 3.2 At-Grade Crossing Delay Model ..................................................................... 19 4.0 Existing Conditions ................................................................................... 19 4.1 Street Network ................................................................................................. 19 4.2 Traffic ............................................................................................................... 20 4.3 At-Grade Crossing ........................................................................................... 23 5.0 Construction Conditions ........................................................................... 24 5.1 Site Access and Staging Areas ...................................................................... 24 5.2 Truck Routes .................................................................................................... 25 5.3 Potential Lane Closures and Detours ............................................................ 25 5.4 Construction Trip Generation and Distribution ............................................. 27 6.0 Traffic Impact Assessment ....................................................................... 27 6.1 Traffic ............................................................................................................... 27 6.2 At-Grade Crossing Analysis ........................................................................... 28 6.3 CEQA Analysis ................................................................................................ 29 7.0 Mitigation/Project Commitments .............................................................. 33 TOC List of Figures Figure 1: Project Location ............................................................................................... 3 Figure 2: Deteriorating Conditions of Los Gatos Creek Bridge ....................................... 4 Figure 3: Los Gatos Creek Bridge Replacement / South Terminal Phase III Project Site Plan ................................................................................................................................. 8 Figure 4A: Construction Staging Plan – Initial Out-of-Creek Construction ..................... 12 Figure 4B: Construction Staging Plan – Season 1 In-Creek Construction ...................... 13 Figure 4C: Construction Staging Plan – Winter Out-of-Creek Construction ................... 14 Figure 4D: Construction Staging Plan – Season 2 In-Creek Construction Part 1 ........... 15 Figure 4E: Construction Staging Plan – Season 2 In-Creek Construction Part 2 ........... 16 Figure 4F: Construction Staging Plan – Finish Out-of-Creek Construction .................... 17 Figure 5: Traffic Analysis Locations ............................................................................... 21 Figure 6: Traffic Plan ..................................................................................................... 26 List of Tables Table 1. Construction Stage Work Elements ................................................................ 10 Table 2. Intersection Level of Service Criteria .............................................................. 18 Table 3. Levels of Service at Intersections within the Study Area Based on Traffic Counts........................................................................................................................... 22 Table 4. Traffic Sensitivity Analysis .............................................................................. 23 Table 5. Existing (2013) Traffic Delay from Trains at Grade Crossing .......................... 24 Table 6. Cumulative Conditions Traffic Delay from Trains at Grade Crossing ............... 29 Table 7. Transportation CEQA Thresholds ................................................................... 30 Appendices Appendix A: Capacity Analysis Worksheets Appendix B: ATR Counts Appendix C: At Grade Crossing Delay Analysis TOC 1.0 Summary The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB) which operates the San Francisco Bay Area’s Caltrain passenger rail service proposes to replace the two-track railroad bridge that crosses Los Gatos Creek, in the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California. The Proposed Action is needed to address the structural deficiencies and safety issues of the Caltrain Los Gatos Creek railroad bridge to be consistent with the standards of safety and reliability required for public transit, to ensure that the bridge will continue to safely carry commuter rail service well into the future, and to improve operations at nearby San Jose Diridon Station and along the Caltrain rail line. The purpose of this report was to evaluate the potential traffic impacts that could result from the proposed project to inform the environmental review processes under California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The report includes a description of the methodology utilized, existing traffic conditions in the project area, and potential impacts to traffic during construction and operation. The long-term impact on traffic due to the proposed project is limited to an increase in gate down time of three to five seconds at the Auzerais Avenue at-grade crossing due to the provision of a third track through the crossing. The at-grade crossing will continue to operate at LOS C or better even in a 2020 cumulative condition taking into account future development and increases in train service that are independent of the proposed project. The replacement bridge and tail track will improve the reliability of the rail transportation system and will have no effect on other modes. Project-related construction trip generation (six inbound and six outbound Passenger Car Equivalents per hour) is negligible in comparison to existing peak hour traffic volumes (for example, 430 eastbound-westbound vehicles on Auzerais Avenue in the AM Peak hour). Specific truck routes have not been determined at the current level of design, but regardless of which intersections are affected by the construction’s truck routing, the additional temporary traffic load will not substantially change the volume to capacity ratio and the affected intersections are expected to operate at an acceptable (as defined by San Jose) level of service D or better. Therefore, the impact is less than significant. Auzerais Avenue will temporarily be closed at the at-grade crossing for two weekends, beginning on a Friday night and ending on Monday morning. The contractor will be required to prepare and implement a traffic management plan, and project special provisions will require that emergency service providers be given adequate advance notice of any street closures and detours during construction phases of the proposed project. Because of the limited duration of the closure and the availability of numerous alternative routes, no significant adverse impact will occur. 2.0 Introduction The Peninsula Corridor Joint Powers Board (JPB) which operates the San Francisco Bay Area’s Caltrain passenger rail service proposes to replace the two-track structurally 1 deficient railroad bridge that crosses Los Gatos Creek, in the City of San Jose, Santa Clara County, California (see Figure 1). This report provides an update to the Construction Traffic Impact Technical Memorandum for the Los Gatos Creek Bridge Replacement Project prepared by Parsons in August 2009 to reflect changes in the project design and construction staging. The report describes the proposed project, the street network, existing traffic patterns and conditions; at-grade rail crossings, site access and staging areas, potential lane closures and detours; and potential construction traffic impacts. 2.1 Project Location As shown in Figure 1, the proposed project area, generally bounded by the San Jose Diridon Station to the north, Interstate 280 (I-280) to the south, Sunol Street to the west,