Responses to Comments Received CRENSHAW/LAX TRANSIT CORRIDOR PROJECT
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Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environment Impact Report Appendix K – Responses to Comments Received Avenue and Brynhurst Avenue at Florence Avenue. Other measures involve the closing of three intersections at 59th Place, Coliseum Place and Rodeo Place, and restrictions of left turns at 54th Street/Crenshaw Boulevard intersection to provide an LOS of D or better when the project is constructed. Design features to reduce potential left turn conflicts with the LRT include the placement of a raised median island directly in front of the vehicles making the turn, and the placement of a low-level signal with active signage directly in front of the vehicles making the turn in order to provide clear indication of allowed movements. Response to comment 10-09-G. Comment noted. School pedestrian counts were conducted during the safety analysis of the Crenshaw/LAX Transit Corridor Project. Left turn access onto Crenshaw Boulevard will be restricted in two locations between Exposition Boulevard and 39th Street, where the Rodeo Place/Crenshaw Boulevard and Coliseum Place/Crenshaw Boulevard intersections are planned for closure. Response to comment 10-09-H. Comment noted. The restriction of left turn movements when the light rail alignment is at grade from 60th to 48th Streets was revisited at the request of the CPUC and LADOT during the Advanced Conceptual Engineering. LADOT asked that turn movements be reduced to the greatest extent possible to maintain access to the surrounding community. The CPUC requested that left turn prohibitions be considered along the street-running portion of the alignment to reduce the accident potential between automobiles and light rail vehicles. Additional traffic analysis and pedestrian counts were conducted along this segment in the vicinity of Slauson Avenue near View Park Prep and Crenshaw High School and are included in the Traffic Appendix of the FEIS/FEIR. Additional traffic and pedestrian counts were conducted for the following four signalized intersections along Crenshaw Boulevard: Crenshaw Boulevard & 50th Street (Crenshaw High School) Crenshaw Boulevard & 52nd Street (Crenshaw High School) Crenshaw Boulevard & 57th Street (View Park Preparatory/Middle Schools) Crenshaw Boulevard & Slauson Avenue (View Park Preparatory/Middle Schools) New traffic and pedestrian counts were collected on Crenshaw Boulevard at 50th Street, 52nd Street, and 57th Street from 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 to 6:00 p.m. on a normal school day. The pedestrian and LRT effects on Crenshaw Boulevard and Slauson Avenue were analyzed in the DEIS/DEIR for the AM and PM peak hours; therefore, only new midday traffic and pedestrian count data was collected from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. to capture school dismissal activity at this location. The LPA has an at-grade street-running train in the center median on Crenshaw Boulevard between 48th and 60th Streets. The analysis assumed no exclusive light rail transit phase along this segment. The analyzed intersections would operate at an optimal cycle length between 90 and 150 seconds. The light rail vehicles (LRVs) would operate without preferential treatment or a dedicated train phase at the intersections. The LRVs would move concurrently with parallel through traffic and would be sufficiently accommodated within the allocated green time. Because the LRVs would operate in the median without a dedicated phase; provision of protected left turn phasing would be required to eliminate the potential conflict between the train operations and the traffic exiting Crenshaw Boulevard. CRENSHAW/LAX TRANSIT CORRIDOR PROJECT August 2011 Page K-53 Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environmental Impact Report Appendix K – Responses to Comments Received Crenshaw Boulevard at 48th Street In the DEIS/DEIR, the average vehicle delay may increase slightly at the Crenshaw Boulevard/48th Street intersection, however, it would not result in a significant traffic impact. Crenshaw Boulevard at 50th Street and 52nd Street Both intersections near Crenshaw High School currently operate at acceptable LOS C or better during the AM, midday and PM peak hours. In the morning peak hour, approximately 75 pedestrians crossed Crenshaw Boulevard (north leg) and approximately 10 to 15 pedestrians crossed 50th Street (east leg). In the early afternoon, approximately 65 pedestrians crossed Crenshaw Boulevard, and 25 students crossed 50th Street. After 4:00 p.m., the pedestrian activity decreased to less than 40 persons crossing the streets. At the Crenshaw Boulevard/52nd Street intersection, approximately 80 pedestrians used the crosswalks in the AM peak hour, and only one quarter of them crossed Crenshaw Boulevard. In the early afternoon peak hour, approximately 50 pedestrians crossed the intersection, and half of them crossed Crenshaw Boulevard. After 4:00 p.m., the pedestrian volumes decreased to less than 35 persons, and about one-third to half of them crossed Crenshaw Boulevard. Under 2030 conditions, the projected corridor traffic increase would result in poor LOS E at both intersections in at least one of the analyzed peak periods. Under 2030 with LRT conditions, signal operations were assumed to change from a 90-second cycle to a 150-second cycle to accommodate proposed LRT train operations (average one train in either direction every five minutes or every two and a half minutes during the weekday peak hour) and an exclusive left-turn phase for the southbound left-turn movement from Crenshaw Boulevard to 50th Street. This could result in more delay to the side street and to the traffic exiting Crenshaw Boulevard. However, the north/south through movement would gain additional green time because it would run parallel to the LRT movements. Traffic may also decrease at both locations slightly due to the LRT transit mode share, but a minor increase in pedestrian activity walking to the Slauson Station may be expected. The LOS analysis, based on the Highway Capacity Manual analysis, indicated that both locations would operate at LOS D or better during all three analyzed peak periods under the 2030 with LRT scenario. No new significant impact was found at these two locations. Crenshaw Boulevard at 54th Street The Crenshaw Boulevard/ 54th Street intersection was identified as potentially impacted by LRT operations due to high left-turn volumes exiting and entering Crenshaw Boulevard. To mitigate the project-related traffic impact at the Crenshaw Boulevard/54th Street intersection, the DEIS/DEIR proposed prohibition of northbound and southbound left turns from Crenshaw Boulevard to 54th Street. Crenshaw Boulevard at 57th Street The Crenshaw Boulevard/57th Street intersection currently operates at acceptable LOS C during the AM, midday and PM peak hours. Being adjacent to the View Park School, approximately 20 to 25 pedestrians crossed Crenshaw Boulevard (north and south legs), while nearly 95 pedestrians crossed 57th Street (east and west legs) in the AM peak hour. In the early afternoon, approximately 30 to 35 pedestrians crossed Crenshaw Boulevard, and almost 90 students crossed 57th Street. After 4:00 p.m., the pedestrian flow crossing Crenshaw was still about 30 to 35 per hour, while the pedestrian volumes crossing 57th Street were reduced by one-third (about 65 total). Under 2030 conditions, the projected corridor traffic increase would result in a LOS change from C to D in the AM and PM peak hours. Under 2030 with LRT conditions, signal operations were assumed to change from a 90- second cycle to a 150-second cycle (to accommodate proposed LRT train operations) and an exclusive left-turn phase for the left-turn traffic exiting Crenshaw Boulevard. The LOS analysis based on the CRENSHAW/LAX TRANSIT CORRIDOR PROJECT Page K-54 August 2011 Final Environmental Impact Statement/Final Environment Impact Report Appendix K – Responses to Comments Received HCM analysis indicated that both locations would continue to operate at LOS D or better during all three analyzed peak periods. No new significant impact was found at this location. Crenshaw Boulevard at Slauson Avenue The pedestrian and LRT effects on the Crenshaw Boulevard/Slauson Avenue intersection during the AM and PM peak hours were analyzed in the DEIS/DEIR; therefore, this analysis focused on the midday peak hour. The Crenshaw Boulevard/Slauson Avenue intersection currently operates at congested conditions at LOS F in the AM and PM peak hours and LOS E in the midday peak hour. Being adjacent to the View Park School, this intersection has high pedestrian activity in the midday peak hour. Approximately 350 pedestrians crossed Crenshaw Boulevard and 220 pedestrians crossed Slauson Avenue between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. Under 2030 conditions, the projected corridor traffic increase would result in oversaturated conditions of LOS F in all three analyzed peak periods. Under 2030 with LRT conditions, the analysis assumed that the existing northbound and southbound left- turn storage and protected left-turn phases would be preserved for the Crenshaw Boulevard/Slauson Avenue intersection. The LOS analysis based on the HCM analysis indicated that although this location would continue to operate at oversaturated conditions of LOS F, the overall delay would be less than 2030 baseline conditions. No new significant impact was found at this location for the midday peak hour. Again, traffic is likely to slightly decrease at this location due to the LRT transit mode share. The estimated overall delay reduction is primarily because the north/south through movement may gain additional green time due to movement parallel to LRVs. Consistent with the DEIS analysis, the proposed street-running LRV operations on Crenshaw Boulevard could affect the traffic conditions at the six signalized intersections between 48th Street and Slauson Avenue and may result in a significant traffic impact at the Crenshaw Boulevard/54th Street intersection. This impact could be mitigated with implementation of turn prohibition of northbound and southbound left turns from Crenshaw Boulevard to 54th Street, which may improve the intersection operating conditions to LOS C in both AM and PM peak hours.