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Sonoma Marin Rail Transit DEIR Chapter 4 Project Alternatives

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Sonoma Marin Rail Transit DEIR Chapter 4 Project Alternatives Chapter 4: Project Alternatives 4. PROJECT ALTERNATIVES This chapter describes the “build” alternatives in terms of physical and operating characteristics and a No-Project (No Build) Alternative. An analysis of impacts associated with each alternative is provided, along with a side-by-side comparison among alternatives, including the proposed project. The analysis of alternatives includes a comparison of transportation performance of each alternative and an assessment of the physical environmental impacts of each issue area analyzed in Chapter 3. In addition to evaluating the project alternatives, this chapter documents the alternatives screened from further analysis in this DEIR. Furthermore this chapter identifies the environmentally superior alternative as required by CEQA. Per CEQA, a range of alternatives that permits a reasoned choice and could feasibly attain most of the basic project objectives “but would avoid or substantially lessen any of the significant effects of the project” shall be included in the environmental impact report (CEQA Guidelines Section 15126.6(a) and (f)). That is, the EIR needs to analyze only those alternatives that will help decision makers make reasoned choices. Factors that may be taken into account in determining whether an alternative is feasible include site suitability, economic viability, availability of infrastructure, general plan consistency, other plans or regulatory limitations, jurisdictional boundaries, and whether the project proponent can reasonably acquire, control or otherwise have access to an alternative site (CEQA Guidelines, Section 15126.6(f)(1)). The alternatives selected for analysis may result in new impacts that do not result from the proposed project. The EIR need not analyze these alternatives at the same level of detail that it analyzes the project itself, but should include sufficient information about each alternative to allow meaningful evaluation, analysis, and comparison with the proposed project. 4.1 ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT AND SCREENING 4.1.1 Previous Studies The Highway 101 corridor and the Northwestern Pacific (NWP) railroad right-of-way in Sonoma and Marin counties have been studied in great detail over the past 20 years by elected officials, representatives of agencies responsible for transportation planning in the corridor, and the general public in both counties. These two existing transportation corridors have long been considered the most viable locations for future transportation investments to serve the two counties. Due to the importance of the Highway 101 corridor as the primary north-south travel corridor currently in operation, numerous efforts have been undertaken to help alleviate the growing traffic congestion and travel time delay, including highway widening, interchange improvements and expansion of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes. In addition to the highway and transit plans, congestion management programs and local general plans, there have also been a number of comprehensive, multi-modal transportation planning efforts conducted jointly by the two counties beginning in 1983. Through the course of these studies, decision-makers in Sonoma and Marin counties have concluded that investments in both highway capacity and rail corridor capacity would be required to serve the future transportation needs of the counties. Focusing future highway and bus investments in the Highway 101 corridor and future rail investments in the NWP rail corridor emerged as the most cost-effective approach for expanding the north-south transportation capacity in the counties. The evolution of the proposed project and alternatives presented in this DEIR can be traced through these comprehensive studies, which are described more fully in Section 2.4. Table 4.1-1 summarizes the studies that lead up to the development of the current project, the alternatives considered during that process, and the screening processes that were undertaken in each study to eliminate alternatives that did not compare well to other alternatives. Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit 4-1 DEIR November 2005 Chapter 4: Project Alternatives TABLE 4.1-1 ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT Transit Alternatives Study Considered Screening Process Alternatives Screened Out PHASE I – 101 Corridor • Heavy Rail Step 1 • Heavy Rail Study (1983 - 1985) – Alternatives evaluated against 17 Marin County under the • Monorail weighted criteria, including local • Monorail direction of the 101 • Light Rail (LRT) political acceptability; peak • BART extension Corridor Action period travel time reduction; peak Committee • Busways on NWP transit ridership potential; etc. • Conversion of Mixed-Flow lanes to HOV operations • Express Bus Lanes Step 2 Project components assembled • HOV Lanes into three corridor-wide • Diesel Railbus alternatives designed to meet LOS D service objectives for Hwy 101. PHASE II – 101 Corridor • Low cost transportation Step 1 • Busway on NWP in early Study (1986 - 1989) – improvements Alternatives evaluated against screening Marin County under the capital and operating costs, daily direction of the 101 • New ferry service ridership, transit cost- • Light Rail after 1990 election Corridor Action • HOV lanes effectiveness, and Hwy 101 Committee traffic congestion relief. • Busways on NWP Step 2 • Commuter rail Public opinion surveys conducted in Sonoma and Marin • Light Rail counties indicated strong • Additional mix flow lanes preference for rail over bus on 101 operations in NWP. Step 3 • Transitway on NWP (Phase I Preferred Phase II Preferred Alternatives - Alternative) Rail/Highway and Bus/Highway developed. Step 4 Evaluation of alternatives based on costs, ridership, and Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit 4-2 DEIR November 2005 Chapter 4: Project Alternatives Transit Alternatives Study Considered Screening Process Alternatives Screened Out congestion relief to develop sales tax proposal. Sonoma/Marin Multi- • Scenario A – Minimal rail Step 1 • 1998 sales tax measure Modal Transportation service with existing land Scenarios analyzed for capital based on Preferred and Land Use Study use policies and operating costs, transit Scenario defeated in both (Calthorpe Study) (1995 - ridership, and transit cost- counties 1997) – Sonoma County • Scenario B – Maximum effectiveness. Transportation Authority bus service and HOV Step 2 and Joint Executive lanes with existing land Joint Executive Committee Committee use policies adopted a hybrid multi-modal • Scenario C – Minimal rail Transportation Plan for the 101 service with compact Corridor as the Preferred mixed-use growth Scenario. policies • Scenario D – Maximum rail service with compact mixed-use growth policies SMART Commuter Rail • Commuter Rail – Step 1 • Shorter distance commuter Implementation Plan Healdsburg to Downtown Service options analyzed for rail options (1999 - 2000) – SMART San Rafael (51 miles) capital and operating costs, Commission • Commuter Rail – revenue generation and fare box Cloverdale to Downtown recovery, San Rafael (68.2 miles) Step 2 • Commuter Rail – In September 2000, SMART Healdsburg to Petaluma Commission adopted Cloverdale (29.5 miles) to San Rafael as the preferred service option. • Commuter Rail – Cloverdale to Petaluma Step 3 (47.4 miles) Options for extension of service to San Quentin were evaluated. Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit 4-3 DEIR November 2005 Chapter 4: Project Alternatives Transit Alternatives Study Considered Screening Process Alternatives Screened Out • Commuter Rail – Petaluma to San Rafael (20.8 miles) Marin Sonoma Express • Strategy A – Double Step 1 • Expansion of existing Bus Study (2001 – 2002) existing express bus Evaluate strategies based on express bus service – Marin County service to link residential new daily riders, passengers per Congestion Management commute areas to hour, passengers per trip, and • Hwy 101 express bus Agency employment areas fare box recovery. service with connecting shuttles • Strategy B – Double Step 2 existing express bus Implementation of Strategy A as service and add 14 interim strategy and buses implementation of Strategy D when HOV lanes are completed. • Strategy C – Frequent express bus service on Highway 101 with connecting shuttles to employment destinations • Strategy D – Provide direct point-to-point express bus service linking major residential commute areas with major employment areas Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit 4-4 DEIR November 2005 Chapter 4: Project Alternatives 4.1.2 SMART Environmental Impact Report Public Scoping As part of the public scoping process for the environmental analysis of the proposed project, SMART held two series of scoping meetings. Comments during the scoping process raised a number of recommendations regarding alternatives, including suggested evaluation of rail alignment variations, alternative fuel types for rail, and transit-oriented development in conjunction with the passenger rail project. There were also comments in support of non-rail alternatives, such as express bus. Numerous comments called for an equal comparison of ridership and costs for both the bus and rail alternatives. During the scoping process, several alternatives beyond those ultimately included in the DEIR were proposed for evaluation. These alternatives included paving over the railroad right-of-way and using it for buses; operating a monorail along Highway 101; connecting the rail to the Richmond BART station via the Richmond Bridge; and adding additional lanes to Highway 101. The rationale for not analyzing these and other alternatives considered over
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