I-515 Executive Summary
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
. I-515 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY EXECUTIVE SUMMARY I-515 ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT STUDY Concept Report Page No. ES.1 Introduction and Study Background .............................................................................. ES-1 ES.2 Existing Corridor Conditions ......................................................................................... ES-3 ES.3 Alternatives Development and Screening Process ....................................................... ES-5 ES.4 Outreach Conducted .................................................................................................. ES-13 ES.5 Implementation ........................................................................................................... ES-15 FIGURES Figure ES-1: Study Area ....................................................................................................... ES-2 Figure ES-2: Study Area Road Network ................................................................................ ES-3 Figure ES-3: Alternatives Screening Process ........................................................................ ES-7 Figure ES-4: Planned Projects Included in the No-Action Alternative .................................... ES-8 Figure ES-5: Level 2 Screening—Projects Identified for Further Advancement in this Study ........................................................................................................ ES-11 TABLES Table ES-1: Level 2 Screening—Projects Identified for Further Advancement in this Study .................................................................................................... ES-10 Table ES-2: Level 2 Environmental Screening Results ....................................................... ES-12 Appendix R | Executive Summary: I-515 Alternatives Development Study Concept Report I-515 ALTERNATIVES Executive Summary DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 2 STUDY Concept Report ES.1 Introduction and Study Background U.S. Interstate 515 (I-515) is a 20-mile spur between the junction of I-15 and US 95 (known as the Las Vegas Spaghetti Bowl interchange) and Railroad Pass in southeastern Henderson, Nevada. This I-515 Alternatives Development Study was initiated by the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) to identify and evaluate near-term operational and safety improvements along I-515 from the Spaghetti Bowl to Charleston Boulevard in Las Vegas (study area), as shown on Figure ES-1. This study is intended to be a precursor to future NDOT environmental studies to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). Key stakeholders provided study oversight. They included the City of Las Vegas, Clark County, the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada, and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The study team, which included NDOT and the consultant team of Jacobs, Atkins, and Louis Berger Group, used the Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) approach to guide this study. As part of this PEL approach, the study team developed a Purpose and Need statement, evaluated improvements, and recommended potential projects for NDOT to evaluate further. The team also solicited public and agency input on the process and study findings. I-515 ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT STUDY | Concept Report ES-1 Figure ES-1: Study Area Executive Summary ES-2 I-515 ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT STUDY | Concept Report Purpose and Need Figure ES-2: Study Area Road Network The purpose of this study is to improve traffic operations and ve safety on the I-515 corridor, including ramp terminal i intersections, between I-15 (at the Spaghetti Bowl interchange) xecut and Charleston Boulevard by implementing near-term and cost- E Summary effective transportation improvements that are compatible with other future improvements. The needs to be addressed in the study include: o Mobility Problem: Impaired traffic flow resulting from high traffic volumes, substandard geometry, and incidents. o Safety Problem: Higher than expected crashes due to traffic congestion and substandard geometry. ES.2 Existing Corridor Conditions The study evaluated and documented the existing corridor conditions, including the roadway network, land use and demographic characteristics, traffic conditions, traffic volumes, traffic operations, utilities, safety performance, transit options, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, major structures, and environmental conditions. Roadway Network I-515 extends between the City of Las Vegas and the City of Henderson, with interchanges serving both cities and unincorporated areas of Clark County. Eleven major streets cross beneath I-515 within the study area, providing a network of roads that complement I-515. One system interchange (with I-15) and four service interchanges are located within the study area. Figure ES-2 depicts the road network within the study area. I-515 ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT STUDY | Concept Report ES-3 Land Use and Demographic Characteristics The Synchro existing intersection analysis showed the Eastern Avenue and Stewart Avenue intersection operating at LOS F in Between 1990 and 2015, the Las Vegas Valley urban area the PM peak hour, and the southbound ramp intersection at ve i experienced an average population growth rate of 4.1 percent Charleston Boulevard and the southbound ramp intersection at per year. Demographic information on occupied housing unit xecut Las Vegas Boulevard operating at LOS E in the AM peak hour. Summary E density, major trip generators, average population growth (1990 to 2015), population density, employment density, percent of Utilities households below the poverty level, and percent of zero-vehicle Utility relocations can greatly add to construction costs for households is presented in the study. The study area has a mix of highway improvements. This study identified nine specific utility land uses that includes residential, commercial, public, parks and owners with facilities in the study area. recreation, mixed-use, and industrial. Traffic Conditions Safety Performance From July 1, 2011, to July 1, 2014, a total of 1,377 crashes The study team conducted an existing conditions traffic occurred in the 5.5 miles of I-515 evaluated in the Road Safety operations analysis using CORSIM microsimulation software and Assessment Report for I-515/US 93/US 95 from Rancho Drive to SYNCHRO intersection analysis. Levels of Service (LOS)1 were Wyoming Avenue Grade Separation (NDOT, 2015a). This section calculated in accordance with the Highway Capacity Manual of the I-515 corridor experienced higher overall crashes, injury 2010 (Transportation Research Board, 2010). The operational crashes, and property damage crashes than the state average. performance results from CORSIM included: The study summarized corridor crash severity by roadway o Five northbound road segments with LOS E and F in the segment and crashes at the I-515 interchanges. AM period o Ten northbound road segments with LOS E and F in the Transit Options PM period Transit routes on the freeways within the study area are primarily express services. The arterials serve as the main transit routes, o Six southbound road segments with LOS E and F in the with several stops strategically placed to provide connectivity. The AM period, study shows the average monthly ridership for each route o Six southbound road segments with LOS E and F in the servicing the study area for the three-year period between July 1, PM period 2011, and July 1, 2014. The express routes (SDX and BHX) and Route 206 experience the highest ridership. 1 LOS is a qualitative measure of the quality of traffic service using letters A through F, with A being the best and F being the worst. ES-4 I-515 ALTERNATIVES DEVELOPMENT STUDY | Concept Report Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities parks, recreation, bicycle/pedestrian facilities, community facilities, environmental justice (EJ) populations, air quality, traffic The study area has a network of bicycle routes/lanes and multi- noise, cultural resources, hazardous materials, floodplains, and ve use paths. A shared-use path runs along I-515. However, the i visual conditions. This information helped inform the evaluation existing trail is discontinuous; missing trail segments are planned of the alternatives as discussed below. Environmental resources xecut to be built in the future. E Summary most prevalent in the study area include EJ populations, Major Structures community facilities, historic properties, and hazardous material sites. The Downtown Las Vegas Viaduct consists of two multi-span bridges that carry northbound and southbound I-515 over ES.3 Alternatives Development and Screening multiple roads and the Union Pacific Railroad tracks. Process The first bridge segment (G-947) between 4th Street and To identify and evaluate near-term operational and safety Mesquite Avenue was built in the 1960s, and the second bridge improvements within the study area, the study team considered a segment (I-947) between 21st Street and 4th Street was built in range of reasonable improvements to meet this study’s Purpose the early- to mid-1980s. The G-947 structure has reached 50 and Need. The improvements that were carried forward through years of service life; it is in poor overall condition and is the screening process generally fell into the following categories: functionally obsolete. The I-947 structure and two associated ramp bridges are considered to be in generally good condition. o Interchange and ramp improvements, including new However, as expected for a 35-year-old structure, various interchanges elements are reaching the point