6 6 Traffic and Access Impacts NORTH BEACH NAVIGABLE CANAL PHASE I REPORT. 6 Traffic and Access Impacts For the purposes of this study, LAN was directed by the City of Corpus Christi to review readily available existing roadway data, plans, and studies relevant to the North Beach area, including traffic studies, construction documents from previous and/or ongoing roadway projects, prior reports, and other traffic count data. Once data was collected, LAN assessed traffic patterns to four key destinations on North Beach and developed impacts to traffic that may come as a result of the proposed canal improvements project. 6.1 Data Collection / Basis of Evaluation LAN gathered and reviewed readily-available existing site improvement and land-use information on the North Beach area, including long and short-range plans, area development plans, capital improvement plans including streets and utility master plans. The following City-provided documents were reviewed : 1. City of Corpus Christi Urban Transportation Plan (UTP) Map 2. Downtown Area Development Plan, March 2018 3. North Beach Development Plan, November 2011 4. North Beach Redevelopment Initiative Specific Plan, March 2018 5. North Beach Eco-Park (City Planning Department Workshop), 2018 6. Harbor Bridge Replacement Project, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) 7. North Beach Access Management Initiative Feasibility Report, Freese & Nichols, 2018 8. North Beach Redevelopment Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA), Maldonado-Burkett, 2020 Four Key Destinations provided for the basis of the traffic access impacts evaluation. LAN considered the following as key destinations at North Beach. Each destination was color -coded in Exhibits 7 through 9. Destination 1- Aquarium / Lexington Destination 2 – Golf Place, Breaker Avenue, and Surfside Beach Parks Destination 3- Residential (Condos and Villas) Destination 4 – City of Corpus Christi Eco-Park and North Beach Jetty’s 6.2 Existing Traffic Patterns, Access & Safety Concerns 6.2.1 Existing Traffic Patterns Northbound Traffic - Traffic heading to North Beach north on SH 181 from Corpus Christi cross the existing Harbor Bridge and take one of two exits: the first exit off US 181 is at Burleson Street; the second exit is at Beach Avenue. Based on a review of TXDOT’s Harbor Bridge Replacement Plans, the exit at Burleson will be permanently closed upon completion of their project thus reducing access to North Beach from the south to Beach Boulevard only. Traffic exiting Beach Boulevard generally travel east to Surfside or Timon Boulevard to access tourist destinations, housing, businesses, or parks on North Beach. Southbound Traffic - Traffic heading south on SH 181 from Portland to North Beach have one exit on the northern end of North Beach near Beach Avenue. The exit enters West Causeway Boulevard, a one-way feeder road parallel to US181 which allows south traveling access to North Beach Navigable Canal (City Project # 20277) 32 NORTH BEACH NAVIGABLE CANAL PHASE I REPORT. both Beach Avenue and Burleson Street. Based on a review of TXDOT’s Harbor Bridge Replacement Plans, this configuration will not change upon completion of their project. Primary Collectors (C1) – the two primary collectors that convey traffic north and south along North Beach are Surfside Boulevard and Timon Boulevard, both are currently one-way streets; Timon (southbound) and Surfside (northbound). Refer to Exhibits 7A and 7B which show existing traffic patterns to key destinations on North Beach. Each destination is color-coded for presentation. 6.2.2 Key Destinations Destination 1- Aquarium / Lexington North Beach has several tourist attractions including the USS Lexington Museum, the Texas State Aquarium, hotels and souvenir shops. North Beach has been steadily redeveloping over the years with the addition of the USS Lexington Museum and the Aquarium in more recent decades. The Aquarium alone is responsible for 500,000 visitors to North Beach annually. Currently, the majority of traffic to visit the Aquarium / Lexington area utilize the Burleson Street exit. At Burleson Street, the majority of the tourist traffic heads east on Burleson Street toward the existing gateway structure and then south on Timon Boulevard to access the Aquarium or Lexington. Post Harbor Bridge, this same traffic will be directed east down Beach Avenue to access Timon/Surfside for north and south movements on North Beach, with the majority of the traffic headed south on Timon Boulevard to access the tourist areas. Destination 2 – Golf Place, Breaker Avenue, and Surfside Beach Parks Similar to traffic heading to the tourist attractions on the south end of the North Beach peninsula, beach goers will exit US181 on Beach Avenue and utilize the Surfside and Timon Boulevard collectors to go to the beach. From Surfside and Timon, they will access the beach using east-west streets: Golf Place, South Hotel Place, Breaker Avenue, and Surfside Boulevard (East). Numerous additional east and west side streets interconnect Timon and Surfside Boulevard however, based on visual observations, these collectors are in extremely poor condition and several experience localized flooding (see inundation discussion in Section 2) and do not have the capacity to handle large volumes of traffic. Destination 3- Residential (Condos and Villas) The majority of new residential development occurs at the northeast quadrant of Nor th Beach. Traffic from Corpus Christi or Portland typically utilize E. Causeway Boulevard (US181 feeder road) through the Burleson Street intersection to turn east on Gulfspray Avenue to access the condominiums and single-family dwellings near the beach. Destination 4 – City of Corpus Christi Eco-Park and North Beach Jetty’s The City of Corpus Christi’s proposed development of an Eco-Park on the north end of North Beach will likely attract more local families, fisherman, and bird watchers. The park will also provide for educational amenities, school trips, and wildlife research opportunities. Traffic going to this destination will use Surfside and Timon Boulevard to Gulden Street or Sandbar Avenue to access this area. North Beach Navigable Canal (City Project # 20277) 33 NORTH BEACH NAVIGABLE CANAL PHASE I REPORT. 6.2.3 Existing Safety Concerns Public safety concerns exist for the North Beach area. The nearest fire department station is located downtown on Belden Street, approximately a 2.5 to 3-mile trip across the Harbor Bridge to respond to fire on North Beach. The nearest hospital is located on Shoreline Boulevard and Morgan Avenue, approximately 5 miles away from North Beach. Localized flooding concerns impact emergency vehicles from accessing certain areas of North Beach. Emergency responders often must operate and respond to emergency situations during dynamic weather conditions, including floods. Streets closest to the beach are the most susceptible to temporary flooding during storm surge coupled with high tide during a hurricane or tropical storm plus the enormous amount of rain associated with them. Because of the flat topography of the land at North Beach most of the flooding subsides when the storm surge ends. There are low areas that encompasses streets that remain flooded and unpassable for days after the storm event. Most of this flooding can be avoided if the existing storm sewers are operational. Unfortunately, the existing storm sewers are highly susceptible to being clogged with sand. The only way to eliminate this local flooding is to keep sand out of the storm sewer so they can operate as designed. There are too many variables to make exact estimates on the increase in response time for emergency vehicles due to existing flooding concerns. Public safety concern is warranted due to street flooding specifically, near the beach, during the actual storm (tropical storms or hurricanes). Localized flooding that exists in the low areas is more of a nuisance after the actual storm event because of the many interconnected streets on North Beach that allow emergency vehicles to select alternative routing. 6.3 Traffic Impacts This section describes several impacts that the canal may cause to local traffic once the canal is fully built-out. Impacts generally apply to either option but mitigation measures may differ depending on which option is constructed. This section is not intended to be an exhaustive list of traffic impacts and it not founded on detailed traffic analyses or traffic counts; it includes the primary impacts to traffic due a fully built-out canal. Reference Exhibits 8A, 8B, 9A and 9B. 6.3.1 Destination Specific Impacts Destination 1- Aquarium / Lexington Traffic going to Destination 1- Aquarium / Lexington could follow two routes: 1. Beach Avenue to Timon Boulevard and 2. West Causeway to Burleson or Breakwater. 1. Beach Avenue - If traffic exits US181 and follows Beach Avenue to Timon Boulevard, congestion may occur as it mixes with traffic going to the beach or to the residential areas of North Beach. The Harbor Bridge construction will affect Timon Boulevard south of Burleson as well. Until the bridge is completed, the south end of the proposed canal cannot be constructed, thus traffic going to the Aquarium / Lexington areas will still use Timon. After construction of the south end of the canal (see Phase V in Section 7), Timon Boulevard will be cut off and will require to be realigned to the west and connect into West Causeway to access this area (See Figure 6-1 below). North Beach Navigable Canal (City Project # 20277) 34 NORTH BEACH NAVIGABLE CANAL PHASE I REPORT. Figure 6-1 – Timon Blvd (South) Conflict with Proposed Canal 2. West Causeway (US 181 Feeder Road) Option – Traffic congestion could be relieved from using Beach and Timon Boulevard if traffic going to the Aquarium / Lexington area be forced (using signage and pavement markings) to turn left on Beach Avenue, cross under US181 to follow the West Causeway south to either Burleson or Breakwater Street. (See Figure 6-2 and 6-3 below). Figure 6-2 – Harbor Bridge Turnaround at Beach Ave North Beach Navigable Canal (City Project # 20277) 35 NORTH BEACH NAVIGABLE CANAL PHASE I REPORT.