Community Advisory Panel Meeting # 6 02.13.19..
Agenda Welcome and Introductions Community Conversations City Council Meeting Debrief Review Citywide Tunnel Video (North Portal Only) Churchill Pedestrian Crossing Update Traffic Information Presentation and Discussion Financial Update (deferred to March) Overview of March 27 th Community Meeting Agenda Summary of Action Items/Next Meeting March 13, 2019 2
Community Conversations q Emails to the City q CAP Community Interactions 3
City Council Meeting Debrief q List of Alternatives Still Part of Current Effort q Other Actions Taken q Outstanding Requests 4
Current List of Grade Separation Alternatives Citywide Tunnel o Lower the railroad below the roadways in a tunnel Churchill Ave. Closure o At-grade crossing to be fully or partially closed at Churchill Ave with a grade separation for Bike/Ped connectivity South Palo Alto Tunnel o Tunnel south of Oregon Expressway under Meadow and Charleston Meadow / Charleston Trench o Lower the railroad below the roadways at Meadow and Charleston Meadow / Charleston Hybrid o Partially lower the roads and partially elevate the tracks at Meadow and Charleston Meadow / Charleston Viaduct o Raise the railroad above the roadways at Meadow and Charleston on structure List as of January 22, 2019 City Council Meeting 5
Citywide Tunnel Animation 6
Tunnel Animation Video Link: https://vimeo.com/312275948 7
Twin Bore Tunnel Design Assumptions 22-foot vertical clearance from the track top-of-rail to the contact wire resulting in a 34-foot outside diameter tunnel. 15-foot minimum clearance between the twin bores at the portals resulting in a 49-foot track spacing. 34 feet of clearance between the twin bores at locations beyond the portals. 10-foot minimum distance between the top of the tunnel and the ground surface at the portals. Minimum distance of 34 feet between the top of the tunnel and the ground surface at locations beyond the portals. The bore pit for launching the Tunnel Boring Machines is a minimum 100 feet wide by 44 feet deep. Track slope is 2% for portal approach tracks. Minimum track slope of 0.3% for tunnel drainage. Pump station will be located at the tunnel low point to drain the seepage flows and firewater in the event of a fire. The underground station will be mined with individual openings to the surface for vent shafts, stairways and elevators. 8
Existing & Proposed Ped/Bike RR Crossings in Palo Alto 9
Existing & Proposed Ped/Bike RR Crossings in Central Palo Alto 10
Suggested Routes to School Churchill/Alma Intersection 11
The Need for Ped/Bike Improvements at Churchill Avenue High Ped/Bike Traffic on Churchill due to nearby schools 12
Motor Vehicles, Ped and Bike Volumes at Churchill / Alma Intersection 7:30 to 9:30 AM 4:30 to 6:30 PM 13
Churchill Avenue Closure Alternative At-grade railroad crossing to be closed Construct a ped/bike undercrossing. Three options: 1. Cross under railroad only 2. Cross under railroad and Alma St 3. Raise track ~ 6 feet with Option 1 or 2 Location of ped/bike crossing at Churchill Avenue 1. Churchill (direct connections to Palo Alto High) 2. Seale Park (can build without any tight turns) 3. A third option at Embarcadero was considered, but excluded because of close proximity to the proposed crossing on the north side of Embarcadero; also had a larger impact on residents 14
Undercrossing Options with Churchill Avenue Closure Option 2 Option 1 Option 3: Raise Tracks + Option 1 or 2 15
Pros/Cons of Options at Churchill Avenue Option 1 Pros: Option 1 Cons: - Minimal Impact to Utilities and Properties - Users Must Cross Alma St - Short (40-45 ft) and Wide (20-ft) Undercrossing - May Impact Existing Bike Path - Ease of Construction and Low Cost - May Require Property Acquisition from High School Option 2 Pros: Option 2 Cons: - No Conflict with Cars on Alma St - Narrow (~10 ft wide) and Long (~130-ft) Undercrossing - Impacts to Utilities under Alma and Churchill - Loss of Some Street Parking on Churchill (near Alma St) Option 3 Pros: Option 3 Cons: - Shorter Ramps/Stairs - ~1/2 mile of Shoofly Track Needed - Alma/Track Elevation Differential Similar to Homer - High Cost 16
Sample Ped/Bike Undercrossings in Palo Alto Homer Ave Undercrossing Palo Alto, CA California Ave Undercrossing Palo Alto, CA 17
Sample Ped/Bike Undercrossings Arroyo Ave. Undercrossing San Carlos, CA San Antonio Station Undercrossing Mountain View, CA 18
Goals of Traffic Study (Churchill Closure) The City of Palo Alto is considering grade separation alternatives that enhance safety and operations for all modes of transportation. The goals of the traffic study for the Churchill closure alternative include: Evaluation of key intersections that would be impacted by a Churchill Ave. closure Evaluation of temporary closures during construction 19
Scope of Traffic Study Collect Data Evaluate: Existing Conditions Existing Conditions with Alternatives Future Conditions Future Conditions with Alternatives Develop Recommendations 20
Data Collection 7-day, 24-hour Bi-Directional ADT (Average Daily Traffic) Wednesday, November 28, 2018 to Tuesday, December 4, 2018 Turning Movement Counts at the Study Intersections Vehicles, pedestrians, and bicycles for a.m. and p.m. peak hours Existing Signal Timing Sheets 21
Study Intersections for Churchill Avenue Closure 22
24-Hour Traffic Volumes Churchill Avenue Closure ADT = 24-Hour Bi-Directional Traffic Volumes 23
Existing Conditions Analysis Intersections Operating with Unacceptable Level of Service (LOS) based on City Standards and Congestion Management Program (CMP): 1. Alma Street/Lincoln Avenue (all peak hours) 2. Alma Street/Embarcadero Road (all peak hours) 3. Alma Street/Kingsley Avenue (all peak hours) 4. Alma Street/Churchill Avenue (a.m. peak hour) 5. Embarcadero Road/Cowper Street (all peak hours) 6. El Camino Real/Churchill Avenue (p.m. peak hour) 7. Alma Street/Oregon Expressway WB Off Ramp (Oregon Ave) (all peak hours) 8. Alma Street/Oregon Expressway EB Off Ramp (all peak hours) 24
Study Intersections with Unacceptable LOS 25
Origin-Destination (O-D) Analysis 18 O-D zones were selected for analysis to determine where trips using the Churchill Avenue crossing are coming from/going to Streetlight Data platform was used to collect data from 2017 when schools in Palo Alto were in session A.M. period = 6 a.m. 10 a.m. P.M. period = 3 p.m. 7 p.m. 26
Origin-Destination (O-D) through Churchill Avenue AM Period Approximately 42% of captured trips originated from the following zones: Stanford Avenue, west of El Camino Real (16%) Embarcadero Road, east of Middlefield Road (15%) Waverly Street, north of Embarcadero Road (11%) Approximately 65% of captured trips are destined to the following zones: Embarcadero Road, east of Middlefield Road (36%) Page Mill Road, west of El Camino Real (15%) Alma Street, south of Oregon Expressway (14%) 27
Origin-Destination (O-D) through Churchill Avenue AM Period 28
Origin-Destination (O-D) through Churchill Avenue PM Period Approximately 37% of captured trips originated from the following zones: Alma Street, south of Oregon Expressway (13%) Embarcadero Road, east of Middlefield Road (12%) El Camino Real, north of Embarcadero Road (12%) Approximately 63% of captured trips destined to the following zones: Embarcadero Road, east of Middlefield Road (36%) Alma Street, south of Oregon Expressway (20%) Cowper Street, north of Embarcadero Road (7%) 29
Origin-Destination (O-D) through Churchill Avenue PM Period 30
Next Steps Project Future Demands using VTA/City of Palo Alto Travel Demand Model (in progress) Project Diversion in Traffic based on Travel Demand Model Evaluate: Existing Conditions with Alternatives (with Churchill closure) Future Conditions Future Conditions with Alternatives (with Churchill closure) Develop Recommendations 31
Summary of Action Items/Next Meeting March 13, 2019 4:00-6:00pm Materials from this meeting will be posted to: www.cityofpaloalto.org/connectingpaloalto E-blast of March meeting notice will be sent to the CAP at the end of February for outreach purposes. 32
Thank you