Final. DKS Associates. . Santa Clara County Fair Management Corporation I L. May 20, prepared for

Transcription

1 ! t r L Final r r!, prepared for. Santa Clara County Fair Management Corporation by DKS Associates L L L l May 20, 2000

2 DKS Associates 84 West Santa Clara Street, Suite 360 San Jose, CA Phone: (408) Fax: (408) '1') i.. ) ' t May 20, 2000 Mr. Art Troyer Santa Clara CoUnty Fair Management Corporation 344 Tully Road San Jose, California Re: Dear Art: Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Transportation and Parking Plan - Final Report P99007 Enclosed is the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Transportation and Parking Plan Final Report. The Final Report is comprised of the July 1, 1999 Draft Report plus the conditions of approval specified in the Environmental mpact Report for the proposed project. The Plan was developed to establish effective transportation and parking operations for Santa Clara County Fairgrounds events of various sizes, while also considering the needs and concerns oflocal residences and businesses. The Plan addresses several goals, including minimizing vehicle and pedestrian traffic impacts, rninirnizing parking impacts on the surrounding community, balancing vehicle and pedestrian ingress and egress, and providing for the orderly and efficient filling and emptying of parking lots. Recommendations and tools for implementation were developed in two incremental levels. Recommendations include ingress and egress routing, and parking strategies. Tools for implementation include signage, parking control, traffic control, traffic signal coordination, and marketing. Please do not hesitate to call with any questions on this project. Sincerely, DKS Associates A California Corporation!!:!e~ Project Manager P99007report\cov/et

3 1 ) TABLE OF CONTENTS. EXECUTVE SUMMARY... i Background... i Recommendations... iii ngress/egress Routes... iii Parking Strategies... iii Tools to Support Recommendations... vi Sign mprovements... vi Parking Control... vii Marketing... vii Traffic Control... vii Signal Timing... vii 1.0 NTRODUCTON Need and Purpose Description of Study Area Project Description Report Organization DATA COLLECTON SUMMARy Description of Methodology Dates Parking Data ntersection Turning Movement Counts Other Data and Resources Referenced EXSTNG CONDTONS Signage Circulation and Access Private Vehicle Access Transit Access ntersection Level of Service Parking Off-Street Parking On-Street Parking Traffic Control RECOMMENDATONS ngress Routes Egress Routes Parking Strategies r DKS Associates SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

4 r ' 1\ ;, i 5.0 TOOLS TO SUPPORT RECOMMENDATONS Sign mprovements Freeway Signs Changeable Message Signs (CMS) Arterial Signs - ngress Arterial Signs - Egress Portable Signs General Sign ssues Parking Control Traffic Control ntersection Operational Analysis Signal Timing Manual Signal Timing Plans Traffic Responsive Pattern Selection Marketing J mplementation and Funding Plan Level 1 Elements Signage Traffic Control Parking Strategies Marketing Level 2 Elements Traffic Signal Timing ' APPENDX A APPENDXB Field Notes ntersection Level of Service Calculations '. DKS Associates SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

5 , TABLES 1. Summary ofntersection Operations - Existing Conditions (PM Peak Hour) r',\ r (.\ ) \ 2. Recommended Egress Routes CMS Recommended Locations and Messages Traffic Control - DC Theater Events... '" Traffic Control - Santa Clara County Fair Recommended Minimum Traffic Control Personnel Staffing ntersection Level of Service and Average Delay - Weekday PM Peak Period Baseline Trip Generation Summary Analysis Scenarios Trip Generation Summary mplementation Plan ", \! DKS Associates SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

6 ! ' FGURES ES1. Study Area... ES-2 ES2. Recommended Traffic Control ngress Plan for UC Theater Events... ES-4 ES3. Recommended Traffic Control Egress Plan for UC Theater Events... ES-5 ES4. Recommended Traffic Control Plan for Santa Clara County Fair... ES-8 " ' 1. Study Area ,~ \ 2. Proposed Site Plan Study ntersections Existing Sign nventory Existing Transit Suggested ngress Paths Recommended US 101 NB and SB Egress Paths Recommended SR 87 NB and SB Egress Paths Recommended Capitol Expwy. WB and EB Egress Paths Recommended and Egress Paths , 11. Static Sign Recommendations Proposed Changeable Message Sign Locations Proposed New Traffic Signal with Roadway Modifications Recommended Traffic Control ngress Plan for UC Theater Events Recommended Traffic Control Egress Plan for UC Theater Events Recommended Traffic Control Plan for Santa Clara County Fair Traffic Control- S. 7th Street and Tully Road Signals to Operate under Special Event Timings DKS Associates SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

7 ,. EXECUTVE SUMMARY Background i The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Transportation and Parking Plan was developed to establish effective transportation and parking operations for events of various sizes at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, while also considering the needs and concerns of local residences and businesses. As part of the proposed revitalization plan, the number of paved off-street parking spaces would be quadrupled compared to today, and the implementation of a transportation and parking management plan would improve traffic flow and safety in the study area. The need for a transportation and parking management plan can be summarized in several key points: \ ), )., to improve the existing parking and transportation conditions at the Fairgrounds, for the annual 1 O-day Fair and also for currently scheduled festivals throughout the year;., to avoid scheduling conflicts at the proposed theater and exposition center;., to minimize impacts during peak commute travel times; to establish how a single parking operator would operate the various parking facilities at the Fairgrounds; to prioritize transportation improvements and decisions Several goals were identified for this study, including minimizing vehicle and pedestrian traffic impacts, minimizing parking impacts of UC Theater and fairgrounds events on the surrounding community, balancing vehicle and pedestrian ingress and egress, and providing for the orderly and efficient filling and emptying of parking lots. The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Transportation and Parking Plan study area is bounded by nterstate 280 (1-280) to the north, US 101 to the east, Capitol Expressway to the south, and State Route 87 (SR 87) to the west (see Figure ES-l). The area north of the fairgrounds is a commercial and light industrial area, which extends between Tully Road and Alma Avenue. The area south and east ofthe fairgrounds is primarily residential.,.!! An extensive data collection program was conducted, based on input from stakeholders and study team members. The data collected included traffic turning movements for seventeen key intersections in the fairgrounds vicinity and attendance data for a wide variety of events. The first element of the analysis was an existing sign inventory, including freeway, arterial and local roadway signs. ntersection level of service analysis was performed at selected locations. DKS Associates SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN i

8 \ DKS Associates Figure ES-1 Study Area

9 , 1 1 Recommendations The recommendations have been designed to achieve the goals ofthe plan. ngress/egress Routes \ r \ The recommended ingress routing is designed to emphasize Alma Avenue, Curtner Avenue, Monterey Road, Capitol Expressway, and Tully Road to get to the UC Theater and fairgrounds site as viable alternates to Curtner Avenue and Tully Road. The primary difference would be the direction of approach for vehicles would be more balanced between south, east and west (see Figure ES-2). The recommended egress routing is designed to emphasize major roadways (Alma Avenue, Curtner Avenue, Monterey Road, Capitol Expressway, and Tully Road) as much as possible. The identified routes have been selected to reduce the concentration of traffic on Tully Road and Curtner A venue, and to provide faster exit routes for UC theater and fairgrounds patrons. Because of the dispersion of traffic, it is anticipated that patrons would experience reduced travel times in exiting the UC theater and fairgrounds areas, even if the route is somewhat longer (see Figure ES-3). Parking Strategies! Off-site parking facilities would be required for any event that is projected to have 20,000 or more people on the fairgrounds site at anyone time. This is based on the proposed number of parking spaces available in on-site facilities and an assumed average vehicle occupancy rate of 2.5 persons per vehicle for Universal Theater concerts and 3.5 persons per vehicle for the County Fair. Because of the potential for different parking fare collection methods for different events, there should be only one parking operator at the fairgrounds. This would lead to better and more consistent on-site parking management, and potentially reduce some of the administrative and revenue sharing problems that multiple parking operators may face. Other key parking strategy recommendations would be: 1. Enforce on-street no parking areas in residential areas. Enforce by patrol at events and in response to complaints. 3. Maximize ingress flow into off-street lots. Adequate personnel are needed to direct motorists to available spaces in the UC Theater parking lots, or to make cash transactions at the other Fairgrounds parking lots. 3. Personnel should be moved from full parking lots to filling parking lots to optimize use. A rover should observe lots and manage overall personnel allocation. The rover also should be in radio contact with traffic control personnel to ensure that excessive traffic queues into parking facilities are not developing. Signs should point to lot locations. Publications, mailers and other informational material should clearly show lot locations. i DKS Associates SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARK.NG PLAN iii

10 r NOT TO SCALE,! L /! (:'.~ l f,', ' "'.H [ t r---;,, L.j ("" L.. _.. _.1 1"-.:-- ---,, r j ;':lsrp,,!{, : :,'\\'[111;;-'), L. _. l ' ' -~-'1,, ", 1, ~.J i..,, r' \, '... _--_...! OVrlnl r:h,v P,\R!-:;:--;'i L_ l J ':-.t~!m :\(', f... i i \.\1111'11111 E"' ii< srrr,\''f«('x.\'.\t1'1. \. ~4,\Cf<FS ')VE~Fr.()W P, \R T'C; 17.5 "AC i 1! 1',1 oj,\ ' \~!, OVr:Ri"1.0W i".. 'O:N(; 55:.f.: :\C ======~ ('<~~):~.~~~!'\' 1.:.. \t A Traffic Control Personnel Other security personnel o Exit Only from Fairgrounds Exit Only from overflow parking lot Southbound left turns restricted DKS Associates Figure ES-2 Recommended Traffic Control ngress Plan for UC Theater Events

11 NOT TO SCALE r '.\1' 1.1',',; ' \i:!,r~" : 1'1 11! : " t,:!~ '. ";: ::1 '! / L ,, L J / \.HH..:r ,,, r'1::\st'j:-!l, : : j' \"'11 e l~l L l.,"_.. H',,, ~,, 1, ;.1 ~..,,...,, \, ' O\T!nl!)V\' p,\r~~;>';lj.>.r,_<.,\('!! i \!\i'llilllli,ylii/{snr,\''«'x 1.\1-\'1'1'1. \' 44,\CO'S 'jverfi.ov P,.\UT'G 17.5tM: 11 ~,,' \,,: J,",\ : i 1'1 11il-:: ~ e 0 Traffic Control Personnel Exit Only from Fairgrounds driveway Exit Only from overflow parking lot driveway Northbound right turns restricted Northbound left turns restricted Westbound left turns restricted Southbound left turns discouraged Westbound right turns restricted Northbound right turns discouraged Northbound left and northbound through movements restricted DKS Associates Figure ES-3 Recommended Traffic Control Egress Plan for UC Theater Events

12 ~ 4. Develop specifications for lot use (including off-site parking lots) and opening times by day of week and type of event. Develop contingency actions for more demand than anticipated, including shuttle service to off-site lots. Specifically, the northern overflow parking lot should be used for buses (from day-camps or church groups, for example) and/or employee parking when overflow parking conditions are anticipated. 5. nvestigate use of other off-street lots in proximity to the fairgrounds, depending upon size of event. n particular, determine feasibility of using the lots at Spartan Stadium, Municipal Stadium, and Kelly Park, and possibly the lots at Alma and 10th (south corner), Alma and 7th (south corner), and at Senter and Keyes (south corner) for events exceeding the 20,000 level. Provide shuttle service to these lots. 6. When feasible, encourage the use of off-site parking lots. Make sure the public is aware of all parking lot options prior to travel to the event. Parking lot locations can be included on flyers, advertisements, brochures, ticket information, and other promotional items. Economic encouragement to use the off-site lots should be considered. Drivers that proceed directly to off-site parking lots are unlikely to drive through the more heavily-used roadways in the immediate vicinity of the fairgrounds complex. 7. Manage egress from off-street parking lots. Parking controllers should be available at the end of events to direct traffic out of the lots. Parking controllers would be required to direct traffic to exits and manage vehicle conflicts. Also, parking controllers should be familiar with the recommended egress routes so that they can answer questions as theyarise. 8. Encourage the use of public transportation. The VTA should be contacted about joint promotion of appropriate transit routes. Existing transit brochures, maps and promotional pieces should be used to the maximum extent possible in mailings to event attendees. Tools to Support Recommendations To implement the recommendations listed above, several tools would be used. The tools have been divided into two priority levels. Level 1 tools include signage, parking control, traffic control and marketing. Level 2 tools include signal timing modifications. Sign mprovements Permanent freeway signs should be considered in two locations to direct ingress traffic to the intended arterial and local streets. These signs are in addition to the existing signs on the freeways. Changeable message signs (CMS), some of which are already currently programmed by Caltrans District 4, can provide benefits for events at the fairgrounds, and would be used for major events with an anticipated attendance greater than 20,000 people. Also, eight additional ingress signs and seven additional egress signs should be placed on major roadways leading to and from the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. DKS Associates SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN vi

13 Parking Control The main vehicle for implementing parking lot operation strategies would be the contract governing the operation of the parking lots at the Fairgrounds. Several tools have been developed in this area, including the use of personnel, other parking lots, and pre-paid parking fees. To assist in the management of parking and traffic, a Parking Authority or Board should be established that clearly establishes policies. Areas covered by the Parking Authority's policies should include the timing of events so that there is minimal overlap with weekday commute traffic, and also the use of all properties at the Fairgrounds should be planned so that there is a minimization of impacts to weekday commute traffic. Another policy should state that parking lots should not have an advertised opening time during prime commute hours in order to discourage early arrivals overlapping with commute traffic. Marketing!! i! As part of the reinforcement of efforts to direct motorists away from local neighborhoods and to surrounding roadways when coming to or leaving the fairgrounds area, consistent efforts should be made in the marketing of events at the UC Theater and the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. The emphasis would be on ingress routes and parking lot locations, as once the patron is at the fairgrounds, other tools would be employed to direct them properly out of the area. The suggested marketing tools that should be targeted include information provided on schedules, web sites, tickets, general marketing materials, television ads, newspaper ads, and other media. f appropriate, event marketing should be prepared in a multi-lingual format. Traffic Control One area where traffic control personnel presence would be expanded is to enforce parking regulations on local streets. The use of cones and barricades should be maintained to assist in the direction of ingress and egress traffic flow. Officers at busy locations should not have to direct two-way traffic and also monitor pedestrian crossings (when present). When necessary, one additional traffic control personnel should be used at each location that shows a high number of vehicles and pedestrians. Sufficient staffing at the parking lots should also be used to keep the flow oftraffic moving into and out of parking lots (see Figure ES-4). i Signal Timing n conjunction with traffic control personnel monitoring traffic at key locations, manual and traffic-responsive signal timing plans should be developed and implemented by the City of San Jose. Because of the cost involved in creating and implementing the signal timing plans, this is a Level 2 (second level priority) recommendation. These signal timing plans would be for the traffic signals on key corridors under the ingress and egress plan. DKS Associates SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN vii

14 ,.-~.--- [ \, NOT TO SCALE >'! '.,j l' \:!,r~',.. 1'1 J ;.:! [\; ~'. ',,: :ill:,,,, r'r:xs':-':i., :! ['\':11111;.1, : l~_.,.m.--,.,, : /J t.; \ r '):;;1- r l " "" L. J L_- l OVnU'! (V.. P,\EFl~"':(; S.: L _-\C'. i! i,! i ;r,pi 1111 H~;\' i~r. SJ''' 1\1'llH).':.!.\1 \''EL\' 44,-\CRES - "'" =:J, ' rtl\!)[!~~ / ===='"~===; ('~~~.~~~~; \'.J.:. \(' f)\'e'. FJ.OW P.. \RfT 17.5.t:\C ~ o -11,"'1 \','j;'\\ ;1'1 l ~ 1: Traffic Control Personnel Other security personnel Exit Only from Fairgrounds Exit Only from overflow parking lot Southbound left turns restricted Northbound right turns restricted o Northbound left turns Westbound left turns Southbound left turns restricted fj Westbound right turns Northbound right turns restricted o Northbound left and northbound through movements restricted (i) Westbound right turns discouraged DKS Associates Figure ES-4 Recommended Traffic Control Plan for Santa Clara County Fair

15 ( Traffic-responsive operation for an event should be considered only after it has been detennined that the manual timing plans are not effective in managing traffic for hosted events at the fairgrounds. Traffic-responsive pattern selection would be implemented for the signals on Curtner Avenue, Tully Road, and Monterey Road with timing plans that heavily favor the movements during the peak arrivals for an event, and favor movements for postevent traffic. i / :1 ' \ DKS Associates SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN ix

16 ) 1.0 NTRODUCTON r : i 1.1 Need and Purpose The purpose of the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Transportation and Parking Plan is to develop effective transportation and parking operations for Santa Clara County Fairgrounds events of various sizes, while also considering the needs and concerns of local residences and businesses. The fairgrounds site is proposed to be revitalized and would include a new Universal Concerts Theater with seating capacity of about 8,300 people, new exposition buildings, and on-site parking. The number of paved off-street parking spaces would be quadrupled compared to today, and the implementation of a transportation and parking management plan would improve traffic flow and safety in the study area. Several goals have been identified for this study, including minimizing vehicle and pedestrian traffic impacts, minimizing parking impacts of fairgrounds events on the surrounding community, balancing vehicle and pedestrian ingress and egress, and providing for the orderly and efficient filling and emptying of parking lots. The fairgrounds complex currently serves a multitude of different events, drawing crowds ranging from a few hundred to over 30,000 people. Besides the Santa Clara County Fair, events hosted at the fairgrounds complex will include concerts, the TET festival, cultural activities, product expositions, animal shows, and private receptions. An economic feasibility report on the fairgrounds revitalization project stated that the primary market area for the fairgrounds is contained within a 25 mile ring (most of which is in Santa Clara County). However, visitors come to the fairgrounds from throughout the greater Bay Area because of the many types of events hosted. Not all of these visitors are familiar with the area surrounding the fairgrounds. Access and circulation to the fairgrounds is often confusing to fairgrounds visitors, as the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds site is not immediately visible from major freeways. Currently, the only identified access point is on Tully Road. i The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Transportation and Parking Plan is designed to protect the surrounding neighborhoods during fairgrounds events by controlling the flow of vehicles into and out of the area. FMC, nc., the entity currently responsible for managing parking and fairgrounds operations, has initiated several circulation control elements already, in cooperation with the County of Santa Clara Sheriffs Office, the City of San Jose, and Caltrans. This plan builds upon the current operations, and recommends several tools to achieve the identified goals of the plan. DKS Associates 1-1 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

17 r,, i, i DKS Associates Figure 1 Study Area "

18 i ( l i ( ) i '. i. One of the major goals of this plan is to establish additional access points on Monterey Road at the proposed UC Theater site so that traffic patterns are balanced among the area roadways, thus reducing the reliance on Tully Road. Section 4 of the report describes the ingress and egress routing patterns for the fairgrounds, which would result in spreading traffic among various roadways (Curtner, Monterey, Capitol, as well as Tully). 1.2 Description of Study Area The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Transportation and Parking Plan study area is bounded by nterstate 280 (1-280) to the north, US 101 to the east, Capitol Expressway to the south, and State Route 87 (SR 87) to the west (see Figure 1). The area north of the fairgrounds is a commercial and light industrial area, which extends between Tully Road and Alma Avenue. There is a residential area to the south of the fairgrounds, between Monterey Road and Senter Road. There is a large cemetery directly to the west of the fairgrounds. There are three sports-oriented attractions in the area, each with its own off-street parking. Spartan Stadium is located at the comer of Alma Avenue and 7 th Street. Spartan Stadium hosts San Jose State football games and San Jose Clash soccer garnes, as well as other events. San Jose State University Spartan Shops, in conjunction with Spartan Stadium, operates several off-street parking lots that are adjacent to the stadium. The San Jose Municipal Stadium is located at the comer of Senter Road and Alma Avenue. t is the horne of the San Jose Giants minor league baseball team, and also hosts other events. Municipal Stadium has a separate off-street parking lot of approximately 1,000 spaces that is often used for other events. The San Jose ce Centre is an ice skating facility located at the comer of 10th Street and Alma Avenue. The ce Centre is the practice horne of the San Jose Sharks hockey team, and hosts several local hockey leagues, figure skating and pubic ice-skating. The ce Centre has its own parking lot which is contiguous to the San Jose Municipal Stadium parking lot. The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds is accessed by regional and local roadways. State Route 87 is the closest regional roadway, with interchanges at Curtner Avenue and Alma Avenue. US 101 travelers can use the Story Road or Tully Road exits. There are various signs on arterial roadways, and manual traffic control is used for larger events; this is described in detail in the next section of this report. 1.3 Project Description The fairgrounds complex is being revitalized to update and add to the existing on-site facilities. The largest addition to the fairgrounds would be the Universal Concerts Theater (DC Theater), an indoor concert and events facility that would seat a maximum of 8,300 people. There would be approximately 120 dates per year that would be booked at the theater, with an average attendance of about 4,500 persons. Many of the existing buildings on the fairgrounds site would be demolished as part of the fairgrounds revitalization. The largest facility that would be demolished is the racetrack. According to FMC, nc., there would be no significant net increase in exposition space at the fairgrounds. DKS Associates 1-3 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

19 There would be seven access points to the fairgrounds from the surrounding roadway network (see Figure 2). Two of these entrances would be for services only and would not be used by the general public. One service entrance is currently planned to be located on Monterey Road just north of Umbarger Road, and the other service entrance is planned to be on Umbarger Road just east of Monterey Road. Two of the four general access points would be located on the north side of the fairgrounds and used only during overflow parking conditions one would be between 7th Street and 10 th Street on Tully Road, and the other would be between 10 th Street and Senter Road on Tully Road. One more access point would be on the north side of the fairgrounds and would be only used for general access. This access point would be between Monterey Road and 7th Street on Old Tully Road. There would be one general access point for the UC Theater on Monterey Road, between Old Tully Road and Umbarger Road, and there would also be one general access point to the fairgrounds located on Umbarger Road. The general access point for the UC Theater on Monterey Road would require some construction as part of the revitalization project. This would be a new intersection and would necessitate modifications to Monterey Road, including the placement of a traffic signal and the addition of a left tum lane in the existing median for southbound traffic. \ ' Parking is currently provided for a fee in off-street parking lots located adjacent to the fairgrounds. The existing parking lot on the north side of Tully Road accommodates approximately 1,250 paved parking spaces, and the fairgrounds site can accommodate about 5,000 (mostly unpaved) spaces. On-street parking is restricted along local streets that border the fairgrounds. Under the revitalization plan, parking would be moved into off-street lots located within the fairgrounds complex, with a total of about 5,000 parking spaces and 2,500 overflow parking spaces. The lots would be of sufficient size to cover the parking needs of most events. The only time there would be an anticipated parking shortfall would be on the four weekend days ofthe annual Santa Clara County Fair. t is assumed that the existing parking lot area on Tully Road across from the fairgrounds proper would be redeveloped, most probably as a light industrial or office site. There would also be a parcel adjacent to the fairgrounds on Umbarger Road that would be redeveloped separately from the fairgrounds project. A sports and recreation facility is planned for this parcel. The facility is projected to include a maximum of 70,000 square feet of space and house seven basketball courts, two of which would be able to convert t6 volleyball courts. ) i : i, DKS Associates 1-4 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

20 [ : 1.4 Report Organization r : This report is organized into five sections following this introductory section. Section 2 is a summary of the data collection program that formed the foundation of the plan. The existing transportation characteristics of the streets, intersections, and parking lots surrounding the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds are summarized in Section 3. Section 4 presents the recommendations designed to achieve the goals of the plan. The tools needed to implement the recommendations are presented in Section 5. Section 6 is the implementation and funding plan. Section 7 is the conclusion of the study., r i ' DKS Associates 1-5 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

21 i.\;"!:'.l; " ~l'~ :-..1'''', : ;'; H'~,!i \i fo { '.'-!ll : [~=~~-=~1 [~_-~~_~~~J r--,..- J r--;, '!. 1 : : r--r---.,, r L --i! :,:.. ;L~ r:~~~.~ :,""--1,, ~,,, J.1 ~"'1,,~ \,... _---- ;-f-'"-i...r_~..r--~ ~~~~U~ l~~;: ~) 1 L-. J:.>~lsn;-';(i S('J()(ll. OVERFLOW P,\RKNG 15.6 ±,~C L'l ~l NOT TO SCALE il:l:" L\ \j}'-;:.'/-' i! 1 i''!~ :\~i'! i1te:\ter ~it!',\'j'uixi,\,\tely ~4.'\CRES )VERFLO\V P/d\f..:~G i75 ± r'\c Pi.:\LA ( rjl[,\tf< \'"'',!)':..!J;'~, OV::RFLO\V PARKN(; 5.5 ± r\c ("(H ~n Y:\{i) -+!... \l" ~ ~.-- :,~r REVSED CONCEPT PLAN -\) SANTA CLARA COC'<TY FARCROUNDS HEVTALZATfO:\ '/ FfH '1'1 ;;:;;;:;;;;;;;;;;;;:d.~'~ :.:cl\ra;\,d \ASQlEZ and P:\RT:'-lERS ~~~3 ;ftl~~~ Figure 2 Proposed Site Plan

22 f 2.0 DATA COLLECTON SUMMARY r r 2.1 Description of Methodology The following information was gathered as part of the data collection program: Attendance figures - the number of people attending the various fairgrounds events were counted. 17 intersections - recent turning movement counts were collected for 17 intersections in the vicinity ofthe Santa Clara County Fairgrounds for the weekday PM peak period. 2.2 Dates Traffic turning movement counts were taken from several sources. The count dates range from May of 1997 to March of All the count data collected was for weekday, PM peak period, non-event conditions. The parking information collected was for all events within the last three years. 2.3 Parking Data FMC, NC., the managing group for the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, supplied off-street parking information. The parking information itself was based on attendance figures and an average vehicle occupancy rate, which was based on visual surveys conducted within the past twelve months. Attendance figures were provided for the years 1996 through ntersection Turning Movement Counts Seventeen intersections in the study area were evaluated for weekday, PM peak period conditions (see Figure 3). The intersections were chosen in cooperation with City of San Jose staff, based on the potential for impacts related to fairgrounds events. Turning movement counts were obtained for the following intersections: 1. East Alma A venue/ South 1 st Street & Monterey Road 2. East Alma A venue/ South 7th Street 3. East Alma Avenue/ South 10 th Street 4. East Alma A venue/ Senter Road 5. Curtner Avenue/ SR 87 SB ramps 6. Curtner A venue/ SR 87 NB ramps 7. Curtner A venue/ Monterey Road 8. Old Tully Road/ Monterey Road DKS Associates 2-1 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

23 [ 9. Tully Road! South 7th Street 10. Tully Road! South 10th Street 11. Tully Road! Senter Road 12. Umbarger Road! Monterey Road 13. Umbarger Road! Senter Road 14. Lewis Road! Monterey Road 15. Capitol Expressway WB ramps/ Monterey Road 16. Capitol Expressway EB ramps/ Monterey Road 17. Capitol Expressway/ Senter Road 2.5 Other Data and Resources Referenced As part of the background information analyzed for the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds Transportation and Parking Plan, several documents and additional data sources were reviewed. These included: 1. Spartan Stadium Transportation and Parking Plan 2. The San Jose Arena Transportation and Parking Plan 3. Feasibility Analysis of an Urban Exposition Center at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, prepared by ERA 4. Traffic signal timing plans for intersections along Tully Road, Story Road, Alma Avenue, South 7th Street, South 10th Street, and Keyes Street. 5. Transportation and parking plans for 3-COM Park, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, University of California At Berkeley Memorial Stadium, and Stanford University Stadium. DKS Associates 2-2 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

24 r ' r-! \ 1! 1, ' Study ntersection [ ; DKS Associates Figure 3 Study ntersections i i!

25 ", i : i, i :! 3.0 EXSTNG CONDTONS This chapter presents a summary of the existing conditions in the study area. For a detailed listing of field notes and existing conditions observations, please refer to Appendix A. 3.1 Signage There are two basic types of existing signs currently used for Santa Clara County Fairgrounds access: freeway signs and arterial signs. The signs are an important element in guiding motorists from the regional roadway network to local streets and into parking lots. Figure 4 illustrates the locations of these signs. A complete listing of signs is provided in Appendix A. Freeway signs are characterized as large-sized signs that have white lettering on a green background, and are visible by motorists in each travel lane of the freeway and traveling at high rates of speed. Typically, these signs say "Fairgrounds Next Exit." All of the existing freeway signs are static, unlike the San Jose Arena freeway signs and signs planned to be used with Spartan Stadium events, some of which are changeable message signs. Signs on arterial roadways are generally characterized as medium-sized signs that have white lettering on a green background. They are typically placed on signposts on the right hand side of a road or hung across a road from a stop line at an intersection. The most common example of an arterial sign is "Fairgrounds" with a directional arrow also on the sign. There are a variety of parking signs, indicating parking restrictions or parking locations. Also, there are a few signs that indicate freeway access (i.e. "To SR 87" and "To US 101 "). 3.2 Circulation and Access ' The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds can be accessed through several modes of travel, including private vehicle trips and transit trips. Private Vehicle Access Currently, Curtner Avenue and Tully Road are the most heavily used access routes (an estimated 50% of the traffic) to the fairgrounds, owing mainly to their proximity to freeway interchanges. There are also freeway exit signs at these interchanges (the Curtner / SR 87 interchange and Tully / US 101 interchange) indicating that fairground traffic should use those exits. As part of the revitalization plan, more traffic would be directed towards Monterey Road and Capitol Expressway, leading to less reliance on Tully Road and Curtner Avenue. A fair amount of vehicle trips also use Monterey Road for fairground access. Of the roads surrounding the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds complex, Monterey Road has the highest amount of ambient traffic. l The traffic ingress and egress plans discussed in section 4 of this report were designed to support the main theater access on Monterey Road, as well as the other access points for the fairgrounds on Tully Road and Umbarger Road. DKS Associates 3-1 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

26 Transit Access The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) provides the majority of public transit service in the study area. More than a dozen bus routes operate within the fairgrounds study area in addition to the light rail service. CaTrain also provides transit service to the area. Figure 5 provides a map of transit facilities in the study area. i. i '. i ' 3.3 ntersection Level of Service ntersection operations are evaluated in terms of "level of service" (LOS), which is a measure of driving conditions and vehicle delay. Levels of service range from A (best) to F (poorest). LOS A, B and C indicate satisfactory conditions where traffic can move relatively freely. LOS D describes conditions where delay is more noticeable. LOS E indicates conditions where traffic volumes are at, or close to capacity, resulting in significant delays and average travel speeds that are one-third the uncongested speeds or lower. LOS F characterizes conditions where traffic demand exceeds available capacity, with very slow speeds (stop-and-go) and long delays (over a minute) and queuing at signalized intersections. The intersections were analyzed according the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 1985 Operations methodology (using the TRAFFX software version 7.0) outlined in the Santa Clara County Congestion Management Program (CMP) guidelines for traffic impact analysis. TRAFFX has been adopted by the CMP and replaces the previously used CAPS-ll software. The HCM 1985 Operations methodology uses average delay per vehicle to evaluate level of service rather than the volume-to-capacity (VC) ratio. ntersection level of service (LOS) analysis was conducted at the 17 key intersections in the study area. Table 1 presents the existing condition intersection LOS analysis. Appendix B includes the detailed intersection level of service calculations calculated as part of this report.,!! DKS Associates 3-2 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

27 1 i i! \ i i ' Directional signs to Fairgrounds Directional signs to freeways * Parking and stopping restriction signs DKS Associates Figure 4 Existing Sign ventory

28 \'!. \, i DKS Associates Bus Routes 0 Bus Stop 8 Transit Center * Caltrain LRT Station Park and Ride Lot Figure 5 Existing Transit

29 , Table 1 Summary of ntersection Operations Existing Conditions (PM Peak Hour) Oelay3 LOS b 1. E. Alma Ave/ S. 1 st St. & Monterey Rd E. Alma Ave/ S. 7th St E. Alma Ave/ S. 10 th St 18.5 C i ' 4. E. Alma Ave/ Senter Rd 10.2 B 5. Curtner Ave/ SR 87 SB Ramps 6.6 B 6. Curtner Ave/ SR 87 NB Ramps 20.4 C 7. Curtner Ave/ Monterey Rd Old Tully Rd/ Monterey Rd 13.2 B \ r 9. Tully Rd/ S. 7th St 24.6 C 10. Tully Rd/ S. 10 th St 20.9 C 11. Tully Rd/ Senter Rd > 120 F 12. Umbarger Rd/ Monterey Rd 15.9 C i 13. Umbarger Rd/ Senter Rd 9.8 B 14. Lewis Rd/ Monterey Rd 10.2 B 15. Capitol Expwy WB Ramps/ Monterey Rd 9.3 B 16. Capitol Expwy EB Ramps/ Monterey Rd 8.2 B ; \! 17. Capitol Expwy/ Senter Rd 54.1 E 18. Monterey Rd/ UC Theater entrance C Notes: a. Delay = Average delay, seconds b. LOS = Level of service c. ntersection to be created as part of project Source: OKS Associates 3.4 Parking The Santa Clara County Fairgrounds complex currently hosts a variety of events, from fairs and festivals to shows and other "performance" programs. The primary difference in parking operations between events is the arrival patterns for patrons. Universal Theater concerts would experience arrival and departure peaking, just prior to and just after the event itself. Other events, such as the Gun Show and other "all day" types of events, have more of a steady arrival and departure rate throughout the day, with a large number of patrons leaving when the DKS Associates 3-5 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

30 event closes for the night. The Santa Clara County Fair is the largest of these types of events, with a peak (weekend) one-day attendance of up to 55,000 people. The peak on-site crowd is about 30,000 people, which is the figure used in this analysis. During the County Fair, the UC Theater would be used for entertainment and would be included in the peak attendance figures. Therefore, the busiest day at the Santa Clara County Fair would represent the worstcase transportation and parking scenario. \ J i Off-Street Parking Under the revitalization plan, parking would be moved into off-street lots located entirely within the fairgrounds complex. The lots would be of sufficient size to cover the parking needs of most events. There would be 5,000 paved parking spaces with additional overflow space for 2,500 more vehicles. Also, additional overflow parking spaces could potentially be provided at the adjacent Franklin McKinley School and Little League Baseball fields (both locations are currently utilized to park vehicles for large events). Parking capacity for large events would also be increased through the use of off-site overflow lots and shuttle service. Parking would be included in the price of the ticket for Universal Concert Theater events. This is intended to reduce the time required to enter the fairgrounds complex. However, this policy would also remove incentives for transit use or carpooling. For events other than a Universal Theater concert, a parking fee would have to be assessed to vehicles entering the off-street fairgrounds parking lots. Because of the potential for different parking fare collection methods, there should be only one parking operator at the fairgrounds. This would lead to better and more consistent on-site parking management, and potentially reduce some of the administrative and revenue sharing problems that multiple parking operators may face. \. J There are additional off-street parking spaces in the fairgrounds vicinity that are estimated to total 6,323 spaces. These include the parking lots at Spartan Stadium (4,494 spaces), Municipal Stadium (976 spaces), the ce Centre of San Jose (100 spaces), Kelly Park (550 spaces, located east of Senter Road and north of Alma Avenue), and the K-3 lot (203 spaces, located near the intersection of Senter Road and Keyes Street). These lots are not always fully available for use during an event at the fairgrounds, and coordination with each parking operator would be required. On-Street Parking During events at the fairgrounds complex, vehicles park along the surface streets that are in close proximity to the fairgrounds. The parking is restricted along these streets (S. 7th Street, S. 10 th Street, Old Tully Road, and Umbarger Road), but people park their vehicles there regardless. The east end of Umbarger Road is the only nearby street where curbside parking is permitted. However, this area of Umbarger is the most intensely residential area in the fairgrounds vicinity. i DKS Associates 3-6 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

31 i \ 3.5 Traffic Control i ' i, Traffic control is comprised of traffic signals, stop signs, and traffic control presence to monitor and direct traffic. The City of San Jose Police Department provides officers in the field for each day of the Santa Clara County Fair. Traffic control personnel maintain contact with each other and pick up cones and move control elements to different locations as necessary. The existing traffic control procedures are largely pedestrian-oriented because of the large numbers of pedestrians generated by the current site layout (with parking located on the north side of Tully Road). Currently, most patrons going to the fairgrounds park in the vicinity of the site and walk to the fairgrounds, creating high numbers of pedestrian crossings at nearby intersections. The revitalization plan for the fairgrounds calls for off-street parking to be placed entirely within the fairgrounds property, greatly reducing the number of pedestrians that cross city streets. r i ) i \ 1. : DKS Associates 3-7 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

32 r j! i, ~ i! 4.0 RECOMMENDATONS The recommendations presented in this report are based on several sources, including data collection and stakeholder input. The data collection effort is described in detail in section 2 ofthe report. The group of stakeholders for this plan includes representatives from FMC, nc., Universal Concerts, City of San Jose Department of Streets and Traffic, and local residents. nput from stakeholders was gathered over the course of several meetings, including meetings with local residents. The preliminary revitalization plan was discussed in a public meeting. The local residents' concerns regarding the original plan, which called for an open-air amphitheater, led to the amended plan, which calls for a significantly smaller indoor theater. There have also been several project meetings with representatives from FMC, nc and Universal Concerts. This section of the report presents the recommendations designed to achieve the goals of the plan for each of these two main study scenarios: a sold out event at the UC Theater, and the Santa Clara County Fair. These two scenarios represent worst-case conditions for the two event types at the fairgrounds. These event types were previously discussed in section 3.4. Section 5 ofthe report presents the tools to achieve the recommendations. 4.1 ngress Routes r The recommended ingress routing is designed to emphasize Monterey Road via Capitol Expressway to get to the UC Theater and the county fairgrounds as a viable alternate to Tully Road and Curtner Avenue. The use of Senter Road to arrive at the fairgrounds would not be encouraged. The routing choices would still be decided by each individual, of course, but the tools for implementation (Section 5 of this report) are specifically designed to influence the decisions of drivers before they enter the immediate vicinity of the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds, via signs, traffic signal progression, and other elements. Figure 6 illustrates the recommended ingress routes. Once the vehicles arrive in the fairgrounds vicinity, traffic control personnel and parking operators would direct motorists to designated parking lots. 4.2 Egress Routes The recommended egress routing is designed to prevent traffic streams from the four main fairgrounds driveway exits from conflicting with each other. The identified routes have also been selected to reduce the concentration of traffic on Tully Road and Curtner Avenue, and to provide faster exit routes for fairgrounds patrons. Because of the dispersion of traffic, it is anticipated that patrons would experience reduced travel times in exiting the fairgrounds area, even if the route is somewhat longer. Figures 7-10 indicate the suggested routing for egress vehicles. For clarity of presentation, the egress route figures illustrate two freeway destinations each. Various tools (signage, traffic control, and traffic signal progression), DKS Associates 4-1 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN

33 i N A SENTER RD. CAPTOL EXPWY. \ i ::; g lr DKS Associates Figure 6 Suggested ngress Paths

34 ; Northbound Southbound DKS Associates Figure 7 Recommended US 101 NB and SB Egress Paths

35 i i j Northbound Southbound DKS Associates Figure 8 Recommended 5R 87 NB and 5B Egress Paths

36 r ( i ( ~L--.-"-::::- ----!.L- ~_~ --1 i! Eastbound Westbound DKS Associates Figure 9 Recommended Capitol Expwy. WB and EB Egress Paths

37 ( i \ ) NB NB DKS Associates Figure 10 Recommended and Egress Paths

38 ~, ( which are described in Section 5 of this report, would encourage individuals to use these egress routes. Table 3 summarizes the specific egress routes from fairgrounds parking lots. 4.3 Parking Strategies i f i '! j : Most of the suggested parking system management strategies can be implemented fairly quickly. Off-site parking facilities would be required for any event that is projected to have 20,000 or more people on the fairgrounds site at anyone time. This is based on the proposed number of parking spaces available in on-site facilities and an assumed average vehicle occupancy rate of 2.5 persons per vehicle for Universal Theater concerts and 3.5 persons per vehicle for the County Fair. The key parking management strategy recommendations would be: 1. Enforce on-street no parking areas in residential areas. Enforce by patrol at events and in response to complaints. 2. Maximize ingress flow into off-street lots. Adequate personnel are needed to direct motorists to available spaces in the UC Theater parking lots, or to make cash transactions at the other Fairgrounds parking lots. 3. Personnel should be moved from full parking lots to filling parking lots to optimize use. A rover should observe lots and manage overall personnel allocation. The rover also should be in radio contact with traffic control personnel to ensure that excessive traffic queues into parking facilities are not developing. Signs should point to lot locations. Publications, mailers and other informational material should clearly show lot locations. 4. Develop specifications for lot use (including off-site parking lots) and opening times by day of week and type of event. Develop contingency actions for more demand than anticipated, including shuttle service to off-site lots. Specifically, the northern overflow parking lot (see Figure 2) should be used for buses (from day-camps or church groups, for example) and/or employee parking when overflow parking conditions are anticipated. 5. nvestigate use of other off-street lots in proximity to the fairgrounds, depending upon size of event. n particular, determine feasibility of using the lots at Spartan Stadium, Mu_nicipal Stadium, and Kelly Park, and possibly the lots at Alma and 10th (south comer), Alma and 7th (south comer), and at Senter and Keyes (south corner) for events exceeding the 20,000 level. Provide shuttle service to these lots. 6. When feasible, encourage the use of off-site parking lots. Make sure the public is aware of all parking lot options prior to travel to the event. Parking lot locations can be included on flyers, advertisements, brochures, ticket information, and other promotional items. Economic encouragement to use the off-site lots should be considered. Drivers that proceed directly to off-site parking lots are unlikely to drive through the more heavily-used roadways in the immediate vicinity of the fairgrounds complex. DKS Associates 4-7 SANTA CLARA COUNTY FARGROUNDS TRANSPORTATON & PARKNG PLAN