EAST-CENTRAL TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STUDY

Transcription

1 EAST-CENTRAL TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STUDY Prepared by DKS Associates August 10, 2001

2 FINAL REPORT Prepared for By DKS Associates 1956 Webster Street, Suite 300 Oakland, CA (510) In association with CH2M Hill August 10, 2001

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS LEAD AGENCY Contra Costa Transportation Authority CCTA Project Manager: Martin Engelmann POLICY ADVISORY COMMITTEE TRANSPLAN Hon. Donald Freitas, City of Antioch Hon. Federal Glover, City of Pittsburg (4/00-11/00) Hon. Frank Quesada, City of Pittsburg, (12/00-9/01) TRANSPAC Hon. Bill McManigal, City of Concord Hon. Julie Pierce, City of Clayton TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Ed Franzen, City of Antioch John Greitzer, TRANSPLAN John Hall, City of Walnut Creek Barbara Neustadter, TRANSPAC Paul Reinders, City of Pittsburg John Templeton, City of Concord Joe Yee/Chris Bailey, Contra Costa County Public Works CONSULTANT TEAM Project Manager: Deborah Dagang, DKS Associates Loren Bloomberg, CH2M Hill Shirley Chan, DKS Associates Terry Klim, DKS Associates Dustin Luther, DKS Associates Kevin Stankiewicz, DKS Associates (formerly CH2M Hill) Joe Story, DKS Associates Word Processing: Anne Batey, DKS Associates Graphics: Inger Knox, DKS Associates

4 TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF ACRONYMS...v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY...ES-1 ES.1 PAC Recommendation...ES-1 ES.2 Study Background...ES-3 ES.3 Evaluation of Alternatives...ES-5 ES.4 Implementation/Next Steps...ES-8 INTRODUCTION Study Background Purpose And Objectives of the ECTMS EXISTING CONDITIONS Roadway System Summary Data Collection DEVELOPMENT OF ALTERNATIVES Process For Developing Alternatives Alternative Evaluateds METHODOLOGY Network Improvement Assumptions Technical Approach EVALUATION CRITERIA EVALUATION OF ALTERNATIVES Evaluation Selection of Preferred Alternative REFINEMENT OF PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE Description Analysis Potential Future Improvement IMPLEMENTATION/NEXT STEPS Protocol For Implementation Design And Construction Issues Establishing the Comprehensive TMP ii August 10, 2001

5 APPENDICES (provided under separate cover) A: Purpose, Objectives, and Principles of Governance B: Data Collected C: 2010 Network Assumptions D: Simulation Model Evaluation E: 2010 Turn Movement Forecasts F: East County Transit Information LIST OF FIGURES Figure ES-1 Preferred Alternative...ES-2 Figure ES-2 Study Area...ES-4 Figure ES-3 Study Alternatives...ES-6 Figure 1-1 Study Area Figure 2-1 Travel Time Routes Figure 3-1 East County CPM Locations Considered Figure 3-2 Study Alternatives Figure 4-1 Simulation Model Network Figure 4-2 Diversion Analysis Locations Figure Corridor Travel Time by Alternative and Route: Somersville/10 th to Myrtle Figure Corridor Travel Time by Alternative and Route: Somersville/10 th to Myrtle Figure Corridor Travel Time by Alternative and Section: via Buchanan Figure Corridor Travel time by Alternative and Section: via Buchanan Figure CPM Queues: AM Peak Direction (Central County) Figure CPM Queues: AM Peak Direction (East County) Figure CPM Queues: AM Peak Direction (East County) Figure 7-1 Preferred Alternative Figure Corridor Travel Time by Section Baseline vs. Preferred: via Buchanan Figure CPM Queues: AM Peak Direction Preferred Alternative (East County) Figure CPM Queues: AM Peak Direction Preferred Alternative (Central County) iii August 10, 2001

6 LIST OF TABLES Table ES Evaluation Summary...ES-7 Table 3-1 Control Point Metering Locations Table 5-1 Evaluation Criteria Table 6-1 Queue Length by Location Table 6-2 System Delay by Alternative Table 6-3 Corridor Delay Index by Alternative Table 6-4 Peak Hour Average Vehicle Delay Table 6-5 Year 2000 Peak Hour Diversion Analysis Results Table 6-6 Year 2010 Peak Hour Diversion Analysis Results Table 6-7 Estimated Implementation Costs Table Evaluation Summary Table Evaluation Summary Table 7-1 Queue Length Comparison Table 7-2 System Delay by Alternative Table 7-3 Corridor Delay Index by Alternative Table 7-4 Peak Hour Average Vehicle Delay Table 7-5 Year 2000 Peak Hour Diversion Analysis Results Table 7-6 Preferred Alternative Estimated Implementation Costs Table 7-7 HOV Queue Jump Lanes Estimated Implementation Costs iv August 10, 2001

7 LIST OF ACRONYMS BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit CCTA - Contra Costa Transportation Authority CPM - Control Point Metering ECTMS - HOV - High Occupancy Vehicle I Interstate 680 MOU - Memorandum of Understanding PAC - Policy Advisory Committee RTPC - Regional Transportation Planning s/o - south of SR - State Route TAC - Technical Advisory Committee TMC - Traffic Management Center TMP - Transportation Management Plan Committee VMT - Vehicle Miles Traveled w/o - west of v August 10, 2001

8 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ES.1 PAC Recommendation Based on the technical analysis presented in this final report, a preferred alternative for implementing control point metering (CPM) in East County, to be operated in conjunction with the existing and planned CPM in Central County, has been developed. The Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) for the (ECTMS) recommends that the preferred alternative undergo review by local jurisdictions and the regional transportation planning committees. As illustrated in Figure ES-1, the preferred alternative includes the existing and planned CPM locations in Central County on Ygnacio Valley Road at Oak Grove Road in Walnut Creek and on Kirker Pass Road at Myrtle Drive in Concord. In addition, the preferred alternative includes the following two CPM locations in East County: one at the intersection of Kirker Pass Road and Nortonville Road, where a new signal would need to be installed; and a second along Buchanan Road at Meadows Avenue, where an existing signal would be used to meter the flow of westbound traffic along Buchanan Road. All of these locations would comprise the East-Central Commute Traffic Management Plan. The preferred alternative will improve traffic management along the heavily traveled East- Central commute corridor. At present, as the morning commute builds, traffic congestion occurs at scattered, and often unpredictable, locations throughout the roadway network. This often results in gridlock, where the queue from one congested intersection backs up into another intersection, compounding the congestion and delay problems at upstream intersections and driveways. In addition to creating safe reservoirs for storing traffic queues, each CPM location would include a carefully designed gridlock-avoidance system in the form of queue detectors, which would be located as indicated in Figure ES-1. Should the queues extend back to the queue detectors, the signal timing would be changed to release part of the queue and prevent traffic from blocking upstream intersections. Estimated Cost for Design and Construction The total estimated cost for the design and construction of the preferred alternative is $600,000. This includes installing the new signal at Kirker Pass Road and Nortonville Road, installing queue detectors and conduit, re-programming the signals, field-testing, and monitoring. ES-1 August 10, 2001

9 E 3rd St. Willow Pass 10th St. Pittsburg Frontage Civic St. Central Columbia St. Loveridge Antioch Bliss California Ave. California North Park Bl. 10th St. West Bl. Rairoad. Yosemite Harbor Atlantic E. Leland Stoneman Loveridge Gladstone 4 Delta Fair Century Blvd. Blvd. Sycamore 18th St. Mahogany Wy. Marks Bl. Sierra Belle Fairview. Buchanan Ventura Buchanan Castlewood Pheasant Suzanne Meadows Somersville Kirker Pass Buchanan Ventura (Added in 2010) Bypass James Donlon Bl. Control Point Metering Location Direction Metered Queue Detector P00162 Nortonville Figure ES-1 Preferred Alternative DKS Associates

10 Eligible Funding Sources Once consensus has been reached to implement the preferred alternative, funding will need to be obtained. At this time, no specific funding source has been identified. Potential funding sources include: Federal funding through the re-authorization of TEA-21. STP/CMAQ funds could be available for the signal portion of the project. State funding through the 2004 STIP (or interim 2003 STIP). Local funding through City/County general funds, or the Measure C Transportation Improvement and Growth Management Program. ES.2 Study Background Local jurisdictions in East and Central County have been working cooperatively to develop a traffic management plan aimed at improving the morning commute on the East-Central corridor. The (ECTMS) builds on a City of Concord Study for the Central County section of the corridor. The City of Concord s study was focused on measuring the impacts of metering the flow of traffic in Central County westbound on Kirker Pass Road/Ygnacio Valley Road in the morning peak. With East County s cooperation, the ECTMS covers a larger area it evaluates morning commute patterns from Antioch and Pittsburg, through Concord to Walnut Creek and the I- 680/State Route (SR) 24 interchange. The study area is bounded, in general, by the Pittsburg/Antioch Highway and SR 4 to the north, I-680 to the west, Somersville Road to the east, and Ygnacio Valley Road-Kirker Pass Road and Buchanan Road to the south (see Figure ES-2). Commuters traveling from Antioch or Pittsburg to Central County, Alameda County, San Francisco, or Santa Clara County face a long commute. As a result, traffic problems begin in the study area earlier than one might observe at other locations in the Bay Area. In this study, significant congestion was observed for westbound traffic on SR 4. Queues were observed as early as 5:30 AM, and were still present at 9 AM. The main bottleneck occurred west of Railroad Avenue, just past the on-ramp merge. This section has the highest volumes of any two-lane section on SR 4. The situation was exacerbated by construction in the section west of Railroad Avenue. Queues extended as far back as A Street in Antioch, approximately five miles. Beyond the bottleneck at Railroad, westbound SR 4 operated reasonably well. Southbound traffic on I-680 between SR 242 and the Ygnacio Valley Road interchange was consistently slow moving in the morning commute period. In general, the heaviest arterial movement in East County was westbound on Buchanan Road to southbound Railroad Avenue. Queues formed on Buchanan Road at the intersections with Loveridge Road, Suzanne Drive, Harbor Street, and Railroad Avenue. There was also heavy movement on westbound Leland Avenue, with some traffic continuing west past Railroad Avenue (presumably to the BART station or SR 4), and other traffic turning left at Railroad Avenue to travel southbound. Occasionally, congestion and queues were observed on westbound Pittsburg-Antioch Highway between Somersville Road and Loveridge Road. ES-3 August 10, 2001

11 Ventura Meadows Solano County Contra Costa County Port Chicago Hwy. Marina Alhambra Vista Muir Shell Howe Arnold Center 4 Morello 680 Pacheco Bl. Waterfront Muir. Solano Wy. Arnold Arnold Industrial Pl. Grant St. 242 Port Chicago Hwy. Industrial Wy. Olivera Panoramic Pass Evora. Evora Willow Pass W. Leland 4 Frontage Rairoad Ave. Civic Pheasant Bliss Harbor St. E. Leland Buchanan Pittsburg California North Park Bl. Loveridge California Heatherwood Century Delta Fair James Donlon Blvd. Somersville Antioch Mahogany Wy. 10th St. Alhambra Concord Grant St. Willow Nortonville Bl. Reliez Valley Taylor Bl. Gregory Ln. Boyd Contra Costa Bl. Woodworth Ln. Meridian Park Bl. Diamond Bl. Burnett 680 Commerce Monument Bl. Mohr Ln. Clayton Oak Grove Bl. Concord Blvd. Concord Cowell Clayton Ayers Bailey Alberta Wy. Myrtle Concord Blvd. Kirker Clearbrook Clayton Pass Clayton Oak Park Bl. Coggins Treat Geary Sunnyvale Main St.. Jones San Carlos Bancroft Valley Via Shadelands Monte Deer Hill Springhill Pleasant Hill Stanley Bl. San Luis California Oak Civic Main St. Walden Walnut Blvd. Homestead Marchbanks Ygnacio Tampico Walnut Walnut Creek Ave. Key Study Area Boundary 24 Mt. Diablo Bl. Newell Blvd. S. Broadway Olympic Bl. Rudgear P00162 DKS Associates Danville Bl. 680 Livorna Figure ES-2 Study Area

12 Over Kirker Pass Road, speeds were as high as 60 to 70 mph in the early part of the peak period (5 to 6:30 AM) and the later part of the peak period (after 8:30 AM). During the middle of the peak, speeds were slightly lower (50 mph). In Central County, CPM has already been implemented at Ygnacio Valley Road and Oak Grove Road. During the unmetered periods (early and late in the AM peak period), there are no significant queues at the Ygnacio Valley Road/Oak Grove Road intersection. When metering was engaged, queues formed on Ygnacio Valley Road as far back as Cowell Road. In recently conducted travel time runs, delays for through vehicles were up to twelve minutes. Farther west, the performance varied. Early in the peak period, the predominant movement was westbound, and most of the green time at the downtown Walnut Creek signals was given to through traffic westbound. Walnut Boulevard and Civic Drive were more frequently congested than most. At the onset of this study, a number of major regional highway improvement projects were underway. Of particular relevance to this project were the widening of SR 242 in Concord and the widening of SR 4 between Bailey Road and Railroad Avenue in Pittsburg. These projects will improve traffic flow along the freeway system, and are expected to encourage the use of these facilities for travel between East and Central County, and beyond. Another important project is the planned implementation of control point metering on Kirker Pass Road at Myrtle Drive in the City of Concord. The timing of this project is expected to coincide with completion of the current SR 4 improvements. According to the City of Concord study, up to 300 vehicles in the peak hour are expected to divert away from Kirker Pass Road after the control point metering is implemented. Furthermore, significant reduction in the queue length at Oak Grove Road is expected as a result of this project. The City of Concord study estimated a 25 percent reduction in queue length at this location. ES.3 Evaluation of Alternatives Initially in the study, many alternatives were generated and qualitatively examined for benefits and drawbacks. Through this qualitative evaluation process, three of the most promising alternatives were selected for extensive quantitative analysis and testing. Each of the three alternatives include the existing CPM location in Walnut Creek (Ygnacio Valley Road/Oak Grove Road) and the one at Kirker Pass Road/Myrtle Drive (to be implemented in summer 2001). The distinguishing feature between the alternatives and the Baseline Scenario is the addition of CPM locations in East County, which would comprise the Traffic Management Plan. The alternatives are illustrated in Figure ES-3. Alternative A involved adding one CPM location in East County on Kirker Pass Road at Pheasant Drive in Pittsburg. Alternative B also involved only one additional CPM location in East County at the intersection of Kirker Pass Road and Nortonville Road. Alternative C included the CPM location at Kirker Pass Road and Nortonville Road, as well as a second CPM location at Buchanan Road and Meadows Avenue in the City of Pittsburg. ES-5 August 10, 2001

13 E 3rd St. Willow Pass 10th St. Pittsburg Frontage Civic St. Central Columbia St. Loveridge Antioch Bliss California Ave. California North Park Bl. 10th St. West Bl. Rairoad. Yosemite Harbor Atlantic E. Leland Stoneman Loveridge Gladstone 4 Delta Fair Century Blvd. Fairview. Blvd. Sycamore 18th St. Mahogany Wy. Marks Bl. Sierra Buchanan Ventura C Belle Buchanan Castlewood A Pheasant Suzanne Meadows Somersville P00162 B,C Kirker Pass Kirker Pass Nortonville A (added in 2010) Buchanan Ventura C (added in 2010) Bypass James Donlon Bl. A Control Point Metering Location Direction Metered Alternative Figure ES-3 Study Alternatives DKS Associates

14 A set of evaluation criteria was developed to facilitate the comparison of alternatives. Initially, a broad range of potential criteria was generated. These were examined to assess their value in conducting the evaluation. The final evaluation criteria were selected following extensive discussion of the following key considerations: Ease of understanding: Could a layperson understand how the criterion is measured and valued? Could it be easily explained to the general public? Availability and cost of obtaining field data: Could the criterion be measured in the field today? And at what cost? Modelability: Could the criterion be quantified for each alternative, through use of either the travel demand forecasting model or the operations model. The evaluation results for 2000 are presented in Table ES-1. None of the alternatives were found to noticeably increase corridor travel time, nor were any adverse affects detected on the ability to meet the key traffic service objective delay index in the corridor. A significant benefit of East County metering is the expected reduction in queue lengths at Myrtle Drive. While Alternative A produced only a slight reduction, the simulation tests on Alternatives B and C resulted in significant reductions in the length of the queue at Myrtle Drive. Alternative C offers the additional advantage of helping reduce the congestion and queuing along Buchanan Road between Loveridge Road and Railroad Avenue. According to the model results, the introduction of CPM in East County is expected to neither increase nor decrease the length of queue observed at the Oak Grove Road CPM location under the baseline scenario. Table ES Evaluation Summary Criteria Baseline Alternative A Alternative B Alternative C Overall Travel Time Ο Ο Ο Corridor Delay Index Ο Ο Ο Change in Baseline Queues Overall Impact on Queuing Ο Ο System Delay Ο Impact to Upstream Intersections Χ Χ Χ Safety Diversion Number of Metering Points Implementation Cost $65k-$75k $315k-$485k $500k-$690k Key: ΧΧ Χ Ο Much worse than baseline Worse than baseline Same as baseline Better than baseline Much better than baseline Note: The evaluation criteria are defined in Table 5-1 of the report. Source: DKS Associates ES-7 August 10, 2001

15 Through the evaluation process, it quickly became apparent that the choice could be narrowed down to Alternatives B and C as the two most effective and flexible traffic management strategies. Alternative A, which was found to have an extremely limited reservoir capacity, was not selected for further consideration. When viewed from a purely technical perspective, Alternatives B and C had many similarities in performance; however, Alternative C was found to be more effective at reducing the downstream queue at Myrtle Drive. The simulation results also indicated that Alternative C resulted in potential benefits to the portion of Buchanan Road west of Loveridge Road. It was further noted that Alternative B is really a subset of Alternative C. Therefore, it would be relatively straightforward to shift from C to B in the future by eliminating CPM at Buchanan Road/Meadows Avenue. Based upon these considerations, the PAC selected Alternative C to be refined into the preferred alternative. In developing the recommended CPM strategy, an effort was made to balance queues and delays at the various CPM locations. Specifically, CPM operations were fine-tuned at the following two locations: 1. Buchanan Road: The queue at the Meadows Avenue CPM location could be increased or decreased, which would reduce or increase the extent of the congestion to the west on Buchanan Road between Loveridge and Railroad. By allowing a maximum queue of 0.6 miles at Meadows Avenue, the queues at Railroad Avenue and Harbor Street were reduced, and the queues at Loveridge Road and Suzanne Drive were eliminated compared to the baseline scenario. 2. Kirker Pass Road: The queue at the Nortonville Road CPM location could be increased or decreased, which would directly affect the length of queue at Myrtle Drive in Concord. By allowing a maximum queue of 0.6 miles at Nortonville Road (which would not impact the intersection at Pheasant Drive), the queue at Myrtle Drive was reduced by one-third compared to the baseline scenario. ES.4 Implementation/Next Steps Defining a preferred alternative for CPM locations is an important stepping stone toward improving the East-Central commute. But, many additional steps will need to be taken before the preferred alternative and a full Traffic Management Plan can be implemented. This section provides a look at the next steps, and begins to frame some of the issues expected to be encountered as the preferred alternative undergoes further review by all interested parties, and as the project moves closer to implementation. ES-8 August 10, 2001

16 Protocol for Implementation Clearly, implementation of the preferred alternative will be contingent upon all of the affected local jurisdictions accepting the proposal. The step-by-step process for completing this level of review and achieving a consensus is set forth below. The TMP shall be implemented only if the PAC, and its constituent jurisdictions, achieve a unanimous agreement on the proposed TMP. The following protocol for TMP implementation assumes that TAC and PAC members provide a line of communication back to the local jurisdictions to ensure that the proposed TMP alternative reflects the concerns of each involved party. To implement the TMP, the following steps would be required: a. The TAC prepares and forwards the Draft ECTMS to the PAC. b. The PAC approves the Final ECTMS and forwards it to local jurisdictions and RTPCs for review and adoption. c. Each Council (Antioch, Pittsburg, Clayton, Concord, and Walnut Creek), Board (Contra Costa Board of Supervisors), and RTPC (TRANSPAC and TRANSPLAN) reviews the Final ECTMS and considers whether or not to adopt it. d. Once all involved parties have adopted the proposed Final ECTMS constituent jurisdictions submit(s) the TMP or its components to CCTA for eligible funding cycles. Design and Construction Issues Assuming agreement can be reached on implementation of the preferred alternative, detailed design drawings and cost estimates need to be prepared, environmental clearance documents may be required, and individual components of the plan would need to be installed and tested. The following is a first cut listing (in no specific order) of the necessary design and construction components to the project. Prepare a signal design for the Nortonville/Kirker Pass Road intersection. Develop new signal timing plans for each CPM location. Construct signal at the Nortonville/Kirker Pass Road intersection. Program signal controllers to be responsive to queue detection. Install queue detectors, including connection to controller. Install advanced signing prior to each CPM location. Conduct a public awareness program. Implement CPM and refine signal timing as needed. Consider whether or not to establish a centralized Traffic Management Center (TMC) to coordinate and manage the Traffic Management Plan via CPM signals. The TMC could be designed to only control the CPM locations in East County, and could also control other priority signals in East County as well. CCTV cameras would likely be ES-9 August 10, 2001

17 incorporated into the TMC design, as a method to observe queues and signal operation in the field (rather than relying solely on controller and queue detector data). Establishing the Comprehensive TMP The Preferred Alternative described in this study should be incorporated into a Comprehensive Transportation Management Plan (TMP) to address travel between East and Central County. A Comprehensive TMP would include a multimodal approach to examining: AM and PM peak travel periods; Eastbound and westbound travel; and Freeway and arterial travel. Strategies and policies established in the TRANSPLAN and TRANSPAC Action Plans for Routes of Regional Significance should be incorporated into the Comprehensive TMP. Furthermore, the Comprehensive TMP should be considered in future TRANSPLAN and TRANSPAC Action Plan updates or amendments. A concept for future consideration is the addition of HOV queue jump lanes at the CPM locations. The recommendation of this study does not preclude the future addition HOV queue jump lanes, however, the current analysis indicates that the probable benefit does not justify the estimated expenditure. With the reduction in the queue at Kirker Pass Road/Myrtle Drive, transit vehicles do receive some benefit from reduced delay at this location. ES-10 August 10, 2001

18 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Study Background Local jurisdictions in East and Central County have been working cooperatively to develop a traffic management plan aimed at improving the morning commute on the East-Central corridor. The (ECTMS) builds on a City of Concord Study for the Central County section of the corridor. The City of Concord s study was focused on measuring the impacts of metering the flow of traffic westbound on Kirker Pass Road/Ygnacio Valley Road in the morning peak. With East County s cooperation, the ECTMS covers a larger area it evaluates commute patterns from Antioch and Pittsburg in the AM commute period, through Concord to Walnut Creek and the I-680/State Route (SR) 24 interchange. The study area is bounded, in general, by the Pittsburg/Antioch Highway and SR 4 to the north, I-680 to the west, Somersville Road to the east, and Ygnacio Valley Road-Kirker Pass Road and Buchanan Road to the south (see Figure 1-1). For the purposes of assessing travel times, the 10 th Street/Somersville Road was defined as the starting point for the network, and the I-680/Ygnacio Valley interchange as the end point. ECTMS participants include the Regional Transportation Planning Committee for Central County (TRANSPAC) and East County (TRANSPLAN), which include the cities of Walnut Creek, Concord, Clayton, Pittsburg and Antioch, and Contra Costa County. The Contra Costa Transportation Authority is overseeing this study. To guide the development of the ECTMS, a Policy Advisory Committee (PAC), composed of elected officials from TRANSPLAN and TRANSPAC, was established. Technical recommendations were provided to the PAC by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), composed of staff from TRANSPAC and TRANSPLAN jurisdictions, the County and CCTA. The members of the PAC and TAC are listed in the Acknowledgements provided at the beginning of this report. 1-1 August 10, 2001

19 Ventura Meadows Solano County Contra Costa County Port Chicago Hwy. Marina Alhambra Vista Muir Shell Howe Arnold Center 4 Morello 680 Pacheco Bl. Waterfront Muir. Solano Wy. Arnold Arnold Industrial Pl. Grant St. 242 Port Chicago Hwy. Industrial Wy. Olivera Panoramic Pass Evora. Evora Willow Pass W. Leland 4 Frontage Rairoad Ave. Civic Pheasant Bliss Harbor St. E. Leland Buchanan Pittsburg California North Park Bl. Loveridge California Heatherwood Century Delta Fair James Donlon Blvd. Somersville Antioch Mahogany Wy. 10th St. Alhambra Concord Grant St. Willow Nortonville Bl. Reliez Valley Taylor Bl. Gregory Ln. Boyd Contra Costa Bl. Woodworth Ln. Meridian Park Bl. Diamond Bl. Burnett 680 Commerce Monument Bl. Mohr Ln. Clayton Oak Grove Bl. Concord Blvd. Concord Cowell Clayton Ayers Bailey Alberta Wy. Myrtle Concord Blvd. Kirker Clearbrook Clayton Pass Clayton Oak Park Bl. Coggins Treat Geary Sunnyvale Main St.. Jones San Carlos Bancroft Valley Via Shadelands Monte Deer Hill Springhill Pleasant Hill Stanley Bl. San Luis California Oak Civic Main St. Walden Walnut Blvd. Homestead Marchbanks Ygnacio Tampico Walnut Walnut Creek Ave. Key Study Area Boundary 24 Mt. Diablo Bl. Newell Blvd. S. Broadway Olympic Bl. Rudgear P00162 DKS Associates Danville Bl. 680 Livorna Figure 1-1 Study Area

20 1.2 Purpose and Objectives of the ECTMS Before work began on this project, the PAC convened to develop a paper called Purpose, Objectives, and Principles of Governance. This document, which is shown in Appendix A, provided the framework for proceeding with the ECTMS. Below are the purposes and objectives that the PAC developed in May 2000, then adopted in September The purposes of the ECTMS are to: 1. Analyze the benefits and impacts of establishing additional traffic control points and other traffic management strategies in East County to complement the existing and proposed Traffic Management Programs in Central County; 2. Perform qualitative analysis of the impacts of the TMPs on SR 4 during construction; and 3. Develop an East-Central TMP that integrates existing, planned, and proposed transportation projects and programs. The objectives of the ECTMS are to: 1. Manage operations of the local arterial street system of affected jurisdictions to improve overall mobility during the morning peak period; 2. Coordinate arterial and freeway operations to ensure efficient operations of both facilities within the SR 4 corridor; 3. Establish a program that provides flexibility in addressing anticipated future traffic growth within the Study Area; and 4. Avoid diversion of traffic onto neighborhood streets. Throughout this study, and especially during the public outreach process, the above purposes and objectives served as reliable guidelines for piloting the ECTMS work effort toward successful completion. 1-3 August 10, 2001

21 2. EXISTING CONDITIONS In this section, the existing conditions for the ECTMS study area are summarized. More detail on the data collected for this study is provided in Appendix B. 2.1 Roadway System Summary There are two primary ways to reach Walnut Creek and the I-680/SR 24 interchange from Antioch and Pittsburg: 1) via SR 4 to SR 242 to I-680; or 2) via Kirker Pass Road to Ygnacio Valley Road. Within Antioch and Pittsburg, 10 th Street, Somersville Road, Loveridge Avenue, Leland Road, Buchanan Road, and Railroad Avenue are the primary means by which drivers gain access to either SR 4 or to Kirker Pass Road. Freeways State Route 4 (SR 4) is the major freeway corridor for northeastern Contra Costa County communities. In the Antioch/Pittsburg area, SR 4 has two lanes of travel for each direction and no HOV lanes. Before reaching the interchange with SR 242, SR 4 widens to three lanes in each direction at Bailey Road. HOV lanes are present on SR 4 between Bailey Road and SR 242. SR 4 was under construction during the data collection period for this study, as it was being widened between Bailey Road and Railroad Avenue to four lanes, including an HOV lane, in each direction. State Route 242 (SR 242) is a short connector freeway that runs north-south between SR 4 and I-680. At the start of this study in May 2000, there were two lanes of travel in each direction on SR 242 and a widening project was under construction. By January 2001, SR 242 had been widened from four lanes to six lanes. Interstate 680 (I-680) runs north south through the study area and is the major freeway connection between Solano, Contra Costa, and Santa Clara Counties. The segment between SR 242 and SR 24 is 5 lanes wide in each direction. There are currently no HOV lanes along this segment of I-680, but HOV lanes are scheduled to be added to I-680 between North Main Street and the Benicia-Martinez bridge in Arterials 10 th Street/Pittsburg-Antioch Highway runs east-west to the north of, and roughly parallel to, SR 4. It is four lanes wide near the intersections with Railroad Avenue and Somersville Road, but only two lanes wide through most of the study area. Typically, there are left-turn bays at major intersections along 10 th Street. California Avenue is a frontage road of SR 4 on the north side of the freeway providing a connection between Railroad Avenue and Loveridge Avenue. California is one lane in each direction, with left-turn bays at major intersections. 2-1 August 10, 2001

22 Leland Road/Delta Fair Boulevard runs east-west from Somersville Road in the east, to Railroad Avenue and on to Bailey Road in the west. Leland/Delta Fair has two lanes of travel in each direction, with bays at major intersections. Adjacent land uses vary commercial, residential, and college properties are all represented. Leland Road will be extended westbound to Willow Pass Road in Concord in the future. Buchanan Road is a two-lane road that runs east-west through southern Antioch and Pittsburg. Buchanan serves as a primary connection between Somersville Road and Railroad Avenue. Buchanan primarily provides access to residential areas. Typically, there are leftturn bays at major intersections along Buchanan Road, including dual left-turn lanes at Railroad. Somersville Road runs north-south in Antioch, with an interchange with SR 4. Somersville provides a connection between 10 th Street and Buchanan Road. It is typically two lanes in each direction, with turn bays at major intersections. The adjacent properties to Somersville Road in the study area are primarily commercial. Loveridge Avenue is a north-south roadway that connects 10 th Street and Buchanan Road. There is an interchange with SR 4 on Loveridge Avenue. Typically, there are left-turn bays at major intersections along Loveridge Avenue. Loveridge Avenue has four lanes around the interchange and to the north of SR 4, but there are only two lanes on the southern section of Loveridge. Railroad Avenue is a north-south roadway in Pittsburg that primarily provides access to commercial properties. Railroad Avenue has two lanes in each direction, with left-turn bays at all signalized intersections, and an interchange with SR 4. Kirker Pass Road runs northeast-southwest between Buchanan Road to Clayton Road, and is the primary arterial corridor for traffic from Antioch and Pittsburg going to the Central County area. Kirker Pass Road is four lanes from the City of Pittsburg to Myrtle Drive, and then 6 lanes to Clayton Road. At this point, Kirker Pass Road becomes Ygnacio Valley Road, and continues to Walnut Creek. Typically, there are left-turn bays at major intersections along Kirker Pass Road. Ygnacio Valley Road runs northeast-southwest between Clayton Road and I-680 in Walnut Creek. From Clayton Road to Park Highlands, Ygnacio Valley Road has three lanes of travel in each direction. It narrows to four lanes from Park Highlands to Oak Grove, where it goes to six lanes again through the City of Walnut Creek. Ygnacio Valley Road provides access to a variety of land uses, including residential areas, commercial properties, and professional services locations. Ygnacio Valley Road has left-turn bays at major intersections. 2.2 Data Collection Extensive field observations and data collection were conducted to measure existing conditions. The activities were performed during May Consistent with the focus of the ECTMS, the observations and data collection focused on the AM commute period (5 to 9 AM) and the westbound/southbound traffic flows. The data collected includes daily traffic volumes, intersection turning movement volumes, travel times, queue lengths, saturation flow rates, and average vehicle occupancy numbers. Because similar data collection activities 2-2 August 10, 2001

23 were performed as part of the Concord Study, the data collection activities for the ECTMS focused on locations within the East County portion of the study area. Data from the Concord Study included traffic volumes, travel times, saturation flow rates, and queue lengths recorded at various times from 1997 up to April and June of The discussion in the remainder of this section emphasizes the data collected specifically for the ECTMS. Traffic Volumes Daily traffic volumes were recorded on several arterial segments throughout the study area. Within Antioch and Pittsburg, the data indicates that east-west traffic is distributed fairly evenly across California Avenue, Leland Road, and Buchanan Road, but the east-west traffic is lower on 10 th Street. Along the Kirker Pass-Ygnacio Valley corridor, daily volumes generally increase with proximity to Walnut Creek, reaching a peak in the Homestead Road area before decreasing near I-680. In addition to the daily segment counts, AM period turn movement counts were conducted at several intersections In the Antioch and Pittsburg area, the primary flow of traffic is in a west and south direction, as expected. Generally speaking, traffic volumes increase as one proceeds west along the Kirker Pass Road/Ygnacio Valley Road corridor. The vast majority of traffic exiting the Kirker Pass/Ygnacio Valley Road corridor turns north on the cross streets. A considerable portion of westbound traffic coming from East County over the Kirker Pass was found to exit the corridor to the north in Concord; significant traffic from north and south also enters here. Travel Time Floating vehicle surveys 1 were conducted on several routes within the study area to determine travel time (see Figure 2-1). In general, two overall routes between the Somersville/10 th intersection and the I-680/Ygnacio Valley interchange were examined: 1) via arterial roadways including Kirker Pass/Ygnacio Valley, and 2) via the freeways (SR4/SR 242/I-680). As part of the arterial option, several alternatives within Antioch and Pittsburg were examined. In addition, travel times along two routes between the Somersville/10 th intersection and the Bay Point BART station near the SR 4/Bailey Road interchange were also recorded. The travel times were determined from multiple runs along each route recorded at various times throughout the AM commute period. For those traveling through the entire corridor, the freeway option is expected to be faster than the arterial options in each hour of the AM commute period. The average travel time for the freeway option is just over 29 minutes, whereas the average arterial travel time is over 38 minutes. The average travel time through Antioch/Pittsburg from 10 th Street/Somersville Road to Railroad Avenue/Pheasant Drive is roughly equal for all five arterial routes, with the route via Loveridge Road/Buchanan Road showing the shortest maximum travel time at just over 15 1 A floating vehicle survey is conducted by having a vehicle travel with the average flow of traffic and noting the time traveled at specified locations. 2-3 August 10, 2001

24 Ventura Meadows Solano County Contra Costa County Port Chicago Hwy. Marina Alhambra Vista Muir Shell Howe Arnold Center 4 Morello 680 Pacheco Bl. Waterfront Muir. Solano Wy. Arnold Arnold Industrial Pl. Grant St. 242 Port Chicago Hwy. Industrial Wy. Olivera Panoramic Pass Evora. Evora Willow Pass W. Leland 4 Frontage Rairoad Ave. Civic Pheasant Bliss Harbor St. E. Leland Buchanan Pittsburg California North Park Bl. Loveridge * California Heatherwood Century Delta Fair James Donlon Blvd. Somersville Antioch Mahogany Wy. 10th St. Alhambra Concord Grant St. Willow Nortonville Bl. Reliez Valley Taylor Bl. Gregory Ln. Boyd Contra Costa Bl. Woodworth Ln. Meridian Park Bl. Diamond Bl. Burnett 680 Commerce Monument Bl. Mohr Ln. Clayton Oak Grove Bl. Concord Blvd. Concord Cowell Clayton Ayers Bailey Alberta Wy. Myrtle Concord Blvd. Kirker Clearbrook Clayton Pass Clayton Oak Park Bl. Coggins Treat 24 Mt. Diablo Bl. Deer Hill Springhill Pleasant Hill Stanley Bl. Olympic Geary San Luis Bl. Sunnyvale Main St.. California Newell Blvd. Oak Civic Main St. Jones Walden Walnut Blvd. Homestead S. Broadway Marchbanks San Carlos Ygnacio Tampico Bancroft Valley Shadelands Walnut Walnut Creek Via Monte Ave. Arterial Travel Time Routes Freeway Travel Time Routes Concord Study Data Rudgear Danville Bl. P00162 DKS Associates 680 Livorna Figure 2-1 Travel Time Routes

25 minutes, and the route via Loveridge Road/California Avenue showing the longest maximum travel time at almost 21 minutes. In a comparison of travel times between 10 th Street and Somersville Road and the Bay Point BART station, the freeway option is expected to be faster during every hour interval, except for between six and seven AM when all three routes take nearly the same amount of time. The average travel time for the route via Somersville Road, Delta Fair Boulevard, Leland Road and Bailey Road was 15 minutes 38 seconds, whereas the average travel time for the route via 10 th Street and Bailey Road was 15 minutes and 21 seconds. The maximum travel times for routes solely within East County were observed around 7:00 AM, plus or minus approximately fifteen minutes. For the Kirker Pass/Ygnacio Valley trunkline and freeway routes, maximum travel times occurred slightly later, at 7:30 AM and 7:40 AM respectively. In the Concord Study, the reported average travel time for the segment of Kirker Pass Road/Ygnacio Valley Road between Pheasant Drive and Oak Grove Road was 19:22 during the period between 6:30 and 8:30 AM. Over the same segment and period, the data collected for this ECTMS study indicated an average travel time of 18:28. Queue Lengths Queue lengths, or number of cars waiting during a red light, can be a useful indicator of system performance. As part of the Concord Study, extensive queue length data were collected at several intersections throughout the Central County area (See Section 2.3 below). For this study, aerial photographs were taken to capture queuing characteristics throughout the study area. Flight runs over the study were conducted every 30 minutes between 6 AM and 9 AM (earlier runs were not possible due to insufficient daylight). For each flight, a series of photos were taken to capture the entire East County study network and the Kirker Pass/Ygnacio Valley corridor. These photos provide a snapshot of queue conditions at different times during the morning commute period. While such photos tell only part of the story for locations where queues are short and typically clear each cycle, they are extremely valuable for locations such as at Oak Grove Road or on SR 4 where queues can become quite long. In addition to the aerial photos, general observations of queue lengths, particularly at locations throughout the East County area, were made. These observations typically did not involve the collection of detailed data such as that collected for the Concord Study, but rather focussed on periodic observation of conditions at various locations. However, a limited set of queue length data was collected at selected signalized intersections. These observations were made at varying times of day. Along SR 4, the primary bottleneck in the Pittsburg/Antioch area is located near the Railroad Avenue on-ramp. Queues were observed to begin forming around 5:30 AM, and were still present at 9 AM. In the peak, the queues extend as far back as A Street in Antioch, a distance of about five miles. On the westbound approach to the Leland Road/Railroad Avenue intersection, early morning (6:30 AM) queues averaged approximately 26 vehicles, whereas late morning (8:30 AM) queues averaged approximately 5 vehicles. At the peak near 7:30, 2-5 August 10, 2001

26 southbound queues at this intersection averaged approximately 11 vehicles. For all approaches, queues typically cleared each cycle. At most other locations in the East County area, queues were typically short and cleared each cycle. The exception to this occurs along Buchanan Road between Railroad Avenue and Loveridge Road. For westbound traffic, the combination of high volume, a single travel lane, and signals at multiple locations, including a school crossing at Harbor Street, result in what is essentially a slow-moving queue along this segment. On the southbound approach at Buchanan Road/Railroad Avenue, average queues of approximately 12 vehicles were observed. 2.3 General Observations In addition to the data that were collected, observations were made during three weekdays in May, 2000: Tuesday May 16, Wednesday May 17, and Tuesday May 23. Observation times were 5 AM to 9 AM. There were no apparent major incidents on the surface streets or freeway on those days. The weather was generally clear (there was some fog early in the mornings, but it did not have any visible impact on traffic). Freeway Observations Commuters traveling from Antioch or Pittsburg to Central County, Alameda County, San Francisco, or Santa Clara County face a long commute. As a result, traffic problems begin in the study area earlier in the morning commute than one might observe at other locations. Also, the duration of congestion on the freeway is significant (three to four hours). On the three days that the freeway was observed, there was significant congestion for westbound traffic on SR 4. Queues were observed as early as 5:30 AM, and were still present at 9 AM. The main bottleneck occurred west of Railroad Avenue, just past the on-ramp merge. This section has the highest volumes of any two-lane section on SR 4 (the freeway widens to three lanes over Willow Pass), and the demand exceeds capacity. The situation was exacerbated by the fact that there is construction in the section west of Railroad Avenue, and the barriers and narrow lanes reduce capacity. Also, there was considerable friction between the heavy onramp volumes at Railroad Avenue, and the through movement on SR 4. The net impact is that queues extended as far back as A Street in Antioch. Beyond the bottleneck at Railroad, westbound SR 4 operated reasonably well. While there was some minor slowing over Willow Pass, no queues formed. Southbound traffic on SR 242 was intermittently observed between SR 4 and I-680 during construction of that segment. Southbound traffic on I-680 between SR 242 and the Ygnacio Valley Road interchange was consistently slow moving in the AM commute period. East County (Pittsburg/Antioch) Observations In general, the heaviest movement in East County was westbound on Buchanan Road to southbound Railroad Avenue. Queues on Buchanan Road formed at the intersections of Loveridge Road, Suzanne Drive, Harbor Street, and Railroad Avenue. The biggest bottleneck was at Railroad, with queues of westbound traffic backed up several hundred feet. Further 2-6 August 10, 2001

27 east, there was stop and go traffic and rolling queues, as traffic slowed through the signals at Loveridge Road and Harbor Street. There was also heavy movement on westbound Leland Avenue, with some traffic continuing west past Railroad Avenue (presumably to the BART station or SR 4), and other traffic turning left at Railroad to travel southbound. Long queues formed during each cycle at the Leland Road/Railroad Avenue intersection (particularly on Leland), but the queues generally cleared with few cycle failures. Occasionally, congestion and queues were observed on westbound Pittsburg-Antioch Highway between Somersville Road and Loveridge Road. The apparent bottleneck was the signal at Loveridge, which also had heavy northbound traffic. The train tracks on Loveridge Road south of Pittsburgh-Antioch Highway may have caused occasional delays, resulting in queues extending nearly to Somersville. More commonly, queues were relatively short, although traffic was consistently heavy on Pittsburg-Antioch Highway. Most other intersections in the area operated reasonably well. There was only minimal queuing at the signals at the SR 4 interchanges with Railroad, Loveridge, and Somersville. Traffic on Delta Fair Boulevard and the north-south streets (Railroad, Loveridge, and Somersville) generally operated efficiently. Concord Observations Over Kirker Pass, speeds were as high as 60 to 70 mph in the early part of the peak period (5 to 6:30 AM) and the later part of the peak period (after 8:30 AM). During the middle of the peak, as traffic flows increased, speeds were slightly lower (50 mph) as the number of platoons increased in size and frequency. However, there were no significant delays for westbound vehicles until Clayton Road. The operations at the intersection of Kirker Pass/Ygnacio Valley Road and Clayton Road were generally satisfactory, although relatively long queues formed during each cycle. There were occasional cycle failures 2 for vehicles making a northbound left turn from Clayton onto Ygnacio Valley, but a high proportion of the northbound vehicles on Clayton continued through the intersection to Concord. Walnut Creek Observations During the unmetered periods (early and late in the peak period), there are no significant queues at the Ygnacio Valley/Oak Grove Road intersection. When metering was engaged, queues formed on Ygnacio Valley as far back as Cowell Road. Many vehicles were observed turning right onto Oak Grove, although it was not clear how many of them were jumping the queue by using the back streets (i.e., Shadelands and Via Monte). In travel time runs conducted, up to twelve minutes of delay was experienced by through vehicles. 2 A cycle failure occurs when not all of the vehicles waiting at a red light make it through the intersection when the light turns green. 2-7 August 10, 2001

28 Farther west, the performance varied. Early in the peak period, the predominant movement was westbound, and most of the green time at the downtown Walnut Creek signals was given to through traffic westbound. Very high volumes were observed, but traffic did not experience significant delays. As the peak period progressed, there was an increase in eastbound and cross-street traffic. This resulted in less green time for the westbound movement, and long queues (with some cycle failures) did occur. However, the intersections with operational problems were not consistent certain signals would back up for a few cycles, and then the problems would shift to others. Walnut and Civic were more frequently congested than most. There were often queues observed on the loop ramp to WB SR 24. The cause varied; the primary cause of the bottleneck may be the design of the ramp (and some ongoing construction) that limits the throughput of vehicles from Ygnacio Valley. At other times, there was congestion on mainline SR 24 (likely caused by the merging NB and SB I-680 traffic before the Pleasant Hill interchange), that affected the ramp. Queues on Ygnacio Valley occasionally reached as far back as the Walnut Creek BART station. 2-8 August 10, 2001