Circulation and Mobility

SECTION 4 Circulation and Mobility OVERVIEW The first phase of the circulation analysis is to address specific concerns regarding the circulation system in the vicinity of the Gateway Specific Plan area (Plan Area). These concerns include the connectivity of the internal street network, operations at specific locations within the planning area, as well as global issues related to regional circulation patterns. The following analysis and summary is intended to document the conditions of concern in order to provide a common understanding of the issues. EXISTING CONDITIONS To understand the operations of the existing mobility system in the study area, data was collected through various sources, including field reconnaissance of the area, peak period and daily vehicle traffic counts, and review of other sources including recent and ongoing studies in the area and data supplied from other public agencies, such as OCTA. The analysis of the existing traffic conditions in the vicinity of the Gateway Specific Plan area concentrated on the weekday AM and PM peak periods (7:00 to 9:00 A.M. and 4:00 to 6:00 P.M.). Some limited daily analysis is also provided. Field reviews of the existing mobility system were conducted during typical weekday morning and evening peak hours. Observations included the patterns of traffic in the study area, area with significant congestion, and conflict points between different modes in the system. In addition, general physical conditions of the streets were also documented including the locations and length of turn lanes, traffic control, provision of pedestrian and bicycle facilities, and general parking use where applicable. Highways and Streets and Highways Several significant streets are located within the study area and provide regional and local circulation, as well as access to/from the area land uses. These are described in the following paragraphs and are illustrated in Figure 4-1 (Existing Roadway Network). Regional Network The Interstate 5 (San Diego Freeway) is a major north/south route for regional interstate travel between San Diego and Los Angeles, and is located directly east of the City. It has four through lanes plus HOV lanes and some auxiliary lanes in each direction through the study area. There are full interchanges located at Crown Valley Parkway and Avery Parkway. Peak hour traffic demand at the interchanges currently causes significant congestion during the peak commuter hours. SR-73 (San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor SJHTC) is a 15-mile controlled-access tollway extending north from its interchange with I-5 south of Avery Parkway to SR-55 and I-405 near Costa 4-1

Mesa. SR-73 provides three travel lanes in each direction and has a full access interchange at Greenfield Drive in the study area. Local Network Several streets in the study area provide local mobility for the area and while some extend between communities, they do not provide the regional mobility. These include the following streets. Crown Valley Parkway is a six-lane, east/west Major Arterial that bisects the study area and provides direct access to I-5. It is used as a primary access to the area by both residents of Laguna Niguel and Mission Viejo, but also many of the businesses in the area and Saddleback College located to the east. The number of lanes varies along Crown Valley depending on the segment (6 to 8 through lanes total) and sidewalks are provided along some portions of the street, including the south side of the street between Cabot Road and the northbound I-5 ramps. In the City s General Plan Circulation Element, Crown Valley between I-5 and Greenfield Drive is listed as an Augmented Major Arterial indicating that additional lanes with enhanced intersections will be provided along this section of the street. The Average Daily Traffic (ADT) volumes along Crown Valley vary significantly from about 40,000 vehicles per day (vpd) to almost 65,000 vpd at the I-5 interchange. The capacity of Crown Valley in the study area is between 56,000 and 65,000 vpd. The City s bicycle master plan lists Crown Valley as a bicycle facility. Dedicated bike lanes are currently provided along Crown Valley to the west of the I-5 interchange. Avery Parkway is a Primary Arterial extending east from Camino Capistrano. In the study area it has four through lanes plus turn lanes and has a full interchange with I-5. Avery Parkway, in addition to providing local access to the study area, also is a key access for Saddleback College and Capistrano Valley High School to the east. The Average Daily Traffic (ADT) volumes along Avery Parkway are about 26,000 vehicles per day (vpd) and 35,000 vpd at the I-5 interchange. The capacity of Avery Parkway in the study area is about 36,000 vpd. Cabot Road is a four-lane Primary Arterial extending north from Paseo de Colinas through the study area connecting Paseo de Colinas with Crown Valley parkway and Oso Parkway to the north. Bike lanes are provided along Cabot Road through the study area and sidewalks are located along both sides of Cabot Road to the south of Crown Valley and on the west side only to the north. The current ADT along Cabot Road is about 15,000 to 16,000 vpd. The current capacity of the road is about 37,500 vpd. Paseo de Colinas is a four lane, Primary Arterial that extends westerly from its intersection with Camino Capistrano. To traverse the railroad tracks, a loop ramp is provided over the tracks between the connection with the Camino Capistrano and Cabot Road. Bike lanes are provided along Paseo de Colinas west of Cabot Road, but narrow pavement width over the bridge limits the lanes between Cabot and Camino Capistrano. Sidewalks are located along the north side of the street through the study area and along the south side west of Cabot Road. The existing ADT along Paseo de Colinas is 17,000 and 24,000 vpd. The capacity is about 37,500 vpd. 4-2

Source: Iteris, 2007. NORTH SCALE IN FEET 09223 JCS 07 FIGURE 4-1 Existing Roadway Network D21354.00 Laguna Niguel Gateway Specific Plan

Greenfield Drive is a four lane, Primary Arterial between SR-73 and Crown Valley Parkway. To the north of SR-73 and the south of Crown Valley it is a two-lane local street. Greenfield Drive provides direct access to SR-73 at its full interchange and indirect access to I-5 via Crown valley Parkway. Onstreet bike lanes are included along a portion of Greenfield Drive. Sidewalks are provided along both sides of the street. The existing ADT along Greenfield Drive is about 18,000 vpd. The capacity is about 37,500 vpd. Camino Capistrano is a two-lane, Secondary Arterial extending south from the northeast corner of the study area. Camino Capistrano provides access to numerous businesses in the area and access to the Metrolink train station. Access to/from I-5 from Camino Capistrano is provided via Avery Parkway. No direct connection is currently available between Camino Capistrano and any other key street in the study area. On-street parking is located along much of the street with diagonal parking provided near the station (however much of this parking is dedicated to the local businesses). Sidewalks are provided along the east side of the street through the study area along the business frontages and along the west side near the train station and the on-street parking. Bike lanes are also provided on Camino Capistrano. The existing ADT along Camino Capistrano in the study area is between 6,000 and 28,000 vpd. The capacity of the street ranges from about 13,000 to 30,000 vpd. Local Streets in the study area include Forbes Road, Getty Drive, and Cape Drive. These are all twolane streets and provide access to the adjacent land uses. Forbes Road to the south provides access to the Metrolink train station drop off on the west side of the tracks and the 296-space parking lot. Area access to all of these streets is provided via the signalized intersection of Forbes Road and Crown Valley Parkway. On-street parking is allowed along most of all three streets. Street Standards Current street standards for the roadways in the study area are listed in Table 4-4 (Existing Study Area Street Standards). The table also provides a comparison of the existing street conditions to the standards. Existing Traffic Volumes Turning movement counts were conducted at 15 locations, including the following locations: Avery Parkway/I-5 Northbound and Southbound ramps Avery Parkway/Marguerite Parkway Avery Parkway/Camino Capistrano Crown Valley Parway/I-5 Northbound and Southbound ramps Crown Valley Parkway/Forbes Road Crown Valley Parkway/Cabot Road Crown valley Parkway/Marguerite Parkway Crown Valley Parkway/Moulton Parkway Paseo De Colinas/Camino Capistrano Paseo De Colinas/Cabot Road Greenfield Drive/SR-73 Northbound and Southbound ramps Cabot Drive/Rapid Falls Road 4-5

Table 4-4 Existing Study Area Street Standards Street Classifications ROW Lanes ADT Capacity City of Laguna Niguel Standards Major Arterial 120 feet 6 divided 8 lanes 75,000 7 lanes 65,700 6 lanes 56,300 Primary Arterial 100 feet 4 divided 37,500 80 feet 4 undivided 25,000 60 feet 2 undivided 12,500 Study Area Streets Crown Valley Parkway Major 112 to 122 feet 8 lanes east of I-5 3 WB/4-EB east of Cabot 6 lanes west of Cabot 56,300 to 75,000 Avery Parkway Primary 100 feet 4 divided 36,000 Cabot Road Primary 90 to 100 feet 4 divided 37,500 Paseo de Colinas Primary 100 feet 4 divided 37,500 Greenfield Drive Primary 100 feet 4 divided 37,500 Camino Capistrano Secondary 90 to 100 feet 2 lanes undivided plus selected turn lanes 12,500 to 30,000 Forbes Road Local 2 lanes undivided 12,500 Vista Viejo Local 2 lanes undivided 12,500 Getty Drive Local 2 lanes undivided Up to 7,500 Cape Drive Local 2 lanes undivided Up to 7,500 The traffic counts were conducted in July 2007. However, traffic at some intersections in the area is not at peak levels since Saddleback College, located to the east of I-5, is not in full session during that time. Therefore, the count data was compared to other recent counts at some of the intersections and where applicable, volumes were increased to more accurately reflect estimated peak weekday conditions. At many of the intersections, not adjustments were required as the July data closely matched the counts collected in Spring 2007. For other intersections, volumes were increased about 4 to 6 percent to better reflect peak conditions. A summary of the AM and PM peak-hour intersection turning volumes is listed in Table 4-5 (Existing Weekday AM and PM Peak Hour Intersection Volumes). The existing weekday daily traffic volumes along selected study area roadways are listed in Table 4-6 (Existing Weekday Average Daily Link Volumes for Study Area Roadways). Intersection and Roadway Operating Conditions Existing intersection operating conditions were quantified using the Intersection Capacity Utilization (ICU) methodology. This approach was used for the existing conditions analysis in order to provide a comparison to previous traffic analysis efforts in the area. To provide a more detailed analysis of traffic operations, a microsimulation analysis model will also be developed for the study area. This simulation analysis methodology will allow for more accurate analysis of the interactions between the closely-spaced intersections in the area because it incorporates more detailed characteristics of intersection operations and allows for evaluation of vehicle progression, queuing and storage conditions, as well as potential issues related to conflicts of passenger vehicles and buses. The microsimulation model for the study area is currently being developed. 4-6

Table 4-5 Existing Weekday AM and PM Peak Hour Intersection Volumes N/S Street E/W Street Year Peak Hour NBL NBT NBR SBL SBT SBR WBL WBT WBR EBL EBT EBR 1. Marguerite Parkway Avery Parkway 2007 AM 385 500 61 176 593 293 23 242 114 509 419 334 PM 298 298 38 239 477 876 57 367 85 1162 355 225 2. I-5 Northbound Ramps Avery Parkway 2007 AM 166 4 410 0 0 0 0 393 466 308 888 0 PM 234 7 581 0 0 0 0 682 573 317 942 0 3. I-5 Southbound Ramps Avery Parkway 2007 AM 0 0 0 517 1 245 209 344 0 0 632 197 PM 0 0 0 630 2 358 324 541 0 0 679 196 4. Camino Capistrano Avery Parkway 2007 AM 0 93 74 732 98 0 108 0 455 0 0 0 PM 0 118 139 743 127 0 183 0 742 0 0 0 5. Camino Capistrano Paseo de Colinas 2007 AM 0 232 377 40 99 0 722 0 66 0 0 0 PM 0 147 671 96 246 0 619 0 55 0 0 0 6. Cabot Road Paseo de Colinas 2007 AM 0 0 0 105 0 176 0 376 152 556 687 0 PM 0 0 0 194 0 500 0 697 154 296 511 0 7. Mouton Parkway Crown Valley Parkway 2007 AM 129 771 356 112 341 85 266 787 83 165 1008 137 PM 151 586 193 179 1031 111 510 1028 134 155 1019 152 8. Marguerite Parkway Crown Valley Parkway 2007 AM 97 447 214 160 883 394 364 1651 237 303 663 69 PM 120 708 482 368 637 243 371 799 233 460 1041 58 9. I-5 Northbound Ramps Crown Valley Parkway 2007 AM 237 0 536 0 0 0 0 1173 1155 0 1912 829 PM 237 0 452 0 0 0 0 1745 1453 0 2273 827 10. I-5 Southbound Ramps Crown Valley Parkway 2007 AM 0 0 0 1230 2 884 290 1174 0 0 1527 315 PM 0 0 0 1448 0 1200 663 1345 0 0 1860 484 11. Forbes Road Crown Valley Parkway 2007 AM 68 4 71 65 3 74 86 1711 158 97 1635 89 PM 135 5 107 138 6 269 61 2133 146 88 1961 132 12. Cabot Road Crown Valley Parkway 2007 AM 92 287 369 110 118 121 242 1378 233 222 1299 101 PM 216 218 398 235 286 242 563 1718 294 222 1527 150 13. Greenfield Drive Crown Valley Parkway 2007 AM 20 77 50 439 18 95 15 885 538 461 1098 12 PM 26 47 29 676 107 363 54 1277 537 287 1092 41 14. Greenfield Drive SR-73 SB Ramps 2007 AM 0 946 287 26 319 0 0 0 0 7 0 184 PM 0 452 360 19 510 0 0 0 0 20 0 782 15. Greenfield Drive SR-73 NB Ramps 2007 AM 930 33 0 0 49 18 300 0 29 0 0 0 PM 364 97 0 0 90 8 431 0 2 0 0 0 16. Cabot Road Rapid Falls Road 2007 AM 29 653 0 0 314 63 0 0 0 98 0 44 PM 29 603 0 0 717 97 0 0 0 72 0 31 4-7

Table 4-6 Existing Weekday Average Daily Link Volumes for Study Area Roadways Street From To Capacity 2007 ADT 1. Crown Valley Parkway Glen Roack Drive Greenfield Drive 56,000 40,210 2. Crown Valley Parkway Greenfield Drive Cabot Road 56,000 49,780 3. Crown Valley Parkway Cabot Road Forbes Road 65,700 59,960 4. Crown Valley Parkway Forbes Road I-5 SB Ramp 65,700 60,200 5. Crown Valley Parkway I-5 SB Ramp I-5 NB Ramp 65,700 63,040 6. Crown Valley Parkway I-5 NB Ramp Puerta Real 75,000 65,040 7. Avery Parkway Camino Capistrano I-5 SB Ramp 36,000 25,930 8. Avery Parkway I-5 SB Ramp I-5 NB Ramp 36,000 28,170 9. Avery Parkway I-5 NB Ramp Marguerite Parkway 36,000 35,200 10. Paseo de Colinas El Sur Cabot Road 36,000 25,010 11. Paseo de Colinas Cabot Road Camino Capistrano 36,000 17,400 12. Camino Capistrano e/o Cabot Road N/A N/A 13. Camino Capistrano n/o Paseo de Colinas 13,000 5,850 14. Camino Capistrano Paseo de Colinas Avery Parkway 30,000 27,780 15. Camino Capistrano s/o Avery Parkway 18,000 8,050 16. Forbes Road n/o Crown Valley Parkway 13,000 6,650 17. Forbes Road s/o Crown Valley Parkway 13,000 4,410 18. Cabot Road Oso Parkway Vista Viejo 37,500 15,630 19. Cabot Road Vista Viejo Crown Valley Parkway 37,500 13,570 20. Cabot Road Crown Valley Parkway Paseo de Colinas 37,500 15,100 A summary of the existing intersections operating conditions (capacity analysis) is listed in Table 4-7 (Existing Weekday Peak Hour Intersection Operating Conditions). As shown in the table, all of the intersections are currently operating at acceptable levels of service (LOS) during the AM peak hour. However, four of the intersections are operating at poor or failing levels of service in during the PM peak hour. These four intersections are: Marguerite Parkway and Avery Parkway I-5 Northbound Ramps and Avery Parkway Marguerite Parkway and Crown Valley Parkway I-5 Southbound Ramps and Crown Valley Parkway While the ICU methodology does not show any poor operating conditions during the AM peak hour, it should be noted that the I-5 Southbound Ramps and Crown Valley Parkway intersection is operating at LOS D during the morning commuter peak and that queuing between intersections at the I-5 ramps does impede some movements during the hour and limits the capacity of the interchange. 4-8

Table 4-7 Existing Weekday Peak Hour Intersection Operating Conditions AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour Intersection LOS Volume/Capacity Ratio LOS Volume/Capacity Ratio 1. Marguerite Parkway/Avery Parkway C 0.791 F 1.215 2. I-5 NB Ramps/Avery Parkway C 0.704 E 0.979 3. I-5 SB Ramps/Avery Parkway A 0.583 C 0.731 4. Camino Capistrano/Avery Parkway A 0.384 A 0.458 5. Camino Capistrano/Paseo De Colinas A.0484 A 0.545 6. Cabot Road/Paseo De Colinas A 0.555 B 0.621 7. Crown Valley Parkway/Moulton Parkway A 0.525 B 0.646 8. Marguerite Parkway/Crown Valley Parkway C 0.776 F 1.141 9. I-5 NB Ramps/Crown Valley Parkway A 0.533 A 0.581 10. I-5 SB Ramps/Crown Valley Parkway D 0.830 F 1.174 11. Forbes Road/Crown Valley Parkway A 0.526 C 0.758 12. Cabot Road/Crown Valley Parkway B 0.635 D 0.818 13. Crown Valley Parkway/Greenfield Drive A 0.545 B 0.628 14. SR-73 SB Ramps/ Greenfield Drive A 0.484 A 0.536 15. SR-73 NB Ramps/ Greenfield Drive A 0.529 A 0.469 16. Cabot Road/Rapid Falls Road A 0.300 A 0.319 The daily operating conditions for selected street segments in the study area are listed in Table 4-8 (Existing Daily Street Segment Operating Conditions). The analysis indicates that all but four of the analyzed links in the study area are currently operating at acceptable conditions on a daily basis. The street sections operating at LOS E are Crown Valley Parkway between Cabot Road and the I-5 Northbound Ramps and Avery Parkway between the I-5 Northbound Ramps and Marguerite Parkway. All of these street sections have previously been identified as street sections that need lanes added. Transit The study area is served by both Metrolink rail service and OCTA bus service, although both provided limited scheduled service. The existing transit routes are discussed below and are illustrated in Figure 4-2 (Transit and Bicycle Facilities). Metrolink Train Service The Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo station is located between Forbes Road and Camino Capistrano to the south of Crown Valley Parkway. The station is accessible from both the east and west sides by pedestrians with drop-off areas provided on both sides. A turnaround area is provided on Camino Capistrano. 4-9

Table 4-8 Existing Daily Street Segment Operating Conditions Street From To Capacity 2007 ADT V/C Ratio LOS 1. Crown Valley Parkway Glen Roack Drive Greenfield Drive 56,000 40,210 0.72 C 2. Crown Valley Parkway Greenfield Drive Cabot Road 56,000 49,780 0.88 D 3. Crown Valley Parkway Cabot Road Forbes Road 65,700 59,960 0.91 E 4. Crown Valley Parkway Forbes Road I-5 SB Ramp 65,700 60,200 0.92 E 5. Crown Valley Parkway I-5 SB Ramp I-5 NB Ramp 65,700 63,040 0.96 E 6. Crown Valley Parkway I-5 NB Ramp Puerta Real 75,000 65,040 0.87 D 7. Avery Parkway Camino Capistrano I-5 SB Ramp 36,000 25,930 0.72 C 8. Avery Parkway I-5 SB Ramp I-5 NB Ramp 36,000 28,170 0.78 C 9. Avery Parkway I-5 NB Ramp Marguerite Parkway 36,000 35,200 0.98 E 10. Paseo de Colinas El Sur Cabot Road 36,000 25,010 0.69 B 11. Paseo de Colinas Cabot Road Camino Capistrano 36,000 17,400 0.48 A 12. Camino Capistrano e/o Cabot Road N/A N/A N/A N/A 13. Camino Capistrano n/o Paseo de Colinas 13,000 5,850 0.45 A 14. Camino Capistrano Paseo de Colinas Avery Parkway 30,000 27,780 0.93 E 15. Camino Capistrano s/o Avery Parkway 18,000 8,050 0.45 A 16. Forbes Road n/o Crown Valley Parkway 13,000 6,650 0.51 A 17. Forbes Road s/o Crown Valley Parkway 13,000 4,410 0.34 A 18. Cabot Road Oso Parkway Vista Viejo 37,500 15,630 0.42 A 19. Cabot Road Vista Viejo Crown Valley Parkway 37,500 13,570 0.36 A 20. Cabot Road Crown Valley Parkway Paseo de Colinas 37,500 15,100 0.40 A During a typical weekday, there are fifteen trains (between 4:10 A.M. to 6:30 A.M.) to and fourteen trains from (between 6:30 A.M. to 7:45 P.M.) Los Angeles s Union Station and Oceanside daily. On Saturday and Sunday there are seven inbound (about 7:00 A.M. to 6:00 P.M.) and seven outbound trains (about 9:00 A.M. to 10:00 P.M.) per day running between the station and Union Station to the north and Oceanside to the south. OCTA and Metrolink plan to expand service to the station to 30-minute headways. This change is expected to increase train ridership and encourage use of the Metrolink service by those whose needs may currently be outside of the Metrolink service schedule for this station. Expansion of the station facilities to accommodate this proposed expansion is being studied as part of this planning effort and through other concurrent OCTA planning work. Parking for Metrolink station is provided in a 296-space parking lot at the south end of Forbes Road. The parking lot has varied occupancy with counts conducted in spring 2007 indicating the lot had a peak occupancy of about 59 percent (175 vehicles). However, aerial surveys from other sources have shown the lot to be as high as 80 percent (238 vehicles). An image of the parking lot during this peak occupancy is shown in Figure 4-3 (Metrolink Parking Occupancy). On-street parking is also available along portions of Camino Capistrano. 4-10

Source: Iteris, 2007. NORTH SCALE IN FEET 09223 JCS 07 FIGURE 4-2 Transit and Bicycle Facilities D21354.00 Laguna Niguel Gateway Specific Plan

Source: Iteris, 2007. 09223 JCS 07 FIGURE 4-3 Metrolink Parking Occupancy D21354.00 Laguna Niguel Gateway Specific Plan

OCTA Bus Service Limited OCTA bus service is provided to the study area via three routes Routes 82, 85, and 490. The following describes the general service provided by each route. Route 82 Foothill Ranch to Laguna Niguel Service between Foothill Ranch Towne Centre and Saddleback College. Service extends to/from the Metrolink station with 7 buses stopping at the station between 6:25 and 9:30AM and 9 buses stopping between 2:15 and 6:15PM. Weekend service is not provided to the station. Route 85 Mission Viejo to Dana Point Service extends between Portola Plaza and Dana Point Harbor with service to the study area provided along Crown Valley Parkway. Buses operate between approximately 5:30AM and 10:30PM with buses approximately every half hour. Weekend service is provided between approximately 7AM and 6PM with buses about 50 minutes apart. Route 490 Laguna Niguel/Mission Viejo Metrolink Station to Aliso Viejo Service extends between the Metrolink station and Aliso Viejo with 6 buses between 6:30 and 8:50AM and 5 buses between 3:50 and 6:20PM. The service route for this bus is along Crown Valley Parkway to the west and Forbes Road. No weekend service is provided on the route. At this time no planned service changes are proposed for these three routes. Bicycle As previously discussed, bike lanes are provided along several of the major streets in the study area. These include Crown Valley Parkway, Paseo de Colinas, Cabot Road, and portions of Camino Capistrano and Greenfield Drive. High traffic volumes and speeds along some of these streets make bike riding challenging for less experienced riders. However, field observations indicated that the lanes are regularly used by cyclists. The City s Current General Plan and the Bicycle and Trails Master Plan propose to extend a Class I bikeway (off-street trail) through the project area with a facility along or near Forbes Road that will extend from Paseo de Colinas north to either Camino Capistrano and/or Cabot Road. The existing and planned bike facilities in the study area are illustrated in Figure 4-2. Missing segments in the bike lanes in the area include a section of Crown Valley Parkway east of Forbes Road, Greenfield Drive south of SR-73, and Paseo de Colinas connecting to Camino Capistrano. Where sidewalks are provided, the width is generally wide enough for inexperienced riders to use the sidewalk if needed to avoid heavy traffic. Traffic signals in the area generally provide enough time for crossing when auto traffic is present; however, push buttons and/or automatic detection for bicycles was not evident during the field inspections. In the current general plan there is a recommendation to add a bicycle underpass at the intersection of Crown Valley Parkway with Moulton Parkway. This intersection experiences high peak-hour volumes during the weekdays and is also heavily traveled during the weekends. 4-15

Pedestrian Sidewalks, crosswalks, and pedestrian walk lights are provided through much of the study area. Some missing sidewalk connections along selected streets make connections on foot between some uses difficult. Sections where sidewalks do not currently exist include north side of Crown Valley Parkway between Cabot and I-5 ramps, east side of Cabot Road north of Crown Valley, and the east and west sides of Camino Capistrano north of train station and the west side between Paseo de Colinas and the train station. Adequate sidewalk widths are available at nearly all locations where sidewalks are present. Topography in the area limits some connections, as well as geographic features such as the Oso Creek and Galivan retarding basin. The railroad tracks along Camino Capistrano also limit east/west, atgrade crossings. ISSUES AND CONSTRAINTS Accessibility to the study area is limited by several key factors. While the Plan Area benefits from its proximity to the I-5 corridor, the existing interchanges experience heavy use during many hours of the day and development near them limits the ability to provide any significant capacity increases. In addition, intersection spacing at the interchange ramps limits the turn lane capacities and signal sequencing options to improve traffic flow. The project area currently lacks multiple access points to the surrounding arterial system other than at Forbes Road and Crown Valley Parkway. This concentrates project-related vehicles at an already congested area of the network. Additional connections to the external system need to be provided to distribute traffic more evenly and provide drivers with alternatives to Crown Valley Parkway. SR-73 may provide needed future access to the area as an alternative to the I-5 corridor; however, access to the SR-73 corridor is indirect and relies on use of Crown Valley Parkway for access to this corridor. At locations where additional capacity will be needed, there is little available land to provide adequate right-of-way for street expansions. This will limit the ability to accommodate a significant increase in area traffic and will increase the need to provide improved transit services and travel demand management programs. Future interchange expansion at the I-5 Interchanges ramps at Crown Valley Parkway and Avery Parkway have been identified as future projects; however, funding for significant roadway improvements will dictate the timing of many future improvements in the area. Future street extension projects are also planned and/or proposed to address connectivity. These include widening Crown Valley Parkway between Forbes Road and the I-5 Interchange, widening Avery Parkway between Camino Capistrano and Marguerite Parkway, extending Camino Capistrano north to Cabot Road at Vista Viejo, and extending Forbes Road north to Cabot Road. The Camino Capistrano extension is being lead by the City of Mission Viejo. The Forbes Road extension will be needed to accommodate future project traffic. And, the Crown Valley and Avery Parkway widening project will depend on the availability of funding to complete. As previously noted, both of these streets are currently experiencing capacity issues during the peak hours and on a daily basis. 4-16

The topography and geographic features adjacent to the site limit the connectivity of the project to several of the adjacent streets. The Forbes Road to Cabot Road connection must traverse either Oso Creek drainage or the Galivan retarding basin. Connection to the north for Camino Capistrano depends on crossing these water courses plus the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) tracks. In addition, the general topography of the area also limits pedestrian and bicycle connections. The UPRR Access across the railroad tracks limits connections to the Metrolink station from Camino Capistrano via auto and for pedestrians. The lack of track crossings also affects accessibility for the businesses along the corridor. 4-17