The URL can be used to link to this page

Home My WebLink AboutAgenda Bill 8.B 03/15/2004CITYOF'PETALUMA, CALIFORNIA AGENDA R ILL MAR 1 2004 Agenda Title Meeiing `Date: Discussion and Possible Direction on Rainier- Avenue Cross -Town 15 March 2004 Connection/Highway 101 Interchange Alignment Options for Meeting Time ❑ 3:00 PM inclusion in'the Caltrans Highway 101 Improvement Project XX 7:00 PM Catezory (check one) ❑ Consent Calendar Public- Hearing ❑New Business X Unfinished Business ❑ Presentation Department Director / Contact Person Ph one; Number Plan Administration Pamela Tuft APC�J Pamela Tuft; (707) 778 -4552 Cost of Proposal N/A Account Number N/A Amount Budgeted N/A Name of Fund: N/A Attachments to Agenda Packet Item 0 Exhibit illustrating eight 'alternative alignments for cross-town mobility improvements and Highway 101 interchanges "for, Rainier Avenue Summary Statement City Council requested discussion on the options for long -term roadway- and pathway improvement needs in the vicinity of Rainier Avenue. Preliminary analysis by the consultant teams have identified six options for interchange connection geometri'cs and two options for local street connections for the west side of the Highway (all alternatives assume a straight line connection to Rainier Avenue at North McDowell Boulevard on the east side of the Highway): Interchange Alternative Geometries: ® 1 Ori ginal EIR Configuration (modification to change original over to. underpass, .' with fult Highway.101 ,interchange) 0 2 Corona Reach Specific Plan Committee recommendation (modification to change original overpass to. underpass, with full Highway interchange — January 1998) 0 3A Underpass ,with, Splifbiamond Interchange with -Signalized Intersections 0 3B Underpass with Split Diamond Interchange, with "Roundabout Intersections 0 4 Underpass with Single Point Interchange (SPUI) Configuration 0 5 Interim Freeway Access .Alternative (no cross -town connection) Local Connection Alignment Alternatives 0 6 Cross -Town. Connection to Petaluma Boulevard North (North/South Alignment Alternatives) ® 7 Cross -Town. Connection to Petaluma Boulevard -North and Graylawn Avenue - Village Concept-Alternative Recommended City Council, Action /Suggested Motion If Council desires to forward a new i "nterchange alignftient to Caltrans, provide direction to City staff to forward a specific interchange alignment. to SCTA, Caltrans, and other appropriate transportation funding agencies with a formal request to include said project in the Highway 101 Improvement Project: Local alignment of the interchange to provide connections to existing streets would be addressed through the General Plan 2004 =2025 adoption process. R viewed b . Financ Director: Review 't torne : Approval by Cit Manager Date: 3 ate: T�d i! ' Y's ha Revision'# and Date Revised: File Code: _ {a T I 2 3 J uly 2003 c: ptACC Rainier align options 03I504.doc J . • CITY 6F'.PE:TALUMA CALIFORNIA ' 15 MARCH 20,04 AGENDA REPORT FOR (Discussion and Possible Direction on Rainier Avenue Cross =Town Connection /Highway 101 Interchange .Alignment Options for inclusion in the Caltran& Highway 101 improvement Project • E3mCUTIVE SUMMARY City Council requested discussion on the options for long -term roadway and pathway improvement needs in the vicinity of Rainier Avenue. Preliminary; analysis by the General Plan Traffic (Fehr &Peers) and Cross -Town Mobility Enhancement (HDR Engineering) consultant teams have identified. six options for interchange connection geometries and two illustrations of possible local street connections for the west side of the Highway. All alternatives assume .a straight -line connection to Rainier Avenue at North McDowell Boulevard on the east side of the Highway. The Alternatives are presented for Council consideration, should the ;Council. wish to forward a 11101 interchange to Caltrans for inclusion in the Highway widening project. The interchange and local roadway alignment options, shown 'on the attached graphic, are as follows: Interchange Alternative Geometries (options for local connection roadways, to extend the Highway 101 'interchange improvements and provide access to adjacent properties, are illustrated on Drawings #0 and #7): • 1 Original EIR Configuration (with modifications). This project would include an underpass rather than, an extended bridge and Highway 101 overpass as was originally approved from a new intersection at Petaluma Boulevard North to North McDowell Boulevard. :Includes an at -grade structure/bridge to cross the River, railroad mainline and connection to Highway 101 with a full interchange. The adopted Plan Line reflects this alignment. • 2 Corona- Reach Specific Plan Committee recommendation —January 1998 (with modifications). This project provides an underpass, rather than the originally recommended overpass, with full Highway interchange. • 3A Underpassw'th. Split Diamond Alignment with Signalized Intersections • 3B Underpass with Split Diamond Alignment with Roundabout Intersections • 4 Underpass with Single Point Interchange (SPUI)'Configuration • 5 Interim Freeway Access Alternative (no ° cross -town connection) Local Connection Alternatives • 6 Cross - Town.. Connection to Petaluma Boulevard North (North/South Alignment Alternatives) • 7 Cross -Town Connection to 'Petaluma Boulevard North and Graylawn Avenue- Village Concept Alternative. ). This project would create a new intersection on. Petaluma Boulevard North, which would be extended to North McDowell Boulevard utilizing an underpass at Highway 101 and an Page 2 2. at -grade crossing of the railroad mainline and low profile bridges crossing the ,Petaluma River. A secondary local frontage access road 'would be developed to serve the existing Oak Creek Apartments and other properties with a. connection to Graylawn Avenue. BACKGROUND Since the completion of Highway 101 the community has faced the challenge of vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian connections between the,. neighborhoods separated by thel physical barriers of the freeway railroad and river: In the mid -1960s a connection between Rainier and Petaluma Boulevard.North, with an interchange .on Highway .101, `was included in the General Plan. In the years since then the Council studied several alternative location and interchange configurations. In 19.94 the City Council approved a: pro" ect design, alternative for Rainier (overpass structure with a bridge structure over the .railroad and •river). Subsequently, in 1999 the City Council deleted the project, from the Capital Improvement Project List and suspended the funding for preliminary design work. Analysis of local servingjoadway,needs during early. work on' the Corona Reach Specific Plan in the, late 1990's, led to Council direction to staff to address, land use and mobility issues: within the new General Plan. . A brief history of a cross-town connector and US Highway 101 ;interchange at Rainier Avenue follows: 1965; The Petaluma General Plan incorporates a four -lane arterial and future cross - town connector to Petaluma Boulevard North, with a freeway interchange at IIS 101. 1987: 1994: 1995: 1;99.8: General Plan 1987 -2005 adopted including a` proposed cross -town connector and Highway interchange in the vicinity of Rainier Avenue. Council certifies an EIR and approves the Rainier overpass /intereha"nge project. City Council adopts the alignment of the project. Council adopts Resolution configuration and/or other Report. Precise Plan Line, illustrating the probable determining the preferred ,interchange design design options for preparation of the Project 1998: Council directs staff to prepare a Work Plan .and budget for , the 'project as part of the future General Plan update. 1999: Council deletes project from and halts preliminary design work on Rainier. 2001 .Council directed staff to place a cross -town connector'in the CIP project list. 2003: The preliminary analysis of a cross -town connector at Rainier, and the westward extension of Caulfield Avenue to Petaluma. Boulevard South (southern crossing)' resulted in the presentation of the Cross -Town Mobility Enhancement Alternatives Feasibility Report to the City Council on7anuary 5., 2004. 2003 -2004: General Plan 2004 -2025 Land. Use & Mobility Report prepared, including the proposed cross -town connection and Highway interchange improvement °project at Rainier Avenue. General Plan 2004 -2025 community visioning - workshops on mobility reflected, the continued divided opinions. on desired long- term roadway and' pathway improvement needs. The General Plan preparation process included the development of three land use • C7 • Page 3 l alternatives, and "the accompanying roadway improvements and other mobility options. _. These three land use /circulation alternatives have: been analyzed through the various models (surface water, transportation water supply, and fiscal) to.more fully understand the benefits, impacts, and costs associated with. the- implementation of the alternatives. The traffic modeling exercise provides information on potential measures of effectiveness by comparing: the cross -town connector scenarios; including: travel time; travel distance, volume -to- capacity; arid, qualitative bicycle and pedestrian analysis. Following public outreach and evaluation of the three alternatives, a summary of public and Commission/Committee comments will be presented to the Council with a recommendation for `identification .of the preferred land use and mobility alternative (or the combination or blending' of alternatives to result in a preferred alternative). Goals, policies and programs to implement the: preferred alternative will then be assembled into a Draft General Plan for community and Council consideration. Specific project identification and related costs associated with .the preferred alternative will be included in the Implementation Plan. -It is , assumed that authorization to proceed with preliminary design work for major capital improvements projects will follow certification of the General Plan EIR and adoption of the General Plan. ALTERNATIVES A. Discuss the alternatives presented on the attached illustration; provide direction to City staff to forward a specific Highway 101 interchange alignment to SCTA, Caltrans and other appropriate transportation. funding agencies, with a formal request to include said project in the Highway 101 Improvement Project. Alignment' of.the local roadway network connection to the interchange would be addressed through the General Plan 2004 -2025 adoption process. B. Discuss the alternatives presented k on'the attached illustration; provide direction to City to forward a specific; Highway 101 interchange and ,local alignment. C. Discuss the alteratives .,presented on the attached illustration; defer selection of a preferred Highway 101 interchange :alignment. to the Council identification of the General Plan preferred Altettiative (late,spring 2004). 4. FINANCIAL IMPACTS Any additional work:on the Rainier interchange /cross - town connection project, during the 2003 -04 budget year, would'require additional CIP budget allocation. 5. CONCLUSION If timing is critical to the inclusion of a new cross -town"' connector %Highway 101 interchange into the .Caltrans highway widening project, then identification of a specific interchange alignment may be appropriate: Truncation of the interchange geometric at either side of the Highway 101 corridor would allow the local connection route to be addressed within the context of the Draft General Plan. Inclusion of . the local roadway portion ortion of the project within . the General Plan will .lead to the identification of project specific improvements in the accompanying Implementation Plan, Capital Improvement Program, Traffic Impact Fee list of improvements and allow for a timely preparation of a Work Plan and Schedule for project implementation. Page 4 OUTCOMES. OR PERFORMANCE MEASUREMENTS THAT WILL IDENTIFY SUCCESS OR COMPLETION: Dependent on Council direction, staff will take the appropriate action. Work will 'continue with the public outreach of the three land use, and mobility alternatives. (including the cross- 'town connectors) through the General Plan preparation process. Preliminary design and project specific environmental review will occur in accordance with the approved Capital Improvement Program. 7. RECOMMENDATION If Council desires to-forward ' a:new'interchange alignment to Caltrans provide direction to City staff to forward a specific 'interchange alignment to SCTA, Caltrans, and other appropriate transportation funding agencies with..a formal request to include said project in the ; H- ighway 101 Improvement Project. Local alignment of the ;interchange would be addressed through the General. Plan 2004 -.2025 adoption process. Attachments: Exhibit illustrating eight alternative alignments for cross-town mobility improvements and Highway 101 interchanges for Rainier Avenue. If ;an, additional, copy of the Cross- Town Mobility Enhancement Alternatives Feasibility. Report (presented to Council., on January 5, - 2004) is desired, please contact the Department of General .Plan Administration at, 778 - 4552.. Page 5