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SR-06-24-2010-1A ® Clty Council and ~~tY °f Redevelopment Agency Report Santa Monica City Council Meeting: June 24, 2010 Agenda Item: ~ °- To: Mayor and City Council Chairperson and Redevelopment Agency From: Eileen P. Fogarty, Director, Planning & Community Development Subject: Contract Amendment with Fehr & Peers for Downtown/Civic Center Circulation Study and Esplanade Traffic Analysis Recommended Action Staff recommends that the City Council (Council): 1) Authorize the City Manager to negotiate and execute an amendment to Contract No. 9103(CCS) with Fehr & Peers, for $198,000 which includes a 10% contingency, to provide detailed micro-simulation traffic operational analysis throughout the downtown and Civic Center for the Civic Center/Downtown circulation analysis, including traffic analysis required for the pedestrian Colorado Esplanade. The amendment will result in a total not-to-exceed two-year contract amount of $344,000; and 2) Authorize the City Manager to execute a Cooperation Agreement between the City and the Redevelopment Agency for payment of the costs associated with the EXPO Green Streets project; and 3) Adopt a resolution (Attachment A) finding the use of funds from the Redevelopment Agency for planning analysis related to the EXPO Green Streets project to be of benefit to the Earthquake Recovery Redevelopment Project Area. Staff recommends that the Redevelopment Agency (Agency): 1) Authorize the Executive Director to execute a Cooperation Agreement between the Redevelopment Agency and the City for payment of the costs associated with the EXPO Green Streets project; and 2) Adopt a resolution (Attachment B) finding the use of funds from the Redevelopment Agency for planning analysis related to the EXPO Green Streets project to be of benefit to the Earthquake Recovery Redevelopment Project Area. Executive Summary The Exposition Light Rail (Expo LRT) in Downtown will increase pedestrian activity, modify traffic signal operations, and change the pattern of bicycle, transit and vehicular traffic in the area. While the future Expo LRT is an exciting opportunity for the City, it is critical that the additional circulation demands are proactively addressed. In August 2009, the City Council approved a contract to analyze circulation alternatives to address the increased pedestrian presence at the Expo LRT terminus station and the need to preserve travel time for transit on 4th Street. In December 2009 the City Council approved a contract amendment to provide the necessary information using the specific traffic modeling program called "VISSIM" which creates a real time visual simulations in video format. VISSIM modeling is the most effective means to address how the train operation affects traffic functioning at downtown intersections. As EXPO continues to clarify their operations and headway timing, it has become clear that the VISSIM tool needs to be employed over an expanded range of intersections in the downtown to include Santa Monica and Broadway to the north (and the east end of the Downtown Transit Mall), key intersections in the Civic Center area and Lincoln Boulevard at the edge of Downtown in order to fully understand how to best address future circulation to continue optimal access to the City's Downtown and Civic Center amenities. The model will inform the decision-making process, providing visual illustrations to the community and the Council showing different combinations of solutions on key intersections in the vicinity of the proposed Expo LRT station. Additionally, the analysis will provide usable traffic data for environmental review of the pedestrian Esplanade between 4th Street and Ocean Avenue, which is proposed to remove one lane of traffic in each direction, improve bicycle access, and widen the existing sidewalks. Staff recommends that the City undertake this activity to enhance the comprehensive circulation planning in connection with the RDA-funded projects. The additional analysis requires increasing the existing Fehr & Peers contract by $198,000 for a new total of $344,000. Funds are available in the FY2010/11 Adopted Budget Expo Green Streets RDA-funded CIP account. Background At the March 24, 2009 City Council discussion on integrating planning for the Expo LRT terminus station with the Downtown/Civic Center area, circulation improvements to address pedestrian, bicycle, transit, and vehicular connections were identified as a priority. At a subsequent meeting on June 9, 2009, City Council recognized the need to proactively address circulation demands to serve the station and the Downtown/Civic Center area, and designated Redevelopment funds for "Expo Green Streets and Pathways" infrastructure improvements. The circulation analysis is a necessary next 2 step in testing the feasibility and potential effectiveness of possible infrastructure and other circulation measures throughout the entire Downtown/Civic Center area. On August 11, 2009, the City Council approved a contract with Fehr & Peers in the amount of $81,000, to analyze a range of circulation alternatives to address the increased pedestrian presence at the Expo LRT terminus station and the need to preserve travel time for transit on 4th Street. On December 8. 2009 the City Council approved a contract amendment for an additional $65,000, $29,921 of which was funded with Redevelopment funds, for the use of the VISSIM modeling tool. Because micro-simulation is a necessary tool for understanding the effects of multiple traffic change combinations required by the arrival of the Expo LRT, the contract included scope for the use of VISSIM traffic modeling tool which facilitates analysis of train operations on the roadway network. This tool creates real time scenarios for different combinations of vehicle turning movements and LRT traffic signal pre-emption while testing combined queuing information for 4th Street and the 1-10 on-and off-ramps. Discussion Incorporating the information on the actual train headways and potential train speed as it enters the station, the data reveals the extent of how the train will alter the current traffic patterns. Building on the work that has already been done, this contract amendment would expand the system wide analysis to address overall traffic function in the Civic Center/ Downtown network, using the City's demand model developed for the LUCE: Specifically, the analysis would incorporate intersections north of the off ramps, including Santa Monica Boulevard and Broadway, the next off ramp to the east at Lincoln Boulevard and areas to the west in the Civic Center area. The additional advantage of this analysis will be the opportunity to program the traffic data for the proposed Colorado Esplanade, which is proposed to remove one traffic lane in each direction, widen sidewalks, and improve bicycle access to the bike path, and utilize this information for any potential CEQA work related to the project. . 3 The next step is to analyze all the potential non-capital and capital improvements that can be made to signal timing, roadway profiles, and lane configuration that will provide a comprehensive traffic strategy for the downtown, Civic Center, and the I-10 access points. The micro-simulation will provide a real time video which will analyze a number of different options for improving the functioning of the street grid. The proposed task would entail developing and calibrating a series of combined improvemehts into the VISSIM micro-simulation software program and then using the model to evaluate both AM peak hour and PM peak hour on a typical weekday. VISSIM micro-simulation analysis is an extremely useful tool for demonstrating the effects of different transportation solutions on the surrounding streets. By adding this scope of work, Council's decision on traffic pattern modifications can be better informed by a visual simulation that: • Allows evaluation of the interaction on grid rather than by single intersections; • Allows improved evaluation of interaction between vehicles, transit, and pedestrians in the vicinity of the station; • Allows improved evaluation of LRT pre-emption effect on traffic conditions; and • Provides video animation for improved understanding of the results. Fehr & Peers was procured competitively through an RFP process in 2009. Fehr & Peers have extensive experience using the VISSIM micro-simulation software program and have provided excellent service in a compact schedule, showing they can continue to complete the work within the necessary timeframe. The Cooperation Agreements will allow the Agency to record the financial obligations as indebtedness. The resolutions must be adopted in order to make the appropriate findings as required by the Health and Safety Code Section 33445. The attached resolutions find that: 1) the use of these funds is a benefit to the Earthquake Recovery Redevelopment Project area; 2) no other reasonable means of financing for the improvements is available; 3) the payment of funds for the Project will assist in the elimination of one or more of the conditions resulting from the 1994 Northridge Earthquake disaster inside the Earthquake Recovery Redevelopment Project area; and 4 4) the project is consistent with the Redevelopment Agency's Five-Year Implementation Plan. These actions accompany . a contract amendment and are therefore presented separately from those in the Adoption of a Resolution and Authorization to Execute a Cooperation Agreement for Preconstruction Planning and Design Activities Funded with Redevelopment Funds in FY 2009-10 staff report, which is also included on tonight's agenda. Financial Impacts & Budget Actions The proposed contract amendment with Fehr & Pehrs would add $198,000 (including a 10% contingency) for additional analysis, bringing the contract total to $344,000. Funding in the amount of $198,000 is available in the FY2010l11 Adopted Budget EXPO Green Streets Account 0172073.589000. Prepared by: Sarah Lejeune, Principal Planner Forwarded to Council: Rod Gould City Manager Attachments: Attachment A: EXPO Green Streets Project (City Council Resolution) Attachment B: EXPO Green Streets Project (Redevelopment Agency Resolution) 5 Approved: Reference Resolution Nos. 10502 (CCS) and 522 (RAS) Reference Contract No. 9235 (CCS/RAS) and amended Contract No. 9103 (CCS).