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
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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. .
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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
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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)
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Approved:
Reference Resolution Nos.
10502 (CCS) and 522
(RAS)
Reference Contract No.
9235 (CCS/RAS) and
amended Contract No.
9103 (CCS).