pages: TransportationCommission/2017-03-22.pdf, 5
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TransportationCommission | 2017-03-22 | 5 | intersection and conduct a visual simulation for the various phases that are involved to see where conflicts reside. He also stated that he did not see signage planned for the driveway area. Commissioner Bertken replied there is a warning sign just before the driveway that says you cannot move ahead unless the lane is clear. He then said there is a sign that says if you are a car making a turn you have to yield to pedestrians and he felt that was overkill. Staff Wheeler replied that currently a stop sign is not present for cars exiting the driveway, but there will be and she said there would be a warning sign, showing that bicyclists are traveling two-ways, for cars entering and exiting the driveway. The information can be found call outs #6 and #7 of the staff report, Exhibit 5. Commissioner Vargas stated that when looking at the traffic operations reports, the Level of Service (LOS) heading westbound would stay the same and he asked Staff Wheeler if anything could be done to improve it, since the City would be spending approximately $1 million on this area. In addition, he said that since the project's costs are high, he would like to find out why they have increased. He understood that the design received significant changes while remaining cutting edge, but he wondered if it would make sense to spend the funds on testing the design with paint, rather than concrete work. Staff Wheeler said in regards to Commissioner Vargas' questions, firstly, truck traffic was analyzed and that Public Works had been a great advocate for considering the truck routes. Staff also conducted counts of the number of trucks on this block. She stated that trucks would be able to make all of the turns from one truck route to another. Secondly, she said when looking at the traffic analysis, staff could look into that if there is more time and resources. Commissioner Vargas clarified that it would be a visual simulation at Constitution Way and Atlantic Avenue, and would be useful for the right-hand turns at the southwest corner. Commissioner Vargas echoed the same concern that Commissioner Bertken expressed at this intersection. Lastly, regarding the costs, Staff Wheeler stated that the project brought to the Commission over a year ago used the existing travel lanes and did not move the curb. She explained that the previous estimate did not include soft costs (i.e. construction support and management), nor did it include a 25 percent contingency, both of which are included in the current project cost. The concrete work alone, including building the facility on the south side of the street, but not including the demo work or staging work, is approximately $260,000. She said that is one of the largest items, at a quarter of the project's total cost. She further explained that the largest cost is the signal work, estimated at $270,000, because they have to install the protected left turn phases at Constitution, and physically move some of the traffic signal poles. She noted that both of these sub-costs are without the contingency added in. Commissioner Vargas asked why the mid-block crossing was deleted. Staff Wheeler replied the City did study this and was hoping to come up with a design that directly addresses the current illegal mid-block crossings. The City looked at different locations for the mid-block crossing and how it would impact traffic and safety. She said there are no strict warrants, so the project team looked at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) for guidance criteria. They reviewed the factors such as the vehicle speed limits, collision history, visibility, pedestrian Page 5 of 14 | TransportationCommission/2017-03-22.pdf |