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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/04/2009 06 Summitview Traffic Revisions Recommendations by Transit/Transportation Committee BUSINESS OF THE CITY COUNCIL YAKIMA, WASHINGTON AGENDA STATEMENT Item No. 6 For Meeting of August 4, 2009 ITEM TITLE: Consideration of Council Transit/Transportation Committee Recommendation regarding traffic revisions on Summitview from 72 Avenue West SUBMITTED BY: Chris Waarvick, Director of Public Works Joe Rosenlund, RE., Streets Manager/Traffic Engineer CONTACT PERSON/TELEPHONE: Joe Rosenlund, P.E., Streets Manager/Traffic Engineer (576 -6005) SUMMARY EXPLANATION: The Street Division in the performance of chip sealing Summitview from 40 to 96 Avenues accommodated the development agreement for Wall Mart by modifying the intersection at 72 and Summitview. The Street Manager/Traffic Engineer analyzed the situation and came to the conclusion that restriping Summitview from 72 to 96 from four lanes to three would provide for additional safety without significantly impacting capacity or congestion. The community in and beyond this road segment has expressed serious concerns about delay and safety_ To that end, the Council Transit/Transportation Committee (Chairman Micah Cawley and Council Members Rick Ensey and Bill Lover) met on July 29 at a specially scheduled committee meeting to take public testimony over the proposed and partially implemented revisions to the intersection and roadway west of 72 At the conclusion of public testimony_ The Council Committee directed staff to present three options for the Council to review; all of which would retain four -lane striping on Summitview west of 72 The attached report ,from Street Manager/Traffic Engineer Joe Rosenlund, P.E., contains those three options. Staff recommends Option "B" in which essentially the intersection at Summitview and 72 operates in split phase mode like 40 and Nob Hill. Each leg of traffic will receive a time allotment. This will also allow two lanes to turn left onto 72 from westbound Summitview and will allow two lanes through the intersection going west on Summitview. Please see attached report. Resolution Ordinance Other (Specify) Report from Joe Rosenlund dated July 30, 2009, the Transit/Transportation Packet, and recent emails and letters. Contract Mail to (name and address): Funding Source: Street D vi APPROVED FOR SUBMITTAL: % City Manager STAFF RECOMMENDATION: Staff was requested to provide three options for Council consideration, all of which were to reflect four -lane traffic on Summitview west of 72'. Of the three options provided, staff recommends Option 6 8A with split phase operation at the intersection. • BOARD /COMMISSION/COMMITTEE RECOMMENDATION: The Council Transit/Transportation Committee forwards the three recommendations found in the attached report from Joe Rosenlund, P.E. for full Council deliberation and action_ COUNCIL ACTION: O July 30, 2009 To: The Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council Dick Zais, City. Manager From: Joe Rosenlund, P.E. Streets & Traffic Operations Manager Re: . Summitview Conversion The Transit - Transportation Planning Committee met on July 29 to revisit the decision regarding the conversion of Summitview Avenue west of 72 Avenue to three lanes from four. There is a large group of residents and commercial interests both within and outside the city in the West Valley area that are opposed to the three lane configuration. A previous memo to the City Council (attached) outlines the major concerns raised and staffs response. After taking public comment the Committee's voted unanimously to recommend Summitview be converted back to a four lane roadway and bring three III options to the Council for the configuration of the SummitviewR2 intersection that allows for the four lane configuration. The three options staff has studied are: A. Preexisting lane configuration with protected/permitted left turn west bound. This option would work adequately in the short term operating at level of service (LOS) C. The average vehicle delay would be 28.5 seconds during the peak hour. The north bound thru -left movement on 72 Avenue would be the most impacted with an average vehicle delay of 45.3 seconds at LOS D. Two issues with this configuration is the left turn storage for west bound Summitview Avenue and the development agreement with Wal-Mart. Approximately 85 feet of storage is available for the west bound left turn. This is enough storage for about 3.5 automobiles or 1 truck and .5 vehicles. Analysis shows that a minimum of 140 feet is needed to safely store vehicles during the peak hour of traffic. There is not enough road width on Summitview to provide that storage. Because of the location on the curve in Summitview the safety issue related to the lack of adequate storage is more of a concern. The anticipated increase in left turn traffic related to the opening of Wal -Mart would exasperate the situation. The development agreement with Wal -Mart specifies calls for a double -left turn for west ® bound Summitview. This requirement was a result of the traffic study required for the Wal -Mart site development to mitigate the expected new traffic. Wal -Mart is required to pay for the cost of the signal equipment needed to make the change. This equipment • has been installed and a bill has been sent to Wal -Mart. B. Split phase operation allowing a left/thru-left lane usage west bound. The operation of option B would be similar to that of the intersection of Nob Hill and 40 Each leg of the intersection will get its own green time during the signal cycle unshared with the other legs. Split -phase operation is normally less efficient than other operational patterns but does allow additional lane use options in constrained intersection such as this. Option B has the lowest operational capacity of the three proposed. The average vehicle delay would be 35.5 seconds during the peak hour for a LOS D. The east bound traffic on Summitview would be the most impacted with an average vehicle delay of 44.9 seconds at LOS D. Left turn storage is not an issue with this option. The west bound left turns and the west bound thru traffic share an approach lane with an additional left turn lane becoming available within 85 feet of the intersection. Option B is the intersection configuration called for in the Wal -Mart development agreement. C. Leave the intersection in its existing configuration and change Summitview back to four lanes west of 72 Option C is the most efficient of the - three options by about one second of average delay. It operates at LOS C during the peak period with 34.5 seconds of average vehicle delay. The west bound left turn has the longest delay of all the movements with 41.7 seconds. With the implementation of this intersection configuration there have been some problems with drivers identifying the appropriate lane to be in at the intersection. Lane striping, pavement markings and signing was installed up to 500 feet in advance of the formation of the "trap lane" to inform drivers of the upcoming lane usage. Additional signage further in advance may be required to give drivers time to select the appropriate lane. One concern with this option is where to expand Summitview back to two thru lanes west bound. The safest location would be west of 74 Avenue. Expanding the road before 74 would create a situation where a larger vehicle obscures an adjacent vehicle passing on its left from a person making a left off of 74 Beginning the lane west of 74 would also allow a short left turn lane for east bound traffic turning at 74 This is one of the busier turning points on this segment of Summitview_ If this option is selected, we would we would widen the west bound lane between 72 and 74 to provide for truck movement at the intersection as requested by several citizens. 0 Another concern with this option is the increased speeding that may result from this configuration. Drivers' perception will be that they will have only a short distance to pass slower vehicles after they were restricted to one lane through the intersection. This is likely to lead to higher speeds and more lane changes than existed before the change to three lanes. Option C is in conformance with the Wal -Mart development agreement. Recommendation Staff recommends that intersection configuration B be implemented with the conversion of Summitview Avenue back to four lanes. Although it is the least efficient operationally it is the safest option and conforms to the Wal -Mart development agreement. Option A is not recommended primarily for the reasons related to the left turn storage issue. The operational advantages are not significant enough to outweigh the safety concerns. Option C is not recommended. It makes little sense to merge west bound through traffic to one lane only to open it back to two lanes within a three block area. This creates undue lane change maneuvers and will likely lead to a greater speeding problem to the west. S • STOKES LAWRENCE VELIKANJE MOORE & SHOR OFFICE- CF CITY y LIrY (L Brendan V. Monahan (509) 853-3000 hrendan.monahaniiistokeslaw.com Reply to Yakima Office July 29, 2009 Councilman Micah Cawley Chair, Transportation Subcommittee Yakima City Council 129 N. 2 " Street Yakima. Washington 98901 Re: Proposed "Lane Diet" for Summitview Avenue ID Dear Councilman Cawley: Thank you for taking the time to speak with me earlier this week, and thank you for the opportunity to provide information and feedback regarding the proposed "lane diet" for Summitview Avenue. I represent a number of agricultural businesses that operate in and around Cowiche and•Tieton. These businesses have historically relied upon the Summitview corridor to transport literally hundreds of millions of dollars worth of perishable agricultural commodities to market. In addition, the Summitview corridor is used by employees. vendors and suppliers alike to serve the thousands of acres of farmland that exist west of 96th Avenue. While many of the businesses I represent are in active competition with one another, they unanimously agree upon one thing: the proposed "lane diet" on Summitview Avenue will put a stranglehold on agricultural commerce and drastically impair the ability to deliver fruit to market. This letter is not intended to constitute any manner of threat of litigation, nor is it intended to denigrate or criticize the hard work of our Public Works Department. My clients understand and accept that there may be a legitimate basis from a public planning and safety perspective to restrict the traffic density and flow on Summitview Avenue. Instead, this letter is intended to expand the discussion so that it properly includes the �7„kr.+ 1.a.rmxrr 1'., \;,.k,., !,,,.,...0„, 800 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4000 i Seattle, Washington 98104 -3179 ! 206.626.6000 reception 206.464.1496 facsimile \i,.G, s 1- r;r;,-,,,, li!ar,,;,;, . \ \I•;,;,. Si,,,,, 1433 Lakeside Court, Suite 100 i Yakima, Washington 98902 -7354 509.853.3000 reception 509.895.0060 facsimile ® Councilman Micah Cawley July 29, 2009 Page 2 perspective of the farmers and other stakeholders who have grown to rely on the Summitview corridor as the lifeblood for their operations. Overview of Farm Operations in Cowiche and Tieton A. Shipping Apples to Market Cowiche and Tieton are home to several significant fruit packers and shippers, including Evans Fruit Company, CPC International Apple Co.,. Strand Apples, Inc., and Cowiche Growers, Inc. These organizations collectively pack and ship in excess of twelve million (12,000,000) boxes of apples into international commerce each year. This is an astonishing and underappreciated contribution to the world market, as it comprises about 10% of our entire State's crop. Let's put this number in perspective: The apple businesses in the tiny towns of Cowiche and Tieton pack and ship more apples each year than the states of California, ID Oregon and Idaho combined. (Source: American/Western Fruit Grower, 2008 Apple Crop Forecast, September, 2008). Or more than half of the production of the entire nations of Mexico or Canada. (Id.). Twelve million boxes. It's a big number. A standard refrigerated truck will hold 1,029 boxes. Even if we were able to stuff every truck full, it would still take more than 11,661 trucks to haul the fruit to market each year. Of course, not every customer orders a full load, so there are significantly more trucks than that making the trip in and out of Cowiche and Tieton each year. That's more than 1,000 trucks per month, or more than 250 trucks per week. Fifty per weekday. Fifty in each direction. The vast majority of these thousands and thousands of trucks will head east on Summitview until 40th Avenue, at which point they'll turn north to access Highway 12. These are 18 wheeled semi - trailers with close to 50,000 pounds of product loaded on them, and that's in addition to the truck's empty weight of about 30,000 pounds. So we're talking about 80,000 pounds of steel and apples, starting and stopping, all the way from 96th and Summitview to Highway 12. Fifty times each day. All year long. It of course goes without saying that it is no easy thing for an 80,000 pound vehicle to stop. Or to start. If over the course of a month, these thousands of trucks must slow or stop every time a school bus stops, every time a motorist enters Summitview ® from any of the 19 intersections or 50 driveways between 96th and 72nd, and every time a motorist exits Summitview, the cumulative effect is going to be extraordinary. We're talking about tens of thousands of additional stops each month. And each time an 80,000 Inm-,n o a.... Councilman Micah Cawley July 29, 2009 Page 3 pound truck stops, it's going to take some time and delay (not to mention fuel) to get it back up to speed. When we add in the traffic light at 72nd, which is going to need to accommodate the patron and supply traffic turning left to Wal -Mart, we could be talking about traffic stack -ups all the way from 72nd out to Summitview Extension. It really has the potential to be an awful mess. At the very least, the City needs to diligently investigate the traffic impacts of the proposed "lane diet ", and such investigation needs to include, specifically, the impact on (and of) the thousands and thousands of trucks hauling fruit to market. B. Farm Hauled Fruit All of the fruit packed in Cowiche and Tieton of course has to be hauled in from the orchards to be packed. Some of the fruit is grown on orchards in Cowiche and Tieton. Much of it, of course, comes from elsewhere. Evans Fruit, for example, hauls fruit from Sunnyside, Mattawa and Moxee in to Cowiche and Tieton. Literally hundreds of thousands of bins of fruit each harvest, hauled by bin trailer or flatbed truck. It would be fair to estimate that 10,000 trucks haul harvested fruit to Cowiche and Tieton between August and November each year. Of course, not all of the fruit grown in Cowiche and Tieton is packed in Cowiche and Tieton. Other growers in the region, including Columbia Reach Pack, Taylor Orchards, Kershaw Fruit & Cold Storage, and Zirkle Fruit Company, actively farm acreage in those areas and then haul the fruit to their packing operations around the Yakima Valley. So add more even more loads to the traffic analysis. The harvest trucks are different than the trucks that haul fruit to market in two important aspects. First, the harvest trucks are often connected to double trailers. This brings the cumulative weight to 105,000 pounds. When one of these trucks stops, it is a long, slow crawl to get going again. Second, these 105,000 pound trucks are hauling fruit in open bins. Delays and extended exposure to the elements has the capacity to impact the quality (and value) of the fruit. At this point we've only spoken about apples. Cowiche and Tieton are also home to other important crops, not the least of which is sweet cherries. Western Sweet Cherry Group, which is composed of some of the largest cherry growers in the State, relies upon the Summitview corridor to deliver its tree fresh (and extraordinarily delicate and perishable) sweet cherries from its orchards in West Valley to its packing facilities in Yakima. Any delay or mishap in the delivery of this commodity could be financially catastrophic. o Councilman Micah Cawley July 29, 2009 Page 4 C. Agricultural Vendors When we talk about twelve million boxes of apples being shipped, it is easy to focus on the apples. But there are also the boxes. Companies like H.R. Spinner Company, Fruit Packer Supply and Michelsen Packaging Company collectively deliver millions of cartons, trays, bags and other packaging materials to Cowiche and Tieton each year. And while the industry has made extraordinary strides in integrating its pest management practices, the reality is that orchards receive periodic applications of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals during the course of the growing season. That means that there will be thousands of gallons of pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, fertilizers, sunburn protectants, thinners, growth regulators, and other chemicals traveling through the Summitview corridor to serve the Cowiche and Tieton growing region. Companies like D &M Chemical rely on this corridor as a safe, reliable and efficient means of bringing their products to their customers. D. Harvest Traffic Year round, the apple warehouses alone in Cowiche and Tieton employ several hundred workers. At harvest time, however, when the thousands of acres of producing apple trees come into full production, there is an exponential increase in the traffic flowing to and from Cowiche and Tieton. Hundreds of day laborers make the round trip each day to pick the tens of thousands of bins of fruit that need to be picked. While the truck traffic through the Summitview corridor will be year round, it is hard to overstate the seasonal impacts that occur during harvest. In addition to the employee traffic, the harvest support traffic (ladders, bags, tractors, hysters, etc.), and the hauling of the bins themselves, harvest time unfortunately coincides with the start of the school year. So add in buses and private carloads of teens and families rushing to make their way to school. And all of this on top of the normal commute traffic that brings hundreds if not thousands of West Valley residents to and from work each day. Traffic Density Analysis At this stage in the dialogue, my clients have not yet retained a traffic engineer. They are relying instead upon their common experience, and their common sense which 0 tells them that the proposed lane restriction would result in huge traffic delays and accompanying losses of productivity (if not product itself). 11111114 .i.., Councilman Micah Cawley III July 29, 2009 Page 5 That said, the data relied upon by the City to date does warrant some examination. For example, the City has reported that the traffic volume on Summitview between 72nd and 96th varies "between 11,400 and 8,900 vehicles each day ". I would be very interested to know where these figures come from, and whether there has been an effort to measure traffic volume when harvest is in full gear and school is in session. The City also reports a "theoretical lane capacity" of 1,800 vehicles per hour, and it goes on to make certain projections and calculations based upon that premise. As you may be aware, a "theoretical lane capacity" is the maximum number of vehicles that can pass over a given section of roadway in one direction if all drivers travelled at the same speed and maintained a constant (and safe) distance from one another. There are many variables included in such a calculation, including the presence of traffic signals and the presence (and utilization) of intersections and driveways. Adjustments must be made for large trucks and buses. And there is very often consideration given to time lost to starting /stopping and clearing intersections_ It is not clear from the materials that I've been able to review whether any of these • considerations were utilized in calculating the "theoretical lane capacity" and the corresponding ratio of volume to capacity_ These issues should be explored and analyzed in detail before any final decisions are made_ But let's just take the number at face value. 1,800 vehicles per hour. That's 30 vehicles per minute. Or one vehicle every two seconds. Again, we have not yet had the benefit of an expert review of the traffic flow data, but it seems highly unlikely that with a traffic light, 19 intersections and 50 driveways, not to mention school bus stops and laboring agricultural vehicles, a single lane on Summitview Avenue could accommodate a flow of one vehicle every two seconds_ At that rate, if a bus stops for one minute, 30 vehicles would come to a stop. And if it takes another minute for those 30 vehicles to . restart and regain their speed, another 30 cars would stack up. And so on. And that's just one bus stop. It also warrants mention that Tieton Avenue and Nob Hill Boulevard both have four lanes of travel to accommodate the schools and businesses along those corridors. Given the remarkable agricultural commerce that occurs along the Summitview corridor, it would seem prudent to maintain the same level of accessibility. Conclusion Thank g ou aain for your time and consideration. � your tion For the reasons set forth above, the agricultural producers in Cowiche and Tieton believe the restriction of lanes on „ n i ,, i v .+,.,- • Councilman Micah Cawley July 29, 2009 Page 6 Summitview Avenue could have a catastrophic effect on their business operations, and for that reason they request that the City Council abandon such efforts. At a minimum, the City should delay its consideration of the proposed restriction until such time as all of the potential effects on agriculture and commerce can be fully ascertained. Very truly yours, STOKES LAWRENCE IKA O S ' & SHORE an V. '. :. an 0 inn7iu Jul 25, 2009 July 5, 20 Attn: Micah Cawley Transportation Planning Committee Re: traffic revision Summitview from 72nd Avenue west I would like my comments included in review of this revision. I live on 94th Place just south of Summitview so I use Summitview to travel to my office on 4th Avenue every day. I have driven this stretch of road at least twice daily for almost 4 years and numerous times a week before that as part of my job. There are several inherent problems with the this revision. I know according to the article published by the Yakima Herald Republic on July 23, 2009 that Chris Waarvick made the comment that this section of Summitview "..is not a highway". It may not be a highway but it is a principal arterial and as such needs to be at the very least a 4 lane street. According to the Washington department of Transportation's definitions: an arterial is "A major street that primarily serves through traffic, but also provides access to abutting properties. Arterials are often divided into principal and minor classifications depending on the number of lanes, connections made, volume of traffic, nature of traffic, speeds, interruptions (access functions), and length." I've spoken to Mr. Waarvick about this change and he stated to me they had to make the changes in anticipation of the additional traffic from Wal -Mart when it opens. I will address this remark at the end of these comments. I believe the type of traffic this stretch of Summitview receives was not studied thoroughly. Whether we like it or not, the amount of through traffic Summitview receives also must include the truck traffic that leaves the highway and makes its way to the Cowiche - Tieton area where four apple packing warehouses are located. Two of these packing ware houses are very large, major packers and thereby further increase the number of trucks. If one drove this 4 lane stretch of Summitview during morning rush hour traffic which is approximately from 7 :15 AM until 8:00 AM this is what one would observe: • most of the vehicles leaving residential areas north of Summitview turn left on to Summitview to head either into Yakima or to turn right onto 72nd Avenue • most of the vehicles leaving residential areas south of Summitview will turn right onto Summitview with a few turning right onto 72nd Avenue. However, if you live south of Summitview and work south of Tieton Drive the vehicles will be using the right turns of 96th Avenue, 88th Avenue, etc. to access Tieton Drive. • truck traffic in the morning is very light If one drove this 4 lane stretch of Summitview during evening rush hour traffic which is approximately from 4:45 PM until 6:00 PM this is what one would observe: 41 1 vehicles turning right off Summitview to acc • ess ve lest g g ess the residential areas north of Summitview and because you learned the traffic would be leaving Summitview at 76th Ave., 77th Ave., 78th Ave., 80th Ave., 84th and 85th Ave.'s, if you lived farther out you would drive in the center lane to avoid the slower traffic turning right • vehicles turning left off Summitview to access the residential areas south of Summitview with the majority of the traffic leaving the roadway at 72nd Avenue, the rest would use 88th Avenue where there was a turn lane and 96th Avenue where there was a turn lane. The traffic exiting on the other streets was usually only one vehicle here and there that the slowing of traffic was minimal. • truck traffic coming in from and going out to the Cowiche/Tieton at this time of day can be heavy. These trucks will usually use the outside lanes either immediately or after passing 78th Avenue if going out to Cowiche/Tieton and may use either lane coming in from the Cowiche/Tieton area. When apple harvest starts in August and gets heavy in September and shipping is continual from August until April when it trickles off until August again, there are flatbed trucks loaded with apple bins, straddle trucks with apple bins and trucks with refrigerated trailers coming in from or going out to the Cowiche/Tieton area constantly. Also, when school starts the traffic is extremely heavy in the morning and heavier in the evening because that is when band, football, basket ball, track, etc. practice is done and everyone is trying to reach home. • With the new lane changes, this will be the scenario traffic is leaving Yakima driving west to go to the far West Valley area at the end of the work day. Traffic will be backed up because all the trucks and vehicles are using one lane trying to pass 72nd Avenue. After, one passes 72nd Avenue, there will be quite a lane of traffic because it takes fully loaded trucks quite awhile once they slow or have to come to a stop to start moving again and even longer to reach 35 mph. With these trucks and other traffic having to slow or come to a stop to allow several vehicles to make right hand turns onto North 76th, 77th, 78th, 80th, 84th and 85th Avenues, it will be a nightmare for any vehicle trying to get anywhere using Summitview. As I've stated before, so few vehicles turn south off Summitview that the two pre- existing turn lanes at 88th and 96th Avenues were adequate. Now, we'll have this huge turn lane running the entire length of Summitview from 72nd Ave. to just past 96th Ave. which will basically do nothing to help traffic flows. This decision was made without taking into account the personal vehicle traffic turning right onto the side streets and truck traffic to Cowiche/Tieton area. This decision was made without taking into consideration where the people who live in these residential areas worked. The result this will be more people like myself who live just south of Summitview will drop down and use Tieton Dr. to travel into Yakima turning Tieton Dr. into more of a nightmare downtown that it is already. As a city, we must start to purchase right of way is such areas as the 72nd Avenue & Summitview location where open land is available without waiting until land and buildings need to be purchased. These so called "diet" streets are simply doing what Yakima has been doing for quite sometime to address it's traffic problems. The LOS or Level of Service on the street is simply being lowered which doesn't solve any problem it 4110 simply delays the point at which something MUST be done. 2 I'd also like to address the comments which were made in regard to these traffic revisions having to be made to address the additional traffic impacting the 72nd Avenue /Summitview intersection due to the opening of the Wal -Mart store. The original development agreement between the City of Yakima and the Congdon family brokered by Glen Rice limited the Congdon expenditures to donating right of way which of course did not nor would not address the problems dense commercial development traffic would bring to Tieton Drive, Summitview or any other street not abutting the Congdon property_ I sat through six years of hearings, testimony and decisions not only on how the rezoning of the Congdon orchard property to high level commercial (CBDS) zoning but on the approval of allowing Wal -Mart to build on their present site on Nob Hill would effect the streets in the area and how this development would affect other further intersections such as 40th & Summitview, 72nd & Summitview and the streets: Summitview, Nob Hill, 64th Avenue, 72nd Avenue. Furthermore, concern was expressed at almost every turn as to who would pay for all the traffic issues this would create. • The final decision of the Yakima City Council which at the time contained three of the existing City Council members, stated that basically the taxpayers need not be concerned about those intersections as they were already able to handle the extra traffic. Now, less than three years later we are hearing a different scenario. I am attaching an except from the City Council's final decision on the Wal -Mart project dated October 3, 2006, Conditions 9 - 13, pages 15 - 22 for your convenience. I implore you to change this disastrous decision. Thank you for accepting my comments via email as a pervious commitment will not allow me to be at the meeting. Sincerely, Wilma Koski 21 N. 94th Place Yakima, WA 98908 • • 3 • - THE TRANSIT AND TRANSPORTATION PLANNING COMMUTE OF Y C I T Y OF y KiroA PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR CHRIS WAARVICK COUNCILMAN MICH CAWLEY JUL 2 7 2509 REFERENCE: SUMMITVIEW ROAD CHANGES OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL OUR HEARTFUL "THANK YOU" FOR THE CHANGES MADE TO SUM IITVIEW AVE. YOU HAVE JUST CHANGED SUM IITVIEW FROM A - FREEWAY" TO AN ACTUAL QUIETER ROADWAY. WE LIVE JUST OFF OF NORTH 77 111 AVE SINCE 1965 AND HAVE SEEN AND "HEARD" THE CHANGES TO A FOUR LANE ROAD. IT IS UNBELEIVABLE THE NOISE THAT .IS CREATED FROM FOUR LANES AND OF COURSE MORE AND MORE CARS AND TRUCKS WITH ALL THE BUILDING OF NEW HOMES IN WEST VALLEY. THIS TRAFFIC HAS BEEN A PROBLEM JUST TRYING TO MAKE A LEFT TURN ONTO SUM IITVIEW FROM OUR STREET. YOU SIT AND WAIT FOR AS MUCH AS TEN MINUTES. SLOWING DOWN OF THE SPEEDERS TO ONE LANE AND A MUCH NEEDED TURN LANE MAKES IT MUCH SAFER FOR LEFT HAND TURNS. A BICYCLE LANE IS A GREAT ADDITION. THE PERSON THAT COMPLAINED ABOUT BEING BEHIND BICYLERS SLOWING THEM DOWN HAS NO GROUND TO COMPLAIN WITH A LANE FOR THEM TO RIDE. THE SPEEDING IN THIS • TOWN IS UNREAL EVERY WHERE PEOPLE DRIVE THE WAY THEY WANT TO WITH NO CARE OF THE SPEED LIMIT. THIS IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO SUM IITVIEW FROM 72 WEST. AFTER THE STOP LIGHT ON 72 CARS AND PICKUPS ARE GOING ALMOST 50 MPH BY THE TIME THEY REACH OUR STREET. AS TO THE PERSON THAT COMPLAINED IT WOULD TAKE HIM 20 TO 30 MINUTES TO GET TO EISENHOWER INSTEAD OF 10 MINUTES IS ONE OF THE SPEEDERS. HE NEEDS TO TAKE A DIFFERENT ROUTE SUCH AS TIETON DRIVE. WE DRIVE TO WORK EVERYDAY AND SEE SO MANY INFRACTIONS OF OTHER DRIVERS. SPEED AND RUNNING RED LIGHTS. THANKS FOR LIST'EN. IT IS NOW SO QUIET FROM SLOWER MOVING CARS THAT WE ARE BACK IN THE COUNTRY AGAIN! ! ! S.M.HALL • ) CITY _ i= b` I i MM i A jUL 2 8 20u9 July 25, 2009 OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL Mayor Dave Edler City of Yakima 129 N. 2 °d Street Yakima, WA 98901 Dear Mayor Edler: I am writing to voice my concerns about the shrinking of Summitview Avenue. I didn't see anything wrong with how the street was before. Now, we are going to be stuck behind school buses forever in the morning! Before, we could at least pass them after their pickup. Now there will be an endless stream of cars backed up for miles! What can be the thinking behind this? I see about two bikers a couple days a week and they are on the right side and we pass them and they do just fine. Also, we will now need to stop when a bus is coming from the opposite direction as the • street isn't four lanes any more. Before, we could go by since there were more lanes. Why are you punishing those of us that live on Summitview and need to get to work in the morning? I am going to be driving on Tieton Drive and it is sad you had to ruin the main street to the West Valley, Tieton, and Cowiche areas. I hope you will reconsider this action. I am also very confused by the LARGE barrels and cones that appeared from 96 to Pear Avenue on Thursday afternoon. The paper that morning said it would be discussed again on Wednesday. I called your office and they said it was the County doing traffic control. Those things are totally in the way of traffic and I have never seen anything like it when a road gets a change. Everyone knows where the turn lane is to Pear and the barrels are ridiculous! Have you seen them? It will be fun dodging them for a week or so until this gets resolved. In fact, several of them are already knocked down, crushed, or moved to the sidewalk. I hope this matter will be discussed and the people's opinions considered that live in the area and are affected by this change_ Sincerely, IS` c14 ' °e- 9 /14-6--- Kathy Jo Kelson • 221 N. 99 Avenue Page 1of1 • Moore, Debbie From: Price, Cally , Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 12:55 PM To: Waarvick, Chris; Rosenlund, Joseph Cc: Moore, Debbie Subject: Sumrnitview I just answered a call for the Mayor regarding Summitview. The call was from Gene Stiles. He is very upset with the changes to Summitview. "I used to drive that way all the time but now I use Tieton." His questions are: 1. How was the city able to change the road from 88th to 96th when the city limits end at 88th? 2. How was the traffic engineer able to make this decision on his own? Shouldn't a drastic change like this have to be approved by the city council or at least get public input? He would like a response from Chris or Joe. Please be sure to let me know the details of the conversation. His number is 966 -3881. Cally Price Executive Assistant City of Yakima - City Manager's Office 129 North 2nd Street Op Yakima, WA 98901 hone: 509 - 575 -6040 Fax: 509 - 576-6335 www.ci.yakima_wa.us 0 • 7/30/2009 Moore, Debbie From: Price, Cally _ • Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 12:48 PM To: Edler, Dave; Cawley, Micah; Coffey, Kathy; Lover, Bill; Ensey, Rick; Rodriguez, Sonia; Adkison, Maureen Cc: Zabel!, Dave; Zais, Dick; Waarvick, Chris; Rosenlund, Joseph; Moore, Debbie Subject: FW: Summitview change issue (72nd to 96th) Importance: High This message was received in the Council inbox. Cally Price Executive Assistant City of Yakima - City Manager's Office ---Original Message From: mjsj2 @charter.net [mailto:mjsj2 @charter. net] Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 11:50 AM To: City Council Subject: Summitview change issue (72nd to 96th) • Importance: High I just read this morning about the Wednesday meeting where no supporters of the Summitview change showed up_ I was not aware of the meeting. I really don't have an opinion on the lane issue from 72nd to 96th since I don't use it BUT I do have a strong opinion on the left turn lane on Summitview heading west and turning left onto 72nd. ITS WONDERFUL! I use it 5-6 days a week (I work at West Side Church and live near the West Valley park) and the traffic back up when there was only one left turn lane was unacceptable. The new design is great! Before the change, I was beginning to use neighborhood roads to avoid the backup. If you change the other lanes back to 4, please, please please leave the double left hand lanes alone. The only other solution would be to have it a left turn arrow that turns into a "left turn okay" green light (watch for oncoming traffic) since the eastbound traffic is usually light during the evening commute. Thanks for considering my comments! Steve Wolcott Steve Wolcott 411 1 oore, Debbie om: Price, Cally Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 12:15 PM To: Moore, Debbie Subject: FW: Summitview Lane change SUPPORTER! Cally Price Executive Assistant City of Yakima - City Manager's Office -----Original Message From: Waarvick, Chris Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 9:34 AM To: Rosenlund, Joseph Cc: Price, Cally Subject: Fw. Summitview Lane change SUPPORTER! Yl. City Council info. - -- Original Message From: Rachel Polina <RPolina c�DSageFruit.com> To: Waarvick, Chris Sent: Thu Jul 30 09:29:51 2009 Subject: Summitview Lane change SUPPORTER! Dear Mr. Waarvick: I am writing to you regarding the Summitview lane change. I currently live on Summitview just past 86th. I am a licensed child care provider and 2 children in my care have to walk along the side walk on Summitview to their bus stop at the corner of 85th. I cannot express the relief I felt when I found out about the `lane diet.' Moving the traffic away from the side walk, and creating a bike lane was a genius idea! It is making it so much safer for those who live, run, walk, and ride their bikes along Summitview. Realistically the change is affecting 2 miles of road, 2 miles! How much later is that possibly going to make someone ?! As adults it's our responsibility to be on time to work, if we know this change is going to make our commute a few minutes longer, then leave 10 or 15 minutes earlier, be responsible! The change is going to make my children; and all other children living on Summitview that have to walk to the bus stop, much safer. I believe the safety of these children should come before anything! e d last night's meeting been held later in the evening I would have showed up, along with a few er parents I know, to support the change! 1 If you need someone who supports the change, with valid reasoning, here I am! Please feel free to forward this to anyone looking for a supporter of the change! 1111 Thank you for your time, Rachel Polina • • 2 Page 1 of 1 Claar Sonya From: Lydia Webb [lydia_thmp ©wabroadband.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 29, 2009 3:31 PM To: City Council Subject: Summitview Lane Dieting To: Yakima City Council, I would like to comment on the proposed lane reduction on Summitview Ave. I travel between the city of Tieton and Terrace Heights daily and frequently use the route that includes the portion of Summitview Ave. that is being,considered for lane reduction. I would like to voice my opposition to this plan. With only one lane of traffic in each direction and no opportunity to pass slow moving fruit trucks and frequently stopping school buses, I feel that traffic will be congested unnecessarily. I'm not sure of the logic in reducing the number of lanes and adding a turn lane. Turning in either direction (north or . south) isn't a problem that needs fixing. I haven't witnessed accidents caused by people turning, but I did witness a vehicle driving down the new "turn lane" on Sunday, trying to pass some traffic. I would think that the businesses along Summitview Ave. would suffer from this lane reduction because I suspect that • people will stop using the road and instead opt for Tieton Drive to avoid the congestion. Why not leave Summitview Ave. a viable road for travel to and from Yakima? I hope that the council will reconsider this plan, and leave Summitview Ave. the way it has been for time — it works just fine. Sincerely, • 111 Lydia Webb • P.O. Box 402 Tieton, WA. 98947 • 7/29/2009 rp q c1 v o • ., A J1 i?I • IUI 2 _ 12101 Courtney Hts. Ln: Yakima, WA 98908 7/23/09 OFFICE OF CITY COUNCIL Yakima Mayor 129 N. 2nd St. Yakima, WA 98901 Dear City Officials, We are concerned citizens of Yakima who currently live in West Valley. Mainly our concern is traffic flow on Summitview Avenue, west of 72' Avenue, which we utilize regularly. We have taken note that the city plans to change this section of road from four lanes to two lanes with a turn lane. We believe this would be a mistake and be taking our community the wrong direction. To give you some personal background information, I utilize this section of road for my daily commute, and my parents live on this section of road. My wife works for the West Valley School District, and I have worked in the Tri -Cities for almost 19 years and choose to live here in Yakima. Because of this, the changes proposed would greatly affect my commute. Some points we would like you to consider are: 1. As it is now, if a car is turning either direction, you can now pass in the opposite lane. As proposed, traffic flow will slow to the speed of the individual turning. Depending on how busy the street is, this could impact traffic for quite some distance. 2. As proposed, if there are school buses or city buses present, traffic will stop numerous times and accumulate cars as they go with no way to get around. 3. As proposed, there would be no legal way to get around a truck, tractor, illegal cell phone user, etc...who tend to travel well below the speed limit. 4. As proposed, people trying to turn onto Summitview in either direction will have a more difficult time doing so. Some suggestions we would like to offer are: 1. One of our neighbors had a good idea. Perhaps you could keep the two turn lanes on 72n and Summitview, but instead of having two turn lanes, the city could make the far right turn lane have the option of turning left or going straight. We really like that option implemented at the intersection of 40 and Nob Hill. We believe this would be a good option here as well. 2. Another area where an improvement could be made would be to make a second lane southbound on 66 and Summitview, or place a sign there that says, "Right turn only from 2:30- 6:30pm." Both of these suggestions would keep traffic moving and lessen the chance of accidents. Again, we appreciate the efforts of the city to try to improve our traffic flow; we just feel that the change from four lanes to two lanes with a turn lane is not the correct solution. Thank you for your time and consideration. Sincerely, Tracy & Renee Berger • (509) 965 -3302 ogre, Debbie . Price, Gaily Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 10:39 AM To: Edler, Dave; Cawley, Micah; Coffey, Kathy; Lover, Bill; Ensey, Rick; Rodriguez, Sonia; Adkison, Maureen Cc: Zabel!, Dave; Zais, Dick; Moore, Debbie; Waarvick, Chris; Rosenlund, Joseph Subject: RN: Summitview Importance: High This message was received in the Council inbox. Cally Price Executive Assistant City of Yakima - City Manager's Office -- Original Message — From: donschuss @gmail.com [mailto:donschuss @gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2009 9:53 AM To: City Council bject: Summitview 4 ortance: High I am sorry to hear that you are changing Summitview back to its prior configuration. I drive that route several times a day. The change to one lane each way was terrific; it slowed down the traffic and made a left turn going west possible. Kudos to the traffic engineer. I live close enough to hear the sirens from the accidents in the vicinity of the curve. No doubt they will resume. Don Schussler 9 N. 78th Ave., Yakima 98908 III i Joe Rosenlund, Streets & Traffic Special Meeting of the Operations Manager Yakima City Council Council Transit /Transportation Committee Yakima City Hall City Council Chambers Wednesday, July 29, 2009 4 :00 — 5:00 p.m. City Council Members Staff Other Micah Cawley Dick Zais, City Manager . Rick Ensey Dave Zabel!, Assistant City Manager Bill Lover (Alternate) Chris Waarvick, Dir. of Public Works Doug Mayo, City Engineer Joe Rosenlund, Streets & Traffic Operations Manager AGENDA Transportation Items 1. Summitview Avenue Lane Reconfiguration (Summitview Avenue — 72 to 96 2. Other Business S CWIms Special Council Transit Transportation Committee July 29 09 (2) III July 24, 2009 To: The Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council Dick Zais, City Manager From: Joe Rosenlund, P.E. Streets & Traffic Operations Manager Re: Summitview Conversion Comments The City has received numerous complaints from residents in the west valley area regarding the conversion of Summitview Avenue from four lanes to three between 72 Avenue and 96 Avenue. Although the preponderance of the comments are against the three lane configuration and to a lesser degree the changes at the 72 Avenue intersection, there have been several in favor of the changes. The lane configuration changes were discussed and approved by the Council Transit- Transportation Planning • Committee at its June 17 meeting. This memo covers the range of concerns expressed by the residents and staffs response to those concerns_ in addition to the information below, attached is the report given to the committee and the information item provided to council in the June 19 council packet. • 1. Traffic delays due to heavy truck traffic. Truck volumes were included in our estimation of traffic capacity. Driver's will no longer be able to pass slower moving vehicles of any type but our record show that the 85% speed in this area of Summitview Avenue is approximately 44 miles per hour show that most vehicles, including trucks, are traveling at or above the posted speed of 35 mph resulting in minimal impact to capacity. Most of the delay will occur as trucks accelerate after slowing for turning /stopping vehicles ahead of them. A person will experience 25 seconds of delay if traffic is only able to average 30 mph instead of the posted 35 mph for the full distance between 72nd Avenue & 92 Avenue. 2. Traffic delays due to school buses. School bus operations on Summitview Avenue will cause the largest delays as a result of the lane revisions, particularly during morning commute hours. Vehicles will not be able to pass the bus in the same direction of travel when it is in motion as they did with the four -lane configuration. The delay could be several minutes depending on the number of stops and time to load or discharge students. Even though this delay is occurring, roadways cannot be designed and operated for events that last a very small portion of the day. • A question that keeps coming up is whether a vehicle must stop for school buses while traveling in the opposing through lane on a three lane road. Contrary to what some 1 people believe, vehicles traveling in the opposite through lane are not required to stop • when the bus is loading or discharging students (RCW 46.61.370(3)). 3. Speeding. Several people have complained about the number of people that speed on Summitview Avenue west of 72 Avenue. Speeding is typically an enforcement issue but the three lane configuration will limit the number of speeders because they will not be able to legally pass slower vehicles. We will be doing a speed limit study on Summitview after traffic has adapted to the new configuration, a higher speed limit may be warranted. The wider traffic lanes, bike lanes and center turn lane give divers better vision and more room to react to hazardous situations such that an increase in the speed limit may not decrease safety on the roadway. 4. Traffic delays due to right turns. Concerns have been raised by both the people slowed by right turning vehicles and those making the right turns. The wider lanes and bike lanes provided on the three lane roadway allow drivers to make the right turns at a better angle without having to slow quite as much. Typically what occurs is the right turn vehicle will use a portion of the bike lane, if no cyclists are present, to move out of traffic and the through traffic will shift left encroaching into the turn lane, if no vehicles are there. These are acceptable maneuvers that reduce the risk of rear end collisions and minimize travel delay. This is not to say these actions are purely legal but are common avoidance maneuvers that do not adversely impact roadway safety. • 5. Delays due to cyclists. Drivers have stated that cyclists presently ride in the travel lane and will not get out of the way. The four -lane configuration almost necessitates this as there is no room for the cyclists outside of the travel lane. The three lane configuration provides a five foot bike lane for cyclists. Cyclists may ride side -by -side as long as they are not impeding traffic. The bike lane gives cyclists that do this an area where they can get out of the traffic lane riding single file while allowing traffic to pass. They can then reoccupy the traffic lane once traffic has cleared. If cyclists do obstruct traffic where they have an area to stay clear of traffic it becomes a matter of enforcement. 6. Summitview/72 changes create delays and are unsafe. The previous lane configuration at the Summitview/72 intersection did not provide adequate storage capacity for left turn vehicles. Projected traffic volumes increases due to the new Wal- Mart would exasperate the situation. Left turn vehicles already encroached, and at times totally blocked, the inside through lane. This was occurring in a blind curve section of roadway giving drivers little time to react and maneuver with hard braking or sudden lane changes. The three -lane configuration allows for ample left turn storage, with a double -left turn at the intersection and early warning for lane selection_ Despite the installation pavement marking and three flagged lane use signs starting at 70 Avenue some drivers continue to use the lane as a through lane. Inattentive drivers are always a problem but even more so when making changes to street operations or establishing construction zones. It takes about a month to adapt to new traffic control conditions. We • would expect that to be the case in this situation as well. 2 • By making these changes we are creating a longer queue for the through traffic. This adds some delay to that movement but can be compensated for with adjustments in traffic signal timing and sequencing. Without the lane configuration changes, the traffic signal would need to be changed to a "split phase" operation for each approach. That means each leg of the intersection would get its own green time in each signal cycle. This adds tremendous delay and inefficiency to the intersection operation. Traffic queues would be significantly longer for each leg of the intersection and overall delays throughout the day would dwarf the delays the three lane configuration will cause. 7. Pedestrian safety — Three lane configuration moves traffic away from the sidewalks with the bike lanes creating a 5 foot buffer providing a safer and more comfortable environment for pedestrians and those waiting for buses. The center turn lane will also allow pedestrians to effectively cross the roadway in two parts, if necessary, using the turn lane as crossing refuge. While this type of crossing is not encouraged, it is typically better than a two-stage crossing on an undivided cross section. The principal danger for pedestrians crossing four lane roadways is the driver in the adjacent lane not stopping because their view is obstructed by a car slowing or stopping for the pedestrian. 8. Entering the turn lane from a side street or driveway. Another point of confusion is whether vehicles are allowed to use the center turn lane as a "haven" when entering the roadway from a side street or driveway. It is legal to do so per RCW 46.61.290 3(a). It is not legal use the lane as a passing lane or a long merge lane; the maximum legal distance of travel in a center turn lane is 300 feet (RCW 46.61.290 3(c)). Summitview Options 1. Complete striping as laid out. This option provides the highest degree of traffic safety but drivers will experience some periods of delay due to school bus operations and seasonal truck traffic. Raising the speed limit may mitigate some of the delay without detracting significantly from safety. 2. Keep Summitview a four lane roadway. This is the least safe option if the 72 Ave intersection is changed back to its previous configuration. If Summitview stays at four lanes the intersection should ran as a split phase operation. Split phase operation will increase delay on all legs of the intersection but will provide the necessary storage for the double left turn on west bound Summitview. 3. Leave the intersection operation as it now exists but have Summitview remain a four lane road from west of 74 to 96"'. The concern with this option is that it will create a speeding problem on west bound Summitview because drivers will know they have a limited distance to get ahead of "slower" traffic. This problem existed before with the four lane roadway but will be exasperated under this option because the perceived reduction in distance to get past "slower" vehicles. 3 In conjunction with the annual arterial chip seal program the Streets and Traffic Operation Division has converted Summitview Avenue, 72 Avenue to 96 Avenue. This action is being done to improve safety and provide better traffic operations at the Summitview/72 intersection_ Based on existing and projected traffic volumes this segment of Summitview should function well as three lane roadways for the next 20 years. As a four lane roadway, this segment of Summitview operates at about 20% of capacity. The conversion to a three lane section changes that to about 35 %. It is anticipated that traffic volumes on Summitview Ave_ will approximately double over the next 20 years at which time the roadway will be operating at about 70% of capacity during peak hours. The roadway will be nearing capacity as a three lane road but should still function acceptably under normal traffic conditions. There are 19 intersections and 50 driveways on Summitview between 72 and 96"'. The number vehicle access points along this road cause a reduction in the functional capacity of the roadway along with an increased risk of rear end and broadside collisions. These problems are somewhat mitigated by the directional nature of the peak traffic flows due to the street segments location at the western edge of the city limits_ Crash data for the last five years shows there have been 28 crashes in the 1.5 mile segment of Summitview Ave. not including 72 Ave_ The majority of the crashes occurred between 72 Ave and 77 Ave. These • crashes are predominately either broadside or rearend type related to vehicles entering or existing side streets and driveways along Summitview Ave. Creating a center turn lane will reduce the probability of these crashes by providing an area other than a through traffic lane to accomplish turning movements. The vehicle storage capacity for the west bound left turn lane on Summitview has been inadequate for a long time. This led to left turning vehicles at 72 to stack into one of the through lanes at a location where sight distance was severely restricted due to the road curvature. The conversion of Summitview Avenue to three lanes allows for adequate left turn storage and earlier separation of the through and left turn traffic. It also allows for the installation of dual left turn lanes for west bound Summitview thereby reducing traffic delay through the intersection. Without the change, the intersection operational pattern needed to . accommodate traffic growth due to the new WalMart and other developments would have caused 30 for 45 seconds of additional traffic delay per signal cycle_ This would have resulted in peak hour delays such that few vehicles would make it through the intersection in one signal cycle. S • Four Lane to Three Lane Street Conversions Summitview Avenue — 72 " to 96 56 Avenue — Summitview to Lincoln SUMMARY In conjunction with the annual arterial chip seal program the Streets and Traffic Operation Division intends to convert Summitview Avenue, 72 Avenue to 96 Avenue and 56 Avenue, Summitview Drive to Lincoln Avenue from four lane roads to three lanes. This action is being done to improve safety and provide better traffic control on these road segments_ Both road segments should function well as three lane roadways for the next 20 years without any significant change to land use within the immediate vicinity of the roads. DISCUSSION When road resurfacing projects such as chip seals and overlays occur on arterial and collector roadways it is an opportunity to review existing street operations to see if changes should be made to lane configurations. The maintenance work obliterates existing pavement markings giving us a clean slate with which to ® work. The arterial streets programmed for this year's chip seal program are Summitview Avenue — 40 Avenue to 96 Avenue, 56 th Avenue — Tieton Drive to Englewood Avenue, and 72 Avenue — Nob Hill Boulevard to Summitview Avenue. A field review of these streets indicated there are segments of Summitview and 56th that may benefit from a reconfiguration of traffic lanes. Crash histories and traffic volumes for each segment under consideration for change were reviewed to determine if there would be benefit to implementing the changes without severely impacting the capacity of the roadway. Traffic volumes were projected based on the most recent counts using a 3% annual growth rate for 20 years. This would show if the capacity of the road segment would be diminished with these changes within the foreseeable future_ Summitview Avenue Summitview Avenue west of 72 Avenue is a 55 foot, four lane road section with bike lanes through a residential area. There are 19 intersections and 50 driveways within this 1.5 mile segment of Summitview. The number vehicle access points along this road cause a reduction in the functional capacity of the roadway along with an increased risk of rear end and broadside collisions. These problems are somewhat mitigated by the directional nature of the peak traffic 411 flows due to the street segments location at the western edge of the city limits. 1 For the most recent fiv e years we have crash data recorded there have been 28 crashes in the 1.5 mile segment of Summitview Ave. under consideration, not including 72 " Ave. The majority of the crashes occurred between 72 " Ave and 77 Ave. These crashes are predominately either broadside or rearend type related to vehicles entering or existing side streets and driveways along Summitview Ave. Creating a center turn lane will reduce the probability of these crashes by providing an area other than a through traffic lane to accomplish turning movements. The traffic volume on Summitview Ave. between 72 Ave. and 96 Ave varies between 11, 400 and 8,900 vehicle per day. The afternoon peak traffic is approximately 1000.vehicles with a 60/40 directional split. Theoretical lane capacity of a roadway is. 1800 vehicles per hour. This equates to a volume to capacity ratio (v /c) of 0.18 or level of service ranking of B. Conversion of the roadway to a three lane section will change the v/c ratio to 0.36 or level of service to C. This means the roadway will still have plenty of reserve operational capacity with the proposed lane configuration change. Additionally, the conversion of Summitview Avenue to three lanes west of 72 Avenue will allow for the installation of dual left turn lanes for west bound Summitview traffic at 72 " The dual left turn lane will minimize delay through the intersection without relying on atypical signal timing plans or lane additions. It is anticipated that traffic volumes on Summitview Ave. will approximately double over the next 20 years. The v/c ratio is projected to increase to 0.70 or level of service D. The roadway will be nearing capacity as a three lane road but should still function acceptably under normal traffic conditions. Intersection capacity at Summitview and 72 " will be more problematic than the lane reductions on Summitview to the west. 56 Avenue 56th Avenue between Lincoln Avenue and Summitview Avenue is a 48 foot, 4 lane road section through a predominately retail area. There is one public street intersection and 11 driveways within this 0.25 mile segment of 56th. The remainder of 56 Avenue to the north and to the south is a two lane road section with turn lanes at key intersections. The majority of the turning traffic in this road segment is related to the shopping center on the west side of the road. The problem this creates is lane changes and the sudden stops that occur related to those movements. The number of reported accidents on this segment of 56 Avenue of the type correctable by a center turn lane is relatively low, eight in five years, compared to roads with a similar lane configuration. This is attributable to the few number of driveways on the east side of 56 thereby reducing the number of left turn • conflicts for south bound traffic and the relatively low volume for a four lane road. 2 n 56 m Almost all the accidents that did occur o 56 between Summitview and Lincoln m were related to the shopping center access. What occurs with regular frequency are sudden stops and lane changes as drivers avoid vehicles making these turning movements. As volumes increase on 56 the accident rate can be expected to climb significantly. 56 Avenue is carrying 9100 vehicles per day with an afternoon peak of about 900 vehicles. This volume is about one -half of the capacity of a 3 lane roadway which places this road segment just inside the level of C category. In 20 years the traffic volume is projected to be about 16,500 vehicles per day. The roadway will be nearing capacity but still functioning at an acceptable level under normal traffic conditions. The only intersection modifications related to this work will be at 56 Avenue and Summitview Avenue. The north and south bound curb lanes will be converted to right turn only lanes within 100 feet of the intersection. 3 In conjunction with the annual arterial chip seal program the Streets and Traffic • Operation Division has converted Summitview Avenue, 72 Avenue to 96 Avenue. This action is being done to improve safety and provide better traffic operations at the Summitview/72 intersection. Based on existing and projected traffic volumes this segment of Summitview should function well as three lane roadways for the next 20 years. As a four lane roadway, this segment of Summitview operates at about 20% of capacity. The conversion to a three lane section changes that to about 35 %. It is anticipated that traffic volumes on Summitview Ave. will approximately double over the next 20 years at which time the roadway will be operating at about 70% of capacity during peak hours. The roadway will be nearing capacity as a three lane road but should still function acceptably under normal traffic conditions. There are 19 intersections and 50 driveways on Summitview between 72 and 96 The number vehicle access points along this road cause a reduction in the functional capacity of the roadway along with an increased risk of rear end and broadside collisions. These problems are somewhat mitigated by the directional nature of the peak traffic flows due to the street segments location at the western edge of the city limits. Crash data for the last five years shows there have been 28 crashes in the 1.5 mile segment of Summitview Ave. not including 72 Ave. The majority of the crashes occurred between 72 Ave and 77 Ave. These crashes are predominately either broadside or rearend type related to vehicles entering or existing side streets and driveways along Summitview Ave. Creating a center turn lane will reduce the probability of these crashes by providing an area other than a through traffic lane to accomplish turning movements. The vehicle storage capacity for the west bound left turn lane on Summitview has been inadequate for a long time. This led to left turning vehicles at 72 to stack into one of the through lanes at a location where sight distance was severely restricted due to the road curvature. The conversion of Summitview Avenue to three lanes allows for adequate left turn storage and earlier separation of the through and left turn traffic. It also allows for the installation of dual left turn lanes for west bound Summitview thereby reducing traffic delay through the intersection. Without the change, the intersection operational pattern needed to accommodate traffic growth due to the new WalMart and other developments would have caused 30 for 45 seconds of additional traffic delay per signal cycle. This would have resulted in peak hour delays such that few vehicles would make it through_the intersection in one signal cycle. • Summitview Three Lane Conversion (2) 1 of 1