Item 19 - City Council Work Study Session Regarding the First Street Multimodal Boulevard Study

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City of Santa Ana | First Street Multimodal Corridor Technical Memorandum 51 Therefore, a four-lane concept was developed that provides for 17 to 20’ pedestrian and bicycle zones, four travel lanes and a raised median. With these improvements, the median constructed by the City would remain in place the curbs on the north and south sides of the street would be moved to the edge of the buffered bicycle lanes thereby bringing the bicycles to sidewalk level. This would allow for directional bikeways on each side of the street, physically separated from the sidewalk by a low planting strip or other edge treatment. Traffic Analysis The VISSIM microsimulation model was used to forecast the intersection delay and travel time along the corridor for each of the three design concepts on the west side of the corridor in the AM and in the PM peak period. Two study years were evaluated – Project Opening Year (2028) and Project Design Year (2048). Future year volumes were determined by applying a growth rate to existing conditions traffic volumes . The growth rate of 0.6% per year was determined using the OC TA OCTAM model. Tables 9 and 10 summarize the results of the level of service from Bristol Street to the I-5 SB Freeway Ramps in the AM and PM Peak Period for the No Build (maintain existing roadway lanes, intersection configuration and signal timing) and for each of the three concepts presented (Multi-Use Path Concept, Enhanced Pedestrian and Bicycle Concept and Bus Lane/Bikeway Concept) for the west side of the corridor for the Opening Year and Design Year. Turn pocket lengths, signal timing and intersection configurations in addition to the modification to the number of lanes were modified in the VISSIM network for each of the concepts presented. Since only one concept was developed for the east side (I-5 SB Ramps to Tustin Avenue), Tables 11 and 12 summarize the intersection LOS for the Opening Year and Design Year. The City has approved a new traffic signal at the intersection of First Street and Lacy Street. Currently this intersection is side-street stop controlled. As the signal is fully funded and currently in the final design stage, this new traffic signal has been added to all study scenarios , including the No Build condition. West Side Opening Year Conditions As shown in the tables on the following page, most intersections operate at LOS D or better under all study scenarios by year 2028 in the AM Peak Period. The exceptions to this are the intersections at Bristol Street and Flower Street under the Bus Lane / Bike Lane option. It should be noted that under the No Build condition, Lyon Street is forecast to operate at LOS F. Signal timing and geometric improvements in the three Options address queuing issues at Lyon Street that improve the delays and queues . In the PM Peak, most intersections continue to operate at acceptable LOS D or better. However, the intersections at Bristol Street, Flower Street, Downtown Plaza, Grand Avenue and Lyon Street are all forecast to operate at LOS E or F under for at least one concept in either the AM or the PM per period. Lyon Street experiences the greatest increase in delays . This is largely due to the reduction in right turn lanes onto the I-5 freeway southbound from one shared right-through and one dedicated right turn lane to a single right turn lane. Additional analysis is being conducted at all these intersections to determine geometric modifications and signal timing improvements to determine if delay can be improved to an acceptable range.