HomeMy WebLinkAboutPW Third and Hetherton Traffic Study PPTProject Background
•Awarded $580k Highway Safety Improvement (HSIP) grant
from Caltrans for design and construction
•This intersection is Caltrans’ right-of-way, but operated and
maintained by the City
•This intersection requires Caltrans approval
Project Goals
•Improve pedestrian safety
•Improve traffic throughput
•Balance safety improvements and traffic impact
•Design accepted and approved by Caltrans
Coordinated design with other projects
Transit Center Relocation
3rd Street Rehabilitation
Central San Rafael Adaptive Traffic Control System
Relocation of crosswalks at 2nd Street / Irwin Street
2nd Street and 3rd Street Queue Cutters
New crosswalk on 3rd Street between Union and Embarcadero
Alignment with the Parking and Wayfinding Study
Alignment with the Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan
Existing Conditions
•Southbound Direction: 1 right turn, 3 thru lanes
•Westbound Direction: 1 left turn, 1 shared left-
thru, 2 thru lanes
•Westbound Lane #1 = 60 feet long; comfortably
fits 2 passenger vehicles or 1 semi-trailer truck
•Peak Hour Volume:200 pedestrians and 3,500
vehicles per hour
•Collision History:Since January 1, 2011, 70
collisions recorded, 11 of them involving a
pedestrian or bicyclist
•Several High Traffic Generators:Transit Center,
SMART Station, San Rafael High School,
Montecito Plaza, Downtown, Highway 101 On-
and Off-ramps
Existing Recommended Concept
Geometric and Physical Changes
Recommended Concept
1. Signal equipment upgrades
-Replace 8 inch signal heads to 12 inch signal heads
-Install accessible pedestrian signals
-Additional pole and mast arms
-Flashing yellow left turn arrow
2. Blank-out sign
3. Leading Pedestrian Interval of 5 sec
4. Tighten Curb Radii
-Bulb-out at northwest corner
-Elimination of westbound lane #1
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1
3
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Flashing Yellow Left Arrow Signal
Benefits of the Recommended Concept
➢Bulb-outs shorten crossing distances for both the north
and south crosswalks and forces vehicles to turn at
slower speeds
➢Leading pedestrian interval improves visibility of
pedestrians
➢Elimination of westbound left turn lane #1 improves
visibility of pedestrians and removes a conflict point
➢Installation of accessible pedestrian signals provide
countdown information for pedestrians and improves
accessibility for those with visual and audio
impairments
➢Improves vehicle signage and signal visibility
Traffic Analysis Results
Scenario
Maximum Delay from Existing Conditions
(seconds of delay per vehicle)
AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour
Recommended
Concept +3.1 +2.3
▪The maximum delay in the AM peak hour (defined as 7 AM
to 9 AM) will occur between 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM and will be
no more than 3.1 seconds
▪The maximum delay in the PM peak hour (defined as 4 PM
to 6 PM) will occur between 4:45 PM to 5:45 PM and will be
no more than 2.3 seconds
▪All other times of the day will not experience more than 2.3
seconds of delay
Flexible Improvements
Examples of Painted Safety Zones
Oakland, CA
Seattle, WA San Francisco, CA
New York, NY
Flexible Improvements with Bike Parking
Cost Estimate for Design & Construction
Estimated Cost ($)
for Permanent Design
Estimated Cost ($)
For Flexible Design
Total Design + Construction $284,000 $118,500
Benefits of Pilot Project / Implementing Flexible Design
o Lower cost and shorter construction duration
o Flexible design could easily be reversed or modified
Recommended Terms of the Pilot Project
➢Study Period: one year
➢Measure of Effectiveness
o Travel Time Runs
•Hetherton Street
•3rd Street
o Collision Rates
•Total Collisions Rate
•Pedestrian and Bicyclists Rate
•Severity
➢Results of One Year Pilot Report determines
o Reversal/removal of the bulb-outs (will require Caltrans approval)
o Keeping project as-is in its current form
o Extending pilot study period
o Implementing permanent solution
Alternatives Considered and Eliminated
Removal of south crosswalk / sidewalk on 3rd St, between
Hetherton and Irwin
Double southbound right turn lane
Pedestrian scramble / separation of pedestrian phase from
turning vehicles
Westbound geometry modification to 2 thru lanes and 1 left turn
lane
Westbound geometry modification to 3 thru lanes and 1 left turn
lane
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X
X
X
X
Next Steps
1.Procure a designer
2.Gather “Before Pilot Project” data
3.Project design must be completed and approved by Caltrans
before October 2019
4.Begin construction (must be completed by October 2021)
5.Construction is completed / Begin Pilot Project for one year
6.Collect “After Pilot Project” data
7.Pilot Project study period ends
8.Prepare Pilot Project Results Report
Staff Recommendation
➢Accept report with recommended conceptual design
➢Implement Flexible Design to allow flexibility for
coordination of future projects
➢Use Flexible Design for cost and time savings
➢Pilot Project for one year