Access Study - 1989
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WINCHESTER DRIVE - IN
ACCESS STUDY
CITY OF CAMPBELL
REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY
August 1989
,HMH Incorporated
Civ!l Engineers. Planners. Surveyors
IMI
H M H, Incorporated
Civil Engineers. Planners. Surveyors
Kenneth H. Hankins, RC.E.
Edwin J. Miller, RC.E.
James T. Harper
John E. Eastus, RC.E.
William J. Wagner, Rc.E.
August 9, 1989
Job No. 1733-00
Mr. Bob Kass
City of Campbell
Redevelopment Agency
70 N. First street
Campbell, CA 95008
Re: Winchester Drive-In Access study
Dear Bob:
We are pleased to present this report summarizing our activities
and recommendations for the subject feasibility study. The intent
of this study is to identify alternatives for improved access to
the Drive-In site and potential redevelopment areas in downtown
Campbell, to determine the feasibility and relative cost implica-
tions of the alternatives, and to ldentify other key activities
necessary to pursue construction of this project.
As indicated in our scope of services, this report is intended to
contain information which will be required by CALTRANS in a Project
study Report, the document CALTRANS requires to initiate studies
associated with an interchange or overcrossing project. As we have
discussed on various occasions, one of the key elements of a
Project study Report are traffic forecasts and operational
analysis, which have not been included within our scope of services
for this study. Since the proposed interchange does not comply
with CALTRANS and the FHWA policy for one-mile interchange spacing,
it is very important that the traffic analysis show how the project
benefits freeway operations. If the City intends to pursue this
project, traffic analysis is obviously the next key activity.
We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the City staff in
providing background information, reviewing and directing the
preliminary presentations and submittals. We also acknowledge the
assistance of John Hesler of David J. Powers and Associates with
whom we consulted regarding potential environmental impact issues
and processes.
..
1353 Oakland Road P.O. Box 611510, San Jose, CA 95161-1510 408/294-3232 Fax: 408/298-3812
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August 9, 1989
Job No. 1733-00
Page 2
If you or other City officials have any questions or comments
regarding this report, we would be pleased to meet at your
convenience.
yours,
orated
WJW/jr/1733-00.LTR
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:I.
II.
:INTRODUCTION
In March 1989, the City of Campbell Redevelopment Agency
contracted with HMH, Incorporated to provide civil engineering
services pertaining to the Winchester Drive-In Access study.
The purpose of the study was to investigate the feasibility
of a new interchange with state Route 17 between the Camden
Avenue/San Tomas Expressway and Hamilton Avenue interchanges,
in order to improve access to the Drive-In site, downtown
Campbell and other redevelopment areas.
Initial study activities included preparation of conceptual
drawings of three interchange alternatives and one
overcrossing alternative and order-of-magnitude estimates of
probable construction cost. After presentation of these items
to City staff and review of the conceptual drawings, the City
indicated a preference for the diamond interchange configur-
ation located along Route 17 between the existing interchanges
at Camden Avenue/San Tomas Expressway and Hamilton Avenue.
The estimated construction cost of this alternative is
approximately $7.5 million and the estimated right-of-way cost
is approximately $3.6 million. with allowances for
engineering inspection and other professional services, total
project cost is estimated to be $13 million. It is
anticipated that the project would be funded by a combination
of City of Campbell Redevelopment Funds, developer
contributions and dedications, and, if possible, CALTRANS
state Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) Funds.
BACKGROUND
Route 17 was constructed as a four-lane freeway in 1959 with
interchanges at Hamilton Avenue and Camden Avenue. As traffic
increased due to growth of the surrounding West Valley
communities, congestion and operational problems on Route 17
and local streets gradually increased. In 1969 the City of
campbell studied the feasibility of an additional interchange
at Campbell Avenue between Hamil ton and Camden which was
proposed for construction with widening of the freeway to six
lanes scheduled in 1971. In March of 1971, CALTRANS held a
Design Public Hearing regarding the proposed campbell Avenue
interchange, and testimony was taken from members of the
public and representatives of affected public agencies. At
the Public Hearing, concern was expressed by local residents
who feared increased traffic in their neighborhoods,
particularly in the vicinity of Campbell Avenue and at Bascom
and Union. In addition, the City of San Jose officially
protested construction of the interchange because of impacts
upon residential areas, the spacing of interchanges on the
freeway, and the potential affect of the project on other City
of San Jose priorities. The interchange was never
constructed.
I:
In subsequent years, modifications have been made to the
Hamilton and Camden interchanges to increase their capacity
and improve operations. However, traffic demands have
continued to increase more rapidly than the improvements could
accommodate, and both interchanges now operate poorly in the
AM and PM peak hours.
The Winchester Drive-In site was previously proposed for
development in 1984. The applicants, initially Equireal
Development and later Caz Development Company, proposed an
office, research and development park with 420,000 square feet
of floor space and approximately 1650 parking spaces. The
project proposed to use existing surface streets for access
and approval was conditioned upon improvements at a number of
local intersections. Shortly after approval, the developer
and its financial partner encountered financial problems and
the property has been tied up in bankruptcy proceedings
without any construction.
:III. PROBLEM DEFINIT:ION
Existing Route 17 within the project limits is a six-lane
freeway with an all-paved section and a Type 50 median
barrier. Existing auxiliary lanes approximately 1200 feet
long extend northerly from the southbound Camden Avenue
offramp, which is a standard two-lane exit configuration.
According to the Route Concept Report for Route 17, the AADT
near Hamilton Avenue is currently 115,000 and is projected to
increase to 143,000 by the year 2005. The traffic peaks on
this section of Route 17 are predominantly northbound in the
A.M. and southbound in the P.M.. Northbound A.M. flow of 6600
vehicles per hour moves relatively well through this stretch
due largely to the on-ramp meters at the Camden and Hamilton
interchanges. In the P. M. peak hour, however, the southbound
volume of 5200 vehicles is very congested with serious backups
at the Hamilton and Camden offramps. Each of these offramps
feeds into a signalized intersection with a three-lane left
turn movement. However, the heavy demand for this south-to-
east movement causes backups onto the freeway with significant
congestion and freeway operational problems.
The existing interchanges at Hamilton and Camden/San Tomas
Avenue are located approximately 1.85 miles apart from center
to center. CALTRANS and FHWA policy normally require one-mile
spacing between interchanges in urban areas to improve weaving
operations and reduce short freeway trips.
Local streets crossing the freeway in the vicinity, Hamilton,
Campbell and Camden/San Tomas, are also very congested in the
westbound A.M. peak and eastbound P.M. movements. with the
freeway congestion and the heavy local street traffic, access
to important areas of the ci ty of Campbell is extremely
difficult in peak hours.
..
within these traffic constraints, the City of Campbell seeks
to accommodate development of the Drive-In site, redevelopment
of existing heavy industrial uses on the west side of the
freeway, and increased commercial potential of the downtown
and pruneyard areas. At initial meetings with City staff, the
following objectives were established for this project:
0
Provide access to
industrial areas.
the
Drive-In
site
and
adjacent
0
Improve access to downtown Campbell and the pruneyard.
0
Improve Route 17 operations.
Minimize the impact upon the local street network.
0
0
Realize development potential on both sides of the
freeway.
Minimize impacts on Los Gatos Creek.
0
0
Minimize cost.
IV.
ALTERNATIVES
Three alternative configurations for an interchange and one
overcrossing configuration without freeway ramps were
presented to City staff in May. In each alternative the new
road crossing the freeway was proposed as basically a two-lane
facility with widening where necessary for separate turning
lanes. The new street was proposed to terminate on the west
side within the Drive-In property and not be connected to
cristich Lane or Westchester Drive which presently provide
access to the Drive-In site. On this basis it has been
assumed that a two-lane facility will accommodate all trips
which are generated within the Drive-In site.
On the east side, each alternative connects to Railway Avenue,
which provides access to downtown Campbell to the north and
to winchester Boulevard via Kennedy Drive to the south.
Al though not directly a part of this study, each of these
concepts would involve upgrading of Railway Avenue and
modification of the intersection at Railway, Orchard City
Drive and Campbell Avenue.
Each interchange alternative includes the construction of an
auxiliary lane approaching the southbound exit and auxiliary
lanes in both directions between the new crossing and Camden
Avenue, connecting to the existing northbound and southbound
auxiliary lanes. with the proposed interchange spacing less
than CALTRAN's normal policy, only 0.86 miles between Camden
and the new structure, these auxiliary lanes will serve to
improve weaving operations.
The four alternatives initially presented to the City are
attached as Exhibits 1,2,3, and 4 and described as follows:
The DIAMOND INTERCHANGE ALTERNATIVE consists of a tight
diamond configuration with separate structures to carry
the new road across Route 17 and across Los Gatos Creek.
Due to limited room on the west side between the freeway
and the creek, the southbound ramps must be supported on
retaining walls adjacent the creek. The new street
crosses a corner of the city's service center and
intersects Railway Avenue about 400 feet northerly of
Kennedy. The cost of this alternative is estimated at
$7.6 million for construction and $3.5 million for right-
of-way for a total of $11.1. million.
The NORTH LOOP ALTERNATIVE has the northbound ramps
configured in a diamond similar to the diamond
interchange. The southbound ramps cross Los Gatos Creek
on separate structures northerly of the new street
crossing and loop back into the new street in the
vicinity of the existing City service Center. with this
concept the Service Center would need to be relocated or
modified significantly. The cost of this alternative is
$9.2 million for construction and $4.3 million for right-
of-way for a total of $13.5 million. However, these
costs do not include modifications to the City Service
Center.
The SOUTH LOOP ALTERNATIVE includes diamond northbound
ramps, and has the southbound ramps configured in a
sweeping loop southerly of the new street with a separate
bridge crossing over Los Gatos Creek. The ramps are
aligned directly with the Railway Avenue extension
creating a four-way intersection with the new street and
the southerly leg of Railway Avenue. The cost of this
alternative is estimated to be $9.1 million for
construction and $3.4 million for right-of-way and a
total $12.5 million.
The OVERCROSSING ALTERNATIVE is a straight alignment
without ramps connecting to the freeway. Since the
interchange spacing and weaving issues do not dictate its
location, the structure is proposed near the southerly
end of the Drive-In site to allow greater on-site
flexibility. On the west side of Route 17 it connects
to the future extension of Railway southerly of Kennedy,
and just north of the Hidden Cove Mobile Park. This
alternative is estimated to cost $3.4 million for
construction plus $2.7 million for right-of-way,
totalling $6.1.
After review of these four alternatives, City staff indicated
a preference for the DIAMOND configuration and requested
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further refinement of the concept. The updated preliminary
plan, profiles and typical sections are shown as Exhibit 5.
As these drawings indicate the new street includes only one
basic lane in each direction, but the overcrossing structure
is actually four lanes wide to accommodate parallel left turn
stacking pockets onto each onramp.
At the City's request, consideration has been given to
construction of the overcrossing wi thout the ramps as a
interim first stage. In this scenario, we recommended
processing approval of the full interchange, but const~ction
of only a 40-foot wide freeway overcrossing and Los Gatos
Creek bridge to minimize costs. The approach fills should be
constructed to their ultimate width, but paving can be limited
to only the initial requirements.
Updated estimates of probable cost have been prepared for both
the full DIAMOND INTERCHANGE and the interim overcrossing.
As shown on Appendix 1, these estimates include probable
construction and right-of-way costs, as well as allowances for
engineering and environmental studies and contingencies. with
these allowances, approximate total project costs are
summarized as follows:
DIAMOND INTERIM
INTERCHANGE OVERCROSSING
Construction $ 7,500,000 $ 3,800,000
Right-of-way. 3,700,000 3,000,000
Engineering &
Environmental 1,800,000 1,100,000
TOTAL $ 13,000,000 $ 7,900,000
.
Right-of-Way costs are based upon $20 per square foot for
land as provided by the City staff and include an
allowance for utility relocation.
v.
SYSTEM PLANNING
The Route concept Report for Route 17 includes this location
within Segment B (O4-SCl-17, P.M. 0.0 to 12.53), which extends
from the Santa cruz/santa Clara County line to Hamilton
Avenue. It recommends that the section of highway from the
vicini ty of Los Gatos (presumably Route 85) to Hamil ton Avenue
be widened to eight lanes in its ultimate configuration. The
Route Concept Report states further that this widening alone
will not solve congestion, and that alternative transportation
modes, such as the Vasona Corridor LRT, must be considered.
The proposed project can be constructed in a manner compatible
with the Route Concept. The project's auxiliary lanes can be
constructed to serve as future through lanes I and ramp
connections can be designed to accommodate future widening to
the outside. Consideration should be given to future tieback
walls beneath the bridge abutments and to using retaining
walls to contain the southbound ramp fills if the highway is
widened on the outside.
v.
ENVIRONMENTAL CLEARANCE
Based upon our experience and our environmental subconsul tant,
we recommend that the City plan upon a full Federal
environmental clearance in accordance with the National
Environmental Protection Act (NEPA), in addi tion to the
California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) requirements.
since at least some of the project alternatives include a
connection to Highway 17, which is a Federal-Aid Highway, the
proj ect would require discretionary approval from the Federal
Highway Administration even if Federal funds are not used.
This discretionary approval by FHWA triggers the Federal
environmental processes.
since the project is likely to be controversial, coupled with
the fact that there could be potentially significant impacts,
it is likely that a full EIS/EIR will be required. FHWA would
be the Lead Agency for NEPA, while CALTRANS would most likely
be the Lead Agency for CEQA. There is a possibility that
Campbell could be the Lead Agency for CEQA, but based upon our
experience with other locally-funded projects on CALTRANS'
facilities, it is most likely that CALTRANS would assume this
role.
One very significant Federal requirement which must be
complied with on this project is known as section 4(f) of the
Department of Transportation Act. This requirement states
that the Secretary of Transportation may approve proj ects
requiring use of publicly-owned land of a public park,
recreation area, wildlife/waterfowl refuge, or historic site
only if, 1) there is no feasible and prudent alternative to
such use, and 2) the project includes all possible planning
to minimize harm to the section 4(f) resource. Section 4(f)
needs to be considered in this project because the project
would potentially affect the Los Gatos Creek Park Chain. This
means that the EIS/EIR will have to include a formal section
4(f) Evaluation which documents what impacts will occur under
which alternatives and what methods will be employed to
minimize harm.
other environmentally-related Federal requirements which will
have to be complied with include the Endangered Species Act,
the Executive Order on Wetlands Preservation, the Executive
Order on Floodplain Management, and the National Historic
Preservation Act. For this project, we are not aware of any
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information at this time, such as the presence of any
endangered species or historic structures, which would
represent a serious constraint to complying with these
requirements.
The following issues are likely to be of substantial interest
or controversy and should be addressed in the environmental
document.
1.
TRAFFIC & CIRCULATION - Affects of each alternative upon
the circulation of traffic on the surrounding local
street network, as well as upon Highway 17 and the
adj acent interchanges at Hamil ton and Camden Avenues
should be addressed. This section should include a
discussion of the project's relationship to the proposed
Vasona Corridor Mass Transit project, especially if the
Vasona project has a downtown Campbell component.
GROWTH - This section should identify how much growth
would directly or indirectly occur under each
alternative.
2.
3.
IMPACTS TO RIPARIAN HABITAT - Consideration should be
given to the amount of riparian habitat to be removed by
the proposed crossing of Los Gatos Creek. Areas for re-
vegetation, preferably in the project area, will be
required to be identified.
CULTURAL RESOURCES Impacts upon any important
archaeological, historic, or architectural sites should
be identified.
4.
5.
NOISE - Studies should be conducted to determine if there
are any substantial changes in noise levels at receptors
along the freeway and local streets due to changes in
traffic volumes caused by the project.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS - The EIS/EIR will need to include
the results of a Hazardous Materials Survey, indicating
if any of the alternatives would affect a site known or
suspected to contain any soil or groundwater
contamination.
6.
7.
VISUAL IMPACTS - Visual effects of each al ternati ve,
should be analyzed, as seen from both the freeway and
from the surrounding land uses, with particular emphasis
to viewpoints from along the Los Gatos Creek trail.
IMPACTS ON RECREATIONAL LANDS Impacts of each
alternative being studied upon adjacent recreational
lands will need to be described in the EIS and 4 (f)
statement. As noted previously, particular attention
will need to be focused on the Los Gatos Creek Park
Chain.
8.
AIR QUALITY - Consideration should be given as to whether
any of the alternatives will result in either improvement
or deterioration of local or regional air quality
condi tions. Particular attention should be paid to
carbon monoxide and ozone since both of these levels are
higher than Federal and state standards on some days at
various locations throughout the Bay Area.
Permits from the following agencies are likely to be required for
this project: u.s. Army Corps or Engineers, California Department
of Fish & Game, Santa Clara Valley Water District, and the
California Public Utilities Commission, if any modifications to
the at-grade railroad crossings at Kennedy or Campbell Avenue are
included within the project. Permits or approvals may also be
required from various local utility companies, depending upon the
locations and extent of various components of the project.
9.
VII. PROGRAMMING
Potential sources to share in funding the project include City
Redevelopment funds, City capital funds, developer participation,
and STIP funds, although it will be difficult to obtain MTC
priority for the project in the Regional Transportation Improvement
Program (RTIP) , unless substantial new funding sources are
developed.
A potential project development time line follows:
Perform preliminary traffic modeling and
operations analysis (includes selection
and approval of traffic consultant)
Prepare PSR and process for CALTRANS and
FHWA approval
5 months
6 mnths
Prepare Administrative Draft EIS/EIR/4(f)
and Draft Project Report (includes early
consultation & public scoping process,
review & approval of technical studies)
Reviews and revisions of Administrative
Draft EISjEIRj4(f)
9 mnths
6 months
Printing and circulation of Draft
EIS/EIR/4(f) and Project Report, and
Public Hearing
Prepare Administrative Final EIS/EIR/4(f)
2 DDnths
3 mnths
Reviews and revisions of Administrative
Final EIS/EIRj4(f)
3 months
Printing and circulation of Final
EIS/EIR/4(f) and project Approval Report
2 m:mths
Prepare PS&E and acquire right-of-way
12 months
Bidding, award and construction
18 months
TOTAL
66 months
It should be noted that some of these time frames may vary
significantly. For instance, the second step, approval of the PSR,
could take considerably longer if the traffic analysis does not
show obvious benefit to freeway operations, or if the project is
not readily accepted by Caltrans and the FHWA for other reasons.
The environmental processing schedules could also be extended if
there is any significant controversy regarding the project. In
addition, the design, right-of-way and construction time frames
assume that the City controls and manages the project, and
administers construction with a Caltrans encroachment permit.
VIII.
RECOMMENDATION
Upon consideration of the information included in this report, the
City must decide if it desires to pursue the interchange project.
If so, it is recommended that preliminary traffic forecast and
operations analysis be conducted by City staff or by a traffic
engineering consultant familiar with CALTRANS requirements and
recent regional modeling.
If the City chooses to pursue the interim overcrossing option, the
traffic analysis should address the ultimate interchange and every
effort should be made to obtain approval of the full project.
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August 9, 1989
Job No. 1733-00
APPENDIX 1
PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF PROBABLE COST
DIAMOND INTERCHANGE
I.'m1
Roadway Excavation
Imported Borrow
Paving (Ramp & Freeway)
Paving (City Street)
Curb & Gutter
sidewalk
FreewayOvercrossing
Los Gatos Creek Bridge
Retaining Walls
Drainage Facilities
Signals & Lighting
Landscaping & Riparian
Mitigation
SCVWD pipeline Relocation
Miscellaneous (10% for
signing, striping, fences,
traffic control, etc.)
Mobilization (10%)
OUANTITY
UNIT COST
32,000 CY
20,000 CY
250,000 SF
82,000 SF
3,100 LF
15,500 SF
LS
LS
1,150 LF
LS
LS
$
5.00
10.00
3.50
2.50
10.00
2.50
LS
LS
800.00
LS
LS
LS
400.00
LS
1,500 LF
LS
LS
LS
LS
SUBTOTAL
CONSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY (10%)
CONSTRUCTION TOTAL
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Right-of-Way (at $20/SF)
Utility Relocation
Environmental Studies
Engineering and Inspection
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PROJECT TOTAL
TOTAL COST
$
160,000
200,000
875,000
205,000
31,000
38,750
950,000
1,000,000
920,000
200,000
300,000
100,000
600,000
600,000
600.000
$ 6,779,750
677.975
$ 7,457,725
$ 3,600,000
100,000
300,000
$ 1,500,000
$12,957,725
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August 9, 1989
Job No. 1733-00
APPENDIX 1
PRELIMINARY ESTIMATE OF PROBABLE COST
INTERIM OVERCROSSING
~
Roadway Excavation
Imported Borrow
Paving (City street)
Curb & Gutter
Sidewalk
Freeway Overcrossing
Los Gatos Creek Bridge
Retaining Walls
Drainage Facilities
Signals & Lighting
Landscaping & Riparian
Mitigation
SCVWD Pipeline Relocation
Miscellaneous (10% for
signing, striping, fences,
traffic control, etc.)
Mobilization (10%)
OUANTITY
UNIT COST TOTAL COST
$ 5.00 $ 25,000
10.00 150,000
2.50 205,000
10.00 31,000
2.50 38,750
LS 650,000
LS 800,000
800.00 160,000
LS 100,000
LS 50,000
LS 50,000
400.00 600,000
300,000
300.000
5,000 CY
15,000 CY
82,000 SF
3,100 LF
15,500 SF
LS
LS
200 LF
LS
LS
LS
1,500 LF
SUBTOTAL
CONSTRUCTION CONTINGENCY (10%)
CONSTRUCTION TOTAL
Right-of-Way (at $20/SF)
Utility Relocation
Environmental Studies
Engineering and Inspection
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PROJECT TOTAL
..
$ 3,459,750
345.975
$ 3,805,725
$ 2,900,000
100,000
300,000
$ 800,000
$ 7,905,725
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2.
3.
4.
APPENDIX 1
ESTIMATE NOTES
Estimate is a professional opinion of probable construction costs, based
solely upon the Engineer's experience with construction. It is prepared
only as a guide, is based upon incomplete information and is subject to
change. HMH, Inc. cannot guarantee the accuracy of this estimate, makes
no warranty that actual costs will not vary from these estimated costs
and assumes no liability for such variances.
The estimate includes only costs associated with improvements shown on
Exhibit 5. The estimate does DQt include improvements to Railway
northerly of the new street, improvements to Kennedy or the railroad
grade crossing, or improvements within the Drive-In site.
Environmental studies and inspection costs are approximate preliminary
estimates.
Probable construction costs are based upon estimated current prices
without provision for inflation.
WJW/jr/173300-A.EST
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