CC 2015-06-23_11b Temporary Ramp Closure_BriscoMEMORANDUM
TO: CITY COUNCIL
FROM: TERESA MCCLISH, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
MATT HORN, CITY ENGINEER
SUBJECT: CONSIDERATION OF TEMPORARY RAMP CLOSURE FOR THE
BRISCO ROAD-HALCYON ROAD/HIGHWAY 101 PROJECT
DATE: JUNE 23, 2015
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended the City Council provide direction to staff regarding developing a
work plan with Caltrans for a temporary ramp closure for the Brisco Road-Halcyon
Road/Highway 101 project once the project report is complete.
IMPACT ON FINANCIAL AND PERSONNEL RESOURCES:
The Capital Improvement Program budget includes a total of $587,238 for the Brisco
Interchange project design phase and has $465,846 funds remaining. Continued
dedication of staff resources will also be required. The project is identified as a priority
in the Critical Needs Action Plan. Consultant services are funded from the
Transportation Facilities Development Impact Fee Fund.
BACKGROUND:
The project history is summarized below:
• In 2001, a Project Study Report-Project Development Support (PSR-PDS) was
completed to develop alternatives to improve operation of the Brisco Road-
Halcyon Road/U.S. 101 Interchange. The project moved from the PSR-PDS
phase to the Project Approval and Environmental Determination (PA&ED).
During PA&ED development, additional alternatives were identified and
analyzed.
• Alternatives were presented to the City Council at the August 12, 2008 meeting.
The City Council selected an alternative and directed staff and the City Council
Subcommittee to pursue approval and funding through the San Luis Obispo
Council of Governments (SLOCOG) and Caltrans. In May of 2009, the City
Council approved Contract Amendment No. 4 with Wood Rodgers, Inc. for
preparation of the design exception fact sheets for the Brisco Road-Halcyon
Road/U.S. 101 PA&ED in the amount of $17,500. Additionally, the Council
authorized the Mayor to send a letter to Caltrans regarding opposition to
requests for further analysis and urging support for the City's preferred
alternative.
Item 11.b. - Page 1
CITY COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION OF TEMPORARY RAMP CLOSURE FOR THE BRISCO ROAD-
HALCYON ROAD/HIGHWAY 101 PROJECT
JUNE 23, 2015
PAGE 2
• In August 2009, Caltrans and the City were at an impasse, each agency
preferred different project design alternatives and believed other design
alternatives were not viable. Planning Company Associates, that was later
renamed Point C, LLC, was contracted to assist in determining a design solution
to the Brisco impasse and develop strategies to achieve project approval.
• On May 11, 2010, the Council approved Contract Amendment No. 5 with Wood
Rodgers to include alternative 3B that placed ramps at Old Ranch Road and
continue an update of environmental studies and the PA&ED project. However,
it was subsequently determined that this alternative had a fatal flaw due to the
grade separation between U.S. 101 and Old Ranch Road.
• On October 26, 2010, the Council approved Alternative 4 to be included in the
PA&ED. Alternative 4 involves moving the Brisco northbound on-ramp and off-
ramp to Rodeo Drive. Additionally, the Council approved the preparation of
supporting information and design exception fact sheets to provide the public an
opportunity to comment at the Traffic Commission and neighborhood meetings.
• The Traffic Commission considered the project alternatives on January 10, 2011
and a well attended neighborhood meeting was held on February 24, 2011.
Project accomplishments include completion of the Purpose and Need
document, established performance criteria and the traffic analysis with
concurrence from Caltrans District 5 Traffic Operations.
• In April 2011, the Council approved Amendment No. 6 with Wood Rodgers to
update environmental studies and continue preparation of the PA&ED
documents. Caltrans reviews required more revisions and effort than was
anticipated for Amendment No. 6.
• Draft funding recommendations for the project were approved at the February,
2012 San Luis Obispo Council of Governments Board of Directors meeting.
• In March 2012, the California Transportation Commission programmed $5.6
million in construction funding for the project.
• In May 2012, the Council approved Amendment No. 7 with Wood Rodgers for
an additional not to exceed amount of $103,820 in order to complete all
technical studies and prepare final design exception fact sheets.
• In April 2013, the City Council Brisco Interchange Subcommittee, staff and
consultants met with Caltrans staff and learned that additional design and
amended technical studies were necessary for approval of design exception fact
sheets.
Item 11.b. - Page 2
CITY COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION OF TEMPORARY RAMP CLOSURE FOR THE BRISCO ROAD-
HALCYON ROAD/HIGHWAY 101 PROJECT
JUNE 23, 2015
PAGE 3
• In December 2013, Caltrans, Consultants and staff met in Sacramento to review
comparison interchanges, and geometries for Alternative 4 and what would be
needed for approval of design exceptions. The result of the meeting was the
identification of Alternative 4C. However, additional information to reduce
design speed on West Branch, as well as to develop an alternative intersection
treatment was determined necessary to finalize feasibility.
• In March 2014, the City Council approved a revised intersection treatment for
Alternative 4C to include a roundabout (RAB) and consultant contracts to
complete necessary studies.
• During 2014, consultants prepared conceptual geometries and design standards
compliance documents for Alternative 4 with a signalized intersection and with a
roundabout. This included an independent peer review by Kittelson and
Associates for the preliminary RAB design as requested by Caltrans District 5.
Additionally, a revised Advance Planning Study for the structure to carry the
planned on-ramp over Brisco Road in Alternative 4 was revised and the
Preliminary Drainage Report was updated and the Stormwater Data Report
prepared. Finally, several technical studies were revised including the Natural
Environment Study, the Jurisdictional Waters Assessment, the Conceptual
Habitat Mitigation and Monitoring Plan, the Archaeological Survey Report, the
Historic Property Survey Report and Historical Resources Evaluation Report, the
Noise Study, Visual Impact Assessment, Air Quality Study Report, Water Quality
Assessment Report, Paleontological Evaluation Report. The Community Impact
Assessment is in progress. The Initial Study and Mitigated Negative Declaration
has also been drafted. All of this work was required to complete the draft Project
Report and Environmental Study.
• In August 2014, an additional $1,000,000 was recommended by SLOCOG to the
California Transportation Commission (CTC} for the construction phase of the
project to increase the total grant funding to $6.6 million.
• In September 2014, City staff met with the San Luis Obispo Council of
Governments (SLOCOG) to go over the project schedule and verify that grant
funding status was unchanged.
• In November 2014, Design Exception Fact Sheets were submitted to Caltrans.
• In January 2015, the Brisco Subcommittee met with Caltrans and SLOCOG
officials. During the meeting Caltrans staff outlined remaining concerns with
Alternative 4C. A Project Development Team (PDT) meeting was determined
necessary to determine final alternatives that will go out for public review.
Item 11.b. - Page 3
CITY COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION OF TEMPORARY RAMP CLOSURE FOR THE BRISCO ROAD-
HALCYON ROAD/HIGHWAY 101 PROJECT
JUNE 23, 2015
PAGE4
• At City Council's meeting on March 10, 2015 Council authorized the continued
inclusion of Alternate 1 and Alternative 4C RAB and removed from consideration
the Alternative 4C Traffic Signal from Brisco Road -Halcyon Road/Highway 101
Interchange Improvement Project Approval and Environmental Determination
(PA&ED) report.
• On April 2, 2015 a series of project meetings were held that included a design
review meeting with Caltrans, Brisco Subcommittee Meeting, and a Brisco
Stakeholders Meeting to provide updated information concerning the project and
obtain input. At the April 2, 2015 Design Review Meeting with Caltrans the
meeting focused on Alternative 4C RAB in order to look at alternatives to
improve sight distance for the northbound off-ramp. Based on Caltrans' input
the design was revised. The main feature of the revised design is that it lowered
the RAB approximately five feet in order to provide northbound off-ramp users
vision of the entire RAB. This revised design was submitted to Caltrans on April
19, 2015. Caltrans reviewed this revised design and provided comments back to
the City on May 20, 2015. In order to mitigate concerns regarding stopping sight
distance on Alternative 4c RAB, the Caltrans design team and staff conducted a
series of meetings to develop additional design detail. The revised design
greatly enhanced sight stopping distance and final exhibits were transmitted to
Caltrans on June 17, 2015.
ANALYSIS OF ISSUES:
Now that the final design details for the purposes of the project report have been
worked out after an extensive period of meetings and submittals, the next step for the
project is for the project designers to resubmit the final design exception fact sheets to
Caltrans for review and anticipated approval. After this step is complete and Caltrans'
approval is obtained, the project report and environmental review will be finalized and
released for public review and input.
The City Council has expressed an interest in temporarily closing the ramps at Brisco
Road-Halcyon Road/U.S. 101 Interchange for the purposes of better defining benefits
and impacts to traffic flow. The City conducted a two-week closure in 2007, at an
approximate cost of $40,000. Developing a project plan is important to both define the
scope of this work and to collect the appropriate data during the closure.
Items that should be considered include:
• Duration of ramp closure
• Data collection during closure
• The method of ramp closure
• Obtaining public input during closure
• Funding for the closure
Item 11.b. - Page 4
CITY COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION OF TEMPORARY RAMP CLOSURE FOR THE BRISCO ROAD-
HALCYON ROAD/HIGHWAY 101 PROJECT
JUNE 23, 2015
PAGE 5
Depending on our data needs, public outreach and input needs, and the ability to
collaborate with Caltrans to complete this work, costs could vary.
Staffs initial concept of the ramp closure would include:
1. Closing both the on and off ramps at Brisco Road and Highway 101.
2. Recommended closure period would likely be a minimum of two months during
a timeframe in which school is in session. This would allow traffic enough time
to normalize and revise traffic patterns.
3. Traffic data is recommended to be obtained two weeks prior to the closure,
during the closure, and two weeks after the closure. Staff is anticipating
collecting the data at the following locations:
a. Grand Ave and Highway 101 off and on ramps
b. Brisco Road between El Camino Real and West Brach Street both
directions
c. Camino Mercado and Highway 101 off and on ramps
d. Oak Park at Highway 101 on ramp
Staff will develop a project plan, gain concurrence with Caltrans for shared work items
and make recommendations for City Council's review. A rough estimate of closure
costs is provided below.
Closure Cost Rough Estimate
Public Notification
CMS Notification $ 4,200
Press Release $ -
Permitting
Traffic Handling Plan $ 5,000
Encroachment Permit $500
Analysis
Traffic Data $ 10,000
Traffic Analysis $ 5,000
Closure
Traffic Handling Implementation $ 62,000
$ 86,700
ALTERNATIVES:
The following alternatives are provided for the Council's consideration:
• Direct Staff to prepare a work plan for the temporary ramp closure;
• Do not direct staff to prepare a work plan for the temporary ramp closure;
• Provide other direction to staff.
Item 11.b. - Page 5
CITY COUNCIL
CONSIDERATION OF TEMPORARY RAMP CLOSURE FOR THE BRISCO ROAD-
HALCYON ROAD/HIGHWAY 101 PROJECT
JUNE 23, 2015
PAGE 6
ADVANTAGES:
Ramp closure will provide additional data to inform the project.
DISADVANTAGES:
Costs of the closure may be extensive. The impact in the project schedule is unknown.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW:
The environmental review for the temporary closure will be brought back with the work
plan for Council consideration.
PUBLIC NOTIFICATION AND COMMENTS:
The Agenda was posted in front of City Hall on Thursday, June 18, 2015. The Agenda
and staff report were posted on the City's website on Friday, June 19, 2015. No public
comments were received.
Item 11.b. - Page 6