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HomeMy WebLinkAboutStaff Report 408-09City of Palo Alto City Manager's Report TO: HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL FROM: CITY MANAGER DEPARTMENT: PLANNING DATE: OCTOBER 26, 2009 CMR:408:09 REPORT TYPE: INFORMATION SUBJECT: Implementation of Southbound Highway 101 Ramp Metering Project at Oregon I Embarcadero This is an information report. No Council action is required. BACKGROUND The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is the lead agency for the activation of ramp metering on the southbound ramps of Highway 101 from Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto to De La Cruz Blvd. in San Jose. The ramps to be metered in Palo Alto as part of this project include Oregon Expressway and Embarcadero Road southbound on-ramps. The project schedule calls for initiation of ramp metering on November 9, 2009, and project evaluation in early 2010. The primary purpose of the ramp metering plan for the US 101 corridor is to improve the operation of the freeway in the southbound direction including its associated ramps, and adjacent arterials. The implementation of ramp metering in this corridor will be for the evening commute from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday only. There are no current plans to meter the northbound Highway 101 ramps. At present, the northbound ramps are not equipped with ramp meters. The City is working with VT A, as part of the CMIA Highway 101 Auxiliary Lane project, to implement ramp metering for northbound 101 in conjunction with that project. The City Council last considered the issue of ramp metering in July 2008. The Council reaffirmed the position that the ramp metering lights should not be turned on until such time as there was a formal agreement between Cal trans and the local agencies detailing the operational aspects of the project and the responsibilities and process for addressing operational concerns in the event the ramp metering had impacts on local streets. Beginning in mid-2008, local agency representatives, Caltrans, and VTA staff met several times to prepare the Ramp Metering Program Memorandum of Understanding (MOU). The subject MOU was finalized and executed in March 2009 (See Attachment C). The MOU signatories are Caltrans and the VTA, on behalf of the local agencies. Key provisions of the MOU relate to the governance structure, operating principles, monitoring, evaluation and maintenance requirements for the ramp metering program countywide. The VTA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) and VTA Committee Systems Operations and Management (SOM) Working Group are designated as the bodies to provide guidance on operational strategies and to make recommendations to the VT A Board of Directors as appropriate. DISCUSSION Ramp metering is introduced when segments of a freeway mainline start to experience increases in traffic volumes, which may lead to congestion and commute delays. To improve this condition, meters are installed at the on-ramps to control the number of vehicles entering the freeway. Without metering, entering vehicles may be very closely spaced when merging onto freeways, making it difficult for each vehicle to find a gap in traffic. This phenomenon, known as "platooning", causes drivers on the freeway to slow down to let the merging vehicles enter, and these slower speeds can contribute to time-consuming mainline freeway backups as well as dangerous sideswipes, lane changes, and rear-end collisions. Ramp meters help vehicles enter the freeway in a spaced, controlled manner, allowing drivers to merge more safely and with. less disruption to other freeway traffic. The purpose of ramp meters is to balance the short wait at a ramp meter with the potential benefits that these systems provide, such as increased average travel speeds, and reduced travel times. The most significant benefit of the proposed ramp metering for this segment of southbound US 101 is a reduction in freeway travel times between Embarcadero Road in Palo Alto and De La Cruz Boulevard in Santa Clara as shown in attachment A table 1. The travel time reduction is predicted to be as high as seven minutes between 5:15 PM and 5:30 PM as shown in attachment A figure 2. Furthermore, Caltrans will adjust ramp metering rates after implementation to minimize delay and response time and possible back-ups onto city streets. Ramp Metering Operations in Palo Alto The analysis prepared by VTA for the Highway 101 corridor (see Attachment A) shows that within the Palo Alto city limits on-ramp delays are projected to be as low as a few seconds to as high as over four minutes. Delays on the two Embarcadero Road on-ramps are projected to decrease by over one minute, and the average delay for all ramps on the corridor is projected to be approximately one and one half minutes. The Embarcadero Road on-ramp is predicted to have queues that exceed the available storage by one vehicle length during the four-hour peak period. The predicted queue at the Oregon Expressway on-ramp is predicted to exceed the available storage by up to four vehicle lengths during the four-hour peak period. VTA and Caltrans staff studied selected local streets to establish base lines for potential impacts of traffic diversion from the freeway. The parallel routes identified include Middlefield, Alma, and Louis Road. VT A and Caltrans will conduct a 3 month assessment of the project after implementation to evaluate potential diversion of traffic onto these streets as well as the evaluation of the ramp metering operations and queuing from the freeway ramps back onto Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway. A full 'after' study will be prepared after approximately 6 months. The MOU provides for Cal trans to respond to requests from local agencies to modify ramp metering: (1) within 24 to 48 hours to initially diagnose an operational CMR:408:09 Page issue, and (2) within one month to collect data, develop and implement modified ramp metering plans. Palo Alto Transportation staff have reviewed the technical analysis provided by VTA and Caltrans staff for the ramp metering of the Oregon and Embarcadero ramps. While the analysis indicates that local surface streets should not be impacted, VT A and Caltrans have committed to working with the City staff to address any problems that may arise after the metering is acti vated. Cal trans and VT A agreed to work to avoid unnecessary delays or queues on local streets and to make adjustments in a timely manner, as required under the MOD. (See Attachment B, letter from Alan Chow, Office Chief of Traffic Systems, Caltrans District 4). Adjustments could include turning on the queue loop detectors on the ramps, changing the metering rate or setting the meters to solid green. Staff will continue to monitor this project through the VT A Technical Advisory Committee and SOM Working Group. Staff will provide an update to Council on this project after the three month evaluation or sooner if issues arise that cannot be resolved with VTA and Caltrans. RESOURCE IMPACT No financial resources are required from the City of Palo Alto for this project. In early 2008, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) approved the use of up to $2,051,000 in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (SAFE) funds for ramp metering on State Routs 87, and 85, and US 101. The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors at their April 2008 meeting approved to enter into an agreement with the MTC to accept these funds to implement ramp metering on these three corridors. POLICY IMPLICATIONS This project is consistent with existing Council policy and Comprehensive Plan Transportation Policy T -54: Support efforts by Caltrans and the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority Congestion Management Program to reduce congestion and improve traffic flow on area freeways. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW This project has been determined to be categorically exempt from review under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to CEQA Guidelines, Section 15301 (c) repair and maintenance of existing streets and similar facilities. PREPARED BY: DEPARTMENT HEAD: SAM PEIRIS Traffic Engineer CURTIS WILLIAMS Director of Planning and Transportation Page 3 CITY MANAGER APPROV AL: ~~E~~ City Manager ATTACHMENTS Attachment A: Attachment B: Attachment C: Project Analysis Prepared by VTA Letter from Alan Chow, Office Chief of Traffic Systems, Caltrans District 4 Memorandum of Understanding Page 4 of4 ATTACHMENT A Background In early 2008, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) approved the use of up $2,051,000 in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) and Service Authority for Freeways and Expressways (SAFE) funds for ramp metering on the SR 87, SR 85, and US 101 corridors. Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Board of Directors at their April 2008 meeting approved to enter into agreement with MTC to accept these funds to implement ramp metering on these three corridors. Since April 2008, VTA and Cal trans have jointly achieved the following milestones: • Northbound SR 87 metering operational since mid January 2009. • Southbound SR 85 between Almaden Expressway and Cottle Road operational since late January 2009. • Ramp Metering Program for Santa Clara County MOU was approved by VTA Board of Directors in February, 2009. . • Southbound SR 87 metering operational since April 2009. Although Santa Clara County has had a history of implementing ramp metering, the need for a more formal document to spell out the roles and responsibilities for ensuring the long-terr:n success of ramp metering was identified by the Santa Clara County Ramp Meter Working Group. Based on this, an MOU for ramp metering in Santa Clara County was developed through work by staff from local agencies, Caltrans and VTA. The MOU's signatories are Cal trans and VTA on behalf of the local agencies. The MOU is based upon a similar MOU developed for the San Mateo County/City Association of Governments (C/CAG) and input from local stakeholders. Some of the key provisions in the Ramp Metering Program for Santa Clara County MOU are as follows: • Provide consistent and predictable travel times to reduce overal1 freeway delay. • Minimize impacts on local street traffic. • Encourage cooperative effort with consensus-based decision-making. • Ensure that no community is disproportionately burdened by excessive ramp metering delays. • Defines roles of Caltrans, VT A Board of Directors, and VT A Technical Advisory Committee (TAC), and VTA Systems Operations and Management Working Group (SOMWG). • Defines Caltrans response times to local agency operational concerns: o Response time of24 to 48 hours. o Up to one-month tum around where collection of additional traffic data is needed to modify ramp metering plan. Proposed US 101 Ramp Metering Since late in the Spring of2008, VTA and Caltrans have been working with the local agency staffs from cities along the corridor to develop a ramp metering plan for southbound US 101 between Embarcadero Road and De La Cruz Boulevard as shown in Figure 1. The proposed implementation of ramp metering for this corridor will be for the evening commute from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Monday through Friday. The one exception will be the Charleston Road on-ramp that has no ramp metering equipment and is further constrained by the lack of storage on the ramp to accommodate ramp metering. Figure 1-Proposed Southbound US 101 Ramp Metering 2 Operational Changes The most significant benefit of the proposed ramp metering for this segment of southbound US 101 is a reduction in freeway travel times between Embarcadero Road and De La Cruz Boulevard as shown in Figure 2. The travel time reduction is predicted to be as high as seven minutes between 5: 15 PM and 5:30 PM. Figure 2 Estimated Travel TIme Before and After Ramp Metering Implementation ---~ ......... FreQPropossd witl1 RaI"rlP Metering ..... FreQExlstlng 14:45 15:00 15:15 15:30 15:45 16:00 16:15 16:30 16:45 11:00 11:15 17:30 11:45 18:00 18:15 18:30 18:45 19:00 19:15 START TIME The predicted on-ramp wait times vary from as low as a few seconds to as high as over five minutes as shown in Table 1. The on-ramps wait times are mostly expected to increase by an average waiting time of one half minutes, excluding two on-ramps within the City of Palo Alto at the Embarcadero Road interchange. The two Embarcadero Road on-ramp wait times are predicted to have a decrease as high as over one minute. The improvement in operations at these two on-ramps can be attributed to the ramp metering that provides smoother merging operations by controlling flow entering the freeway. Predicted queues at most on-ramps are expected to be contained within the available storage throughout the peak period, excluding the following on-ramps: • The Embarcadero Road diagonal on-ramp is predicted to have queues that exceed the available storage by one vehicle length during the four-hour peak period. • The predicted queue at the Oregon Expressway diagonal on-ramp is predicted to exceed the available storage by up to four vehicle lengths during the four-hour peak period. 3 • The Ellis Street diagonal on"ramp is predicted to have queues that exceed the available storage by two vehicle length during the four-hour peak period. • The N. Mathilda Avenue loop on-ramp is predicted to have queues that exceed the available storage by five cars during the four-hour peak period. • The N. Mathilda A venue diagonal on-ramp is predicted to have queues that exceed the available storage by three cars during the four-hour peak period. • The Trimble loop on-ramp is predicted to have queues that exceed the available storage by four vehicle length during the four-hour peak period. Adjustment will be made to ramp operations to ensure that light rail vehicle (LRV) operations and local street operations are not impacted.per the Ramp Metering Program MOU. 4 Table 1 On-ramp IS-minute period Estimated Max. and Min. Wait Times Existing Min. Ramp Max. Ramp On-Ramp Location Wait Time Metering Metering Agency Wait Time Wait Time (min:sec) (min:sec) (min:sec) Embarcadero Rd. Loop 03:24 00:09 01:39 Palo Alto Embarcadero Rd. Diagonal 06:05 00:12 05:45 Palo Alto Oregon Expressway Diagonal 01:44 00:05 04:12 Palo Alto/Santa Clara County Charleston Rd. Hook 00:00 00:00 00:00 Mountain View/Palo Alto Rengstorff Ave. Diagonal 00:04 01:05 03:20 Mountain View Old Middlefield Way Diagonal 00:00 .. :",1.; h<: 00:06 02:34 Mountain View Shoreline Blvd. Diagonal 02:57~£,j~ I,Yw 01 :21 05:29 Mountain View Moffett Blvd. Diagonal 00:00),," ~:: 00:36 03:50 Mountain View Ellis st. Diagonal 00 :OG:)~~!;~::, 00:17 04:24 Mountain View EB SR 237 Connector 00:00 ';:~!i(:R:i I~:;: 00:20 05:18 Mountain View Mathilda Ave. Loop 00:00 '";~ 1;!~f:ji:Y;i'\'\ 00: 13 02:10 Sunnyvale Mathilda Ave. Diagonal 00:00 S{i:;;~OO:16 03:20 Sunnyvale Fair Oaks Avenue Loop 00:00 !ij~'()0:22 02:45 Sunnyvale Fair Oaks Avenue Diagonal 00:00 00:45 05:45 Sunnyvale Lawrence Expressway Loop 00:00 00:24 03:00 Sunnyvale/Santa Clara County Lawrence Expressway Diagonal 00:00 00:43 04:50 Sunnyvale/Santa Clara County Great America Pkwy Loop 00:00 00:09 01 :21 Santa Clara Bowers Ave. Diagonal 00:19 00:17 04:15 Santa Clara Montague Expressway Loop 02:45 00:19 02:32 Santa Clara San Tomas Expressway Diagonal 00:42 00:10 03:20 Santa Clara Trimble Rd. Loop 00:30 00:18 01:50 Santa Clara Trimble Rd. Diagonal 02:03 00:16 04:12 Santa Clara Next Steps The implementation of ramp metering along southbound US 101 between Embarcadero Road and De La Cruz Boulevard is planned for October 2009. VTA and Caltrans staffwi11 work closely with local stakeholders to minimize impacts to local arterials as outlined in the Ramp Metering Program for Santa Clara County MOU. If there are any questions or concerns regarding the Southbound US 101 ramp metering implementation between Embarcadero Road and De La Cruz Boulevard, the following VTA and Cal trans staff can be contact: Caltrans District 4 -Office of Traffic Systems: Lester S. Lee, SeniorTE 510-2864528 Lester S Lee@dot.ca.gov Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority: David Kobayashi, P.E., Senior Transportation Planner 408-321-5892 David.Kobayashi@vta.org Mazen Arabi, TE 408-254-5814 Mazen Arabi@dot.ca.gov (r:.............-..•• -~ ATfAC~MENTB STATB 0[1 CALIfORNIA BUSINESS. TRANS(>QRTATION AND BrulSING AGENCY DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 111 GRAND AVENUE P. O. BOX 23660 OAKLAND, CA 94623-0660 PHONE (SI0) 2864577 FAX (SIO) 286-4773 TIY 711 October J 4, 2009 Mr. Sam Perris City 9f Palo Alto, Traffic Engineer 250 Hamilton Avenue Palo Alto, CA 94301 Dear Mr.·Peiris: ARNOLD SCHWAR.ZENilGGBR. GQveffi!)( PIe., your power! Be ellergy tlUicielltl I have been asked to respond to the future ramp metering implementation on southbound U.S. Route 101 at the Embarcadero Road and Oregon Expressway on-ramps, in the City of Palo Alto. The goal of Caltrans is to provide consistent and predictable travel times to minimize overall delay for the southbound Route 101 corridor by managing access at all on-ramps during the evening commute p~riod. This can be accomplished by managing the on-ramps in the City of Palo Alto, along with downstream ramps to De La Cruz Boulevard, in the City of San Jose, while minimizing impacts to the local street traffic. Once the meters are.in operation, Caltrans will conduct two weeks of studies and observations. The meters will be adjusted as needed to minimize any impacts to the local streets, by following the MOU for the Ramp Metering Program in Santa Clara County and the metering rates developed under the ramp meter implementation plan. The end-of-queue loop detectors will be activated for the on- . ramps, but keep in mind there are existing queuing on some of the on-ramps prior to metering. With the queue loops activated, this may affect the merge and traffic on the freeway, which may affect the ramp queue that was documented on the implementation plan. Caltrans will work with the City of Palo Alto on a case-by-case basis on any issues that arises with this implementation. 111m you very much for you and your city's continued support of the metering program. This program will enhance the safety and mobility on California highways. If you have any questions or need further infonnation, please contact me at (510) 286-4577, .or Lester Lee of my staff, at (510) 286-4528. Sincerely, d~ ALANS.CHOW Office Chief of Traffic Systems -District 4 "Ca/lnms Improves /liability across California" ATTACHMENT C Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between theSanta Clara VaHey Transportation Authority (VTA) and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 04 For The Ramp Metering Program in Santa Clara County This MOU is a compilation of the policies and procedures intended to be followed by the above named parties working in a coordinated manner to accomplish a mutual goal jointly established in the course of performing their statutory and functional duties. Ramp Metering has been identified to be a cost effective approach in Santa Clara County to improve the operation of the roadway network with a resulting improvement in the overall mobility. Both parties agree to implement the Ramp Metering Program in Santa Clara County as outlined below: To provide consistent and predictable travel times to minimize overall corridor delay by managing access at on~raInps during peak commute periods, and to minimize impacts on local street traffic resulting from the implementation oframp metering. Governance The VT A Technical Advisory Committee (TAe) through the System Operations & Management Working Group (SOMWG) and Cal trans District 4 Operations will provide guidance on operational strategies for ramp metering consistent with Cal trans and local transportation policies. The VTA T AC will recommend policies for adopti.on by the VT A Board of Directors as appropriate. The VTA TAC will continue the current practice of appointing members to the SOMWG, which will include staff representatives from the cities and to'\\il1S of Santa Clara County and from Santa Clara County, as well as ex~officio members from Caltrans and VTA. The SOMWG shall continue to report to the VTA TAC (See Attachment A). Local agencies are encouraged to directly communicate with Calt1'ans regarding ramp metering operational issues and to request for assistance in resolving these issues. If these operational issues cannot be resolved amicably between the 10caI agency and Caltrans, the VTA TAC shall be reSp6tl:sible for l'esolving the disagreements: .. The SOMWG shall be responsible for recommending to the VTA TAe on improvements to the corridor operations, changes to metering rates, and changes to metering hours. Cal trans can modify the ramp metering rates, implementation by time of day, and hours of operations for a short term in emergency situations or for special events (e.g. sporting events, festivals, etc.) for the purpose of incident management. The SOMWG will continuously monitor and oversee the ramp metering program. Page 1 of7 1. Ensure tl1ut queues ii'om mete:ced ramps do not imp,;;de operation of local streets and intersections or block access to private property. 2. Ensure that no commlmities are burdened '.vith ramp delays that are disproportionate or excessive. 3. Ensure that if queues at metered ra.111ps cannot be accommodated within the constraints defined in items I and 2 above~ metermg rates will be set to green or at the demand rate d"tlring the time period necessary to eliminate the negative impact the metering light is having on the adjoining local roadway or intersection, Some ramp metering locations in Santa Clara Cotmty may have queues that extend beyond the physical orHamp; however, these queues should not block or interfere 'with local th.Iough traffic operations. In these instances, each location should be examined on a case-by-case basis by Caltrans and the local agency, Operational problems that cannot be com~cted by existing equipment would be candidates for future operational improvements. 4. Ensure efficient operations of ramp meters considering freeway and arteria! operations. 5. Promote (he provision of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) preferential lanes at on~ramps ",.,here feasible. 6. Ensure that ramp metering does not cause excessive divergence of traffic on local streets. Ouerationsl Parameter'S a) Meters wi1l be ill operation either the morning or afternoon peak commute hours, or both, starting on Monday and through Friday. except for certain major holidays and in the case of maj or incidents. Metering rates will be set to contain metered queues within the on-ramp to the extent possible and the local street lanes specifically dedicated for freeway entry to the extent possible. b) Metering rate will be based on real-time traffic volumes on the freeway mainline. taking into account the available storage on the on-ramp, and a range of rates defined in ramp metering plans or tables in the ramp metering controller unit. G) Prior to implementation of ramp metering on future corridors, Cal trans will provide the SOMWG with an analysls of the subject corridor with ramp metering, including but not limited to infommtion on metering rates and queue lengths at the proposed metered on- ramps. d) Prior ttfimplem:entation, review ana concurrence on the initial metering rates and plan to be implemented will be sought from the SOMWG and SOMVlG will make recommendations to the VIA TAC. e) Prior to implementation, Caltrans Public Information Office (PIO) shall prepare apress release and coordinate with the local agency's traffic engineer and/or other responsible person with the local agency. f) A week prior to ramp metering turn~on, the :f.l)Ho'Wing actions will be taken by Caltrans staff: >I' Temporary 5igns will be posted at each metered on-ramp, "With the date of activation ,md info phone line posted. 20f7 ~"'1""'. ~m.. Volley ir!lllspodtltion Authority • Each ramp metering location will rest in "green" during the proposed metered peak period. Implementation I'basing Listed below are potential freeway routes, where ramp metering may be implemented. This list of locations is subject to change over time as funds become available or a shift in priorities occurs. • SR 87 (from US 101 to SR85) • SR 85 (from Almaden Expressway to COltle Road) • SR 85 (from US 101 north to Almaden Expressway) • US] 01 (from Embarcadero Road to De la Cruz Boulevard -Trimble Road) • 1-880 Southbound (from SR 237 to Old Bayshore Road) • 1-880 Northbound (from SR 82-The Alameda to Montague Expressway) • SR 17 (fi'om 1-280 to SR 9) • 1-680 (from Alameda County Line to US 101) • 1-280 (from US 101 to SR 17) • I-280 (from Highway 17 to Magdalena Road) • US 101 (from Blossom Hill Road to Tennant Avenue) • US 101 (from Tennant Avenue to Monterey Road) • SR 237 (from Calaveras Boulevard to SR 85) The above listed fioeeway routes are not listed in implementation order. Turning on of ramp meter signals will depend on physical readiness, including the working order of equipment, appropriate signing and striping, and notice to the public. Capital Improvements Caltrans ~md VTA will be responsible for identifying and acquiring federal, state, and other available funds in the earliest years possible to finance the installation of metering equipment and other related improvements in support of ramp metering. Monitoring and Maintenance • Meetings regarding ramp metering operations in Santa Clara County with the SOMWG shall be held as needed. At these meetings, Caltrans staff shall provide a status report on the operations of ramp metering in Santa Clara County. The status report will include a list of operational issues that were reported by the local agencies and how operational issues were resolved . ., A review of the program will be provided to the VIA Board of Directors by VTA and ' Caltrans staff if requested by the VTA TAC, or VT A Board of Directors. • "Before" and "after" monitoring will be conducted by VTA, at no additional cost to the local agencies, at selected local street intersections near the metered on-ramps to monitor and Page 3 on assess t"'1e etIects of the prograrn. The SOMWG wiH e.stablish the level of eff.')rt as well as locations of monitoring that wul be conducted. '"' "Before and after" travel time survey will be conducted by CaltTans on the freeway system. $ The SOMWG wiH, on an on~goi:ng basis, review the monitoring data and recommend solutions to issues determined to be related to ramp metering raised by the cities and towns of the County, the County of Santa Clara, Caltrans, or VTA. @ Cal trans will be responsible for maintenance and operation of all metering equipment within CaltraT1s Right-of-Way (ROW). Caltrans v.111 have the ability to make shorHenn spot decisions to change metering rates if required for safety reasons and '\-¥ill promptly notify the local jurisdictions impacted by such decisions as well as the SOMWG a'1d the VTA T AC. A pre-designated list oflocal jurisdiction contacts to be notified will be maintained by VT A and Caltrans staff. ~ Caltnms shall respond to requests to modify ramp metering rates from local agencies with the following specified tum around times: o Within 24 to 48 hours to initially diagnose the operational issue. o Within one month to collect traflic volume, collect occupancy, develop modified ramp metering plans, and implement these plans. A work task related to the modification of ramp metering plans does not include the design and cOl1stmction of physical improvements such as additional on-r~p lanes (dther mixed flow or High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV»), etc. If the tum around times are not met or the operational issue is still not resolved, the VTA TAC, per its authority as described in the Governance section of this MOU, has the authority to resolve disputes between the local agency and Caltrans ru1d approve changes to the operations. Caltrans and VTA, through the SOMWG, Vim develop peIionnance measures consistent with the above goal and principles to assess the effectiveness of metering. "' Caltrans and VTA, through the SOMWGj will define a monitoring plan tp periodically measure and calculate perfonmmce measures such as on-ramp volumes, on-ramp delays, 011- ramp queues vvith the intent to detennine if queues impact local street operations, freeway mainline speed, freeway mainline densities, freeway mainline travel time, and Volume-to- Capacity ratios as determined by the project partners. Cal trans and VT A, tlrrou.gh the SOMWG, '\-vill work together to fine-tune ramp metering and monitor the nearest local traffic signal to the ramp metering operations. CI If the ramp metering implementation or ramp metering plan modific·a.tion does not perfoml as expected (e.g., excessive delays and queues impact traffic operations on the local arterial), Caltrans shall. consider other options, such as metering at "demand", changing upstream and downstream ramp meterIng rates, delaying the startup of metering, and implementing a steady "green>! (if other meastrres fail to address the operational issue). Page 4 of7 Sanl'i Clara VaHev TranSDortation Authoritv d' ,., " Da~ I Approved as to fom1: , ! ::c) IZ "'1'J"l J;,~ ! -4.1, (., i' D:Je . i ' Attachment VTA Systems Operations & Management Working Group (SOM'WG) Ramp Metering in Santa Clara County 2008 YTA SOMWG SCOPE OF EFFORT The SOMW(r shall report to the VTA Technical Advisory Committee (TAC). The VTATAC shall appoint members to the SOMWG, and members are n~sponsible for the development of rec.ommendations related to the Ramp Ii,tfeteting.Program for Santa Clam County. 111c Program will include four elements: .. 1. Ra..'np Metering Plan Capit.1.1 Improvements related to implementing ramp metering 3. Agreements related to implementing ramp meteling 4. Monitoring related to implementing ramp metering • Analysis to project traffk operations at specific lo~~ations of concern • Intersections to be monitored • On··ramp configurations for metering (number of lanes, HOV preferential (by .. pass) lane, queue detector locations, etc.). Design and configuration oframp metering shall comply with the latest Caltrans -Ramp M~~ter Design Manua1. " Implementation phasing (e.g., Northbound SR 87, Southbound SR 87, Southbound SR 85 from Almaden Expressway to Cottle Road, Southbound US 1.01 from Embarcadero Road to De la Cruz Boulevard -Trimble Road) " Metering rates at each location • Homs of metering operation " What to do during emergencies or incidents III Decision making process in terms of making changes to metering rates, metering hours, <~tc., in response to field conditions j!? Process for modification of the Ramp Metering Plan in the future Capita! !l!ill[QyerpeIli: Capital improvement elements may include: 1. Installation of "spillback" (End of Queue) detectors at local street entrance to the on- ramps. 2. Installation ofralnp metering hardware and soft\.vare equipment. 3* Selection of specific on-ranlps t{) be widr;ned or l)lOdified for added storage 8n,d on-rrunp operations, and possible Local Street v;idening for storage. 4. Development of capital projects and <.~onSLl1.1ction documents for ramp Page 6 01'7 "Widening/modification. S. Identification of available funding from state or local sources. Agreements: Before future metering is implemented, a ramp metering plan or strategy between VT A and Caltrans, as developed and recommended by the SOMWG, may need to be achieved. Such a plan or strategy may include specific metering parameters, incident response procedures, and maintenance procedures.' Monitoring: The SOMWG will recommend locations for monitoring. The SOMWG will also indentify whether a before-and-after study should be conducted. DESIRED OUTCOMES The goal is the development ofa Ramp Metering Program by working cooperatively and making decisions based on consensus through the SOMWG. The Ramp Metering Program should balance local and regional transportation objectives. Once the Ramp Metering Program is developed, it is expected that the VTA TAe and the SOMWG will act as the body to make recommendations regarding ramp metering implementation and monitoring. on an on-going basis as needed.