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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2000-04-17 City Council (12)TO: City of Palo Alto C ty Manager’s Report HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL i 2 FROM:CITY MANAGER ~DEPARTMENT: PLANNING AND COMMUNITY ENVIRONMENT DATE: SUBJECT: APRIL 17, 2000 CMR:217:00 ADOPTION OF TRAFFIC SIGNAL SYSTEM UPGRADE PLAN REPORT IN BRIEF The City of Palo Alto’s central computer system and most of the traffic signal controllers are more than 15 years old. During. the last few years the City has experienced substantial problems in maintaining the current system, as the manufacturer of the system no longer fully supports it and spare parts are difficult to obtain for its maintenance. Most cities with. similar systems have replaced them with newer signal systems. .Replacement of the current system is becoming more important with the rapid changes in traffic signal control technologies, the City’s needs in terms of data collection and the adQption of the new National Transportation ~and Communication for Intelligent Transportation Systems Protocol (NTCIP) by the-Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Instead of continuing to periodically replace the controllers and cabinets in order. to maintain an outdated system, the City has conducteda study to evaluate various traffic signal control systems and develop an upgrade plan. Kimley-Horn and Associates,Inc. was hired to evaluate various signal control systems, controllers and cabinets and develop recommendations for the City. The study was conducted with the participation of a working group comprised of Palo Alto residents, City staff members and a staff member from the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). The goals of the study were to determine the City’s near-term and longer-term needs, to evaluate various signal system options, and develop a plan to address the signal system requirements of the City. The study recommends a phased implementation plan consisting of a nine-step process that would upgrade the City’s aging signal controllers and outdated central signal system to a state of the art system, implementation of the plan would ensure continued high performance of traffic management and support the Comprehensive Plan policy to improve traffic flow through the use of computer traffic management system. CMR:217:00 Page 1 of 7 I~dgCOMMENDATION Staff recommends that Council direct staff to implement the recommended traffic signal upgrade plan. BACKGROUND The City has enjoyed relatively smooth operation of its traffic signal system in the past decade or more. However, .the traffic signal system is considered archaic by the standards of modem traffic signal technology. The current VMS 330 signal master is approximately 15 years old and is beginning to breakdown more frequently for no apparent reason. In addition, some of the local controllers are also more than 15 years old, and the manufacturer no longer supports many of their parts. Some other problems include skipping certain timing plans, inaccurate tirnekeeping, and other problems that the manufacturer has been unable to diagnose .or fix. In addition, staff is not able to take advantage of any Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) traffic management features available in newer traffic signal systems. Many of the features in newer traffic signal technology would allow staff to improve the overall traffic flow citywide. For example, some neighboring cities are able to use ITS technologies such as video detection to remotely monitor traffic operation at intersections, implement traffic adaptive technology (changes to signal timing in response to real-time traffic conditions) or coordinate signals with neighboring cities. DISCUSSION A study conducted by Kimley-Horn Associates included recommendations for a system overhaul that would bring the City’s signal system into compliance with National Transportation and Communication ITS Protocols (NTCIP), a federally mandated program, as well as the ability to communicate with neighboring jurisdictions (including traffic signals operated by Caltrans and Santa Clara County in Palo Alto). In response to the consultant’s recommendations, staff is proposing a project to upgrade the central signal control system, replace all local signal controllers and cabinets at the City’s 89 traffic signals (see Figure 1), and acquire new traffic signal system software. CMR:217:00 Page 2 of 7 EAST PALO ALTO CITY OF PALO ALTO 105 Deer Creek Legend ~ City of Palo Alto Traffic Signals 0 Ci/y of Menlo Park Traffic Signals 0 Santa Clara County Traffic Signals ~San Mateo County Traffic Signals ~Caltrans Traffic Signals 6 City of Palo Alto Traffic Signals ICU# Not to Scale Figure 1 City of Paid Alto Transportation Division Traffic Signal Locations Page 3 of 7 The Project Study Committee was created to assist With consultant selection and review and comment on the consultant’s work. The committee was comprised of the following members: Palo Alto residents Yoriko Kishimoto and Will Beckett Casey Emoto of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority, and ’ ~ City staff members Ashok Aggarwal and Christopher Thnay of the Transportation Division, and Patrick Valath and Kim Burke of Utilities. Based on the essential functional requirements identified by the Project Study Committee, three systems that would meet the City’s requirements were selected: []Eagle Control System Actra with EPAC, EPIC, 2070 and other NTCIP controllers []Gardner Systems Icons with Econolite ASC2, CBD 6000, 2070 and other NTCIP controllers [] Naztec Streetwise System with Naztec 981, MicroCab, 2070 and other NTCIP controllers It is the intent of the project to require the signal control system to communicate with at least two or more types ’of controllers to allow a multi-vendor deployment on a citywide basis. The Project Study Committee recommended that any signal controller type would be appropriate with the project, as long as it could communicate with the central control system. In respect to the cabinets, the Project Study Committee recommended that smaller cabinets be used, if possible, especially in the downtown area..The final system will be selected by issuing a Request for Proposal to the selected system vendors. Due to the complexity of the system, the system selection will be based on price and functionality and not necessarily the lowest bid. An eight-phase implementation plan has been developed to allow logical and fundable execution of the proposed replacement plan. The plan is designed to retain the existing VMS system until it can be phased out. Minimal interruptions to traffic flow are anticipated with the upgrade plan. The following is a brief description of each phase of the proposed plan: Phase I - Install new signal control system with software customization. Estimated cost: $360,000. Estimated length of time: 6 months , Phase II - Upgrade controller and cabinets for the Downtown area. Estimated cost: $270,000. Estimated length of time: 6 months Phase III- Upgrade controller and cabinets, including fiber optic transceivers, for the northern signal system groups. Estimated cost: $255,000. Estimated length of time: 3 months. Phase IV - Upgrade controller and cabinets, including fiber optic transceivers, for the Embarcadero and Middlefield corridors. Estimated cost: $235,000. Estimated length of time: 3 months. CMR:217:00 Page 4 of 7 Phase V - Upgrade controller and cabinets, including fiber optic transceivers, for the southern signal groups. Estimated cost: $260,000. Estimated length of time: 3 months. Phase VI - Upgrade controller and cabinets for the isolated signals. Estimated. cost: $100,000. Estimated length of time: 6 months. Phase VII - Upgrade fiber optic network. Integrate with City’s fiber optic network and install hub and multiplexing equipment. This is an optional plan that will convert the existing communication to a more reliable fiber optic network. Estimated cost: $195,000. Estimated length of time: concurrent with Phases I through V. Phase VIII - Procure additional software customization and integration. This is an optional plan that will allow the City to customize the signal system software for integration with various other tools. Estimated cost: $220,000. Estimated length of time: 6 months. Phase IX - Upgrade existing Transportation Management Center (TMC) at the Utilities Department. This is an optional phase that can be accomplished independent or concurrent with other phases. Estimated cost: $130,000. Estimated length of time: concurrent with Phases I through V. In completing the. project, the City of Palo Alto will realize the following major enhancements as well as benefits in transportation system management and operation: Ability to seek competitive bids for system replacement and maintenance, both from a. technical and price perspective. Compliance with the recently adopted federal transportation communication protocols, allowing compatibility with national trends and current technological advancements. Increase efficiency in identifying failures and faster response to problems, reducing public inconvenience. Ability to implement a more comprehensive data collection system, such as traffic counts, and dissemination of the information to the public. Ability to integrate with other transportation tools, such as highway capacity software, Synchro signal timing optimization software, Traffix software used in the Congestion Management Program (CMP) intersections monitoring, etc. for a more optimal traffic management capability. Ability to integrate data and video information with other local and regional transportation management agencies to allow a coordinated regional traffic management plan. Capability for integration of advanced transportation management functions, such as traffic adaptive signal timing, roadway monitoring through closed circuit televisions, more efficient demand detection through Video Image Detection, etc. CMR:217:00 Page 5 of 7 Capability for integration of advanced transportation management functions, such as traffic adaptive signal timing, roadway monitoring through closed circuit televisions, more efficient demand detection through Video Image Detection, etc. Ability for several City staff members to work on transportation management ¯issues (incident management), to observe on television monitors the transportation systems in the City, and, thereby, better maintain them. Transportation management centers are being built all over the country. Large TV monitors allow staff to remotely view traffic conditions. Allow real-time dissemination of traffic information to the public through the Internet. Ability to provide multi-mode transportation coordination between rail, transit, and other regional transportation management services. Ability for the Utilities Department to take advantage of newly installed fiber optic communication hubs and network to operation of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system. In addition to the signal system upgrade plan, staff intends to analyze replacement of the existing signal face indications with the newly adopted Light Emitting Diode (LED) lights. The LED lights are currently approved by Caltrans for the red indication, and soon will be approved for green and amber indications as well. The LED lights are approximately 90 percent more efficient and can pay for themselves in energy savings in less than one-year. RESOURCE IMPACT The total capital cost of this project is estimated to be $2.1 million over the next several years. The Proposed 2000-2005 CIP budget includes a new traffic signal project in the amount of $1.4 million, which covers the next five years. It is expected that $1.3 million of $1.4 million will be reimbursed from the second cycle of Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21/STIP) grant funds (totaling $1.0 million, which is not included in the proposed budget until approval is confirmed) and the previously approved Federal Regional Traffic Signal Operations Program grant funds ($313,000). These amounts will cover most of the expenditures for the new project included in the proposed five-year CIP budget. If staff were unable to secure federal funds beyond the aforementioned $1.3 million, the project could be funded using Electric Utility funds, as per current City policy. While ¯Council has not yet discussed the Utilities Transfer Study, it includes a recommendation that the General Fund reimburse the Electric Fund for capital and direct cost of traffic signals, as recommended in the transfer study. Alternately, the later phases of the project could be deferred until additional funds were secured. The later phases of this project could be deferred without substantially affecting traffic signal operation. CMR:217:00 Page 6 of 7 POLICY IMPLICATIONS The recommended actions in this report implements Comprehensive Plan Transportation Policy T- 38, namely, to "Implement computer, traffic management system to improve traffic flow when feasible." TIMELINE The Metropolitan Transportation Commission is scheduled to act on the TEA-21 Corridor Management program grant in early April, with adoption of the projects into the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) in August. The TEA-21 funds, if approved, would become available October 1, 2000 (the beginning of the Federal fiscal year). Staff intends to hire a consultant to begin selection of a signal hardware vendor during the summer. ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW The Traffic Signal System Upgrade Project was found to be categorically exempt under a previous environmental review under the National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). PREPARED BY: Christopher Thnay, AICP, PE, Transportation Engineer. DEPARTMENT HEAD:~GAWF Director of Planning and Community Environment CITY MANAGER APPROVAL: EMILY HARRISON Assistant City Manager CMR:217:00 Page 7 of 7