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Home My WebLink About0294.093'\:r --.... .;..:.:. ~--.~,-..... '"' .... _ . .,., ''''''"" - May 13, 1993 HONORABLE CITY COUNCIL Palo Alto, California 10 R£SOLUTIC'N OF INTENT TO ___ P'JiQy~rDE LOCAL SH.Po.RE OF FlJNDIKG-LQR. Slo.ND HILT.] ROAD-BIKE LAlIfES PROJECT Members of the Council: REPOR'I' IN BRIEF Sand Hill Road is a major bike :r-oute in a corridor serving Menlo Park and Palo Alto, as ~el1 as major Fortions of unincorporated Stanford owned lands. While adequate bike lanes exist along most of the length of Sa~d Hill Road r there is a majo~ gap comprised .of the San Francisquito bridge and the short section from the bridge to Santa Cruz Avenue. Menlo Park and Palo Al~o staff have discussed the possibility of jointly pursuing an improvement project that 'Would ..,..iden the existing bridge 'Co provide sui table bike lanes and pedestrian walkways, and extend the bike lanes to Santa Cruz Avenue (Exhibit 1)~ Menlo Park has taken the lead in applying for federal funds for such a proj ect. As part of the appl icatiol" process, local jurisdictions are being asked to make a commitment to pursue the implementation of the project, and to provide t.he le-ca.l funds requjred for the project. The purpose of this staff report is to recommend that the Council adopt a resolution (Attachment 1) indicating the intent to proceed with the project and provide the necessarj' local matching funds. BACKGROUND Sand Hill Road is a major bike route in a corridor serving Menlo Park, Palo Alto, and surrounding areas, including Stanford Shopping Center, stanford University-and Stanford Medical Center. Within Palo Alto, bicycle lanes currently exist along Sand Hill Road, fronl the San Francisqui to Creek bridge east to Arboretum Road. In addition, bike lanes heading south into the Stanford campus area connect to Sand Hill Road at a point just east of the San CMR:294:93 i" \ ~ ,--, " , ,:,,. ,/'C "~I . , Brl ,1"~lt '0..1>''' 0/ a' ...... ,-.0.>1(1 ~' .... ;,. .... , -!-. --"'r~.r'~ ----tl-.-~~-.. -.~ _.;;-_CL_ ~.L:'-!...2._ .. _...!!!_,r,_JII_I.!I ___ :"_!...!!.!. t~~"fH~IH~ "I\~SIO~ s.vc: -HLj.. ROA& 8R>DC( u~.:"c~:(~ <oI.!NCQ.Il.1'>-,'J ;.0(1.\ _''feu U..N(.S c~"'~, ~c,~ "~'.A': COURSE .sr .... D~ I"" 5'~~',,""'''''~ S::·'[·\CoE'; :f,.::: -- ....".··c", -. "I> . -. " . .... ,--, '~.".' ." ~: ' l- ;,' '. ·:~~{"·r , .. ':"" :.", Fr.:lnclsquito Creek !.:-ridge. 1'1 Menlo ParJi'., bike l'::Des cu["["er:tly exist along Sand Hill Road (rom Santa c~uz }o~vt?r.lle we<;t to Interstate 280. Th~r~ are no existing bike lanes along the segment of Sand Fiill Road from San Frcncisquito Creek -westerly to santa Cruz Avoenue. The exisot;".ing Sand Hill Road bridge crossing San Fra:1cisquito Creek is 36 feet ~ide with inadequate provision for bicyclists, as ~ell as pedEstrians. ER91'.OSED PROJECT The proposed project is to design and construct a · .. idening of the existing two-l~ne bridge in order to install Class II bicycle lanes over San Francisquito Cret?k along Sand Hill Road, and continue the provision of bicycle lanes '.'est to the intersection of Sand Hill Road and santa Cruz Avenue, '!"'he existing bridge would be 'Widened by approximately s. feet, to provide bicycle lanes and pedestrian walklNa,)'s. as illustrated in Exhibi t 1. All widening is planned to occur on the south side of the bridge., and 'Will include. necessary approvals from th'2 Santa Clara Valley Water District and San Mateo county. The feasibility of widening the existing bridge in the manner proposed is based upon a prelimine.ry investigation by a private. engir.eerir.g consulting firm. Widening the bridge and installing bicycle lanes ~ill complete a major missing gap in the ar-ea bike· .... ay system. Accordingly, it ...,il1 improve the attracti·,ter:ess of this corridor as a .;::ommute alternative for bicyclists and er ... .,ance bike safety. The project will also improve pedestrian sa~ety~ This proposed project has been revie"w'ed by the Palo Al to Bicycle Advisory COJrur.ittee as 'Well as the Menlo Park Bicycle Co"~rnittee. Both organizations suppor~ the project as proposed. FUNDING A:EJ .. ~LICIo.TION Based upon discussions between Menlo park and Palo Alto staff, it was lnutually agreed that Menlo park. would take the lead role and sel~ve as the lead agency for this project. It". a similar manner, Pale Alto is serving as the lead agency for the Proposition 116 funding application for the proposed Alma street Bike Bridge project l whicn is also a joint Menlo park/palo Alto project (CMR:546:92i December 10, 1992) ~ Therefore, Menlo Park ~ubrnitted this proposed project as part of San Mateo County's current cycle of !ntermodal Surface Tran:;portation Efficiency ,t..ct (ISTEA) funding applications. While the project 'Was originally submitted for a funding category that CMR:294:93 5j13/93 Pdge 2 - .. -- did not require any local !l\.atch {Congestion Mitigation and 1.'i.:r Quality -CMAQ), the revie'w.' process I,w'ithin ~,an l"'iat-ec Count:.r caused a shi it in. funding category to one that requires a 20 percer>t lo·-=a 1 match {Surface Transport.at.ion Program -STP). It is proposed that Menlo Park and Palo Alto equally share the local match for this project, as is the understanding for the proposed P_l:na Street Bike Bridge project. The tot~l project cost for the S~nd Hill Read Bridge -Bicycle Lanes project is estimate.1 to be '$4.00,IJDO, .... i.tll Palo Alto1s share of the local match being $40,000. RESOLUTION REGARDIF_CLtQCAL SHARE In creer for Menlo Park to continue .... ·ith the application process through San Mateo county and on to the Metropolitan Transporta~ion Commission (MTC), a resolution corn~itting the necessary matching funds, committing to the completion of the project as described in the priority setting pr-ocess, and ackn8 ... .ledging that STFjCMAQ funds canno't be expected to cov.:;r a.ny CO$t increases for the project, must be sUbmitted to S~~ Mateo Co~nty by May 28, 199). Last year, PalQ Alto passed similar resolutions (CMR:413:92, September 10. 1992) for t ... ·o projects in Palo Alto, one funded (Embarcadero Pedestrian/Bike Bridge and BU:e Path Exte:nsion Project) and one .... nf' ... nded (Page MilljFoothi 11 Intersection rmprovement Project). While th8 Sant<1 Clara Count.}' CMA process requires such resolutions following sUbmittal to and review by wrc. apparent.ly, the San Mateo County CJ'of..A prccess requires such a resolution to be part of the initial submittal to MTC. The city of Menlo Park has previously approved the submittal of the application for this proposed project and recently approved a similar resolution, cOlT\ll'",itting its share of the local match. In order to provide Palo P.lto's s!'".ara of t.r.e local ma'tch ($40,000)! a proposed Capital I~prove;nent Project has bee!"! included for council co!'.sideration in 'the 1993-94 CIP Interl"!!, Budget, ... ith funding being showll for 1994-95 and the source of ':unds being Street Improvement funds. RE'L.t..TIONSHIP TO OTfLEB POSSIBLE SAND HILL nf:OAP IMPBOV~ENT S'rUDIES OVer tbe past se.veral decades, th2re have been periodic efforts to develop and implement the extension of Sand Hill Road from. its current terminus at ArbOretum Road f to El camino Real. Such projects have included various levels. of related improvements to the E.xisting sections of Sand Hill Read between Arboretum Road in Palo .Alto and Santa Cruz Avenue in Menlo park, including the possible widening of the existing bridge crossing San Francisquito Creek to provide three or four travel lanes j as ""ell as suitable. CMR:294:3J 5/13/93 page 3 I I - , ! provision for bicycles and pede~tri~ns, effort has again baen initiated and ~ill coming year~ F'E:J::ently; one mOre such ccnt.inJ.e thro'lghout the While the issue of ..... id~ni!lg the '2xisting bridge to pro·.,/ide additional vehicle travel lanes has be.:!n complex j controversial t and, to date, unrE>solvable, the questit')n of the need for i.mproved bicycle and vedestri~n accc~odations is rather clear and simple. The cur~ent proposed project is intended to directly resolVe the continuing recognized need for improved picycle and pedestrian ~ccommodations across the bridge, \oIithout prejudginS'1 precluding, or presupposing any future options for ot-her Sand Hill Road improvements. The proposed project 'Would widen the existing bridge deck by approximately 8 feet. This additional width, coupled with a reduction in the width of the existing vehicle lanes from 14 feet to 12 feet, ... i11 be used to provide two 5-foot bike lane$ dnd tlo.'O 4-foot pedestriO!.fi 'Wal'll;;",,'ays. The bridge deck ",ill be 'Widened in a manner, and to a structural standard, that would allow-for the possibility of the widened surface to be used for additional vehicle travel lanes at some future date, if such a decision is eventually made. In the event that sand Hill Road i$ ever ~idened at the bridge, an additional increment ~,i bridge 'Widening ~ould be required. However, most of t.t-,e inves.tment in the cl.:.rrent proposed ~ideninq of the briage deck would be useable and ,",vuld not need to be removed or repla~ed. While, in theory, the p:coposed ... naening project cO!.lld some day be converted to three vehiclE-travel lanes ,instead of twoJ, :by eliminating the bike lanes, the probability of such actions occurr inq 'IlIith the support of both Palo AI't.o and !Olenlo P3.rk. is judged to be 5'0 remote as to render it highly improbable; borderi:1g on impossible. The Ellterr.ative of building separate bike/ped-2:strian bridges on both sides of th~ existing bridge was al~o considered, but is not being pursued due to several considerations including: fa) physical disturbance to the vegetation and creek ~ould occur on both sid€s of the bridge, instead of just one side; (b) the separate bridge on the south side of the existir,g bridge 'Would need to be placed if: a location at a sufficient distance. from the existing bridge, to allow for any possible future ~oadway ~idening, thereby placing it in a difficult location to access as .... ell as construct; (c) the cost of "two pedestrian/bike bridges and related approaches is higher. CMR:294:9) 5/13/93 Page .:; i . , o Tbe funding application, itself, is net considered to be a project. An environ~e'1tal analysis 'for the project .... 'il1 be p=epared, as part of the project development process. RECOMMENDA.T):g~ Statf rec~mmends that Council approve the attached re~olution of intent (Attachment 1) regarding implernentil1g the Sand Hill Road Bike Lanes Project. Respectf~lly submitted, HARVIN L. OVERWAY Chief Transportation Official (~~ JUNE Fl·EMING City Manager -i:tUtdj' l?~lIWtk KENNETH R. SCHREIBER ~ Director of Planning and c,:mununity Envlr-onrno:!:nt Attachment: 1. Resolution of Intent to Provide l.ocal Share of Funding for the Sand Hill Road Bridge Bike Lanes Project co: Menlo Park (Jan Dolan, Don Dey) Palo Alto Bicycle Advisory Com:mittee Stanford Management Company (Bill Phillips~ Diane Healey) Stanford Uni versi ty (Julia Fremon, Andy Doty, David Neu".ar" Mixe F.UTltz) Sand Hill Road Mailing List CMR:294:93 5/13/93 Page 5 , , ~ , ., - ~ ---~ ~--~~-------------- ATTACHMENT 1 RESOLUTION NO. __ _ RESOLUTION OF I~~E~7 OF THE CCVNCIL OF THE CITY OF PALO ALT"') RBGA.'IDING CITY OF P.D.LO A.L.'!'O FtJNDS A..''D THE St7RFACE TRA.N,sPOF'.TATICN PROGR.AM: FOR THE SAND HILL ROAD BIKE LAb~S PROJECT WH:ERBAS r the City of Menlo Park r in cooperation with the City of Palo Alto, has QPplied and b~er. recommended fer $320,OOD in Sl,;rface Tra.nsportation Progra.....'Tl ("STP"') funding for the Sand Hill Road BH:e I,a!1es Project in the 1995 Transportation Improvernsnt Program ("TIP"'} ad.:>pted by t.he Metropali tan Transportation commission and approved by the Federal Highway Administration: and WHERBAS. a prerequisite for inclusion in the 1995 TIP is the adoption of a local resolution setting forth the project description. the project cost and amount of local ~tching funds that ... i11 be provided I and an acknowledgement as :::0 the fixed amount of STP funding; NOW, THEREFORE, the Ci~y Council of the City of Palo ~to does RESOLVE as follows: The City Council by adopting this resolutio~ of int~nt does hereby state that subject to the adoption of a budget by the City Council: a. The project will be built as described above; b. $40, ODD, or 10 percent of total project costs (whichever is less), in local matching funds .. ill be provided by the City of palo lUte. with another $40. COD i or 10 percent, to be provided by the City of Menlo Park; and c. The City of Palo Altc undErstands that STP funding is tixed at $320,000, therefore any cost increases cancot expected to be funded with STP funds. the and be INTRODUCED AND PASSED: AYES: NOBS: ABSENT: ABSTENTlONS : 1 ATTEST: City Clerk APPROVED AS TO FORM: Senior Asst. City Attorney 2 _~PROVED: Mayer Director of Finance Director of Planning and----- Community Bnvironment Chief Transportation Official " '_."-'.,..',.' .•