HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-16 Rail Committee Agenda PacketRAIL COMMITTEE
Regular Meeting
Tuesday, April 16, 2024
Community Meeting Room & Hybrid
2:30 PM
Rail Committee meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attend by
teleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while still maintaining
transparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participate from home or
attend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in the meeting is
located at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending in person. The
meeting will be broadcast on Cable TV Channel 26, live on
YouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen Media
Center https://midpenmedia.org.
VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/86388142528)
Meeting ID: 863 8814 2528 Phone: 1(669)900‐6833
PUBLIC COMMENTS
Public comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or an
amount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutes
after the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance to
city.council@CityofPaloAlto.org and will be provided to the Council and available for inspection
on the City’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in your
subject line.
PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only
by email to city.clerk@CityofPaloAlto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received,
the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strong
cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are not
accepted.
CALL TO ORDER
PUBLIC COMMENT
Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda.
VERBAL UPDATE ON INTERAGENCY ACTIVITIES
A.Caltrain
B.VTA
C.City Staff
ACTION ITEMS
1.Review of the Grade Separation Alternatives for Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and
Charleston Road Crossings, including Consideration of Caltrain's Staff Comments;
Provide Feedback and Direction to Staff; and Recommend that Council Advances (or
Eliminates) Specific Alternative(s) for Preliminary Engineering and Environmental
Documentation Phase.
On March 19, 2024 the Committee received Presentations and Public Testimony; the
item was continued to April 16, 2024 for Committee Deliberation and Action – No Public
Testimony Will be Heard on April 16, 2024.
2.Review additional analysis to evaluate the merits of the Kellogg Avenue and Seale
Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossings, and discuss next steps in providing a
recommendation from the Rail Committee to the City Council for a Bicycle and
Pedestrian Crossing location associated with the Churchill Avenue Underpass
Alternative.
FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS
Members of the public may not speak to the item(s)
ADJOURNMENT
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email,
teleconference, or by phone.
1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to city.council@cityofpaloalto.org.
2. For in person public comments please complete a speaker request card located on the
table at the entrance to the Council Chambers and deliver it to the Clerk prior to
discussion of the item.
3. Spoken public comments using a computer or smart phone will be accepted through
the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, click on the link below to access a
Zoom‐based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully.
You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using
your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30 ,
Firefox 27 , Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in
older browsers including Internet Explorer. Or download the Zoom application onto
your smart phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter in the
Meeting ID below.
You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you
identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you
that it is your turn to speak.
When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will
activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they
are called to speak.
When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be
shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments.
4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When
you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to
speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the
Council. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your
remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 863‐8814‐2528 Phone: 1‐669‐900‐6833
Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public
programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with
disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary
aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at
(650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or
accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or
service.
1 Regular Meeting April 16, 2024
Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at
www.cityofpaloalto.org/agendas
RAIL COMMITTEERegular MeetingTuesday, April 16, 2024Community Meeting Room & Hybrid2:30 PMRail Committee meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attend byteleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while still maintainingtransparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participate from home orattend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in the meeting islocated at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending in person. Themeeting will be broadcast on Cable TV Channel 26, live onYouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen MediaCenter https://midpenmedia.org.VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/86388142528)Meeting ID: 863 8814 2528 Phone: 1(669)900‐6833PUBLIC COMMENTSPublic comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or anamount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutesafter the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance tocity.council@CityofPaloAlto.org and will be provided to the Council and available for inspectionon the City’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in yoursubject line.
PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted only
by email to city.clerk@CityofPaloAlto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received,
the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strong
cybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are not
accepted.
CALL TO ORDER
PUBLIC COMMENT
Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda.
VERBAL UPDATE ON INTERAGENCY ACTIVITIES
A.Caltrain
B.VTA
C.City Staff
ACTION ITEMS
1.Review of the Grade Separation Alternatives for Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and
Charleston Road Crossings, including Consideration of Caltrain's Staff Comments;
Provide Feedback and Direction to Staff; and Recommend that Council Advances (or
Eliminates) Specific Alternative(s) for Preliminary Engineering and Environmental
Documentation Phase.
On March 19, 2024 the Committee received Presentations and Public Testimony; the
item was continued to April 16, 2024 for Committee Deliberation and Action – No Public
Testimony Will be Heard on April 16, 2024.
2.Review additional analysis to evaluate the merits of the Kellogg Avenue and Seale
Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossings, and discuss next steps in providing a
recommendation from the Rail Committee to the City Council for a Bicycle and
Pedestrian Crossing location associated with the Churchill Avenue Underpass
Alternative.
FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDAS
Members of the public may not speak to the item(s)
ADJOURNMENT
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email,
teleconference, or by phone.
1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to city.council@cityofpaloalto.org.
2. For in person public comments please complete a speaker request card located on the
table at the entrance to the Council Chambers and deliver it to the Clerk prior to
discussion of the item.
3. Spoken public comments using a computer or smart phone will be accepted through
the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, click on the link below to access a
Zoom‐based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully.
You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using
your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30 ,
Firefox 27 , Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in
older browsers including Internet Explorer. Or download the Zoom application onto
your smart phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter in the
Meeting ID below.
You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you
identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you
that it is your turn to speak.
When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will
activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they
are called to speak.
When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be
shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments.
4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When
you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to
speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the
Council. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your
remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 863‐8814‐2528 Phone: 1‐669‐900‐6833
Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public
programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with
disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary
aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at
(650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or
accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or
service.
2 Regular Meeting April 16, 2024
Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at
www.cityofpaloalto.org/agendas
RAIL COMMITTEERegular MeetingTuesday, April 16, 2024Community Meeting Room & Hybrid2:30 PMRail Committee meetings will be held as “hybrid” meetings with the option to attend byteleconference/video conference or in person. To maximize public safety while still maintainingtransparency and public access, members of the public can choose to participate from home orattend in person. Information on how the public may observe and participate in the meeting islocated at the end of the agenda. Masks are strongly encouraged if attending in person. Themeeting will be broadcast on Cable TV Channel 26, live onYouTube https://www.youtube.com/c/cityofpaloalto, and streamed to Midpen MediaCenter https://midpenmedia.org.VIRTUAL PARTICIPATION CLICK HERE TO JOIN (https://cityofpaloalto.zoom.us/j/86388142528)Meeting ID: 863 8814 2528 Phone: 1(669)900‐6833PUBLIC COMMENTSPublic comments will be accepted both in person and via Zoom for up to three minutes or anamount of time determined by the Chair. All requests to speak will be taken until 5 minutesafter the staff’s presentation. Written public comments can be submitted in advance tocity.council@CityofPaloAlto.org and will be provided to the Council and available for inspectionon the City’s website. Please clearly indicate which agenda item you are referencing in yoursubject line.PowerPoints, videos, or other media to be presented during public comment are accepted onlyby email to city.clerk@CityofPaloAlto.org at least 24 hours prior to the meeting. Once received,the Clerk will have them shared at public comment for the specified item. To uphold strongcybersecurity management practices, USB’s or other physical electronic storage devices are notaccepted.CALL TO ORDERPUBLIC COMMENT Members of the public may speak to any item NOT on the agenda. VERBAL UPDATE ON INTERAGENCY ACTIVITIESA.CaltrainB.VTAC.City StaffACTION ITEMS1.Review of the Grade Separation Alternatives for Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, andCharleston Road Crossings, including Consideration of Caltrain's Staff Comments;Provide Feedback and Direction to Staff; and Recommend that Council Advances (orEliminates) Specific Alternative(s) for Preliminary Engineering and EnvironmentalDocumentation Phase.On March 19, 2024 the Committee received Presentations and Public Testimony; theitem was continued to April 16, 2024 for Committee Deliberation and Action – No PublicTestimony Will be Heard on April 16, 2024.2.Review additional analysis to evaluate the merits of the Kellogg Avenue and SealeAvenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossings, and discuss next steps in providing arecommendation from the Rail Committee to the City Council for a Bicycle andPedestrian Crossing location associated with the Churchill Avenue UnderpassAlternative.FUTURE MEETINGS AND AGENDASMembers of the public may not speak to the item(s)
ADJOURNMENT
PUBLIC COMMENT INSTRUCTIONS
Members of the Public may provide public comments to teleconference meetings via email,
teleconference, or by phone.
1. Written public comments may be submitted by email to city.council@cityofpaloalto.org.
2. For in person public comments please complete a speaker request card located on the
table at the entrance to the Council Chambers and deliver it to the Clerk prior to
discussion of the item.
3. Spoken public comments using a computer or smart phone will be accepted through
the teleconference meeting. To address the Council, click on the link below to access a
Zoom‐based meeting. Please read the following instructions carefully.
You may download the Zoom client or connect to the meeting in‐ browser. If using
your browser, make sure you are using a current, up‐to‐date browser: Chrome 30 ,
Firefox 27 , Microsoft Edge 12 , Safari 7 . Certain functionality may be disabled in
older browsers including Internet Explorer. Or download the Zoom application onto
your smart phone from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and enter in the
Meeting ID below.
You may be asked to enter an email address and name. We request that you
identify yourself by name as this will be visible online and will be used to notify you
that it is your turn to speak.
When you wish to speak on an Agenda Item, click on “raise hand.” The Clerk will
activate and unmute speakers in turn. Speakers will be notified shortly before they
are called to speak.
When called, please limit your remarks to the time limit allotted. A timer will be
shown on the computer to help keep track of your comments.
4. Spoken public comments using a phone use the telephone number listed below. When
you wish to speak on an agenda item hit *9 on your phone so we know that you wish to
speak. You will be asked to provide your first and last name before addressing the
Council. You will be advised how long you have to speak. When called please limit your
remarks to the agenda item and time limit allotted.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN Meeting ID: 863‐8814‐2528 Phone: 1‐669‐900‐6833
Americans with Disability Act (ADA) It is the policy of the City of Palo Alto to offer its public
programs, services and meetings in a manner that is readily accessible to all. Persons with
disabilities who require materials in an appropriate alternative format or who require auxiliary
aids to access City meetings, programs, or services may contact the City’s ADA Coordinator at
(650) 329‐2550 (voice) or by emailing ada@cityofpaloalto.org. Requests for assistance or
accommodations must be submitted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting, program, or
service.
3 Regular Meeting April 16, 2024
Materials submitted after distribution of the agenda packet are available for public inspection at
www.cityofpaloalto.org/agendas
Rail Committee
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: ACTION ITEMS
Lead Department: Transportation
Meeting Date: April 16, 2024
Report #:2404-2856
TITLE
Review of the Grade Separation Alternatives for Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and
Charleston Road Crossings, including Consideration of Caltrain's Staff Comments; Provide
Feedback and Direction to Staff; and Recommend that Council Advances (or Eliminates) Specific
Alternative(s) for Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Documentation Phase.
On March 19, 2024 the Committee received Presentations and Public Testimony; the item was
continued to April 16, 2024 for Committee Deliberation and Action.
RECOMMENDATION
This item is a continuation of Agenda Item # 1 on the Rail Committee March 19, 2024 agenda.
Materials for this item can be found here:
https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/Meeting?meetingTemplateId=14211
APPROVED BY:
Philip Kamhi, Chief Transportation Official
Item 1
No Report Report
Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 1 Packet Pg. 4 of 20
Rail Committee
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: ACTION ITEM
Lead Department: Transportation
Meeting Date: March 19, 2024
Report #:2402-2675
TITLE
Review of the Grade Separation Alternatives for Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and
Charleston Road Crossings, including Consideration of Caltrain's Staff Comments; Provide
Feedback and Direction to Staff; and Recommend that Council Advances (or Eliminates) Specific
Alternative(s) for Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Documentation Phase.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends that the Rail Committee:
1. Review of the Grade Separation Alternatives for Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and
Charleston Road Crossings, including consideration of Caltrain's Staff comments;
2. Provide Feedback and Direction to Staff; and
3. Recommend that Council Advances (or Eliminates) Specific Alternative(s) for Preliminary
Engineering and Environmental Documentation Phase
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
City and Caltrain staff met to understand the potential impacts of addressing the
Caltrain comments and adhering to Caltrain Standards on the conceptual design alternatives
and to discern the high-level material changes required for the concepts. This agenda Item
aims to present key findings on the impacts to various alternatives and discuss the material
changes necessary for these alternatives. Staff therefore seeks the Rail Committee review,
feedback, and direction for advancing alternatives into the next phase.
City Council in 2021 selected the preferred alternative for Churchill Avenue crossing and
narrowed the alternatives in consideration to three alternatives for Meadow and Charleston
Road crossings for grade separation and directed to further refine underpass alternatives and
conduct additional studies. Staff under the guidance and direction of the Rail Committee
updated the underpass alternatives, conducted additional studies, and updated the Council
Adopted Evaluation Criteria.
Item 1
Item 1 Staff Report
Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 2 Packet Pg. 5 of 20
In addition, the City staff reached out to Caltrain in 2022 requesting the evaluation of the four-
tracking segment needs and other concerns with the design criteria. To address these concerns
Caltrain initiated the Caltrain Corridor Study and the City also entered into a service agreement
with Caltrain in June 2023 outlining their role in providing support for early coordination,
technical input, and expertise. In late 2023, Caltrain staff conducted their initial technical
review, provided feedback to City Staff with technical comments, and also provided their initial
analysis of the four tracking segment locations in Palo Alto.
Staff discussed the Caltrain comments at the January Rail Committee meeting and presented
the details of major elements affecting various alternatives identifying initial impacts on
alternatives for adherence to updated Caltrain Standards. At this meeting, the Rail committee
directed staff to coordinate with Caltrain staff to determine the material changes needed for
the alternative concepts to address updated standards guiding the substantial changes in the
concepts of the alternatives.
BACKGROUND
Connecting Palo Alto is a project undertaken by the City of Palo Alto to implement grade
separation at existing at-grade crossings along the Caltrain corridor. The concept designs for
this Project were completed in 2020 and approved by the City Council in 2021. Since then,
the Partial Underpass alternative for Churchill Avenue and Underpass alternatives for
Meadow Drive and Charleston Road have been refined with input from various stakeholders
(Staff Report 2302-09731). In addition, a subsurface exploration was completed, and a
preliminary geotechnical report was prepared by the consultant for review of these
alternatives (Staff Report 2307-17472)
As a local agency project, the City is obligated to coordinate with Caltrain for several reasons
including the project's involvement with and impact on the Caltrain Right of Way (ROW) and
the need to verify compliance of conceptual design phase documentation with the Caltrain
Engineering Standards (being revised through 2023). In addition, after the selection of
Preferred Alternative(s) aka Local Preferred Alternative(s) (LPA) for each grade- separation,
Caltrain will become the lead agency for designing and implementing the selected LPAs. As
this project is currently in the conceptual design phase, addressing concerns related to
Caltrain Engineering Standards is a key factor in demonstrating ROW, the feasibility of LPAs,
and positioning the projects for successful implementation. The city staff has been reaching
out to Caltrain staff for their review, however, asked formally in June 2022 requesting for
evaluation of four tracking segment needs and other concerns with the design criteria.
As a result, Caltrain embarked upon the Caltrain Corridor Strategy Project to review the
1 https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=1717&type=0
2 https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=2688&type=0
Item 1
Item 1 Staff Report
Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 3 Packet Pg. 6 of 20
concerns of various local agencies with projects along the corridor including an analysis of
four-tracking needs, and in early 2023, the City and Caltrain (PCJPB) entered into a service
agreement outlining Caltrain's role in providing support for early coordination, technical
input, and expertise. Caltrain’s support and input are crucial as the City evaluates conceptual
alternatives, aiming to select and recommend a viable locally preferred alternative (LPA) for
grade separation at these crossings. The Service Agreement (June 8, 2023) also provides the
contracting vehicle for Caltrain to support the integration of its comments into the City’s
conceptual alternatives, upon discussion and approval by the parties.
In November 2023, the Caltrain Staff provided an update on the four-tracking analysis at a
Rail Committee Study Session (Caltrain Presentation3). In addition, the City also received
technical review comments from Caltrain staff on the Partial Underpass and Closure with
Mitigation Alternatives at Churchill Avenue and for Hybrid, Viaduct, and Underpass
Alternatives at Meadow Drive and Charleston Road crossings. These comments were
discussed in detail at the January 23, 2024 Rail Committee meeting (Staff Report 2311-
23034). At this meeting, the Rail committee directed staff to coordinate with Caltrain staff to
determine the material changes needed for the alternative concepts to address updated
standards guiding the substantial changes in the concepts of the alternatives.
ANALYSIS
Following the directions of the Rail Committee, City and Caltrain staff convened to discuss the
potential impacts of addressing Caltrain comments and adhering to Caltrain Standards on the
conceptual design alternatives, and to identify the high-level material changes required for the
concepts. Based on discussions, it was determined that several changes to the alternatives will
be required that will have major impacts on the various alternatives. The following summary
provides the high-level changes to the alignments for various alternatives.
Churchill Avenue:
Underpass: The Underpass alternative is viable with changes to the bridge design,
including increased width and length, with limited encroachment on the Caltrain ROW.
However, there are concerns about the encroachment of pedestrian crossing on the
west side railroad tracks for Kellogg Avenue bicycle and pedestrian crossing.
Closure with Mitigation Option 1: (Ramps parallel to railroad tracks at grade Alma
crossing) This option will be viable, but it will require narrow widths for bicycle and
pedestrian ramps and will necessitate aligning these ramps outside of the Caltrain right
of way with minimum encroachments.
3 https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=0&type=7&uid=d2057565-6b16-44eb-b5eb-2a021fad2f24
4 https://cityofpaloalto.primegov.com/Portal/viewer?id=0&type=7&uid=562ad105-2798-43bf-9d47-6947f2c40697
Item 1
Item 1 Staff Report
Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 4 Packet Pg. 7 of 20
Closure with Mitigation Option 2: (Ramps perpendicular to railroad tracks and crosses
under Alma Street and railroad tracks) This option will be viable as presented.
Meadow Drive and Charleston Road
Trench Alternative: Further analysis of the trench alternative has been paused by the
Rail Committee mainly due to its high cost and feasibility challenges in accommodating
and addressing the four tracking needs of Caltrain and California High Speed Rail.
Hybrid Alternative: The existing alignment of rail in the hybrid alternative is proposed to
be realigned, considering factors such as jog in the railroad right of way, future four
tracking needs, shoofly placement, utilization of the railroad right of way, safety
requirements, constructability, and Caltrain standards. This realignment will cause
additional lane reductions during construction on Alma Street, Meadow Drive, and
Charleston Road than previously considered. The proposed alignment is viable with
refinements.
Viaduct Alternative: The existing alignment of the viaduct is proposed to be realigned,
considering factors such as jog in the railroad right of way, future four tracking needs,
shoofly placement, utilization of the railroad right of way, safety requirements,
constructability, and Caltrain standards. This realignment will cause the need for
additional encroachment on the City’s right of way for permanent placement of the
viaduct and approach structures resulting in a reduction of available traffic lanes on
Alma Street. In addition, the additional lane reductions at Alma Street, Meadow Drive,
and Charleston Road during construction will be more severe than previously
considered. It is also noted that Caltrain would like to retain the existing at-grade tracks
for railroad purposes.
Underpass Alternatives: The existing alignment of this rail alternative will, for the most
part, remain at its existing location; however, adjustments will be needed for
compliance with updated rail standards. Bridge widening is required to accommodate
access to maintenance and emergency vehicles, resulting in a wider bridge. Additionally,
the pedestrian bridge needs to be raised to comply with standards. The vertical
clearance required for vehicular traffic can be accommodated with a sacrificial beam
and agency agreements.
Staff therefore seeks the Rail Committee's review and feedback on the Grade Separation
Alternatives for Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and Charleston Road Crossings considering
accommodation of Caltrain's Staff Comments and direction on the recommended preferred
alternative(s) for advancement of the selected alternatives into the Preliminary Engineering and
Environmental Documentation phase for Council consideration and direction.
Item 1
Item 1 Staff Report
Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 5 Packet Pg. 8 of 20
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
Revisions to existing conceptual plans will require consultant support. The existing contract
with AECOM expires on April 22, 2024. Therefore, an amendment to the Consultant contract
will be needed to perform additional services.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The Rail Committee meetings are open to the public and therefore provide the community
with opportunities to provide comments to the Rail Committee and City.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed action is part of a planning study for a possible future action, which has not been
approved, adopted, or funded and is therefore exempt from the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15262. The future decision to
approve the construction of any one of the identified potential alternatives would be subject to
CEQA and require the preparation of an environmental analysis. Environmental review and
design for the grade separation project will be performed in the subsequent steps of the
Project.
ATTACHMENTS
None
APPROVED BY:
Philip Kamhi, Chief Transportation Official
Item 1
Item 1 Staff Report
Item 1: Staff Report Pg. 6 Packet Pg. 9 of 20
Rail Committee
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: ACTION ITEMS
Lead Department: Transportation
Meeting Date: April 16, 2024
Report #:2403-2802
TITLE
Review additional analysis to evaluate the merits of the Kellogg Avenue and Seale Avenue
Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossings, and discuss next steps in providing a recommendation from
the Rail Committee to the City Council for a Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing location associated
with the Churchill Avenue Underpass Alternative.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff Recommends that the Rail Committee review additional analysis to evaluate the merits of
Kellogg Avenue and Seale Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Crossing locations based on the
Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan Report. Depending on the Rail Committee’s
preference, discuss next steps in providing a recommendation to the City Council regarding the
preferred location for advancing the crossing associated with the Churchill Avenue Underpass
Alternative into the preliminary engineering and environmental documentation phase.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The City Council in November 2021 directed staff to evaluate the merits of Seale Avenue and
Kellogg Avenue crossing as part of the Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan (BPTP)
update for the Churchill Avenue Underpass Alternative. The BPTP has completed its evaluation
and provided the assessment. Staff requests that the Rail Committee review the technical
memorandum (Attachment A) and to evaluate the bicycle and pedestrian crossing locations.
Depending upon the Rail Committee’s preference, the committee discuss next steps in
providing a recommendation to the City Council for the selection of crossing location for
advancement of the Churchill Avenue Underpass Alternative into the Preliminary Engineering
and Environmental Documentation Phase.
BACKGROUND & ANALYSIS
After receiving the final report from the Expanded Community Advisory Panel (XCAP), staff
presented a detailed review of Churchill Avenue crossing alternatives for grade separation on
Item 2
Staff Report
Item 2: Staff Report Pg. 1 Packet Pg. 10 of 20
November 1 & 29, 2021 (Staff Report 135431) & (Staff Report 137462). At the November 29,
2021, City Council meeting, the Council directed staff to ensure that Bicycle and Pedestrian
Transportation include evaluation of the merits of the bicycle and pedestrian crossing across
the Caltrain rail corridor at Kellogg Avenue and Seale Avenue. The Bicycle and Pedestrian
Transportation Plan included an initial evaluation for consideration of crossing across the
Caltrain corridor at Kellogg Avenue and Seale Avenue and a technical memorandum
summarizing the assessment (Attachment A: Technical Memorandum Seale vs Kellogg Grade
Separated Rail Crossing Assessment).
The assessment included a review of the prior analysis and plans, proximity to alternative
routes, landing locations, network connectivity, and community input. The analysis found
that a bicycle and pedestrian crossing at Seale Avenue would fill a longer gap between
alternative locations and would increase connectivity. However, a crossing at Seale Avenue
would involve the use City parkland at Peers Park. This would require additional analysis of
requirements associated with parkland improvements and the compatibility of the proposed
bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure with parkland uses. Pedestrians and bicycles would no
longer be able to cross the tracks at Churchill Avenue, and access to Palo Alto High School
would need to occur via Seale Avenue or Embarcadero Road.
The Kellogg Avenue location also faces a few challenges: Due to right-of-way constraints on
the west side of the railroad tracks at the Kellogg Avenue location, there is potential for
additional impact on the Palo Alto Unified School District property. The Kellogg location also
requires additional turns on the west side of the tracks to connect to the Embarcadero Bike
path which is currently within the easement on the Caltrain property.
Finalizing the location of a Bicycle and Pedestrian crossing present complexities when
considered with the planned partial underpass at Churchill including but not limited to land use
and right of way. If the Rail Committee chooses the Seale Avenue location as the preferred
crossing location, in lieu of the current Churchill crossing with the preferred Churchill partial
underpass alternative, staff recommends conducting additional targeted outreach and
stakeholder engagement and further review of the integration with Peers Park. This additional
outreach aims to incorporate input from stakeholders including but not limited to Palo Alto
Unified School District (PAUSD, residents around the crossings, and bike and pedestrian users
including students at key locations such as Palo Alto High School and affected neighborhood
streets. In addition, this will allow staff to review crossing layout and the integration of a
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potential underpass with parkland uses at Peers Park before the Rail Committee makes its final
recommendation to the City Council.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
The resources required for performing additional work depend upon the selection of the
preferred crossing location. Depending upon the final determination and the scope of work,
the Caltrain and City staff will likely require additional resources. The scope of work in the
existing contract with AECOM Consultants and Caltrain Service Agreement does not cover the
additional work that may result in the redesign efforts if the Seale Avenue crossing is selected
as the preferred alternative. Therefore, amendments to the existing agreements may be
required. Staff will prepare the amendment with AECOM and seek City Council Approval
accordingly.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The Rail Committee meetings are open to the public and therefore provide the community with
opportunities to provide comments to the rail committee and City. The Rail Committee
meetings are regularly conducted, and their information is posted on the City Calendar.
Residents who have subscribed to City Meetings notifications receive notifications about the
Rail Committee meetings. Additionally, notifications about the Rail Committee and the City
Council meetings are disseminated through the City’s YouTube Channel. The Transportation
Department also provides updates on City projects, including Rail Grade Separation projects, in
the Transportation Connect Newsletter and on the project’s ConnectingPaloAlto3 website. The
City has also recently posted a “Hot Topic” news story on grade separation on the City website
homepage.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
The proposed action is part of a planning study for a possible future action, which has not been
approved, adopted, or funded and is therefore exempt from the California Environmental
Quality Act (CEQA) in accordance with CEQA Guidelines Section 15262. The future decision to
approve the construction of any one of the identified potential alternatives would be subject to
CEQA and require the preparation of an environmental analysis. Environmental review and
design for the grade separation project will be performed in the subsequent steps of the
project development.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A: Technical Memorandum Seale vs Kellogg Grade Separated Rail Crossing
Assessment
APPROVED BY:
Philip Kamhi, Chief Transportation Official
3 Connecting Palo Alto Website
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Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM
March 14, 2024 Project# 28476
To: Ozzy, Arce
Palo Alto Office of Transportation
,
From: Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
RE: Seale vs Kellogg Grade Separated Rail Crossing Assessment
Seale vs Kellogg Grade Separated Rail Crossing Assessment
The BPTP Update consultant team evaluated the merits of each location (Seale and Kellogg) for a grade
separated rail crossing based on the following assessment topics:
Prior analyses and plans
Proximity to alternative routes
Landing location
Network connectivity
Community input
The findings of the assessment are presented in Table 1.
155 Grand Avenue, Suite 505 Oakland, CA 94612 P 510.839.1742
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Attachment A: Technical
Memorandum Seale vs
Kellogg Grade Separated
Rail Crossing Assessment
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Table 1 Seale vs Kellogg Grade Separated Rail Crossing Assessment
Assessment Topic Seale Kellogg
Prior analysis and plans The 2012 BPTP identifies Seale Avenue as a recommended location for an across barrier connection.
The 2013 Palo Alto Rail Corridor Study identified Seale Avenue a potential crossing location.
The 2021 XCAP Report identified the addition of a bike/ped crossing at Seale as a general potential mitigation for the Churchill grade separation. This option was selected with mitigation.
The 2012 BPTP does not identify Kellogg Avenue as a recommended across barrier connection or location for a grade separated rail crossing.
The 2013 Palo Alto Rail Corridor Study identified Kellogg Avenue a potential crossing location.
The 2021 XCAP Report included a ped/bike tunnel as part of concept designs for the Churchill Avenue Partial Underpass. This option was not selected.
Proximity to alternative routes Seale Avenue is located about 1,700 feet north of the Cal Ave Tunnel and about 1,850 feet south of the at-grade rail crossing at Churchill Ave.
Kellogg Avenue is located about 450 feet north of the at-grade crossing at Churchill and about 1,200 feet south of the grade-separated rail crossing at Embarcadero.
Landing locations
There is space available at Peers Park for a landing. There is limited space available for a landing at Paly High School.
Network connectivity
Seale Avenue connects to the Serra Street/Park Boulevard and Stanford Avenue east-west bikeways (along with the north-south Castilleja-Park-Wilkie Bicycle Boulevard) across Caltrain.
Kellog Avenue connects to the Embarcadero Bike Path and Bryant Street Bike Boulevard. Kellog Avenue terminates at Waverley Street three blocks east of the rail line, limiting utility of this route as a through connection.
Community input Comments received on the interactive map during the BPTP Update indicate a strong demand for a grade-separate bike/ped crossing of Alma and the rail line. Ideas proposed for a new crossing include an
While comments received on the interactive map during the BPTP Update indicated demand for grade separated crossings, they did not identify Kellogg as a preferred alignment.
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Attachment A: Technical
Memorandum Seale vs Kellogg
Grade Separated Rail Crossing
Assessment
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Kittelson & Associates, Inc.
alignment at Seale under the tracks to Peers Park.
Churchill Avenue, the crossing nearest to Seale, was flagged as stressful for cyclists and pedestrians, indicating a lower stress route is desired. A grade separated crossing at Seale would provide an alternate low-stress facility.
Overall The Seale Avenue crossing is supported by prior plans and analyses, would fill a longer gap between alternative crossing locations, appears to have adequate space for a landing location, would increase connectivity to the transportation network, and has been identified as a potential alignment for a grade-separated rail crossing in public involvement efforts for the BPTP Update.
The Kellog Avenue crossing would not fill as long a gap between crossing locations and have limited utility in terms of increasing network connectivity.
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Memorandum Seale vs Kellogg
Grade Separated Rail Crossing
Assessment
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REFERENCES
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Attachment A: Technical
Memorandum Seale vs
Kellogg Grade Separated
Rail Crossing Assessment
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BPTP Update – Existing Bicycle Facilities Map
Yellow = pedestrian-involved collisions Orange = bicycle involved collisions
Red line = Kellog (northwest) and Seale (southeast) crossing locations
Green line = bike/ped path access to Paly
BPTP Update – Draft Technical Analyses
o Five-Year (2018-2022) Collisions TIMS
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Memorandum Seale vs
Kellogg Grade Separated
Rail Crossing Assessment
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Rail Crossing Study
o Figure 4.1
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Memorandum Seale vs
Kellogg Grade Separated
Rail Crossing Assessment
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2021 Report of the Expanded Community Advisory Panel (XCAP) on Grade Separations for Palo Alto,
page 57
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Memorandum Seale vs
Kellogg Grade Separated
Rail Crossing Assessment
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School Catchment Area Maps - https://locator.pea.powerschool.com/?StudyID=171992
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Attachment A: Technical
Memorandum Seale vs
Kellogg Grade Separated
Rail Crossing Assessment
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