January 25, 2005

SUBJECT: Review Draft Valley Transportation Plan 2030 and Accept Freeway Corridor Studies of Hwy 237/Mathilda and Hwy 85/Fremont

REPORT IN BRIEF
The Sunnyvale City Council has considered a number of issues over the past two years leading up to preparation of an updated long range regional transportation plan for Santa Clara County by the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA).  This document, the Valley Transportation Plan (VTP) 2030, identifies major regional transportation programs and projects for Santa Clara County, and presents priorities for Federal and State transportation funding against funding constraints. 

The draft VTP 2030 will be considered by the VTA Board of Directors on February 3, 2005.  The VTA Board of Directors has provided time for member agencies to comment on the document, and VTA staff will attend the Sunnyvale City Council meeting to make a brief presentation on the Plan.

The City Council has previously considered a number of issues pertaining to VTP 2030, including the Community Design and Transportation Program, the Bicycle Expenditure Program, the County Expressway Study, Caltrain electrification, the Local Streets and Roads Program, and transit project priorities.  The Council has also specifically considered the issue of light rail expansion in Sunnyvale and adopted a Legislative Action Policy regarding light rail expansion priorities that has direct bearing on the VTP 2030. Additionally, Council previously considered and approved initial improvement project recommendations from two Freeway Corridor studies for Highways 237 and 85 on April 6, 2004, as part of a report recommending VTP 2030 overall program priorities.  The City partnered with the VTA on these studies as a means to solidify the City’s improvement strategies for the Highway 237/Mathilda and Highway 85/Fremont interchanges, update past study conclusions, and address community concerns.  These two studies are now complete, and the Valley Transportation Plan 2030 has been drafted. 

At this time staff is recommending that the City Council support the adoption of the VTP 2030 contingent upon amendment to address Sunnyvale’s concerns regarding light rail expansion and a City/VTA 1993 Cooperative Agreement regarding light rail.  Council may want to consider further direction to the City’s VTA representatives.  Mayor Dean Chu is on the VTA Board of Directors, and Vice-Mayor Ron Swegles is on the Policy Advisory Committee. Staff further is recommending that the City Council accept the Highway 237 and Highway 85 Corridor Studies. 

BACKGROUND
VTP 2030

Council has considered a number of issues over the past two years leading up to preparation of an updated long range regional transportation plan for Santa Clara County by the VTA.  This document, the Valley Transportation Plan 2030, identifies major regional transportation programs and projects for Santa Clara County, and presents priorities for Federal and State transportation funding against funding constraints.  Concurrently, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is developing the Regional Transportation Plan for the nine-county Bay Area, called Transportation 2030.  Projects and programs from the Santa Clara County VTP 2030 Plan will be submitted to MTC for inclusion in the Regional Transportation Plan.  Any project with regional significance must be in the regional transportation plan to be eligible for federal or state funding, or to meet air quality conformance tests.    

The Sunnyvale City Council has considered a number of VTP 2030 issues over the course of development of the document.  Previously established positions are summarized in Attachment A.  Previously considered VTP 2030 issues are: Sunnyvale priorities for the Local Streets program and endorsement of the Community Design and Transportation Program, which were approved by Council at its September 30, 2003 meeting; approval of freeway and roadway projects consistent with the joint VTA/City SR 237 and Highway 85 Corridor Studies, of which Council endorsed on April 6, 2004; priorities for County Expressway improvements in Sunnyvale, as endorsed by the City Council at its May 13, 2003 meeting; and Bicycle Program projects approved for submittal by Council at its August 13, 2002 and September 28, 2004 meetings.  Staff has also provided information to the VTA on soundwall, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and Livable Community projects for Sunnyvale.

The Plan also includes Caltrain Electrification, Future Light Rail Corridors, BART to San Jose and other transit capital project priorities.  Council endorsed a letter from the North County Cities Group of the VTA supporting certain transit project priorities at its March 16 and April 6, 2004 meetings, and approved policy regarding Caltrain electrification at its May 11, 2004 meeting. The Council adopted a new Legislative Action Policy regarding future light rail extension to downtown Sunnyvale at its August 24, 2004 meeting.

The VTA has conducted a number of planning efforts and considerable public and agency outreach in preparing a draft Plan.  The draft VTP 2030 document was presented to the VTA Board of Directors at their December 9, 2004 meeting, at which time the Board directed that additional time should be granted for member agencies to consider the Plan.  The VTA Board is now scheduled to consider adoption of the VTP 2030 at its February 3, 2005 meeting.

Corridor Studies

The Valley Transportation Plan 2030 calls for the VTA to identify effective transportation investments, in cooperation with cities and the County.  The Plan calls for in-depth analyses to clarify problems related to specific aspects of the countywide transportation system and develop solutions that address community concerns.  To this end, the VTA has undertaken a series of gateway and corridor studies to identify specific improvement projects that have been included in the VTP 2030, and be “shelf ready” as funding becomes available.  Four corridor studies have been completed:  Two segments of US 101, a Route 85 study, and a Route 237 study.

The City has long been interested in maintaining efficient travel flow in the Mathilda Avenue corridor.  The Route 237 interchange, known as “The Monster,” has challenged the City’s ability to achieve this.  In the late 1980’s, the City conducted two major studies of the area, the North-South Corridor Study, and the Mini-Triangle Study, which investigated the feasibility of capacity enhancements.  The North-South Study was a broadly-scoped investigation of all north-south corridors in the City, which featured a follow-on prioritization of long range improvements for Mathilda/237.  This study resulted in a recommendation to construct an extension of Mary Avenue over Routes 101 and 237 as a new reliever route to Mathilda/237, as well as a shorter term capacity enhancement that has since been completed.  The Mini-Triangle study’s focus was coordination of Mathilda corridor, Route 237 corridor, Route 101 corridor, and downtown light rail improvement plans in the Mathilda/237/101 “mini-triangle.”  This study fleshed out many design challenges of the Mary Avenue Extension.  At the time, Caltrans and the Santa Clara County Transit District were actively planning for interchange improvements and light rail in the area.  These plans subsequently lay dormant until the recent VTA/City corridor studies were initiated.

As a result of the North-South Corridor Study, the 1997 Land Use and Transportation Element formally added the Mary Avenue Extension into the City’s General Plan.  The recently completed joint City/VTA Route 237 Corridor Study scope was a detailed update of capacity enhancements in the Mathilda/237 area.

The Route 85/Fremont intersection is currently operating at adequate levels of service.  The intersection features complex roadway geometry similar to the Mathilda/237 interchange, and is the subject of public complaints at a higher, but not frequent, rate than other intersections in the City.  The City’s transportation model forecasts increasing traffic on the Route 85 and Fremont Avenue pathways. To address City concerns, the Route 85 Corridor Study included a more detailed examination of future traffic operations at the Fremont Avenue/Route 85 interchange.  The study outcome was identification of potential improvements to accommodate traffic demand, and coordination with Corridor improvements.

The City Council approved City participation in the Route 85 and Route 237 studies at its November 12, 2002 meeting.  Initial findings were reviewed in a Study Session on December 16, 2003, and approved by Council for consideration for inclusion in VTP 2030 at the April 6, 2004 meeting.

EXISTING POLICY
Land Use and Transportation Element R1, Protect and sustain a high quality of life in Sunnyvale by participating in coordinate land use and transportation planning in the region.

Land Use and Transportation Element R1.1, Advocate the City’s interests to regional agencies that make land use and transportation system decisions that affect Sunnyvale.

Land Use and Transportation Element R1.2, Support coordinated regional transportation system planning and improvements.

Land Use and Transportation Element R1.3.1, Participate in intergovernmental activities related to regional and sub-regional land use and transportation planning in order to advance the City’s interests. 

Land Use and Transportation Element R1.4, Achieve an operating level of service (LOS) E or better for all regional roadways and intersections, as defined by the City functional classification of the street system.

Land Use and Transportation Element C3.1.4, Study and implement physical and operational improvements to optimize roadway and intersection capacities.

Land Use and Transportation Element C3.7, Pursue local, state, and federal transportation funding sources to finance City transportation capital improvement projects consistent with City priorities. 

DISCUSSION
Valley Transportation Plan 2030

The VTA is updating the major planning and funding programs of the long range Valley Transportation Plan (VTP) 2030 document.  This document identifies major regional transportation programs and projects for Santa Clara County, and presents priorities for Federal and State transportation funding against funding constraints.  Concurrently, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission is developing the Regional Transportation Plan for the nine-county Bay Area, called Transportation 2030.  Projects and programs from the Santa Clara County VTP 2030 Plan will be submitted to MTC for inclusion in the Regional Transportation Plan.  Any project with regional significance must be in the regional transportation plan to be eligible for federal or state funding, or to meet air quality conformance tests.    

The draft VTP 2030 document was presented to the VTA Board of Directors at their December 9, 2004 meeting, and will be considered for adoption at the February 3, 2005 meeting.  Council has previously considered several issues germane to VTP 2030.  VTA staff will attend the Sunnyvale City Council meeting to make a brief presentation on the Plan. 

The VTA, through a series of workshops, project solicitations, evaluations, and public outreach meetings, has developed a set of programs and projects for VTP 2030.  Included in this set are Sunnyvale priorities for the Local Streets program, which were approved by Council at its September 30, 2003 meeting; freeway projects consistent with the joint VTA/City SR 237 and Highway 85 Corridor Studies, of which Council endorsed on April 6, 2004; priorities for County Expressway improvements in Sunnyvale, as endorsed by the City Council at its May 13, 2003 meeting; and Bicycle Program projects approved for submittal by Council at its August 13, 2002 and September 28, 2004 meetings.  Staff has also provided information to the VTA on soundwall, Intelligent Transportation Systems, and Livable Community projects for Sunnyvale.  The Plan also includes Caltrain Electrification and other transit capital project priorities; Council endorsed a letter from the North County Cities Group of the VTA supporting certain transit project priorities at its March 16, 2004 and April 6, 2004 meetings, and approved policy regarding Caltrain electrification at its May 11, 2004 meeting.  Council considered and strengthened the City’s legislative position on light rail extension to downtown Sunnyvale at its August 24, 2004 meeting.

The VTA has assessed the “universe” of projects it has received for consideration in a broad range of project categories. The results of these assessments update and guide Santa Clara County’s long range transportation planning and fund programming.  In order to be responsive to changing funding and improvement needs, VTP 2030 is a living document.  The Plan is updated every three years.  Potential projects have been prioritized using program-specific criteria.  Investment targets for Santa Clara County for the 25 year plan horizon (and the 30 year horizon for the Measure A “BART” tax) have then been applied to the project priorities to develop lists of “constrained” projects (within projected funding targets) and “unconstrained” projects (all project needs, regardless of funding.)  Projects in the constrained category are more likely to receive outside (Federal or State) funding in the lifetime of the Plan. 

Light Rail Transit Expansion

The Plan currently is largely consistent with Sunnyvale’s overall priorities.  However, prioritization and scope of projects remains under discussion by the VTA Board, and may not be resolved by the adoption of the VTP 2030 document.  Of particular note are future light rail corridor priorities, which as currently reflected in the document, likely conflict with a 1993 City/VTA Cooperative Agreement concerning light rail development.

The 1993 Cooperative Agreement addressed a number of issues stemming from the planning and design of the Tasman West Corridor light rail project.  Also addressed were future light rail corridor priorities – the document includes a statement of priority corridors, placing Tasman-Sunnyvale after the Tasman, Vasona, Capitol, and Downtown Evergreen corridors in the Transit District’s priorities.  This was ostensibly to address the “concession” of a Tasman West terminus to downtown Mountain View instead of Sunnyvale.  The Agreement also includes language on what the District would do to uphold these priorities, and how disputes over the agreement would be resolved.

On August 13, 2004, the VTA staff presented to the VTA Board of Directors a list of VTA major project priorities, for immediate action as well as long term planning and inclusion in VTP 2030.  This included a “New Rail Corridors Study” of potential future light rail corridors that is potentially inconsistent with the priorities previously established by the 1993 Cooperative Agreement.  VTA staff, responding to an inquiry by the City’s VTA Board representative, gave indication that the VTA staff disagrees with key elements of a 1993 Cooperative Agreement between Sunnyvale and the VTA’s predecessor agency on light rail priorities.  In light of this information Council took action at it’s August 24, 2003 meeting to take certain actions, including research and document compliance with the 1993 Cooperative Agreement through a study issue or non-routine project, consider filing for alternative dispute resolution and convey to the VTA Board membership information on the 1993 agreement and the City’s position on light rail to downtown Sunnyvale as it relates to regional light rail planning.  A letter prepared by the Office of the City Attorney was sent on January 13, 2005 to the VTA’s General Manager and copied to the Board communicating the City’s position and requesting action within 14 days pursuant to the provisions of the 1993 Agreement.  City staff believe that inclusion of the New Rail Corridors study in the VTP 2030 would directly violate the City/VTA 1993 Cooperative Agreement.  Staff is recommending that the Council support adoption of VTP 2030 contingent upon modification of the document to address Sunnyvale’s issues regarding future light rail transit priorities.      

VTP 2030 Position Summary

A summary of relevant City positions on VTP 2030 issues is included as Attachment A.  The Valley Transportation Authority Board of Directors is anticipated to act on the draft VTP 2030 document at its February 3, 2005 meeting.  Mayor Dean Chu is on the Board of Directors, and Vice-Mayor Ron Swegles is on the VTA Policy Advisory Committee.

City/VTA Corridor Studies

As part of the development of VTP 2030 freeway project priorities, the VTA conducted a series of freeway and gateway corridor studies.  These corridor studies intend to clarify long range improvement solutions for major transportation corridors, in cooperation with cities and other local agencies. 

The City of Sunnyvale partnered with the VTA on two of the corridor studies, the Route 237 and Route 85 Studies.  These efforts examine conditions and revisit planned projects for these two corridors.  Areas of investigation in addition to the areas of interest to Sunnyvale include Route 237 carpool lane extension, Zanker Road to Route 880 auxiliary lanes, Route 237/Route 85 modifications, Route 237/Middlefield Road interchange modifications, and Route 85/280 interchange modifications.  These two studies are now concluded.  The City has previously considered the draft findings and recommendations at its April 6, 2004 meeting, for incorporation in the VTP 2030 process.  At this time the final studies have been published, and staff is recommending that the City Council accept the final Highway 237 and Highway 85 Corridor Studies.    

Route 237/Mathilda/101 Analysis

The components of the proposed Route 237 Corridor Study relative to the Mathilda/237 interchange enable the City to reinforce an improvement strategy for its own General Plan and the regional plan for Santa Clara County.  A focused analysis of this area revisits outdated assumptions, conditions, and technical analyses.  A public outreach effort for reconsideration of improvement priorities in the Mathilda/237 area for changed/ interested constituencies was an important part of the study process.  The study outcome brings project priorities identified in the study to a high level of project readiness, construction “fundability” and regional priority, and advances the implementation of a major component of the City’s General Plan for transportation improvements serving the City’s primary commute corridor.

The Mathilda/237 analysis examined a great number of concepts for modifying and enhancing travel through the area.  These concepts were winnowed down, through engineering analysis and public input, to a small number of improvement recommendations.  The study utilized a detailed simulation forecasting tool that tested a broad range of concept alternatives.  The area for detailed analysis stretched roughly from Central Expressway, to Fair Oaks Avenue, to Route 101/237, to 5^th Avenue.  The recommended improvement plan is included as Attachment B.   

Highway 85/Fremont Analysis

The City’s transportation model forecasts increasing traffic on the Route 85 and Fremont Avenue pathways.  However, the City model does not provide sufficient detail to predict specific operational and capacity details at complex interchanges.  Without detailed simulation forecasting, it is uncertain what the potential capacity impacts at the interchange may be.  Similarly, the VTA’s initial work scope focused on corridor impacts and did not call for detailed interchange simulation modeling.  The City and VTA agreed to share the cost of detailed simulation analysis at this location, with findings of the analysis to be folded into the conclusions and recommendations of the Route 85 study.  The study found that minor improvements at the Bernardo Avenue/Fremont Avenue interchange in the short term, followed by long term improvements to Route 85 ramps, will provide adequate capacity to maintain efficient traffic flow at this location.  A summary of the overall study findings is included as Attachment C.

FISCAL IMPACT
There is no direct fiscal impact of the City’s positions on the VTP 2030 or of accepting the Highway 237 and Highway 85 Corridor Studies.  Funding through VTP 2030 would become available to Sunnyvale only after Federal or State allocations to Santa Clara County and a subsequent Programming phase of the VTP 2030 programs.  At that time a local agency with a project approved in the Planning phase would then be able to elect to program local matching funds and compete for programming of Federal/State grant funds.

Potential sources for future matching funds could be revenues from new sources enacted through the Transportation Strategic Program, or General/Gas Tax funds.  The staff recommendation does not call for committing any new local funds beyond those previously committed by Council. 

CONCLUSION
Council has also considered a number of issues over the past two years relating to development of an updated long range transportation plan for Santa Clara County by the VTA.  The Valley Transportation Plan 2030 will be considered for adoption by the VTA Board of Directors on February 3, 2005.  Staff is recommending that the Council support adoption of VTP 2030 contingent upon modification of the document to address Sunnyvale’s issues regarding future light rail transit priorities.  The Council may want to consider further direction to the City’s VTA representatives. 

Also, VTA and City staff have completed freeway corridor studies for Route 237 and Highway 85.  Recommendations from these studies have been included in the draft VTP 2030 Plan.  The final Study documents are complete, and staff is recommending that Council accept the final studies.