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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05 Traffic Congest Red Hill/I-5 ITEM #5 Report to the Planning Commission DATE: APRIL 12, 2004 TO: PLANNING COMMISSION FROM: ELIZABETH A. BINSACK, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR SUBJECT: REQUEST FOR INFORMATION REGARDING TRAFFIC CONGESTION ANTICIPATED DURING THE RED HILLlI-5 FREEWAY WIDENING PROJECT At the March 8, 2004, Planning Commission meeting, Commissioner Nielsen indicated that several Tustin residents approached him regarding the congestion anticipated during the subject project and asked that staff provide information concerning contingency plans to alleviate this problem. Attached is a memorandum from Tim Serlet, Director of Public Works/City Engineer, responding to those concerns. This memorandum also includes information from Frank Wilson & Associates, Inc. Doug Anderson, Transportation Manager, will be available to answer any questions the Commission may have. a~Mj~~4- Elizabeth A. Binsack Community Development Director PCREPORTS:REDHILL WIDENING RECEIVED MAR 2 5 2004 ~T Inter-Com DATE: MARCH 25, 2004 TO: ELIZABETH A. BINSACK, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR FROM: /f1J) TIM D. SERLET, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS/CITY ENGINEER SUBJECT: PLANNING COMMISSION FOLLOW-UP REGARDING THE RED HILL AVENUE WIDENING PROJECT AT THE 1-5 FREEWAY At the March 8, 2004, Planning Commission meeting, Commissioner Nielsen expressed concerns regarding the upcoming roadway widening project at Red Hill Avenue and the 1-5 Freeway. Commissioner Nielsen questioned what provisions had been contemplated to alleviate traffic congestion in this area during construction. In anticipation of the upcoming construction activity and related traffic impacts of construction, City staff has retained the firm of Frank Wilson & Associates, Inc. to provide a public information and outreach program for this project. The goal of the program is to make project information readily available and easily accessible to the affected public. Frank Wilson & Associates is taking a proactive approach in this effort and has provided the attached report identifying their outreach activities. In addition, the construction Contractor for the project is required to prepare and submit a traffic control plan that identifies how traffic will be managed through the area during the various stages of construction. The traffic control plan is subject to City approval prior to the start of construction. There will be traffic congestion in this area during the construction of this project. However, through the implementation of the public outreach program and the approved traffic control plan, it is anticipated that these efforts will help to minimize much of the congestion and disruptions to this area during construction. Please contact the Public Works Department, Engineering Division if you have any comments or need additional information. Attachment: Frank Wilson & Associate's Outreach Report of March 15, 2004 c: Dana R. Kasdan Doug Anderson Dennis Jue (JW~ 30900 Rancho V¡eíoRoad, Suite 200 San Juan Capistrano, California 92675 949.218.1850 800.556.011:; Marketing C:ornrnunications Public Affairs 949.2] 8.1851 Fax Memorandum To: Dennis Jue From: Julie Chay Date: March 15,2004 Subject: I-SIRed Hill Avenue Public Outreach Status Report In October 2003 Frank Wilson & Associates (FW &A) was retained to conduct a public information and outreach program for the I-SIRed Hill Avenue widening project. In preparation for the beginning of construction, FW &A has completed several activities, and is prepared to begin notification of construction once the Notice to Proceed is given. Initial review of the community context for the I-SIRed Hill Avenue project made it apparent that a proactive public outreach effort was called for. The interchange is so constrained as to be near gridlock in both a.m. and p.m. peak periods. Complications of the already congested area include the heavy pedestrian usage by students at nearby schools, "No right turn on red" restrictions on El Camino Real and Nisson Road, and heavy use of the EI Camino Real center left turn lane to access the "Starbucks" center. The problem is particularly pronounced in the morning as students approach Tustin High School both in cars and on foot. Managing these issues through proactive public outreach will help local residents and motorists navigate through and around the already congested area during construction. Following is a summary of planned outreach activities: Fact Sheet-A project Fact Sheet has been developed to provide general information about the project-its benefits, anticipated impacts and contact information. An info-graphic shows the final configuration ofthe interchange. Fact Sheets will be distributed along with a construction alert. Following is the planned distribution of the Fact Sheet: Location Number of Fact Sheets Retailer distribution (10 per store, 50 stores) 500 Veeh Elementary school (will be sent home with 500 students) Tustin High School (Distribute in office, at special 300 events.) Door-to-door apartment & residential 500 neighborhood distribution Fulfillment requests 200 I-SIRed Hill Avenue Construction Project Public Outreach March 15,2004 Page 2 Construction Alerts- FW &A will develop a series of "construction alert" handouts to update and inform residents and business owners of construction conditions affecting motorists or pedestrians. The construction alerts will be distributed door-to-door to local merchants, schools and apartment managers, and given to local media for publication. Construction Hotline--FW&A established a local voice-mail box telephone line: 714730-3570. The greeting (in English and Spanish) guides callers to information and status on the I-SIRed Hill Avenue construction project. Callers are assured that they will receive a return call within 24 hours. The Construction Hotline will be maintained on a daily basis. A monthly summary ofhotline calls is provided as part of the monthly report. D.c. Register and Tustin News-An article about the project appeared in the Tustin News when the City Council approved the contract in Fall 2003. Once the construction schedule is established, FW &A will prepare a detailed press release. The release will be sent to all local print and media outlets, with personal follow-up to ensure coverage in the Register and Tustin News. Ongoing construction information will be provided to the media by way of Construction Alerts. School Communications-The proximity of Tustin High School and the use of Red Hill Avenue for students' access to school is a very important safety factor. Students at other nearby schools also use or cross Red Hill Avenue to get to school. Providing information through the schools is another way to inform families with school-age children about the project. Schools impacted by the project include Beswick, Thorman, Lambert and Veeh Elementary Schools, Utt and Curry Middle Schools, and Sycamore Continuing Education Center. For some of these schools students the Red Hill undercrossing is the only option as a pedestrian route to school. FW &A has contacted the school district as well as principals at Tustin High School, Veeh Elementary School and Utt Middle school, whose attendance areas cross 1-5. Communication channels with these schools have been established and FW &A will remain in contact with them throughout construction. Merchant Relations-FW &A has contacted nearby merchants and property owners to inform them about the project. Before construction begins, FW &A will distribute Fact Sheets to all merchants in the vicinity of the project, including the Stater Brothers center on the south and the Red Hill Plaza (Drug Emporium) north ofEl Camino Real. FW&A will respond to specific merchant issues as needed. FW &A can also carry out other outreach activities that may be called for as construction moves forward. .. Red Hill Improvement Project FACT SH EET CITY OF TUSTIN BRINGS IMPORTANT CHANGES TO RED HILL AVENUE AT 1-5 FREEWAY Patience and caution urged during three months of construction About the Project Getting on and off 1-5 at Red Hill Avenue will soon be a little smoother thanks to improvements that will widen Red Hill between Nisson Road and EI Camino Real. Once complete the interchange will include several new features designed to improve traffic flow. Numbers refer to diagram below. 0 A new right-turn only lane from southbound Red Hill to the northbound 1-5 on-ramp will provide a dedicated lane for travelers entering the 1-5 freeway. 8 An additional right-turn/straight ahead lane on northbound Red Hill at Nisson will ease access to the right-turn only lane to the southbound 1-5 Freeway on-ramp. e A new dedicated bike lane in each direction on Red Hill between EI Camino Real and Nisson Road will create a safer environment for cyclists. Other improvements include new traffic signals at the interchange and restriping of the travel lanes on Red Hill Avenue. Together, these improvements will ease movement on Red Hill between Nisson and EI Camino Real, as well as improve access to and from the 1-5 Freeway. In addition to the improved traffic flow, the project includes the construction of a storm drain on the west side of Red Hill north of EI Camino Real. The new storm drain will alleviate flooding in that area. North/' AL'S WOODCRAFT 1-5 South Off-Ramp UNION 76 - -- Q C 0 t:II: Z 0 '" '" z - - - - - --;J' - -- - - - - - ............... TACO BELL \\ 1-5 South On-Ramp PÁGINA INFORMATIVA LA CIUDAD DE TUSTIN TRAE CAMBIOS IMPORTANTES A LA AVENIDA RED HILL CERCA DE LA AUTOPISTA 1-5 Se recomienda þaciencia y þrecaución durante tres meses de 1o construcción Acerca del Proyecto Entrar y salir del Freeway 1-5 por la Avenida Red Hill será más fácil en el futuro gracias alas mejoras que ensancharán la Red Hill entre EI Camino Real y Nisson. Una vel que esté completo el intercambio incluirá varias nuevas características diseñadas para mejorar la circulación. Los números se ¡Iustran en el diagrama. 0 Un nuevo carril de cruzar a la derecha de la Avenida Red Hill a la rampa de entrada al Freeway 1-5 para el norte proporcionará un carril dedicado para los viajeros que entran en la autopista 1-5. f) Un carril adicional de cruzar a la derecha 0 continuar recto en la Avenida Red Hill para el norte en Nisson facilitará el acceso al carril de cruzar al la derecha a la rampa de entrada de la autopista 1-5 dirección sur. e Un carril nuevo dedicado para bicycletas en cada dirección en Avenida Red Hill entre EI Camino Real y el Nisson creará un ambiente más seguro para los cyclistas. Otras mejoras induyen nuevas señales en el intercambio y repintar las lineas de los carriles del tráfico en la Avenida Red Hill. Juntas, estas mejoras facili- tarán el movimiento en la Avenida Red Hill entre Nisson y el EI Camino Real, tambien el acceso a y desde la Autopista 1-5. Además de la circulación mejorada, el proyecto incluye la construcción de un drenaje para la lIuvia en el lado oeste de la Avenida Red Hill. EI drenaje nuevo aliviará inundaciones en esa área. >- c ~ ... ... t:II: ... :2 I!~ Jj '- +-- - - - - - ... c ... t:II: -:-¿;. i c u ... ... - - - - - - - - - - - WENDY'S . Red Hill Improvement Project FACT SHEET Important Construction Information Construction of the improvements is being planned to minimize disruption to motorists as well as pedestrians. Important details about construction include: . Construction is expected to begin in early 2004 and take approximately three months. . Two travel lanes in each direction will remain open to traffic from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. throughout construction. . Between 10:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. traffic may be reduced to one lane in each direction. . Typically, construction hours are 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. Some work on the freeway on- and off-ramps will be done at night and on weekends. . At least one left-turn lane will be kept open at all times at each intersection. . There will be no lane closures on Nisson Road or EI Camino Real. -At least one pedestrian sidewalk on Red Hill Avenue will be open at all times during construction. Signs will direct pedestrians to use the available walkway. Up-to-date recorded construction information is available by calling 714 730-3570. This Fact Sheet and any construction updates can be viewed on the City of Tustin Web site: www.tustinca.org. Stay Alert and Give Construction Workers a Brake! You can make your trips a little safer by remembering the following work zone safety tips: . Use caution in work zones; obey the posted speed limits. . Stay Alert! Expect the unexpected. . Watch for workers and give them a brake! . Don't change lanes unnecessarily. . Avoid using mobile phones while driving in work zones. . Turn on headlights so that workers and other drivers can see you. . Be especially alert at night while driving in work zones. . Expect delays, especially during peak travel times. . Allow ample space between you and the car in front of you. . Anticipate lane shifts, and merge when directed to do so. BE PATIENT! PÁGINA INFORMATIVA Información Importante Sobre la Construcción La construcción de las mejoras ha lido planeada para reducir al mínimo la interrupción a los motoristas así como peatones. Los detalles importantes sobre la construcción incluyen: . La construcción comenzará en el principio del 2004 y continuará por aproximadamente tres meses. . Dos carriles de tráfico se mantendrán abiertos entre 6 a.m. y 10 p.m. durante la construcción. . Entre 10 p.m. y 6 a.m. el tráfico se pod ria reducir hasta un carril en cada dirección. . Tipicamente, la construcción ocurirá entre 7 a.m. y 4 p.m. Lunes a Viernes. Algúna construcción en las rampas de entrada y salida a la Autopista 1-5 será hecha en la noche y en los fines de semana. . Por 10 menos un carril para cruzar a la izquierda se mantendrá abierto todo el tiempo durante la construcción en la Avenida Red Hill. . Nisson y EI Camino Real no tendrán ningún encierro del carril durante la con- strucción. . Por 10 menos una banqueta debajo del Freeway 5 se mantendrá abierta durante la construcción. Los peatones serán dirigidos dependiendo de las cir- cunstancias. La información actualizada de la construcción está disponible lIamando al 714 730-3570. Esta hoja y cualquier actualización de la construcción se pueden ver en el Web site de la Ciudad de Tustin: www.tustinca.org. ¡Matenganse Alerta yTengan Cuidado con los Trabajadores de la Construcción! Usted puede hater SUI viajes un poco más seguro, recordando las siguientes reg/as de seguridad en la zona de trabajo: . Use precaución en zonas de trabajo; obedezca los limites de velocidad fijados. . jMantenganse alerta! Cuente con 10 inesperado. . Sea considerado con los trabajadores! . No cambia carriles innecesariamente. . Evita de usaf los teléfonos celulares mientras maneja en zonas de trabajo. . Use las linternas para que los trabajadores y otros motoristas puedan verle. . Esté especialmente alerta en la noche mientras maneja en zonas de trabajo. . Espere retrasos, especialmente durante horas de Mucho tráfico. . Permita un espacio amplio entre usted y el vehículo del ante de usted. dnticipe la necesidad de hater cambios en los carriles i POR FAVOR SEA PACIENTE!