REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
CONTINUED FROM AUGUST 30, 2022
Selection of the Sunnyvale Avenue Underpass Tunnel Option to be Defined as the Proposed Project for the Grade Separation of Crossing of the Caltrain Railroad Tracks for the Environmental Review
Report
SUMMARY OF COMMISSION ACTION
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission considered this item at their regular meeting on July 21, 2022.
The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission voted to recommend to City Council the Sunnyvale Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Only Tunnel Underpass option with the friendly amendment that if the City Council selects the Sunnyvale Avenue Underpass Tunnel option, then a physical barrier between vehicle lanes and bicycle lanes should be included in the tunnel. The vote was 5-0, with Commissioner Beagle recused and Commissioner Bonne absent.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City's official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall, at the Sunnyvale Public Library, Senior Center, Community Center and in the Department of Public Safety Lobby. In addition, the agenda and report are available at the Sunnyvale Public Library, Office of the City Clerk and on the City's website.
Additional public outreach performed is listed in Reports to Commission No. 22-0628 and No. 22-0791 and Report to Council No. 22-0041.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Selection of the Sunnyvale Avenue Underpass Tunnel option to be defined as the Proposed Project for the grade separation of the Sunnyvale Avenue crossing of the Caltrain railroad tracks for the Environmental Review.
2. Selection of the Sunnyvale Avenue Bicycle and Pedestrian Only Underpass Tunnel option to be defined as the Proposed Project for the grade separation of the Sunnyvale Avenue crossing of the Caltrain railroad tracks for the Environmental Review.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Selection of the Sunnyvale Avenue Underpass Tunnel option to be defined as the Proposed Project for the grade separation of the Sunnyvale Avenue crossing of the Caltrain railroad tracks for the Environmental Review.
Staff recommends that the City Council select Alternative 1: the Sunnyvale Avenue Underpass Tunnel option to be defined as the Proposed Project for the grade separation of crossings of the Caltrain railroad tracks for the environmental review. There are pros and cons for this alternative as described in the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission (BPAC) report (RTC No. 22-0628) attachment 15, which is included within Attachment 1 to this report. Based on the review by staff the pros outweigh the cons for this recommendation. The physical separation between the bicycle facility and the vehicular lanes as recommended by the BPAC will be considered as part of the final design process as allowed by the right-of-way width.
At the Sunnyvale Avenue crossing, the Underpass Tunnel option has the following benefits:
• Improves safety by removing the railroad conflict with local traffic modes;
• Decreases noise from rail gates, bells and sounding of train horns;
• Reduces or maintains the overall average vehicular delays on the study intersections compared to both the “no build” and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Only options;
• Greatly improves vehicular travel times for Sunnyvale Avenue compared to both the “no build” and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Only options;
• Improves vehicular travel times for Mathilda Avenue compared to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Only option and maintains the vehicular travel times compared to the “no build” option;
• Greatly improves or maintains vehicular travel times for Fair Oaks Avenue compared to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Only option and generally maintains vehicular travel times compared to the “no build” option;
• Provides separate bicycle and pedestrian facility to cross the Caltrain railroad tracks with direct connections to Evelyn and Hendy avenues;
• Facilitates VTA bus service for students attending Fremont High School and to historically underserved areas with less rerouting compared to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Only option;
• Requires less severe rerouting and less travel time impacts to maintain Downtown access and Caltrain Station connectivity;
• Integrates and connects east side of Sunnyvale Avenue to historic Downtown area; and
• Could potentially increase parking in historic Downtown area parking lot, depending upon final design.
Selecting a project to be the Proposed Project for the environmental review under CEQA will move the project forward as it will allow the environmental review to be completed.
Staff
Prepared by: Angela Obeso, Principal Transportation Engineer
Reviewed by: Dennis Ng, Traffic and Transportation Manager
Reviewed by: Chip Taylor, Director of Public Works
Reviewed by: Teri Silva, Assistant City Manager
Approved by: Kent Steffens, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Link to August 30, 2022, Report to Council 22-0041