City of Palo Alto
(ID # 4644)
City Council Staff Report
Report Type: Informational Report
Meeting Date: 4/7/2014
Summary Title: County Expressway Study Update
Title: Informational Report - County of Santa Clara Expressway Study Update
and Page Mill Rd & I-280 Traffic Signal Improvements
From: City Manager
Lead Department: Planning and Community Environment
Recommendation
This is an Informational Report regarding the County of Santa Clara Expressway Plan 2040
Program, including an update on Caltrans’ traffic signal installation project at Page Mill Road &
I-280. No action is recommended.
Background
The County of Santa Clara conducts a study of the County Expressway System approximately
every five years to help identify projects that will improve the capacity and/or operations of the
system. The expressway study is prepared in parallel with the Valley Transportation Authority’s
(VTA’s) Valley Transportation Plan (VTP) Update, which is used to identify needed
transportation projects around the County by program type including: Highways, Expressways,
Local Streets & County Roads, Roadway Maintenance, Transit, Transportation Systems and
Operations and Management, Bicycle, and the Community Design and Transportation Program.
An update of the VTP 2035 to create the VTP 2040 is currently underway and projects identified
as part of the County of Santa Clara Expressway Plan 2040 study will feed into the VTP 2040.
The County of Santa Clara Expressway Plan process has involved two advisory groups: 1) the
Policy Advisory Board (PAB) comprised of local elected officials from every city in the County,
two County Supervisors, and two members of the VTA Board of Directors; and 2) the Technical
Working Group (TWG) comprised of local Public Works Directors or Transportation Officials
from every city. Councilmember Greg Scharff was appointed to represent Palo Alto on the PAB,
although the meeting schedule conflicts with City Council meetings, and Chief Transportation
Official Jaime Rodriguez represents Palo Alto on the TWG. Both the PAB and TWG have each
met twice since the Expressway Plan update was initiated in August 2013. Focused Workshops
City of Palo Alto
Page 1
of both the PAB and TWG have met separately to discuss individual expressway conditions and
needs.
Within the City of Palo Alto, three expressways terminate or pass through the city including:

Oregon Expressway-Page Mill Road - traversing the City east-west between Highway 101
and Intersection 280.

Foothill Expressway - traversing the city north-south between the Los Altos border and
Junipero Serra Boulevard.

Central Expressway - terminating in Palo Alto at the southern border with the City of
Mountain View. Central Expressway becomes Alma Street at San Antonio Avenue.
The County of Santa Clara is also currently developing a new County General Plan Circulation
and Mobility Element. The Expressway System and major improvements for the system will be
included in the Circulation and Mobility Element and analyzed as part of a Program
Environmental Impact Report (PEIR) for the General Plan Element. The County plans on
releasing a Notice of Preparation (NOP) in May 2014. In advance of the NOP, the County has
conducted preliminary analysis of each of the expressway facilities to help identify potential
major capacity or operational improvements that may be necessary to maintain an acceptable
Level of Service (LOS) along each expressway. The remainder of this report highlights existing
condition findings and projects for each of three expressway facilities adjacent to or within the
City of Palo Alto and discusses potential projects discussed through the PAB and TWG for
inclusion with the NOP. Inclusion of projects within the NOP does not guarantee improvement
of those projects but allows for their continued study through the Expressway Plan 2040 update
to help communities discuss and determine whether the projects are preferred for inclusion in
the final report. The City will have an opportunity to comment on the scope of the projects and
the associated environmental review process once the County issues its NOP in May.
Oregon Expressway-Page Mill Road
2013 Existing Conditions

The County estimates that Oregon Expressway-Page Mill Road facility accommodates
approximately 134,000 daily vehicle trips making it the 6th busiest expressway facility in
the County of Santa Clara.

The Page Mill Road & Foothill Expressway-Junipero Serra Boulevard intersection
City of Palo Alto
Page 2
currently operates at LOS F during both the AM and PM peak periods with an average
intersection delay of 118.9 seconds.

Page Mill Road between I-280 and Foothill Expressway currently operates at LOS E
during the AM peak period and LOS F during the PM peak period.

Page Mill Road between Foothill Expressway-Junipero Serra Boulevard and El Camino
Real currently operates at LOS E during both the AM and PM peak periods.
2025 Future Projections

The County anticipates the Page Mill Road & Foothill Expressway-Junipero Serra
Boulevard intersection to continue to operate at LOS F in 2025. The intersection of
Foothill Expressway & Hanover Street is projected to operate at LOS F in 2025.

The County projects the existing AM peak period LOS E conditions on Page Mill Road
between I-280 and Foothill Expressway to worsen to LOS F by 2025.

The County also projects that the existing LOS E conditions on Page Mill Road between
Foothill Expressway-Junipero Serra Boulevard will extend onto Oregon Expressway to
Highway 101 by 2025.
The following projects are being considered by the County of Santa Clara as part of the
development of the Expressway Plan 2040 project:

Include the Page Mill Road & I-280 Interchange in the study area for documentation of
existing conditions and LOS analysis.

I-280 Interchange – Modify interchange to improve vehicle operations and safety for
bicyclists and pedestrians.

Foothill Expressway between I-280 and El Camino Real – Consider widening from 4-lanes
to 6-lanes. City of Palo Alto has available funds in the Stanford Research Park Traffic
Impact Fee (TIF) Program to assist in identifying the feasibility of this project.

Grade Separate Page Mill Road & Foothill Expressway-Junipero Serra Boulevard
intersection - this project may include an alternative concept to just widen the Page Mill
Road approaches of the intersection to improve capacity.

Page Mill Rd & Hanover Street – Convert to 8-phase traffic signal operation to address
2025 LOS F conditions.

Alma Street Bridges – Reconstruct and modify the Alma Street bridges to improve
vehicle operations and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.

US 101/Embarcadero Road/Oregon Expressway Interchange – Modify interchange to
reduce queue spillbacks onto expressway (freeway project)
City of Palo Alto
Page 3
Foothill Expressway
2013 Existing Conditions

The County estimates the Foothill Expressway facility through Palo Alto currently
operates at LOS C or better with the exception of the Page Mill Road intersection.

In Los Altos the section of Foothill Expressway north of El Monte, including the El Monte
intersection, operate at LOS F, this impacts the commute into Palo Alto.
2025 Future Projections

The County estimates that the intersection of Foothill Expressway & Arastradero Road
will operate at LOS F in 2025.
The following projects are being considered by the County of Santa Clara as part of the
development of the Expressway Plan 2040 project:

Identify in planning documents the existing 2013 LOS E conditions at the Foothill
Expressway & Arastradero Road intersection.

Grade Separate the Foothill Expressway & Arastradero Road intersection with Foothill
Expressway going underneath Arastradero Road. Grade separation will allow
Arastradero Road to remain at its current grade and may allow for the removal of traffic
signals at the Foothill Expressway and Miranda Avenue intersections and replacement
with roundabout facilities. The existing multi-use path along the north side of
Arastradero Road (West of Foothill Expressway) can be extended to Miranda Avenue
improving bicycle and pedestrian connections to Gunn High School.
Central Expressway
2013 Existing Conditions

The County of Santa Clara does not include any LOS information regarding Alma Street
within their report.

The County estimates that Central Expressway immediately south of Palo Alto operates
at LOS D through the City of Mountain View.
City of Palo Alto
Page 4
2025 Future Projections

The County estimates that Central Expressway operations will degrade in the 2025 to
LOS E south of Rengstorff Avenue and that the Rengstorff Avenue intersection will
operate at LOS F.
There are no capacity operational improvements proposed by the County of Santa Clara
adjacent to the City of Palo Alto border. Staff has requested that the County consider the San
Antonio Avenue intersection where Central Expressway currently ends so that bicycle and
pedestrian improvements to the San Antonio Caltrain Station can be considered.
A copy of existing and 2025 LOS Findings for the Expressway Study 2040 are provided in
Attachments A and B respectively.
Foothill Expressway & I-280 Traffic Signal Improvements
In 2011, the City of Palo Alto requested that Caltrans conduct a traffic signal warrant study as
part of a request by then Mayor Sid Espinosa. Caltrans conducted a warrant study and found
that the intersection of Page Mill Road & I-280 SB met the installation criteria for traffic signal.
Caltrans funded the project at $400,000 through their Highway Safety Program. Parallel to the
Caltrans traffic signal warrant study, the City of Palo Alto funded a Concept Study for
Interchange Improvements at Page Mill Road & I-280 in partnership with the County of Santa
Clara. The Concept Study identified the need for a larger, focused study, which is now
proposed as part of the Expressway 2040 Plan project.
Caltrans participated in the Concept Study and agreed to include the Page Mill Road & I-280 NB
intersection as part of their improvement project and increased their funding for the project to
$2.2M to include additional sidewalk and bicycle improvements between Page Mill Rd & Old
Page Mill Road to the I-280 SB intersection.
More recently, the Town of Los Altos Hills has expressed concerns regarding impacts to the
rural environment of the Page Mill Road & I-280 intersections and has submitted a petition to
Caltrans, asking them to defer the project. Caltrans is planning to respond to the Town of Los
Altos Hills petition but is continuing design work in conjunction with their community
engagement process. A copy of the Draft Caltrans Traffic Signal Project Concept Plan is
provided in Attachment C. Staff is hoping to schedule a study session to discuss this project
with the Council in more detail next month.
City of Palo Alto
Page 5
Timeline
The County of Santa Clara plans to release an NOP for the County General Plan Circulation and
Mobility Element PEIR, which includes the future plans for the Expressway System by May
2014. The County has requested that the City submit any additional major capacity/operation
improvement projects by April 11th so that they may be included in the NOP. (The projects
discussed within this report are already included in the Draft NOP.)
City staff has requested that the County of Santa Clara and Caltrans attend a City Council study
session to provide the City and the community with additional information, but this study
session cannot be scheduled before April 11, and will instead occur after the NOP is issued.
Environmental Review
The County will prepare a Program Level EIR for their Expressway Study 2040 Plan, which will
help identify projects for inclusion in the County General Plan and in the VTP 2040 Update
being conducted in parallel with the County Expressway Plan study.
Courtesy Copies
Dawn Cameron – County of Santa Clara
Dan Collen – County of Santa Clara
Fariba Zohoury - Caltrans
Attachments:

Attachment A: County 2013 Map
(PDF)

Attachment B: County 2025 Map
(PDF)

Attachment C: Caltrans I-280 Page Mill TS Project Concept (PDF)
City of Palo Alto
Page 6
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MARCH 17, 2014 10:15am
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f c:; I N
I NrW~~
0
3
'
I
UNIT 0696
I
0
0
,_ I
·~ 0
NO SCALE
US<:RNA~ => e113129
0
a
n JJ_ n nn"Jn7~D