AgdaPkt 2010-01-25 clsd and regular

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6.2A Page 36 Impact TRN-4: Project construction traffic at the Ravenswood Valve Lot would increase delays for vehicles on University Avenue in the City of East Palo Alto. Activities associated with the proposed Bay Tunnel would include the construction of tunnel shafts at the Newark and Ravenswood Valve Lots, removal of excavated materials from the Newark and Ravenswood shafts, and deliveries of materials to both locations. Construction staging and materials removal would occur at the tunnel entry and exit shafts, and excavated materials would be disposed of on site or off site or stored on site and later disposed of off site. However, since the tunnel would be excavated from the Ravenswood Valve Lot, the majority of spoils would be exported from this location. Access to the Ravenswood Valve Lot would be from an unsignalized intersection of University Avenue and the existing Ravenswood site access road. Construction traffic accessing the site via southbound University Avenue would need to wait for a sufficient gap in northbound traffic before turning left into the site. Because the larger construction trucks have slower acceleration rates and travel speeds, their drivers would have to wait for longer gaps in northbound traffic to complete the left turn into the site. Construction vehicles entering the site from southbound University A venue would likely queue on University Avenue at the approach to the Ravenswood access road. Queuing of trucks entering the Ravenswood site from one of the two southbound travel lanes of University Avenue would at times partially block southbound through-traffic and could therefore result in tenlporary yet significant impacts on traffic flow. . Mitigation Measure TRN-4: Geometric Specifications for Temporary Intersections Impact TRN S: Pipeline construction would increase potential traffic safety hazards for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians on public roadways. Construction activities could temporarily interfere with the normal function of roadways and thus the potential exists for an increase in potentially significant traffic safety hazards during Project construction. This increase in traffic safety hazards would result from the increased potential for conflicts between construction vehicles (with their slower speeds and wider turning radii than autos) and vehicles, bicyclists, or pedestrians using the roadways; conflicts between the movement of traffic and construction activities, particularly where traffic is routed into the travel lane adjacent to the work zone; confusion of drivers during one lane, two way traffic operation; confusion of bicyclists and pedestrians resulting from temporary alterations in bicycle and pedestrian circulation and on-street parking restrictions; and distraction of drivers related to construction activities and nighttime lighting (at tunnel portals or shaft locations). SFPUC intends to cooperate with Caltrans and each municipality that the pipeline would cross to develop a Memorandum of Understanding that would include details related to construction of the pipeline, including construction activities that would affect roadways, sidewalks, and walkways. The various Memoranda of Understanding would likely include nleasures that the construction contractor would be required to implement to provide continuity of circulation for vehicular ;r::~'ih~~~~~o~~~~iC~ci~~lli~~i:;~fr!ti~'~ril[fuJ~C:6~ij~~riitiySriigr~ker.. potential traffic safety hazards for vehicles, bicyclists, and pedestrians on public roadways, and this impact would be significant. . Mitigation Measure TRN 1a: Traffic Control Plan Measures Impact TRN 6: Pipeline construction could impair emergency access from adjacent roadways to some local residences along tile proposed Project alignment. . Trenching and paving activities within or across public roadways could result in a temporary reduction in travel lanes or road closures and could temporarily block access to driveways and 26