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7.B. - Page 56 Redwood City Chapter 4.Environmental Impact Analysis Table 4.3-1. Historical Weekday PM Peak HourTraffic Volumes—Middlefield Road Weekday PM Peak Hour Segment Volume by Year (vehicles/hour of both directions) Location 2006 2008 2010 2012 Middlefield Road,east of 2,060 2,250 2,185 2,350 Woodside Middlefield Road,west of 2,020 2,190 2,015 2,245 Willow Middlefield Road,east of 1,955 2,125 1,515 1,635 Willow Source: Kittelson&Associates,Inc. 2012a. In comparing recent volumes (2010,2012) to those collected before the new Costco warehouse and fueling center were constructed (2006,2008),there have been relatively minimal changes in traffic volumes along the corridor.Comparing the most recent counts taken before the old Costco warehouse closed(2008)to those taken in May 2012 shows a 3-4 percent increase in traffic along Middlefield Road between Woodside Road and Willow Street.Traffic volumes on arterials fluctuate on a daily basis,in many cases up to 10 percent,and there has also been other general growth in the area.As such,the previously approved Costco expansion is not the only contributor to traffic growth in the area,but is one of many contributors. Intersection Level of Service Methods described in the Highway Capacity Manual (Transportation Research Board 2000) were used to calculate the intersection level of service (LOS). LOS is a scale used to determine the operating quality of a roadway segment or intersection based on volume-to-capacity(V/C) ratio or average delay experienced by vehicles on the facility.The levels range from A to F,with LOS A representing free traffic flow and LOS F representing severe traffic congestion. LOS for signalized intersections is determined by the average amount of delay experienced by vehicles at the intersection.Table 4.3-2 summarizes the anticipated existing LOS at the study intersections based on the weekday PM peak hour counts and weekend midday peak hour counts conducted in May 2012.All study intersections operate better than the acceptable intersection LOS as defined by the City and the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County(C/CAG). Detailed traffic count data,intersection turning movement volumes,and LOS analysis worksheets are included in Appendix B (Middlefield Road Traffic Volumes&Intersection Level of Service prepared by Kittelson &Associates, Inc.). Although the Middlefield Road/Woodside Road intersection operates at an acceptable LOS during the weekday PM peak hour as defined by the C/CAG,queuing at the intersection along both roadways during the peak periods can impact operations of adjacent intersections and site access points. Based on these observations and input from the public,the City of Redwood City and Costco are currently beginning dialogue with Caltrans to investigate potential signal timing changes or other enhancements to address the existing peak hour congestion at the Middlefield Road/Woodside Road intersection (Kittelson&Associates, Inc.2012a). Addendum No.2 to the Environmental Impact Report for 4-11 September 2012 the Redwood City Costco Wholesale Project ICF 00154.12