REPORT TO COUNCIL
SUBJECT
Title
Action on Approval of the West Portal Early Works Construction Transportation Management Plan for the Valley Transportation Authority’s BART Phase II Extension Project
Report
COUNCIL PILLAR
Promote and Enhance Economic, Housing and Transportation Development
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The VTA is moving forward with early construction activities on their Newhall Maintenance Yard property as a part of their project delivery for the BART Phase II Extension Project (Project). This property (located within the City of Santa Clara and City of San Jose) is the future launch site for the Project’s tunnel boring machine (TBM) and staging area during major construction and tunneling operations for the entire Project. VTA has prepared a Construction Transportation Management Plan to address potential temporary effects to multimodal transportation circulation, access, and emergency vehicle access needs during this early phase work. Due to the VTA’s request to have nighttime operations and utilize Brokaw Road (near Costco) for truck hauling access this item is being brought forward to Council for discussion and consideration.
BACKGROUND
This project is the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's (VTA) BART Phase II Extension Project (Project) which is a four station, six-mile long extension of the BART system. The Project begins at the Berryessa/North San Jose BART Station and extends into San Jose with three stations in San Jose (28th Street/Little Portugal, Downtown San Jose, and Diridon Stations), a final station in Santa Clara (i.e. Santa Clara BART Station), and a train maintenance and storage facility also known as the Newhall Maintenance Yard, see Attachment 1 for Project location maps.
The City Council held previous study sessions related to the Project on April 23, 2019, January 5, 2022, May 10, 2022, and March 21, 2023. Additionally, the City has entered into a Master Agreement and two Cooperative Agreements with the VTA and adopted the findings of the Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Report (FSEIR) completed by the VTA for the Project.
Upcoming Project Construction Activity Near Santa Clara: As highlighted during the March 21, 2023 Council study session, the VTA is moving forward with design and construction efforts in multiple packages. In May 2022, VTA awarded the Project’s Tunnel and Trackwork contract (Contract Package 2 or CP2) to the joint venture of Kiewit Shea Traylor (KST). The initial phase of work for KST is to prepare the West Portal site, located at VTA’s Newhall Yard property, as this will be the launch site for the Project’s tunnel boring machine (TBM) and staging area during major construction and tunneling operations.
At the West Portal site, KST will be moving forward with early construction site preparation activities including site grading, temporary utility installation, construction of access roads, temporary field offices, tunneling shaft, an excavated materials bin, a tunnel lining factory, a precast concrete plant, a grout plant, and a tunnel lining segment storage area, and assembly of the TBM (Attachment 2, West Portal Early Works Site Maps). The anticipated sequencing for construction activities at the West Portal site includes multiple stages of work lasting from Summer 2023 through early 2025.
As required by the VTA, KST prepared a West Portal Early Works Construction Transportation Management Plan (CTMP) focused on analyzing and coordinating multimodal transportation circulation, access, and emergency vehicle access needs within and around construction areas. The CTMP also identifies and reduces to the extent possible construction-related transportation impacts. It is important to note that the majority of construction activities on the West Portal site are within the City of San Jose’s jurisdiction and the San Jose City Council approved the CTMP on May 23, 2023.
Future CTMPs: It is important to note that this CTMP is for West Portal Early Works construction only. Future CTMPs will be prepared and reviewed by the City of Santa Clara and City of San Jose for tunneling muck removal and off-haul as well as other Project specific contract packages that affect San Jose and Santa Clara.
DISCUSSION
Due to the VTA’s request to have nighttime operations and utilize Brokaw Road (near Costco) for truck hauling access, this item is being brought forward to Council for discussion and consideration. Below is key information related to the CTMP.
The West Portal Early Works CTMP identifies and reduces to the extent possible construction related impacts. Notable components of this CTMP are as follows:
• Construction sequencing and staging
• Working hours and days of operation
• Noise and Nighttime Work
• Employee parking
• Detour routes, construction access, and truck volume/distribution
• Transportation operational Level of Service analysis
• Coordination with PayPal Park events and operations
• Coordination with on-going nearby development projects construction (i.e. Gateway Crossings) and existing businesses (i.e. Costco).
Construction Sequencing and Staging: The CTMP provides information related to how the VTA and KST plan to sequence and stage construction activities on the West Portal site. Table 1 (below) provides a breakdown of the four construction stages and the period of construction for each stage. The estimated full duration of early works is 19 months.
Table 1, Construction Sequencing and Staging
|
Stage |
Construction Activity |
Estimated Duration |
|
1 |
Site Grading |
Summer 2023 for 5 Months |
|
2 |
Site Development |
Summer 2023 for 9 Months |
|
3 |
Precast Plant and TBM Segment Storage Area |
Summer 2023 for 13 Months |
|
4 |
TBM Shaft and Muck Bin Excavation |
Beginning Fall 2023 for 17 Months |
Working Hours and Days of Operation: VTA and KST have indicated that due to the level of effort needed to complete Early Works construction, the overall Project schedule, and the need to have continuous operations at the West Portal site, construction activities will require a mix of single-shift, double-shift, and Saturday work. Table 2 below provides a high-level summary of proposed working hours and days for this Early Works construction.
Table 2, Working Hours and Days
|
Shift |
Hours |
Days |
Estimated Duration |
|
Single Shift (12 hours) |
6am to 6pm |
M-F |
Mid-2023 through late 2023 |
|
Double Shift (22 hours) |
6am to 4am |
M-F, Sat |
Late 2023 through early 2025 |
Specific construction activities, such as concrete pours require a 22-hour double-shift truck hauling schedule to deliver and install continuous concrete and are anticipated to start in late 2023 for 15 months. Attachment 3, Proposed Working Hours and Haul Hours, provides a more detailed summary of the planned working hours, hauling hours, and days of operation.
The CTMP also indicates that there will be no hauling on major holidays (day before Thanksgiving, Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day) as no construction work is anticipated on those days, unless emergency work is required on-site. City staff has also discussed with the VTA the need to monitor traffic along Brokaw Road and Coleman Road during the holiday season and adjust as necessary.
Noise and Nighttime Work:
The City’s Noise Ordinance requires that any construction within 300 feet of any residentially zoned property occur between 7am and 6pm on weekdays (Monday through Friday), and within the hours of 9am and 6pm on Saturdays. No construction is permitted within of 300 feet of residentially zoned properties on Sundays and holidays. The City’s Cooperative Agreement with the VTA regarding the Project states that the City may authorize night hours of construction adjacent to residential uses.
Immediately adjacent to the West Portal site is the Gateway Crossings development. This development is being completed in multiple phases with Phase I currently under construction. Although the development site is within 300-feet, Phase 1 of the development is located greater than 300-feet away from the West Portal site. Consequently, there will not be any Early Works construction on the West Portal site within 300-feet of occupied residential units although it is expected that nighttime work will result in hauling on Brokaw Road.
KST is completing a pre-construction noise assessment to establish ambient noise conditions surrounding the site. A Noise and Vibration Control Plan is currently being prepared, separate from this CTMP, to specify noise reduction and mitigation measures to ensure that surrounding land uses will not be impacted by construction noise.
Employee Parking: Approximately 300 employee parking stalls will be provided at the southwest end of the project site and are projected to be sufficient during Early Works construction.
Detour Routes: Roadway detour routes are not anticipated for any early construction activities at the West Portal site. No sidewalk, shoulder, or lane closures are anticipated other than potential temporary lane closures for the installation of utilities.
Construction Access: Construction trucks accessing the West Portal site will originate from and depart to Interstate 880 and use project haul routes along Coleman Avenue, Newhall Drive (San Jose), and Brokaw Road (Santa Clara) to access the site. Attachment 4 provides a map of the proposed truck haul routes.
Truck Volume and Distribution: The CTMP estimates a high of 140 average daily trucks for four months of the 19-month duration. Peak truck volumes (typically five days a month) are estimated at a high of 340 trucks per day for ten months of the 19-month duration. Attachment 5, Truck Volumes by Month, provides a more detailed summary of truck volume for the early works to occur on the site. Construction access to the site is from Newhall Drive in San Jose and Brokaw Road in Santa Clara. Based on staff concerns related to current congestion issues on Brokaw Road due to Costco, the CTMP limits weekday (Monday through Friday) truck volumes on Brokaw Road to 25 percent of total truck volume. The remaining 75 percent of trucks will access the site from Newhall Road in San Jose. On Saturdays, during non-PayPal Park event days, truck volume on Brokaw Road will reduce to 10 percent, with the remaining 90 percent of truck volume using Newhall Drive.
Transportation Operational Level of Service Analysis: The CTMP includes a transportation operational Level of Service (LOS) analysis of nearby intersections to determine the effects that truck hauling is projected to have on the transportation network. The LOS analyses analyzed nearby intersections in Santa Clara including the intersections of Coleman Avenue and Brokaw Road and Brokaw Road and Costco Driveway (new signalized intersection at the Brokaw Road access to Costco). The LOS analysis indicates that the addition of average and peak project trucks to these two intersections will affect signal operations at these intersections. Staff is coordinating with the VTA on potential signal timing adjustments to address this as much as possible.
Coordination with PayPal Park Events and Operations: VTA and KST have ongoing coordination meetings with the City of San Jose, City of Santa Clara, and PayPal Park management and traffic staff to coordinate construction activities during PayPal Park events. An Event Management Plan is being prepared to determine and minimize potential impacts from trucking activities during PayPal event ingress and egress.
Coordination with On-Going Nearby Development Projects: The CTMP includes information about concurrent construction activities and work on nearby development projects. Additionally, VTA has had communication with surrounding property owners, businesses (example Costco), and developers related to Early Works construction.
Additional Follow Up Efforts: VTA and KST will continue to monitor traffic and develop/refine the following plans.
• Trucker Management Plan: In coordination with the City of San Jose and City of Santa Clara, the VTA will prepare a Trucker Management Plan to manage the truck drivers using the approved haul routes and maintain the agreed-upon distribution of truck traffic between Newhall Drive and Brokaw Road.
• Traffic Contingency Plan: In coordination with the City of San Jose and City of Santa Clara, the VTA shall prepare a Traffic Contingency Plan to outline lines of communication, processes, and route options to address hauling activities if Newhall/Coleman or Brokaw/Coleman intersections are blocked due to unforeseen events or congestion.
Business Resource Program (BRP): It is worth noting that for the entire BART Phase II Extension Project, VTA is developing a BRP to minimize disruption to small businesses near above-ground construction areas. The BRP will include elements such as 1) Signage and Wayfinding, 2) Shop Local Marketing, 3) Small Business Resource Connections and Support, and 4) Direct Financial Assistance.
The VTA is seeking the City’s approval of the West Portal Early Works CTMP (Attachment 6) to support an anticipated construction start in Summer 2023.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
On April 5, 2018, the VTA, as lead agency under the California Environmental Quality Act of 1970, certified the Project’s FSEIR and adopted findings as required by CEQA. On July 13, 2021, the City adopted Resolution No. 21-8990 which adopted the Findings of the FSEIR completed by VTA for the BART Silicon Valley Phase II Extension Project. The City’s review and approval of the West Portal Early Works CTMP is within the scope of the FSEIR.
FISCAL IMPACT
The City and VTA have entered into a Master Agreement and two Cooperative Agreements related to VTA’s reimbursement of City’s staff time spent on the Project.
COORDINATION
The Project regularly conducts public outreach and engagement activities to ensure that local stakeholders and community members are kept up to date on the Project. This is done through various tabling events, meetings with local stakeholders, quarterly BART Phase II Community Working Group meetings, and the distribution of electronic communications (e.g., email blasts, electronic newsletters, social media, and blog posts) for Project milestones. On March 15 and 16, 2023, VTA hosted in-person and virtual public meetings for the community to learn about the early construction activities, ask questions, and provide feedback. In addition, VTA has engaged with stakeholders whose local street network would be most affected by Project haul routes, including Costco, Hunter Partners, and the San José Earthquakes/PayPal Park.
PUBLIC CONTACT
Public contact was made by posting the Council agenda on the City’s official-notice bulletin board outside City Hall Council Chambers. A complete agenda packet is available on the City’s website and in the City Clerk’s Office at least 72 hours prior to a Regular Meeting and 24 hours prior to a Special Meeting. A hard copy of any agenda report may be requested by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at (408) 615-2220, email clerk@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:clerk@santaclaraca.gov> or at the public information desk at any City of Santa Clara public library.
ALTERNATIVES
1. Approve the West Portal Early Works Construction Transportation Management Plan for the VTA’s BART Phase II Extension Project
2. Provide other direction to staff and the VTA on the West Portal Early Works Construction Transportation Management Plan for the VTA’s BART Phase II Extension Project
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Alternative 1: Approve the West Portal Early Works Construction Transportation Management Plan for the VTA’s BART Phase II Extension Project
Staff
Reviewed by: Craig Mobeck, Director of Public Works
Approved by: Jōvan D. Grogan, City Manager
ATTACHMENTS
1. Project Location Maps
2. West Portal Early Works Site Maps
3. Proposed Working Hours and Haul Hours
4. Truck Haul Routes Map
5. Truck Volumes by Month
6. VTA’s BART Phase II Extension, West Portal Early Works CTMP