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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOUNCIL - AGENDA ITEM - 08/23/2016 - GRADE SEPARATED RAILROAD CROSSING PRIORITIZATIONDATE: STAFF: August 23, 2016 Rick Richter, Director of Infrastructure Services WORK SESSION ITEM City Council SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION Grade Separated Railroad Crossing Prioritization. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of this item is to inform Council of the preliminary results of a grade separated crossing prioritization study currently underway. Council previously expressed a desire for a more in-depth master plan vision and prioritization of long-term solutions at the August 12, 2015 Work Session. The Master Street Plan could ultimately be updated based on the priorities identified in the study. GENERAL DIRECTION SOUGHT AND SPECIFIC QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED City staff is presenting the rating criteria and preliminary findings of the study. City staff is seeking feedback on the criteria used and resulting prioritization. 1. Does Council support grade separated crossings? 2. Does Council have any concerns regarding the rating criteria and subsequent prioritization suggested in the study? 3. Are there areas of concern that staff has not addressed? BACKGROUND / DISCUSSION Three railroads operate in Fort Collins; Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway (BNSF), Union Pacific (UP), and Great Western Railway (GWR). The prioritization study examines and prioritizes 22 at-grade railroad crossings on arterial roadways within city limits for potential grade separation. Rating criteria includes: Operations  Decrease in Vehicle Delay – Total decrease in annual vehicle delay costs based on vehicle volume and train crossing duration data.  Multimodal Benefit – Increase in benefit to the bicycle/transit system based on existing bicycle facilities and bus routes. Safety  Predicted Accident Cost Reduction – Total predicted annual accident cost reduction based on non-train related crashes that would be eliminated with grade separation.  Emergency Vehicle Response Benefit – Increase to emergency response ability based on feedback from the Poudre Fire Authority. Practical  Adjacent Land Use Rating – Amount of impact to adjacent land uses and roadway network based on surrounding land use and zoning, access points, and potential right of way acquisition needed.  Constructability – Ability to construct grade separation based on proximity to overhead electric transmission lines, irrigation ditches, adjacent intersections or structures, and capital construction costs. August 23, 2016 Page 2 A variety of data was used to establish the criteria including average daily traffic volume, fire station and emergency response service areas, number of train crossings per day, train crossing duration, train speed, pedestrian and bicycle routes, proximity to nearest arterial intersection, traffic signal pre-emption, and crash data. A weight was applied to each criterion, based on the relative importance of that measure to the City of Fort Collins. The top 7 priorities based on the rating criteria above are as follows: 1. Lemay at Vine (BNSF/GWR) 2. Harmony west of Mason (BNSF) 3. Timberline at Vine (BNSF/GWR) 4. Vine east of Timberline (BNSF) 5. Prospect west of College (BNSF) 6. Drake at McClelland (BSNF) 7. Mulberry at Riverside (UP & GWR) Currently the master street plan (2011 Update) identifies 8 locations, of which three are in common with the recent study results. The master street plan identifies the following locations in no particular order:  Lemay at Vine (BNSF/GWR)  Timberline at Vine (BNSF/GWR)  Drake at McClelland (BNSF)  Mountain Vista west of I-25 (BNSF)  Trilby east of Shields (BNSF)  Troutman west of Mason (BNSF) Pedestrian crossing constructed in 2012  Trilby east of Lemay (UP) Existing Grade Separated Crossing  Carpenter west of Timberline (UP) State Hwy 392  Keenland West of Timberline (UP) Proposed Pedestrian Crossing The UP and BNSF crossings on North College/Hwy 287 and the UP crossing at Carpenter/Hwy 392 were not included in the study as those are located on state highways. The study also did not include the downtown crossings of the BNSF due to extensive constructability issues and land use impacts related to grade separated construction. Next Steps  The final draft of the Railroad Crossing Prioritization Study will be published in October 2016.  Based on the final study results, staff will bring proposed changes to Street Master Plan for Council consideration in the first quarter of 2017. ATTACHMENTS 1. Railroad Crossing Prioritization Map (PDF) 2. Technical memo, August 8, 2016 (PDF) 3. Powerpoint presentation (PDF) > > > > > > > > > G G G GG G G G GG G G G G G G G G GG G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G BNSF RAILROAD BNSF RAILROAD FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD BNSF RAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD MEMORANDUM Project: Railroad Crossing Prioritization Study To: City of Fort Collins From: Nancy Lambertson, PE, and Chris Chamberlin, EI, Muller Engineering Date: August 8, 2016 Subject: Preliminary Screening Summary Introduction The Railroad Crossing Priority Study is a project undertaken for the City of Fort Collins with the purpose of prioritizing existing at-grade railroad crossings that are candidates for reconstruction as grade separated crossings. The study considers a wide variety of data to develop recommendations, including traffic congestion and safety, constructability, emergency response, adjacent land use impacts, and multimodal factors. The project also incorporates input from the City of Fort Collins staff and Poudre Fire Authority into the evaluation. Study Area The project area included railroad crossings within city limits that were identified by the City of Fort Collins as candidates for potential grade separation projects. Figure 1 indicates the crossings that were evaluated. The downtown BNSF crossings were excluded from this study due to extensive constructability issues and land use impacts related to grade separated construction. The UPRR crossing of Carpenter Road (SH 392) and the two crossings of North College Avenue (US 287) were eliminated due to their locations on state highways. Project Approach The evaluation of the railroad crossings was conducted in two phases: Phase 1 Information Gathering and Data Compilation and Phase 2 Prioritization Criteria and Screening. The evaluation represents a “snapshot” of existing conditions as they relate to railroad crossings. The evaluation did not attempt to assess future conditions (e.g. land use and traffic growth). Phase 1. Information Gathering and Data Compilation The objective of this phase was to gather all relevant information and data at each at-grade crossing in order to gain a thorough understanding of existing conditions. This involved compiling data that had already been collected and was readily available from local agencies. Information on train volume, speed and duration was provided by the City of Fort Collins. Emergency vehicle response time data was collected by analyzing proximity of crossings to fire stations and hospitals. Adjacent land use, zoning, and right-of- way data was obtained from The City of Fort Collins and Larimer County Assessors GIS maps. Constructability data including potential utility conflicts, adjacent intersections and access points, was ATTACHMENT 2 Memorandum Railroad Crossing Prioritization Study August 8, 2016 Preliminary Screening Summary determined using aerial and street view imagery, as well as input from City Engineering staff. Multimodal data was collected from the Fort Collins Bicycle Master Street Plan (BMSP) and the City of Fort Collins Transit map. Finally, traffic data was provided by the city and compiled for each crossing. Figure 1: City of Fort Collins Grade Separated Crossing Candidates Page 2 Memorandum Railroad Crossing Prioritization Study August 8, 2016 Preliminary Screening Summary Phase 2. Prioritization Criteria and Screening The objective of this phase was to establish criteria for analyzing the existing conditions of at-grade crossings based on the data collected during Phase 1. The crossings were then evaluated based on how beneficial a separated grade crossing would be as compared to existing conditions. A general list of desired criteria items was provided by the City of Fort Collins as a starting point for this effort. The criteria fell into three broad categories: operations, safety, and practicality. Each crossing was then assigned a rating from 0-10 for each criterion with 10 indicating the project would be highly recommended for grade separation. x Operations o Decrease in Vehicle Delay – A quantitative measure calculated from vehicle volume and train crossing duration data. For some at-grade crossings, train crossing duration data was not available and was interpolated from adjacent crossings on the same railroad line. o Multimodal – A quasi-quantitative measure calculated from bicycle facilities, bus routes, and BMSP proposed grade separation for the crossing. x Safety o Predicted Accident Cost Reduction – A quantitative measure calculated from FRA accident prediction formulas. This measure was amended based on data provided by the City of Fort Collins on the benefit of a grade separation crossing to safety at adjacent intersections. o Emergency Vehicle Response Benefit – A qualitative measure originally evaluated based on proximity to fire stations and hospitals and predicted railroad crossing use by emergency vehicles. This measure was amended based on feedback from the Poudre Fire Authority. x Practical o Adjacent Land Use Rating – A qualitative measure determined based on surrounding land use and zoning, access points, and potential ROW acquisition required to construct the project. o Constructability – A qualitative measure determined based on proximity to overhead electric transmission lines/irrigation ditches, adjacent intersections or structures, modifying the road grade versus the railroad grade, and comparative capital construction costs. A weight was applied to each criterion, based on the relative importance of that measure to the City of Fort Collins. The weighting can be revised in the matrix as priorities with regard to at-grade crossings change. An evaluation matrix was created ranking the crossings by the aggregate score across all categories. After the initial matrix was created, a review with City staff was conducted. Feedback from this review was used to amend the matrix. The results can be seen in Table 1. Five crossings evaluated in this study had been previously identified in the Fort Collins Master Street Plan (MSP) as candidates for grade separation. These crossings were identified in the evaluation summary but received no extra weighting in the rankings. Page 3 Memorandum Railroad Crossing Prioritization Study August 8, 2016 Preliminary Screening Summary Table 1. Evaluation Summary Arterial Crossing Crossing Location DOT # 523434 Lemay Vine 244645J Yes 10 3 8 10 4 3 145 Harmony West of Mason 244620N No 7 10 8 10 5 2 142 Timberline Vine 244647X Yes 8 3 6 10 6 4 139 Vine East of Timberline 244648E No 2 7 3 10 7 10 133 Prospect West of College 244626E No 7 7 4 10 3 5 129 Drake McClelland 244624R Yes 6 7 6 10 3 3 122 Lemay Riverside 245306H No 5 7 8 10 4 2 122 Mulberry Riverside 244861C No 5 3 8 10 4 3 120 Harmony West of Timberline 804503R No 2 7 4 10 5 7 118 Horsetooth McClelland 244622C No 676742109 Horsetooth West of Timberline 804504X No 1 7 4 10 6 5 108 Trilby East of Shields 244618M Yes 3 0 4 3 8 10 103 Drake West of Timberline 804505E No 1 10 477398 Timberline South of Prospect 244867T No 1 0 4 10 5 5 92 Mountain Vista (Co Rd 50) West of I-25 089373X Yes 20437991 Willox East of Shields 804512P No 10377687 Prospect West of Timberline 804506L No 1 3 4 10 5 2 87 Prospect West of Timberline 244866L No 1 3 4 10 5 2 87 Lincoln Northeast of Jefferson 906295A No 3 3 3 7 3 3 80 Linden Jefferson 906296G No 13373370 Swallow McClelland 089367U No 23334362 Willow East of College 094505R No 20433459 Criteria Weighting of Criteria Total Benefit Rating for Grade Separation Railroad Crossing Decrease in Vehicle Delay Identified as Grade Separation in MSP Multimodal Benefit Predicted Accident Cost Reduction Emergency Vehicle Response Benefit Adjacent Land Use Rating Constructability OperationsPractical Safety Page 4 Memorandum Railroad Crossing Prioritization Study August 8, 2016 Preliminary Screening Summary The evaluation spreadsheet has been designed to help the decision-maker quickly and clearly see a comparison of the proposed projects by aggregating a large quantity of variables into a single summary table. It is a snapshot of the existing conditions, designed in a way to allow the City to reevaluate the at- grade crossings as new data becomes available. The evaluation summary is not the final solution to the prioritization process, but rather a method to arrive at a documented, understandable, and justifiable system of screening and short-listing grade separation projects. The list of crossings that are identified as good candidates for grade separation will be prepared for the City of Fort Collins to incorporate into future updates of the Transportation Master Plan. Page 5 1 Railroad Crossing Prioritization Study Rick Richter 8-23-16 ATTACHMENT 3 Railroad Crossing Prioritization 2 • Potential Grade Separation • 22 Arterial Roadway Crossings • Master Plan Vision • Preliminary Study Results Questions for Council 1. Does Council support grade separated crossings? 1. Does Council have any concerns regarding the rating criteria and subsequent prioritization suggested in the study? 2. Are there areas of concern that staff has not addressed? 3 Rating Criteria Operations • Decrease in Vehicle Delay Costs • Multimodal Benefit Safety • Predicted Accident Cost Reduction • Emergency Vehicle Response Benefit Practical • Adjacent Land Use Rating • Ease of Construction 4 > > > > > > > > > G G G GG G G G GG G G G G G G G G GG G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G BNSF RAILROAD BNSF RAILROAD FORT COLLINS MUNICIPAL RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD Rating Criteria Operations Decrease in Vehicle Delay Costs • Total decrease in annual vehicle delay costs • Based on vehicle volume and train crossing duration data Multimodal Benefit • Increase in benefit to bicycle and transit system • Based on existing bicycle facilities and bus routes 5 Rating Criteria Safety Predicted Accident Cost Reduction • Total predicted annual accident cost reduction • Based on non-train related crashes Emergency Vehicle Response Benefit • Increase to emergency response ability 6 Rating Criteria Practical • Adjacent Land Use Rating • Amount of impact to adjacent land uses and roadway network • Ease of Construction • Ability to construct grade separation • Based on adjacent utilities, ditches, intersections, structures and construction costs 7 Grade Separation Priorities Preliminary Study Results 1. Lemay at Vine 2. Harmony west of Mason 3. Timberline at Vine 4. Vine east of Timberline 5. Prospect west of College 6. Drake at McClelland 7. Mulberry at Riverside 2011 Master Street Plan • Lemay at Vine • Timberline at Vine • Drake at McClelland • Mountain Vista west of I-25 • Trilby east of Shields • Trilby east of Lemay • Carpenter west of Timberline (SH 392) 8 Questions for Council 1. Does Council support grade separated crossings? 1. Does Council have any concerns regarding the rating criteria and subsequent prioritization suggested in the study? 2. Are there areas of concern that staff has not addressed? 9 Thank You! 10 UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD BNSF RAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD S TIMBERLINE RD STRAUSS CABIN RD RIVERSIDE AVE STATE HIGHWAY 392 E COUNTY ROAD 50 E COUNTY ROAD 38 MOUNTAIN VISTA DR E COUNTY ROAD 32 E MULBERRY ST E COUNTY ROAD 36 ZIEGLER RD N SHIELDS ST N LEMAY AVE S COLLEGE AVE N US HIGHWAY 287 ZIEGLER RD N COUN TY ROAD 11 S COUNTY ROAD 9 N COUNTY ROAD 9 E HORSETOOTH RD S LEMAY AVE S LEMAY AVE S COUNTY ROAD 11 E MULBERRY ST TERRY LAKE RD E MULBERRY ST 9TH ST N COLLEGE AVE JEFFERSON ST E HARMONY RD E COUNTY ROAD 50 E COUNTY ROAD 32 N TAFT HILL RD S CO UNTY ROAD 7 KECHTER RD E COUNTY ROAD 36 RICHARDS LAKE RD N TIMBERLINE RD N LEMAY AVE E LINCOLN AVE W DRAKE RD W COUNTY ROAD 38E S TIMBERLINE RD COUNTY ROAD 54G S COUNTY ROAD 9 E COUNTY ROAD 48 GREGORY RD E HARMONY RD LAPORTE AVE W TRILBY RD CARPENTER RD E PROSPECT RD E COUNTY ROAD 52 W HORSETOOTH RD S LEMAY AVE W WILLOX LN W VINE DR S SHIELDS ST W PROSPECT RD E DRAKE RD S TAFT HILL RD E TRILBY RD W MULBERRY ST COUNTRY CLUB RD E WILLOX LN S COUNTY ROAD 19 S SUMMIT VIEW DR W HARMONY RD E VINE DR INTERSTATE 25 INTERSTATE 25 Railroad Crossing Prioritization Study Crossing Locations on Arterial Roadways Printed: August 05, 2016 G G > BNSF RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 Miles © MAJOR ARTERIAL CROSSING ARTERIAL CROSSING PROPOSED GRADE SEPARATION 2011 MASTER STREET PLAN UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD GREAT WESTERNRAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD S TIMBERLINE RD STRAUSS CABIN RD RIVERSIDE AVE STATE HIGHWAY 392 E COUNTY ROAD 50 E COUNTY ROAD 38 MOUNTAIN VISTA DR E COUNTY ROAD 32 E MULBERRY ST E COUNTY ROAD 36 ZIEGLER RD N SHIELDS ST N LEMAYAVE S COLLEGE AVE N US HIGHWAY 287 ZIEGLER RD N COUNTY ROAD 11 S COUNTY ROAD 9 N COUNTY ROAD 9 E HORSETOOTH RD S LEMAYAVE S LEMAYAVE S COUNTY ROAD 11 E MULBERRY ST TERRY LAKE RD E MULBERRY ST 9TH ST N COLLEGE AVE JEFFERSON ST E HARMONY RD E COUNTY ROAD 50 E COUNTY ROAD 32 N TAFT HILL RD S COUNTY ROAD 7 KECHTER RD E COUNTY ROAD 36 RICHARDS LAKE RD N TIMBERLINE RD N LEMAYAVE E LINCOLN AVE W DRAKE RD W COUNTY ROAD 38E S TIMBERLINE RD COUNTY ROAD 54G S COUNTY ROAD 9 E COUNTY ROAD 48 GREGORY RD E HARMONY RD LAPORTE AVE W TRILBY RD CARPENTER RD E PROSPECT RD E COUNTY ROAD 52 W HORSETOOTH RD S LEMAYAVE W WILLOX LN W VINE DR S SHIELDS ST W PROSPECTRD E DRAKE RD S TAFT HILL RD E TRILBY RD W MULBERRY ST COUNTRY CLUB RD EWILLOX LN S COUNTY ROAD 19 S SUMMIT VIEW DR W HARMONY RD E VINE DR INTERSTATE25 INTERSTATE 25 Railroad Crossing Prioritization Study Crossing Locations on Arterial Roadways Printed: August 05, 2016 G G > BNSF RAILROAD GREAT WESTERN RAILROAD UNION PACIFIC RAILROAD 0 0.4 0.8 1.2 1.6 Miles © MAJOR ARTERIAL CROSSING ARTERIAL CROSSING PROPOSED GRADE SEPARATION 2011 MASTER STREET PLAN ATTACHMENT 1