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Washington Division |
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Washington Divison |
Eastside Freeways Safety Improvements
HOV Lane Hours of Operation
Project Documentation
In accordance with Federal-Aid Highway Program Guidance on
High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) Lanes
I-90 MP 8.20 to MP 15.82
I-405 MP 0.00 to MP 30.32
SR 167 MP 15.84 to MP 25.80
SR 520 MP 6.69 to MP 11.91
March 25, 2003
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PROJECT PURPOSE
EASTSIDE HOV SYSTEM
ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
TRANSIT ISSUES
EXISTING GEOMETRIC DEFICIENCIES
EXISTING SAFETY AND OPERATIONS
FUTURE SAFETY AND OPERATIONS
CONCLUSIONS
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 PROPOSED CHANGE IN HOV HOURS OF OPERATION
1.2 SOURCE OF FUNDING FOR AFFECTED HIGHWAYS
1.3 ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS
1.3.1 Environmental Commitments
1.3.2 Environmental Documentation Required
1.3.3 Off-peak Analysis
1.4 PUBLIC COMMENTS
1.4.1 Correspondence and Public Meetings
1.4.2 Public Surveys
1.5 DISCUSSION WITH AFFECTED AGENCIES
2.0 HOV SYSTEM HISTORY
2.1 CONSTRUCTED HOV PROJECTS
2.1.1 Project-level Commitments
2.2 PROGRAMMED HOV PROJECTS
2.2.1 Project-level Commitments 13
3.0 Safety And Operation Of The Existing HOV System
3.1 SAFETY ANALYSIS
3.1.1 Collision History
3.1.2 Shoulder Widths
3.1.3 Clear Zone
3.1.4 Stopping Sight Distance
3.2 OPERATIONAL ANALYSIS
3.2.1 Lane Usage
3.2.2 Eastside Transit Services
3.2.3 Travel Time/Trip Reliability
3.3 TRANSPORTATION DEMAND MANAGEMENT (TDM) PROGRAMS
3.3.1 Commute Trip Reduction
3.3.2 Park and Ride Lots 264.0 ANALYSIS OF PROPOSED CHANGE
4.1 PREDICTED LANE USAGE
4.1.1 Methodology
4.1.2 Forecasted Traffic Volumes
4.2 PREDICTED OPERATION
4.2.1 HOV Direct Access Ramps
4.3 PREDICTED SAFETY 32
4.3.1 Run-off-the-Road Collisions
4.3.2 HOV Direct Access Ramps
4.4 REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN
back to top5.0 IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
5.1 ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTATION
5.2 ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS
5.2.1 Scope of Work
5.2.2 Costs
5.2.3 Schedule
5.3 ENFORCEMENT PLAN
5.3.1 Washington State Patrol
5.3.2 HERO Program
5.4 EVALUATION PLAN
List of Tables and FiguresTable 1.1 Federal Dollars By Fund Source
Table 1.2 Federal Funds Expended by WSDOT (I-405)
Figure 3.1 Total Accidents -I-405, SR 520 To I-5 15
Table 3.1 Weekday Revenue Service and Ridership at
Selected Screen lines, Spring 2002
Figure 3.2 Eastside HOV System Screenlines 22
Figure 4.1 Forecasted Traffic Volumes I-405 Direct Access Ramps @ NE 6th and NE 128th 31
Table 4.1 I-405 Direct Access Ramps
Table 4.2 Predicted Reduction in Left-side and Median Accidents 33
Figure 4.2 I-405 Merging Accidents by Time of Day 34
Project Purpose
At the request of the Legislature, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) conducted an extensive evaluation of the Central Puget Sound freeway HOV system in 2002. The purpose was to determine the feasibility of opening the HOV lanes to all freeway users, excluding larger trucks, during non-commute hours. The study was intended to identify whether there would be any adverse impacts to operations, safety and environment by taking such action. Based on the evaluation, the I-5 corridor was eliminated from further consideration because of safety and operations concerns. It was determined that it would be feasible to modify the vehicle occupancy requirements during evening hours for the HOV freeway system east of Lake Washington.In January 2003, the Washington State Transportation Commission directed the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to take action to open Eastside freeway HOV lanes to all users nightly between the hours of 7 p.m.and 5 a.m. The changes are intended to assist in preserving the future operation of the freeway HOV lanes, by operating them as HOV-only when there is a demand and clear travel time benefit, but allowing general purpose vehicles in the lanes during the remaining hours. The targeted freeways for this operation include the entire length of I-405, the HOV lanes on SR-167, the SR-520 HOV lanes east of I-405 and the I-90 HOV lanes east of the Center Roadway connections on Mercer Island. This is proposed as a two-year pilot project to test these changes.
Prior to changing the HOV lane hours of operation, WSDOT will install additional roadway safety and signing improvements. The safety improvements are necessary to offset the potential for a slight increase in off-road collisions resultant from predicted increases in HOV lane volumes during the nighttime hours.
WSDOT in consultation with FHWA has determined that this project will be documented based on a modified matrix for DM 340, Minor Operation Enhancement Projects. Design justification for stopping sight distance, shoulder widths and clear zone are required. The State Traffic Engineer is the design approval authority.
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) concurs with the implementation of this two-year pilot project.
Eastside HOV System
WSDOT opened the first HOV segment on the Eastside in 1986. Since that time, almost 100 miles of freeway HOV lanes have been constructed on the Eastside. More recently, WSDOT has begun reconstruction of I-405 interchanges through downtown Bellevue to accommodate construction of the Eastside first HOV direct access interchange. Several more will be constructed within the next few years.WSDOT conducted a thorough search of past project documentation to identify design deviations and commitments associated with the existing Eastside HOV system. Additionally, WSDOT evaluated design files for planned freeway direct access interchanges to determine the proposed project's effect on freeway operation at those locations. No commitments or design deviations were identified that would restrict WSDOT from modifying the HOV hours of operation of the Eastside HOV system.
Environmental Effects
WSDOT has determined that the environmental impacts are minor or non-existent resulting from allowing all users access to the Eastside HOV freeway lanes during the hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. WSDOT has also determined that a NEPA Documented Categorical Exclusion (DCE) will sufficiently analyze the effects of the proposed operational change. The Design Documentation File in Appendix 1 (available upon request) includes an Environmental Classification Summary (ECS) and associated documentation, which constitutes the DCE.The regional air quality model cannot be used to directly analyze the effect of a nighttime change in operation within the freeway HOV lanes. An analysis performed by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) for the same operational change, but during mid-day hours, concluded that there would be only minor increases in emissions. Even with that slight increase, the total would fall well within the air quality emissions budget. The assumption is that a night-time operational change for the freeway HOV lanes would result in even less of an increase in emissions because of lower traffic volumes than are present during mid-day.
Transit Issues
Transit service within the Eastside freeway HOV lanes is concentrated in the peak periods and oriented toward the peak direction of travel. During these periods ridership is high. After 7 p.m., both the number of transit vehicles and riders is significantly reduced. The adopted plans of the transit operating agencies within the region indicate minimal increases in service levels. With additional funding, they may expand service, but most likely not until 2006 or beyond. For the next few years, there is not expected to be an impact to transit speed and reliability with a change in the hours of operation of the freeway HOV lanes. Should transit service be increased during the pilot project, the project evaluation will include an assessment of the effect on this added service.The change in HOV hours of operation is not expected to significantly affect special event service within the region. This service is primarily targeted toward trips from Park and Ride facilities to sports venues in Seattle. Of these events, typically only Mariners games occur during evening hours with a start time of 7 p.m. The Eastside freeway HOV lanes would be open to all users later in the evening following conclusion of a game, but during those hours there is considerable excess capacity on all of the freeways.
Sound Transit has received funds from the Federal Transit Authority (FTA) to construct freeway HOV direct access ramps. A condition of using the funds is that the facilities will be operated as intended (HOV or Transit-only) for their useful life. The proposed change in HOV hours of operation does not change the function of these exclusive-use interchanges. In addition, WSDOT is proposing to continue with the plan of operating these interchanges 24-hours per day based on analysis that indicates no adverse operational impact is expected.
Existing Geometric Deficiencies
Existing shoulder width, stopping sight distance and clear zone data has been compiled for each of the affected roadways. The majority of the system has shoulder widths of a least 8 feet, but some segments, particularly I-405 between Renton and Bellevue have shoulder widths as narrow as 2 feet. The project will install either ground-in shoulder rumble strips or raised profile edge line throughout the project limits for the I-90, I-405 and SR-167 freeways. These improvements will not be implemented along the project's limits of SR-520. The HOV lanes are on the right-hand side, with standard shoulder widths and recently upgraded clear zone. It is expected that this HOV project will increase overall safety with these improvements.Stopping sight distance was assessed based on existing sight distance criteria and a 70 mph design speed. I-405 has a number of deficiencies, particularly between Renton and Bellevue. This project will not correct any existing stopping sight deficiencies. The change in HOV lane hours of operation is not expected to increase potential for collisions of the type related to stopping sight distance. During the nighttime hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., most of the freeway facilities are essentially free-flow.
Only the I-90 facility was determined to have fixed objects within the roadside clear zone adjacent to the HOV lanes. The project will either remove these objects or install guardrail.
Existing Safety and Operations
A focus of the design review was to determine the extent of which run-off-the-road collisions occur along the existing facilities. Typically these types of accidents are severe because of the speed of impact and the objects hit. The most recent three-year period was analyzed to determine the number of left-side and median collisions that occurred. For SR-520, right-side collisions were analyzed (HOV lanes on the outside), but only for 2001 because of ongoing construction work previous. Approximately one-third of these type accidents occurred between the hours of 7 p.m. and 5 p.m. The review did not identify any particular spot locations where a significant number of collisions were occurring during the nighttime hours.Recent traffic volume and travel time data indicates that the Eastside HOV system is well used during peak periods and that there is speed and reliability benefit to those users. Between the hours of 8 p.m. and 5 a.m., there is currently no travel time benefit for those traveling in the HOV lanes. The entire freeway system is typically free-flow during this time period. Similarly, HOV lane volumes are significantly reduced during these same hours. Between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. the Eastside HOV system on average can carry 700 or more vehicles without affecting speed. Many segments of the system have excess capacity greater than this that could be utilized without affecting HOV lane travel speeds. The predicted shift from the adjacent general-purpose lanes during this time period is expected to improve travel speeds within those lanes, yet not adversely impact HOV lane travel speeds.
Future Safety and Operations
A 2007 horizon year was used for analyzing the effects of the proposed change. The chosen time period was established through consultation with FHWA and the PSRC HOV Advisory Committee. Traffic volumes were derived from existing data and the PSRC 2010 regional model. The Washington State Transportation Research Center (TRAC) assisted with developing a methodology for predicting the hourly shift of general-purpose traffic into the HOV lanes. The shifted traffic during the evening hours is not expected to adversely affect the operation of the HOV lanes and may provide some congestion relief through a few operational bottlenecks during the 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. time period.FHWA's ROADSIDE predictive model was utilized to assess what the potential increase in run-off-the-road collisions would be resultant from this project. The model results predict that there would be an increase because the hourly traffic volumes are expected to be higher with the general-purpose traffic allowance in the lane during the evening hours. The conclusion is that there may be a slight increase in this type of collision, on the order of approximately 10 percent. Safety improvements that will be implemented by this project are expected to offset this potential increase. The project evaluation will include analysis of the change in accident occurrence during the two-year period. The difference between before and after data will be tested for statistical significance. Site-specific occurrences will be evaluated as well. Changes in accident occurrence together with an evaluation of the effect on traffic operations will be important measures of effectiveness of the project.
I-405 HOV direct access interchanges in Bellevue and Kirkland are expected to open toward the end of this two-year pilot project. Ramp connections were analyzed to assess what the effect may be of opening up the mainline HOV lanes to general-purpose traffic during the 7 p.m. - 8 p.m. time period. In all cases, the ramp connections are not expected to incur an adverse operational impact with opening of the mainline HOV lanes to all users for the 7 p.m. - 5 a.m. time period. The most significant change between "no-build" or 24-hour HOV lane operation and the "build" shifted traffic scenario was for the northbound on and off connections at NE 6th in Bellevue and the northbound on connection at NE 128th in Kirkland, all predicted to decrease from LOS A to LOS C.
Conclusions
WSDOT has determined that it is feasible to conduct a two-year pilot study to determine the effects of opening the Eastside freeway HOV lanes to general-purpose traffic use during evening hours. The Transportation Commission and the Puget Sound Regional Council support implementation of this pilot project.A thorough analysis of safety, operations and environment was conducted to assess whether this action would cause a significant adverse impact. The conclusion was that environmental effects are minimal to non-existent and that safety and operations impacts are minimal. Safety improvements will be implemented along the shoulders of the affected highways as part of this project. The improvements are expected to provide overall benefit, even with the proposed changed condition.
WSDOT will be working with Washington State Patrol (WSP), TRAC, PSRC, regional transit agencies and other partners to educate, enforce and evaluate the operational changes during the two-year pilot timeframe. The evaluation will assist WSDOT in determining whether the change in HOV hours of operation are maintained, modified or reverted back to 24-hour HOV. Permanent conversion will require FHWA approval.
1.1 Proposed Change in HOV Hours of Operation
Freeway high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes in the Central Puget Sound region are currently reserved for carpools, vanpools, motorcycles and buses 24 hours per day, seven days per week. In 2002, WSDOT was asked by members of the legislature to determine what hours of the day are feasible to open the HOV lanes up to all users. In response, WSDOT conducted an extensive evaluation of the implications of opening Puget Sound freeway HOV lanes to all traffic at night, midday, and/or during weekends. The evaluation included research and analysis of:
Safety and freeway operations
Environmental impact
Public attitudes
Enforcement issues
Agency support
Impact on transit, carpools, and vanpools
Impact on emergency services
Legal and regulatory obligations and impactsTraffic data confirms that HOV lanes move more people than adjacent lanes during peak commute hours and mid-day, but are not fully utilized during other time periods. Opening HOV lanes to all traffic at night and introducing midday access by toll-paying drivers (via HOT or high-occupancy toll lanes) could help maximize use of congested highways and preserve public support for HOV lanes.
Following through on the results of the evaluation, WSDOT has proposed a two-year pilot program to test changes to Eastside HOV lanes. The changes are intended to help preserve the future use and operation of HOV lanes. On January 16, 2003 the Washington State Transportation Commission approved opening some Eastside HOV lanes to all traffic at night and exploration of midday high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes on Eastside HOV lanes.
The west project limits on I-90 have been modified slightly since the Commission's January resolution to establish logical termini at the eastern end of the Center Roadway on Mercer Island. Typically the Center Roadway is operated westbound only during the morning commute hours. The remainder of the time, it is the freeway access point on Mercer Island is closed and the approaching sign series supports that. The operation within the Center Roadway is not modified under this proposal. Moving the project termini to this point minimizes motorist confusion and enhances Washington State Patrol's ability to enforce the segment between I-405 and the Center Roadway connections.
Specifically, the segments of Eastside HOV lanes that are proposed to be open nightly to all users are:
I-405 MP 0.00 to MP 30.32
I-90 MP 8.20 to MP 15.82
SR-520 MP 6.69 to MP 11.91
SR-167 MP 15.84 to MP 25.80
The proposal is to modify the hours of operation of only the mainline, freeway HOV lanes. It does not include modifying the designation of 24-hour freeway-to-freeway HOV connections, ramp HOV bypass lanes or planned Transit-only/Transit-HOV direct access interchange ramps. Additionally, trucks over 10,000 lbs. GVW will continue to be restricted from using the HOV lanes, including during the hours between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.This document serves as project documentation and the formal proposal to open the Eastside HOV lanes nightly to all users between the hours of 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. It provides background on the existing HOV system, including safety and operations. It also documents analysis conducted to assess the effect on safety and operation with potential increased traffic volumes in the HOV lanes during the specified hours. Documentation on the proposed implementation project and companion evaluation plan is also included. HOT lanes operation is not part of this proposal. WSDOT is evaluating its feasibility within a separate study.
1.2 Source of Funding for Affected Highways
Several categories of Federal-aid funding have been used to acquire right-of-way, design or construct HOV lanes. Table 1.1 lists the expenditures that WSDOT has documented in the Construction Program Management System (CPMS), which was initiated in July 1987. Additional significant expenditures were incurred prior to this date, including over $20 million for HOV lane construction on I-405, from Bellevue south. Federal funds expended for I-405 HOV lane construction are listed by type in Table 1.2.
To date, approximately 200 lane-miles out of a planned 300 lane-mile Puget Sound Core Freeway HOV system have been constructed. The majority of these lanes were constructed using at least some Federal funding. Federal funding for I-405, SR-167, and the portions of I-90 and SR-520 proposed for operational changes totals over $400 million.
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1.3 Environmental Effects
WSDOT reviewed the environmental implications of opening freeway high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes during off peak hours. The conclusion is that environmental impacts are minor or non-existent, for opening freeway HOV lanes to general-purpose traffic nightly between the hours of 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.
No adverse impacts to wildlife habitat, or threatened and endangered species are anticipated. Therefore, no environmental mitigation requirements would be expected.
The potential for air quality impacts are not anticipated at this time. Previous documentation by the PSRC had indicated that air quality could be of concern with the HOV hour change options, but current modeling and analysis indicate that no change would occur during the night time hours.
The review explored:
Commitments contained in environmental review documents completed at the time of HOV lane construction. These commitments could have implications that impact any change decision.
Types of environmental analysis that would be suggested as part of a change decision.
A preliminary assessment of potential environmental impacts of opening HOV lanes during off peak hours.
1.3.1 Environmental CommitmentsA review of environmental documents for WSDOT freeway HOV projects found no commitments that would preclude the conversion of freeway HOV lanes to part time operation. However, the I-90 operating agreement would require concurrence from the signatory agencies if the I-90 center roadway operation were proposed for changes. This section of the HOV lane system is not being considered for a change in hours of operation at this time.
No single database listing environmental commitments exists for WSDOT freeway HOV lane projects. Therefore, information regarding the original HOV projects was collected from various resources including the WSDOT Northwest Region documentation program library and interviews with former HOV design staff and engineering managers. The majority of these HOV projects were built with the assistance of federal funding. However, it was also determined that Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Washington Division does not have a database or source that maintains a record of environmental commitments for federal-aid projects.A list of original HOV lane projects noting the FHWA Federal-aid and project agreement numbers has been reviewed. Based on this review, the following specific commitments were identified that may be pertinent to the decision to change HOV hours of operation. However, none of these commitments would preclude a change to part time operations.
Interstate 90
1. Memorandum Agreement, December 1976 (cities of Seattle, Mercer Island, and Bellevue; King County; Metro; and the Washington State Transportation Commission):
These parties signed an agreement related to construction on I-90 between I-5 and I-405 (Seattle to Bellevue). Part of this agreement included the following HOV-lane-related provisions:
i. Metered and controlled local access to I-90 east of Bellevue during peak hours
ii. Transit/carpool lanes and/or Surveillance Control and Driver Information Systems (SC&DI) on I-5 from I-405 at Tukwila to the King county Snohomish county line
iii. King County Metro park-and-ride lots and flyer stops in the approved 1980 plan
iv. Provision for a bus way or exclusive transit/carpool lane(s) and/or SC&DI as part of SR 520 from I-5 to I-405
v. The redesigned SR 520 and I-5 interchange, and Mercer Street egress from I-5 for improved transit flow and congestion relief between I-5, Mercer Street and Roanoke Street
vi. Provision for a bus way or exclusive transit/carpool lane(s) and/or traffic control measures as part of I-405 from Bothell to Renton
vii. Provision of exclusive transit lane(s) on I-405 through Bellevue, which also included a freeway flyer stop, and a park-and-ride facility on I-405 between Main Street and NE 8th Street in the Bellevue central business district.
Interstate 405 (I-405)
1. Memorandum Agreement, December 1976 (cities of Seattle, Mercer Island, and Bellevue; King County; Metro; and the Washington State Transportation commission):
Also see listing under I-90, item 1 above.
2. The following list of documents acknowledges the construction of transit/carpool lanes on I-405 as one of the committed transportation control measures in the Washington State Department of Energy State Implementation Plan whence commitments were made to bring the Seattle/King County area into air quality compliance.
i. South Renton Interchange to Sunset Boulevard Final Environmental Impact Statement
Total length of I-405.
ii. Tukwila to Sunset Blvd. Transit/Carpool Improvements Environmental Assessment
I-405 from Tukwila to Sunset Boulevard.
iii. SR 900 to I-90 (North Renton Interchange to Factoria Interchange) HOV Improvements Environmental Assessment
I-405 from Renton to Factoria.
iv. Northup to Bothell:
Interstate classification of this segment requires full standard design of the facility when funding becomes available.
Sound Transit Direct Access Projects
As a condition of receiving FTA funding for direct access projects, Sound Transit has entered into undertakings of "continuing control"; that is, the facilities funded will be operated for the purposes for which the grants were given over the useful life of the facilities. Any changes in the operations of the HOV lane system must not violate the assurance that the direct access ramps will be operated in accordance with the continuing control requirement.
1.3.2 Environmental Documentation RequiredDocumented Categorical Exclusion (DCE) will sufficiently analyze an operational change of the existing HOV lane system to general-purpose. The hours of operation change under consideration would be considered NEPA Class II actions because the proposed action will not individually or cumulatively have a significant environmental effect. Of the twenty-one areas of environmental impact under NEPA, the action proposed will not likely result in substantial impact to environmental resources. A NEPA DCE is appropriate to analyze potential effect on federally listed threatened and endangered species required by Section 7 Endangered Species Act, and to analyze and document air quality conformity.
1.3.3.1 Air Quality
The HOV system program and one interchange on I-405 were included as Transportation Control Measures in the 1982 State Implementation Plan (SIP) for Air Quality. Since that time, the Puget Sound region has come into compliance with federal air quality standards and is designated as a maintenance area. A preliminary air quality analysis by the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) for the daytime option (the only time period which is able to be modeled) indicated that there would be only minor increases in emissions, but well within the air quality emissions budget - indicating no air quality conformity issue with this option. We anticipate that air quality will remain within future emissions budgets that will be developed as new modeling assumptions are developed.PSRC's regional model is not able to forecast traffic or emissions during night or weekend off-peak periods. However, it can be assumed that any emissions changes for the night time hours would be less than midday, when traffic and congestion is higher. Since the midday analysis does not indicate an air quality conformity problem, it is logical to conclude that the night and weekend change options will have less of an impact, and therefore no air quality conformity impacts.
The opening of HOV lanes to general-purpose traffic during off-peak periods would not trigger the need for a local "hot spot" conformity analysis under current federal regulations since no areas of frequent human use will be affected. In other words, there are no sidewalks or pedestrian areas within the freeway HOV areas under consideration. EPA, DOE and Puget Sound Clean Air concur that no SIP amendment is required to allow general-purpose traffic to travel in the Eastside freeway HOV lanes during night (off-peak) hours.
1.3.3.2 Biological Evaluation
The biological evaluation process for Section 7 ESA compliance would provide the analysis to conclude any potential for adverse impact to wildlife habitat, and threatened and endangered species. Though there is typically more wildlife activity at night, no adverse impact is anticipated by increased operation of the core system HOV lanes during nighttime, off-peak hours.
1.4.1 Correspondence and Public Meetings
Between 1996 and mid-2002, more than 1400 email messages, 163 letters to the governor and 14 letters to the Secretary of Transportation were received that contained at least one topic on HOV lanes.
The most frequently and regularly mentioned subjects contained in the correspondence were:
Enforcement and the HERO enforcement program (11 percent)
General Inquiries and Clarifications (10 percent)
Vehicle capacity (7 percent)
Lane placement (7 percent)
Hours of operation and general purpose traffic usage (6 percent)
Comments weighed heavily against changing the hours of operation and HOT lanes. The main objection stated is the cost of the change with the perception of no measurable congestion benefit. It is clear that public opinion is split on the issue of opening HOV lanes during off peak hours.
During the specific public comment period on the Commission proposal for nighttime opening, WSDOT received almost 1000 responses, with a majority favoring making no changes to HOV lanes. Unfortunately, during this public outreach period, several e-mails were sent to large groups, containing misinformation about the project: costs - that they were much higher than actual - and comments that WSDOT and the Commission were lowering their priority for HOV lanes. A number of the negative responses referred to this misinformation as the reason for their position. The Commission weighed these comments, other communications from the public received before and during the evaluation, previous surveys, and input received at two public meetings held in November 2002.
Keep the HOV restriction "as is" 656
Eliminate HOV lanes altogether 35
High occupancy toll (HOT) lanes 158
Other proposed operational hours 123
Supporting proposal "as written" 109
Other (questions/comments on other topics) 551.4.1.1 Comments in favor of a change
The comments that favor a change in the HOV restriction vary widely. A majority of the comments that support a change to HOV hours of operation recommend opening the lanes during the mid-day and weekends, not just at night. Many understand HOV lanes create an incentive to carpool, vanpool, or ride the bus, but ask why the incentive must go beyond traditional peak hours. Many of the comments in favor of a change say that adding mid-day is necessary to have any meaningful impact on congestion.1.4.1.2 Comments against a change
The comments from those opposed to changing the HOV restriction most often object to spending funds with no perceived impact on congestion. There is a frequently mentioned perception that HOV lane enforcement is inadequate and that violation of HOV laws would worsen with variable hours of operation or HOT lanes. Some mention that there's no need to add capacity when freeway lanes are free flowing and that there's a need for HOV lanes anytime traffic is congested. A number of people mentioned that more congestion with longer peak periods would result if the HOV lane incentive was eliminated. The people that do not favor a change cite examples of using the lanes on weekdays for work as well as using them to attend special events on weekends. Correspondents often mentioned other ways to spend money, including highway expansion projects and efforts to promote carpooling, vanpooling, and buses.1.4.1.3 HOT Lanes
158 comments have been received on the topic of exploring HOT lanes. A majority of the HOT lane comments were sent as part of an opinion about the HOV hours of operation proposal. One hundred and five comments were opposed to exploring the concept. Fifty-three people stated that they support HOT or managed lane systems.1.4.1.4 Public open houses - January 8 and 9, 2003
Two open houses were hosted by WSDOT in Bellevue and Kent. The locations of the open houses targeted residents that would most likely be affected by the change. Guests at the meeting also included representatives from the Puget Sound Regional Council, Transportation Choices Coalition, Kemper Development, and other local interest groups. Transportation Commissioners Davis and Niva facilitated both meetings with at least 30 individuals at each meeting coming to the microphone to voice their opinion. Comments at these meetings fell on all sides of the issues.
In the past few years both the Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC) and the Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) conducted research on the public's attitudes towards the region's HOV system. The final reports can be found at the following:
TRAC, a University of Washington transportation research organization supported by WSDOT, surveyed randomly selected drivers via U.S. Mail from July of 1993 to June of 1999. Out of more than 42,000 surveys sent out over a six-year period, nearly 9,700 surveys were returned. The surveys gathered information about commute habits and routes, public opinions about HOV lanes and demographic characteristics. Because only drivers were surveyed, this research did not take into account the opinions of a significant group: transit, carpool and vanpool riders.
The final report can be found at:
http://depts.washington.edu/trac/bulkdisk/pdf/506.2.pdf http://depts.washington.edu/trac/bulkdisk/pdf/506.1.pdf
In Fall 2002, TRAC conducted a follow-up study of public opinions about the regional HOV system. In addition to drivers, the survey was handed out to transit users at various park and ride facilities. The results of this survey are included in Appendix 1 (available upon request). Two questions that were repeated from the 1995-1999 surveys related to opening up the HOV lanes all or for some portion of each day.
These survey questions read:HOV lanes should be opened to all traffic
HOV lanes should be opened to all traffic during non-commute hoursThe results were very similar to those from 1998, for both SOV and HOV users. Generally a large majority of HOV users disagree with opening the lanes up to all traffic all of the time, and SOV users disagree by approximately 60%. But for the question of whether to open the lanes to all users during non-commute hours, approximately 40% of the HOV users and over 60% of the SOV users surveyed support this.
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) conducts personal surveys about transportation, land use and technology topics. Because of the large pool of individuals surveyed, both of these research efforts present a high degree of validity. The transportation questions in these surveys inquired about day-to-day transportation habits. Two types of surveys were conducted: panel surveys and household surveys.
For panel surveys a randomly selected group Puget Sound area households were selected to serve as research subjects repeatedly over subsequent years. This method is adept at tracking attitudinal changes over time.
The household surveys are more traditional telephone surveys. They track attitudes of the general population using randomly selected households and a large sample of more than 6,000 residents.
The final report can be found at:
http://www.psrc.org/datapubs/data/hhsurv99.htm
1.5 Discussion with Affected AgenciesMany affected agencies and interested groups were kept informed during the course of this project. Information was presented to the Puget Sound Regional Council HOV Policy Advisory Committee (PSRC HOV PAC) at key intervals throughout the study. WSDOT staff provided formal updates to the PAC on five occasions between March and October of 2002.
The Washington State Transportation Commission, although ultimately presented with WSDOT's recommendation from the study, were also kept informed throughout. The House Transportation Committee (HTC) and the Senate Transportation Committee (STC) were given a formal presentation on the proposal in November 2002.
Other groups that were reported to throughout the study are as follows:
Eastside Transportation Partnership (ETP)
Seattle/Shoreline (SeaShore) - also includes representatives from Shoreline, Lake Forest Park, Bothell, Kenmore and other jurisdictions
South County (King) Area Transportation Board (SCAT Board)
Snohomish (County) Citizens for Improved Transportation (SCIT)
To date, WSDOT has received several letters from local & regional agencies, and transportation groups in response to the proposal.
The first freeway HOV facility in the Puget Sound Region opened in 1970. Since that time WSDOT has constructed 200 miles of one of the largest, best managed and best integrated HOV systems in the country.
The Washington State Transportation Commission adopted a comprehensive HOV System Policy in 1992. A copy of the current policy is attached in the Appendix. While details of the policy have changed over time, the overall system objectives have not. The Commission's HOV System Objectives are to:
"Support mobility choices consistent with the mission of the Washington State Transportation Commission, Department of Transportation and the goals of state growth management, commute trip reduction and air quality programs. Critical to the success of the HOV system is public support. These objectives and all decisions regarding the system must reinforce public acceptability of and support for HOV facility development."
The objectives of the HOV systems are to accomplish the following:
Improve mobility by increasing people moving efficiency and capacity of freeways
Provide reliable travel time savings for people who choose HOV modes of travel
Improve efficiency and safety of both transit and highways"
The first HOV segment on the Eastside freeway system opened in 1986. From 1986 to 2003 WSDOT has constructed almost 100 miles of freeway HOV lanes on the Eastside of Lake Washington. The Eastside HOV system has continually evolved, as traffic patterns and transit operations have changed, and WSDOT's experience with a maturing system has continued. The Transportation Commission recognized this in the development of the policy and provided benchmarks to measure the success of the system and to guide operational decisions.Some notable changes have been:
1992 - The HOV definition in the entire Puget Sound Region on all but very limited sections was changed from a 3+ occupancy requirement to a 2+ occupancy requirement.
1994 - The I-90 Section east of I-405 was successfully changed from general purpose to HOV 2+, one of the only HOV sections in the country that has been successfully converted to an HOV lane from a general purpose lane.
1995 - The HOV system to the south of I-90 on SR 405 was changed from the right to the left lane to improve performance and safety. After the change, speeds increased and crash experience declined.
1998 - The HOV system to the north of I-90 on SR 405 was changed from the right side to the left side to improve performance and safety and to match freeway direct access interchanges in the corridor that directly connect the arterial system with the left side HOV system.
2003 - Construction begins on I-405 interchanges through downtown Bellevue to accommodate the corridor's first direct access interchange at NE 6th.Each of these changes have been in consultation with and approved by the Puget Sound Regional Council of Governments and the Federal Highway Administration.
The Eastside HOV System was constructed incrementally through more than a dozen projects over the past 25 years. As part of WSDOT's effort to provide as many of the project level commitments and agreements that are available, staff performed a rigorous search of its records. FHWA Division Staff also assisted by providing the documentation that they had on file. A summary of this effort is recorded below. Excerpts from specific documents are provided in the appendix.
The following highlights elements within recent projects that constructed or modified portions of the Eastside HOV System. Specific information pertaining to shoulder widths, clear zone and stopping sight distance is included in Section 3.1, Safety Analysis. This project is using a modification of the design matrix for Minor Operational Enhancement Program, DM Chapter 340. Design documentation of shoulder widths, clear zone and stopping sight distance are required. A copy of the design matrix is included with VE Study recommendation in Appendix 2 (available upon request).
2.1.1 Project-level CommitmentsThe following Eastside HOV projects were constructed during the past few years. Design documentation for each catalogs a number of nonstandard shoulder segments and stopping sight distance within vertical and horizontal curves. The documentation review did not reveal any project commitments that preclude a change in the HOV lanes hours of operation. The following lists the project documentation that was reviewed. Excerpts of each are included in Appendix 1 (available upon request).
I-405
SR 900 to Factoria (MP 4.58-MP 10.60)
Coal Creek to Northup (MP 10.25 to MP 12.80)
Northup to Bothell (MP 16.06 to MP 23.78)
Bothell to Swamp Creek (MP 23.78 to MP 30.32)I-90
Richards Road vic. To Issaquah Creek Br.SR-520
104th Ave. NE to West Lake Sammamish ParkwaySR-167
SR 167 15th ST. SW to S. Grady Way (MP 13.85 to MP 27.80)
Sound Transit's Regional Express Bus program has programmed projects to construct four HOV Direct Access freeway interchanges within this project's limits. These include the following:
I-405 @ N. 8th (Renton)
I-405 @ NE 6th (Bellevue)
I-405 @ NE 128th (Kirkland)
I-90 @ 142nd Ave. SE - Eastgate (Bellevue)Only the NE 6th interchange in Bellevue is expected to be in operation within the two-year period of this HOV pilot project, most likely Fall 2005. The NE 128th interchange will not be operational until early 2006. The remaining two will follow no earlier than 2006, depending on funding and design decisions.
WSDOT and FHWA jointly developed an HOV Direct Access Design Guide (M 22-98) for designers to use in developing these facilities. Left-side connections to the freeway are considered deviations, even with this supplemental guidance. In addition, several other design deviations have been approved for these direct access interchange projects.
2.2.1 Project-level CommitmentsA summary of approved design deviations for the Sound Transit Projects (as of December 2002) follows. Copies of each are included in Appendix 1 (available upon request).
I-405 @ N 8th (North Renton Access)
This project is funded for environmental and design work, and partially funded for construction. No formal deviation documentation has been completed. Potential deviations may include shoulder width and vertical profile.I-405 @ NE 6th Street (Bellevue Access)
The NE 6th interchange will be opened as a HOV-only facility with full access to I-405. Construction begins in 2003. The following summarizes approved deviations for the project that are relative to mainline operation, including ramp merge and diverge influence areas.Deviation No. 1: This deviation is for non-standard gap acceptance length, acceleration length and observation/enforcement area.
Deviation No. 5: This deviation is for non-standard inside shoulder width on mainline. It provides for a 4-foot wide shoulder, with wider sections where possible. This is the existing condition. The project does widen travel lanes from existing 11-foot widths to 12-foot widths, and improves merge/diverge tapers of existing ramps.
Deviation No. 8: This deviation is for non-standard shy distance on the SB HOV ramps. It provides for a 2-foot inside shoulder on the ramps (no shy) and standard right shoulder and lane widths.
Deviation No. 9: This deviation is for non-standard shy distance on the NB HOV ramps. It provides for a 2-foot inside shoulder on the ramps (no shy) and standard right shoulder and lane widths.
Deviation No. 20: This deviation is for non-standard sag vertical curves at various locations. The proposed design at all locations meets comfort criteria. Full, continuous illumination is provided.
Deviation No. 21: This deviation is for non-standard grades for the NB off ramp (increasing grade) and the SB on ramp (decreasing grade). Both are 8%, which is the maximum allowable per the HOV Design Guide.
Deviation No. 23: This deviation is for non-standard gore radius at various locations. The design provides for a minimum of 5-feet for the off connections, some wider.
I-405 @ NE 128th Street (Kirkland/Totem Lake Access)
The NE 128th interchange will provide full access to I-405 for HOV and Transit users. General purpose traffic will be allowed to cross I-405 on the new undercrossing. Construction begins in 2004. The following summarizes approved deviations for the project that are relative to mainline operation, including ramp merge and diverge influence areas.Deviation No. 4: This deviation is for non-standard vertical sag curve length on the south ramps of the interchange. The proposed design meets comfort criteria. Full, continuous illumination is provided.
I-90 @ Eastgate (East Bellevue Access)
The Eastgate interchange will provide full access to I-90 for HOV and Transit users. It utilizes an existing under crossing, which will continue to be open for general purpose traffic use. No formal deviation documentation has been completed.
3.0 Safety And Operation Of The Existing HOV SystemGeometric, safety and operational conditions were examined for each of the Eastside HOV roadways. Best available documentation, collision and traffic volume data were used for this analysis - typically 1999-2001 collision data and 2001 traffic volumes. Four significant projects on the Eastside were in progress during portions of the 1999-2001 time period.
SR-520 / 108th Ave. SE to W Lake Sammamish Parkway - HOV Lanes
These projects are:
I-405 / Bothell to Swamp Creek - HOV Lanes
I-405 / SR-167 - Grade Separation Ramp
Bellevue Access - SE 8th, NE 8th, NE 4th Reconfiguration; NE 6th Addition
The SR-520 and I-405 HOV lane projects are now complete. Additionally, in the Fall of 2002, NW Region implemented a low-cost enhancement of the southbound SR-167 lanes in the vicinity of NW 15th Street. This restripe work extended a third lane southward and improved the operation through the section considerably.
For this analysis freeway system crash history and trends from 1980 through 2000 were evaluated using the state accident reporting system. This evaluation included review of traffic safety prior to the construction of the HOV system. Crash concentrations by freeway segment (per hour of the day, day of the week), both in total and by type of collision, were summarized. As is the case in other urban areas nationwide, collision trends in the Puget Sound freeway system show a maturing system with correspondingly greater numbers of accidents in the peak periods. This is both a function of congestion as well as the greater number of vehicles traveling during peak commute times. Current collision trends indicate that as congestion grows, collision experience will also increase.
Figure 3.1 Total Accidents -I-405, SR 520 To I-5
3.1.1.1 Run-off-the-Road Collisions
Run-off-the-road collisions represent approximately 16 percent of all accidents on the urban interstate highway system in Washington State. Rates are similar for freeways in the Central Puget Sound area. Typically, run-off-the-road accidents are among the most severe collisions on the highway system because of the speed of impacts and objects hit. In the HOV system, guardrails or concrete barriers help to reduce the severity of these accidents. Run-off-the-road accidents typically occur with much greater frequency at nights and on weekends (when the magnitude of traffic volume is factored in), making them of particular interest in this evaluation.
Collision data was analyzed for the three-year period between 1999-2001 to determine whether there are any significant "hot spot" collision locations that would be adversely impacted by the proposed change in operation. Each roadway was reviewed for these type of collisions by time of day, day of the week and in one-mile segments. The following summarizes the review for each of the affected roadways. Detailed information is included in Appendix 2 (available upon request).
I-405 experienced a total of 403 left shoulder and median accidents during the three-year period of 1999-2001. 154 (38%) occurred between the hours of 7PM-5AM. The total number of collisions is distributed throughout the days of the week, with Saturdays having a significantly higher number than any of the other individual days. The most predominant number of accidents occur within the five-mile segment between I-5 to north of NE Park/SR-900. Within this segment, the northbound stretch between SR-169 and NE Park/SR-900 experienced 39 collisions, with 27 of those (69%) occurring within the 7PM-5AM time period.I-90 experienced a total of 46 left shoulder and median accidents during the three-year period of 1999-2001. 16 (35%) occurred between the hours of 7PM-5AM. The total number of collisions is distributed throughout the days of the week, with Saturdays having almost twice as many collisions as any other individual day. Two-thirds of the collisions occurred in the segment between 142nd Ave. SE and the Center Roadway connections to the west. There was one westbound collision with a tree stump at MP 12.69.
SR-167 experienced a total of 128 left shoulder and median accidents during the three-year period of 1999-2001. 46 (36 percent) occurred on weekends. An equal number occurred between the hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.. Approximately one-half of the collisions occurred within the two-mile stretch between the Green River Bridge and 84th Avenue S, with 75 percent being in the southbound direction. Wet pavement or standing water was the predominant surface condition for the southbound collisions.
SR-520 experienced a total of 18 right shoulder and off road accidents during 2001. 1999 and 2000 data was not reviewed because of ongoing construction work through this segment. Eight (44 percent) occurred on the weekends and one-third of the total occurred between the hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Fifty percent of the overall collisions occurred within a one-mile stretch between NE 140th and NE 148th. The collisions were evenly distributed between the westbound and eastbound directions.
3.1.1.2 SR-520 Merging Collisions
The operation of the outside HOV lane on SR-520, west of I-405, is somewhat affected by vehicles entering from various on ramps. But, for 2001 there was only one merging collision associated with the ramp connections and it did not occur within the period of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m.
The majority of the system has shoulder widths of at least 8 feet, but some segments of I-405, particularly between SR-167 and SR-520 have shoulder widths of as little as 2 feet. Throughout the region, constrained right-of-way and bridge structures make widening cost-prohibitive.
I-90 and SR-520 have standard shoulder widths of 10 feet throughout the lengths of this project, with the exception of some spot locations where bridge columns and abutments limit the width. SR-167 has standard 10-foot shoulder widths from 84th to I-405, approximate MP 21.2 to MP 25.8. The remainder of the project length south to MP 15.84 has inside shoulder widths of 8 feet.
A shoulder width summary for I-405 is included in Appendix 2 (available upon request).
A field review was conducted to determine whether the existing roadside meets clear zone requirements. Much of the Eastside HOV System has either barrier or guardrail on the left side of the roadway because of constrained right-of-way. For the segment of SR-520 that is affected by this proposal, the HOV lane is located on the right side. The field review determined that a limited number of improvements, exclusive to I-90, are necessary to meet minimum clear zone requirements. Primarily, mitigation is required to remove or shield a number of trees that are located in the median, too close to the traveled way.
A clear zone inventory for I-90 is included in Appendix 2.
Vertical and horizontal stopping sight distance (SSD) data for each of the affected roadways was determined based on available documentation. Existing stopping sight distance criteria (Design Manual, Figure 650-3) was utilized since no alignment modifications are planned for this project. Stopping sight distance was compared to the criteria for a 70 mph design speed. Based on this information, the majority of the nonstandard SSD are located on the south end of I-405, south of I-90.
A listing of vertical and horizontal curves with nonstandard stopping sight distances is included in Appendix 2 (available upon request).
I-405 has several nonstandard vertical curves based on SSD; all but one of these are sag curves. The one exception is a crest vertical curve (64 mph design speed; 6-inch object height) that is in the vicinity north of NE Park/SR-900. There are a total of 17 horizontal curves that do not meet SSD for a 70 mph design speed. Out of these, 5 meet a design speed of 65mph(+) and 9 meet a design speed of 60 mph(+).
I-90 has only one nonstandard vertical curve based on SSD for a 70 mph design speed. It does meet minimum SSD for a 65 mph design speed. There are three horizontal curves that do not meet SSD for a 70 mph design speed. One is in the westbound direction, vicinity of the east end of the East Channel Bridge. The other two are in the eastbound direction; one is located in the vicinity of Bellevue Way, the other in the vicinity of the Center Roadway slip ramp. The latter meets a design speed of approximately 60 mph. The other two curves meet a design speed of approximately 50 mph.
SR-167 has three nonstandard vertical curves. Two meet a design speed of 65 mph. The other meets a design speed of 55 mph. There is only one horizontal curve that does not meet a 70 mph design speed. It is located on the northbound roadway, MP 21.9. It does meet the minimum SSD for a 60 mph design speed.
SR-520 has four nonstandard horizontal curves. Two meet a minimum SSD for a 65 mph design speed and the other two meet a minimum SSD for a 55 mph design speed.
3.2.1 Lane Usage
For each of the affected roadways, the Washington State Transportation Center (TRAC) compiled 2001 data from select screen lines, including lane volumes (vehicle, person), average travel speeds and transit ridership. The following assumptions and data sources were utilized in the creation of this material:
Speed and volume data was collected from the roadway loops maintained by the NW Region Traffic office of WSDOT. These same loops provide the real-time traffic flow data that WSDOT displays on its website.
Data is based on screenline locations, not overall corridors, unless otherwise specified. "Screenline," is a term used to describe a point where vehicles and passengers passing by are measured.
All data is from 2001. Weekday averages are based on Monday through Friday and weekends include both Saturday and Sunday. Yearly averages are based on a full twelve months of data.
The data used in this report are yearly averages over the indicated time periods. Conditions will vary as a result of incidents, special events, weather or other temporary occurrences.
Average Vehicle Occupancy (AVO) data by time of day is not available for all locations. In cases where no data was available, estimates were based on the best available data from other similar locations. All estimates are shown in italics.
Transit ridership data is from the spring of 2001. The totals shown include only regularly scheduled fixed route service. Paratransit, private charters, airport and hotel shuttle service, school buses and special event service have not been included. Weekend transit ridership figures are based on Saturday data. Per trip average loads have been calculated for routes where per trip ridership data was not available.
HOV lane construction was underway on I-405 from SR 527 to I-5 during the time that data was collected. Construction was also begun in the fall of 2001 on the I-405 flyover ramp to SR 167.The data indicates the following characteristics of the eastside HOV system:
Freeways with HOV lanes are congested
HOV lanes are most heavily used during peak commute times
HOV lanes are most heavily used in the peak direction
HOV volumes drop during mid-day
Most HOV lanes carry more people than adjacent general purpose lanes
Transit service is an important component of regional HOV systemRefer to Appendix 2 (available upon request) for detailed information on each affected roadway.
3.2.2 Eastside Transit ServicesIn this section transit service levels and ridership in Eastside Freeway HOV lanes is documented and potential impacts on transit are analyzed. Transit service makes extensive use of the Freeway HOV lane system in the Puget Sound region, though service levels are much lower on eastside HOV lanes than on I-5. Service is concentrated in the peak periods and oriented to the peak direction in all corridors.
Analysis of transit agency timetables shows that service levels in the Freeway HOV lanes decrease dramatically after 7 p.m. Transit ridership on the I-405 HOV lanes represents only about 1percent of person throughput after 7 p.m. In contrast, transit ridership on I-5 HOV lanes is much higher and accounts for up to 20 percent of the people traveling in the HOV lanes at night.
In Table 3.1, transit service levels and ridership are shown for eight screenlines on Eastside HOV lanes. Data is presented for three time periods, 6:00 p.m.- 6:59 p.m., 7:00 p.m.-7:59 p.m., and 8:00 p.m.-8:59 p.m. The table includes all scheduled service provided by King County Metro, Community Transit, and Sound Transit operating in spring 2002 on the HOV lane segments proposed for opening to general purpose traffic. It should be noted that data provided by Community Transit gave ridership for individual bus trips, rather than by screen line. Since this data does not indicate where passengers got on and off the bus, it has been assumed in this analysis that all passengers were aboard for the entire trip. As a result, ridership figures for screenlines on the northern segments of I-405 are overstated by an unknown amount, though in absolute terms the total cannot be large. The screen lines used in this analysis are depicted in Figure 3.2.
The data shows that after 7 p.m. transit service and ridership fall to low levels. The maximum frequency after 7 p.m. is three trips per direction per hour, which occurs on I-405 south of Bellevue. At most screenlines elsewhere on the eastside HOV lanes, service is less frequent, usually only one or two trips per direction per hour. Service levels decrease further after 10 p.m.
Not surprisingly, with the decrease in service there is also a decrease in ridership. This trend is apparent at all screen lines into the later evening hours. During the 7:00 p.m.-7:59 p.m. time period average ridership is only about 5 passengers per trip for service on I-405. On SR 520 and eastbound on I-90 ridership is slightly better, but service levels are very low, with only about two trips per direction per hour. Only a handful of trips operate after 11 p.m. and ridership in the late evening hours is very light.
Table 3.1 Weekday Revenue Service
and Ridership at Selected Screen lines, Spring 2002
On Screenline Direction Rev Trips Riders Rev Trips Riders Rev Trips Riders I-405 NE 70th Southbound I-405 NE 70th Northbound I-405 NE 8th Southbound I-405 NE 8th Northbound I-405 Coal Cr Pkwy Southbound I-405 Coal Cr Pkwy Northbound I-405 N 30th Southbound I-405 N 30th Northbound
On Screenline Direction Rev Trips Riders Rev Trips Riders Rev Trips Riders I-90 148th NE Westbound I-90 148th NE Eastbound
On Screenline Direction Rev Trips Riders Rev Trips Riders Rev Trips Riders SR-520 NE 40th Westbound SR-520 NE 40th Eastbound
On Screenline Direction Rev Trips Riders Rev Trips Riders Rev Trips Riders SR-167 S 34th Southbound SR-167 S 34th Northbound SR-167 Kent-Des Moines Southbound SR-167 Kent-Des Moines Northbound
Figure 3.2 Eastside HOV System Screenlines
3.2.2.1 Future Service Levels
The transit agencies were consulted to determine whether transit service in Eastside HOV lanes could be expected to significantly increase in the foreseeable future. The adopted plans of the agencies and staff responses are summarized below:King County Metro:
No expansion of nighttime service on I-405 or SR 167 is shown in the adopted 2002 - 2007 plan.
The plan does not identify either of these segments as "Core Service Priority Investment Corridors." Of the HOV lane segments proposed for opening to general-purpose traffic, only the eastern portion of I-90 is designated as a "Core Service Priority Investment Corridor" in the adopted plan.
The adopted plan does call for an increase in the share of new service hours that can be allocated to the eastside. However, slower than anticipated growth in tax revenues is limiting the additional service that can be provided. In addition, the low demand on nighttime trips on eastside HOV lanes makes them a lower priority for service expansion.Sound Transit:
The 2002 Service Implementation Plan shows a 9.1 percent increase in eastside service hours from 2003 through 2006, though it appears very little of the increase will be applied to service operating after 7:00 p.m.
Sound Transit is presently in the middle of the public review portion of a service plan update. One proposal under consideration would increase service on Route 565, which operates in the HOV lanes on the southern segment of I-405. If adopted, this would increase service on those HOV lanes after 7 p.m. by approximately eight trips per night.
Sound Transit will begin Phase II planning later in 2003. It is not yet known what resources will be available in Phase II, or what modes and projects will be emphasized.Community Transit:
Is beginning Six Year Plan update process.
No additional service in Eastside HOV lanes is planned beyond September 2003 due to flat sales tax projections.These results suggest that transit service is not likely to significantly increase in the foreseeable future. It is possible that more extensive service expansions could be proposed beyond 2006 if additional funding sources become available.
3.2.2.2 Special Event Service
King County Metro provides specially scheduled service to large sporting events. Most of this service is in the form of express trips from Park & Ride lots to Mariners Baseball games and University of Washington and Seahawk football games. The special event service to football games typically operates during daytime hours on weekends. The HOV lanes on I-5 south of Seattle are most heavily used, while the I-90 reversible roadway, the HOV lanes on SR 167, and the HOV lanes on I-405 north of Bellevue, have lower service levels. Seahawk and Husky football games are usually scheduled to begin in the middle of the day or early afternoon. Since these events begin and end during hours when the HOV restriction will still be in effect there should not be any impact on special service.The only section of HOV lane proposed for opening to general purpose traffic that is used by special service to Mariner games is a short segment of I-90 in the Eastgate area. Weekend Mariner games are usually played during daytime hours. Weekday games are usually scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. As a result of this scheduling, the HOV restriction will still be in effect for traffic going to most Mariner games. Because the street network around the stadium tends to control the volume of traffic entering the freeways, it is highly unlikely that special event service departing in the late evening hours would encounter congestion on the eastern segment of the I-90 HOV lanes. Therefore, no impacts are anticipated on special service to Mariner baseball games.
3.2.2.3 Vanpools
Over 1,200 vanpools currently operate in the Puget Sound area. In spring of 2002 the regional ride match database was queried to identify vanpools that are on the road before 5 a.m. or after 7 p.m. Of the vanpools in operation in 2002, approximately 160 had one or both ends of their trip during off-peak hours. However, of those vanpools operating off-peak, only a couple dozen had work destinations along the HOV segments proposed for opening to general-purpose traffic. Nearly all of these vanpools had schedules that involved travel at times when HOV lane volumes are far below capacity. For example, there were ten vans destined for the Phillips plant in Snoqualmie, all with start times in mid afternoon and finish times around 2 a.m. A large number of the Boeing vanpools had similar schedules oriented to swing shift workers. In summary it is expected that between 25 and 160 vanpools currently travel on the Eastside freeways between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m. Vanpools will be counted during the project evaluation.The ride-match database provides a very useful snapshot of vanpool, origins, destinations, and schedule times. However, it does not provide specific routing information, and as the last two years have shown, vanpool numbers can fluctuate with changes in the economy. It is reasonable to conclude from the spring 2002 data that no measurable impact on current vanpool operations can be expected from nighttime opening of eastside HOV lanes to general-purpose traffic. Since the number of vanpools in the region and their destinations are all subject to change, impacts will be monitored in the demonstration project evaluation.
3.2.3 Travel Time/Trip ReliabilityThe freeway HOV lane system is intended to make travel in HOV modes attractive by offering reliable travel times at speeds equal to or greater than the general-purpose lanes. To ensure that HOV lanes continue to provide a travel time advantage the Transportation Commission adopted a standard calling for the core freeway HOV system to maintain an average speed of 45mph or better, 90 percent of the time. By maintaining this level of speed and reliability the HOV system not only provides an incentive for HOV users, it also helps optimize the performance of the HOV lanes.
The following assumptions and data sources were utilized in the creation of this material:
Speed and volume data was collected from the roadway loops maintained by the NW Region Traffic office of WSDOT. These same loops provide the real-time traffic flow data that WSDOT displays on its website.
Volume data is based on screen line locations, not overall corridors.
Segment travel times are derived from speed data collected at a number of locations along the segment.
All data is from 2001. Weekday averages are based on Monday through Friday and weekends include both Saturday and Sunday. Yearly averages are based on a full twelve months of data.
The data used in this report are yearly averages over the indicated time periods. Conditions will vary as a result of incidents, special events, weather or other temporary occurrences.
HOV lane construction was underway on I-405 from SR 527 to I-5 during the time that data was collected. Construction was also begun in the fall of 2001 on the I-405 flyover ramp to SR 167.
The data indicates the following:
HOV lanes provide a travel time advantage in all corridors.
HOV lane travel timesavings are greatest in the peak hours.
With the exception of northbound SR-167, the HOV lanes do not offer a travel time advantage prior to 5:00AM.
There is no travel time advantage gained by traveling in the HOV lanes after 8 p.m.
A few segments have average general-purpose lane volumes in the range of 1,500 - 1,700 vph at 7 p.m. These segments include northbound and southbound I-405 between Bellevue and Renton, and SB SR-167 between Kent and Auburn.
Traffic volumes on these freeways significantly decreases between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. weekdays. Typically HOV lane volumes range from 800 - 300 vph, while GP lane volumes range from 1500 - 800 vph. A shift of a few hundred GP lane vehicles into the HOV lane will improve GP lane travel speeds, without affecting HOV lane performance. TRAC modeling of the expected traffic volume shift predicts that the density within the HOV lane will increase, but that travel speeds will not be affected.
HOV lane speed and reliability fails to meet the state performance standard during peak hour(s) within the northbound and southbound segments of I-405 between Tukwila and Bellevue, and within the southbound segment between Kirkland and Bellevue.Refer to Appendix 2 (available upon request) for travel time data specific for each roadway.
3.3 Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Programs
In 1991 the legislature enacted new laws requiring local governments in counties experiencing the greatest automobile-related air pollution and traffic congestion to develop and implement plans to reduce single-occupant vehicle commute trips. The core strategy within the legislation is commute trip reduction by means of programs through major employers, local jurisdictions and state government. RCW's 70.94.521 - 70.94.551 stipulate the requirements.
The TDM Action Strategy for the Central Puget Sound Region is the framework that guides the region's efforts to manage travel demand. The 23-member Puget Sound Regional TDM Advisory Committee selected seven initiatives as high-priority items and combined them into a TDM action strategy. Input was collected from transportation professionals from throughout the region. The Puget Sound Regional Council's Transportation and Growth Management Policy Boards endorsed the TDM Action Strategy in 1998. Many of the TDM initiatives are in various stages of implementation. Formation of a high-level TDM Roundtable will help shape and guide the collective efforts of the many groups involved in implementing TDM programs.
Vanpooling has proven to be a very attractive and successful alternative for commuters in the Puget Sound region. Vanpooling as a public transit service began here in 1979 and has continued to grow steadily ever since. This region leads the nation in vanpooling, with 2 percent of commuters now regularly taking advantage of this commute option. The TDM Resource Center obtained funds to undertake the first region-wide look at the overall potential for increasing the market share of vanpools in the region: Phase 1. Additional funds have since been secured to take a more in-depth look at the market and to develop an action plan for rapidly expanding vanpooling in the region: Phase 2.
3.3.2 Park and Ride Lots
Our regional system of over 200 park-and-ride lots creates a network of convenient connections throughout the entire Puget Sound area. Whether you bicycle, carpool, vanpool, ride the bus or the ferry, using a park-and-ride lot can save you money and time. The usefulness of park and ride facilities is evident, with many filled to capacity on weekdays. Advocates and managing agencies are aware of the need and are working to identify additional funding to expand existing facilities and add new lots.
These Eastside lots are for commuter parking and are not available for residential, commercial, or long-term parking.
North East Side includes Bothell, Kenmore, and Woodinville
East Side includes Bellevue, Kirkland, Medina, Mercer Island, and Redmond
South East Side includes Maple Valley, Mercer Island, Renton, and Tukwila
East King County includes Enumclaw, Issaquah, Maple Valley, Preston and Sammamish
South King County includes Auburn, Federal Way, Black Diamond, Kent, and Lake Meridian
Canyon Park located at 220th St. SE & 17th Ave. SE
4.0 ANALYSIS OF PROPOSED CHANGEWSDOT has conducted a thorough examination of the effects on operations, safety and environment that would result from opening the Eastside HOV System lanes to all users between the hours of 7PM-5AM. A 2007 horizon year has been chosen for this analysis in consultation with FHWA and the PSRC HOV Advisory Committee.
Traffic volumes resulting from the change in HOV hours of operation were developed in two steps. The first step was to develop 2007 GP and HOV lane forecasts, both for weekday and weekend conditions. Weekday forecasts were created by straight-line interpolation between 2000 freeway counts and traffic volume forecasts within the Puget Sound Regional Council's (PSRC) 2010 model. Weekend forecasts were similarly developed utilizing 2000 freeway counts and temporal distributions. Reference tables were created, listing GP and HOV lane volumes for incremental freeway segments.
The second step was to develop a methodology to predict the shift in traffic into the HOV lanes, when there is no minimum occupancy requirement. The Washington State Transportation Research Center (TRAC) examined lane/volume distributions on several regional freeway segments. Their review included facilities with and without HOV lanes, and traffic distribution both for weekdays and weekends. From this information, an upper and lower bound predicted shift volume was developed, specific to each of the affected roadways. The upper bound approximates left-lane usage experienced on regional freeways that do not have HOV lanes. The lower bound approximates left-lane usage typically experienced on existing HOV facilities during weekends.
A complete explanation of the methodology and associated tables is included in Appendix 2 (available upon request).
4.1.2 Forecasted Traffic VolumesThe methodology noted in the previous section was applied for a number of freeway segments. Segments were selected based on known high-volume locations and/or existing traffic flow bottlenecks. The assumption is that the Eastside freeway system is typically congestion-free during the night-time hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., so opening the HOV lanes to all users will not induce additional traffic volume. The forecasts for 2007 during the evening hours indicates that the HOV lane will generally experience traffic volumes of 1500 vph or less.
Tables containing forecasted shifted traffic at select locations are included in Appendix 2.
Concerns have been raised by FHWA regarding the proposed action's effect on the operation of planned Direct Access ramps. As noted previously, the only planned opening within the two-year pilot study time period will be at the downtown Bellevue I-405 access at NE 6th Street. Subsequent to the Bellevue access becoming operational, the Kirkland I-405 access is expected to open in early 2006. Both of these access points were analyzed to determine whether the expected operation would result in an adverse impact.
Forecasted HOV lane volumes (open to all users) were derived from screenlines in the vicinity of the proposed interchanges and represent a high-end estimate of what can be expected. Particularly in the case of the NE 6th interchange, a large portion of I-405 traffic traveling through Bellevue (excluding outbound traffic from Bellevue CBD ramps) during the PM peak period is bound for either I-90 or SR-520. The methodology used to forecast the shift in traffic into an open HOV lane may not accurately account for this, and therefore overestimate the shifted traffic volume. Likewise, assuming a fairly equal distribution of traffic across all lanes may not accurately represent the operation either. For the purpose of this analysis, the conservative assumption was made that the volume was equally distributed across all lanes.
Forecasted year-of-opening ramp volumes have already been developed for both interchanges as part of development of Access Point Decision Reports (APDR). The NE 6th APDR has been approved by FHWA, while the NE 128th report is under final review. 2007 traffic volume forecasts for these interchanges were developed as follows:
The analysis period was 7 p.m.-8 p.m., the first hour that the HOV lanes are proposed to be open to all users. Ramp and mainline hourly volumes between 8 p.m.-5 a.m. are projected to be less.
Forecasted I-405 traffic volumes both with and without a shift in traffic were obtained as noted previously.
2000 and 2005 forecasted ramp volumes were obtained from the APDR's for NE 6th and NE 128th, respectively.
For NE 6th, an estimated 2007 PM peak hour volume was obtained by interpolating between the APDR 2000 and 2020 HOV2 ramp volumes.
For NE 128th, the APDR does not include 2020 HOV2 volumes. Therefore an assumed 5 percent annual growth rate was applied to the 2005 volumes to estimate 2007 volumes.
In order to estimate off-peak ramp volumes, January 2003 traffic counts from existing adjacent ramps were analyzed. PM peak hourly HOV counts were used for the NE 6th on ramps. The off ramp counts included both GP and HOV-eligible vehicles. These counts were utilized to determine an estimated reduction in traffic volume between the PM peak hour and the 7 p.m. -8 p.m. hour. That percentage was then applied to forecasted peak hour 2007 ramp volumes.
The operational analysis was conducted using weekday volumes only. It was assumed that the weekend 7 p.m. -8 p.m. ramp volumes would be less than weekday volumes. The forecasted weekday HOV lane volumes (w/shifted traffic) were greater than or approximately equal to weekend forecasts.
Analysis was performed utilizing HCS2000.
All four of the NE 6th ramps were analyzed. Only the two northbound ramps were analyzed at NE 128th, because the southbound PM volumes are substantially less.
Traffic data used for the analysis are shown in Figure 4.1
Additional data and HCS summaries are included in Appendix 2 (available upon request).The results are noted in Table 4.1. In all cases, the ramp connections are not expected to incur an adverse operational impact with opening of the mainline HOV lanes to
Figure 4.1 Forecasted Traffic Volumes
I-405 Direct Access Ramps @ NE 6th and NE 128th
all users for the 7 p.m.-5a.m. time period. The most significant change between "no-build" or 24-hour HOV lane operation and the "build" shifted traffic scenario was for the northbound on and off connections at NE 6th and the northbound on connection at NE 128th; all predicted to decrease from LOS A to LOS C.Table 4.1 provides LOS results for both interchanges.
Table 4.1 I-405 Direct Access Ramps
Merge/Diverge - Weekdays, 7-8PM2007 Level of Service (LOS)
Location Transit & HOV2 Only
Open to All Traffic I-405 / NE 6th Street Direct Access I-405/NE 128th Street Direct Access
4.3.1 Run-off-the-Road CollisionsWSDOT input forecasted 2007 freeway volumes (both with/without the change in hours of operation) into FHWA's ROADSIDE model to predict what the potential increase in run-off-the-road (ROR) type accidents. The expectation is that more traffic in the inside (HOV) lane increases the risk for more of these accidents. The analysis was only conducted for the I-405, I-90 and SR167 roadways. The analysis identified that there could be up to 18 additional ROR accidents per year during the weekdays and 4 additional ROR accidents during the weekends. Refer to Appendix 2 (available upon request) for more detailed data.
Because higher HOV lane volumes are expected to increase the probability of run-off-the-road collisions, safety improvements are recommended if the lanes are opened to all traffic at nights or on weekends. The proposal is to install either a raised profile edge line or rumble strips on the left side of inside freeway HOV lanes. In other locations nationwide and particularly on rural roadways, rumble strips reduced run-off-the-road accidents by as much as 30 percent. At least a 10 percent reduction is a common result. These improvements should not only offset the potential impacts of a change of HOV lane hours of operation but would also enhance safety when the lanes are reserved for high occupancy vehicles.
The following table includes left-side and median accidents that occurred between 1999-2001 (annually) on I-405, I-90 and SR-167. It also shows a comparison of the predicted increase of such accidents by this project action versus the predicted decrease in accidents if shoulder rumble strips were installed. Assuming a 10 percent reduction with implementation of this type of mitigation, the overall reduction in number of collisions is expected to approximately balance with the predicted increase in collisions between 7 p.m. and 5 a.m.
There is very limited information available on a comparison of accident rates for standard right-side ramp connections versus left-side ramp connections. An analysis was done to determine the current annual number of merge-related accidents on I-405. For the three-year period between 1999-2001, there were only 13 merging accidents recorded (for 43 on-ramps) between the hours of 7PM - 5AM. Given that the HOV Direct Access Ramps at NE 6th and NE 128th will typically carry volume much lower than existing right-side ramps during these hours, it is expected that the increase in merging accidents would be extremely low, far less than one per year.
Figure 4.2 I-405 Merging Accidents by Time of Day
4.4 Regional Transportation PlanFor WSDOT to implement a change to the 24/7 hours of operation, two distinct actions involving the Regional Council of Governments are required.
First, the funds that would be required to implement the operational change on the Region's metropolitan transportation system must be documented in the Regional Transportation Improvement Program (RTIP) and the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP).
Second, the region's adopted transportation plan, Destination 2030, includes a policy that is consistent with WSDOT's current HOV policy to maintain full-time (24/7) operation of freeway HOV lanes. The proposal to modify the hours of operation can be considered as a demonstration project, linked with formal monitoring and evaluation of the change.
The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) concurs with WSDOT implementing this two-year pilot project.
5.1 Environmental DocumentationThe project will not require an Environmental Justice analysis or completion of a State Environmental Protection Act Categorical Exclusion (SEPA CE). The need for municipal Critical Area Ordinance (CAO) permits and Local Clearing permits will depend on what effects there would likely be to sensitive areas. These effects will be identified in the Biological Evaluation.
Construction work will occur primarily during night time hours. It will require noise permits from up to 14 different local agencies.
The following analysis and documentation will be developed as part of this project.
National Environmental Protection Act Documented Categorical Exclusion (NEPA DCE)
Biological Evaluation (BE)
Air Quality Analysis
Noise Analysis
Temporary Erosion and Sediment Control Plan (TESC)
5.2.1 Scope of Work
Safety enhancements will be made on each of the affected roadways to enable opening the Eastside HOV freeway lanes to all users nightly during the hours of 7 p.m. to 5 a.m. Ground-in rumble strips will be installed on asphalt (ACP) shoulders that are adjacent to the HOV lanes. These installations will be made along shoulder segments that are 4-foot width or greater. For concrete (PCP) shoulder segments and ACP shoulders that are less than 4-foot width, a raised profile Methyl Methacrylate (MMA) edge line will be implemented. Additionally along portions of the I-90 HOV lanes, a number of trees will be removed and guardrail installed.
Specifically, the safety enhancements include:
Installation of rumble strips on approximately 73 lane miles of shoulder along I-90, I-405 and SR-167
Removal of painted edge line and installation of approximately 13 miles of raised profile MMA edge line along I-90 and I-405
Installation of approximately 0.25 miles of guardrail along eastbound I-90 and approximately 0.12 miles of guardrail along westbound I-90
Signing modifications are required on each of the affected roadways to display the HOV lane hours of operation. Partial overlays will be installed on 66 overhead signs. Supplementary plaques will be installed on 183 shoulder mounted signs. Signing work on SR-520 will be accomplished with State forces.
A Value Engineering (VE) Study was conducted in January, 2003. Recommendations that will be implemented include using state forces to install signs on SR-520, assigning working days specific to each freeway and providing for a lane rental option in the contract. These are expected to save close to $400,000 and 15 working days, from what was estimated prior to the study. A copy of the VE Study recommendations is included in Appendix 2 (available upon request).
A map indicating where MMA, rumble strip and guardrail work will occur is included in Appendix 2 (available upon request).
5.2.2 Costs
The cost of the construction work is currently estimated at $1.3 Million. Signing work along SR-520 is estimated to be less than $30,000. A project cost estimate summary is included in Appendix 2 (available upon request).
The project advertisement date is planned for April 14, 2003. WSDOT plans to install the SR-520 signing using state forces in mid-May, which is the expected contract award date. Construction along I-90, I-405 and SR-167 is expected to begin in early June. Depending on weather, construction should be complete by the end of August.
Implementation of the modified HOV hours of operation will occur incrementally as safety improvements are installed. The contractor will be required to phase work so that the new operation is implemented incrementally from the end, to the beginning of each affected roadway. An example of this would be that construction of southbound I-405 would begin at the southern end (MP 0.00 vicinity) and progress north.
The change of Eastside HOV hours of operation will also require a modification to the current law stipulating the eligible user groups. A request is forthcoming requesting the State Traffic Engineer enact the required calendar action.
The Washington State Patrol is responsible for enforcement of the HOV regulations on the freeway system. The WSP has communicated their support to enforce the new regulation. WSDOT will be working with WSP in communicating the change in hours of operation to the public.
As part of the evaluation of the project, WSDOT will seek WSP's observations and work with them to document the number of violators reported and cited during the two-year period.
The HERO Program is a 19-year public information and education program administered by WSDOT and in cooperation with Washington State Patrol, Sound Transit, King County DOT (Metro), Community Transit, and Pierce Transit. During that time, it has been viewed as a model program and received national rewards and recognition. The program will continue for at least the duration of the two-year pilot project.
The program's goals are as follows:
Educate the public on the proper use of high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane and ramp facilities and deter improper use of these facilities in the Puget Sound region,
Provide access to regional rideshare services, help commuters make carpool and transit choices,
Provide incentives for people to carpool, vanpool and riding the bus, and
Provide the public with a safe and appropriate way to participate in HOV lane complianceThe program includes a 24-hour telephone hotline for reporting HOV lane violators. The hotline number is advertised on HERO highway signs located throughout the Puget Sound region next to freeway HOV lanes. HERO brochures are also distributed regularly, including to individuals whose vehicle license numbers have been reported through the hotline number. Since 1990, the Puget Sound freeway HOV lane miles have been expanded by 400 percent. But, yet fewer than 6 percent of first-time violators have been reported a second time.
Program benefits are:
HERO operating costs are extremely low, with big benefits realized from the program:
Over 40,000 lane violations are reported to the HERO program each year
The average cost of processing each violation report is approximately $2.00
WSP stops between 12 -14,000 HOV lane violators every year, at an estimated cost of $50.00 an hour to support each trooper out working on the freeway
WSP estimates that HERO is responsible for reducing illegal HOV lane use by up to 40 percent.
An evaluation of the two-year pilot project will be undertaken in order to assess whether the HOV Hours of Operation policy change should be permanently adopted. WSDOT will conduct a series of reviews during the course of this two-year pilot project. The information developed will be used for traffic management purposes and as the basis of reports to the Commission, the legislature, transit agencies and others concerning the operation of the program.
To measure the effects of the new HOV lane policy, WSDOT will track the following:
Vehicle occupancy in the HOV lanes during times they are restricted to High Occupancy Vehicles. This includes determination of any changes in violation rates
Traffic and person volumes served, vehicle speeds, and the frequency of congestion
The number and severity of accidents and other incidents, as well as their type
Changes in air quality compared to baseline data
The number of HOV lane violation citations issued, and the rate at which those citations are issued and the number of calls to the HERO program.
Whether changes in attitude towards the HOV lanes in general take place, and specifically their opinion of the new policy and its effectsThe project will also examine traffic operations in the Bellevue area prior to and after opening the Bellevue direct access ramp and at freeway-to-freeway HOV connections affected by the night time opening of the HOV lanes. Traffic movements will also be examined for the occurrence of unsafe driving behavior (weaving, sudden lane changes) throughout the evaluation period. Specific measures of effectiveness will be developed prior to commencement of the data collection.
A copy of the draft Evaluation Plan is included in Appendix 2 (available upon request).
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