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09-17-2019 City Center Access City Council Update September 17, 2019 1 Project Overview and Background Why Now? Congestion is increasing. Sound Transit link light rail is planned and funded to Tacoma, with the station in the City Center scheduled to open in 2024. this will spur development, and improvements need to be identified to improve congestion and to not be precluded by Sound Transit construction. . Federal Way - Now Recession Picture on the top is the congestion per Google maps; typical Tuesday at 5 PM. Notice the congested conditions on the SR 99, 320th,and I-5 SB off and NB off ramps.. Traffic volumes decreased with the recession, increasing again. Anticipated to continue to grow with City Center development. Federal Way Future Year 2045 No Build PM Peak Hour Forecasts Future Traffic Origin-Destination Source: 2040 No Build travel demand model select link analysis Year 2045 No Build PM Peak Hour Outbound Inbound 50% to City Center 5% to the North 30% to the West 15% to the South 45% from the East 20% from I-5 Northbound 35% from I-5 Southbound Legend Talking points: Review O’D’s Solution that reduces queue spillback onto I-5 and improves access to the City Center will need to address this issue Project Overview and Background Project Purpose and Need: Improve economic vitality and quality of life: Congested corridors, poor multimodal mobility, and delayed emergency response will continue to affect the quality of life and inhibit economic growth in the City Center. Maintain integrity of the Interstate system: Queues that backup on mainline I-5 impact regional mobility including freight and decrease safety. I-5 mobility needs to be maintained without impacting safety. Decrease roadway congestion on S 320th Street as it affects transit and general travelling public to improve person mobility Maintain or improve access to and from the City Center, considering side streets including key transit routes Provide opportunities for through traffic to travel around rather than through the core. Improve nonmotorized mobility to increase use of transit facilities Improve I-5 mobility and safety by reducing I-5 off ramp queue 6 Project Overview and Background Local street improvements Developed large list of possible local street improvements using community input Conducted a study to understand how local improvements might improve congestion in City Center Findings similar as 2009 study. Improvements to the local roadways alone will not alleviate the congestion issues on S 320th Street. Modifying access to the Interstate needs to be considered to distribute traffic off of S 320th Street and onto other roadways. This step was required by WSDOT/ FHWA before evaluating I-5 Access improvements Local only alternative did not work, still had queue backing on the I-5 ramp affecting mainline traffic and 320th congestion did not meet targets. Additionally, the cost to do all tis was about a $1billion 7 Review Alternatives S 312th Street Modified Interchange Ramps 8 Review Alternatives S 324th Street Modified Interchange Ramps 9 Review Alternatives 312th/S 324th Street Combo Modified Interchange Ramps 10 Review Alternatives Evaluation Criteria Improve mobility by decreasing congestion on S 320th Street Maintain or improve access to and from the City Center Provide opportunities for traffic to travel around rather than through the core Improve non-motorized mobility Improve safety for the general traveling public on the Interstate and ramps, S 320th Street corridor, and study area Be designed for feasibility and constructability Address impacts to neighborhoods, parks, wetlands, and cultural resources Address impacts to commercial and industrial properties and future land uses Be acceptable to impacted residents and the public Alternative Screening Interchange Locations Eliminated S 288th Street S 296th Street S 304th Street S 336th Street These interchanges do not provide relief on the S 320th Street corridor compared to the alternatives at S 312 Street and S 324th Street and required four new access points which decreases safety. Alternative Screening The S 312th Street and S 324th Street interchange alternatives improve operations on S 320th Street and reduce queue spillback to I-5, thus meeting the baseline needs for traffic Alternative Screening S 312th Street interchange alternatives were eliminated due to: Additional access points to I-5 decreasing safety Operational impacts to Sound Transit Incompatible with future planned I-5 High potential for Steel Lake Park and neighborhood impacts Lack of stakeholder acceptance S 312th Street does not directly serve the City Center core Where We Are Now Screening Interchange modification Alternatives at S 324th Street Identification of a preferred solution at S 324th Street Select Ramp Configuration Select Intersection Control – S 324th Interchange Select TDM/Nonmotorized Improvements Local Elements “these are the local improvements already identified in our comprehensive plan. Not all are necessary to be implemented immediately to improve city center congestion. Implementation of specific improvements like S312th overcrossing and 32nd Ave S may be needed for future development.” Bicycle, pedestrian, and transit connections Additional local roadway and multimodal improvements are under consideration in support of the interchange modification to improve access to the City Center. This map shows existing and planned King County Metro RapidRide lines in the vicinity of the City Center and Federal Way Comprehensive Plan non-motorized improvements that may become part of the City Center Access Project. 20 Public Process To-Date Online and In Person Open House – April 2018 Stakeholder Interviews – 2018, 2019 Tabling events Farmers Market 2018 Red white and Blues 2018, 2019 Summer Sounds 2018, 2019 Public Process To-Date Neighborhood Meetings May – September 2019 Belmor Park 312th/ 324th neighborhoods EJ Meetings June – July 2019 City/ Korean Community Quarterly Meeting Community Connections Round Table Business and Property Owner Meetings - 2018, May – September 2019 Upcoming Public Process October 1-14, 2019 Online Open House October 10, 2019 In Person Open House Presenting: Alternatives Evaluation Process Preferred alternative(s) 2A, 2B, or 2H Signals vs Roundabouts Multimodal improvement opportunities Business/ Property Owner Meetings Additional EJ Meetings Next Steps with City Council Next steps with City Council: To concur with the preferred alternative for team to move forward with preliminary design, environmental review and Access Revision Report. November 4 – Land Use and Transportation Committee November 5 – City Council Meeting Review Preferred Alternative November 19 Council Adopt Preferred Alternative Questions? Following Slides for Reference if Needed 7/17/2019 26 7/17/2019 Bryan make this black page Alternative 2A – split Diamond 8/21/2019 27 Alternative 2B – Grade Separated Ramps 8/21/2019 28 Alternative 2C – Arterial Couplet 8/21/2019 29 Alternative 2D – Grade Separated Ramps + Compatible with S 324th St SE Quadrant Loop Ramp 8/21/2019 30 Alternative 2E – Split Diamond + Compatible with S 324th St SE Quadrant Loop Ramp 8/21/2019 31 Alternative 2f – Grade Separated Ramps with Diverging Diamond 8/21/2019 32 Alternative 2g – Split Diamond with Roundabouts 8/21/2019 33 Alternative 2H – alt 2A + 2B Hybrid 8/21/2019 34 City Center Access Project Urban growth center In 1992 and 1993, Federal Way community members helped develop a vision for the creation of a Federal Way City Center. The Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) designated the Federal Way City Center as an urban growth center in 1994. City Center Core: An area designed to handle the highest levels of infrastructure demand within Federal Way. City Center Frame: A zone for dense, mixed-use development that surrounds and supports the core. Urban growth center: A focal point for planned growth, economic development, and transportation infrastructure investments. What is the problem? The existing S 320th Street cannot handle the number of vehicles using it Congestion moving into, out of, and around the City Center hinders economic vitality, including the movement of goods and services and future development opportunities Congestion affects transit reliability Inadequate pedestrian and bike access to the City Center Emergency response on S 320th Street is affected Traffic will back up on the I-5 ramps affecting I-5 through traffic x 35