SANTA CRUZ COUNTY REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION
Highway 1/HOT Lanes Feasibility Study
Santa Cruz Route 1
High Occupancy Toll Lanes
Feasibility Study
Santa Cruz, California
January 2001
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission has approved a program of future transportation projects in the Watsonville to Santa Cruz corridor, including a project to widen Highway 1, the primary intracounty travel route, from four to six lanes with High Occupancy Toll lanes. The project boundaries extend from Highway 17 in Santa Cruz to State Park Drive in
Aptos. Caltrans is currently preparing a project study report (PSR) for the highway widening and interchange reconstruction portions of the project. Included in the PSR is an evaluation of a High Occupancy Vehicle lanes alternative and other congestion management strategies such as ramp metering and auxiliary lanes.
The Santa Cruz Route 1 High Occupancy Toll Lanes Feasibility Study will advise the development of a HOT lanes alternative in the project study report and assist the Commission in deciding whether or not to proceed with construction of a HOT lanes facility as an element of highway widening. The project will not evaluate alternatives entailing exclusive toll lanes without a high occupancy component nor will it evaluate conversion of existing travel lanes to HOT lanes.
The Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will be responsible for selecting the consultant and administering the contract, which is funded 80% by the Federal Highway Administration, Value Pricing Pilot Program. An interagency project review team, composed of FHWA, Caltrans, the California Highway Patrol, local jurisdictions and area transit operators, will review and comment on the study contract, work products and the final scope of work.
Purpose
The HOT lanes feasibility study will evaluate the design, operational and financial feasibility as well as expected public acceptance of High Occupancy Toll lanes on a 6.5 mile segment of Highway 1 in Santa Cruz County. The segment extends from the Route 17 interchange to State Park Drive; however a longer segment may be identified through the feasibility study process. There are a total of 7 interchanges, including the Highway 1/Highway 17 interchange, within the
proposed study limits.
This urban segment carries heavy local, regional and interregional traffic related to commuting, goods movement and tourism, and operates at LOS F during weekday peak hours and extended periods on summer weekends. The two main parallel routes, Soquel Avenue/Drive and Capitola Road, are experiencing rising levels of daily traffic and significant congestion during peak periods. The annual average daily traffic (AADT) volumes on Route 1 range from 80,000 to 103,000, the highest volume of all state route segments in Santa Cruz County. According to regional traffic projections, the AADT within this segment is expected to increase to nearly 110,000 by the year 2010.
Scope of Work
The feasibility study will evaluate the following features in three distinct phases:
Phase I - Design and Operational Feasibility
Phase II - Financial Analysis and Public Acceptance
Phase III - Findings and Conclusions
Phase I will gather extensive information on existing travel and traffic conditions within the study area. This phase will include generation of design alternatives for HOT lanes and conclude with performance measures and an operational evaluation of the alternatives. After completion of Phase I, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will determine whether or not a viable design alternative exists for constructing and operating HOT lanes in the corridor. If a viable design alternative exists, the Feasibility Study will continue with Phase II; if not, the study will proceed directly to Phase III, Findings and Conclusions. Within a phase, tasks may be performed concurrently as appropriate.
The total cost of all three phases is budgeted at $330,000. Of this total, the Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission will provide $66,000, or 20% of the cost, and $264,000, or 80% of the cost, will be funded by a Federal Highway Administration Value Pricing Grant.
Prior Studies
A draft project study report was prepared by Caltrans District 4 in October, 1992 for the widening of Highway 1 between Santa Cruz and Aptos. In 1999, a Major Investment Study was completed for the Watsonville to Santa Cruz to UCSC corridor. Widening of Highway 1 was one of eight alternatives studied in the MIS. The HOT lanes project is included in the program of projects adopted by the Commission in August, 1999 for the MIS corridor.
Additional Information
For further information on this study, contact Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission, (831) 460-3200.
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