On June 12, 2009 the NOACA Governing Board approved the following regarding this project: Resolution No. 2009-017 Project Planning Review Resolution No. 2009-018 Plan and TIP Amendment Title: Reconfiguration of the Intersection of Warrensville Center Road, Chagrin Boulevard, Van Aken Boulevard and Northfield Road in the City of Shaker Heights Sponsor: Cuyahoga County Engineer Estimated Total Cost: $11,000,000 Proposed Source of Federal Funds: ODOT and NOACA History/Background: The City of Shaker Heights retained URS Consultants to prepare a transit-oriented development (TOD) plan and traffic study for the Warrensville/Van Aken rapid transit station and surrounding commercial district. The overall project goal was to improve the existing arterial road system and transform the existing commercial district into a vibrant, mixed-use downtown for Shaker Heights. This will be accomplished through a realigned intersection and arterial street layout; creation of an intermodal transportation center for light rail/ bus/automobile/pedestrian transfers; enhanced economic development opportunities; and improved pedestrian and bike-friendly access and site amenities. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the traffic impact of a variety of transportation network alternatives as input into the selection of a preferred concept. Various roadway network alternatives and GCRTA alignments were analyzed and recommendations made to mitigate the anticipated impacts of the proposed development, maximize the ingress/egress to the site and enhance pedestrian and vehicular safety. The proposed development is to be located on the northwest corner of the intersection of Chagrin Boulevard and Warrensville Center Road in Shaker Heights, Ohio and for the purposes of the traffic study, was considered to consist of 160,000 square feet of retail, 250,000 square feet of offices, and 500 dwelling units of apartments. Since there is currently retail development at this location, it is assumed that the 160,000 square feet of retail is already “captured” in the existing traffic counts and as such will not be added to the total trip generation results. The opening day year is assumed to be 2008, and the Design Year (i.e. full build out) is assumed to be 2028 (current map). The reconfiguration of the intersection of Warrensville Center Road, Chagrin Boulevard, Van Aken Boulevard and Northfield Road intersection and redevelopment of the surrounding commercial district was initially called for in the Shaker Heights Strategic Investment Plan. The reconfiguration of the intersection is also recommended in the Warrensville/Van Aken Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Plan, completed in 2008 by URS. The report assessed four different transportation network alternatives with the purpose of determining which configuration would support the redevelopment of the study area. Of the four scenarios tested, only two resulted in acceptable road and transit operations that would support the significant redevelopment of the site with a mix of residential, office and retail space; enhance safety of the Warrensville/Chagrin intersection by greatly reducing the number of conflict points within the intersection; enhance pedestrian accessibility by reducing the Warrensville/Chagrin intersection to a normal 4-legged intersection with crosswalks on all four legs; create an opportunity for an improved intermodal facility at the end of GCRTA’s Blue Line; and protect for the expansion of the Blue Line in accordance with GCRTA’s Long Term Plans. In December 2008, another alternative was proposed and recommended as the preferred alternative, over the original alternatives and believed to support the City’s overall project goals. The City of Shaker Heights applied to the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) for Safety and Congestion Program funds to reconfigure the six-legged intersection of Chagrin Boulevard, Warrensville Center Road, Chagrin Boulevard, Northfield Road and Van Aken Boulevard in Shaker Heights. In November 2008, ODOT District 12 was advised that the City’s application for Safety and Congestion Funds was approved for $4,000,000. On November 24, 2008, the City of Shaker Heights enacted Ordinance No. 08-105, authorizing the City’s application for two Stage 1 (Planning & Eligibility Assessment) for proposed Federal Aid Projects grants to NOACA for funding to reconfigure the Warrensville/Van Aken /Chagrin Northfield intersection, and reconfigure the transit tracks and stations in the Warrensville/Van Aken redevelopment area. Current Conditions: The sponsor states that the immediate project service area is the Warrensville/Van Aken commercial district and the City of Shaker Heights, immediately adjacent to the communities of Warrensville Heights, Highland Heights and Beachwood. The sponsor further states, the intersection is a heavily traveled commuter route between the eastern terminus station and bus transfer point, (servicing eight bus routes), which draws transit users from all directions. The sponsor reports that the intersection is over capacity now with an average daily traffic of 44,701 (November 2008 count by the Cuyahoga County Engineer) and will continue to operate poorly over the next 20 years if no roadway or traffic control improvements are made. Current levels of service (LOS) are LOS E in the AM peak hours and LOS F in the PM peak hours. The current traffic signal cycle length of 180 seconds results in long queues that can block adjacent intersections during peak hours. According to the sponsor, the Warrensville/ Van Aken area is one of the two primary commercial districts in the City of Shaker Heights, with significant retail and office presence. The area was identified as one of two areas most in need of improvement in the City’s Strategic Investment Plan. Chagrin Boulevard is a two-lane, east-west, minor arterial west of Warrensville Center Road. It is a four-lane, east-west, principal arterial east of Warrensville Center Road and a minor arterial west of Warrensville Center Road. Chagrin Boulevard has a posted speed limit of 35 miles per hour (mph) and carries an average daily traffic (ADT) volume of approximately 10,500. Warrensville Center Road is a four-lane, north-south, minor arterial south of Chagrin Boulevard. It is a four-lane, north-south, principal arterial north of Chagrin Boulevard. Warrensville Center Road has a posted speed limit of 35 mph and carries an ADT of approximately 22,800. Northfield Road (SR 8) is a four-lane, median divided, north-south, principal arterial that ends at the Chagrin Boulevard/Warrensville Center Road intersection on the southeast approach. Northfield Road has a posted speed limit of 35 mph and carries an ADT of approximately 13,500. Van Aken Boulevard is a four-lane, median divided, northwest-southeast, principal arterial that ends at the Chagrin Boulevard/Warrensville Center Road intersection on the northwest approach. Van Aken Boulevard has a posted speed limit of 35 mph and carries an ADT of approximately 16,500. Farnsleigh Road is a four-lane, semi-circular, local street northwest of the Chagrin Boulevard/Warrensville Center Road intersection. Farnsleigh Road has a posted speed limit of 35 mph and carries an ADT of approximately 5,000. The traffic study reports that, within the center of the study area, Warrensville Center Road, Chagrin Boulevard, Northfield Road and Van Aken Boulevard all meet at a single, six-legged intersection. This intersection is ranked at #263 in ODOT’s 2006 Hot Spot Non-Freeway List (2004-2006) for the entire state. Also, this intersection is ranked as the 11th highest collision intersection in Cuyahoga County with 34 crashes found in the 2005 Accident Report produced by NOACA dated June, 2007. The study further reports that, 14 (41%) of the accidents at this intersection were of the side-swipe passing crash type, and that it is likely that the high frequency of side-swipe passing crashes here is due to the complex, multiple lane turning movements required to be made by drivers. This is also an indication that the current intersection geometry and operation is confusing to drivers and is probably a contributing factor to the accident history at this location. The excerpts of these two crash reports are presented in Appendix A of the traffic study. According to the study, the City of Shaker Heights Police Department ranks the top ten most dangerous intersections in the City based on the total number of traffic collisions at each intersection. Three of the intersections (Warrensville/Van Aken/Chagrin/Northfield ranked # 1 with 474 crashes; Fairmount/Warrensville ranked # 2 with 247 crashes; and Farnsleigh/Van Aken ranked # 5 with 211 crashes) in the TOD study area are on that list. Between 1997 and 2007, over 40% of all intersection collisions in the top ten occurred at one of these three study intersections. Proposed Project: The City’s long term project goal is to improve the existing arterial road system, extend the rapid transit line and transform the existing commercial district into a mixed use downtown for Shaker Heights. To that end, the proposed project involves reconfiguring the intersection at Chagrin Boulevard/Warrensville Center Road, Van Aken Boulevard and Northfield Road, from six legs to four legs to improve the area’s geometrics, operations and safety. The proposed project will involve: closing Van Aken Boulevard at Farnsleigh Road and realigning Farnsleigh Road to terminate in a T-intersection with Chagrin Boulevard; and closing the Northfield Road leg of the intersection and realigning Northfield Road to connect with Warrensville Center Road, south of Chagrin Boulevard preferred alternative Additional elements of the City’s overall long term goal (independent of the proposed project) include: Local streets, planned to enhance the connection from adjacent neighborhoods (e.g. extend Lomond Boulevard one block north and terminate at the extension of Winslow Road and reconfiguring Van Aken Boulevard at Farnsleigh Road with a through local street to Warrensville Center Road). These local streets will be designed to avoid cut through travel, while still providing integration with the surrounding area. These proposed improvements will be developed as a stand alone project and funded locally. Maintaining the rapid transit line in its current diagonal configuration; and Extending the rapid transit line through the Chagrin/Warrensville intersection to a new transit/bus terminal near the University Hospitals Administrative building, The proposed improvements can support the significant redevelopment of the site with a mix of residential, office and retail space. The safety of the Warrensville/Chagrin intersection is enhanced by greatly reducing the number of conflict points within the intersection. Pedestrian accessibility will be enhanced by reducing the Warrensville/Chagrin intersection to a normal 4-legged intersec¬tion with crosswalks on all four legs. This creates an opportunity for an improved intermodal facility at the end of RTA’s Blue Line and it allows for the expansion of the Blue Line in accordance with RTA’s long term plans. The total project cost, provided by the sponsor, is estimated to be $11,000,000. The cost estimate is for the road improvement elements only and includes the reconfiguration of the Chagrin Boulevard/Warrensville Center Road/Van Aken Boulevard/Northfield Road intersection; realignment of Van Aken Boulevard; realignment of Northfield Road and related acquisition/demolition and design engineering costs. The cost estimate includes preliminary engineering detailed design for $900,000; right-of-way/demolition for $2,000,000; and construction for $8,100,000. $4,000,000 will be funded with ODOT Highway Safety Funding. $500,000 will be funded by the Cuyahoga County Engineer. The City of Shaker Heights will provide $2,300,000. The sponsor requests that $4,200,000 be funded with NOACA administered federal funds. The sponsor is also applying for Ohio Public Works Commission (OPWC) funding. Staff Comment (Summary): Plan and Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) Team: This project is consistent with NOACA’s Connections 2030 Plan Goal #3 (Preserve and Improve the Efficiency of the Transportation System), #4 (Establish More Balanced Transportation System), #5 (Improve Mobility of Transit Dependent) and #7 (Reinvestment in the Urban Core,) and ODOT’s Access Ohio 2004 - 2030 Goal # 4 (System Preservation). The sponsor should review the cost estimate at significant review stages of project design development. Recommend committee and public review in order to obtain comments. Regional Transportation System (RTS) Team: Chagrin and Northfield Boulevards and Warrensville Center Road are on the NOACA Bikeway Priority Plan. There are also many businesses located around the intersection, and there are plans to create a higher density of commercial and residential developments around the GCRTA light rail station. Therefore, it is very important that the reconfigured intersection accommodate bicyclists safely. The BAC would like to meet with the project sponsor to discuss this further. Intergovernmental Review and Consultation (IGRC): If you are a representative of a governmental entity and would like to comment on this project, please email us. "RTA supports and endorses this project. RTA has been a partner with Shaker Heights in this project for over 2 years. This project will enable the implementation of the Transit Oriented Development Plan funded by NOACA TLCI, adopted by the City of Shaker Heights and approved by the GCRTA Board of Trustees. This is project is truly inter-modal. This is a complex intersection. RTA has a great deal of bus traffic and routes navigating through and around it. RTA is involved in the project’s planning. The result of the construction will create a more efficient street network that will aid RTA in serving the public in this area however, maintaining traffic during construction especially bus traffic, will be a chief concern of RTA. RTA enjoys a strong partnership with the City of Shaker Heights. This is a fine example of inter-governmental cooperation and transit oriented planning." - GCRTA in Cuyahoga County Public Involvement: NOACA encourages comments from the public on this proposed transportation improvement project. Please notify us if you would like to be added to our e-mail notification list for future updates. Committee Review: Bicycle Advisory Council (BAC): Chagrin and Northfield Boulevards and Warrensville Center Road are on the NOACA Bikeway Priority Plan. There are also many businesses located around the intersection, and there are plans to create a higher density of commercial and residential developments around the GCRTA light rail station. Therefore, it is very important that the reconfigured intersection accommodate bicyclists safely. The BAC would like to meet with the project sponsor to discuss this further. (Note: Mr. Jamal Husani of the Cuyahoga County Engineer’s office attended the meeting to answer questions about the project.) Regional Transportation Investment Subcommittee (RTIS)/Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC): No comments; recommended for amendment to NOACA's Transportation Plan.