The State Route 246

Central Avenue Ext. and Purisima Road

Traffic Study

May 2008

Objective of the Study

To examine the 2030 traffic impacts associated with four roadway improvement alternatives to access the City of Lompoc from Route 246 and to evaluate the critical intersection LOS within in the study area.

Interagency Steering Committee: City of Lompoc, County of Santa Barbara, Caltrans, SBCAG

The Four Alternatives

Alt 1 2030 No-Build (Programmed Forecast) Alt 2 2030 Central Ave Ext. as a 2-Lane Minor Arterial Alt 3 2030 Central Ave Ext. as a 4-Lane Minor Arterial Alt 4 Widen Rt. 246 e/o Rt. 1 to a 4-Lane Minor Arterial

Socioeconomic Forecast for the Study Area

Lompoc & Unincorp Areas Population Households Employment 2000 46,347 14,876 12,030 2030 62,846 18,918 16,518 % Incr. 35.6% 27.2% 37.3%

Daily & PMPH Traffic

(03) 33740, PH = 6.8% (06) 31480, PH = 8.2%

(03) 11540, PH = 8.5% (06) 11100. PH = 9.0% (03) 16240, PH = 8.6% (04) 13800, PH = 8.3%

(03) 8900, PH = 9.2%

(03) 9200, PH = 12.6% (06) 8600, PH = 9.9 %

Traffic and Truck %

33740, Trucks = 5.6% 16240, Truck = 6.3%

11540, Trucks = 4%

8900, Trucks = 4%

9200, Truck = 11%

2002 Traffic Distribution - PM Peak Hour Central Ave e/o H Street - Eastbound 100%

Truck Traffic
Distribution by Truck Type - PM Peak Hour Central Ave e/o H Street - Eastbound 25

80% 60%

2.0%

0%

20
Number of Trucks

Motorcyles &Bikes

Auto

P.Up

Buses

0.3%

Trucks

15 10 5 0 2-4 Axle Unit Truck Semis Tractor-Trailers

F ile : H:\Ne wM o de l\246S tudy/C e ntra l Ave Tk Tx 2002

6.2%

20%

23.5%

40%

68.0%

Four Study Alternatives

50,000 40,000 30,000 20,000 10,000 -

Traffic Impacts on Central Ext., Rt. 1 & Ocean Alt. 1 vs. Alt. 2

Traffic Impacts: Alt. 1 vs. Alt. 2

25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 -

Alt 1 (No-Build)

Alt 2 (Central Ext. 2-Ln)

Ocean e/o H St

Impacts on Central Ave Ext'n Alt. 1 vs. Alt 2

Central e/o H St

Rt. 1 n/o Central

30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000

Traffic Impacts on City's Arterials Alt. 1 vs. Alt. 2

Alt 1 (No-Build) Central Ext'n w/o Rucker

Alt 2 (Central Ext. 2-Ln) Ocean e/o 7St SR246 e/o Rt1

10,000 5,000 -

Alt 1 (No Project)

Central e/o O St

Alt 2 (Central Ext. 2-Ln)

H St n/o College

North w/o H St

Critical Intersection LOS Analysis

Critical Intersection LOS Analysis

Focus on P.M. Peak Hour Forecast Growth factors from SBCAG model Applied to current turning movement count data Level of Service (LOS) Grades A (free-flow conditions) through F (heavy congestion) Intersection Capacity Utilization (ICU) Methodology Some capacity improvements were assumed to be in place for the Year 2030 scenario

YEAR 2030 P.M. PEAK HOUR INTERSECTION LOS ALTERNATIVE 1

Intersection 1. Purisima Rd/H St-Rte. 1 2. Purisima Rd/Rte 246 3. Central Ave/H St Improvements Assumed for Analysis One SB through lane added south of intersection * Traffic signal* Add one left-turn lane on NB and SB approaches*

* Source: Wye Specific Plan EIR

2 3

YEAR 2030 P.M. PEAK HOUR INTERSECTION LOS ALTERNATIVES 2 & 3

Intersection 1. Purisima Rd/H St-Rte. 1 2. Purisima Rd/Rte 246 3. Central Ave/H St 4. A St/Central Ave 5. Central Ave/Rte 246 * Source: Wye Specific Plan EIR Improvements Assumed for Analysis One SB through lane added south of intersection * Traffic signal* Add one left-turn lane on NB and SB approaches* Traffic signal Widen NB and EB approaches Traffic signal

5 3 4

YEAR 2030 P.M. PEAK HOUR INTERSECTION LOS ALTERNATIVE 4

Intersection 1. Purisima Rd/H St-Rte. 1 2. Purisima Rd/Rte 246 3. Central Ave/H St Improvements Assumed for Analysis One SB through lane added south of intersection * Traffic signal* Add one left-turn lane on NB and SB approaches*

* Source: Wye Specific Plan EIR

2 3

Conclusions
Alt. 2 provides a direct access from Rt.246 to the City of Lompoc. The Central Ave Ext. has a significant impact in terms of:
Diverting approx. 8,100 ADT (46%) traffic volumes from Rt.246 Providing a primary truck access from Rt. 246 to the City and nearby communities Facilitating an alternate route for traffic between Downtown and Mesa Oaks/Mission Hills Increasing PM peak volumes on Central Avenue by approx. 15-30%

Alt. 3 offers no significant benefits with the added capacity on the Central Ave Extension. Alt. 4 does not appear to provide any operational benefits. With adequate capacity improvements in place, most study area intersections would operate efficiently with Central Avenue Extension except the Central Avenue and H Street intersection.

Next Steps:
Interagency MOU between County, City of Lompoc, and SBCAG for continued study of improvement alternatives. Cost sharing among County and City with SBCAG as Project Manager RFP for Feasibility Study to examine costs (e.g. bridge, road improvements), environmental issues (e.g. sensitive habitats), etc. of improvement alternatives Feasibility Study subject to public review