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HomeMy WebLinkAboutEGD-012-13 Clarftwn REPORT ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT Meeting: GENERAL PURPOSE AND ADMINISTRATION COMMITTEE Date: April 22, 2013 Resolution#: r ° ,` -1 By-law#: Report#: EGD-012-13 File#: Subject: SAFETY IMPACTS ON CLARINGTON ROADS ASSOCIATED WITH 407 PHASE 1 - TERMINATION AT HARMONY ROAD RECOMMENDATIONS: It is respectfully recommended that the General Purpose and Administration Committee recommend to Council the following: 1. THAT Report EGD-012-13 be received; 2. THAT in the interest of public safety, the Municipality request the Province provide their assurance that should there be larger traffic impacts than estimated by the Ministry's traffic impact study that the Ministry take necessary corrective action to mitigate the Municipality's public safety concerns and assume all liability for any related incidents; and 3. THAT a copy of this report and Council's decision be forwarded to the interested parties listed in report EGD-012-13 as well as the Minister of Transportation, the Honourable Glen Murray. t, 4 Submitted by: ' Reviewed by: A.S. Cannella, C.E.T. Franklin Wu, Director of Engineering Chief Administrative Officer Services ASC/lb/jb/dv CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CLARINGTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 REPORT NO.: EGD-012-13 PAGE 2 1.0 BACKGROUND 1.1 An Environmental Assessment (EA) for Highway 407 was conducted by the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) and was approved on June 2, 2010. During the EA process, phasing of the construction of the highway was not presented as an option and as such the Municipality provided review and comments to the Ministry based the 407 being completed and opened in one stage. Subsequent to the EA approval in March of 2011, the Province of Ontario announced that the first phase of the Highway 407 East Extension would be extended to Harmony Road by 2015 (see Attachment 1 for map). The attached map also shows future Phases 2A and 2B. 1.2 Fundamentally, from a transportation perspective, freeways such as the Highway 407 are generally expected to link or connect to other freeways, such as Highway 35/115 or highways such as Highway 7(as is the case with the current termination at Brock Road). Staff have voiced their opposition to the Ministry's proposal to terminate a freeway, Highway 407 at Harmony Road, based on the fact that from a transportation hierarchy of roads perspective, it is inappropriate that freeway traffic terminates at any junction without a proper distribution network of highways and arterial roads capable of safely conveying the proposed traffic. Furthermore staff are concerned that the termination of Highway 407 at Harmony Road is not appropriate because in addition to lacking the necessary proper traffic distribution network of highways or arterial roads, the roads that will be impacted in Clarington have not been designed and constructed to appropriate road standards to function as a higher order road that has the ability to convey traffic safely to another freeway or highway. Staff feel that the roads that will be impacted are local country roads not highways. 1.3 The above concerns along with concerns related to the Ministry's traffic study undertaken to determine the traffic impacts of the Phase 1 termination of Highway 407 in Oshawa were conveyed to the Ministry through letters sent to the Ministry on December 8, 2010 (Attachment 2) and June 30, 2011(Attachment 3), and a subsequent meeting with senior Ministry staff on September 2, 2011. The Ministry responded that they were confident with their traffic study as outlined in their August 11, 2011 response (Attachment 4). 1.4 Staff have undertaken considerable time and expense to attempt to share our concerns with the Ministry as well as the municipality's experience with peak traffic demand and volumes within our existing road network. Although a number of Clarington roadways have been identified in the Ministry's traffic study as being impacted due to the anticipated increased traffic volumes, based on our knowledge (past history) of our road network and the user preferences for access to the 407, we believe the traffic impacts have been significantly underestimated. The major basis for this belief are the traffic increases Clarington's roads had with the 407 termination extension to Brock Road in 2001 where some of our roads had volume increases of up to 200%. REPORT NO.: EGD-012-13 PAGE 3 1.5 As there are concerns with the impact of the added traffic the Municipality of Clarington retained the services of Stantec Consulting Ltd. to undertake a safety review of a number of road sections impacted by additional traffic under Phase 1 (termination at Harmony Road) and Phase 2A (termination at East Durham Link and Taunton Road) of the Highway 407 extension. Phase 213; which is the completion of the 407 to Highway 35/115 and the East Durham Link from Taunton Road to Highway 401, was considered to have minimal impact as it would represent the completion of the 407 (as was presented in the 407 East EA) but will be revisited once Phase 1 is in operation and traffic patterns can be confirmed. Attachment 5 summarized the Phasing of the Highway 407 Extension and East Durham Link proposed by the Province. Only those roads where there were significant traffic increases identified by MTO's consultant, URS, in their May 25, 2011 memorandum regarding traffic impacts, were included in the attached summary and are identified in Red on Attachment 5. It should be noted that additional impacts of certain road improvements not being in place prior to Phase 1 opening, such as Taunton Road being widened to 4 lanes to Courtice Road, have also not been factored into the summary. 2.0 SAFETY REVIEW RESULTS 2.1 The purpose of Stantec's review was to identify and document the safety features of the road segments under existing conditions, to develop mitigation measures to address the safety of road users after Highway 407 opens, and specifically during the lifespan of the interim termination of Highway 407 at Harmony Road. 2.2 The Table 1 below summarizes the recommended mitigative measures to improve safety and represents the minimum works required to address the safety concerns and increased exposure to risk resulting from the added Highway 407 traffic and change in functional use of our rural local roads. 2.3 The road impacts relating to the construction of Phase 2B and the corresponding traffic have not been addressed and may be more appropriately determined once Phase 1 is constructed and operating. At that time the traffic volumes and distribution of traffic which the Municipality has been contesting will be determined and the impacts to the Municipality can be assessed. These segments constitute a total of 74 kilometres of mostly two-lane rural roadway. While deficiencies exist on many of these roads, the Province does not believe (based on the URS memo) that the opening of Highway 407 extension at Harmony Road would significantly exacerbate the concerns associated with the deficiencies but staff disagree and have a traffic count program in place to monitor traffic volumes prior to and after the opening of Phase 1 of the Highway 407 Extension to Harmony Road. REPORT NO.: EGO-012-13 PAGE 4 Table 1: Remedial Counter Measures to Address Safety Concerns Resulting from Added Traffic from 407 East Extension Identified Length Phase 1 & No. Road From To Safety (km) Recommended Improvements phase 2A Concerns* -Relocation, removal or protection of hazards within the"Clear Zone" -Reconstruction of road as required Concession Enfield Regional to achieve minimum lane and 1 Road 6 Road Road 57 5.8 shoulder widths $4,025,000 -Redesign of road at locations where Vertical Alignment is a safety concern -Installation of illumination at intersections. -Hazards -Relocation, removal or protection of within hazards within the"Clear Zone" recommended -Reconstruction of road as required West "Clear Zone" to achieve minimum lane and 2 ow Concession Regional -Lane and shoulder widths $5,663,750 Road Road 7 T ad Road 57 shoulder 7'8 -Redesign of road at locations where widths Vertical Alignment is a safety concern -Vertical -Installation of illumination at Alignment intersections and built up residential -Illumination areas. -Relocation, removal or protection of 3 Enfield Regional Concessio hazards within the"Clear Zone" $6,670,000 Road Road 3 n Road 10 4'3 -Reconstruction of road as required to achieve minimum lane and shoulder widths Boundary Highway Highway -Redesign of road at locations where $1,483,500 4 Road 35 115 2.1 Vertical Alignment is a safety concern -Installation of illumination at intersections. 20.0 Total $17,842,250 * It should be noted that identified safety concerns are those that are recommended for correction based on the changing function of the road segment from a local rural road to an arterial type road as a result of traffic associated with the construction of the various Phases of Highway 407 therefore increasing the Municipality of Clarington's exposure to risk. 2.4 None of these road segments are included in our current development charge by- law nor are they included in our current 5 year Capital program as they were recently rehabilitated to deal with current traffic loading, and general growth based on the Province's initial plan to construct the Highway 407 extension in its entirety in one phase. REPORT NO.: EGD-012-13 PAGE 5 2.5 It is important to note that the above conclusions are based on what Stantec, and the Municipality of Clarington, believes to be overly conservative URS numbers and, therefore, the recommended improvements in this report should be considered to be an "absolute minimum" in terms of what will likely be required to mitigate the negative safety impacts of Highway 407 on the roads in the study area. Should volumes increase more than predicted by URS/MTO, the increased traffic could create additional safety concerns due to the local rural character of these roads. The roads that staff and their traffic consultant identified as a concern should traffic volumes be greater than estimated are shown in Green on Attachment 1. 2.6 Staff feel they can manage the Municipality's exposure to risk under current conditions due to the local rural road nature, recent road rehabilitation works and function of the road segments. With the addition of the Interim Highway 407 Terminations at Harmony Road (Phase 1) and Taunton Road (Phase 2A) and the lack of higher order roads at theses terminations the Municipality feels that the local rural roads will be required to act as higher order roads while not being designed to do so, significantly increasing their exposure to risk and more importantly compromising the safety of the travelling public. 3.0 CONCURRENCE — Not Applicable 4.0 CONCLUSION 4.1 Staff are concerned that because the Ministry's traffic projections are not in our opinion, representative of what we believe to be the accurate traffic distribution choices and resulting traffic volumes, the municipality's local road network will be utilized by the public as the roads of choice, and therefore the associated traffic impacts will be the sole responsibility of the municipality to face the significant liability and financial costs to address the road impacts to maintain public safety. 4.2 If the Ministry's traffic impact estimates prove to be correct and Clarington's roads experience minimal impact, then there should be no major issues but if they are incorrect and Clarington's concerns are realized Clarington will face significant challenges. 4.3 In order to address this concern it recommended that the Municipality of Clarington request the Province provide their assurance that should there be larger traffic impacts than estimated by the Ministry's traffic impact study that the Ministry take necessary corrective action to mitigate the Municipality's public safety concerns and assume responsibility for any liability associated with any incidents that may occur as a result of the traffic impacts. REPORT NO.: EGD-012-13 PAGE 6 CONFORMITY WITH STRATEGIC PLAN The recommendations contained in this report conform to the general intent of the following priorities of the Strategic Plan: Promoting economic development X Maintaining financial stability Connecting Clarington Promoting green initiatives Investing in infrastructure Showcasing our community Not in conformity with Strategic Plan Staff Contact: Ron Albright, Manager, Infrastructure and Capital Works Attachments: Attachment 1 - Highway 407 East Extension Phasing Plan Attachment 2 - December 8, 2010 Clarington correspondence to MTO Attachment 3 - June 30, 2011 Clarington correspondence to MTO Attachment 4 - August 11, 2011 response correspondence from MTO Attachment 5 - Location of Safety Improvements List of interested parties to be advised of Council's decision: City of Oshawa Region of Durham Honourable John O'Toole, M.P.P. i • Attachment 2 To Report EGD-012-13 CEMovgIzing Ontavl0 December 8,2010 Ministry of Transportation 4th Floor, Building D 1201 Wilson Avenue Downsview,ON M3M 1,18 Attention: Mr.Gustavo Rojas, P, Eng. Senior Project Engineer Highway Engineering, Central Region Dear Mr. Rojas: Re: Review of the Highway 407 East Termination—Traffic Operations Assessment (dated October 29,2010,prepared by URS) By way of this letter and accompanying documentation I would like to respectfully present Clarington's concerns with regards to the unanticipated phasing of construction for the Highway 407 East Extension to Simcoe Street. Our understanding is that when an Environmental Assessment(EA) is conducted the entire purpose Is to identify the precise Impacts that a specific project will have within the surrounding community, To construct Highway 407 in one phase is a particular type of project,to construct It in two phases is entirely another and it is for this reason that we welcome the opportunity to work with you over the coming months to ensure that the required essential infrastructure is.In place before this project proceeds, As has no doubt been made clear,we have concerns about the phasing of the construction of Highway 407 and based on those concerns, retained Stantec Consulting Ltd,,as our consulting engineers to review the Highway 407 East Termination—Traffic Operations Assessment(dated October 29,2010),as prepared by URS. We have confidence In Stantec's comments both from a technical perspective and also because they have a solid understanding of local traffic, road operations and local road maintenance. In retaining their services it was our intent to provide support in realistically assessing local road Impacts and to ensure public safety and the liability,final or otherwise,to the Municipality, if Highway 407 East Is completed In phases with the first phase terminating at Simcoe Street in Oshawa, our key concerns are as follows: ® The Clarington road network that would be impacted by traffic attracted to the capacity of '....,, Highway 407 is largely made up of rural roads that currently provide primarily local traffic service for small settlement areas and commercial operations(mostly farms), The role, function, and design features of these roads are not compatible with accommodating longer distance commuter travel. Further to this,there has been no planning or budgeting undertaken for any improvements to this part of the Clarington road network to allow it to serve a different purpose than it does today. CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALITY OF CL.ARINCTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, SOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L 1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 i i •� I o The traffic forecasting and related technical analysis that has been conducted to date•by the consultants on behalf of the MTO can be considered conservatively low In terms of quantifying the anticipated changes In traffic conditions in proximity to the proposed termination point. The extent as well as the impact of accommodating additional traffic on the rural road network appears to be underestimated. • With the observed capacity constraints and related operational issues experienced within the existing east-west road network serving Durham Region,and the substantial potential for new development in the Highway 401 corridor in the Municipality of Clarington,there is an overarching concern related to the need to continue to provide additional east-west road network capacity to assist In accommodating new development while not impacting other parts . of the road network with displaced,overflow traffic. A copy of the Stantec report has been enclosed for your convenience, in conclusion we would like to reiterate that the purpose of our'review of the URS report Is to bridge the apparent gap between the transportation computer modeling and our traffic monitoring data and experience dealing with the current impacts resulting from the termination of Highway 407 at Brock Road. 'As discussed at the conclusion of our meeting of November 15`", 2010, 1 understand that a subsequent meeting will be arranged to consider the findings of the URS'report In context with the Input and comments from the Region and the area municipalities. I look forward to that meeting and to working with you to achieve a mutually agreed upon traffic distribution, impact and resolution of those impacts. Sincerely, A.S.Cannella,C.E.T. Director of Engineering Services ASC/J b Encl: 1 Cc: R.Albright, P.Eng.,Manager of Infrastructure&Capital Works, Municipality of Clarington L. Benson,P. Eng., Manager of Transportation& Design,Municipality of Clarington G. Pappin, B.E.S., C.E.T.,Senior Project Manager,Transportation,Stantec Consulting Ltd. P. Bumstead, B.E.S.,Senior Associate,Transportation,Stantec Consulting Ltd, C. Curtis, P. Eng.,Commissioner of Works, Region of Durham C. Leitch, MUP,MC€P, RPP,Senior Planner,Strategic Planning Branch, Region of Durham F. Wu,CAO, Municipality of Clarington i Attachment 3' To Report EGD-012-13 CitelgizJng Ontario June 30, 2011 Ministry of Transportation 4 h Floor, Building D 1201 Wilson Avenue Downsview,ON M31VI 1,18 Attention: Mr. Gustavo Rojas, P. Eng, Senior Project Engineer Highway Engineering,Central Region Dear Mr. Rojas: Re: Review of the Highway 407 East Termination(Harmony Road, Oshawa)—Traffic Operations Assessment On May 27,2011 we received the highly awaited traffic operation report for the Highway 407 East Termination point at Harmony Road in Oshawa, Disturbing, however,was the fact that the report did not address any of the concerns we raised in our December,2010 letter to you in which we discussed in detail the impacts that phased construction will have on local roads, east of Harmony Road that were designed and built primarily for local traffic and not for distance commuter travel, Of course it is encouraging to note that there are preliminary plans to suggest that the Highway 407 may be phased and completed to Highway 35/115 by 2021 but the fact remains that phased construction will have Impacts on local roads east of Harmony Road and yet this has not been addressed in this most recent report. As you are aware,the Municipality of Clarington expended funds to hire Stantec to review the earlier URS memorandum regarding the original Highway 407 Phase 1 terminus at Simcoe Street and provided that review to the MTO for their consideration. In the URS follow-up memorandum regarding the Highway 407 Phase 1 terminus at Harmony Road it appears that the MTO did not direct their consultant to address in any depth the previous concerns with the technical analysis and conclusions as indicated in Stantec's review. This has required the Municipality to spend more funds for another detailed review by Stantec, From Stantec's latest review of the MTO directed URS analysis it can be concluded that the same strategic or"top down" approach(model-based)was used again in assessing potential traffic Impacts of Phase 1 and there was no"bottom up"assessment(field review comparing actual volumes, etc,) of road or traffic conditions to address or acknowledge Clarington's concerns with additional traffic using the rural road system and the related Impacts on traffic operations or safety. CORPORATION OF THE MUNICIPALI'T'Y OF CLARINOTON 40 TEMPERANCE STREET, BOWMANVILLE, ONTARIO L1C 3A6 T 905-623-3379 i Terminating Phase I of the Highway 407 extension at Harmony Road In Oshawa does not change the preliminary cost impacts that we Indicated In our letter to the Region and contained within their report 2011-J-21 which was considered by Regional Council and subsequently forwarded to the Ministry of Transportation,the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Infrastructure. Our anticipated I capital construction costs are estimated at$64.9 million with life cycle costs of$15.9 million for a total cost of$80.8 million. The list of roads Impacted Is as follows; e Concession Road#6 o Concession Road#7 © Concession Road#8 ® Enfield Road 0 Liberty Street P Pebblestone Road ® Trulls Road To conclude we are very concerned that the Information from Stantec,as well as our comments to you, were not really considered. Phased construction of the Highway 407 regardless of the interim termination point creates financial,operational and llability issues for the Municipality of Clarington that are anything but minor and yet none of these impacts have been addressed. It is for this reason that i would like to request a timely meeting with MTO,URS,Stantec and us,to discuss In detail the information we have provided and the concerns we have identified. I look forward to hearing from you and to coordinating a meeting as quickly as Is possible. Sincerely Ala, Director of Engineering Services ASC/jb Encl: 1 Cc: Clarington Mayor and Council F.Wu,CAO, Municipality of'Clar€ngton C. Curtis,P. Eng.,Commissioner of Works, Region of Durham C. Leitch, MUP, MCIP, RPP,Senior Planner,.Strategic Planning Branch, Region of Durham Mr. L. Politano,P. Eng., Manager,Ministry of Transportation Mr. D. Remolino,Ministry of Transportation Mr. P.Chackeris,Ministry of Transportation R.Albright, P.Eng., Manager of Infrastructure&Capital Works, Municipality of Clarington L. Benson,P. Eng., Manager of Transportation &Design, Municipality of Clarington G. Pappin, B.E.S.,C.E.T.,Senior Project Manager,Transportation,Stantec Consulting Ltd. P. Bumstead,B.E,S.,Senior Associate,Transportation,Stantec Consulting Ltd. I i i Attachment 4 AVO-12•-2011 I t I oe MTO sHhto To Report EGD-012-13 Ministry of Minlatbre des Transports �,a_ 'rransportatfon Bureau du dlreateur rdgional l �° Roglonal Directors Offloo RBglon du Centro •j C'anlral Region �dlflco v u Wison 2 t�loor,.Bidg,p. 1201,avenue Wilson 1201 Wilson Avenue Toronto ON M3M 1,18 0% nta* No Toronto,Ontario M3M 1J0 TA:410 236,6400 Tel(410)2368400 Tdl&o,;410 236-6323 Fax(418)236.8323 August 11, 2011 AS, Cannella, Q,E,T, Director,*Engineering $ervlces Department Munlclpality of Clarington 40 Temperance Street Dowmanviile, Ontario L1C W Dear Mr. Cannella: Thank you for your letters of December 7,2010, December 8, 2010 and June 30, 2011 regarding the Highway 407 East Implementation.Although our project team has had ongoing discussions with your staff over the past several months t thought It would be appropriate if i formerly responded to your correspondence. The opening dates for this new transportation corridor were announced on March 10, 2011,'We have committed to opening Highway 407 toast to Harmony Road, Including the West Durham Link by late 2015, to Taunton Road at the East Durham Link by 2017, and the entire project to Highway$51116, by 2020, Once tha construction starts, It will be continuous.The AFP procurement for the section between brook-Road and Harmony Road Is well underway, and we have also started the prerequisite warp for the easterly section, Highway 407 East will provide significant additional capacity for traffic through Durham Region, and will allow for the movement of people and goods In a safe and effloient manner, in addition, the project will provide eoonomlc ben'eflts to the community, During construction,millions of dollars will be spent on purchasing supplies from local businesses,and its construction will create 13,000 jobs. Your December 2010 comments to our traff ic report were noted and Incorporated In the revised traffic report to the extent appropriate for a provincial highway traffic study. The findings of our report were presented to Clarington staff on Juno 17, 2011. The attached table summarlxes the comments In your[otters and provides our responses, I understand,you are requesting a further meeting with senior ministry staff. Peter Chackeris of my office )s organizing this on my behalf, The purpose of the Mlnlstry's traffic analysis was to identify requirements for the safe and efficient operations of the provincial facility, as well to determine.the changes to traffic on municipal roads immediately adjacent to Highway 407 East, As with the Introduction of any new transportation corridor, some level of traffic redistribution on the municipal.network Is to be expected. The results of the traffic analysis were not Intended to form a basis for determining what additional work MTO would be carrying out beyond the Highway 407 East right-of-way. As Is normally the case, the Ministry will only be responsible for provinclak related improvements within the right-of-way and In the Immediate viclnity the highway. This approach Is consistent AVO-U-20f1 11;06 ' MTO SHMO 41G M. 6039 F.006 ,with any new facility that the province has construoted such as the recent extensions of Highway 410, Highway 404 and Highway 406, Nonetheless, our traffic model shows only modest Increases on some municipal roads,while in other areas volumes will decrease.We will, however, be addressing a number of municipal Infrastructure improvements, Among others, the project includes additional lanes and larger bridge spans on key structures to facilitate future widening of local roads, as well as sidewalks and bike lanes at a number of road crossing structures. This Is above and beyond MTO practice and is a significant Investment from the Province that will facilitate future municipal growth, Our project team will continue to meet with Ciarington, the Region and the other area municipalities to review and discuss Issues related to the Highway 407 East implementation. The province Is committed to building this priority project with the most,aggressive timelines possible. We look forward to continuing to engage in an open dialogue as we bring Highway 407 East closer to construction. Sincerely, Lou Polltano, P,Eng, Regional Director -HICzHWAY407 EAST Comments to 407 East Phase 1 implementation-Received via letters from Municipality of Ciarington Fage I a c N t N a a m a a 0 tO. c� W CO CD -a Q 0 RIrSi'ONSE=&'AC7fI01�TS ' 7 - Mamexpality Dec_7, Tbelvluttic4rdity is not support'cve of the=mounceo rot to On March 10,2011,the Province announced the t:onetable for of baton 2010 temtinate Phase 1 of the east expansion at Simcoe St in ext=diag IEgnway 407 Fast from Brock Road Pickering m Oshawa. The entire JE.A.process vras based on a single phase ffrgltwway 351115. The highway will be opened to traffic in A.S.Caianetiq ofconsituctiau from Brock Rd.to 1Ewy 115135,and it is our stages,begbj6ng with 2 Segm=to I awgyRoadin 2015, Director, strong view that Clz=6-ton7s residents anti road network wM then the opening froinBkTaony Road to Taunton at the Ewt $n�,ginecring be izapacted in ways whirh were-not considered nor included .Dm-bam Uok in 20 IT,and the completion to Mghway 351115 Servic:s Dept the EA in 2620. Once thepm jea zmplementatioa begins, conshuction will be oa-going continuously until completion ' and opcuuag to W450 at idigfway351115 in 2020. We have identified the most aggressive delivery sche3ule as possible. Tbis timetable addressed tb�.-concerns of the Region and aream mieipali#es. Clazi ntan.is concerned about the impact of construction The 407 East Phase 1 project wM foIlow aDesign,Btu, irafuc i a the municipality. We request that the Slam routes for Finance and Maiinxiu(DBE model in vbx*the selected constructim activity be defined is the RPP and that the consortium wM be responsriale for loam with all designated routes be restricted to the appropriate arterial stakeholders and ensmre appropriate coordination o£aI1 Sae roads ovbich have been&agnedand contacted for this wo s and constrxtioxt staging. Homing routes and purpose undcr the jurisdiction of the Region o£Dtnbanz municipal by-law resmictions wM need to be considered by the mccessfd consorYin - Mnnicdualiiy Dec.8, Stamec Consulting Ltd_was retained as Clarnagtoes of Clarimgton 2410 consulting engmeem to review the$igh'way 407 East Termination—TrafEC Operations Assessment(dated October AS Caarnd4 Director, 29,20 10)as prepared byURS Engiaftemg ICJ-may 407 East is completed iuphases with the fast Services Dear. Phase tmnizmduz at Skwoe Street in Osbawa,C12xiUspoes key concerns are as follows: Claaagton road network dial would be mnpacted by traffic Azdcrpated z-dffic diversious due to 407 East Please 1 as attracted to the capacity of M_gfi vay407 is largely made up compared to the scenazio with no 407 East in place have been of raral roads that cuaently provide primaray local ttaSc presented to mwnicipaiities. D de tonslrated little change in s=dce for small-r.s�ettlemont areas and commercial operations trafEc patterns tbrougb.Chuingrm In addition,a comparison (Taosdy�)_ h-161e,fimctiOn,3Rd design fame of o£sc-.tarios with 407 East extendcd to Si mooe vs_extending these roads are not compatihk with accomnn�g longer to ESSUway351115 was performed and demonstsav;d.a dista ace commuter tcav& Fusdier to this,there bas been no sianifcaut drop is demand on 407 last east of Simcoe Street pizaningorbudgeting undertaken for any improvements to The analysis also showed*rt 407 Est is not anti to Fage I a c N t N a a m a a 0 tO. c� W CO CD -a Q 0 m Q 0 n. M M 127 20 M N to 0 0 c- 0 .-s 0 c� HIGHWAY 407 EAST Comments to 407 East phase I implementation-Received via letters from Municigai'cty of Clarington Page 2 this part of the Clarington road network to allow it to serve�a =2ct sie, ufficxnt trffic volumes from Qamugtonroads when different purpose than it does today.' extended to 351115 Traffic fcrecasting and related tec3 cal analysis is The MTO aad its cortsdtants use computer models and braflic considered coas=vzdveiy low in terms of gaazdify g the analysis methodologythm are considered acceptable is the anticipated changes in ixzfc conditions in proximity to tine industry to quantify Rupacts of projects ax this Made_ An. proposed*wonpoiaL Fmme model was devcloacd as part of the toraangassessment Load use asmnEptions are based on places to Grow. With the observed capacity contain and related' Coxnmentnoted. opezaitonal issues expeaeneedwiF�n thr existing east-west • road network serving Dnrbartt Regiox: and the subsu=64 � potential for new development in ther Ilighway 401 corridor, is f=Municipality of Cla rbagtoni thew is aa overarching concem related to the need-to oontimm to provide additional east'weStroad network capacity to assist In accommodating new development while not impacting other parts of the road xtetw-k with displaced,overflow trams_ (S= tee s; Dea.8, The UR.S study arcpared for 6e MTO as documcnred in their On March 10,2011,the Province announced sire 6anetable%r letter report 2010 October 29,2010 tnemoraudma ,`high way 4407 East extending E iglnway4071 ass fro=BrockRoad inPickering to to pia) Terra ration-Traffic Oseratiens Assessment`,is narrow in Highway 35/115. On Juste 17,2011,file Mitlistrypreseuted 11 unicigaiiciy scope 2nd does not 2dega2tety address the broader impacts of the traffic analysis that zeffects size commitment to build of Clariaxzgton the proposed termination of 3xo my 407 at Simcoc Street. Phase 1 to Ramaony Road and.reco==dcd Regional and Muxticipal improvements. Director, The study was undertaken on the macro and micro-analysis Eng,meerin.- levels_The macro analysis incorporated the ea lire ire GCE7 and Services Dept. extended easterlyto PetczucsraugI Effects of the 407 Fast Phase 1 v&x*corridor bave be=provided in the report. In addition to talc comparison with the scenario without 21ie .407 iaplace,a sensitivity analysis of tlic Pbase I vs.Full BmU-out scen-aao was completed vsbug the travel demand forecasr7nodeh 2lze mas�ro SimvIatxon component mcoxpozatcd=tcxs moos Z '..flat may h2wo infi:ncnoc on tho 4G7 Fast X'hase 1,mclndmg 3 V riz/ ItSQr3,WinchesMrl2hrrOriy,Simcoe/ConUn and SimcoelColumbus at tht cast end of the surd area Page 2 HIGHWAY 407 FAST Comments to 407 East Phase 1 implementation-Received via fetters from Municipality of C#arington - �sS � 3Dz A prel mmary assessment ofpc,=t d traffic impacts more Although the scre=l=analysis demonstrated adequate Higharay407 corridor east of Smicoe Street indicates that capacity of cast-west conidors,t$e prelimhaarymview there maybe rapacity issaes for east west travel undertaken by Stantec stated that Gertz=Finica east of Ehrmony show We ratios approacbing 1.0_ This does not ply create anadiditional demand for the tolled freeway hzlity espoamIly considering avaUable capacity on 4acent and parallel altmnadyw that are not tolled. The level of diversion to a fulled faa tyis maidiya function of trip cost; trip dnrationaadvalue ofivae.Asttavel tunes iacreasewith roads becoming more congested,drivers are likely to diiv=t to a comidor that provides a cltriclxral=native to get from point A to poim B even ifthe route choice results i a addli&nal cost The model demonstrated that this"willingness"to switch to a. tolled corridor is reftcad sigma candy east of Simcoe Street due to numerous factors,imclu mg presence ofakerna?xve routes with adequate eVacltN trip origin and destination,and trip costto name a few With the siglnificantly reduced demand for the tolled corridor,changes in travel patterns are also becoming less apparent in the area_ A sensit<v=t _Iysis of the Phase I vs.Full Bid out scenario demonstrated little chavge to travel patterns tbrough.CIaxin tOU A pre-hin l ry assessment of Highway 407 Navel generated by The potential.market area assessment undertaken by Stantec tat potential.market area located widxms north of,and east of was based on the Transportation Tomorrow Survey(TTS) § C1aHngtonmdicates the potential for a higher zmmberofpeak datawi1&speci&as ons-nsedtodetetmmepotential hour trips using Hsgittvay407(With the proposed terminus at usage of 407 East during peak7hour:s. the Greater"Golden. S=coe Street)than that dete==d byi3RS thwugaa the use Ho=shoc (C�GI�D mode's(used to forest t taffic•vola nas) ofthe strategic travel demand model, utr'Hized the TTS data as ve%along whiz od==pat dicta: including tolling,value oftizney auricipatcd madnetmozk,trip disuabndon andothera ptions_Based on all ofthe above, the model.predicts a.sip xzficant decrease in demand on 407 ]East east of Simcoe Street: .Addlticnal information and analysis is xtgTdired to examine Post modelling open,nm=azy winle . the issues idenfified above,cad to address otherporsatial undertaking an opezat oral analysis ffi2t is based on the travel weakaesses in the izavel demand forecasting:model,wwich demand forecast obtained from.The macro-level model.As specifically includes the und ou o£offpeakaectiom stated in the traffic report;low tcafc volumes on 407 Fast in travel as well as further consideration and xe£nement of - the off c A dir o=could be as n-bntecl to the fact that FagC 3 N I to 0 is µ 0 0 s 0 ,a. N CO rn w CO to 6 O C9 0 C! s±. a) 07 c> LO UD ce.> cv x rn 0 ry 0 0 t t HIGHWAY407 c L5T Comments to 407 East Prase Z implementation-Received via letters from M urddpalky of Clarington Page 4 model inpa s and assamptions. adjacent and parallel roads have adequate capacity to accommodate anticipated demand at no additional costs to theirtrips @,c-tolls}_ Witb lower tic volumes on407 East m.the off-peak direction,tixe model predicted somewhat higher traffic volumes as the same direction on other parallel roads wed in time analysis. In addition to the tecbmical inputs and analyscs,Rather Cozy aent noted. The analysis of operating conditions of the consideration shonidbe given to ifte proposod Highway 407 local network due to potential manicipai growth is not wiibia tcimr=with respect to the lower amity and lower design . the scope ofIMs studs. standards oftheroad network east of Si racoe Street Under existing conditions,the rural roadnetwork as this am as insufficient from a traffic operations perspective as well as incozuoatn 4e from a transportat planning perspec ave with } xeaar6 to accommodating the additional vehicular trafe that would be attracted by the high capacity o#'llzghway 407. As zelatexi to the proposedHiemzy 407 te=i mus at Simcoe Extension x£407 East to 3$1115 is not I&*to resolve Street,the resultant higher time volumes nsMg the existing public safety concerns on Cbmngton's roads.The Clarington rarai road network would contribute to existing macro-level analysis&monstrated little cbaxge in travel k • vblie safety concenos and woula pote:nfWly create public pauems through Cia;i V=whey the two scenarios(407 sectyissnes. -extended toRaxmonyvs- Mginmy 35!115)are compared Another issue that remnains unresolved with respect to the Commentnote&Tinx-Aiaes for Highway 407 East extension CL-ari agton snnation is;ire resultant delay in providing to 3511 IS have been indicated above. freeway capacity Within and through Claziagton considering both mainline Highway 407 and the East Dml=Lac,and how this will a$ect the status and progress of planned developments representing subsiaatialp-n1 I ou and cunployrnctxtgrowth withinthe manicipaiity. t UIR S weseated very litttediscass on or explanation with. Ad&Tonal discussion on assertions used in the'ViSSBI zrspcct t>the inputs and as=ptions for tlrc VISSIM x¢odcl wore provided in:the updated report analysis. - For time strategic anaiy=u=g EMNT.475,the tbllowing Time assumptions made for the sizategc analysis are assuraotxons were identified considered adequate at this stage offac-project and are in tine -flares to Grow land use; with the overall chazacteetstics ofthe study area -S29)brVahrcofT=O(VO ; Page 4 HIGHWAY 407 EAST Comments to 407 East Phase 1 implementation-Received via letters from Municipality of Cladngton Pages N z N O 0 0 3 a zv w a� ra CO LO ro 0 F- -'– M OYCOiV)L TENT =: = RESPONSE •$0 l9251.km tDU rate-and •]Full tolling reg me- The zelevance and sig>af cane of ffiese assunapuons are not described by URS.'Without a clear and—ding of their conservative or aggressive natare,the assumptions os noted could have a beating cn the forecast use oflEgkway 407. AV Carcrre7lq lime 30, There are two levels of cWknition that Stantec feels ate- No additional calibration-vas undertaken as part oftltis Director, 2011 rewired for this traffic operation anaiysm cotfataon of the assxganteut.However,additional a ' to were made dJtron F.�nee� cahbra6m of the model for the 407E corridor mci (including the- traffic vohuaes in certi2in areas based on available actual available Services Dept, ==ediate paral%1 arterial facilities);and the calibration of time data,rather than the model output. l EtcaicxpaIrtp the VISSiM model used for the mtmsechon analysis.The best of CIatisitou information,we have available;as related to the 407 East Extension EA,stzogests the only caliibratxoupedb=aed was {Stautee's for the mT�ajor Regional scseenlines for the strategic(EMdE) - letter report. 7 model.I additional calibration has been undertaken,it Should to.Clarrngtan) be documented m.tins analysis report. Page 1:",Fu lh3 refnzerr=ts7 to the travel dmna sd forecast Roar]Improvements were discussed at lei with the mold havebeen underiak as part ofBirs analynszo reflect av u�ies and theReggion duzing Sze liaison mugs. changes to the anficipated road network based on dz=asions Additiwnal changes have-been made to the model as a result of wiskDur =.Regf nand Mee local=adcipahtre &=dis�ons_Cbamgesbzvebeenreflwtediaffze microsimaiation analysis. These changes to the netwwk are not clearly articulated. Therefore,&eirmle and impact on traffic patterns at the Tlxe refinements are soklylawed on 20I7 network eastern taus are not easily quanfifred based on the assumptions and are in accordanoc with the Region's aad htformasion presrated Mvmicipaiitics fistrse pl--;,d Ipr—,,X u cd improvemcntS. Ilese assrimcdmad istrorovements are Mustrased in fig=l of the traffic report and cover east of Harmony to Hvsy 35/i15. While the S%(peak hour truck percentagge)is a reasonable Trucks are not part of the macro-level model as the travel assan pfion for tbe,opmztionai analysis(ignorbig off-peak demand forecast model provides auto demand only lu tht =der sl=xblions),flieroleof trucks in the strategic forecasts EA stndy,trackpercentagees for 407 Fast and fie norttrsoua is shit not cleat: ]inks wen based on exists observed t=k percentages on parallel fi oil ties.Truckpetcentagc assumptions used in the mzcxosfi=Jzdon,model in this study ate comparable to tolled facility west.OEBrock Road. On the strategic level.,407E does not vide a reasonable alternative to Highway 401 for Pages N z N O 0 0 3 a zv w a� ra CO LO ro 0 0 am CO M LO LO Cz cz C? 0 x O E- 17 o- 0 0 i i HFGHWAY407 EAST" Comments to 407 East Phase 1 implementation-Received via fetters from Municipality of Clarington Page 6 long distanm truck trips-Highway 401 wM r=xih a major strategic corridor for track moversenm Page 3:IfAfs resrdts in a mom coxsz vaif m result whe2f We believe that the pot=mat nudersratemeut of407E traffic undertak Wanalysis ofa vial road bussectrons(z.e More demand is the off-peals axection does not have a sigmfarat Ira Fc is assfgrzed to arterfa£roads aS re CA17Sec�7ie?zee Qf a low Ziegatvo or positive incremental hnuact*a tCdfc Operadow traffkforecast on 407E in the offpeak direction),•• 'at t3ae study area ramp tit intersections. thile this is areasdnfe staietneatfor the strategic analysis and for specific movements,the concern rontaaues to be that st=cments rehma to the good Level of Service at ==Zeetions at/near the 407E ratan=terminals are over-stat4 as off-peak direction zttoveaaents are ender-stated as try are not competing'with,peak direction mmve==ts for raaacilyyt si,.;04 mac. Page 7.'nem&AWe change in bmdpatterrrs east of Tba model predicts relatively low traffic volnmeson 447E $a»nozy Road Jnorchanges in travel pattern are noted on east of S=coe Sheet compared to the section to tlzewesL 33rmdzesterRoad,Colzmznres Road,as well as 2'ara2ton Aoad" With this signifrr rlt drop in.demand east of Simcoe Street,- es to travel patterns.east of Sixncoe Streetdzmzuis StateAZeuts retatedto rho signi5c ance ofvcb es or pattezms resulting ms=Uar to the base-case see=(>travelpattern& are done so on the bass of=adlusted strategic model forecasts,.Th=are concerns that the m=odel is not sufficiently calibrated(at a facffaylevel)to sapport these statements with con$der� . In comparing the 2017 base forecast to 2010 groand courts, 2raf c:volumes on Conlin Road cast of Simcoe Street were th=are several inoonsistmdes.A concern arises that a&justc&is the mrcrosintulation analysis based ono review of stat=en&canclgsians from the strategic analysis that arterial raccut traffic data and the results of*c macro-mo&L roads are not si�,y1•iffi ntly impacted arc based on,forecasts Specffi=lly,through=ffic on Conlin Road Was adjustcd to where 7 year forecasts are as much as 80%lower than 2010 =arch egg levels of traffic on this road. counts(e g.Conlin Road F=ast ofH==ny irr the nzorrning + Peakhour-) The purpose of the traffic analysis was to identify ! t regair=tWs for the safe and efficiGUt operations of the provincial facility and also to ideutffy ft=eamertal impa=to relevant roadway Facilities and mt=4eations asso6ated witl, tbe407FAm The analysis was not attended to det mminte req=td moprovemeuts to the broaderaoadnetwork m order . to meet acceptable levels o£smvicc in innate horizon Page 6 HIGHWAY407 EAST Comments to 407 East Phase I implementation-Received via letters from Municipality of CWIngton Page 7 c N N O ri 0 C3 x 0 N W G37 +37 W W dD '[7 CO ri W Geucrally,the forecasts shoo arterial volumes in the 4.07E Traffic vohzmes were adjxxsted in the microsirnulatioa analysis corridor that are im some caws xixuch lower than the obsdxved based on a review of mcent.traffic data and the results of the comats The cone is that the vol=es oxt These roadways are macro-model not i -gnzficant and that adXidonai volumes rehted io 447E are being-added to roadways xlrat arc not desixacd to The purpose of the traffic analysis was to id'=ffy aCComraodate higher levels oftraffic.Tile forecasting as re(Firements for the safe and efficient aperxlions of the described does not provide a him level of cadence that&,- provincial faciiffty and also to idez►tsfy inareniemW impacts to base vohumes(7-1—2017 witb D=IlIghway 407)are reflective rdcvmzt roadway faciTitzes and intersections associated with of a=emt conddons or that the diverted volumes are the407 East. As with the introduction of any rxew appropriate in made. transQort ozi corridm,some level of traffic redistribution on tbs mzaricip&network is to be expected. The amdlysis was not intended to dete=r ae required improvements to'the broader road netwodc in order to meet acceptable levels of service m-futum l odwayear& As is normally the case,the NEaistxywrll onlyberegxmsibio for psovizzcial�•elated improvements witl}in the xthz-of way and in the immediate vicinity the lxighway_ ( prelimnaary assessazemt of the potential impacts m the 4t}7E Comment noted. Please refer to previous response. corridor east ofHatmaxty Road indicates tbatthere mray be capacity issues for east west travel- In.addition to the tc,-- z cal inputs and analyses,f=&= Comxneut notedl. Please refer to pzeviotss resgdmse. consideration should be given.to the proposed Highway 407 tettni ms with respect to the lower capacityamd loaner design. stag Bw&offfie roadsxetworkeast ofllarcuonyRoad.Under ex=ng eondidons,ffle rexal road network S0.this area,is insufficient from a traffic operations peispeotcve as Well as -incompauble from.a traasport4oa planning perspective with regard to aceommodazmg the additional vehicular traffic that wotdd be at=cted b y the high czPacity of y407 Page 7 c N N O ri 0 C3 x 0 N W G37 +37 W W dD '[7 CO ri W