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City of Eugene City Council Page 8 September 12, 2012 The traffic analysis prepared for the EA considered a different approach to maximizing the traffic operations of the 6th/7th Avenue corridor than the 1987 study. The traffic analysis for the EA has focused on improving the capacity and operations of the most critical intersections along both 6th Avenue and 7th Avenue such as at Garfield Street, Chambers Street, Blair Boulevard, Monroe Street, Madison Street, Jefferson Street and Washington Street. At these critical intersections additional turn lanes (BAT Lanes) are proposed in addition to the existing lane configuration to improve capacity of these critical intersections as well as the corridor. At other non-critical intersections along the corridor, and at locations east of Washington Street where the traffic volumes are significantly lower, a reduction in the number of through travel lanes is proposed as part of the LPA. Detailed traffic analysis demonstrates that the overall corridor travel times will decrease with the approach taken in the LPA. The LPA maintains four through travel lanes on 7th Avenue from Garfield Street to Washington Street and adds additional turn lanes (BAT lanes) at several critical intersections in this segment. The LPA maintains four through travel lanes along 6th Avenue from Washington Street to Garfield Street except between approximately Blair Boulevard and Fillmore Street where only three through travel lanes are provided along with a fourth lane for left turning and BRT vehicles (a BAT lane). There is one signalized intersection in the proposed three through lane section on 6th Avenue at Polk Street. The LPA includes an additional southbound right turn lane on Polk Street which increases capacity and allows green time that would have been provided to the Polk Street movements to be transferred to the 6th Avenue movement. The 6th Avenue/Polk Street intersection is not the critical intersection of the 6th Avenue Corridor. The future year traffic operations at the 6th Avenue/Polk Street intersection with three through lanes on 6th Avenue and a westbound left turn lane (the BAT lane) plus the improvements on Polk Street (as described above) will be the same or better than with the existing lane configuration at the intersection. Corridor travel times in the future (year 2031) with the LPA are less than with the existing lane configuration. The traffic analysis for the EA therefore does not contradict the findings of the 1987 study but enhances it with analysis of a different way of maximizing corridor traffic operations that was not considered in the 1987 study. The EA traffic analysis also utilizes the most recent regional land use and traffic volume forecasting data available. ODOT has reviewed the traffic analysis completed for the EA and has confirmed its findings and conclusions. Professional, peer reviewed analysis has shown that the project will: Reduce traffic congestion, Reduce travel times, and Improve traffic conditions for both cars and transit along the corridor, including on West 6th and 7th Avenues. The West Eugene EmX project would add capacity to eight intersections along the corridor. The Business Access and Transit (BAT) lanes proposed for the corridor would be shared with turning vehicles, and serve as refuge turning lanes for traffic, which would allow the remaining travel lanes to operate more th efficiently. The project proposes to construct BAT lanes along approximately 67 percent of the 11 Avenue alignment.