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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-22-09 Transportation Coordinating Committee Minutes MINUTES BOZEMAN AREA TRANSPORTATION COORDINATING COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2009 ITEM 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ATTENDANCE Chairperson Christopher Scott called the meeting to order at 1 0:04 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22, 2009 in the City Commission Room, City Hall, 121 North Rouse Avenue, Bozeman, MT and directed the T CC members to introduce themselves. Members present: Christopher Scott, Planning Department, Gallatin County Jeff Ebert, MDT, Butte District Joe Olsen, Engineering Services Superintendent, Butte District MDT Andy Epple, Planning Director, City of Bozeman, Chair Bob Lashaway, Montana State University Ralph Zimmer, Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee Carol Strizich, Statewide and Urban Planning, MDT Rob Bukvich, MDT, Bozeman Division Bill Cochran, Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board George Durkin, Gallatin County Roads, proxy for Lee Provance Sam Gianfrancisco, County citizen representative Dan Martin, City representative Rick Hixson, City Engineering, proxy for Debbie Arkell John Van Delinder, Street Superintendent Guest present Lee Hazelbaker, Gallavan/Streamline Transportation ITEM 2. PUBLIC COMMENT {Public comment limited to any public matter within the jurisdiction of the Bozeman Area Transportation Coordinating Committee not on this agenda with a three minute time limit per speaker.) Chairperson Scott opened public comment. No person commented. Chairperson Scott closed public comment. ITEM 3. MINUTES Chairperson Scott asked TCC members if anyone had any changes to the minutes of April 22, 2009. Minutes of the Transportation Coordinating Committee, duly 22, 2009 Jeff Ebert Mr. Ebert noticed a few typos on the minutes and said he would get those to Aimee Kissel. Joe Olsen Mr. Olsen said that on page 10 he would like to make sure the mention of $87,000 is correct. Carol Strizich will check that amount. The first line on page 11 should not say `drip and dry' but rather Griffin Drive. Chairperson Scott Mr. Scott confirmed that the membership approved of the April 22, 2009 minutes as written with the modifications mentioned. ITEM 4. TCC MEMBER REPORTS A. Transit Committee Report Lee Hazelbaker Mr. 1Jazelbaker said that Streamline is working on route changes for the upcoming year and should have those completed by the middle of August. Streamline gave 198,000 rides in the last fiscal year. They consistently give 700 to 800 rides per day with several days in the winter going over 1,000 rides per day. Dan Martin Mr. Martin added that Skyline ridership was up 11 in their fiscal year with a little more in the link between Bozeman and Big Sky. Rob Bukvich Mr. Bukvich said he ran across a provision in the parking regulations in state law that bus stops should be established by an engineering study. While he doesn't know who would do that study, they may need to look into that in the future. Sam Gianfrancisco Mr. Gianfrancisco began a conversation regarding safety issues around the City parking garage and problems with people not realizing they need to move over when they are in the outside lane. Rob Bukvich Mr. Bukvich spoke regarding an idea to move the curb line back after the Kenyon Noble building across the street becomes occupied so there is not a straight curb line on the right. B. Gallatin County Report George Durkin Mr. Durkin spoke regarding chip seal projects going on at various locations throughout the County. Chairperson Scott Mr. Scott said the County is close to having the subdivision regulations amended specifically related to transportation improvements. Primarily access roads requirements, the threshold to paving and requirements for traffic impact studies and inserting the transportation plan in the subdivision regulations. These amendments will go before the County Commission on July 28` 2 Minutes of the Transportation Coordinating Conan:ittee, July 22, 2009 C. City of Bozeman Rick Hixson Mr. Hixson reported the City is working on the design for the College and l l improvements and will move forward on the acquisition now. They are still waiting for approval from MDT on Kagy and 11"' and is in conjunction with the Town and Country project. The City is about to start their street improvement projects for the year. Ralph Zimmer Mr. Zimmer asked about the intersection of College and Willson. Jeff Ebert Mr. Ebert said MDT had a meeting recently with a presentation from traffic employees and they have roughly determined what the right of way impacts would be for both a roundabout and for a traffic signal. A roundabout in that neighborhood area might be in conflict with the historic nature of the neighborhood. They are planning on meeting with the Bozeman and the State Historic Preservation offices to make a decision regarding whether that would be detrimental to the historic nature. if so, we would be back to the traffic signal, which has negative support which could block the project. Ralph Zimmer Mr. "Zimmer asked about opportunities for the public's input in this project. Jeff Ebert Mr. Ebert will come back to the City Commission with a recommendation once the impacts are known. This would provide the public an opportunity to comment at that time. He is not aware of any plans for additional public comment. Dan Martin Mr. Martin asked about the length of vehicle designs for roundabouts. Jeff Ebert Mr. Ebert said this would likely be designed for a WB50 length which is about the length of a school bus or a moving truck. D. Bike Advisory Board Bill Cochran did not have a report. E. Pedestrian/Traffic Safety Committee Ralph Zimmer stated that on future agendas it would be more appropriate to say `Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee. He also said they have continuing concerns regarding the City's adoption of a sidewalk improvement program. They also spent time talking about the downtown walk signals and are pursuing feedback from MDT because they've had citizens comment regarding the comprehension and use of the crossing signals. F. Other TCC Member /Committee Reports 3 Alinutes of the Transportation Coordinating Commillee, Ju1P 22, 2009 None. G. Montana Department of Transportation Joe Olsen Mr. Olsen said they have extensive seal and covers going on throughout the area. He also spoke regarding projects coming up next year. Jeff Ebert Mr. Ebert said that at the east Bozeman interchange they have a contract to build wetlands on about 14 acres of property there. They'll build three cells, some dikes, burms and ultimately they'd like to get about 8 to 9 acres of wetlands credits to be used for future mitigation on projects in that watershed. John Van Delinder Mr. Van Delinder said that the City is building a combination vehicle maintenance facility/bus shelter in conjunction with Streamline. This project went before the Planning Board on this project and that board recommended not waiting on MDT regarding Rouse Ave., saying the City should go ahead and improve Rouse and Griffin in front of their property. Mr. Van Delinder asked MDT if that was something they would support or does MDT feel the City should wait. Rob Bukvich Mr. Bukvich said the City would have a hard time improving Rouse to a three lane section with curb and gutter and sideways within the extended boundaries of their property. They don't have the plans done so it would be pretty hard to get the curb and gutter elevations correct. Rob Bukvich Mr. Bukvich reported they are working with the street department to put a new crosswalk on Main Street from the corner of 9 street at the Co -op across to Safeway. H. Federal Highway Administration ITEM 5. OLD BUSINESS A. City Commission recommended urban project priority (Arkell) Rick Hixson reported that the Commission has not addressed this issue yet. Ralph Zimmer Mr. Zimmer asked what the procedures are regarding recommendations to and from TCC and the Commission. Rob Bukvich Mr. Bukvich said he thought the TCC discussion was that they didn't want to recommend a 4 A9inutes of the Transpor ration Coordinating Committee, July 21, 2009 project that didn't have support from the City Commission, so the City was going to ascertain what direction the Commission was leaning towards in their priorities. Ralph Zimmer Mr. Zimmer feels it would be helpful if the Commission let TCC know a direction they were leaning towards and then asked for the TCC's recommendation. Christopher Scott Mr. Scott confirmed that members would like this item placed on the next TCC agenda. ITEM 6. NEW BUSINESS A. Babcock/Mendenhall one way status Andy Epple Mr. Epple said this was brought up at the last meeting by planning board president Brian Caldwell. He is sick this week. The Downtown Plan draft that was just released strongly recommends that the one ways be reverted to two ways. City planning's official position is that the plan itself did not provide any studies to confirm that this would be a good use of money. Before a dramatic change in the communities traffic pattern occurs there needs to be an engineering study and community input. The plan has now included reference to a cost benefit analysis. Converting to two ways would require signalizing several intersections. One that could be problematic is at Mendenhall. Rick Hixson Mr. Hixson also did not see anything in the report to substantiate the claim that the downtown area would be best served to convert Mendenhall and Babcock to two ways. One issue that has not been looked into is what effect that would have on the streets once removed Lamme and Olive. A prior traffic study has shown that changing those streets to two ways would reduce the capacity on Babcock and Mendenhall and people would seek out Olive and Lamme as through streets. Andy Epple Mr. Epple responded to a question from Mr. Scott that the Downtown Plan can be found on the city website and the Downtown Business Association website. Mr. Hixson said that one other aspect that is important on the one way issue is you can't just try out a change in these roads. There is no going back. You must be sure before you take that step. Andy Epple Mr. Epple responded to a question from Mr. Ebert that this plan is still in draft form and will be going before the planning board and City Commission. He also pointed out that city staff is in agreement with much of the rest of the plan. 5 Minutes of the Transporlation Coordinating Committee, July 22, 2009 Ralph Zimmer Mr. Zimmer provided some background information from his institutional memory on the conversion of those two streets to one way streets which was done under the committee, Traffic Operations Program to Increase Capacity and Safety (TOPICS) which was started by the state. That group worked in conjunction with many other groups and with a lot of input from the community, etc. including lots of input about what direction the streets should run if created. It wasn't forced down upon us, but was a considered decision of all the players at the time. B. Amendment to by -laws Chairperson Scott Mr. Scott began the discussion of amendments to the by -laws by reviewing the proposed changes that had been mentioned in the past. These include removing Belgrade from the TCC roster and adding a representative from the Transportation Advisory Committee (TAC). Ralph Zimmer Mr. Zimmer asked whether it was still necessary for the list of TCC members to be located in both the Memorandum of Agreement and the bylaws. Andy Epple Mr. Epple feels that the two documents are not often looked at or considered in the same context. The MOU is a document that resides with the State, City, County and Federal Government while the bylaws are intended for reference at these meetings. A discussion continued regarding where the member list should be located and whether they should be removed from one document or the other. Ralph Zimmer Mr. Zimmer spoke regarding the history of the TCC and the predecessor groups as well as how this history relates to the memorandum of agreement language. Andy Epple Mr. Epple added historical information as well. Ralph Zimmer Mr. Zimmer responding to a question from Mr. Epple explained how the direction was chosen for the one way streets in Bozeman. He explained that one of the key points was the fact that the east west corridor through the center of Bozeman was involved not only with traffic originating in the downtown area, but a lot of through traffic. The through traffic comes in from the west splits apart, diverge, come together; but the two paths don't cross. If the traffic was going the other way, they would have to cross. This was a concern for a number of reasons. 6 Minutes q/ the Transportation Coordinating Committee, July 22, 20)9 Andy Epple Mr. Epple pointed out there were a number of clerical changes that Tara Hastie had included in the amendments to the bylaws. Bob Lashaway Mr. Lashaway mentioned that the Memorandum acknowledges under the list of members that additional members may be appointed by a majority of the membership if the need arises. Outside of this agreement we may add members and not need to have the Memorandum re- executed. We could track those on the bylaws, since we control the bylaws, A. Amendment to Memorandum of Agreement Rob Bukvich Mr. Bukvich does not see a need for Article II on page 2 in the Memorandum of Agreement about the Pedestrian Safety Committee. Mr. Zimmer thinks that article is actually vested in the Federal Highway administration and the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee is likely the vehicle the FHA has for public citizen involvement. The discussion continued on this article within the Memorandum continued. Carol Strizich Ms. Strizich mentioned that some of the titles within the Memorandum have changed within MDT. Rob Bukvich Mr. Bukvich felt it would be appropriate for Mr. Scott or Mr. Epple to work with Ms. Strizich on the changes to the Memorandum of Agreement. Andy Epple Mr. Epple pointed out that the Memorandum says the membership shall consist of... and the list includes the City Manager of Belgrade; therefore the Memorandum should be amended. The discussion about membership continued. Bob Lashaway Mr. Lashaway summed up the proposed amendments. Those amendments are striking the City of Belgrade position from the Memorandum document and not adding the Transit position to the Memorandum but adding the Transit position to the bylaws. Ms. Strizich will determine if Article II has validity, and Mr. Zimmer will discuss Article II with the Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee. The discussion continued regarding membership. 7 Minutes of the Transportation Coordinating Committee, July 22, 2009 The TCC membership would like the chair, Mr. Epple and Ms. Strizich with MDT to work together on the proposed amendments to the Memorandum and bring the amended document back before the Committee for approval. ITEM 7. PROJECT UPDATES A. MSU Projects Update Bob Lashaway Mr. Lashaway spoke regarding the addition of a turn lane at l lth and Lincoln relative to the Towne and Country project and the signalization of Kagy and 11 They've negotiated a work agreement for the 11 and Lincoln work and it should start in the next couple weeks. The right of way agreement is completed for Kagy and l l MSU's stimulus projects were heavily weighted towards energy and won't produce any large building or street projects. B. Belgrade Projects Update Chairperson Scott Mr. Scott reported a meeting regarding the Amsterdam and Jackrabbit project. Jeff Ebert Mr. Ebert said there was a meeting on this project and a preliminary field review report will be generated from that. A project is being proposed to look at doing some modifications to the existing Belgrade interchange that crosses Jackrabbit Lane. This project should not be confused with the East Belgrade interchange north project. The preliminary field review involves various phases. One phase looks at putting in a traffic signal at the intersection of Amsterdam Road and the I -90 east bound off ramp and also restriping of Amsterdam Road that would include a dedicated left turn lane. There would also be a provision for a dedicated right turn from Jackrabbit heading southbound onto Amsterdam Road. Mr. Ebert went into detail on these proposed projects. Also, an addition of a ramp off of Amsterdam at the location of the intersection and access 1 -90 west of the existing structure and the loop ramp heading east onto I- 90 would be extended down to where the east bound on -ramp accesses 1 -90. Mr. Ebert discussed this project further including some of the history behind it. MDT still needs to submit a report and receive blessings from Federal Highways. The traffic signal and work on Amsterdam could possibly happen during the next construction season. The remainder could be two to three years from now. C. CTEP Projects Andy Epple Mr. Epple reported that work continues on the final design for the multi use pathway on College. A consultant engineer is working on it. 8 A?inutes of the Transportation Coordinating Committee, July 22, 2009 D. South 19 Ave. Main Street to Kagy This item was previously discussed. E. Bozeman Intermodal This facility is built and should be removed from future agendas. F. Signal Projects Jeff Ebert mentioned that during the last TCC meeting a suggestion was made to change this item to intersection improvement projects. No further projects were mentioned, G. North Rouse Ave. Jeff Ebert Mr. Ebert said the next avenue after the Finding of No Significant Impact is the beginning stages of the final design and how it might affect the intersection of Rouse and Griffin. It will probably need to be built in phases. Mr. Ebert spoke toward these phases. H.. 1 -90 Improvements None. I. I -90 East Belgrade Interchange Report Jeff Ebert Mr. Ebert said the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) has been completed on this project since the last TCC meeting. A recommendation will go before the consultant selection board to hire a consultant for the final design using the earmark funding. They have asked the County for recommendations. J. TSM's Report None. K. Other None. ITEM 8. 2009 -2010 MEETING DATES AND ADJOURNMENT October 28, 2009 is the next meeting date. It was moved by Jeff Ebert seconded by San Gianfrancisco to adiourn the meeting. 9 Minutes of the Transportation Coordinating Committee, July 22, 2009 The motion passed unanimous) Meeting ad'ourned at 11:44 a.m. r Christopher c hairperson Bozeman Area Transportation Coordinating Committee Prepared by: Aimee lKissel, Deputy City Clerk Approved on October 28, 2009. 10