The Sunnyvale Sun
News
Traffic impact of mary avenue extension is detailed in EIR
By Cody Kraatz
The city of Sunnyvale has released the draft Environmental Impact Report on the Mary Avenue Extension project, a proposal to extend Mary Avenue north over Highway 101 and Route 237 into the Moffett Park Area to take pressure off congested Mathilda Avenue, 237 and the 101 interchange area.
The EIR indicates traffic will swell on the city's north-south arterials by 2020 no matter what.
"Our responsibility is to plan responsibly for the future, and to look at infrastructure projects like these in the context of the needs of the city of Sunnyvale as a whole," said Adam Levermore-Rich, Sunnyvale spokesman. "We do try to balance the big-picture needs of the city with the more localized concerns of the neighbors."
The extension calls for a four-lane bridge with bike lanes and sidewalks on either side. It would cost $48 million, paid for with transportation impact fees on new developments, and would include other changes along Mary Avenue.
Opponents question the accuracy of the traffic estimates and are sticking to their principles.
"The only thing we don't want is, we don't want traffic coming onto Mary Avenue," said Gopal Patangay, a Sunnyvale West Neighborhood Association representative.
However, Mary Avenue traffic south of El Camino Real is expected to jump from 19,700 daily trips to 26,300 daily trips by 2020 even without the extension, and some of the proposed alternatives would reduce that, according to the EIR. The extension would also ease the commute on Fair Oaks Avenue and Lawrence Expressway, according to the EIR.
Patangay was not convinced that traffic would really get so heavy by 2020, but Levermore-Rich said the forecasts are based on a 2001 travel demand model the city uses to anticipate development patterns when it produces EIRs. The VTA also uses the model, and the numbers in the report come from city staff and consultants who specialize in analyzing projects like this, he said.
Opposition
Mary Avenue has been the subject of the greatest opposition to the project and the association, which may organize a big block party after it responds to the draft EIR, formed over the project.
The EIR examined four different alternatives, responding to community demands. Alternatives A and B would end at 11th Avenue or H Street, respectively.
Alternative C is a two-lane bridge over the freeways instead of four. It would not ease congestion on Mathilda Avenue or other busy streets as much, but would have slightly less impact on the northern section of Mary Avenue.
Alternative D is a four-lane bridge but a narrowed Mary Avenue from Fremont Avenue to just south of Evelyn Avenue. This would accomplish many of the same reductions as A and B, according to the EIR, but would also reduce traffic on Mary Avenue south of Central Expressway far below the levels expected without the project or with alternatives A and B.
The bulk of the EIR deals with A and B, the city's preferred project and the subject of the other traffic data cited.
The increase in daily trips on Mary Avenue expected from the extension is biggest north of Central Expressway, but diminishes further south, according to the study.
For example, today's 5,300 daily trips on Mary Avenue north of Maude Avenue would jump to 18,100 by 2020 even without the extension, but there could be as many as 37,000 daily trips there by 2020 with the extension.
However, traffic on Mary Avenue south of Central Expressway by 2020 would be reduced by the extension. Without it, there would be 53,400 daily trips, but the extension would cut 1,000 daily trips.
On the web, visit maryavenue.in sunnyvale.com for more information.
