Staff Report-BHR
PREPARED BY: WooJae Kim
Town Engineer
Reviewed by: Town Manager, Assistant Town Manager, Town Attorney, Finance Director, and Parks and
Public Works Director
110 E. Main Street Los Gatos, CA 95030 ● (408) 354-6832
www.losgatosca.gov
TOWN OF LOS GATOS
COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT
MEETING DATE: 12/6/2022 ITEM NO: 13
DATE: November 21, 2022
TO: Mayor and Town Council
FROM: Laurel Prevetti, Town Manager
SUBJECT: Receive a Project Update and Approve the Phase 1 Concept Plan for the
Blossom Hill Road Traffic Safety Project (CIP No. 813-0239) for Final Design
RECOMMENDATION:
Receive a project update and approve the Phase 1 Concept Plan for the Blossom Hill Road
Traffic Safety Project (CIP No. 813-0239) for final design.
BACKGROUND:
The adopted Fiscal Year (FY) 2022/23-2026/27 Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget
designates funding for the Blossom Hill Road Traffic Safety Project (CIP No. 813-0239). The
project segment of Blossom Hill Road between Camelia Terrace and Hillbrook
Drive/Cherrystone Drive is approximately 0.5 miles long and is classified as an arterial roadway.
Along this segment, there are driveways that serve the adjacent residential homes, Blossom Hill
Elementary School, and Blossom Hill Park. Blossom Hill Road intersections at Cherry Blossom
Lane and Camellia Terrace are signalized. The project section of Blossom Hill Road is mainly a
four-lane divided roadway with two-lanes in each direction. The current speed limit is 35 miles
per hour and 25 miles per hour during school hours.
Traffic safety for the project segment has been an important consideration for residents for a
number of years. The corridor is heavily traveled by students commuting to Blossom Hill
Elementary School, Raymond J Fisher Middle School, and other nearby uses. Traffic counts
collected in January 2019 indicated 7,000 to 8,000 vehicles travel through the project area each
day in eastbound and westbound directions.
PAGE 2 OF 5 SUBJECT: Receive a Project Update and Approve the Phase 1 Concept Plan for the Blossom Hill Road Traffic Safety Project (CIP No. 813-0239) for Final Design DATE: November 21, 2022
BACKGROUND (continued):
In early 2021, a traffic safety feasibly study for the project segment was completed. The
feasibility study recommended reducing travel lanes from two in each direction to one lane in
each direction, improvements to the Blossom Hill Road and Cherry Blossom Lane signalized
intersection (e.g., eliminating the “free” right turn from eastbound Blossom Hill Road onto
Cherry Blossom Lane), traffic signal modifications, and installing improved bike facilities. The
feasibility study and recommendations were presented to the public at a community meeting
held on January 28, 2021. The cost of improvements was estimated to be in excess of $4.6
million dollars. The residents expressed desires for the traffic safety improvements to be
implemented expeditiously.
DISCUSSION:
In July 2022, staff submitted a $4.6 million grant application for the One Bay Area Grant (OBAG)
Program – Cycle 3 to fund all safety improvements recommended in the 2021 traffic safety
feasibility study, pavement resurfacing, and permanent separators for Class IV bikeways along
the project corridor. Soon after the submittal, staff was informed by Valley Transportation
Authority (VTA) that the project application did not rank high on the program and would not be
funded.
Given the denial by VTA, and in order to implement traffic safety measures as early as next
year, staff developed a “Phase 1” Concept Plan for the project involving travel lane reductions
and bike lane and pedestrian safety enhancements largely with striping and non-permanent
“quick-build” traffic control measures (Attachment 1). The concept plan is also available on the
Town’s project website at https://www.losgatosca.gov/2650/Blossom-Hill-Road-Traffic-Safety.
If approved, the proposed Phase 1 Concept Plan would be constructed as part of the Town’s
Annual Street Repair and Resurfacing Project in summer 2023. The proposed improvements
include:
• Reduction from two lanes in each direction to a single lane in each direction on Blossom
Hill Road;
• Class II bike lanes for the westbound cyclists along the residential properties; and
• Class IV buffered bike lanes for the eastbound cyclists.
Community Outreach
The Phase 1 Concept Plan was presented at a community meeting held on September 22, 2022.
The meeting was advertised through postcards mailed to neighbors within 500 feet of the
project site, Town website Notify Me messaging, and various Town social media outlets.
PAGE 3 OF 5 SUBJECT: Receive a Project Update and Approve the Phase 1 Concept Plan for the Blossom Hill Road Traffic Safety Project (CIP No. 813-0239) for Final Design DATE: November 21, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
Community members who attended the meeting reiterated their safety concerns regarding
traffic conditions along the corridor, vehicles speeding on Blossom Hill Road, and past traffic
incidents. Attendees preferred to see more robust and permanent safety enhancements along
Blossom Hill Road. Comments from the community meeting are summarized in Attachment 2.
Public comments received via email outside of the meeting are included in Attachment 3.
For some of the community concerns received, staff considered solutions that may be suitable
for the Phase 1 implementation next year and other long-term solutions to be considered when
funding becomes available. Table 1 in Attachment 2 summarizes what staff heard from the
community and how it may be addressed (or why it cannot be addressed). Staff will continue
to evaluate community comments for potential improvements to the concept design.
Traffic Analysis Study - Field Simulation
The intent of the proposed Phase 1 Concept Plan is to enhance safety for pedestrians and
bicyclists and potentially reduce vehicle speeds along this Blossom Hill Road corridor. However,
the lane reduction proposal would likely increase traffic delays and vehicle queuing in the area
during peak travel times. The initial traffic modeling studies indicated a modest manageable
increase in queuing/traffic delays at the signalized intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Cherry
Blossom Lane.
To reaffirm the traffic model results, the project team conducted an on-site field simulation of
the proposed lane reduction using traffic cones, signs, and changeable message boards
between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, October 13. During the field simulation,
queuing at the signalized intersection of Blossom Hill Road and Cherry Blossom Lane were
significantly higher than findings from the traffic modeling. The following results are from the
field simulation:
• Morning westbound traffic (toward Los Gatos Boulevard) queued as far back as Linda
Avenue from Cherry Blossom Lane between 8:00 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. The long queuing
can be attributed to the commute and school traffic, and the “walk” signal activated at
every cycle at the signalized intersection, which requires that all vehicles stop when
pedestrians and bicyclists cross Blossom Hill Road.
• Afternoon eastbound traffic (toward San José) queued as far back as Los Gatos
Boulevard. After further review, Town staff determined that the additional queuing was
due to signal timing being off-sync at the Blossom Hill Road and Cherry Blossom Lane
intersection. With the signal timing issue addressed, additional queuing in the
afternoon is expected to extend no further than Camellia Terrace.
PAGE 4 OF 5 SUBJECT: Receive a Project Update and Approve the Phase 1 Concept Plan for the Blossom Hill Road Traffic Safety Project (CIP No. 813-0239) for Final Design DATE: November 21, 2022
DISCUSSION (continued):
The results of the field simulation suggest that queuing for the westbound traffic on Blossom
Hill Road will not meet the Town’s performance standard during the morning commute. The
Level of Service (LOS) of the signalized intersection at Blossom Hill Road and Cherry Blossom
Lane is initially anticipated to drop from Level of Service (LOS) C to F during the morning peak
hour. However, the proposed design for the project is consistent with the Town’s
transportation goals to enhance bicycle and pedestrian safety and the Town’s multimodal
network.
The project team believes that the Phase 1 Concept Plan will achieve the project goals of
enhancing traffic safety and potentially reducing speeds on Blossom Hill Road. While the
morning commute may prove more challenging after the improvements are implemented,
drivers may choose to avoid the area and find alternate routes to Los Gatos, such as Highway
85 thereby reducing vehicle volumes and enhancing safety further. Staff believes that the
benefits of the Phase 1 Concept Plan - to provide continuous buffered bike lanes, move
motorized vehicles farther away from bicyclists and pedestrians, and potentially reduce speeds
along Blossom Hill Road to enhance traffic safety along the corridor - outweigh and mitigate the
potential impacts of additional queuing.
CONCLUSION:
Staff recommends that the Town Council receive the project update and approve the Phase 1
Concept Plan for the Blossom Hill Road Traffic Safety Project (CIP No. 813-0239) for final design.
COORDINATION:
This report has been coordinated with the Town Manager’s Office and Town Attorney’s Office.
FISCAL IMPACT:
Staff costs are tracked for all projects. Tracking of staff costs allows for accountability in the
costs of the project, recovery of costs for grant funded projects, and identification of future
staffing needs. This project will utilize both full-time budgeted and part-time staff. The costs
for full-time staff are generally accounted for in the Department’s Operating Budget.
With the approval of the Phase 1 Concept Plan by Council, construction for the project will be
delivered with the FY 2022/23 Annual Street Repair and Resurfacing Project. Construction
budget for the project shall be applied to the street repair project.
PAGE 5 OF 5 SUBJECT: Receive a Project Update and Approve the Phase 1 Concept Plan for the Blossom Hill Road Traffic Safety Project (CIP No. 813-0239) for Final Design DATE: November 21, 2022
FISCAL IMPACT (continued):
ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT:
This is a project defined under CEQA as being Categorically Exempt [Section 15301(c) Existing
streets, sidewalks, trails and similar facilities]. A Notice of Exemption will be filed with the
County.
Attachments:
1. Phase I Concept Plan
2. Community Comments Summary
3. Public Comments
Budget Costs
GFAR $300,000
Total Budget $300,000
Hexagon Transportation Consultant - Traffic Safety Feasibility Study (completed)$48,410
Hexagon Transportation Consultant - Design $80,000
Design Contingency $8,000
Construction $158,590
Part-Time Staff Cost $5,000
Total Expenditures $300,000
Remaining Balance $0
Blossom Hill Road Traffic Safety Project
CIP No. 813-0239