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Tri-Valley Transportation Plan/Adion Plan Update Freeway HOV Lanes HOV lanes provide the advantage of reducing travel times for rideshar- ers and transit patrons. They also enhance mobility during off-peak hours by being avail- able for all vehicles. This is especially important when considering truck traffic, which in- creasingly relies on off-peak hours to reach destinations without undue delays, - The TVTC recognizes the benefits of HOV lanes, but realizes that take-a-Iane programs do not work. Such an ill-fated attempt at providing HOV lanes on 1-580 resulted in federal legislation prohibiting their use on freeways in unincorporated areas, which has been only recently changed. Thus, HOY lanes must be added to the freeways. HOV lanes on both 1-680 and 1-580 are included in the plan. Due to the expense of the projects, however, some segments are induded as lower priority projects. 1-680 south of 1- 580 has been designed to accommodate the addition of HOY lanes, but_Q~vement widen- ing would be required. Top funding priority should be given to the section south of Route 84 to the top of the Sunol Grade, which is the border of Area 4 in the Alameda County Transportation Plan. This section will experience significant traffic increases due to the planned capacity increases to Route 84. The section of 1-680 between Alcosta Boulevard and Route 84 should also be planned to include HOV lanes hut with a lower funding pri~ ority. On 1~580, HOY lanes would be more difficult and costly to build because the interchanges have not been built to accommodate them. However, the Caltrans route concept report for 1-580 calls for 10 lanes plus BART in the median. The most important segment for funding priority on 1-580 is the segment between Tassajara Road and North Livermore Avenue. This segment is predicted to experience the highest traffic demand along 1-580 in the Tri- Valley. To accommodate the extra freeway width, the interchanges at El Charro/Fallon and Airway would need to be rebuilt. The El Charro/Fallon interchange is planned to be rebuilt anyway. In addition, the planned new interchange at Isabel Avenue (Route 84) would need to be built to accommodate the width. As a lower funding priority, the plan also includes extending the 1-580 HOY lanes east to the Alameda County border. This would require widening four interchanges in Livermore (N. Livermore, First, Vasco, and Greenville), and three interchanges or crossings east of Livermore. HOV lanes on 1-580 west of Santa Rita Road are not included in the plan. With the BART extension and the 1-580/1-680 interchange project, this section will be built out to its maximum width given the physical constraints of freeway structures and rights-oF-way. The section will have four through lanes, as it does today, plus auxiliary lanes between inter- changes. Arterialls5ues The planned arterial system has been designed to provide smooth circulation in and between the Tri-Yalley cities and to provide access to the freeway system. Intersec- tions and freeway interchanges afe the focal points of the arterial system. All of the Page 18 18 April 2000 I