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4.05 4.5 GRANTS\\Apply-DOT-NYSERDA-Signal Control Study –Aviation and Quaker –10-7-19 RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING APPLICATION FOR FUNDS FROM NYSDOT/NYSERDA FORAN ADAPTIVE SIGNAL CONTROL TECHNOLOGIES FEASIBILITY STUDY OF AVIATION & QUAKER ROADS RESOLUTION NO.:________________________________________________,2019 INTRODUCED BY:________________________________________________ WHO MOVED ITS ADOPTION SECONDED BY:________________________________________________ WHEREAS, the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) and New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) issued Program Opportunity Notice (PON) #3833 in April 2019 requesting innovative proposals to improve the efficiency of New York’s transportationsystem while reducingenergy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, and WHEREAS,in August 2019,the Townof Queensbury and the Adirondack/Glens Falls Transportation Council (A/GFTC) submitted a Concept Paperto NYSDOT and NYSERDA proposing to identify the feasibility and applicability of Adaptive Signal Control Technologies (ASCT) within the Aviation/Quaker Road Corridor from Exit 19 east to Lower Warren Street, and WHEREA, in September 2019,NYSERDA notified the Town that the Concept Paper was favorably reviewed andthe Town was invited to submit a Full Proposal by November 4, 2019, and WHEREAS, the estimated total cost of the project is Eighty ThousandDollars ($80,000) with the Full Proposal requesting grant funding of Sixty Thousand Dollars ($60,000),and WHEREAS, the required twenty-five percent (25%) cost share of the project willbe Twenty Thousand Dollars ($20,000), to be providedthrough in-kind staff services of the Town’s Senior Planner, A/GFTC staff and other project partners, and WHEREAS, NYSDOT andNYSERDA require the applicant to attest that they are authorized to commit their organization to the proposal submitted,and WHEREAS, the Senior Planner hasrequestedTown Board authorization to prepare and submit the Full Proposal with a Town commitment to the proposal, NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Queensbury Town Board hereby authorizes, directs and ratifies the submission of theFull Proposal for funding to NYSDOT and NYSERDA for the Queensbury ASCT Feasibility Study, and BE IT FURTHER, RESOLVED, that the Town Board furtherauthorizes and directs the Senior Plannerto prepare and submit the requested documentation and certifications for the Queensbury ASCT Feasibility Study Full Proposal as set forth above, and BE ITFURTHER, RESOLVED, that the Town Board further authorizes and directs the Town Supervisor, Town Budget Officer and/or Senior Plannerto take any other actionsnecessary to effectuate the terms of this Resolution. th day of October, 2019, by the following vote: Duly adopted this 7 AYES: NOES: ABSENT: PON 3833 Improving the Efficiency of New York’s Transportation System Queensbury ASCT Feasibility Study Stuart Baker,Senior Planner, Town of Queensbury,Queensbury, NY,stuartb@queensbury.net OVERVIEW Focus Area:Efficient Infrastructure, Operations, andSystems Planning Funding Category Funding Category 2: Research, Policy, and Feasibility Studies and Amount:$60,000 (Total project cost: $80,000) Project Duration:8-12months Project Abstract:This proposed study will identify the feasibility/applicability of Adaptive Signal Control Technologies (ASCT) within and around the Aviation/Quaker Road Corridor in Queensbury NY. If successful, this will pave the way for the implementation of an ASCT pilot program, which may improve travel time and reduce associated congestionby 10-50%. 1.IMPACT This feasibility study is intended to identify innovativesignal-timing solutions to congestion management in and around the Aviation Road/Quaker Avenue corridor in Queensbury, New York. This principal arterial can carry upwards of 25,000 cars per day. Specifically, the study will analyze the feasibility of ACSLite within the corridor.If successful, this will pave the way for the implementation of anAdaptive Signal Control Technologies (ASCT)pilot program for a small urban area, thus showing proof-of-concept that this technology might be widely applicable to similar communities in upstate New York. As noted in the PON summary, ASCT systems are not widely deployed in New York Statedespite successful applications in other states.According to FHWA, adaptive signal control may improve relevant performance metrics by 10-50%, with the higher range of benefits seen in areas with outdated signal timing practices. Statistics collected for the National Performance Management Research Data Set (NPMRDS)indicate that in 2018, the Aviation/Quaker corridor experienced over 156,000 PeakHours of 1 Excessive Delay(PHED); this accounts for nearly half of the PHEDin Warren County. As such, improving travel flow and reducing bottlenecks in this corridor are a high priority both locally and regionally. In addition to benefits in reduced travel time, congestion, and emissions, ASCT can improve safety and quality of life. According to FHWA, improvements to signal timing can also result in up to a 15% reduction in crashes related to congestion.Within the study area corridor, the pattern of crashes is higher in areas with clusters of traffic signals. According to available data, accident rates for the intersection of Glen/Quaker(5.73 accidents/million entering vehicles)and Dix/Quaker(9.88 accidents/million entering vehicles)are significantly higherthan the statewide average rate of 0.25 accidents/million entering 2 vehicles for similar facilities.In addition, there are elevated non-intersection related accident rates on Aviation Road (3.33 accidents/million vehicle miles) and Quaker Road from Dix to Warren Street (3.61 accidents/million vehicle miles) when compared tothe state averagefor similar facilities(2.85 and 2.71 accidents/million vehicle miles, respectively).Although safety is not the primary focus of this feasibility study, there may be a strongpotential for reductions in crashes with improved signal timing. 1 Data provided by Avail Labs toAGFTC; accessed from https://npmrds.availabs.org/on June 19, 2019 2 Crash reporting period 2016-2018 Queensbury ASCT Feasibility Study Concept Paper, p. 1 Stuart Baker, Principal Investigator Finally, this feasibility study will also focus on other innovative signal control systems related to pedestrian and bicycle movement. Although this may not result in a direct reduction ofgreenhouse gas (GHG)emissions, improving conditions for pedestrians and cyclists will encourage fewer vehicle trips over the long-term. Figure 1: Context Area Map 2.INNOVATION Like many smaller urban/suburban communities, the timing of locally-owned traffic signals in Queensbury is accomplished through a shared-services agreement, in this case with the City of Glens Falls. The most recent effort to improve signal timing in the area was in 2007, a cooperative project spearheaded by NYSDOT Region 1. This produced a robust signal timingplan for the traffic lights along Aviation and Quaker Roads between Exit 19 of I-87 and Warren Street. The time-based coordinated system included twoclusterson Quaker Road:Lafayette to Ridge and Dix to Warren. Since that time, the system no longer consistently functions in a coordinated manner. The primary reason is that every time an individual signal is taken offline (for example, during a power outage or for maintenance) the timing defaults to the recall state. As the entire system relies on a time-based schema, it is difficult to re-establish the coordination without re-timing all of the lights at once. Given competing Queensbury ASCT Feasibility Study Concept Paper, p. 2 Stuart Baker, Principal Investigator priorities for maintenance, this has not occurred on a reliable basis. In addition, traffic patterns have shifted and new lights have been installed, further eroding the usefulness of the 2007 timing plan. Local efforts to improve bicycle and pedestrian connections have also increased demand for accommodations such as crosswalks, pedestrian countdown timers, and bicycle detection. The Town of Queensbury has already begun proactive efforts to inventory the traffic signals in the corridor, as a first step towards prioritizing improvements. Similarly, the Adirondack/Glens Falls Transportation Council has identified the corridor as a priority in the most recent update of their Long Range Transportation Plan, 2040 Ahead. By studying the feasibility of an ACSLite system, both agencies hope to identify innovative long-term solutions to congestion in the corridor. The potential benefits of this technology for the Aviation/Quaker corridor are easily identifiable: improved travel times and reduced congestion/emissions. ACSLite systems may be adaptable to someor allof the existing traffic signals in the corridor, reducing capital costs for implementation. These smaller ASCT systems were designed for utilization along smaller arterial systems with fewer than 30 signals. In addition, many of these systems have the ability to allow signals to revert into the coordinated system when taken offline,thus drastically reducing the amount of time the system operates in an uncoordinated manner. The wealth of data captured by ASCTs will also allow for more frequent updates to the system as a whole when new development or other changes to the traffic patterns occur. There have been no deployments of this technology in the AGFTC area, nor has the technology been assessed in detail. The feasibility study will raise awareness of the potential solution as well as increase the local knowledge base for future applications. A primary consideration of the study will be to identify potential training and staffing requirements, as neither the local agencies nor NYSDOT currently have the technical expertise for the ongoing maintenance and operation of this technology.Should the technology prove feasible, the study will provide a framework for implementation which can be utilized not only by Queensbury and other municipalities in the area, but any other similar sized communities across upstate New York. 3.PROJECT PLAN The overall goal of the feasibility study will be to identify the applicability of an ACSLite or other ASCT system, the potential scope of a pilot program, and the information necessary to pursue implementation. Specifically, this is anticipated to include: A detailed inventory of signal operations in the corridor, including technical specifications of the signals, analysis of efficiency of movement (through performance metrics such as Level of Service or other measures), analysis of future capacity constraints, and analysis of gaps in pedestrianand bicycleaccommodation at the intersections An analysis of potential benefitsor drawbacksof ASCT over traditional improvements to signal timing, including modeling simulations and estimated GHG emission reduction An identification of the geographicscope of an ASCT system (i.e., which signals should be included for optimum operations) An analysis of the feasibility,applicability, and/or limitationsof innovative pedestrian/bicycle detection features at key intersections A list of needed capital improvements, including signal upgrades, detection features, and intersection improvements (if applicable), including cost estimates An analysis of operational/maintenance capacity, including alternatives for updated shared service agreements or staffingarrangements Queensbury ASCT Feasibility Study Concept Paper, p. 3 Stuart Baker, Principal Investigator As the owner of the majority of the traffic signals in the corridor, the Town of Queensbury is spearheading this effort with assistance from A/GFTC.Severalother agencies will likely be involved as stakeholderson the project steering committee, including the City of Glens Falls (current holder of the traffic signal maintenance agreement), Warren County Department of Public Works (which maintains the non-signal infrastructure on Quaker Road), and NYSDOT Region 1 (which maintains several signals along Aviation Road at the Exit 19 of 1-87). The initial project concept has been discussed with these agencies. The relevant contact at NYSDOT Region 1 is: Robert E. Rice Jr, PE Regional Planning & Program Manager NYS Department of Transportation: Region 1 Planning and Program Management 50 Wolf Rd, Albany, NY 12232 (518) 457-7376 | robert.rice@dot.ny.gov 4.TEAM As stated above, the Town of Queensbury is the primary applicant, responsible for management of the consultant procurement and grant management. A/GFTC staff will provide assistance throughout the process and will be responsible for technical review of draft documents from a transportation perspective, as well as assistance compiling the final reportand facilitating public meetings.Utilizing staff assistance from A/GFTC will keep consultant costs down and provide the bulk of labor for the in-kind match. A detailed work plan, including staff hours, will be included in the Full Concept as appropriate. Key team members include: Stuart Baker, Queensbury Senior Planner, will represent the priorities and perspectives of the Town of Queensbury. As a long-standing member of A/GFTC’s Planning Committee, Stu has familiarity with the management of large-scale transportation planning projects. Stu also has strong prior experience in management of grant-funded efforts in areas including federal aid transportation improvements, brownfield redevelopment planning and affordable housing. Jack ManceAICP, Senior Transportation Planner, will represent A/GFTC from a technical standpoint, providing staff supportand transportation planning services, including compiling the draft and final report from technical materials provided by the consultant team.By including in-kind services from A/GFTC, the Town will be able to make the most of NYSERDA funding by maximizing consultant resources towards engineering and analysisrather than document preparation. Aaron Frankenfeld, Staff Director of A/GFTC, will provide technical review, transportation planning expertise, and QA/QC services. Other team members are anticipated toincluderepresentatives from Town of Queensbury Department of Public Works,Warren County Planning and/or Department of Public Works,and the City of Glens Falls. The participation of these representatives will also be countedtoward the in-kind match for the project. NYSDOT will participate as well, with representation from Region 1 Planning and Program Management and/or the Regional Traffic Engineer. Queensbury ASCT Feasibility Study Concept Paper, p. 4 Stuart Baker, Principal Investigator From:noreply@salesforce.com on behalf of NYSERDA No Reply To:Stuart Baker Subject:Improving the Efficiency of New York’s Transportation System - Concept Paper Approved Date:Thursday, September 19, 2019 2:14:05 PM Dear Stuart, The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) has completed its review of your Concept Paper received in response to solicitation Improving the Efficiency of New York’s Transportation System. We are happy to advise you that your Concept Paper has been favorably reviewed by NYSERDA. As a result of a favorable review, you are hereby invited to submit a full proposal under the subject solicitation. The full proposal should include a stronger literature review to discuss previous deployments in NYS and lessons learned that would help ensure this project is more successful. There should also be additional data on the annual average daily traffic (AADT) counts with clearer maps of the corridor and feeder routes. The full proposal should discuss how operation and maintenance will be handled for the new system. Full proposal deadline is Monday, November 4, 2019 at 3:00PM. Please submit your proposal here: https://portal.nyserda.ny.gov/PROPOSAL_CORE_SelectProposal_Page? SolicitationId=a0rt000000YlsCvAAJ. Thank you. NYSERDA Do not reply to this email. This inbox is not monitored.