LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Town switches gears with traffic engineering consultants for Moraga Road Traffic Safety Study


Moraga Road Traffic Safety Study map Image courtesy Moraga Public Works Dept.

Drivers trying to enter onto Moraga Road from Corte Santa Clara or Via Granada during rush hour, and additionally when Saint Mary's College personnel head toward Lafayette to reach Highway 24 or Campolindo High School empties out for the day, have voiced their complaints to the town about the danger and near impossibility of the effort.

The Town Council, in an ongoing effort to address those complaints, has awarded a professional services agreement to Parametrix, Inc. for traffic engineering consultant work with regards to the Moraga Road Traffic Safety Study. The amount for their services is not to exceed $38,190, with $3,819 for contingency and $7,638 for administrative services.

According to a Dec. 13 staff report by Public Works Director/Town Engineer Shawn Knapp and Assistant Engineer Yao Miao, "Residents who live in the Court feel trapped at times by vehicle backup on Moraga Road from Campolindo High School and other school congestion, along with commuter traffic, as there is no Moraga Road `KEEP CLEAR' zone in front of the Court. The existing Moraga Road pavement width is not sufficient to add a dedicated center turn lane for the Court ingress and egress. Additionally, the Court has sight distance obstructions from trees and a sloping hillside on Moraga Road, raising more concerns for residents."

Another issue that adds to the congestion is the high-visibility, push-button activated flashing beacon crosswalk at Woodford Drive that is not coordinated with nearby traffic signals.

In order to cut costs, the town has decided to contract directly with Parametrix, Inc. and eliminate Harris & Associates (who uses them as a sub-contractor) from their capacity of study services.

The staff report also discussed Livable Moraga Road (LMR), "a transportation planning project to provide the future multimodal, complete street vision for a two-mile-long portion of Moraga Road between Campolindo Drive and St. Mary's Road. This project will provide a `road map' for the future locations of continuous bicycle and pedestrian facilities, safe routes to school, transit, and vehicle safety improvements, along with the desired streetscape improvements, based on community input and Council direction."

Not included in the LMR Study is the planned 123-unit residential Palos Colorados development on the eastern side of Moraga Road between Via Granada and Corte Santa Clara. The land developer is required to complete a traffic study as part of their construction process. However, staff recommends that the potential vehicle count from this development also be taken into consideration for future Moraga Road Traffic Safety studies.