P & D CONSULTANTS - 2002 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Grand Avenue Widening Project Environmental Impact Report - Section 6.0 Use Element and the construction of the widened Grand Avenue could potentially result in cumulative short term significant adverse impacts related to air quality if multiple projects are under construction at the same time. The cumulative air quality analysis for the proposed Grand Avenue widening, described earlier in Section 3.4 (Air Quality) compared the air emissions under this proposed project with the future No Project conditions and existing air quality. The analysis focused on CO emissions because CO is the pollutant of primary concern on roads. Future year CO concentrations are expected to be slightly higher under the No Project Alternative than under the proposed widening project for both the one and eight hour periods. CO concentrations at area intersections will be slightly lower in the future under the widening alternatives, compared to both the No Project Alternative and the existing CO levels at these intersections. Construction of the proposed widening would result in pollutant emissions that would not exceed the quarterly AQMD standards. The proposed project, which would result in improved traffic flows and level of service, would not result in significant adverse short or long term air quality impacts. Therefore, the proposed Grand Avenue widening would not contribute to significant cumulative adverse impacts on air quality in the region. 6.2.8 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION The transportation improvements under the Circulation Element would result in increases in traffic volumes in and through the City of Santa Ana. Traffic congestion is anticipated to occur at 31 intersections in the City. Mitigation would reduce these impacts, but not to below a level of significance. Buildout of the Land Use Element will increase the number of vehicle trips traveling in and through the City which would contribute to traffic congestion on many roads and intersections in the City. Although road improvements and trip reduction programs would mitigate these impacts, traffic generated by buildout of the Land Use Element will result in a significant cumulative adverse traffic impact on roads in the City of Santa Ana and neighboring cities. Therefore, the cumulative traffic impacts associated with buildout of the Land Use and Circulation Elements are anticipated to be significant. As discussed earlier in Section 3.5 (Transportation and Circulation), the widening of Grand Avenue will not result in significant adverse impacts related to transportation and circulation except at one intersection which would operate at level of service F in the PM peak hour. The acquisition of partial parcels to accommodate the proposed cross sections under Alternatives 1 and 2 could result in the removal of some or all of the off street parking for the affected land uses. These impacts on parking can be mitigated to below a level of significance as described in Section 3.2 (Land Use). Therefore, the proposed Grand Avenue widening will not result in significant cumulative adverse impacts related to transportation and circulation. 6.2.9 CUMULATIVE IMPACTS RELATED TO BIOLOGICAL RESOURCES The future transportation improvements and land uses assumed under buildout of the Circulation and Land Use Elements in the City of Santa Ana would result in the loss of native and non-native F: IPROJ-ENVIGrand eirWew Text - Gran&Section 6.0-new.doc Page 6-12