PREPARED FOR THE:

LOS ANGELES COUNTYTRANSPORTATION

COMMISSION

oLACTC

PREPARED BY,

GRUEN ASSOClATES

AUGUST 1990

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DODGER STADIUM ACCESS STUDY

PREPAI<ED FOil:

LOS ANGELES COUNTY TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION818 WEST 7TH STREET

LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA 90017213.623.119-1

PREPARED BY:

GRUEN ASSOCIATES6330 SAN VICENTE BOULEVARD

LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA 90048213.937.4270

IN ASSOCIATION Willi:

GANNETT FLEMING

AUGUSI 1990

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SUMMAHY

CIIAI'TEIl 1.0 I'lJHI'OSE AND NEED FOH TilE CONNECTOIl

1.1 PROJECT BACKGROUND

1.2 PROJECT ALTERNATIVES

CIIAPTEH 2.0 HOUTE AND TECIINOLOGY ALTEIlNATIVES

2.1 SHUTTLE BUS ..

2.2 AGT SHUTTLE

2.3 LRT SPUR

2.4 GONDOLA TRAMWAY

2.5 ESCALATOR / WALKWAY

CIIAI'TEH 3.0 DEVELOPMENT AND INITIAL SCHEENING OF ALTEHNATIVES

1

5

7

11

15

19

21

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

TOPOGRAPHIC CONSTRAINTS & DOWNTOWN CONNECTOR COMPATIBILITY.,,,,

STADIUM EXITING. BOARDING. & TRAVEL TIME

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES.

NEXT STEPS".

25

, 29

31

32

LIST OF FIGUHES & TABLES

F(CIIIlES

LOCATION MAP

2 TRANSIT CONTEXT.

3 CONNECTOR ALTERNATIVES

vi

2

4

4 ALTERNATIVE A; SHUTTLE BUS

5 ALTERNATIVE B; AGT SHUTTLE

. __ 6

........... 10

8 ALTERNATIVE E; ESCALATOR I WALKWAY

6

7

9

ALTERNATIVE C; LRT SPUR

ALTERNATIVE D; GONDOLA TRAM

SKETCH OF ESCALATOR I WALKWAY CONCEPT

______ .... __ ._. ._._._ .... _. __ 14

____ 18

__ ._._ .. 20

_... _.. . .. _.. 34

10 SKETCH OF AGT SHUTTLE CONCEPT ._ _. __ _ .

TABLES

CAPACITY AND COST COMPARATIVE MATRIX

__ . __ _ _ __ .. 35

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2

3

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF VAIHOUS TRANSIT TECHNOLOGIES

BOARDING AND TRAVEL TIME BY ALTERNATIVE .

26

30

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SIH11UAHY

This report focuses on alternative connec­tions that directly link Dodger Stadium andthe planned Pasadena Line Roll TransitStation near the Intersection of Collegeand Spring Streets In Chinatown. Two keyfactors In the consideration of any suchconnection are: 1} steep grades surround­Ing the bluff top parking areas Qf Dodger.Stadium and 2) the Infrequept but high.crowd peaking that occurS at major events.,

DQdger Stadium Is located on a bluff topthat Is elevated more than 200 feet abQvethe Pasadena Rail Transit Line.,.. Any CQn­nectar option would need to be able tohandle this steep grade. Secondly, be­fore and after events at Dodger Stadium.large numbers of people entering andexiting the parking facilities cause con­gestion and delay for attendees. Any transittechnQlogy must accomodate aLoading p enomenQn where up tQ 56000...Relsons enter or leaye the Stodlym wlthlo.,

..,:Q_brlef period of time before or otter eyentsA

Because of these factors, the access studyIdentified a selected group of represen­tative route and technolQgy alternativesthat could functlQn over a short (approxi­mately one mile) rQute In which elevationchanges of 225-275 feet are encountered.

ilL

The technologies examined Include shuttlebuses, autQmated guideway transit, lightroll transit, gondola tramways. walkwaysond escalators. Furthermore, each of theconnector alternatives was developed withthe gaol of supporting economic devel­opment potential In ond around the fu­turo Chinatown Roll Transit Station.

As shown on Table 1, the connector alter­natives with the greatest system copacl­ties are the automated guideway transit(AGT) and light rail alternatives. These al­ternatives could provide a maximumcapacity of 18,000 passengers per hourfor on AGT system such as a six-car mono­rail train or 14,000 passengers/hour for a3-cor LRT train. This represents approxi­mately 25-30% of a sold out event exitingDodger Stadium. Total travel time to Col­lege Street Station would be 3 minutes forAGT and 7 minutes for LRT. Waiting timefollowing events at Dodger Stadium couldadd up to 18 minutes to these travel times .Costs for a light AGT system are estimatedat $20-25 million. Costs for grade sepa­rated LRT are estimated at $50-55 million.

A gondola tramway alternative offeredthe lowest capacity of the technologiesconsidered. Systems similar to the Palm

OODGf~ STADIUM TRANS"

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

DODGER STADIUM TRANSIT ACCESS STUDY

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

Springs Aerial Tranmway could carry up to2.600 passengers/hour over the Dodger Sta­dium route. Travel time from Dodger Sta­dium to College Street Station would nec­essarily Involve long waiting times duringpeak events due to the lower system ca­pacities of gondola tramways. An aver­age travel time following a Dodger game.Including waiting time. would be well overone hour. Costs for a gondola tram sys­tem would be $12-15 million.

Shuttle buses. running as an extension ofRTD and DASH systems. could provide apeak event capacity of 7.200 passengerslhour. assuming 30 second headways. Traveltime to College Street Station would be 10minutes. although waiting time followingevents at Dodger Stadium could add upto 33 minutes to trip time. Capital costswould be minimal. as existing RTD busescould be dispatched from the DowntownCentral Bus Facility for Dodger Stadiumevents which generally occur outside ofrush hour periods.

Pedestrian Improvements. Including esca­lators from the bluff top parking lots ofDodger Stadium to an existing pedestrianovercrosslng of the Pasadena Freeway.could be linked to the College Street Sta-

lV

tlon via pedestrian walkways. Capacitiesfor a double-escalator. double-walkwayconfiguration would be 16.000 personslhour. or 29% of a sold out event at DodgerStadium. The major advantage of thissystem Is that there would be very littlewaiting for an escalator before or afteran event. and walking time comparesfavorably with other technologies whenwaiting times are accounted for. Costsfor this alternative would be $2 to 5 mil­lion.

A more detailed description of the alter­natives is provided beginning on page 7of this document. A more detailed com­parison of the alternatives is provided be­ginning on page 25.

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,1 • See Chapter 2.0 for discussion of technology. capacity. and route length assumptions .....

7,'::/X)' 550-55'"(1.4 miles) million

"-- -- -

TABLE

i[l>

CAPACITY ANDCOST COMPARATIVE

MATRIX

Assumes use of RTD &DASH buses. personneland maintenancefnclilties.

B1 requires gUidewayconstruction to naltengrades at freewaycrossing.

NoleS

Some grading requiredto flatten grades alongStadium Way South.

length of escalator Is600 feet with 200 feet ofelevallon gain.

Roosevelt Island AerialTramway costs escalatedfrom 1975 costs of 56.25million. The length of theRoosevelt Island tramwayIs 3.100 feet.

512-15million

52-5million

minimalcapitalcosts

520-25'"million

--_.--- ...._...--._-----

On!"r ofMagnitude

Costs

2.800'(.53 miles)

A 1 : 7,50rJ(1.4 miles)

A2 = 8.500'(1.6 miles)

A3 = 9.'::/X)·0.8 miles)

Bl = 4AOO'(.83 miles)

B2 = 4.300'(.81 miles)

600' (escalator)4.500' (.85 miles)

(stadium to station)

110111"

Lenglh·(i-WilY: SladiumMid-Slalion 10

Fasadenll Line)

nutes

nutes

nutes

nutes

hutos

lin~t

ing. &I Timesadena

ne tt *

~.._~. ---------~---- ----

P"uk Exilin~ I~xi

Dodgcr Sladium Capacily BoardRoule Mode/Assumptions persons/hour· Trave

(% of Dodger 10 FaStadium capacily) Li

Shullle Bus

A • DASH or RTD 7,200 I hour 43mledenslon (13% of capacity)

• f:IJ persons I bus• 3D-second headway

AGT Shullle

B • grade separated 18.000 I hour 17m• double guideway (32% of capacity)• 9O-second headway• 6-car trains

--_.- ~

LRT Spur

C • grade separated 14.000 I hour 25ml• double guideway (25% of capacity)• 3-mlnute headway• 3-car trains --_.-

Gondola Tram

\) • 2 125-passenger car_ 2.800 I hour 92ml(5% of capacity)

1------- -_.1------ --

Escalator:

Escalalor/Walkway 16.000 I hour(29% of capacity)

E 23mlEscalator + stairway:

24.000 I hour(43% of capacity)

'--- -- ---------

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.. Total time to move more than 4.000 riders tram Dodger 5tadlum to Pasadena Une following an event.(See Table 3. Section 3.2 for discussion of exiting. boarding and travel times.)

••• Costs are typical per mile costs for aerial gUideway systems. Costs are not Included tor stations. rollmaintenance and storage. 5uch ccmltal costs should be considered order-at-magnitude costs for Initialcomparison of alternatives only. Ft, Iher "ngtneerlng and route refinement study Is requlrf'd for moredetailed cost estimates.

lOS ANGElES COUNTY

rRANsPORTATION COMMISSION

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

GANNETT FLEMING

II

GRUEN ASSOCIATF.S

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Dodger stadiumParking Enlrances

Elysian Park

Chinatown

LA UnionPassenger Terminal

Downtown CBD

FIGURE

I[]J

LOCATION MAP

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

TRANsporHATION COMMISSION

KEY-t>,,1~';'1-1---"-';1

A

GANNETT FLEMING

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1.01.1

"fill ,'OS,.; Ii N I) N,.; f: I)

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PUOJECT BACKGUOOND

DODGER STADIUM TlU\NSn ACCESS SlUDV

Dodger Stadium Is a notionally known56.000 seat baseball and multi-functionsports. concert and outdoor exhibitionfactllty located In Chavez Ravine north ofDowntown Los Angeles. The Stadium wasopened In 1962. to provide a new homefor the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball fran­chise. which had recently relocated toLos Angeles from New York and had beentemporarily playing In the Los Angeles Me­morial Coliseum at Exposition Park. DodgerStadium plays host to at least 81 majorleague baseball games per year betweenAprtl and October as well as numerousconcerts and exposition events. Recentevents. In addition to baseball. have In­cluded G rock concert by David Bowie.religious gatherings. and a RecreationalVehicle & Boot Show. Annual attendancefor baseball Is greater than 2 million spec­tators.

As shown In Figure 1. Dodger Stadium Is lo­cated on a blufftop overlooking Down­town Los Angeles and Is well served byhighways (Pasadena. Hollywood andGolden State Freeways) and arterial road­ways (Stadium Way. Academy Rood).During events at the Stadium. the publicis directed Into parking lots at five differ­ent access points. Parking Is provided for

upwards of 20.000 vehicles In parking lotssurrounding the Stadium.' Additionally.charter bus parking is prOVided at a cen­tral location within the parking lot area.

, Estimate Is based upon• 175 acres of surface park­Ing at 350 sq. ft.! vehicle.

GIlU(N ASSOCIATES

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GANNETT FLEMING

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

TRANSPORTATION COM MISSION

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

FIGURE 2

(D

TRANSIT CONTEXT

_ Metro Blue line(Long Reach segmentopens 1990)

(Pasadena segmentopens 1998)

DASH "Roule B"

- Metro Red Une(opens 1993)

KEY

_ RTD Route #635

Ij

Transit service In the vicinity of DodgerStadium Is provided by SCRTD via surfacebus routes In Chinatown and Elysian Pork.As shown In Figure 2, this service Is supple­mented by DASH service (Downtown AreaShuttle) and three new roll transit proJ­ects scheduled for completion between1990 and 1998.

Dodger Stadium Is located one mile westof the adopted route of the PasadenaLight Roll Line. This project Is scheduledfor completion In 1998 with a station to belocated In Chinatown, near the Intersec­tion of Spring Street and College Street.Since a Dodger Stadium Station was notpossible along the Pasadena Line route.alternative means of connecting DodgerStadium to the future Pasadena L1no railtransit station have been analyzed In thisreport. In addillon, tho Motro I~od L1no.serving LA Union Passenger Terminal(LAUPl), Civic Center, 5th & HIli, 7th &Flower. and Wilshire & Alvarado Is sched­uled to open In 1993. Metro Blue Lineservice between Downtown Los Angelesand Downtown Long Beach opened forservice In July 1990. RTD has recently com­menced service on LIne #635. which pro­vides service between the Metro Blue LInePlco Station and Dodger Stadium. Directconnection by RTD buses Is provided start-

3

Ing 2 1/2 hours prior to each game and 15minutes following the end of a game.

DASH service has been expanded In thedowntown area with two routes. Route Bpresently runs along Hili Street and NorthBroadway In the vicinity of Dodger Sta­dium.

Providing transit access to persons attend­Ing events at Dodger Stadium will be theprimary purpose of the Dodger StadiumConnector. The connector would easetraffic congestion before and after eventsat the Stadium and could attract addi­tional attendance to these events byproviding convenient access from China­town. downtown and the rest of the met­ropolitan region for thoso who cannot ordo not wish to drive to the ballpark.

DOOGFR STADIUM mA.NSIf ACCESS STUDY

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

FIGURE 3

0)

CONNECTOnALTERNATIVES

lOS ANGELES COUNTY

TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

GANNETT FLEMING

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1.2 rUOJECT ALTEUNATIVES

A major constraint to the provision of tran­sit service to Dodger Stadium Is the hillyterrain surrounding the Stadium bluff toplocation. Dodger Stadium Is located be­tween 200-300 feet above the surround­Ing urbanized areas. and any connectorroute would need to negotiate the steepslopes on the south and east faces of thebluff top parking area. Several alterna­tive routes and technologies were exam­Ined to determine their ability to serve astransit connectors between the DodgerStadium and the Pasadena Line. As shownIn Figure 3. five generic profile and tech­nology options were Identified for study:

Route AShuttle Bus Service: An at-grade bus shuttlethat would provide service between theCollege & Spring Station and the loop roodof the Dodger Stadium parking lots. Serv­Ice would either be direct from downtownvia DASH. or via the College & Spring Sta­tion where transit riders would change fromLRT to shuttle buses.

Route BAGT Shuttle: An automated gUidewaytransit shuttle that would provide servicebetween the College & Spring Station andDodger Stadium via either Bernard Street

5

or Cottage Home Street and Stadium WayEast.

Route CLRT Spur: An elevated spur track from thePasadena Line that would allow LRT trainsto be diverted from the Pasadena line Inthe vicinity of the College & Spring Sta­tion to provide service to a Dodger Sta­dium Station via an elevated guidewayalong Bernard Street and Stadium WaySouth.

Route DGondola Tramwav: Similar to the PalmSprings Aerial Tramway, this alternativewould utilize on aerial cablecar systemthat would travel from the future CentralCity North Area. via Radio Tower Hill InElysian Park. to Dodger Stadium. Such atransit mode would tend to serve as avisitor attraction In Itself because of viewsof downtown Los Angeles. Dodger Stadiumand Elysian Park.

Route EEscalator: A pedestrian connection fromthe College & Spring Station through Chi­natown and above the Pasadena Free­way to an escalator and/or stairway thatwould provide vertical connection to theDodger Stadium blufftop parking lots.

DODGER STADIUM TRANSIT ACC£SS STUDY

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

FIGURE <I

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ALTERNATIVE ASHUTTLE BUS

lOS ANGELES COUNTY

TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

GANNETT FlEMING

2.02.1

ROUTE ANIJ TECHNOLOGYALTERNATIVES

ALTEUNATlVE ASHUTTLE nus CONNECTons

DODGER STADIUM TR'ANSIT ACCESS STUDY

Shuttle bus service Is currently providedfrom downtown Los Angeles to North Broad­woy and Hili Streets near Dodger Stadiumvia LA Department of Transportation DASHbuses. These buses run approximately everyten minutes (more frequently In the mid­day hours) from 6:30am to 6:30pm Mon­day-Friday, and every 15 minutes fromlO:OOam to 5:00pm on Saturdays. The DASHshuttle fare Is 25 cents. These buses runnorth bound on North Broadway, turn weston College Street to Hili, trove I north onHili to Bernard Street which Is the end ofthe line. After layover along Bernard Street.DASH buses return to downtown via NorthBroadway.

As shown In Figure 4, extension of DASHshuttle service to Include Dodger Stadiumwould be possible via a loop that would

proceed up College Street to Stadium WaySouth, along the ring rood of the DodgerStadium parking area and back downStadium Way East to North Broadway. Sucha loop could provide service from theproposed College Street LRT Station onthe Pasadena Line as well as direct serv­Ice from downtown. During peak trafficperiods at Dodger Stadium an alternateroute down the hili could be utilized alongSolano Avenue that would ovoid heavytraffic congestion at Stadium Way East.

The one-way route length to the mid-pointof the loop roadway Is 7,500 feet via Sta­dium Way South, 8,500 feet via StadiumWay East and 9,500 feet via Solano Ave­nue. The steepest grades occur alongthe Stadium Way East segment wheremaximum grades of 7%-8% exist.

DASH Shull'e'City Depar/men/ 0/r,an.po,/allon .hull/e.hav" bflf!Jn very .tlC-c" .. /ul In p,ov/dln",,,rvlcfI 10 Down/own10. An"e'", and o/h,,'ar"a. 0/ /hl> Clly.

.-------------------------~-----------------------------.

Route A - At-grade Shuttle Bus via Broadway-Stadium Way East

575 fl.

475 It.

Ott.

Shuille Bus Palh

2.500 It.

7

5.000 It. 8.50011

Gf.lUFN ASSOCIAT[S

DODGER STADIUM lRANSrT ACCESS STUD'"

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

NQrth BrQadwaY at Bernard Street:DASH Shuttles currently layQver Qn Ber­nard Street between NQrth BrQadway andItill Streets.

Stadium WaY East crQssinQ of Pasadenafreewqy:Access to Dodger Stadium is CUI rently prQ­vided via Stadium Way East. This viewshQWS the undercrQssing Qf the PasadenaFreeway.

8

DQdaer Stadium principal entrance onStadIum Way East:The principal entrance to Dodger Stadiumis from the east at the Pasadena Freeway.Direct freeway ramps converge on thisentry which Is heavily used during theperiods Immediately before and afterstadium events. The high-rise structuresof dQwntown Los Angeles are seen at theupper center of this photo.

Dodger Stqdlum frQm parklog IQt #32:Terraced parking Is provided along a cir­cular rlog road surrounding Dodger Sta­dium. Transit buses could pick up/dis­charge passengers along this ring rQad.or conversely. a single transit stQP CQuidbe provided at a central 10catlQn in theparking area.

9

DOOGER STADIUM TRANSIT ACC[SS STUDY

r;RUEN ASSOCIAlfS

FIGURE 5

oALTERNATIVE B

ACT SHUTTLE

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

TRANSPORTATION COMMISSiON

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

GANNETT fLEMING

------------------ ---._-----~-_.

---------- -------------- DODGER STADIUM tlMNSfT ACCESS STUDY

2.2 ALTEUNATIVE nA(;T SHUTTLE

I ho most direct conneclor allornallvebetween the Pasadena Line and DodgerStadium would be via an Automated Guide­way Shuttle that would run bock and forlhalong Stadium Way East from Ille fulureCollege Street Roll Transit Station to DodgerStadium.

Collago Home Strool 10 cross above thePasadena Freeway. along Ihe edge ofStadium Way East to Dodger Stadium. OnceInside the Dodger Sladium parking area.the AG I line would run along the looproadway with several station stops to al­low pick-up and drop-off.

Various types of AGT technologies arepossible for this route Including monorailsystems. rubber tired people mover. andsteel-wheel systems. A discussion of thevarious AGT technologies Is Included InChapter 3 of this report. As shown In Fig­ure 5. two alternative routes are possible;B1) from the College & Spring Street Sla­tlon along Bernard Street to croSS abovethe Pasadena Freeway. along the edgeof Stadium Way East to Dodger Stadium;or B2) from the College Street Station along

Because of sleep slopes along StadiumWay East. light raillransit technology. whichIs being used on the Pasadena Roll Line.could not be used for this route. Maxi­mum grades for lighl roil are approxi­mately 6% and grades below Dodger Sta­dium on this route exceed 7%. Othertechnologies however. such as certaintypes of monorail can accommodatesteeper grades than light rail technologyand would therefore be more appropri­ate if this route were selected. Light

AGT Shu/lie'Th" Dllneywofld mono­loll In Ollando, floridaI. a Iyp" 01 AGT lech­nology Ihal plovlde..huille '",vlce be­twe.n ho/et. and actlv­lIy e"n/e" wllhln /heamulemenl park.

lU..LLSmoolhlng 01 glade. 10reduce ,'ope, fo,allelnal/ve B I 10 I" ..Ihan /5" would le.ullIn a lelal/vely hlQhgUldttway .tructur6 onS.rnard 51,,,.1.

5.00011.

[8] DODGER STADIUM

L.""",,~~~

2.500 ft.

Elevated Rail Path

Route Bl - AGT Shuttle Guideway via Bernard Street-Stadium Way East

ofl.

575 fl.

475 ft.

Totol lenylh - 04..300 feet

375 fl. Elevalion Change - 2251,,"t.'.lRT Maximum Grode 15%

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GRUEN ASSOCiATES

11

DODGER STA.DlUM TRANSn ACCESS STUDY

II 0 ul, B I'thl. vl.w look' w •• 1

Irom Norlh Broadwayalollg B.rllard S'r •• '.

All .'.val.d guld.waywould rUII olollg Ih.

e.lIl.r or .,d. of B.r­liard Slr •• 1 wh'r' /I

would lurll 10 Ih. rlghl10 ero" abov. 'httPa.ad_na Ft •• wuy.

th. bluff/op parking101. of Dodg.r Sladium

can b • ••• n In Ih.upp.r rlghl of Ih.

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GRUEN ASSOCIATES

monorail and other AGT technologies cangenerally handle grades of up to 8%-10%.which would make it possible to climb the225 feet tram the College & Spring StreetStation to Dodger Stadium over the 4.300foot length of this route. Mag-lev tech­nology. such as the M-Bahn. MagneticTransit of America prototype vehicle. canhandle slopes of up to 10%. althoughpractical applications of this technologyhave not been made to date,

Under this alternative. the guideway wouldbe totally grade-separated. The columnscould be placed either In the middle oron the side of the street and would dis­place at least one traffic or parking lanefrom the street. Conversely. straddle bentswould be utilized as the guideway sup­port with no traffic lanes taken. but prop­erty displacements would occur on bothsides of the street. The crossing of the

12

Pasadena Freeway would require thatcolumns be strategically placed reSUltingIn a relatively high structure above theChinatown segment of the route. RouteB2 is slightly shorter and more direct thanRoute B 1. however Route B2 Is adjacentto Cathedral High School and numerousresidential structures. Route B1 Is slightlylonger. however adjacent properties alongBernard Street are generally vacant orused for commercial purposes,

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Roule Bl'

AI 'hit 'nl"f,ecllon o(

Bernard Street and IhftPa,adena freeway. Ihrt.'flvnl.,d rJ,,'rl.woy

would ''''" 10 to/lowthe northbound DodgerStadium off-ramp, 'een01 Ihe "ghl 01 Ihepharo. Th" guld"waywould climb cd a 6% 10JO% grad". In order 10gaIn 225 I""r 01 "',,va­lion belwlIJen No,th'roadway and Dodg~,

Stadium.

R.12 u,,, BLirhl. vlllPw look. 'owardDodger Sladium ",omNorth Broadway olongCottage Home 5', •• 1.The no,Ihbound DodgerSladlum ott-tamp from'he Pa.adflna Fretftwaycan be .een again"Ih" blull backd,op. Anelevated gllidewaywould run along thecent"r or .Ide of Col­lagff Home SI·eel andwould lur" 1o the rightto (o"ow the t, ..Utwoyoff-romp up 10 DodgfIJfS I a d I II 1Jl.

AI the '"ffJf.ecllon ofCol/ag" Hom" 51,e,,'and the Pa.adenafreeway the elevaledgUideway would cro,.over Ihe PasadenaFrRewey (Ieen In thecenle, 01 'hI' photo)and }oln Ih" no,lh,bound o"~ramp, n' tilelell 01 Ihe photo.

FIGURE 6

1[1>

ALTERNATIVE CLilT SPUIl

lOS ANGElfS COUNIY

TnANSPOIHATION COMMISSION

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

GANNETT FLEMING

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~ 2.:1 ALTEnNATIVE C

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A spur track from the Pasadena Line wouldbe possible to serve Dodger Stadium. Asshown in Figure 6. such a spur track wouldbranch north Of College Street to crossabove North Broadway and run alongBernard Street. At the Pasadena Free­way. a long-span structure would be re­quired. The aerial guideway would climbalong the south side of Stadium Way South.Near the Sunset Boulevard entrance toDodger Stadium. the structure would curvealong the backside of the south parkinglot and cross over Stadium Way obliquely.crossing Into the Dodger Stadium parkingarea. Once Inside the Dodger Stadiumparking area, the LRT spur line would runalong the loop roadway with several sta­tion stops to allow pick-up and drop-off.

At 7.500 feet in length. fllis alternative isamong the longest of the alternatives con­Sidered in this report. The greater lengthis necessary to accommodate the climb­ing characteristics of light roll technol­ogy. While this greator length adds tocosts for this alternative, the use of thesame technology as is being used on thePasadena Rail Transit Project providesefficiencies In the service and mainte­nance of vehicles. Additionally. opera­tional fleXibility Is afforded wl1ereby extratrains could be added to serve specialevents of Dodger Stadium. It would evenbe possible for special "oxpress· trains torun directly to Dodger Stadium from vari­ous parts of the rail network.

LRT Spur'rhe> Me>/ro SlUr> Un ..which cU(fenlfy run,betwee" Downtown Lo,AngelO'. and longaeach hOI 'everatprorltt IRparuted .,o~

lion. and "f6el cro.,Ing .. Such grad.·,eparatlon would beneee,.ory along a .pur'rack rervlng Dodge,Siad/um.

tlJli'l~Lflr If.tchnology canhandll!f maxImum ,'opl!f'up 10 d~. Th"ftt/Of.,.om •• /ope modll/calion. would be f.qu/fed10 malnlaJn a conllnn'grade or Ie,. Ihan d%..

DODGERSII\IJIUM

~

2,500 (t.

Roule C - WI Spur via ncrnord SlrcclSlocJiurn Way Soulh

Orl.

575 (I.

';~N =7~~~'"T~8~~;r;ml~::!:,~:";~;j:~,·.275ft. --------. - --~. --'-~~

5.0ll0 fI. 7 .~)(X) rI.

iil,

ii,

iij

.i

.J

I) ( I 1\ Irs

1 '­,)

9,.. 6

[IOln,1 n ~IAl"Ut.4 lUAN511 ACU:SS :iflJl)'f

Roul, C'ThIJ vIew look. norlh

al Dodger Sladium IromIhe ad/acenl bluff,alonp Flgu~,oa T.,­,ace. Sladlum Way

We,' climb' lowa'd IheSladium I,om Ih. right

QI Ihe photo whe,e IIpa,,~. the US NavalAtmory campI" .. andthe Dodge' StadIum

flckel olflce.

GI-lU'=U ASSOClATfS

16

I

~

,I

:~

I~

!~

ifJ

._-----------------

11

DODGE~ STADIUM TIlANSrr ACCF$:, SrU[)V

11...2.Jl.U---.J;~

AI 'he lorl 01 Ihephoto. the Sunse'8ou'~vo,d entrance ,0

the Sladlum parking101, can be .sen.Roul. C woUld followStadium Wnr and wou'dcro •• above the .'fe6110 IIIJ'er the Stadiumparking loll.

R IJ f fJ 1\ s: S 0 ,- I /I. I r ~

FIGURE 7

Q0

AL'I'EUNATIH ()GONDOLA TUAM

lOS ANGElETflANSPOIH S COUNTY

ATIO..N COMMISSION

{;UlIf.N A550CIArt:S

GANNETT FLEMING

f

I.

DODGER STADIUM TRANSfl ACCfSS STUDY

Ij

i~.

2.1 ALTEIlNATIVE n(; 0 N nOLA TIt-HI

The City of Los Angeles Planning Depart­ment has identified major re-use poten­tial in the ·Cornfield" railroad storage yardsadjacent to North Broadway. along theroute of the planned Pasadena Rail Tran­sit Project. As a part of Initial planning forredevelopment of this area. conceptualsketches Illustrating posslbte future see·narlos for the area show a gondola tram­way connecting the heart of this redevel­oped area to Dodger Stadium.

As shown in Figure 7. such a tramway couldrun from a central location in the plannedCentral City North Development Area tothe top of Radio Tower HIli in Elysian Park.and then across the volley formed betweenf?adio Tower Hill and the bluffs of the DodgerStadium Parking area. A mid-station stopat Radio Tower Hill would open up thislittle used portion of Elysian Park to greaterpublic use and at the same time. provide

a scenic view point. picnic and recrea­tion area. The closest application of atechnology such as this In Southern Cali­fornia is the Palm Springs Aerial Tramwayat Mt. San Jacinto, This system utilizescable cars accommodating up to 80 per­sons and move up to 400 persons per hourto the top of a 6.000 foot incline. A moreurban application of this technology isthe r?oosevelt Island Aerial Tramway in NewYork Cily. This system was constructed In1976 and moves 1.500 persons per hourbetween midtown Monhallan and Roosev­elt Islanet in the middle of the East River.Many ski resorts utilize smoiler. 4-8 persongondola cars than run in a continuousseries, Systems such as 1110 8 person gon·dolo at Steam boot Springs. Colorado canaccommodate up 10 2.IlCHJ persons perhour,

rwo obvious problems are: 1) accessibil·

I

5ZJ>JU1.9_LiL.J_L11..ill.ll'Jl.J'.1SkI ''0'10'' technologyhOf boen adopted 10amusement parle andurban application'.uch ul 1he PalmSprings Aerial Tramwayand the Roor9vtJII"'and AerIal rramwayIn New York City.

. RaGle 0= Gondola tram via Radio rower Hill

------.]/JlXlfl.

" . -- -_. -··1 -- .-

!>.!}()(lfI,

loIn! IYllV'h . ? .non fee'!

[iovoliull Chl-Hln(~ ?~'7 1,,/'1

M'l'l(i!l\l)ll,Cf("j.~ ~,n'x,

2.500 ft.

................

.-----Gondolo !'<Jlh

tA:-...l.----- ~0 DODG[IISIAIJIUM

~

ort.

575ft, -

475 ft.

375 ft,

sTklj~N[5<J275 ft.

': P II l II 1\ r, ~ " r I " ! r

FIGURE 8

Q]l

HTEHNATIVE EESCALATOH WALKWAY

CONNECTION

lOS ANGELES COUNlY

rl~ANSPORTATION COMMISSION

(.;RlJEN ASSOCIATES

GANNETT FlfMING

20

DODGER STADIUM JRA,N~" ACCESS STUDY

'i

Ily 10 lho Individual tower support loca­tions, and 2) whether the soli bearing ca­puclly UIlt! rrlclloll roslslUllco will L>o oroutenough to support the tower foundations.

Several towers and foundations will be re­Quired. Also, the structure at the begin­ning of Ihe aerial Iramway localed In Iheexisting rail yard will have to be a sizeableslructure In Ilself to keep the maximumclimbing grades to a minimum and pro­vide adequate clearance over North Broad­way. In order for this technology alterna­tive to connect directly to the Pasadena­Los Angeles Rail Transit Project, a newstation would need to be provided in thevicinity of North Broadway and the foot ofRadio Tower Hill.

2.5 ALTEHNATIVE E

ESCALATOH IWAJ,KWAY

Before and after events at Dodger Sta-

dlum, largo numbers of poople 'enterlngand exiling the parking facllilles causecOlluos1lofl und doluy ('.lI ullolldoos. Adrawback with any transit technology Isthis peak loading phenomenon wherebyup to 56,000 persons seek to enter or leaveDodger Sladium within a brief period oftime before or after evenls, Any technol­ogy used will develop Queues with peoplewaiting to board trains. buses. or simplyexit Ihe parking 101 in Ihelr cars. Becauseof this wailing lime, many attendees wouldprefer to walk some distance rather thanwait in lines, Because il Is less than onemile from Dodger StadiufTl to Ihe CollegeSlreel Roil Transil Slalion, many peoplecould reach the station on foot followingmajor events faster than they could beconveyed by transit. For these reasons,this alternallve provides high-capacity ver­tical circulation to assist pedestrians withthe 280 foot grade change between DodgerStadium and the Pasadena Line Station,

Dodger StadiumflcalatQ"E,calato" a,q pfe,-ently uled al Dodgo,StadIum to tran,portIan. "om differentlevel' of 'he tt.u,acIJdparking '01 .. Addl­Ilonal ule or luchfllealalo" would pro­vldtl " hlgh-cap"cllypodollflan roule be­twero" the Pej,e1donaRail LIne and DodgerStadIum.

lolul Lei 'gth 4,~>OO feel

flnvolioll Chollge - 2BD ff't.(~1

1'1.11 Ilcir lJur II Cl(ll I.. 31')%

2,500n.

-_._ ....._----_._-----

Route E- Escalator via Chinatown-Lookout Drive6(U 111.1 t8J DODGlil SIADIUM

EscuJalor Palt>37.5% max. grodo -~---...

(3: 1 overull)

Oft.

575 fl.

475 n.

375 ft.

sIA:~)N[8J275 n -t:::::;=-:~.:i..:~.:i..:====Z=:.:.:,;.:i.:.~:i.:.~~~:..:.;~:..:.;~· I--------~- _._ ------f

5.000 n. 7,500 fl.

r1I

Ij

'I

ij

'; I

{H)[H,! [f :>[A!IIUM [ilArJSIl A,CCF.S.5 SltJOV

Perhap, Ihe be,' vIew.01 down/own (0' ~ng.­

/6' ar. 10 be hod (romDodf}'" Stadium. rhl.vle-w look, .0uJh (10m

th e e d f}e at theblulltop parking lot ••acro.' the Po. adena

Fr."way and the exl.,­lng pede. Irian OVfJr~

cfo,,'ng. toward China­town and Ihe CIvIc

Center or.a. Alterna­live /loute E would

provIde acce .. up Ihl.hl/I.,d" Irom Ihe p,,­

de.'rlan ov.,rcfo •• 'ng10 allow ped9.IrJan

acee •• Irom O.ASH.hulll". and Ih" Pa.ad­

flna lln_.

GRU[N ASSOCIAIES

but allows them to walk or be conveyedon elevated moving walkways for the re­mainder of the route.

As shown in Figure 8. an existing pedes­trian overpass above the Pasadena Free­way is provided at Bernard Street. It isless than 800 feet from this pedestrianbridge to the bluff top edge of DodgerStadium parking lot #32. however there isa 200' rise in elevation over this samedistance. Similar to the historic Angel'sFlight inclined railway. an inclined esca­lator could provide automated pedes­trian transport over this distance. Two 48"wide escalators would have a peak ca­pacity of over 16.000 persons per t)Our.There is also very little waiting with thistechnology. thus allowing crowds to dis­perse qUickly following events. At thefoot of the Dodger Stadium hill. pedes-

22

trians would have a choice of routes be­tween the pedestrian overcrosslng andthe College Street Rail Transit Station. Anelevated walkway above Bernard Streetcould provide a automated walkway con­necting directly to the roll transit station.Conversely. pedestrians could be directedthrough Chinatown where numerous res­taurants. shops and pedestrian ammenl­ties are provided. A further option wouldbe to take a DASH shuttle from this pointdirectly to downtown.

The total length from Dodger Stadium tothe College Street Station would be 4.500feet under this alternative. with an aver­age walking time of 13 minutes. This Iscomparable to other alternatives such asLRT and AGT where waiting times duringpeak periods increase travel time. Also.passenger waiting following a game Is

i!

psychologically perceived as being threeto four times ionger than actual waiting

time,

DODG[R 51AOIUM IIU1.NSfi II.CC~SS SJO!J'I'

",

Ij

Ii

,i

j! i,j "'§D

r~

·i

.i

'!

'1

'I,j

1~

I~

.cj

~

"

rh,., ~xl.tlng 8BfnardSI,oel pede.lrlan OV(f(­

croJ.lng of the Pa,adenD Freftway It '&en Inthis view. 'he 011&1

cro.,'ng could beImproved 10 p,ov'd~ abelter, more Inle,e,','"g wnlldng (tnvlron­men' thaI would con­necl 10 an •• coldlor/parkway conn.cllort 10Dodge, stadium on 'hooppo.lte .'de o( rhePo, adena Frtl9way.The blu/flOP Dodge,Siad/um pa,klng /01.org .ilJon 01 thfJ upperrlghl 0' /he pholo.

( I ' I I ";

TRANSIT AC(;[SS STUDYOODGfR STADIUM

Route E"d (I.Irla n

F,om Ih"..~:g 01 Ih"ov.rcro Freeway. an

I'a.ad"na Iml/a' 10 Ion-alolof' n Sunkef".e"". "'f/hl '~Vld" p,,_

~ III c a u I d e~ ".. I a I h "",'an a Siadium

d.. DOdg<l~~'ng 101 ..blulliop p" land.cap-

pa,k.llk uld p,o-10 Ih"m" wo 'h"Ing walkway up woy

V'~7, a Such a w"aC:kWllhh . b" d""gn I"w-

eou,~"" <Ifea. ;'p~cnlcpolnl. on ould be

area"ha:oCStadiumu."d P"O~h .. walkW~~eventJ. been d

.hown h~' malnlaln"fined O"d_acce._

h ndleapp .,op ....a ./b I ..

KEY

I Stairways111111 Escalators

-~DGER PARKING.

G RUE N ASS 0 r. I ATE S

24

____c ~c _

DODGER STADIUM TRANSrT ACCESS StUDY

3.0 IJEVEI.OPMENT AND INITIALSCl(EENING OF ALTERNATIVES

The previous chapter described a selectedgroup of technologies that can provideautomated transit connection betweenDodger Stadium and the planned Pasad·ena Rail Line. The alternatives presentedwere chosen to represent a range of pos­sible solutions. This chapter broadens thediscussion to discUSS a family of transittechnologies that would be possible toevaluate In future route refinement. envi­ronmental and engineering studies. Thechapter also provides additional discus­sion of the key factors affecting the se­lection of a technology to serve DodgerStadium.

3.1 TOPOGRAPIlH: CONSTUAINTS &

DOWNTOWN CONNECTIONCOMPATIBILITY

Perhaps the key factor in the selection ofa technology to serve Dodger Stadiumare the steep slopes surrounding theDodger Stadium parking lots that wouldeliminate many types of transit technol­ogy from consideration at the outset. Anytechnology to be considered for furtherevaluation would need to be able to climbgrades In excess of B% over theshortest and most direct route to Dodger

25

Stadium on Stadium Way East. or over 6%for the longer. more gradual grade alongStadium Way South.

A second Important consideration in theselection of any technology for furtherevaluation is the ability of that technol·ogy to interface with other transit systemsthat are existing or are being planned forthe downtown area. The ability to con­nect Dodger Stadium to downtown LosAngeles directly has been mentioned Inseveral planning stUdies dating from theDowntown People Mover in the early 1980'sthrough current planning for the BunkerHill Transit Tunnel/Downtown Circulatortransit system. Technologies currentlybeing evaluated for Downtown range fromsimple sidewalk Improvements and mov­Ing sidewalk facilities. through coble driventechnologies. rubber-tired automatedsystems (as have been used In many air­ports). steel-wheeled systems and ad­vanced technology such as monorail andmag-lev systems. The following tableprovides a summary of the key character­Istics of these systems and their generalsuitability to the topographic requirementsof the Dodger Stadium connection.

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

'---__ • L.. . -'- . , _

26

---------------- ----------~-------

ti

~

~

~

F

--- ~

~

~

r:~

I!

f

~

~

~

~

~

~

~

I!

t

~

~

~

..

8%

12%

6 .. 8%

SO%+

MaximumGrndes

10%

15% (Sidewalk)50% (Escalator)

50

so

15 .. 20

2

20 - 7020

30 - 50

MaximumSpeed (mph)

100·20.000

9,000

20.000

3.000 - 15.000

3.000 - 10.000

7.000 . SO,OOO3.000

Typical Capacity*(I'a.senger. I lIour) .

MagneticLevitation

Rubbor-Ilrod

Coble-Driven

Monorail:Top-RidingUnderslung

Technology

Sf 001 Whool fLight Roll

Moving Sidewalk fEscalator

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

TRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

GANNETT fLEMING

TllIhle adapted (rom lIu.nker Ifill

1'ranJIt S.udy; rholf~ 2, LA DOT,LACRA, Sehimpeler-Corre.dinoAuociale./Delon Hamplon &A..ndale., June 1990.

TABLE 2

oKEY CIIAHACTEHISTICS

OF TRANSITTECHNOLOGIES

(UNDER CONSIDERATION FORDOWNTOWN I.OS ANCEJ.[S

DISTRIBUTOR SYSTEM)

*' Capacilie. b8lled on 3~minule head­way. (or applicable lechnologiu.

Moylng Sidewalks/Escalators: Moving side­walks are used at major airports to con­vey passengers between the terminal andboarding gates. They are also used at theHollywood Bowland at shopping centerssuch as the Beverly Connection In WestHollyWOOd to convey passengers from park­Ing areas to shopping and activity areas.Escalators are used outdoors In DowntownLos Angeles along the skybrldges and pla­zas near Arco Plaza. the Bonaventure Ho­tel and the new First Interstate Tower. Theyare also used at many transit systemsthroughout the world Including the futureMetro Red Line stations In Downtown LosAngeles. Outside escalators are also usedat Dodger Stadium to convey fans fromdifferent levels of the terraced parkingfacilities. Such systems operate continu­ously at about 2 miles per hour and be­cause of their continuous operation. cancarry large numbers of people. The ac­tual capacity depends on the width ofthe walkway Installed but ranges between3.000 and 10.000 people per hour for eachwalkway provided. Moving sidewalks havelimited applications for climbing gradeswith a maximum slope of about 15%. Es­calators routinely handle 2: 1 slopes ex­ceeding 50%. Such a system has beenIdentified as Route Alternative E In thisstUdy.

Rubber-TIred: Typical rubber-tired systemsrun on a dedicated right-of-way that Isusually elevated In urban areas. Vehiclesrange In size from small minibus size tostreetcar size and can usually be linked

27

Into trains of several cars to Increasecarrying capacity. The most commonapplication to date has been at airportsto serve remote terminal and boardingareas. Capacities range from 3.000 to15.000 passengers per hour at speeds ofbetween 30-50 mph. Such a technologycould be used under the Automated Guide­way Transit Alternative B In this report.

Steel Woeel Rail: Both the Metro Blue Lineand Metro Red Line are steel wheel sys­tems. The Metro Red Line Is defined as aheavy-roll system utilizing large. heavyvehicles running on full weight ralls. Heavyroll systems would not be appropriate toserve Dodger Stadium because of slopelimitations associated with this technol­ogy. Light roll systems. such as the MetroBlue Line currently running between Down­town Los Angeles and Long Beach. havelighter vehicles and lighter weight tracks.They run at slower speeds. and are ca­pable of negotiating tighter turns thanheavy roll systems. The future PasadenaRoll Line will be such a light roll systems.Maximum climbing grades for light andheavy roll systems are about 6% for prac­tical applications. This would precludethe use of this technology along StadiumWay East at Dodger Stadium and wouldnecessitate the longer route along Sta­dium Way South described as the Route Calternative In this report.

Monorail: Southern Californians are fa­miliar with monorail technology as one ofthe earliest applications was at Disneyland

DODGER STADIUM TRANSIT ACCESS STUDY

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

DODGER STADIUM TRANSIJ ACCESS STUDY

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

In the late 1950·s. Since that time. mono­rail technology has progressed. and al­though only the Seattle World Fair andDlsneyWorld monorail have been built Inthe United States. over 40 miles of urbanroute service Is currently In operation InJapan. This technology requires approxi­mately 1/3 of the structure of comparableLRT and rubber-tired elevated systems be­cause of its relative light weight. Mono­rails can be configured as either top-rid­ing or underslung. Top-riding monorailsusually utilize a concrete or steel box beam.with a rUbber-tired vehicle riding on topand guide wheels at the sides. Under­slung monorail systems are similar In ap­pearance to ski resort cable cars. with ve­hicles suspended below a single slendersteel track. Vehicle size can range fromsmall 'personal" vehicles through heavyroll size cars. Train capacity ranges from7,000 to 50.000 passengers per hour atspeeds ranging from 20 to 70 mph. Me­dium capacity monorail systems cangenerally climb grades of 10-12% whichwould make them appropriate for use atDodger Stadium along the shortest, mostdirect route along Stadium Way East. Sucha system would be suitable as an Auto­mated Guideway Transit (AGT) AlternativeB In this report.

Magnetic Leyltation: The 'M-bahn" sys­tem in Germany is currently the onlyapplication of this technology althoughprototype systems have been demon­strated for several years. Mag-lev tech­nology utilizes electromagnetic resistance

28

-----_.----------

to hold vehicles above the guideway.thereby providing smooth. frictionlesstravel. Mag-levs have high speed Inter­city application at speeds exceeding 300mph, but have also been demonstratedto have lower speed downtown applica­tions. such as the Japanese HSST urbanmaglev system. This system can handlegrades of 8% which would be marginallyacceptable for the route to Dodger Sta­dium.

Cable Drlyen: Two types of cable-drivensystems exist for downtown urban appli­cations. The first type can run on steelralls, rubber tires or other support mecha­nism and be pulled by cable. The secondtype Is supported by an overhead cableand also driven by cable. These systemsoperate at relatively low speeds of 15-20mph and have capacities that are gener­ally limited to between 1,000 and 4,000passengers per hour. Very few applica­tions of this technology exist In the UnitedStates In urban areas, although the tech­nology has been used extensively In skiresorts and amusement parks. Applica­tions In downtown Los Angeles are gener­ally being considered for the Bunker HillTransit Tunnel over a distance of less thanone mile. Because of the low speed, itwould be difficult to achieve any effec­tive linkage between Dodger Stadium anddowntown Los Angeles using this technol­ogy. The Gondola Tram alternative D hasbeen Included In this study to provide acomparison with the other alternativesand because of Its potential application

--------------------

In providing on attraction In Its own rightfor the City North Development Area.Elysian Park and Dodger Stadium.

:1.2 STAIHUM EXITING, (JOAIWI NG &

TIlAVEt TIME

A unique feature of transit service at DodgerStadium that would not occur to the samedegree at other locations In the Down­town area. Is the peak loading of anytransit system that would occur followingbaseball games and other major events.Any technology used will develop queueswith people waiting to board trains. busesor simply exit the parking lots In their cars.Table 3 presents a comparison of thetechnologies to determine waiting andtravel times for the alternatives. In orderto develop the analysis. the followingassumptions were mode:

• Average waiting times and travel timeswere developed based on the assump­tion that approximately 10% of an aver­age crowd (40.000 attendees) would usetransit to exit the stadium In the peak periodfollowing on event at the Stadium. Thiswould mean that 4.000 persons would arriveand queue up at approximately the sametime to board whatever mode of transit

29

--------------

was provided. Waiting times were thencalcuated based on the time thot It wouldtake each different transit mode to move4.000 riders to the Pasadena Line Stationat College and Spring Street.

Typical transit technologies were se­lected to estimate system loading capaci­ties. The following typical technologieswere used:

Route A- Shuttle Bus: Standard RTD buseswere assumed that can handle up to 60persons per bus. Maximum headways of30 seconds were assumed yielding a peakhour exiting capacity of 7.200 passengersper hour.

Route B- AGT Shuttle: A medium-capacitymonorail technology was assumed. Suchtechnologies could theoretically accom­modate 90 second headways during peakperiods configured In standard 6-car trains.Up to ten car trains would be possible.although such a configuration wouldrequire larger station platforms over 400feet in length. 6-car train configurationswould more closely match station plat­form lengths used on the Pasadena RoilLine and would accommodate up to 450passengers per train. Boarding of 4.000passengers would therefore require 10trains. or 15 minutes.

Route C- lRT Sour: The light roll transitvehicle being planned for use on the Poso-

DODGER STADIUM TRANS" ACCESS STUDY

GRUEN ASSOCIATFS

DoDGlR STADIUM TRANSfl ACCESS STUDY

KEY

92 minutes

6

43 minutes

10

25 minutes

A. SHUTTLE BUS60 persons/bu.

3O-secoOO headway.

14 3

~~s= Ilr'Jka 17 m'oulesI>-car trains at 7~ pass./cO/;

450 passengeB/traln ~

D. GONDOLA TRAM2 t25-person cablecalS

Dlslance-2.llOO ,"'"30-"",. terminal "ma'

2.BOO poss./hr.

E. ESCALATOR2-48' wide escalator. and

J .tollWay at 8.000 pelliOOS/hr.each; 24.000 pelSans/ hr.

C. LRT SPUR3-mlnute haadwoy>

3-<:ar tralna at 237 poss,/COl­700 pa....ngelS/traln

Wi! Existing and Boarding

~ TravelTime

*' Travel timCi from (lodgerSladium lo ()...dcna tineal 4,000 p."cngcn.

TABLE 3

I[Jl

BOARDING AND TRAVELTUIE BY ALTERNATIVE

I1"

LOS ANGELES COUNTY

TO"NSPORT""0N COMMISSION

o 10 20 30 40 50

MINUTES

60 70 80 90 100

GRUEN "SSOCI"'ES

GANNEII FLEMING

30

--- .._-------

dena Roll Line was assumed. Such ve­hicles can accommodate up to 237 ridersper car configured In three-car consists.At 3-mlnute headways, boarding of 4,000passengers would require 6 trains, or 18minutes.

Route D - Gondola Tram: The RooseveltIsland Aerial Tramway In New York Citywas used as a comparable model for theDodger Stadium system. Roosevelt Islandutilizes two cablecars that travel over adistance of 3,100 feet. The Dodger Sta­dium route would cover a distance of 2,800feet under similar conditions. Capacityof the New York system Is about 1.500passengers/hour. By Increasing the sizeof the cablecars and Increasing speeds,a peak hour capacity of 2.800 personsper hour could be achieved, At this rateof boarding, It would take 86 minutes toboard 4,000 passengers following an eventat Dodger Stadium.

Route E - Escqlator Walkwqy: Two 48"wide escalators would accommodate upto 8.000 passengers/hour each. or 16,000passengers/hour total. A stairway wouldalso be necessary that would accommo­date a similar number of walkers goingdown the slope following an event atDodger Stadium would Increase the totalcapacity to 24,000 persons/hour. At thisrate. 4,000 persons arriving at the top ofthe escalator/walkway could be accom­modated in 10 minutes,

From this analysis, It can be seen that the

31

waiting time and boarding time Is morecritical In the evaluation of a connectorsystem to Dodger Stadium than the ac­tual travel time required to cover the onemile to the College & Spring Station. TheAGT shuttle Is both the shortest transit route,and the one reqUiring the shortest wait.The Escalator/Walkway Alternative how­ever, compares favorably with other al­ternatives In total travel time due to theshort route length and the short waitingtime Involved.

3.3 ENVIltONMENTAI, ISSUES

Each of the alternatives considered wouldhave environmental Impacts associatedwith the construction and operation ofthese systems. A summary of potentialenvironmental Impacts associated witheach alternative InCludes the following:

Route A - Shuttle Bus: The provision of anIncreased number of shuttle buses servingDodger Stadium would add to congestionIn Downtown and Chinatown during PMpeak hour periods when evening rush hourtraffic overlaps with pre-game arrivals atthe Stadium.

Route B - AGI Shuttle: The construction ofan aerial guideway structure along eitherBernard Street or Cottage Home Streetwould require the reconstrucllon and re-

DODGER STADIUM TRANSIT" ACCESS STUDV

G f.1 II f. N AS:; () (: I A , f !I

DODGER SfADIUM TRANSIT ACCESS STUDY

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

configuration of a two-story parking struc­ture located on the east side of NorthBroadway. The guideway structure wouldalso require the displacement of one laneof traffic (probably a parking lane) onBernard Street with Option B1 or CottageHome Street with Option 2. Visual andnoise Impacts would be greater with OptionB2 than with Option B1 due to the proxim­ity of Cathedral High School and moreresidential structures along Cottage HomeStreet than along Bernard Street. Con­struction of the aerial gUideway abovethe Pasadena Freeway could require sometemporary lane closures during the con­struction period to allow for the place­ment of guideway beams. Depending uponthe technology selected. and the type ofgrades that are possible. the height ofthe aerial guideway could potentiallyreach 30 to 40 feet In height due to clear­ance and grade requirements associatedwith the freeway crossing creating visualImpacts for adjacent land uses In China­town.

Route C - LRT Spur Environmental Im­pacts of this alternative would be similarto Route B with regard to potential Im­pacts along Bernard Street and at thecrossing of the Pasadena Freeway. Addi­tionally. this alternative would require somegrading at the edge of the bluffs alongStadium Way South to allow for flatteningOf the grades of the LRT aerial guidewaystructure as it enters the Dodger Stadiumparking lots.

32

Route D - Gondola Tram: This alternativewould require the displacement of at leastone home along North Broadway to allowfor the cablecar right-of-way between theCentral City North Development Area andRadio Tower HilI. The visual Impact of thecablecars and their support towers wouldneed to be evaluated for possible Impactsto Elysian Park and adjacent residentialproperties on North Broadway.

Route E - Escalator WalkWaY: This alterna­tive would require the displacement ofone home on Lookout Drive to allow forthe escalator/walkway right-of-way con­nection between the Dodger Stadiumparking lot #32 and the pedestrian bridgecrossing of the Pasadena Freeway.

3.4 N EXT STEPS

This Initial feasibility study has presentedseveral possible connector options be­tween Dodger Stadium and the plannedPasadena Line Rail Transit Station at Col­lege and Spring Streets. Basic data In­volVing technology. slopes. costs. and en­vironmental factors have been reviewed.

Before further technical work can be under­taken. a review of the Ideas presentedherein should be undertaken between theDodgers and affected local agencies. Thiswould Include the Los Angeles City Coun-

--_..~~-- -----------------~-----

ell. the Deportment of Transportation. theLos Angeles City Planning Deportment. theLos Angeles Community RedevelopmentAgency. and Caltrans.

The provision of a transit cannectlon wouldbenefit the Dodgers by providing Increasedaccess to Dodger Stadium. Additionally.the connector could benefit others andother sources of funding may be avail­able. Peripheral parking for DowntownLos Angeles Is one potential benefit ofthe connector that could occur on week­days when no events are scheduled atthe Stadium.

Figures 9 and lOon the following pagesIllustrate two of the potential connectorconcepts that have parllcular merit fol­lowing Initial screening. In the short term.the escalator walkway would permitpedestrian access to Dodger Stadiumcoupled with park enhancements In Ely­sian Park. In the longer term. the AGTShuttle connector would provide highcapacity direct transit that would linkDodger Stalum to Downtown Los Angelesand the entire 150 mile rail transit systemunder construction by the LACle. Intandem. these two alternatives couldfunction together and provide on Impor­tant urban link that would serve the Dodg­ers. the City. and the greater Los AngelesRegion.

33

DODGE" st....DIUM TRANS" ACCESS stuOY

GRUEN ASSOCIATES

TRANSITACCE SSSTrDY

FIGURE 9

ALTfRNATlVF. F

ESCALATon / WALKWAY CONCEPT

34

oIAcre

LOS ANGELEs COUNTY

TRANSPOIHA.TION COMMISSiON

CI\U;" ,\SSOCI \TESI "". '-r '0, ."',.' "'.~~' !. J';;

AUTOMATED GUIDEWAY (AGT)SHUTTLE CONCEPT

AGT Includes a number of different technologies.Monorail Is shown tor Illustrative purposes as

~I ,-...one such AGT technology.

I)G<R STADt",Qc, ...01,

TRlrtsl/fc

/

AcCESS~STU DY

FIGURE 10

1\1lEI"(NATlV[; B

oLACTC

LOS ANGElES COUNTY

IRANSPORTATION COMMISSION

r;fH h~ .\SSOCI \TES, • 0 .~. • ~ •• '.~ • ~, .:;

35

PREPAHERS

• LOS ANGELES COUNTY TIlANSI'OIlTATION COMMISSiON

NEIL PETERSON. Executive Director

CENTRAL CITY AHEA DEVELOPMENT TEAM

A.R. DE LA CRUZ. Area Project DirectorNANCY MICHALI. ProJect Manager

OTII EH LACTC CONTHIBUTORS

SUSAN ROSALESRICHARD STANGER

• GRUEN ASSOCIATES

6330 SAN ViCENTE BOULEVARDLOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA 90048213.937,4270

JOHN STUTSMAN. AICP. Project ManagerDAVID L, MIEGER. AICP. Assistant Project ManagerRHONNEL SOTELO. PlannerBARBARA RIECHERS. Graphic DesignerFREDERICK ABELSON. Landscape DesignerMICHAEL DECHELLIS. Renderings

• GANNETT FLEMING

JOHN Q. HARGROVEDON STEELEY, P.E.

36

HEFERENCES

A Plan For City North. Los Angeles DesignAction Planning Team Report. Los AngelesCity Planning Department. Urban DesignAdvisory Coalition. National Endowmenttor the Arts. December 1989

Bunker Hili Transit Study. Phase 2: InitialEvaluation / Screenings of AlternativeUses for the Bunker Hili Transit Tunnel.LADOT. LA Community RedevelopmentAgency. Schlmpeler Corradino Associates IDelon Hampton & Associates. June 1990

Hollywood Bowl Connector Study TechnicalMemorandum. SCRTD. Parsons. BrinkerhoffQuade & Douglas. Inc .. March 1988

Tommy Hawkins met with Antonovich's staff recently regarding the DowntownConnector proposal. The proposal was originally prepared by Gruen Associatesback in August, 1990. In the past, Mr. Hawkins has submitted the attachedproposal to eRA, LADOT and MTA.

Mr. Hawkins, via Antonovich's office is requesting assistance from MTA toprovide modeling/ridership numbers and to waive the service fee.

Per Jim de la Loza, providing modeling assistance at this time would not befeasible for the following reasons:

• current focus is on the Regional Transit Alternative Analysis modelingthrough October; and maybe through December.

• modeling is labor intensive and can take anywhere from two-four weeks tocomplete one scenario, depending on the number ofvariables involved.

• the lead modeler (Deng-Bang Lee) for the MTA left the organization via thelast layoff. Planning has not replaced him with another individual. KeithKillough is now having to feel in while they go through a recruitment.