San Diego International Airport Expansion Sustainability Analysis

194 Pages·2008·6.11 MB·English

San Diego International
Airport Expansion
Sustainability Analysis
February 2008
A Global Alliance
San Diego International Airport Expansion

San Diego International Airport Expansion –
Sustainability Analysis

February 2008

Prepared for:

California Independent Voter Project

Report Prepared By:
Malcolm Pirnie, Inc.
8001 Irvine Center Drive
Suite 1100
Irvine, CA 92618

Sinclair Knight Merz
590 Orrong Road
Armadale Melbourne VIC
3143 Australia

6189001
A Global Alliance

Table of Contents

Contents
Executive Summary 1
1. Introduction 1-1
1.1. Background...................................................................................................................1-1
1.2. Expansion Alternatives.................................................................................................1-3
1.2.1. DEIR No Project Alternative..........................................................................1-4
1.2.2. DEIR Preferred Alternative (Proposed Project with Parking Structure)........1-5
1.2.3. Proposed Lindbergh Intermodal Transportation Center................................1-5
1.3. Report Objectives and Content...................................................................................1-10
2. Transportation Analysis 2-1
2.1. Background...................................................................................................................2-1
2.1.1. Regional Transportation................................................................................2-1
2.2. Airport Ground Transportation......................................................................................2-3
2.2.1. Road Network................................................................................................2-3
2.2.2. Transit............................................................................................................2-5
2.2.3. Trolley............................................................................................................2-7
2.2.4. Bus................................................................................................................2-9
2.2.5. Coaster..........................................................................................................2-9
2.2.6. Amtrak...........................................................................................................2-9
2.2.7. SDCRAA Airport Transit Plan.....................................................................2-10
2.2.8. Mitigation Measures to Address Airport Related Traffic..............................2-10
2.3. Scenario Modeling......................................................................................................2-12
2.3.1. Modeling Approach.....................................................................................2-12
2.3.2. Modeled Scenarios......................................................................................2-13
2.4. Results and Discussion...............................................................................................2-15
2.4.1. Mode Share.................................................................................................2-15
2.4.1.1. Transit Demand......................................................................2-20
2.4.1.2. Transit Capacity......................................................................2-24
2.4.2. Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT).....................................................................2-25
2.4.3. Level of Service...........................................................................................2-27
2.4.3.1. Traffic Analysis – Road Network Level of Service for Scenario 3
(DEIR Preferred Alternative)..................................................2-28
2.4.3.2. Traffic Analysis – Road Network Level of Service for Scenario 4
(Lindbergh ITC)......................................................................2-30
2.4.4. Impact of Assumptions................................................................................2-30
2.4.5. Equity and Wider Sustainability Benefits.....................................................2-32
3. Greenhouse Gas and Criteria Pollutant Emissions 3-1
3.1. Greenhouse Gases.......................................................................................................3-1
3.1.1. Background...................................................................................................3-1
3.1.2. Methods.........................................................................................................3-2
3.1.3. Results...........................................................................................................3-4
3.2. Criteria Pollutant Emissions from Airport-Related Ground Transportation...................3-6
3.2.1. Background...................................................................................................3-6
3.2.2. Methods.........................................................................................................3-7
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3.2.3. Results and Discussion.................................................................................3-9
4. Sustainability and Green Airport and Green Building Opportunities for
SDIA Expansion 4-1
4.1. Why Sustainability?.......................................................................................................4-1
4.1.1. Local to Global Context.................................................................................4-2
4.1.2. Opportunities for Sustainability.....................................................................4-3
4.2. Green Airport Concept and Framework........................................................................4-5
4.3. Green Buildings and the LEED System at Airports......................................................4-7
4.3.1. LEED-Certified and LEED-Registered Projects Related to Airports and Transit
Centers..........................................................................................................4-8
4.4. Sustainability Opportunities for SDIA Expansion Alternatives......................................4-8
4.4.1. Scenario 2 (No Project Alternative @ 2030).................................................4-9
4.4.2. Scenario 3 (DEIR Preferred Alternative).......................................................4-9
4.4.3. Scenario 4 (Lindbergh ITC).........................................................................4-10
5. Summary and Discussion 5-1
6. References 6-1

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Tables
Table 2-1. Level-of-Service (LOS) Descriptions...........................................................................2-5
Table 2-2a. Transit Mode Shares by Scenario (Conservative Assumptions).............................2-17
Table 2-2b.Transit Mode Shares by Scenario (Optimistic Assumptions)…………… ………….2-18
Table 2-3. Transit Mode Share for Commuting in Major U.S. Cities (U.S. Census Data, 2000)..................2-23
Table 2-4a. Change in Average Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Per Day Basis by Scenario -
Conservative Assumptions…………………………………………………………………………….2-26
Table 2-4b. Change in Average Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) Per Day Basis by Scenario -
Optimistic Assumptions ……………………………………………………………………………….2-26
Table 3-1.Change in Average Daily Greenhouse Gas Emissions by Scenario...........................3-4
Table 3-2. Current Designation for Selected Criteria Pollutants..................................................3-7
Table 3-3. Estimated Percent Change in Daily Criteria Pollutant Emissions from 2005 to 2030
with No Infrastructure Pollutant Changes (Scenario 1 versus Scenario 2)..................................3-9
Table 3-4. Estimated Percent Change in Daily Criteria Pollutant Emissions - Passenger Cars ..3-9
Table 4-1. Comparison of Sustainability Opportunities for Alternatives.......................................4-9
Table 5-1.Sustainability Components Summary for Scenarios 2 Through 6...............................5-3

Figures
Figure 1-1: San Diego Region Transportation System.................................................................1-2
Figure 1-2: Map of San Diego International Airport and Vicinity.................................................1-3
Figure 1-3: Map of Proposed Lindbergh Intermodal Transportation Center...............................1-6
Figure 1-4: High Oblique Rendering of Lindbergh Intermodal Transportation Center................1-7
Figure 1-5: Vertical Rendering of the Lindbergh Intermodal Transportation Center...................1-8
Figure 2-1: Study Area Transport Network..................................................................................2-2
Figure 2-2: Current Percent Airport Related Traffic by Road Segment (SDIA DEIR, 2007).......2-4
Figure 2-3: Airport Related Traffic with Current LOS (SDIA DEIR, 2007)...................................2-4
Figure 2-4: Airport Passenger Ground Transportation Mode Shares at SDIA (HNTB, 2007).....2-6
Figure 2-5: Ground Transportation Mode Shares for Employees at SDIA (HNTB, 2007)..........2-6
Figure 2-6: Entrance to Existing Old Town Transit Center..........................................................2-8
Figure 2-7: Tested Trolley Networks.........................................................................................2-14
Figure 2-8: Mode Share for Conservative Scenario..................................................................2-16
Figure 2-9: Mode Share for Optimistic Scenario.......................................................................2-16
Figure 2-10: Airport Related Traffic with Current (LOS) (SDIA DEIR,2007)……….…………….2-29
Figure 2-11: Traffic Level of Service - Preferred Alternative in 2030……………………………..2-29
Figure 2-12 Traffic Level of Service - Lindberg ITC in 2030……………………………………….2-29
Figure 3-1: Greenhouse Gas Emissions on a Per Day Basis by Scenario.................................3-5
Figure 4-1: Airport Sustainability and its Local to Global Context...............................................4-3
Figure 4-2: Relationship of Sustainable Design Value and the Cost of Impact Mitigation..........4-4
Figure 5-1: Additional Average Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled in 2030 Compared to the 2005
Baseline........................................................................................................................................5-4
Figure 5-2: Greenhouse Gas Emissions Percent Change from Scenario 2 (No Project @2030)5-6
Figure 5-3: Proportion of Passengers and Employees Using Transit………………………………5-6

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Appendices
A. Case Studies
B. Transportation Modeling
C. Calculations of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
D. Calculations of Criteria Air Pollutants
E. LEED Background Information
F. Worldwide Airport Environmental Initiatives from the Airports Council International

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Abbreviations and Acronyms
ACI Airports Council International
ACI-NA Airports Council International-North America
ACRP Airport Cooperative Research Program
CAP Clean Airport Partnership, Inc.
CAIVP California Independent Voter Project
CFCs Chlorofluorocarbons
CI Commercial Interiors
CS Core and Shell
DEIR Draft Environmental Impact Report
EB Existing Building
EIRs Environmental Impact Reports
HCFCs Hydrochlorofluorocarbons
HFCs Hydrofluorocarbons
HOV High-occupancy vehicle
ITC Intermodal Transportation Center
LAX Los Angeles International Airport
LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental
LOS Level-of-service
MTS Metropolitan Transit System
NCTD North County Public Transit District
ND Neighborhood Development
OAK Oakland International Airport
SANDAG San Diego Association of Governments
SDCRAA San Diego County Regional Airport Authority
SDIA San Diego International Airport
SFO San Francisco International Airport
TSA Transportation Security Administration
USGBC United States Green Building Council
VMT Vehicle miles traveled

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Executive Summary
San Diego International Airport Expansion –
Sustainability Analysis
The San Diego International Airport/Lindbergh Field (SDIA) is the major commercial
airport for business, personal, and cargo transportation servicing the San Diego region;
therefore, SDIA is vital to prosperity and growth of the community. SDIA is the smallest
major airport in the U.S. yet provided service to 17.7 million passengers in 2006. Growth
in demand is expected to reach 28.2 million passengers by 2030 (SH&E 2004; SDCRAA
2007)1. The San Diego County Regional Airport Authority (SDCRAA) is in the
planning process for meeting demand through an update of the Airport Master Plan. The
Master Plan objectives are to:
(cid:132) Provide adequate facilities to accommodate air service demand through 2015 while
improving airport levels of service, airport safety and security, and enhancing airport
access;
(cid:132) Develop facilities that effectively utilize the current airport property and facilities and
are compatible with surrounding land uses; and
(cid:132) Provide for future public transit options in airport land use planning.
SDCRAA issued a Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) for public comment in
October, 2007 (SDCRAA 2007) which evaluated five alternatives for airport facility
expansion to accommodate air service through 2015 and provide for future public transit
options in airport land use planning. The DEIR analyzed impacts through 2030 to allow
comparison to regional transportation plans. The key elements of two DEIR proposed
alternatives (the No Project Alternative, and the Proposed Project (Preferred Alternative))
and a third alternative (Lindbergh Intermodal Transportation Center (LTC))
independently developed by the California Independent Voter Project (CAIVP) are
described below and evaluated in this study.
Master Plan DEIR No Project Alternative - The SDIA DEIR No Project Alternative
proposes no new projects to improve airport infrastructure and maintains the airport
facility ‘as is’ over the DEIR planning horizon of 2015 even though airport passenger
traffic is expected to rise 2.8 percent per year. Under this alternative, the level of service
within the airport would be expected to deteriorate and the traffic congestion around the
airport would be expected to increase. The No Project Alternative serves as a baseline
for comparison of the other alternatives and scenarios.

1 References are available in the main report and are not included in the Executive Summary.
San Diego International Airport Expansion -
Sustainability Analysis ES-1