Study of freeway capacity increases in the San Francisco Bay area and greater Sacramento. Final report

Technical Report · Thu Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1990

OSTI ID:5195168

Addison, T

The study evaluates the adequacy of freeway capacity increases' air quality analyses and the accuracy of their predictions of future traffic volumes. New alignment freeways, freeway lane additions, and freeway interchange additions or expansions in the greater Sacramento and greater San Francisco Bay Areas, planned in the last 10 years, were all included in the study. The California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and/or National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) documents for these projects gave the needed air quality analyses and traffic predictions. The study revealed simplistic air quality analyses. Only 22% of the projects analyzed meoscale emissions of CO, NOx, and hydrocarbons; the rest of the projects had only microscale analysis of CO emissions or no quantitative emissions analysis whatsoever. Despite shortage of detailed traffic count data in the Bay Area, the study showed a pattern of traffic projections that significantly underpredicted the observed actual volumes. Thus, these freeway capacity increases appear not to have had the predicted regional air quality benefits, but instead have likely worsened air quality.

• Research Organization: California Univ., Berkeley, CA (United States). Graduate School of Public Policy
• OSTI ID: 5195168
• Report Number(s): PB-91-206284/XAB; CNN: EPA-U913351010
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
540120* -- Environment
Atmospheric-- Chemicals Monitoring & Transport-- (1990-)
ACCURACY
AIR POLLUTION
CALIFORNIA
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON MONOXIDE
CARBON OXIDES
CHALCOGENIDES
DEVELOPED COUNTRIES
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS
EVALUATION
EXHAUST GASES
FEDERAL REGION IX
FLUIDS
GASEOUS WASTES
GASES
HYDROCARBONS
LAWS
NATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY ACT
NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
NITROGEN OXIDES
NORTH AMERICA
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
USA
VEHICLES
WASTES