Southern Maryland Southern Maryland Transit Corridor Transit - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Southern Maryland Southern Maryland Transit Corridor Transit Corridor Preservation Study Preservation Study

Charles County Charles County Board of County Commissioners Board of County Commissioners September 22, 2009 September 22, 2009

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Study Overview Study Overview

• Called for in Senate Bill 281

Called for in Senate Bill 281

• Southern Maryland Transportation Commission

Southern Maryland Transportation Commission

• Study of

Study of “ “light rail light rail” ” between White Plains and Branch between White Plains and Branch Avenue Avenue

• Follow up to the US 301/MD5 Transit Staging Plan

Follow up to the US 301/MD5 Transit Staging Plan completed in 2005 completed in 2005

• Initiated in January 2008

Initiated in January 2008

• Will be completed Fall of 2009

Will be completed Fall of 2009

• Final report will be available for distribution by end of

Final report will be available for distribution by end of 2009 2009

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Study Purpose Study Purpose

• Study the feasibility of rapid transit on the US 301/MD

Study the feasibility of rapid transit on the US 301/MD 5 corridor between White Plains and the Branch 5 corridor between White Plains and the Branch Avenue Metro station Avenue Metro station

• Project Goal

Project Goal -

• Provide counties with a specific transit

Provide counties with a specific transit alignment to protect in local land use plans alignment to protect in local land use plans

• Prince Georges

Prince Georges – – adopted general alignment into the Master adopted general alignment into the Master Plan of Transportation and Plan of Transportation and Subregion Subregion V Master plan V Master plan

• Charles County

Charles County – – adoption in Comprehensive Plan (?) adoption in Comprehensive Plan (?)

• Identify approximate locations of potential transit

Identify approximate locations of potential transit stations, parking and other facilities to enable station stations, parking and other facilities to enable station area land use planning and zoning area land use planning and zoning

• Generate alignment mapping to facilitate property

Generate alignment mapping to facilitate property reservation by County planning staff reservation by County planning staff

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Study Approach Study Approach

• Examine existing and future land uses for transit

Examine existing and future land uses for transit supportive environments supportive environments

• Identify several alternative alignments that could be

Identify several alternative alignments that could be developed into BRT or LRT in the future developed into BRT or LRT in the future

• Analyze alignments:

Analyze alignments:

• Support of local land use and economic development goals

Support of local land use and economic development goals

• Environmental

Environmental “ “fatal flaws fatal flaws” ”

• Engineering feasibility

Engineering feasibility

• Select preferred alternative

Select preferred alternative

• Refine engineering and basic operations assumptions

Refine engineering and basic operations assumptions for preferred alternative for preferred alternative

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Study Approach (continued) Study Approach (continued)

• Conduct conceptual level capital cost estimates

Conduct conceptual level capital cost estimates

• To facilitate financial planning activities / ball park estimate

To facilitate financial planning activities / ball park estimate

• Conduct ridership estimates

Conduct ridership estimates

• Compare robust commuter bus, BRT, and LRT modal

Compare robust commuter bus, BRT, and LRT modal

• ptions for serving similar US 301/MD 5 travel market
• ptions for serving similar US 301/MD 5 travel market
• Assumes 2030 horizon year

Assumes 2030 horizon year

• Applies MWCOG Round 7.1 land use model and CLRP

Applies MWCOG Round 7.1 land use model and CLRP projects projects

• US 301 improvements are not in the assumptions

US 301 improvements are not in the assumptions

• MD 5 improvements are in the assumptions

MD 5 improvements are in the assumptions

• Land use does not include Waldorf Urban Activity Centers

Land use does not include Waldorf Urban Activity Centers

• Develop report with recommendations for right

Develop report with recommendations for right-

• of
• f-
• way

way preservation and land use policy to support transit preservation and land use policy to support transit supportive environment supportive environment

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Coordination Coordination

• MTA has worked collaboratively with agency stakeholders

MTA has worked collaboratively with agency stakeholders throughout the study throughout the study

• Interagency Project Management Team:

Interagency Project Management Team:

• Charles County

Charles County

• Prince George

Prince George’ ’s County s County

• Tri

Tri-

• County Council for Southern Maryland

County Council for Southern Maryland

• Maryland State Highway Administration

Maryland State Highway Administration

• Maryland Department of Transportation headquarters

Maryland Department of Transportation headquarters

• Andrews Air Force Base

Andrews Air Force Base

• Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority

• Collaboration with SHA on roadway projects

Collaboration with SHA on roadway projects

• US 301

US 301

• MD 5

MD 5

• Brandywine Interchange

Brandywine Interchange

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Light Rail Transit (LRT) Light Rail Transit (LRT)

• Operate on rails on principally

Operate on rails on principally a separate guideway. a separate guideway.

• Get their power from

Get their power from

• verhead electrical lines
• verhead electrical lines
• Travel speeds will match

Travel speeds will match existing adjacent roadway existing adjacent roadway speeds in the Southern speeds in the Southern Maryland corridor Maryland corridor

• Low

Low-

• floor, modern vehicles

floor, modern vehicles and stations and stations

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Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)

• Uses buses to transport large

Uses buses to transport large numbers of people rapidly and numbers of people rapidly and efficiently efficiently

• Provides service with the speed and

Provides service with the speed and comfort of rail and still has the cost comfort of rail and still has the cost benefits and flexibility of bus transit benefits and flexibility of bus transit

• Branded service with rail

Branded service with rail-

• like vehicles

like vehicles and station designs and station designs

• Operate on bus

Operate on bus-

• only lanes
• nly lanes
• Off

Off-

• bus fare collection

bus fare collection

• High

High-

• frequency all day service

frequency all day service

• Signal priority at stop lights

Signal priority at stop lights

• r grade separation
• r grade separation

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Design Assumptions Design Assumptions

• System could be LRT or BRT

System could be LRT or BRT –

– using a more

using a more conservative LRT conservative LRT-

• based transit envelope for design

based transit envelope for design analysis analysis

• Alignment will be double tracked or double

Alignment will be double tracked or double laned laned with with both tracks (lanes) together on one side of the roadway both tracks (lanes) together on one side of the roadway

• At least one full service operations and maintenance

At least one full service operations and maintenance facility will be required to service this system facility will be required to service this system

• Two may be more appropriate for an alignment this long

Two may be more appropriate for an alignment this long

• LRT needs to be adjacent to alignment

LRT needs to be adjacent to alignment

• BRT does not need to be adjacent to alignment

BRT does not need to be adjacent to alignment

• Locations are being identified in both Prince Georges and

Locations are being identified in both Prince Georges and Charles Counties Charles Counties

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LRT Typical Section: Ballasted LRT Typical Section: Ballasted Track Adjacent to Roadways Track Adjacent to Roadways

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LRT Typical Section: Ballasted Track LRT Typical Section: Ballasted Track Adjacent to Pope Adjacent to Pope’ ’s Creek Railroad s Creek Railroad

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LRT Typical Section: LRT Typical Section: Embedded Track Embedded Track

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BRT Typical Section BRT Typical Section

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Alternatives Considered Alternatives Considered

• 5 Alternatives were considered between

5 Alternatives were considered between DeMarr DeMarr Road Road and Allentown Road and Allentown Road

• The alternatives were comprised of different

The alternatives were comprised of different combinations of alignments in Charles County and combinations of alignments in Charles County and Prince George Prince George’ ’s County s County

• Charles County

Charles County

• Adjacent to west side of Pope

Adjacent to west side of Pope’ ’s Creek Railroad s Creek Railroad

• Median of Old Washington Road (MD 925)

Median of Old Washington Road (MD 925)

• Adjacent to Western Parkway on the west side of US 301

Adjacent to Western Parkway on the west side of US 301

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Alternatives Considered (cont Alternatives Considered (cont’ ’d) d)

• Charles County alternatives

Charles County alternatives

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Alternatives Considered (cont Alternatives Considered (cont’ ’d) d)

• Prince George

Prince George’ ’s County s County

• East side of US 301/ MD 5

East side of US 301/ MD 5

• West side of US 301/ MD 5

West side of US 301/ MD 5

• East side of Spine Road/ MD 5

East side of Spine Road/ MD 5

• 6

6 “ “Beltway Options Beltway Options” ” were considered north of were considered north of Allentown Road: Allentown Road:

• Aerial

Aerial

• Tunnel

Tunnel

• At

At-

• grade

grade – – traveling on roads to Branch Avenue traveling on roads to Branch Avenue

• The tunnel

The tunnel “ “Beltway Options Beltway Options” ” were found to have the were found to have the fewest environmental, community and engineering fewest environmental, community and engineering issues. issues.

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Preferred Alternative (cont Preferred Alternative (cont’ ’d) d)

• West side of Pope

West side of Pope’ ’s Creek, east side of MD 5 s Creek, east side of MD 5

• Most supportive of land use and economic development goals of Ch

Most supportive of land use and economic development goals of Charles and arles and Prince Georges County Prince Georges County

• Operations & Maintenance facility site

Operations & Maintenance facility site – – just South of just South of DeMarr DeMarr Road in Charles Road in Charles County County

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Preferred Alternative Preferred Alternative

• No fatal flaws

No fatal flaws – – environmental, community, or environmental, community, or engineering engineering

• Second O&M site (likely) near TB in Prince George

Second O&M site (likely) near TB in Prince George’ ’s s County County

• Tunnel crossing of the Capital Beltway from east side

Tunnel crossing of the Capital Beltway from east side

• f MD 5 with entrance to Branch Avenue Metrorail
• f MD 5 with entrance to Branch Avenue Metrorail

station likely from Auth Road station likely from Auth Road

• Platform located within close proximity to the Branch

Platform located within close proximity to the Branch Avenue Metrorail platform to facilitate easy transfers Avenue Metrorail platform to facilitate easy transfers

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Station Locations Station Locations

• 11 station locations have been identified along the

11 station locations have been identified along the preferred alternative preferred alternative

• DeMarr

DeMarr

• Smallwood

Smallwood

• Leonardtown (future station

Leonardtown (future station -

• 2050)

2050)

• Acton

Acton

• Mattawoman

Mattawoman Beantown Beantown (future station (future station -

• 2050)

2050)

• Timothy Branch

Timothy Branch

• Brandywine

Brandywine

• Surratts

Surratts

• Woodyard

Woodyard

• Coventry

Coventry

• Branch Avenue Metro

Branch Avenue Metro

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Transit Operations Transit Operations

2 2 Future Station Locations by County Future Station Locations by County 6 6 3 3 Potential Station Locations by County Potential Station Locations by County 51 51 BRT Average Speed (mph) BRT Average Speed (mph) 45 45 LRT Average Speed (mph) LRT Average Speed (mph) 33:48 33:48 BRT One BRT One-

• Way Travel Time (min.)

Way Travel Time (min.) 36:32 36:32 LRT One LRT One-

• Way Travel Time (min.)

Way Travel Time (min.) 12.9 12.9 5.9 5.9 Length of Alignment by County (miles) Length of Alignment by County (miles) 18.8 18.8 Length of Alignment (miles) Length of Alignment (miles) Prince Georges Prince Georges County County Charles County Charles County Engineering & Operations Engineering & Operations

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Environmental Environmental

• Other socioeconomic resources examined

Other socioeconomic resources examined

• Historic sites

Historic sites

• Environmental Justice (low income and minority communities)

Environmental Justice (low income and minority communities)

• Cemeteries

Cemeteries

30 30 23 23

Other Business/Commercial Other Business/Commercial

26 26 20 20

Residential Residential Properties/Resources Affected Properties/Resources Affected

PG PG CC CC Socio Socio-

• Economic

Economic

Alternative 4 Alternative 4

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Environmental (cont Environmental (cont’ ’d) d)

7.31 7.31 8.48 8.48

Potential FIDS habitat (Acres) Potential FIDS habitat (Acres)

56.57 56.57 38.22 38.22

Forest (Acres) Forest (Acres)

7.64 7.64 0.21 0.21

FEMA 100 FEMA 100-

• year floodplain (Acres)

year floodplain (Acres)

1.97 1.97 4.71 4.71

Wetland (Acres) Wetland (Acres) 6 6 2 2 Stream Crossings Stream Crossings

PG PG CC CC Natural Environment Natural Environment

Alternative 4 Alternative 4

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Future Planning and Design Future Planning and Design Challenges Challenges

• Proposed interchanges on improved US 301 and

Proposed interchanges on improved US 301 and MD 5 MD 5

• Air Force Base

Air Force Base

• Provide service to the Base

Provide service to the Base – – no obvious locations no obvious locations

• Planned development adjacent to MD 5

Planned development adjacent to MD 5

• Design of the future crossing of the Capital

Design of the future crossing of the Capital Beltway Beltway

• Interface of the transit services at Branch

Interface of the transit services at Branch Avenue Avenue

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Next Steps Next Steps -

• MTA

MTA

• September 2009:

September 2009:

• Ridership estimates

Ridership estimates

• Cost estimates

Cost estimates

• October 2009:

October 2009:

• Final Interagency Team meeting

Final Interagency Team meeting-

• October 8th

October 8th

• November 2009:

November 2009:

• Final report

Final report

• Maps with alignments will be provided to County staff for

Maps with alignments will be provided to County staff for use in property reservation use in property reservation

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Questions? Questions?

Jennifer L. Weeks Jennifer L. Weeks MTA Office of Planning MTA Office of Planning 410 410-

• 454

454-

• 9757

9757 weeks@ pbworld.com weeks@ pbworld.com jweeks1@ mtamaryland.com jweeks1@ mtamaryland.com