route 1 multimodal alternative analysis status update
DESCRIPTION
Route 1 Multimodal Alternative Analysis Status UpdateTRANSCRIPT
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Route1Multimodal Alternatives Analysis
Status Update
Fairfax County Board of SupervisorsTransportation Committee
June 10, 2014
County of Fairfax, Virginia
• Purpose of Presentation– Provide update of study activities– Present Vehicular, Pedestrian and Bicycle
Recommendations– Present Refined Transit Alternatives– Show Land Use Analysis– Prepare for discussion of preferred transit
alternative in Fall 2014
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Study Area• 14 mile section of Route 1
• Extends from I-95/I-495
Beltway, through Fairfax
County, to Route 123 at
Woodbridge in Prince
William County
• Funded with $2 million from
the Commonwealth
• Conducted by Department
of Rail and Public
Transportation
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Study Overview
• Define the key mobility issues and establish a “needs statement”
• Consider a range of multimodal transportation solutions to address the needs
• Conduct transportation analysis for the alternatives
• Conduct land use analysis to support the alternatives
• Perform financial analysis to test viability of the alternatives
• Recommend a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) and determine required level of environmental documentation
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Public Meetings Topics
October 2013 • Purpose and need, goals and objectives
• Initial set of alternatives
March 2014 • Refined alternatives• Ridership Forecasts• Land use assessment
October 2014 • Financial analysis• Evaluation of alternatives• Recommendation for Locally Preferred
Alternative
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Purpose and Need
Needs:• Attractive and competitive transit
service• Safe and accessible pedestrian and
bicycle access• Appropriate level of vehicle
accommodation• Support and accommodate more
robust land development
Purpose: Provide improved performance for transit, bicycle and
pedestrian, and vehicular conditions and facilities along the Route 1 corridor that support long-term growth and
economic development.
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Project Goals GOAL 1: Expand attractive multimodal travel options to
improve local and regional mobility
GOAL 2: Improve safety; increase accessibility
GOAL 3: Increase economic viability and vitality of the corridor
GOAL 4: Support community health and minimize impacts on community resources
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Outcome of the Current Study • A recommended multimodal transportation plan for
implementation in the Route 1 corridor
• The recommended plan will have three elements:– Transit: Mode and alignment– Vehicular: Number of automobile travel lanes– Bike/Ped: Facilities and location
Vehicular Travel Lanes
Bike/ped
Transit Vehicular Travel Lanes
Bike/ped
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Public Meeting #2: What Participants Said• Promote additional mixed use development in the proposed station areas
75% of survey respondents say it would be worthwhile to have additional mixed-use development at the proposed stations to support a high quality transit investment.
• Create new street and sidewalk connections within the proposed station areas 74% of survey respondents say it would be worthwhile to create new street and sidewalk connections in the proposed stations areas to support a high quality transit investment.
• Improve traffic flow Residents and travelers in the corridor consistently cite traffic congestion as a major concern.
• Sense of urgency for improvements Need for safer, more connected pedestrian and bicycling environment.
• Interest in a future Metrorail investment55% of respondents favored the Metrorail/BRT Hybrid, Alternative 4.
Note: Survey responses came from the public meeting and from an on-line version made available after the meeting.
The survey is not intended to be statistically valid.
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Step 1: Identify the best transportation options
Range of Alternatives
Initial Alternatives
Refined Alternatives
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Step 2: Combine options into multimodal alternatives
Complete Technical Analysis + Evaluate Alternatives against
Goals and Objectives
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Existing Lanes: Varies from 4 to 6 lanes
Expanded Lanes: Three or four lanes, depending on location along the
corridor
Converted Lanes
Consistent Lanes
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Vehicular Lanes Recommendation
Consistent, 6 vehicular lanes along the entire corridor
1. Recommendation from prior studies and plans (VDOT and Fairfax County Comprehensive Plan)
2. Technical evaluation based on traffic and right-of-way analysis
3. Confirmed findings with VDOT
14
Bicycle and Pedestrian Alternatives
Sidewalk + bike lane Sidewalk + bus/bike lane
General Purpose Lane or Dedicated Transit Lane
General Purpose Lane or Dedicated Transit Lane
General Purpose Lane or Dedicated Transit Lane
General Purpose Lane or Dedicated Transit Lane
Sidewalk + buffered bike lane
Multiuse path (bike and ped)
Key Evaluation factors:• Safety and comfort for
cyclists of all abilities• ROW impacts
Measures and factors:• Bicycle compatibility index
and Bicycle Level of Service• Possible to implement
incrementally / flexible over time
8’
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Bicycle and Pedestrian Recommendation
10-foot Multiuse Path (both sides of street)
1. Technical evaluation based on trade-offs among accessibility, safety, and required right-of-way
2. Note: implementation of recommended section varies along corridor
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Initial Transit Alternatives
Four Initial Transit Alternatives:• Enhanced Bus• Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)• Light Rail Transit (LRT)• Metrorail
Enhanced Bus
BRT
LRT
Metrorail
Proposed Park & Ride
Huntington
South County
Center
Fort Belvoir
Beacon Hill
Woodbridge VRE
Lorton Station
Blvd.
Hybla Valley
Gunston Road
P
P
Penn Daw
Lockheed Blvd
South County
Center
Gum
Springs
Woodlawn
Pohick Rd North
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Four Refined Alternatives for Further Evaluation
1. Bus Rapid Transit 1- Curbside
2. Bus Rapid Transit 2- Median
3. Light Rail Transit 4. Metrorail- BRT Hybrid
Huntington
Penn DawBeacon Hill
Lockheed BlvdHybla Valley
South County
Center
Gum
Springs
Woodlawn
Fort Belvoir
Pohick Rd North
Lorton Station BlvdGunston Rd
Woodbridge VRE
P
PProposed P&R
Metrorail (Underground)
LRT in Dedicated Lanes
BRT in Dedicated Lanes
BRT in Mixed Traffic
Proposed Park & Ride
Alternative 1: Bus Rapid Transit 1 – Curbside
BRT operates in dedicated curbside lanes from Huntington to Pohick Road North
HuntingtonPenn Daw
Beacon Hill Lockheed Blvd
Hybla Valley
Woodlawn
Fort Belvoir
Pohick Rd North
Lorton Station Blvd
Woodbridge VRE
BRT in Dedicated Lanes
BRT in Mixed Traffic
South County
Center
Gum Springs
Gunston Road
P
PProposed Park & Ride
Alternative 1: Bus Rapid Transit 1 – Curbside
BRT operates in mixed traffic between Pohick Road North
and Woodbridge
HuntingtonPenn Daw
Beacon Hill Lockheed Blvd
Hybla Valley
Woodlawn
Fort Belvoir
Pohick Rd North
Lorton Station Blvd
Woodbridge VRE
BRT in Dedicated Lanes
BRT in Mixed Traffic
South County
Center
Gum Springs
Gunston Road
P
PProposed Park & Ride
Alternative 2:Bus Rapid Transit 2 - Median
BRT operates in median in dedicated lanes in Fairfax County; transitions to mixed traffic in Prince William County
HuntingtonPenn Daw
Beacon Hill Lockheed Blvd
Hybla Valley
Woodlawn
Fort Belvoir
Pohick Rd North
Lorton Station Blvd
Woodbridge VRE
BRT in Dedicated Lanes
BRT in Mixed Traffic
South County
Center
Gum Springs
Gunston Road
P
PProposed Park & Ride
Alternative 3: Light Rail Transit (Median)Light Rail operates in median in dedicated lanes for entire corridor
LRT in Dedicated Lanes
P
P
HuntingtonPenn Daw
Beacon Hill Lockheed Blvd
Hybla Valley
Woodlawn
Fort Belvoir
Pohick Rd North
Lorton Station Blvd
Woodbridge VRE
South County
Center
Gum Springs
Gunston Road
Proposed Park & Ride
Alternative 4: Metrorail- BRT Hybrid
Metrorail operates underground from Huntington to Hybla Valley; Transfer to BRT service at Hybla Valley to Woodbridge
Huntington
Beacon Hill
Hybla Valley
Woodlawn
Fort Belvoir
Pohick Rd North
Lorton Station Blvd
Woodbridge VRE
South County
Center
Gum Springs
BRT in Dedicated Lanes
BRT in Mixed Traffic
Metrorail (Underground)
P
Proposed Park & Ride
Gunston Road
P
23
4. Land Use Analysis How does land use relate to
the alternatives?
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Scenario 1: “Base Land Use Scenario” = 2035 MWCOG regional
forecast
Scenario 2: What is a reasonable
growth expectation for a corridor that invests in
high-quality transit (BRT or LRT)?
Scenario 3: How much do population and employment need to
increase to achieve density levels typically supportive
of Metrorail?
+25% over 2035 regional
forecast
+15%
+25%
+246%+531%
+202%
+169% over 2035 regional
forecast
Source: DRPT Multimodal Design Guidelines (2013)
Large Town/Suburban Center (Express Bus)
Medium Town/Suburban Center (Fixed Route Bus)
Urban Center (BRT/ LRT)
Source: DRPT Multimodal Design Guidelines (2013)
Urban Core (Rail)
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Beacon Hill: Land Use Scenario One(2035 COG Projection)
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Beacon Hill: Land Use Scenario Two
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Beacon Hill: Current County Comprehensive Plan(Envisioned “build-out” level of development)
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Beacon Hill Station Scenario ThreeGrowth and Development that would support Metrorail
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Arriving at a Preferred Alternative Evaluate the Alternatives based on Project Goals
and Objectives and Implementation FactorsExample Measures:
• Ridership • Traffic Impacts• Travel time • Safe bike/ped facilities• Capital and operating
costs
• Cost effectiveness• Ability to spur economic
development • Impacts on right-of-way
and environmental resources
• Decrease in vehicle miles traveled
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Funding Options• Currently Evaluating All Funding Options
– Federal (FTA, TIGER, Formula)– State – Regional– Local– Private/Developer– Other
• Board 6-Year Transportation Funding Priorities have transit set aside of $199 m to advance transit projects once preferred option has been determined
County of Fairfax, Virginia
• Recommendations for a program of road, bike and pedestrian improvements, and a high-quality transit alternative to be carried forward for implementation
• Consideration of project funding options
• Determination of the appropriate level of environmental documentation
• Ultimately, consideration of revisions to County Comprehensive Plan to balance future land use with future transportation
Study Products
County of Fairfax, Virginia
Upcoming Schedule
• June to August – Complete Analysis; Make Recommendation
• September - Technical Advisory Committee
Executive Steering CommitteeCommunity Involvement Committee
• October - Public Meeting• December - Board Consideration of Locally
Preferred Alternative
County of Fairfax, Virginia
• Questions