TECHNICAL GUIDE FOR THE IDENTIFICATION AND PRIORITIZATION OF THE VTRANS MID-TERM NEEDS PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF INTERMODAL PLANNING AND INVESTMENT FOR THETechnical Guide for the Identification and Prioritization M ARCH 2021 COMMONWEALTH TRANSPORTATION BOARDof the VTrans Mid-term Needs 1 VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH TRANSPORTATION BOARD MEMBERS The Hon. Shannon Valentine Mark H. Merrill Secretary of Transportation, Chair Staunton District Jerry L. Stinson W. Sheppard Miller III Bristol District At-Large Urban Alison DeTuncq E. Scott Kasprowicz Culpeper District At-Large Urban Cedric Bernard Rucker Marty Williams Fredericksburg District At-Large Urban John Malbon Stephen A. Johnsen Hampton Roads District At-Large Rural Bert Dodson Jr. Greg Yates Lynchburg District At-Large Rural Mary H. Hynes Stephen C. Brich, P.E. Northern Virginia District Commissioner, Virginia Department of Transportation Carlos M. Brown Richmond District Jennifer Mitchell Director, Department of Rail Raymond D. Smoot Jr. and Public Transportation Salem District FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit vtrans.org for additional details, updates, and documentation about the VTrans development process. Please contact the VTrans Team at the Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment to request an alternative format. VTrans, Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment 1221 E. Broad Street, 2nd Floor, East Wing Richmond, VA 23219 [email protected] Top Left Cover Photo: Courtesy Joe Vaughn Photography Internal document photos: Courtesy Virginia Department of Transportation PREPARED BY THE OFFICE OF INTERMODAL PLANNING AND INVESTMENT FOR THE COMMONWEALTH TRANSPORTATION BOARD Technical Guide for the Identification and Prioritization of the VTrans Mid-term Needs 2 CONTENTS 1. Purpose of the Technical Guide 06 1.1. Public Involvement 06 1.2. Document Organization 06 2. Introduction to VTrans - Virginia’s Transportation Plan 07 2.1. VTrans Vision, Guiding Principles, Goals, and Objectives 08 2.2. VTrans Planning Horizons 08 2.3. VTrans Travel Markets for Mid-term Needs 09 2.4. VTrans Need Categories and Geographic Assignment 13 2.5. Opportunities for Continuous Improvement 16 3. Identification of VTrans Mid-term Needs 17 3.1. Need Category: Congestion Mitigation 17 3.2. Need Category: Improved Reliability (Roadway) 19 3.3. Need Category: Improved Reliability (Intercity and Passenger Rail)) 20 3.4. Need Category: Need for Transit Access for Equity Emphasis Areas 21 3.5. Need Category: Need for Transit Access to Activity Centers 23 3.6. Need Category: Need for Pedestrian Access to Activity Centers 24 3.7. Need Category: Need for Bicycle Access to Activity Centers 25 3.8. Need Category: Access to Industrial and Economic Development Areas (IEDAs) 26 3.9. Need Category: Urban Development Areas (UDAs) 27 3.10. Need Category: Roadway Safety 28 3.11. Need Category: Pedestrian Safety 29 3.12. Need Category: Capacity Preservation 30 3.13. Need Category: Transportation Demand Management (TDM) 31 4. Prioritization of Needs 32 4.1. Step 1: Establish Types of Priorities 33 4.2. Step 2: Prioritize Within Need Categories 34 4.2.1. Prioritization within Congestion Mitigation Need Category 34 4.2.2. Prioritization within Improved Reliability (Roadway) Need Category 36 Technical Guide for the Identification and Prioritization of the VTrans Mid-term Needs 3 4.2.3. Prioritization within Improved Reliability (Intercity and Commuter Rail) Need Category 38 4.2.4. Prioritization within Transit Access for Equity Emphasis Areas Need Category 39 4.2.5. Prioritization within Transit Access to Activity Centers Need Category 40 4.2.6. Prioritization within Pedestrian Access to Activity Centers Need Category 42 4.2.7. Prioritization within Bicycle Access to Activity Centers Need Category 44 4.2.8. Prioritization within Access to Industrial and Economic Development Areas (IEDAs) 46 Need Category 4.2.9. Prioritization within Roadway Safety Need Category 47 4.2.10. Prioritization within Pedestrian Safety Need Category 49 4.2.11. Prioritization within Capacity Preservation Need Category 50 4.2.12. Prioritization within Transportation Demand Management Need Category 52 4.3. Step 3: Weight and Aggregate VTrans Mid-term Needs Across Need Categories 54 4.4. Step 4: Adjust Priorities for Influencing Factors 55 4.5. Establishment of Statewide and Construction District Priority Locations 56 Appendix A: Definition of VTrans Travel Markets 57 Appendix B: Listing of Limited Access Facilities for Needs Identification 59 Appendix C: Definition of VTrans Activity Centers 60 Appendix D: Listing of Activity Centers 61 Appendix E: AADT Default Values by Functional Class 73 List of Tables Table 1: VTrans Goals, Associated VTrans Mid-term Needs Categories and Geographic Assignment 14 Table 2: Step 1 Levels of Prioritization 33 Table 3: Weighting to Establish Statewide and Construction District Priority Locations 54 List of Figures Figure 1: Major Components of VTrans 7 Figure 2: Opportunities for Continuous Improvement 16 Figure 3: Steps for Prioritization of the VTrans Mid-term Needs 32 Technical Guide for the Identification and Prioritization of the VTrans Mid-term Needs 4 LIST OF ACRONYMS AC Activity Center ACS American Community Survey BRT Bus Rapid Transit CoSS Corridor of Statewide Significance CTB Commonwealth Transportation Board DRPT Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation EEA Equity Emphasis Area GTFS General Transit Feed Specification IEDA Industrial and Economic Development Area LEHD Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics LEP Limited English Proficiency LODES LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics LOTTR Level of Travel Time Reliability LRS Linear Referencing System MPO Metropolitan Planning Organization MUTCD Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices NAICS North American Industry Classification System NHTS National Household Travel Survey OIPI Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment PECC Percent of Person-miles Traveled in Excessively Congested Conditions PMT Person-miles Traveled PSAP Pedestrian Safety Action Plan PSI Potential for Safety Improvement RAC Residence Area Characteristics RITIS Regional Integrated Transportation Information System RN Regional Network ROC Ratio of Concentration TDM Transportation Demand Management TMC Traffic Message Channel TTI Travel Time Index TTILT13 Travel Time Index less than 1.3 UDA Urban Development Area US DOT United States Department of Transportation VBRSP Virginia Business Ready Sites Program VDOT Virginia Department of Transportation VEDP Virginia Economic Development Partnership VGIN Virginia Geographic Information Network VMT Vehicle-miles of Travel VRE Virginia Railway Express WAC Workplace Area Characteristics Technical Guide for the Identification and Prioritization of the VTrans Mid-term Needs 5 1. PURPOSE OF THE TECHNICAL GUIDE This Technical Guide is a companion document to the This Technical Guide is a synthesis of technical methods Policy Guide for the Identification and Prioritization of and processes used to execute the CTB Policies for the the VTrans Mid-term Needs and provides detailed Identification and Prioritization of VTrans Mid-term Needs. technical information for planners, engineers, and other 1 professionals interested in the data sources, processes, Per the CTB Policy , the outlined methods may continue to and methods used to implement the Commonwealth evolve and improve based upon advances in technology, Transportation Board’s (CTB) policies. data collection and reporting tools, and to the extent that any such improvements modify or affect In light of limited transportation funding, the purpose of the policy and process set forth in the Policy Guide the CTB Policy for the Identification and Prioritization of for the Identification and Prioritization of the VTrans the VTrans Mid-term Needs is to provide a transparent, Mid-Term Needs, they shall be brought to the Board for data-driven, systematic, and replicable process that is review and approval. informed by public feedback to: 1. Identify pressing transportation needs that may require 1.2 Document Organization policies or investments, and This document is organized as follows: 2. Prioritize transportation needs and locations with more § Section 2 provides an overview of the process pressing issues and where solutions may make the biggest used to establish the Needs Categories in keeping contribution to making progress toward the achievement with the VTrans Vision, Guiding Principles, Goals, of the CTB’s transportation goals. and Objectives. § The CTB policy in the Policy Guide is executed using Section 3 provides details on the technical steps taken technical methods and processes documented in this to identify the VTrans Mid-term Needs. Technical Guide. § Section 4 provides details on how the VTrans Mid-term Needs are prioritized within their respective Needs Categories, and how they are aggregated and 1.1 Public Involvement weighted to establish the Priority Locations. Gathering and considering feedback from local and regional transportation partners and the public is an This symbol is used to visually differentiate policy integral part of the CTB’s policy development process as decisions from technical decisions. well as integral to the methods used to implement the CTB policies. 1 Commonwealth Transportation Board, Actions to Approve the Policy for the Prioritization of the VTrans Mid-term Transportation Needs and Accept the Prioritized 2019 VTrans Mid-term Needs, March 17, 2021. Technical Guide for the Identification and Prioritization of the VTrans Mid-term Needs 6 2.