I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study Executive Summary
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I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study Executive Summary prepared for Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation prepared by KFH Group, Inc. and Cambridge Systematics, Inc. with LDA Consulting MCV Associates, Inc. PRR, Inc. August 2017 I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study Executive Summary Study Overview The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) plans to expand and convert the two existing reversible High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes in the I-395 corridor to three managed High Occupancy Toll (HOT), or Express lanes for approximately eight miles from just north of Edsall Road to just north of Eads Street near the Pentagon. Tolling of the new I-395 Express lanes will begin in 2019. The purpose of the I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study is to identify a comprehensive, fiscally unconstrained, set of transit and Transportation Demand Management (TDM) investments on which future toll revenues from the I-395 Express lanes may be invested. Potential investments include new and expanded bus and rail transit services, transit capital projects, commuter parking facilities, TDM program enhancements, and technology improvements that support transit and TDM – all with the intent of maximizing person throughput to support economic development and quality of life for communities along the corridor. The study included three key phases: Project Background and Needs Assessment – This phase of the study laid the groundwork for developing strategies, conducting analysis, conversing with stakeholders and the public, and reaching consensus on recommendations; Planning and Analysis – This was an interactive phase, with multiple rounds of feedback between analysis and stakeholder review and comment; and Plan Development and Delivery – This phase developed the recommendations from the prior phase into real solutions that State, regional, and local partners can proceed with towards implementation. The Project Team, working with the Key Stakeholder Group (KSG), defined a primary study area that extends from the southern terminus of the current I-95 Express Lanes in Stafford County (Garrisonville Road) north along I-395 terminating just north of Eads Street near the Pentagon at the Potomac River. The corridor is approximately five miles wide on either side, with the Potomac River forming the eastern boundary. The Study Area Map (Figure 1) is shown below. I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study – Executive Summary | ES-1 Figure 1 Study Area Map I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study – Executive Summary | ES-2 Existing Transit and TDM Services in Study Area Table 1 below summarizes the existing transit services in the service area that are operated by seven transit systems and one private company. Six operators provide service that may use the I-95 or I-395 Express Lanes and serve work destinations within the study area inside the Beltway. Several of the transit systems also operate local bus routes that connect to Metrorail and VRE stations and/or to transit hubs, where commuters can transfer to services that directly use I-95 or I-395 thereby increasing person throughput in the corridor. Table 1 Study Markets that Transit Operators Serve Directly Utilizes I-95/I-395 Express Provides Travel Choices Lanes and Serves Work and Increases Person Provides Direct Access to Transit Operator Destinations Inside Beltway Throughput Services in Corridor ART DASH Fairfax Connector FRED PRTC VRE WMATA Martz Source: Transit operator service maps as of June 2016. The following is a description of Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs in the study area. These programs comprise the existing TDM conditions for the I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM study area. TDM programs are detailed by the area in which the services are offered within the study corridor: Regional TDM Programs: Fairfax County – Transportation Services − Commuter Connections; Group; − Guaranteed Ride Home; − Telework!VA; Fredericksburg/Stafford – GWRideConnect; − Vanpool Alliance; and − AdVANtage Vanpool Insurance Pool; and Prince William County – PRTC OmniMatch. − Capital Bikeshare; City of Alexandria – GO Alex; Arlington County – Arlington County Commuter Services; I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study – Executive Summary | ES-3 Process Objectives and Guiding Principles The Project Team, working with the Key Stakeholder Group (KSG), developed a set of goals and guiding principles for identifying potential transit and TDM improvements. The overall goals for the transit and TDM improvements in the corridor were developed to be consistent with the overall goals of the I-395 Express Lanes project, with a particular focus on how transit and TDM improvements can improve travel in the corridor. The goals include: 1. Maximize person throughput, not vehicle throughput, in the project corridor; and 2. Implement multimodal improvements to: − Improve mobility along the corridor; − Support new, diverse travel choices; and − Enhance transportation safety and travel reliability. Another important early step in the alternatives definition process consisted of establishing a set of guidelines to serve as a framework for identifying and classifying improvements. The Project Team, working with the Key Stakeholder Group (KSG), developed the following guidelines: 1. Corridor/Study Area Definition; 2. Timeframe; 3. Types of Improvements; and 4. Potential Transit and TDM Recommendations. Future Transit and TDM Improvements Based on the goals and guidelines described in the previous section, the Project Team developed a summary list of transit projects recommended for inclusion in the evaluation phase (shown in Table 2 below). The table is organized by project location from north to south along the project study area (inside the beltway, outside the beltway to study area boundary, study boundary to Fredericksburg/ Spotsylvania, and corridor-wide). I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study – Executive Summary | ES-4 Table 2 Summary List of Transit Improvement Projects Transit Originating Recommendation Area Type Project Overview Improve Frequency on Existing DASH Routes Increase Span and Improve Frequency on Existing ART Routes Improve Existing Increase Span and Extend Existing ART Route to Additional Destination Transit Services Improve Frequency on Existing WMATA Routes Extend Existing WMATA Routes to Additional Destinations Create New New WMATA Routes Connecting Activity Centers Commuter/Express Bus Routes New ART Route Connecting Activity Centers Inside Beltway Create New Feeder New DASH Circulators Services Convert Existing ART Service into Neighborhood Circulators New High Capacity New City of Alexandria BRT Transit WMATA Blue/Yellow Line Facility Improvements New Potomac Yard Metrorail Station Fixed Facility New/Expanded Bus Transit Centers (ART/WMATA, DASH) New/Expanded Bus Garages (DASH, WMATA) Improve Frequency on Existing Fairfax Connector Routes Improve Existing Increase Span on Existing Fairfax Connector Route Transit Services Improve Frequency on Existing PRTC Routes Extend Existing PRTC Route to Additional Destination Create New New Commuter Routes from Fairfax County to Pentagon Commuter/Express (Fairfax Connector or WMATA) Bus Routes New PRTC OmniRide Routes Outside Beltway Create New Feeder New Fairfax Connector Routes to Study Area Services Boundary New PRTC OmniLink Route High Capacity Transit Extension of Blue and Yellow Lines/ New High Capacity Richmond Highway Corridor Transit Route 7 BRT New Fairfax Connector Transit Center (Springfield) Improvements to Franconia-Springfield Metrorail Station Fixed Facility New PRTC Maintenance and Storage Facility Prince William County Additional Commuter Parking I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study – Executive Summary | ES-5 Transit Originating Recommendation Area Type Project Overview Create New New Express Routes from Fredericksburg/Massaponax to DC/Pentagon/ Commuter/Express Crystal City Bus Routes Study Boundary Create New Feeder New FRED Routes to VRE Stations to Services Fredericksburg/ New FRED Routes to Commuter Lots Spotsylvania Stafford County Additional Commuter Parking Fixed Facility Spotsylvania County Additional Commuter Parking New Multimodal Transit/TDM Hub in Spotsylvania Improve Capacity and Frequency on Existing VRE Routes Additional VRE Capacity and New VRE Service Serving Different Markets VRE Additional Storage Capacity Commuter Rail VRE Additional Commuter Parking Corridor-wide VRE Station Facility Improvements VRE Rail Infrastructure Improvements WMATA Metrorail 8-Car Trains Fixed Facility Commuter Bus Layover ITS Projects Regarding TDM strategies recommended for the I-95/I-395 corridor for the near term (2019-2025), the Project Team recommends that jurisdictions continue activities and services in place in 2016, but with a growing emphasis on enhanced local access to public transit and vanpooling, and availability of real- time information regarding mode options. Over the longer term (2040), TDM strategies will expand further to support and encourage use of new transit options, expand vanpool/carpool options in the corridor, and develop additional information-based strategies. Implementation of many of these strategies involves coordination among commuter service organizations and/or involvement of private vendors to develop market-based transportation options. The recommended TDM strategies are: Marketing/outreach: Flexible mode options: − Multifamily building outreach; − Flexible overlapping vanpool routes; − Targeted advertising (residential); and − Demand-response vanpool; and − Individual trip audits/traveler feedback. − Dynamic rideshare. Real-time information