2008 Inter-Regional Report Making Connections Across Our Region’S Borders
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2008 Inter-Regional Report Making Connections Across Our Region’s Borders 2 2008 Inter-Regional Report Prepared by the staff of the Wilmington Area Planning Council Adopted July 10, 2008 The preparation of this document was financed in part with funds provided by the Federal Government, including the Federal Transit Administration and the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures Who is WILMAPCO? ····························································5 Figure 1: Population Growth by Percent Per Decade, 1990-2030 ....... 7 Executive Summary································································6 Figure 2: Inter-Regional Study Area by County .................................. 9 Introduction·············································································7 Figure 3: Counties in Study Area by Planning Organization............... 10 Section 1: Demographics························································11 Figure 4: Population Estimates by County, 2005................................. 11 Figure 5: Projected Population Change by County, 2000-2030........... 13 Section 2: Traffic & Travel····················································19 Figure 6: Population Change by TAZ, 2005-2030............................... 14 Section 3: Freight and Goods Movement·····························27 Figure 7: Employment Estimates by County, 2005 ............................. 15 Figure 8: Projected Employment Change by County, 2000-2030 ....... 17 Section 4: Transit Services·····················································32 Figure 9: Urban Areas and Urban Clusters, 2000 ................................ 18 Section 5: Transportation Equity··········································35 Figure 10: Annual Average Daily Traffic, 2006 .................................. 19 Figure 11: Estimated Annual Average Daily Traffic, 2035 ................. 20 Section 6: Investment Areas ··················································37 Figure 12: Estimated Change in Average Travel Speeds, 2035........... 22 Section 7: Inter-Regional Projects and Studies···················38 Figure 13: Estimated Volume to Capacity by County, 2035................ 23 Figure 14: Average Commute Time by County, 2006......................... 24 Section 8: Path Forward ························································40 Figure 15: Commuters that Drove Alone by County, 2006 ................. 26 Appendix A: Regional Coordinating Agencies····················49 Figure 16: Annual Average Daily Truck Traffic, 2002........................ 27 Figure 17: Estimated Increase of Truck Volumes, 2002-2035............. 28 Figure 18: WILMAPCO Truck Tonnage by Direction, 2005-2030..... 29 Figure 19: Truck Origin/Destination in WILMAPCO Region, 2005... 30 Figure 20: MAROPS Key Projects ...................................................... 31 List of Tables Figure 21: Inter-County Transit Services in WILMAPCO Region...... 32 Figure 22: Inter-County Transit Surrounding WILMAPCO Region ... 33 Table 1: Projected Population Change, 2000-2030................. 11 Figure 23: Transit Surrounding the WILMAPCO Region................... 34 Table 2: Employment Change, 2000-2030 ............................. 15 Figure 24: Low-Income Households by Census Tracts, 2000 ............. 35 Table 3: Percentage Change in Travel Speeds by County ...... 20 Figure 25: Minority Populations by Census Tracts, 2000.................... 36 Table 4: Workers who Drove Alone by County, 2006 ........... 24 Figure 26: Priority Investment Areas ................................................... 37 Table 5: Ridership for Inter-County Services by Year ........... 31 Figure 27: Major Transportation Improvement Projects, FY07-11 ..... 39 Table 6: Significant Inter-Regional Projects........................... 37 Figure 28: Key Inter-Regional Corridors ............................................. 44 2008 Inter-Regional Report WHO IS WILMAPCO? The Wilmington Area Planning Council (WILMAPCO) is a federally mandated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) consisting of two counties; Cecil County, Maryland and New Castle County, Delaware. Our mission is to serve the citizens and stakeholders of the Wilmington region by car- rying out a comprehensive, continuing and cooperative re- gional transportation planning process consistent with federal transportation legislation. WILMAPCO informs and involves the public on transportation planning decisions, guides the investment of federal transportation funds, coordinates trans- portation investments with local land use decisions, and pro- motes the national transportation policy expressed in federal transportation law. WILMAPCO is responsible to all the residents of the region to ensure the development of the best transportation plan for the region. The implementation of the transportation plan is carried out by WILMAPCO's member agencies. We collect, analyze and evaluate demographic, land use and transporta- tion-related data and seek public input to understand the trans- portation system requirements of the region. Understanding these requirements allows for the development of plans and programs and the implementation of a transportation system that provides for the efficient transport of people, goods and services. 2008 Inter-Regional Report 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In 2004, the Wilmington Area Planning Council To gain a more comprehensive perspective of the study area, (WILMAPCO) adopted its first Inter-Regional Report. Since new analyses have expanded this report which include travel then, WILMAPCO has utilized a two-step approach to inter- speed, work commute time, volume to capacity, projected regional studies: freight volumes, and transportation equity. • Improve communication with adjacent planning agencies. Below are some of the major findings: • Improve data collection and sharing with those agencies. • From 2000 to 2030, the population of the study area is ex- WILMAPCO has a vested interest in our region’s infrastruc- pected to swell by 1.8 million residents. ture, conditions that will shape it in the future, and how it can • Cecil County, Maryland is expected to see the greatest per- more effectively serve current and future users. This 2008 re- centage increase in population by 2035. port seeks to update and enhance our first glimpse across re- • By 2030, employment will rise by just over 1 million. gional borders to ensure every necessary measure is taken to • In the last six years average commute time has remained preserve and enhance the transportation system. fairly static for the region. • Travel speed is expected to decline by about 40% within the The goals of this report are to: study area. The regional average is projected to be roughly 22 miles per hour by 2035. • Re-evaluate present and future demographic and travel • Numerous roadways are projected to see truck volumes ex- changes. pand more than 150% by 2035. • Examine key roadways where large amounts of traffic trav- • Since the 2004 report, five projects with an interregional ele- erse our borders. ment have been completed. • Identify existing and potential conflicts within the inter- • About 10% of the households in the study area are considered regional transportation system and ways to devise solutions low-income, while minorities comprise 27% of its population. through coordinated efforts. Based on the results of the analyses, the last section of this re- The report begins by identifying the study area and consists of port entails some suggested future actions. One of the impor- ten Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) and counties tant targets is to work more closely with neighboring planning we will collaborate with. The 2004 report looked at projected agencies to establish a coordinated plan of action to accommo- demographics and travel behavior from 2000 to 2025. The up- date significant future growth. WILMAPCO has also evaluated dated analyses have expanded out to 2030, or 2035 where data its inter-regional efforts since 2004 and identified areas in need is available. of improvement. 2008 Inter-Regional Report 6 INTRODUCTION The Future of America The Northeast Megaregion Two major trends that will shape the nations future are sig- nificant population growth and demographic shifts, such as employment changes and aging population. The U.S. popu- lation is expected to grow by about 40%, reaching 420 mil- lion by 2050. This change will certainly create new oppor- tunities and present challenges. Critical and logical invest- ments must be made at the national, state, and regional level to accommodate growth, employ sustainable land use, main- tain market competitiveness, and enhance quality of life. Figure 1: Population Growth by Percent Per Decade, 1990-2030 20% 17.6% Northeast Region* Delaware Maryland 15% 13.4% 12.9% 12.1% 11.5% 10.8% 10% 8.9% According to the National Committee for America 2050, 7.3% metropolitan regions will soon be replaced by emerging 6.2% 5.5% megaregions. These new geographical units of the 21st cen- 5.1% 5% 4.1% tury are described as masses of metropolitan regions inter- 3.4% twined by job markets, transportation networks, and land use. 2.4% Within these metropolitan networks, over 70% of the na- 0.9% tion’s population growth is expected to occur. 0% 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 The Northeast Megaregion, which is defined as Maine to Maryland, is projected to swell by an additional 18 million *The Northeast region includes the New England and Middle Atlantic Divisions. The Middle