Transportation and Environment Committee FROM

T&E COMMITTEE #1 June 15, 2020

M E M O R A N D U M

June 11, 2020

TO: Transportation and Environment Committee

FROM: Glenn Orlin, Senior Analyst

SUBJECT: Managed Lanes Study’s Transit Service Coordination Report1

PURPOSE: Briefing

The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has completed a study to identify how transit could maximize the utility of proposed managed lanes on I-270 and I-495. The Managed Lanes Transit Work Group, consisting of staffs from FTA, FHWA, MTA, WMATA, COG, and several counties in Maryland (including Montgomery County DOT) was convened in May 2019 to advise on the study. The study conducted a transit market analysis to determine how existing bus routes could be modified and enhanced, what new bus routes could be initiated, a review of managed lane access points, potential transit center and park-and-ride locations, and the potential for enhanced carpooling. The study and its appendix are here: https://495-270-p3.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Transit- Coordination-Report-May-2020.pdf. MDOT’s presentation is attached on ©1-28 and will be led by: Lisa Choplin, Director, I-495 & I-270 P3 Office, MDOT Jeff Folden, Deputy Director, I-495 & I-270 P3 Office, MDOT Jim Ritchey, Vice President, Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LLP (Transit Work Group Lead)

DOT Director Christopher Conklin and Transit Services Chief Dan Hibbert, who participated in the Work Group, have also been invited to provide comment and answer questions directed to them.

The locations of the access points are of particular interest, in that these would be where toll- paying motor vehicles and transit buses would be able to reach or depart from the managed lanes without the lost time of weaving back and forth across several congested general-use lanes. In the I-270 segment between I-370 and the Beltway, there would be direct ramps to/from I-370, Gude Drive, Wootton Parkway, and Westlake Drive (where there are already direct ramps to/from the north). Between the West Spur and Virginia there would be direct ramps to/from River Road/Cabin John Parkway and the George Washington Parkway, and from the West Spur through Prince George’s County (a later phase of the Traffic Relief Plan), there would be thirteen more sets of direct ramps: at Old Georgetown Road, East Spur/Rockville Pike, Connecticut Avenue, US 29, and New Hampshire Avenue, and at eight interchanges in Prince George’s County. The proposed access points correspond with those that will appear in the soon-to-be-published Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), but MDOT staff has noted they might be modified once the P3 partner has been selected and participates in the design.

1 Key word: #Transitservicescoordination Illustrative concepts for these access ramps are shown on ©29-56.2 In the I-270 segment north of I-370, which has not been under study as long, the Transit Service Coordination Report identifies potential direct ramps to/from Clopper Road, Watkins Mill Road, MD 118, the planned Dorsey Mill Road overpass, MD 121, MD 109, and two interchanges in Frederick County. Many of the I-270 access points along I-270 conform with suggestions in the Council’s March 15, 2019 letter to MDOT regarding the scope of the Managed Lanes Study.

The study also suggests the establishment of eleven regional bus routes, six of which primarily would serve Montgomery County (see ©57-59), and enhancements to several existing Ride On, Metrobus, and MTA routes. The study also identifies several locations where additional transit park- and-ride spaces would be required. However, capital and operating cost estimates are yet to be prepared for these bus routes and park-and-ride spaces, nor has a funding plan been produced, so it is unknown how large the financial burden would be for this expansion and how the fiscal responsibility would be shared between the State and the local governments. f:\orlin\fy20\t&e\shat\managed leans study\200615te-transit service coordination report.doc

2 The concept for the I-495/New Hampshire Avenue access ramps is under internal review and may appear differently when the DEIS is released.

2 I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes

Montgomery County Council Transportation and Environmental Committee

June 15, 2020

(1) Introduction

Lisa Choplin Director, I-495 & I-270 P3 Office

(2) Regional Transportation Plan: Aspirational Initiatives

Bring Jobs and Telecommuting and other Housing Closer Options for Visualize 2045 prepared Together Commuting

by National Capital Improve Walk Region Transportation and Bike Access to Planning Board (TPB) Expand Collectively Transit Express Needed to included Seven Highway Significantly Network Improve Region’s Aspirational Initiatives Transportation System Expand Bus Rapid Transit and Move More Transitways People on Complete Metrorail the National Capital Trail 3

(3) Regional Transportation Plan: Funding

Substantial Planned Future Commitment to Transit in the National Capital Region

66% Public Transportation ($191 B)

34% Highways ($100 B)

* Unitsin Billions SGR: State of GoodRepair

(4) I-495 & I-270 P3 Program Environmental Studies The I-495 & I-270 P3 Program includes over 70 miles of highway improvements • I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study (48 miles) • I-270 from I-370 to I-70 Pre-NEPA Activities (23 miles) • I-495 from MD 5 to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (future study)

(5) VDOT 495 Northern Extension (NEXT) Project Graphic courtesy of VDOT • Environmental Study underway independently by VDOT • MDOT SHA coordinating closely with VDOT as the project advances

(6) Regional Transportation Plan: Transit

2040 MWCOG model includes all transit projects in the Constrained Long-Range Plan (CLRP)

Considering all the transit improvements in the model: In 2040

53% of lane-miles would operate at Level of Service “F” in the pm peak period

Overall average travel time index for general purpose lanes would be at a level of severe congestion for most corridor segments in the pm peak period

Travel speed in the general purpose lanes during the pm peak period would be less than 15 mph in many segments

2040 traffic will be updated to 2045 using recently approved model

Includes additional BRT on MD 355, MD 650, and MD 586/Veirs Mill Road

Preliminary results show that despite additional transit projects in 2045 model, the No Build alternative would perform worse than 2040 model due to increased vehicle miles traveled 7 Pre-decisional and Deliberative

(7) Transit and Managed Lanes Are Complementary • Managed lanes provide the opportunity for a reliable, free-flow trip for buses that is not an option on roadways otherwise congested • Integrated mobility solution that is designed to encourage people to leave their cars before they enter the freeway, not their final destination • Park and rides served by transit in close vicinity to interchanges with significant commuter traffic entering • Express bus for limited or non-stop trips to major employment centers

(8) Transit Work Group • Formed in May 2019 to encourage collaboration to enhance transit services on the proposed managed lanes on I-495 & I-270 and create an interconnected transit/highway system • Representatives were included from: • Montgomery County (Represented by Chris Conklin, Phil Mclaughlin, Gary Erenrich, and Dan Hibbert) • Frederick County • Prince George’s County • Anne Arundel County • Charles County • Howard County • MWCOG • WMATA • FTA • FHWA • MDOT/MDOT MTA/MDOT SHA

(9) Transit Work Group • Topics explored by the Transit Work Group included: • Identifying existing and planned express bus services • Reviewing managed lanes access points • Analyzing casual carpooling, van pooling and other ridesharing methods • Evaluating park and ride lot locations near the I-495 and I-270 corridors and their current capacity and usage • Examining other potential markets for express bus service which would benefit from implementation of managed lanes • Identifying potential new or modified routes

(10) Overview of Transit Coordination Report Key Elements

Jim Ritchey I-495 & I-270 P3 Office

(11) Montgomery County’s Transit Investment • Local Transit – FY20 Budget US 29 Flash Station Concept • Ride On - $140M • Contributions to WMATA • Washington Suburban Transit Commission • .0672 / $100 accessed value • Bethesda Station - $110M • Contributions to the Purple Line • Capital funding - $54M

(12) Maryland’s Transit Investment

Maryland Weekday Rail Services Lines Stations Boardings Washington Market Metrorail 7 27 250,000 Purple Line 1 21 56,100 (under construction) (2035 projections) Baltimore Market Metro SubwayLink 1 14 34,461 Light RailLink 1 34 22,399 Baltimore and Washington MARC Commuter Rail 3 38 34,097 Sources: National Transit Database 2017; WMATA Rail Ridership 2018 – boardings by station doubled to reflect alignments for comparison 13

(13) Maryland’s Transit Investment

Weekday Bus Services Lines Boardings Washington Market Metrobus 45 99,754 Montgomery County - Ride On 78 75,488 Prince George’s County – The Bus 26 11,604 MDOT MTA Commuter Bus 27 13,454 Baltimore Market and ICC BaltimoreLink 67 227,414 MDOT MTA Commuter Bus 12 1,733 Sources: National Transit Database 2017; Metro Bus Ridership by Service Sector June 2017; Commuter Bus Ridership by Route 2018 14

(14) MDOT Six-Year Combined Capital and Operating Program Fiscal Years 2020 to 2025 MDOT Transportation Motor Vehicle Program Capital Operating Combined Secretary's Office Administration ($ Millions) State Highway 2.6% 4.8% Maryland Aviation Administration Administration Secretary's Office $146.5 $663.2 $809.7 7.7% Motor Vehicle 32.5% $147.0 $1,333.0 $1,480.0 Administration Maryland Port Maryland Aviation $1,034.0 $1,371.6 $2,405.6 Administration Administration 4.8% Maryland Port $1,159.8 $328.1 $1,487.9 Administration Maryland Transit $3,007.0 $6,313.9 $9,320.9 Administration Washington Metropolitan $2,705.3 $2,750.2 $5,455.5 Washington Area Transit Authority Metropolitan Area State Highway Transit Authority Maryland Transit $8,126.0 $1,979.2 $10,105.2 17.6% Administration Administration 30% Total $16,325.7 $14,739.2 $31,064.9 15 **COVID-19 has caused significant budget challenges in Source: A-18 Department of Transportation Operating and Capital Program Summary developing CTP Note: Funds are from the Transportation Trust Fund and MDTA is not included.

(15) Managed Lanes Opportunity • Improved bus operating speeds and reliability • MDOT MTA Commuter Routes 201, 203, 204, 505 and 515 • Ride On Routes – 70, 71, 73, 78, 79, 100 • Service for underserved suburb to suburb transit markets • Managed lanes can be new transit “fixed- guideway” • Potential for new route market trials • Partnership opportunities with Virginia • Incorporate technology and innovation 16

(16) Transit Market Analysis Population Projections Employment Projections County 2019 2045 Change % Area 2019 2045 Change % 1,044,630 1,223,345 178,715 17.1% 1,052,122 1,314,454 262,332 24.9% Montgomery DC & Arlington Prince Montgomery 919,398 995,874 76,476 8.3% 538,814 678,753 139,939 26.0% George’s County Anne 575,933 638,133 62,200 10.8% 637,026 808,320 171,294 26.9% Arundel Fairfax County Howard 331,870 373,639 41,769 12.6% College Park 71,562 88,717 17,155 24.0% Frederick 263,527 344,138 80,611 30.6% *Rockville 104,454 134,458 30,004 28.7% Charles 163,787 236,479 72,692 44.4% *Bethesda 90,862 105,290 14,428 15.9% St. Mary's 118,558 162,899 44,341 37.4% *Silver Spring 41,665 48,631 6,966 16.7% Source: MWCOG Regional Travel Model 2045 * Rockville, Bethesda, and Silver Spring included in Montgomery County employment 17 projections

(17) Transit Station Access Based On Potential Managed Lanes Access Locations

A: I-370 B: Gude Drive C: Wooton Pkwy D: Westlake Terrace K: MD 187 M: MD 185 N: US 29 R: Cherrywood Lane U: US 50 V: MD 202 X: Ritchie Marlboro Rd Z: MD 5 18

(18) Montgomery County Stakeholder Input • Traffic from Frederick continues to increase, adding to the congestion on I-270. Additional parking capacity is needed to support MDOT MTA commuter bus and MARC train services • Access to the Metropolitan Grove Station will improve with a new Watkins Mill interchange. Consider providing direct access from the managed lanes to the station with additional parking • Additional park and ride capacity is needed at Germantown and Clarksburg • Add full managed lane interchange at I-370 with north facing ramps into Shady Grove Metrorail Station and improve bus facilities.

(19) Montgomery County Stakeholder Input • Coordinate managed lanes access locations with current express bus routes • Increase services; if there is insufficient service provided, people won’t get out of their cars • An integrated service network with Commuter Bus, Ride On express routes, and Flash BRT is needed. There should be a combination of peak hour routes with all-day routes • I-270 Corridor • Clarksburg/Germantown to College Park • Monocacy/Urbana/Clarksburg to Bethesda • Germantown/Gaithersburg/Montgomery Mall to Tysons Corner • I-495 Corridor • Greenbelt Metrorail to White Oak • White Flint to White Oak • Columbia to Bethesda

(20) Transit Service Concepts Ensure that the Managed Lanes: ¾I-270 – Enhanced Transit Network 1. Improve the efficiency of existing routes ¾Permits trips to regional destinations with which use the interstate system through single transfer faster and more dependable trip times ¾Fast transit connection between Montgomery County, Tysons Corner, Arlington/Alexandria 2. Support existing transit services including Metrorail, Metrobus, ¾I-495 to I-95 – Improved East / West Commuter Rail, Commuter Bus and Connections local transit services including the Ride ¾Extend US 29 Flash BRT route pattern to On services Bethesda ¾Connect White Oak and White Flint 3. Foster transit services to underserved suburb to suburb markets ¾Purple Line Virtual BRT ¾Extends high quality transit service from New 4. Advance transit partnerships for intra- Carrollton to Largo, Branch Avenue, National regional and inter-state trips Harbor and Alexandria

(21) Transit Service Concepts Route Origin Destination Service Type

MDOT MTA Hagerstown / Shady Grove Expanded commuter 204/505/515 Frederick Metrorail bus 1 Frederick / MARC Shady Grove All day corridor service Monocacy Metrorail 2 Clarksburg College Park Peak commuter bus 3 Germantown Tysons Peak commuter service 4 Tysons Bethesda All day corridor service 5 Branch Ave Alexandria Virtual BRT 6 New Carrollton Branch Avenue Virtual BRT 7 Annapolis New Carrollton All day corridor service 8 Waldorf Branch Avenue All day corridor service 9 Bowie New Carrollton Virtual BRT 10 Columbia Bethesda Flash 29 BRT expansion 11 White Oak White Flint All day corridor service

(22) I-270 Corridor

Enhanced Transit Network • Integrated service network with MDOT MTA Commuter Bus and Montgomery County Ride On services • Combination of peak hour commuter bus routes with new all-day routes • New service across American Legion Bridge (ALB) to Virginia

Potential Capital Improvements Phase 1 South – ALB to I-370 • Westfield Montgomery Mall Park and Ride • Shady Grove Metrorail Station bus capacity expansion Phase 1 North – I-370 to Frederick • Metropolitan Grove MARC Transit Center • Germantown Transit Center • Park and Ride Expansion – Metropolitan Grove, Germantown, Dorsey Mill Road, Clarksburg, Hyattstown, Urbana, and Monocacy.

(23) I-495 / US 29 Corridor I-495 to I-95 – Improve East / West Connections • Purple Line LRT provides new connections inside the Beltway • US 29 Flash extension to Columbia and Bethesda (Proposed #10) • White Flint to White Oak all day express service (Proposed #11)

Potential Capital Improvements • White Oak Transit Center • US 29 Corridor park and ride expansion

(24) Managed Lanes Provide Carpool Incentives

HOT, Carpools, Vanpools and Travel Demand Management are complimentary to Managed Lanes Incentivizes HOVs Increase corridor person throughput Encourage use of “Commuter Connections” and Incentrip App

VA I-495 and I-95 Express Lanes

(25) Express Highway Network: Growth I-95 Express Lanes in Virginia

Toll Customers

HOV +3 Traffic Volume (in Thousands) Volume Traffic Daily

(26) Express Highway Network: Growth I-495 Express Lanes in Virginia

Toll Customers Traffic Volume Thousands) (in Volume Traffic HOV +3 Daily

(27) Collaboration

• Secretary Slater requested representatives from the affected counties be identified to work with MDOT to develop the regional transit solutions • Transit Service Coordination Report is available at https://495-270- p3.com/transit-benefits/

(28) SECTION 9: APPENDIX

Preliminary Managed Lane Access Concepts

The drawings shown are conceptual and intended to generally help the reader under- stand the potential transit connections at each interchange. Four interchanges which were not studied for transit connections (H, I, L, and O) have been added at the end of this appendix at the request of Montgomery County staff.

The information presented is pre-decisional and deliberative. The interchange designs and locations are based on preliminary traffic and revenue analysis and may change as more detailed analysis are completed.

Additional information and revisions may be presented in the Draft Environmental Im- pact Statement when it is published.

(29) This Appendix documents the preliminary managed lane access concepts assumed for this transit analysis. These access locations and layouts are subject to change as the P3 Program develops. The location map below shows all the currently proposed access points within the limits of the I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study. The exhibits which follow are also labeled according to these locations A through Z for ease of reference. The following exhibits illustrate those access points assumed to be useful for transit access to the managed lanes and are not provided for all access points. For each access point, the exhibits which follow show the nearby highway network context, identify nearby transit stations and illustrate the preliminary concept configuration.

Proposed Managed Lane Access Locations

(30) Location A: I-270 at I-370

Vicinity Map

The proposed access at (A) I-370 would be in addition to the existing general-purpose lane access. This managed lane access point provides critical access to/from the Shady Grove Metrorail Station, which is approximately 2.1 miles from the interchange. Managed lane access is also currently proposed at (B) Gude Drive, which is also identified on the above Vicinity Map.

(31) Access Concept, I-270 at I-370

(32) B: I-270 at Gude Drive

The preliminary access design at (B) Gude Drive would include ramps from the managed lanes in the center of I-270 up to the Gude Drive overpass at a single intersection. There is a similar design at the existing interchange of I-270 at Westlake Terrace (although this existing example is only to/from the north). This access point provides convenient access to Montgomery College Rockville Campus, Shady Grove Metrorail Station, Rockville Metrorail Station, Shady Grove Medical Center and The Universities at Shady Grove Medical Center.

Access Concept, I-270 at Gude Drive

(33) C: I-270 at Wooten Parkway

The proposed access point at (C) Wooten Parkway is equally convenient to either the Rockville Metrorail Station or the Twinbrook Metrorail Station.

Vicinity Map, I-270 near Wooten Parkway

(34) The Wooten Parkway access concept includes ramps up to a single intersection on the Wooten Parkway overpass, similar to the Gude Drive concept.

Access Concept, I-270 at Wooten Parkway

(35) D: I-270 Spur at Westlake Terrace

Location D at I-270 and Westlake Terrace is near the Montgomery Mall Transit Center and Rock Springs Business Park.

Vicinity Map, I-270 near Westlake Terrace

(36) Access Concept, I-270 at Westlake Terrace

Access to Westlake Terrace is conceptually provided via ramps from the managed lanes directly to a single intersection on the Westlake Terrace overpass over I-270.

(37) K: I-495 at MD 187

Location K includes access from I-495 to MD 187, providing easy access to the National Institutes of Health, Medical Center Metrorail Station, Bethesda Metrorail Station and downtown Bethesda. Location K, west of MD 355, and Location M, east of MD 355, together make for an excellent system of access from I-495 coming from the east or the west to these destinations.

Vicinity Map, I-495 near MD 187 and MD 185

(38) The access concept at (K) I-495/MD 187 involves combining the general-purpose ramps and managed lane ramps to new connections with MD 187.

Access Concept, I-495 at MD 187

(39) M: I-495 at MD 185

The access concept (M) at MD 185 adds managed lane ramps from the center of I-495 to a single intersection with MD 185 on the overpass. The existing general-purpose ramps remain as well.

Access Concept, I-495 at MD 185

(40) N: I-495 at US 29

The planned managed lane access at (N) I-495/US 29 is approximately 1.7 miles north of downtown Silver Spring and the Silver Spring Metrorail Station. Note that BRT improvements are planned along US 29 for Montgomery County’s north-south Flash BRT services. The express BRT vehicles from I-495 managed lanes can conceptually use that same corridor infrastructure.

Vicinity Map, I-495 near US 29

(41) The access concept at US 29 adds managed lane ramps from the center of I-495 to a single intersection with US 29 on the overpass. The existing general-purpose ramps remain.

Access Concept, I-495 at US 29

(42) R: I-495 at Cherrywood Lane

Location R includes managed lane access from I-495 to Cherrywood Lane, located near the Greenbelt Metrorail Station as well as the addition of general-purpose access from I-495 east to the Greenbelt Metrorail Station. The Greenbelt Metrorail Station is currently accessed by direct ramps from I-495 from the west and from Cherrywood Lane, a surface street connecting to Greenbelt Road (MD 193) to the south, and to Kenilworth Avenue (MD 201) to the north. This proposed location would provide access from the managed lanes in both directions to the Greenbelt Metrorail Station, located about 0.6 miles from the access point, as well as direct, general-purpose ramps from the east to the Metrorail Station.

Vicinity Map, I-495 at Cherrywood Lane

(43)

Access Concept, I-495 at Cherrywood Lane

(44) U: I-495 at US 50

Managed lane access (U) is planned from I-495 to US 50 to/from the west to the New Carrollton Metrorail Station. This connection is to/from both the north and south on I-495. It should be noted that New Carrollton will also become the eastern end-of-the-line station for the Purple Line. An express bus connection to New Carrollton provides an important intermodal connection to Metrorail, MARC, Amtrak, Purple Line and Metrobus routes.

Vicinity Map, I-495 at US 50

(45) The planned access is approximately 1.2 miles to the New Carrollton Metrorail Station. Like the planned access at I-270/I-370, the final designs should consider the operational needs and limitations of buses – particularly as it pertains to lane changing, merging and turning maneuvers. It is expected that express buses destined to the New Carrollton Metrorail Station would be coming from I-95/495 north and south, as well as from US 50 from the east (Bowie and Annapolis).

Access Concept, I-495 at US 50

(46) V: I-495 at MD 202/MD 214

Access location V is divided between two cross roads, with the north-facing ramps at I-495/MD 202 (labeled V1) and the south-facing ramps at I-495/MD 214 (labeled V2). Access here provides connection to Largo, Largo Town Center Metrorail Station and FedEx Field. In concert with access location X at I-495/Ritchie Marlboro Road to the south, these provide an opportunity for buses from the north to exit the managed lanes at MD 202, serve multiple local destinations and re-enter the managed lanes southbound either at MD 214 or at Ritchie Marlboro Road (and vice versa in the northbound direction).

Vicinity Map, I-495 at MD 202/MD 214

(47) The access design concepts at MD 202 and at MD 214 (V1 and V2) provide ramps in the center of I-495 from the managed lanes directly to each cross road. This concept allows access to/from the north at MD 202 and to/from the south at MD 214.

Access Concept, I-495 at MD 202

Access Concept, I-495 at MD 214

(48) X: I-495 at Ritchie Marlboro Road

Access Point X at I-495 and Ritchie Marlboro Road provides a southerly access to Largo, Largo Town Center Metrorail Station and FedEx Field. In concert with access location V1 at I-495/MD 202 to the north, these provide an opportunity for buses from the north to exit the managed lanes at MD 202, serve multiple local destinations and re-enter the managed lanes southbound either at MD 214 or at Ritchie Marlboro Road (and vice versa in the northbound direction).

Vicinity Map, I-495 at Ritchie Marlboro Road

(49)

Access Concept, I-495 at Ritchie Marlboro Road

(50) Z: I-495 at MD 5 Branch Avenue

Vicinity Map, I-495 at MD 5

(51) Access Concept, I-495 at MD 5

(52) H: I-495 at Cabin John Parkway/MD 190 Legend General Purpose Lanes Managed Lanes New or Reconstructed Bridge

N ➤

New or Reconstructed Bridge

Weekday Route Days Weekday Hours Frequency (peak/off peak)

1 – Frederick Monocacy MARC to Shady 7 5 am - 12 midnight 30/60 Grove

2 – Clarksburg to College Park 5 Peak periods only 30

3 – Germantown to Tysons 5 Peak periods only 15

4 – Bethesda to Tysons 7 6 am - 12 midnight 15/30

5 – Branch Avenue to Alexandria 7 6 am - 12 midnight 15/30

6 – New Carrollton to Branch Avenue 7 6 am - 12 midnight 15/30

7 – Annapolis to New Carrollton 7 6 am - 12 midnight 30/60

8 – Waldorf to Branch Avenue 5 6 am - 10 pm 30/60

9 – Bowie to New Carrollton 5 6 am - 10 pm 15/30

10 – Columbia to Bethesda 5 6 am - 10 pm 15/30

11 – White Oak to White Flint 5 6 am - 10 pm 15/30

(57) Figure 24: Potential Express Routes, I-270 Corridor

(58) Figure 25: Potential Express Routes, US 29 Corridor

(59)