Burlington-Essex Phase IA Executive Summary
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BURLINGTON-ESSEX CORRIDOR ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS PHASE 1A REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHITTENDEN COUNTY METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION Submitted by: DMJM+HARRIS In association with: R.L. Banks & Associates, Inc. AECOM Consulting Transportation Group Resource Systems Group, Inc. Third Sector Associates August 2001 AN AECOM COMPANY The People Who Get It Done Burlington-Essex Alternatives Analysis TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ES-1 Recommendations .............................................................................................. ES-1 ES-1.1 Transportation Systems Management ...................................................................... ES-1 ES-1.2 Highway.................................................................................................................... ES-1 ES-1.3 Bus ........................................................................................................................... ES-2 ES-1.4 Commuter Rail.......................................................................................................... ES-2 ES-1.5 Costs of Recommended Alternative.......................................................................... ES-5 ES-2 Introduction.......................................................................................................... ES-6 ES-2.1 Study Background .................................................................................................... ES-6 ES-2.2 Corridor Definition..................................................................................................... ES-7 ES-3 Purpose and Need for Study .............................................................................. ES-9 ES-3.1 Growth in Population and Employment ..................................................................... ES-9 ES-3.2 Changing Travel Conditions.................................................................................... ES-10 ES-4 Study Process.................................................................................................... ES-11 ES-5 Alternatives........................................................................................................ ES-12 ES-5.1 No-Build.................................................................................................................. ES-12 ES-5.2 Transportation Systems Management Alternative................................................... ES-14 ES-5.3 Highway.................................................................................................................. ES-15 ES-5.4 Commuter Rail........................................................................................................ ES-18 ES-5.5 Express Bus ........................................................................................................... ES-22 ES-6 Comparative Analysis ....................................................................................... ES-25 ES-6.1 Transportation Performance ................................................................................... ES-25 ES-6.2 Environmental Impacts ........................................................................................... ES-25 ES-6.3 Land Use Impacts................................................................................................... ES-30 ES-6.4 Costs ...................................................................................................................... ES-30 August 31, 2001 Table of Contents i Burlington-Essex Alternatives Analysis Executive Summary Chittenden County is expected to grow and prosper over the course of the next 25 years. Population in the county is projected to increase by 44% and employment by 56%. However, this development will have its price. Traffic is projected to increase at a faster rate than either population or jobs, resulting in a 20% decline in average countywide travel speeds. The increased traffic will also mean greater congestion. The amount of peak hour travel done in congested conditions is expected to increase from its current level of 5.5% to 25.8% in 2025. The Burlington-Essex corridor is an important transportation corridor in the county. Currently, 42% of trips made in the county begin or end in the corridor. Travel conditions in the corridor are currently worse than those in the county as a whole, and are projected to worsen at a more rapid rate than those in the rest of the county. Travel speeds today are less than half of the county average, and congested peak hour vehicle miles (VMT) are 9.7%, versus 5.5% countywide. By 2025, average travel speeds in the corridor are projected to decline to 8.5 miles per hour, and congested peak hour VMT to increase to 35.9%. The Chittenden County MPO initiated the Burlington-Essex Alternatives Analysis to explore alternatives for addressing transportation problems in the corridor using a variety of transportation modes. This report summarizes the analysis, conclusions and recommendations of that effort. ES-1 Recommendations Based on the evaluation performed for the Burlington-Essex Corridor Alternatives Analysis, it is clear that a single modal alternative does not address the transportation needs of the corridor and goals of the region. A multimodal mix of improvements appears to present the best opportunity to improve transportation in the corridor. These improvements have been evaluated preliminarily as part of this alternatives analysis. Further work is needed in order to develop and refine each improvement to a level where the scope of the improvement is defined in detail, and the full costs and benefits are established. Subsequent to that project development effort, engineering could proceed. ES-1.1 Transportation Systems Management The TSM improvements that were studied improved traffic operations to an acceptable level of service at all key intersections, with the exception of Five Corners. It is recommended that these improvements be implemented. Improvements include signalization of E. Spring St. at VT 15, addition of a second left turn lane at Lime Kiln Road, and improvements to signal timing along the length of the corridor. It is also recommended that fifteen-minute service in peak hours be implemented on CCTA Route #2, with close monitoring of ridership, on-time performance and costs, to further assess the viability of this alternative. August 31, 2001 Executive Summary ES-1 Burlington-Essex Alternatives Analysis ES-1.2 Highway TSM-type highway improvements were not adequate to bring the critical intersection at Five Corners in Essex Junction to an acceptable level of service. Preliminary analysis indicated that a roundabout has the potential to provide an excellent level of service for motor vehicles at that location. However, a roundabout may present an unacceptable condition for bicycles and pedestrians. Engineering and urban design efforts are needed to develop the roundabout concept to a level where the benefits and impacts can by fully evaluated. If a roundabout is not found to be feasible or acceptable to the community, further analysis is required to develop a viable solution to traffic delays at Five Corners. The new highway facilities evaluated had benefits for the corridor in terms of additional access, and fairly evenly balanced impacts in terms of addition and subtraction of traffic. They did not result in significant improvement in corridor-level highway operations. Greater benefits could be obtained by implementing the TSM Alternatives. However, this study did not evaluate the full potential benefits and costs of these new facilities in the regional context. As these improvements—the Circumferential Highway, a full interchange at Exit 15, and a new road through Camp Johnson—originated from efforts outside this alternatives analysis, it is recommended that the concepts be developed further through separate analysis, such as the update of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan. ES-1.3 Bus Improvements to bus service have the potential to draw people from cars to public transit, and to create a transit-oriented mentality on the part of travelers. In the evaluation, the bus system improvements resulted in only small increases in ridership, but they did have some impact. Bus transit improvements were of two types: additional routes and express service. The express bus operations that were evaluated did not generate sufficient ridership to offset the relatively high capital and operating costs that they entailed. It is recommended that the potential benefits of additional routes in the corridor be evaluated further, particularly local routes in the area of Susie Wilson Rd./Kellogg Rd., and around US 2/US 7 north of I 89. If a commuter rail line is implemented in the corridor, bus feeder service will be critical to the success of the rail line. Further work is needed to define the bus service that would best complement the rail line, and to ensure its financial viability. ES-1.4 Commuter Rail The Commuter Rail Alternative demonstrated an ability to attract travelers to rail, and to increase transit mode share. The addition of service from Burlington to Essex has the effect of leveraging the investment in the Charlotte to Burlington line by increasing ridership beyond a straight passenger-per-additional-mile level. This demonstrated value of extending a rail network may also apply to the various other regional rail connections that are under study, and which would be complemented by the Burlington-Essex line. The addition of rail also expands the transportation options