JANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL TOLLWAY TRANSIT AND SUPPORTING HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY I-90 Managed Lane Study Final Report Submitted By: JULY 2013 CB2314 JANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL TOLLWAY TRANSIT & SUPPORTING HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY I-90 MANAGED LANE STUDY – FINAL REPORT TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................ i 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................. 1 1.1 Study Objectives .............................................................................. 1 1.2 Background ...................................................................................... 2 1.3 Area of Focus ................................................................................... 4 2.0 EXISTING AND PROPOSED RECONSTRUCTION CONDITIONS ................ 6 2.1 Existing and Proposed Reconstruction Infrastructure ........................ 6 2.2 Existing and Proposed New Transit Service .................................... 10 3.0 MANAGED LANE OPTION DEVELOPMENT ............................................... 17 3.1 Physical Characteristics .................................................................. 17 3.2 Managed Lane Direct Exits and Entrances ..................................... 23 3.3 Operational Characteristics ............................................................. 26 3.4 Managed Lane Options .................................................................. 33 4.0 STATED PREFERENCE SURVEY ................................................................ 48 4.1 Survey Design ................................................................................ 48 4.2 Survey Implementation ................................................................... 51 4.3 Survey Results ............................................................................... 52 4.4 Model Estimation – Value of Time ................................................... 57 4.5 Conclusion ..................................................................................... 58 5.0 OPTION ANALYSIS METHODOLOGY ......................................................... 59 5.1 Analysis Tools ................................................................................ 59 5.2 Approach ........................................................................................ 60 5.3 Applied Tolling Rates ...................................................................... 78 5.4 System Metrics ............................................................................... 79 6.0 RESULTS AND OBSERVATIONS ................................................................ 86 6.1 Traffic Analysis Results .................................................................. 86 6.2 Revenue Estimates ...................................................................... 106 July 2013 Page i JANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL TOLLWAY TRANSIT & SUPPORTING HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY I-90 MANAGED LANE STUDY – FINAL REPORT 6.3 Potential Transit Benefits .............................................................. 108 7.0 FINDINGS ..................................................................................................... 112 7.1 Traffic Operations Findings ........................................................... 112 7.2 Conclusions and Recommendations ............................................. 118 APPENDICES Appendix A Resource Systems Group, Inc.’s Report Appendix B Calibration Report July 2013 Page ii JANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL TOLLWAY TRANSIT & SUPPORTING HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY I-90 MANAGED LANE STUDY – FINAL REPORT EXECUTIVE SUMMARY As part of the reconstruction of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway (I-90), an additional lane in each direction of travel is being incorporated. This additional lane is being contemplated as being designated as a managed lane with premium tolls applied or simply an additional general purpose lane. E1 STUDY GOAL AND OBJECTIVES The goal of the study is to primarily examine the feasibility of integrating transit options into managed / express lanes along the eastern segment of the I-90 study corridor as it extends from approximately IL-31 to I-294. The key objectives associated with this goal include: • Define a conceptual short and medium term transit element on the I-90 corridor from Chicago to Rockford, or a shorter segment within the two termini; • Assess options and termini for potential locations of a mass transit system; • Perform analysis to determine transit demand, likely transit operations, and transit cost effectiveness; • Perform regional modeling using EMME and micro-simulation modeling using VISSIM to evaluate supporting highway infrastructure for the transit element, such as congestion priced managed lanes to improve system performance; • Utilize existing data sources to determine travel patterns, congestion levels and locations, user income and other heterogeneous characteristics of vehicle users to augment or replace survey methods; • Conduct a Stated Preference Survey to understand the user’s willingness to pay; • Perform public outreach, in coordination with the agency and other regional interests, to address equity concerns and promote the overall concept of the project; and • The public outreach was primarily conducted by the Illinois Tollway through their on-going coordination with the various stakeholders along the corridor which included numerous municipalities and regional planning / transportation agencies. July 2013 Page i JANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL TOLLWAY TRANSIT & SUPPORTING HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY I-90 MANAGED LANE STUDY – FINAL REPORT E2 STUDY APPROACH Express bus utilizing a highway managed lane principle relies on effective lane operation to afford a travel time advantage over trips that might otherwise use an auto mode in the congested general purpose lanes. Thus the analysis conducted within the study was heavily focused on the traffic operations modeling with several complex traffic operations models developed for the study corridor to simulate existing and future traffic conditions under various tolling and operating conditions. Travel demand for the existing time frame and the future planning horizon was derived from the CMAP regional models. A number of proposed corridor improvements were incorporated into the future traffic models including several interchange and ramp upgrades as part of the reconstruction project as well as several regional level improvements (e.g., Elgin O’Hare Connector) being considered for implementation within the future planning horizon. In applying the traffic operations models, analysis was conducted on each option primarily in the 2030 planning horizon. Results for the AM and PM peak periods were extracted from the models such that a comparison between the options could be undertaken. The key metrics used in the analysis included: • Corridor Link Volumes (managed lanes and general purpose lanes); • Corridor Link Travel Speeds (managed lanes and general purpose lanes); • Corridor Travel Time (managed lanes and general purpose lanes); • Operations at the Managed Lane Access Points; • Median Ramp Volumes; and • Network Wide Statistics (travel time, average travel speeds). E3 STATED PREFERENCE SURVEY A web based stated preference survey was conducted to gain a better understanding of the travel behaviors of the users of the Jane Addams Memorial Tollway. The survey was conducted in the summer and early fall of 2012 and was very successful with over 8700 responses received from users of the corridor (I-Pass users, cash users through post card recruitment, and local businesses). In order to gather information from travelers using I-90 within the study corridor, the stated preference survey was designed using four key questions to determine recent trip information from the targeted travelers and their potential use of managed / express toll lanes. The questions from the survey identified eligible respondents by July 2013 Page ii JANE ADDAMS MEMORIAL TOLLWAY TRANSIT & SUPPORTING HIGHWAY INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY I-90 MANAGED LANE STUDY – FINAL REPORT asking for trip details, sought information on stated trip preferences, assessed underlying rationales or reasons for choices and gathered demographic information in order to identify differences in the responses and confirm diversity in the cross section of targeted travelers. Once eligible to continue with the survey and after questions regarding trip details were answered, information regarding the proposed managed / express toll lanes along the study corridor were provided to the respondents. Following this, instructions were provided about the stated preference questions, designed to produce responses regarding travel preferences and behavioral responses under hypothetical future conditions. Three travel alternatives for making future trips along the I-90 study corridor were presented to respondents. The alternatives included: • Use of existing toll lanes; • Use of proposed express toll lanes; and • Use of public transportation. When responding to questions, respondents were asked to consider travel time and toll cost for the two alternatives associated with automobile use. In these cases, travel time was presented to respondents as free-flow and congested time. Total travel time was also presented to respondents. In the case of public transportation, respondents were asked to consider transit type, frequency, travel time, fare cost and number of transfers. Based on these considerations, time