I-85 CORRIDOR ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS STUDY FINAL REPORT Prepared for: Gwinnett County 75 Langley Drive Lawrenceville, GA 30046 Prepared by: August 2014 I-85 Corridor AA Study Final Report Table of Contents ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS ..................................................................................... ix EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..........................................................................................................1 1.0 INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................1 1.1 Overview of Study ........................................................................................................1 1.2 I-85 Corridor AA Process .............................................................................................3 1.3 Report Organization .....................................................................................................3 2.0 BACKGROUND AND CONTEXT ...................................................................................5 2.1 History of I-85 Corridor .................................................................................................5 2.1.1 Gwinnett County .................................................................................................5 2.1.2 Chamblee and Doraville .....................................................................................6 2.1.3 Duluth, Peachtree Corners, Norcross, and Suwanee .......................................6 2.2 Transportation System .................................................................................................7 2.2.1 Railroads .............................................................................................................7 2.2.2 Transit Investments ............................................................................................7 2.2.3 Highway System .................................................................................................8 2.3 Review of Previous Studies .........................................................................................9 2.3.1 Regional Initiatives ..............................................................................................9 2.3.2 Corridor-Level Studies ..................................................................................... 10 2.3.3 Local Comprehensive Plans ........................................................................... 23 2.3.4 Livable Centers Initiative and Other Studies ................................................... 27 2.3.5 Atlanta Regional Freight Mobility Plan ............................................................ 28 3.0 SOCIOECONOMIC OVERVIEW ................................................................................. 30 3.1 Demographic Profile ................................................................................................. 30 3.1.1 Population ........................................................................................................ 30 3.1.2 Race and Ethnicity ........................................................................................... 31 3.1.3 Household Characteristics .............................................................................. 31 3.1.4 Age ................................................................................................................... 32 3.1.5 Education ......................................................................................................... 33 3.1.6 Occupation ....................................................................................................... 33 3.1.7 Income ............................................................................................................. 34 3.1.8 Housing ............................................................................................................ 36 3.2 Environmental Justice Populations .......................................................................... 37 3.2.1 Minority Populations ........................................................................................ 37 3.2.2 Low-Income Populations ................................................................................. 42 3.2.3 Linguistically Isolated Households .................................................................. 44 3.3 Traditionally Transit Dependent Populations ........................................................... 48 3.3.1 Zero-Vehicle Households ................................................................................ 48 3.3.2 Elderly and Disabled Households ................................................................... 50 3.4 Population and Employment Forecasts ................................................................... 52 ii I-85 Corridor AA Study Final Report 3.4.1 Population Forecasts ....................................................................................... 52 3.4.2 Employment Forecasts .................................................................................... 54 4.0 LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT CHARACTERISTICS .......................................... 63 4.1 Policy Framework ..................................................................................................... 63 4.1.1 DeKalb County................................................................................................. 64 4.1.2 Gwinnett County .............................................................................................. 65 4.1.3 Atlanta Regional Commission ......................................................................... 67 4.2 Existing and Planned Land Uses ............................................................................. 68 4.2.1 Existing Land Use ............................................................................................ 68 4.2.2 Planned Land Uses ......................................................................................... 72 4.2.3 Comparison between Existing Land Use and Future Land Use .................... 74 4.3 Development Trends ................................................................................................ 76 4.3.1 New Home Sales ............................................................................................. 77 4.3.2 Major Development Activity and Potential Redevelopment Areas ................. 78 5.0 TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS .................................................................................. 82 5.1 Travel Patterns .......................................................................................................... 82 5.1.1 Person Trips..................................................................................................... 82 5.1.2 Transit Trips ..................................................................................................... 85 5.2 Roadway Characteristics .......................................................................................... 91 5.2.1 Roadway Capacity ........................................................................................... 91 5.2.2 Roadway Conditions........................................................................................ 97 6.0 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION NETWORK ................................................................ 101 6.1 Current Public Transportation Services .................................................................. 101 6.1.1 Gwinnett County Transit ................................................................................ 101 6.1.2 Georgia Regional Transportation Authority ................................................... 114 6.1.3 MARTA .......................................................................................................... 119 6.1.4 Freight Rail Facilities...................................................................................... 125 6.2 Bike and Pedestrian Facilities................................................................................. 126 7.0 SCREENING AND SELECTION PROCESS ............................................................ 131 7.1 Process Overview ................................................................................................... 131 7.2 Options Considered ................................................................................................ 132 7.2.1 Mode .............................................................................................................. 132 7.2.2 Alignment ....................................................................................................... 151 7.2.3 Station/Stop Location .................................................................................... 156 7.3 Propulsion ............................................................................................................... 160 8.0 DEFINITION OF ALTERNATIVES ............................................................................. 164 8.1 No Action Alternative .............................................................................................. 164 8.1.1 Overview ........................................................................................................ 164 8.1.2 Planned and Programmed Transit Improvements ........................................ 171 8.1.3 Relevant Programmed Transit Projects ........................................................ 171 8.1.4 Transit Facilities ............................................................................................