I-95 NEW HAVEN HARBOR CROSSING CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM NEW HAVEN - EAST HAVEN - BRANFORD, CT STATE PROJECT NO. 92-505 Record of Decision Transit and Transportation System Management (TSM) Components Summary Report January 2012 – December 2013 Prepared For: Connecticut Department of Transportation 2800 Berlin Turnpike Newington, Connecticut 06111 Submitted By: Parsons Brinckerhoff 500 Winding Brook Drive Glastonbury, CT 06033 I-95 NEW HAVEN HARBOR CROSSING CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM New Haven – East Haven – Branford ROD Transit and Transportation System Management (TSM) Requirements January 2012 – December 2013 I-95 NEW HAVEN HARBOR CROSSING CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM NEW HAVEN – EAST HAVEN – BRANFORD, CT Record of Decision Transit and Transportation System Management (TSM) Components Summary Report January 2012 – December 2013 The I-95 New Haven Harbor Crossing (NHHC) Corridor Improvement Program (‘Program’) is one of Connecticut’s largest multi-modal transportation improvement initiatives. The program includes operational, safety and capacity improvements to over 7 miles of Interstate 95, including a new signature bridge over New Haven Harbor. In addition to new and upgraded Shore Line East commuter rail stations, there are numerous Transit and Transportation System Management (TSM) components included as part of the program. The Federal Highway Administration Record of Decision for Interstate 95 New Haven Harbor Crossing Pearl Harbor Memorial Bridge (Q-Bridge) (‘ROD’), dated August 1999, (Section 1.2 (pp. 3-4)), documents the Transit and TSM commitments. This report summarizes the current status of the implementation of the Transit and TSM components. A report from the Program Commitment Database with commitments of regional interest that have been implemented throughout the construction of the various Program Projects is also included. They are as follows: • Considerations to pedestrians and bicyclists • Construction of permanent roadside noise barriers • Minimizing construction noise levels • Coordination with municipalities, neighborhoods and other stakeholders • Providing alternate travel routes • Protection of the traveling public through the use of detailed maintenance and protection of traffic plans during construction. Also included is a NuRide Report for people who commute into and out of New Haven County. NuRide is an online ridematching and recording system that allows users to earn rewards for sharing rides. A reward can be earned whenever ride is shared or traffic on the roads is reduce, by way of - transit, vanpooling, carpooling, bike or walk – or even telecommuting or using a compressed work week schedule. The report counts the cumulative effort of people that are recording their rides in order to earn rewards, not the actual overall ridership, which is nearly impossible to count for some modes of travel. i I-95 NEW HAVEN HARBOR CROSSING CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM New Haven – East Haven – Branford ROD Transit and Transportation System Management (TSM) Requirements January 2012 – December 2013 Summary of ROD Requirement Findings The following is an overview and analysis, where possible, of the data related to the Transit and TSM Commitments. It accompanies the following charts and graphs and details ridership and related data as well as changes in ridership over time and changes in service that have been implemented to accommodate the changes, and some service changes that have resulted in increased ridership. Shore Line East – Total # of Riders by Year Since 2001, there have been numerous changes in service as a result of increased ridership and resulting in increased ridership: Expanded service on weekends and holidays (Summer 2008); Service to Stamford including Metro-North New Haven Line stops (SLE Express - one-seat/one-ride) (2002); Expanded midday weekday service; and Weekday service to New London was recently added. An additional 136 SLE passengers took the bus from Union Station eastbound in summer of 2010 due to track construction. Total number of riders per year does not include State Street Rail Station riders. Shore Line East service into State Street Station commenced in June 2002 (see ROD Requirement: Commuter Rail Station at State Street for additional station related statistics). Shore Line East – Total # of Riders by Month for Weekend & Holiday Service The spike in July ridership is due to Independence Day travel and Sailfest activities in the New London area in 2012. Additional trains have been scheduled during July to accommodate the increased ridership. Shore Line East – Average # of Daily Riders for Weekday and Weekend & Holiday Service The spike in July ridership is due to Independence Day travel and Sailfest activities in the New London area in 2012. Additional trains have been scheduled during July to accommodate the increased ridership. Shore Line East – State Street Station – Average # of Daily Riders by Quarter Shore Line East service into State Street Station commenced June 2002. Shore Line East – State Street Station – Average # of Daily Riders by Month The Union Station Shuttle, which started in December 2010, is a free weekday service connecting rail passengers using Union Station to additional off-site parking locations, including the Temple Street Garage and the parking lot at the former Coliseum site. All shuttle trips extend to the New Haven Green, creating easy connections to all other CTTRANSIT local bus routes in New Haven. The Union Station Shuttle runs continuously every 20 minutes, from 6:05 AM until 10:15 PM, Monday through Friday. Shore Line East – Station Upgrades Branford Station (State Project No. 310-0019) – 39 Maple Street, Branford, CT 06405 - Contractor: Banton Construction - New Station opened August 8, 2005. • A high-level handicapped accessible south side platform for level boarding • Bicycle rack • Parking: New expanded parking now open (adds 272 new spaces). The new lot is slightly elevated from existing lot and is accessible by a new bridge over a tidal stream. Guilford Station (State Project No. 310-0026) – 325 Old Whitfield Street, Guilford, CT 06437 - Contractor: Banton Construction - New Station opened November 28, 2005 • A high-level handicapped accessible south side platform for level boarding • Bicycle rack • Pick-up and drop-off areas • A pedestrian bridge for easy access to opposite platform • Parking: Free parking available at both north and south sides of the station Clinton Station (State Project No. 310-0021) – 10 John Street Extension, Clinton, CT 06413 ii I-95 NEW HAVEN HARBOR CROSSING CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM New Haven – East Haven – Branford ROD Transit and Transportation System Management (TSM) Requirements January 2012 – December 2013 - Contractor: Banton Construction - New Station opened July 25, 2005. • A high-level handicapped accessible south side platform for level boarding • Bicycle rack • A design that allows for the future expansion to up and over facilities • Parking: Free parking available - Demolition of existing platform completed August 2005. Madison Station (State Project No. 310-0020) – 77 Bradley Road, Madison, CT 06443 • High-level handicapped accessible south side platform for level boarding • Bicycle rack • Parking: Free parking available Westbrook Station – 101 Norris Ave, Westbrook, CT 06498 • Bicycle rack • Parking: Free parking available CTTransit – “S” Route – Monthly Ridership and Average Daily Riders The ‘S’ Route was once operated by DATTCO and “interlined” with their Old Saybrook to Hartford express bus service (interlining is when a bus would run as the “S” to Old Saybrook, and then make the run up to Hartford as the express, and only be available to run the reverse route on the S when it returned – thus constraining the schedule). At some point in the past, this interlining no longer made sense and since around 2010 the route is operated by CTTRANSIT NH Division. Because the interlining no longer exists, there was more flexibility to change the scheduling and better align it with connecting services which may explain some of the ridership gains. CTTransit – “F” and “G” Routes – Average Daily Riders A major winter storm in February 2013 resulted in a drop in ridership. Improved Transit and Carpool/Vanpool Marketing Recent changes in the State’s Vanpool service providers have created a discrepancy in the most recent (2013) Vanpool data. New service providers are no longer required to give exact statistics for detailed Vanpool data such as a breakdown of the number of Vanpool Riders in the Corridor or the number of Vanpool seats. iii I-95 NEW HAVEN HARBOR CROSSING CORRIDOR IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM New Haven – East Haven – Branford ROD Transit and Transportation System Management (TSM) Requirements January 2012 – December 2013 Improved Access to Transit Information – Schedules and Brochures The Total Number of Announcements Sent represents announcements which are sent out to the Program-maintained distribution list for weekly construction activities, holiday construction notifications, event notifications, and additional special announcements as needed. In addition to Program Announcements, the Program responds to any questions or comments received from the public. This statistic is the Number of Inquiry Responses sent out by the Program through email. Improved Access to Transit Information – Website Visits CTTransit data represents average monthly visits to the routes and the schedule listing pages of website only. The apparent large drop in website visitors between 2012 (5,923/mo) and 2013