DRAFT FOR REVIEW Woodward Avenue Rapid Transit Alternatives Analysis Purpose and Need Prepared for Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff In Association With HNTB Michigan LSL Planning, Inc. Hamilton Anderson Associates Elnora Austell & Associates Archive DS DRAFT FOR REVIEW ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Federal Transit Administration Southeast Michigan Council of Governments Woodward Avenue Rapid Transit Alternatives Analysis Steering Committee Municipal Members City of Detroit City of Highland Park City of Pleasant Ridge City of Ferndale City of Huntington Woods City of Royal Oak City of Berkley City of Birmingham Bloomfield Township City of Bloomfield Hills City of Pontiac Local/State Government Agency Members Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) Detroit Transportation Corporation (DTC) Non-Profit Partners Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3) Michigan Suburbs Alliance (MSA) DRAFT FOR REVIEW TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Figures iv Executive Summary 1 1.0 Introduction 4 2.0 Corridor Overview 6 3.0 Project Purpose and Needs 9 4.0 Project Goals and Objectives 11 5.0 Corridor Demographics 13 A. Population 13 B. Zero Car Households 15 C. Employment 16 6.0 Corridor Land Use 20 A. Existing and Future 20 B. Recent, Planned, and Proposed Development 22 7.0 Corridor Transportation 24 A. Existing Roadways 24 B. Travel Patterns and Demand 30 C. Public Transit in Southeast Michigan 30 D. Travel Time Comparison Between Roadway and Transit Systems 45 E. Carpooling and Active/Non-Motorized Transportation 45 F. Potential Travel Markets 46 G. Ongoing Transit and Related Projects 53 H. Transit-Supportive Agency Transportation Goals 55 Appendices A Appendix A - Land Use Analysis A iv DRAFT FOR REVIEW LIST OF FIGURES & TABLES FIGURE 1-1 COMMUNITIES ALONG THE WOODWARD CORRIDOR................................................................... 4 FIGURE 4-1 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES.....................................................................................................................11 FIGURE 5-1 2010 TOTAL POPULATION BY COMMUNITY..................................................................................... 13 FIGURE 5-2 POPULATION CHANGE 2000-2010 BY COMMUNITY........................................................................14 FIGURE 5-3 POPULATION DENSITY..........................................................................................................................14 FIGURE 5-4 ZERO-CAR HOUSEHOLDS BY COMMUNITY.......................................................................................15 FIGURE 5-5 ZERO-CAR HOUSEHOLDS......................................................................................................................15 FIGURE 5-6 MAJOR ATTRACTIONS..........................................................................................................................16 FIGURE 5-7 EMPLOYMENT AND EMPLOYMENT DENSITY..................................................................................18 FIGURE 6-1 MASTER PLAN SUMMARY...................................................................................................................21 FIGURE 6-2 DEVELOPMENT BY COMMUNITY ...................................................................................................... 22 FIGURE 6-3 DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY IN THE CORRIDOR...................................................................................22 FIGURE 6-4 DETAIL: DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY IN DOWNTOWN AND MIDTOWN DETROIT....................... 22 FIGURE 7-1 STUDY AREA ROADS............................................................................................................................. 25 TABLE 7-1 MAJOR INTERSECTIONS WITH WOODWARD SEGMENTS WITH LOS E OR F........................... 27 FIGURE 7-2 2010 LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS) IN AM & PM PEAK PERIODS ON I-75........................................... 28 FIGURE 7-3 2035 LEVEL OF SERVICE (LOS) IN AM & PM PEAK PERIODS ON I-75...........................................29 FIGURE 7-4 EXISTING TRANSIT SYSTEM................................................................................................................31 FIGURE 7-5 DDOT ROUTE 53 STOP ACTIVITY..........................................................................................................32 TABLE 7-2 TRANSIT PERFORMANCE SURVEY.....................................................................................................34 FIGURE 7-6 SMART ROUTE 450 STOP ACTIVITY.....................................................................................................35 FIGURE 7-7 SMART ROUTE 460 STOP ACTIVITY.....................................................................................................36 FIGURE 7-8 SMART ROUTE 445 STOP ACTIVITY.....................................................................................................37 FIGURE 7-9 SMART ROUTE 465 STOP ACTIVITY.....................................................................................................38 FIGURE 7-10 SMART ROUTE 475 STOP ACTIVITY.....................................................................................................39 TABLE 7-3 SMART INCOME TO SERVICE DISTRIBUTION, 2012........................................................................41 TABLE 7-4 WOODWARD CORRIDOR TRANSIT TIMELINE, 2011-2013.............................................................. 41 TABLE 7-5 AMTRAK STATION USAGE, 2012......................................................................................................... 42 TABLE 7-6 OFF-PEAK TRAVEL TIMES......................................................................................................................45 FIGURE 7-11 MAJOR EMPLOYERS ............................................................................................................................ 46 FIGURE 7-12 DISTRICTS USED IN TRAVEL PATTERNS ANALYSIS...................................................................... 47 FIGURE 7-13 TRIPS WITHIN OR COMING INTO THE CORRIDOR.......................................................................... 48 TABLE 7-7 2010 DETAILED TRIPS ALONG THE CORRIDOR.................................................................................49 TABLE 7-8 2010 TOTAL TRIPS AND TYPES OF TRIPS IN AND NEAR WOODWARD DISTRICTS................. 50 TABLE 7-9 2010 WORK TRIPS COMING INTO CORRIDOR.................................................................................. 51 TABLE 7-10 2010 SHOPPING AND OTHER TRIPS COMING INTO CORRIDOR................................................... 52 TABLE 7-11 2010 TRIPS FROM DETROIT / WAYNE COUNTY TO OAKLAND COUNTY..................................... 52 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Woodward AA is a unique opportunity to meet the need for rapid transit on a champion corridor. INTRODUCTION This chapter summarizes key elements related to the development of the Woodward Avenue Rapid Transit Alternatives Analysis (AA) Purpose and Need. These elements include a historical background of the study area, and demographic and transportation existing conditions along the Woodward corridor. The Woodward AA is a culmination of the unfinished work begun on the Woodward Light Rail Transit project and the background system planning completed through SEMCOG’s Regional Transit Coordinating Council (RTCC) Comprehensive Regional Transit Plan to bring rapid transit to Woodward Avenue and the broader Southeast Michigan region. The 2008 RTCC plan identified Woodward Avenue as a priority corridor for rapid transit implementation. The Woodward AA study area expands beyond the former 9.3 mile Woodward LRT project boundary in Wayne County and encompasses the entire 27 mile Woodward corridor. It traverses both Wayne and Oakland Counties and eleven distinct communities traveling northwest from Downtown Detroit to Pontiac. WOODWARD COMMUNITIES NEED MORE MOBILITY OPTIONS INCLUDING RAPID TRANSIT Woodward is currently the most successful transit corridor in the state of Michigan. The largest transit carrier in the state, the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT), and the second largest transit provider, the Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transit (SMART), provide service on Woodward. Despite the success of Woodward as a strong transit corridor and the Cities of Detroit and Highland Park having the highest transit dependent populations among communities along the corridor, the personal automobile is still the predominant mode of transport. Transit Connectivity Neither DDOT nor SMART provides regular end to end transit service between Pontiac and Downtown Detroit. DDOT does not provide transit service within Oakland County. SMART buses travel from south Oakland County communities to the State Fairgrounds Transit Center south of 8 Mile Road in Detroit. However, SMART offers only limited stop service south of 8 Mile Road in Detroit during weekday peak period hours. In Detroit, SMART buses only pick up passengers on northbound trips and drop off passengers on southbound trips. Executive Summary | 2 Travel Time Reliability For drivers traveling the entire 27 mile corridor between Pontiac and Detroit, the I-75 corridor rather than Woodward is the preferred route. The I-75 freeway’s increased speed and the absence of signalized intersections make it an attractive route for travelers seeking to reach destinations in a “rapid” manner. However, varying weather and traffic conditions on I-75, especially