T&E COMMITTEE #1 June 15, 2020 M E M O R A N D U M June 11, 2020 TO: Transportation and Environment Committee FROM: Glenn Orlin, Senior Analyst SUBJECT: Managed Lanes Study’s Transit Service Coordination Report1 PURPOSE: Briefing The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) has completed a study to identify how transit could maximize the utility of proposed managed lanes on I-270 and I-495. The Managed Lanes Transit Work Group, consisting of staffs from FTA, FHWA, MTA, WMATA, COG, and several counties in Maryland (including Montgomery County DOT) was convened in May 2019 to advise on the study. The study conducted a transit market analysis to determine how existing bus routes could be modified and enhanced, what new bus routes could be initiated, a review of managed lane access points, potential transit center and park-and-ride locations, and the potential for enhanced carpooling. The study and its appendix are here: https://495-270-p3.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Transit- Coordination-Report-May-2020.pdf. MDOT’s presentation is attached on ©1-28 and will be led by: Lisa Choplin, Director, I-495 & I-270 P3 Office, MDOT Jeff Folden, Deputy Director, I-495 & I-270 P3 Office, MDOT Jim Ritchey, Vice President, Whitman, Requardt & Associates, LLP (Transit Work Group Lead) DOT Director Christopher Conklin and Transit Services Chief Dan Hibbert, who participated in the Work Group, have also been invited to provide comment and answer questions directed to them. The locations of the access points are of particular interest, in that these would be where toll- paying motor vehicles and transit buses would be able to reach or depart from the managed lanes without the lost time of weaving back and forth across several congested general-use lanes. In the I-270 segment between I-370 and the Beltway, there would be direct ramps to/from I-370, Gude Drive, Wootton Parkway, and Westlake Drive (where there are already direct ramps to/from the north). Between the West Spur and Virginia there would be direct ramps to/from River Road/Cabin John Parkway and the George Washington Parkway, and from the West Spur through Prince George’s County (a later phase of the Traffic Relief Plan), there would be thirteen more sets of direct ramps: at Old Georgetown Road, East Spur/Rockville Pike, Connecticut Avenue, US 29, and New Hampshire Avenue, and at eight interchanges in Prince George’s County. The proposed access points correspond with those that will appear in the soon-to-be-published Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS), but MDOT staff has noted they might be modified once the P3 partner has been selected and participates in the design. 1 Key word: #Transitservicescoordination Illustrative concepts for these access ramps are shown on ©29-56.2 In the I-270 segment north of I-370, which has not been under study as long, the Transit Service Coordination Report identifies potential direct ramps to/from Clopper Road, Watkins Mill Road, MD 118, the planned Dorsey Mill Road overpass, MD 121, MD 109, and two interchanges in Frederick County. Many of the I-270 access points along I-270 conform with suggestions in the Council’s March 15, 2019 letter to MDOT regarding the scope of the Managed Lanes Study. The study also suggests the establishment of eleven regional bus routes, six of which primarily would serve Montgomery County (see ©57-59), and enhancements to several existing Ride On, Metrobus, and MTA routes. The study also identifies several locations where additional transit park- and-ride spaces would be required. However, capital and operating cost estimates are yet to be prepared for these bus routes and park-and-ride spaces, nor has a funding plan been produced, so it is unknown how large the financial burden would be for this expansion and how the fiscal responsibility would be shared between the State and the local governments. f:\orlin\fy20\t&e\shat\managed leans study\200615te-transit service coordination report.doc 2 The concept for the I-495/New Hampshire Avenue access ramps is under internal review and may appear differently when the DEIS is released. 2 I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Montgomery County Council Transportation and Environmental Committee June 15, 2020 (1) Introduction Lisa Choplin Director, I-495 & I-270 P3 Office (2) Regional Transportation Plan: Aspirational Initiatives Bring Jobs and Telecommuting and other Housing Closer Options for Visualize 2045 prepared Together Commuting by National Capital Improve Walk Region Transportation and Bike Access to Planning Board (TPB) Expand Collectively Transit Express Needed to included Seven Highway Significantly Network Improve Region’s Aspirational Initiatives Transportation System Expand Bus Rapid Transit and Move More Transitways People on Complete Metrorail the National Capital Trail 3 (3) Regional Transportation Plan: Funding Substantial Planned Future Commitment to Transit in the National Capital Region 66% Public Transportation ($191 B) 34% Highways ($100 B) * Unitsin Billions SGR: State of GoodRepair 4 (4) I-495 & I-270 P3 Program Environmental Studies The I-495 & I-270 P3 Program includes over 70 miles of highway improvements • I-495 & I-270 Managed Lanes Study (48 miles) • I-270 from I-370 to I-70 Pre-NEPA Activities (23 miles) • I-495 from MD 5 to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge (future study) (5) VDOT 495 Northern Extension (NEXT) Project Graphic courtesy of VDOT • Environmental Study underway independently by VDOT • MDOT SHA coordinating closely with VDOT as the project advances (6) Regional Transportation Plan: Transit 2040 MWCOG model includes all transit projects in the Constrained Long-Range Plan (CLRP) Considering all the transit improvements in the model: In 2040 53% of lane-miles would operate at Level of Service “F” in the pm peak period Overall average travel time index for general purpose lanes would be at a level of severe congestion for most corridor segments in the pm peak period Travel speed in the general purpose lanes during the pm peak period would be less than 15 mph in many segments 2040 traffic will be updated to 2045 using recently approved model Includes additional BRT on MD 355, MD 650, and MD 586/Veirs Mill Road Preliminary results show that despite additional transit projects in 2045 model, the No Build alternative would perform worse than 2040 model due to increased vehicle miles traveled 7 Pre-decisional and Deliberative (7) Transit and Managed Lanes Are Complementary • Managed lanes provide the opportunity for a reliable, free-flow trip for buses that is not an option on roadways otherwise congested • Integrated mobility solution that is designed to encourage people to leave their cars before they enter the freeway, not their final destination • Park and rides served by transit in close vicinity to interchanges with significant commuter traffic entering • Express bus for limited or non-stop trips to major employment centers (8) Transit Work Group • Formed in May 2019 to encourage collaboration to enhance transit services on the proposed managed lanes on I-495 & I-270 and create an interconnected transit/highway system • Representatives were included from: • Montgomery County (Represented by Chris Conklin, Phil Mclaughlin, Gary Erenrich, and Dan Hibbert) • Frederick County • Prince George’s County • Anne Arundel County • Charles County • Howard County • MWCOG • WMATA • FTA • FHWA • MDOT/MDOT MTA/MDOT SHA 9 (9) Transit Work Group • Topics explored by the Transit Work Group included: • Identifying existing and planned express bus services • Reviewing managed lanes access points • Analyzing casual carpooling, van pooling and other ridesharing methods • Evaluating park and ride lot locations near the I-495 and I-270 corridors and their current capacity and usage • Examining other potential markets for express bus service which would benefit from implementation of managed lanes • Identifying potential new or modified routes 10 (10) Overview of Transit Coordination Report Key Elements Jim Ritchey I-495 & I-270 P3 Office 11 (11) Montgomery County’s Transit Investment • Local Transit – FY20 Budget US 29 Flash Station Concept • Ride On - $140M • Contributions to WMATA • Washington Suburban Transit Commission • .0672 / $100 accessed value • Bethesda Station - $110M • Contributions to the Purple Line • Capital funding - $54M 12 (12) Maryland’s Transit Investment Maryland Weekday Rail Services Lines Stations Boardings Washington Market Metrorail 7 27 250,000 Purple Line 1 21 56,100 (under construction) (2035 projections) Baltimore Market Metro SubwayLink 1 14 34,461 Light RailLink 1 34 22,399 Baltimore and Washington MARC Commuter Rail 3 38 34,097 Sources: National Transit Database 2017; WMATA Rail Ridership 2018 – boardings by station doubled to reflect alignments for comparison 13 (13) Maryland’s Transit Investment Weekday Bus Services Lines Boardings Washington Market Metrobus 45 99,754 Montgomery County - Ride On 78 75,488 Prince George’s County – The Bus 26 11,604 MDOT MTA Commuter Bus 27 13,454 Baltimore Market and ICC BaltimoreLink 67 227,414 MDOT MTA Commuter Bus 12 1,733 Sources: National Transit Database 2017; Metro Bus Ridership by Service Sector June 2017; Commuter Bus Ridership by Route 2018 14 (14) MDOT Six-Year Combined Capital and Operating Program Fiscal Years 2020 to 2025 MDOT Transportation Motor Vehicle Program Capital Operating Combined Secretary's Office Administration ($ Millions) State Highway 2.6% 4.8% Maryland Aviation Administration Administration Secretary's Office $146.5 $663.2 $809.7 7.7% Motor Vehicle 32.5% $147.0