Final Project Report Monterey Bay Area Feasibility Study of Bus on Shoulder Operations on State Route 1 and the Monterey Branch Line Monterey-Salinas Transit June 26, 2018 Acknowledgements Project Partners Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) California Highway Patrol (CHP) Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) Technical Advisory Committee Monterey-Salinas Transit (MST) Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District (METRO) Transportation Agency for Monterey County (TAMC) Santa Cruz County Regional Transportation Commission (SCCRTC) California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 5 California Highway Patrol (CHP) Divisions 720 & 730 Association of Monterey Bay Area Governments (AMBAG) City of Marina City of Sand City City of Seaside City of Monterey Fort Ord Reuse Authority (FORA) Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction and Summary................................................................................1-1 Background – Legislation...............................................................................................................................................1-1 Plans and Policies – Monterey County ...........................................................................................................1-2 Plans and Policies – Santa Cruz County .........................................................................................................1-3 Purpose of the Study........................................................................................................................................................1-4 The Bus-on-Shoulder Concept...........................................................................................................................1-5 Monterey Branch Rail Line..................................................................................................................................1-5 Study Partners/Outreach...............................................................................................................................................1-6 Summary ..............................................................................................................................................................................1-7 Monterey County Alternatives...........................................................................................................................1-7 Santa Cruz County Alternatives......................................................................................................................1-12 Project Implementation and Next Steps.....................................................................................................1-17 Chapter 2 Literature Review..............................................................................................2-1 Bus-on-Shoulder ................................................................................................................................................................2-1 National Studies .......................................................................................................................................................2-1 State-Sponsored Studies.......................................................................................................................................2-2 TCRP Report 151 – A Guide for Implementing Bus-on-Shoulder (BOS) Systems.......................2-2 TCRP Synthesis 64 Bus Use of Shoulders – A Synthesis of Transit Practice..................................2-5 FHWA’s Use of Freeway Shoulders for Travel – A Guide for Planning, Evaluating, and Designing Part Time Shoulder Use as a Traffic Management Strategy............................................2-5 AASHTO Guide for Geometric Design of Transit Facilities on Highways and Streets ...............2-5 Minnesota Department of Transportation Bus Only Shoulder Guidelines.....................................2-6 Transit Lane Demonstration Pilot Report – San Diego...........................................................................2-7 I-55 Bus-on-Shoulder Demonstration – In the Spirit of Time..............................................................2-7 I-71 Cincinnati Left Shoulder Bus-on-Shoulder.........................................................................................2-8 Bus on Railroad Rights-of-Way ...................................................................................................................................2-8 Los Angeles Orange Line Busway.....................................................................................................................2-8 South Dade Busway................................................................................................................................................2-9 Hartford-New Britain Busway ........................................................................................................................2-10 Chapter 3 Existing Conditions ............................................................................................3-1 Background..........................................................................................................................................................................3-1 Study Area ............................................................................................................................................................................3-1 Existing Traffic Conditions............................................................................................................................................3-4 Highway Configuration.........................................................................................................................................3-4 Traffic Volumes ........................................................................................................................................................3-4 Travel Times and Speeds .....................................................................................................................................3-8 Traffic Forecasts....................................................................................................................................................3-30 Existing Transit Conditions........................................................................................................................................3-32 Transit Services along Study Corridor ........................................................................................................3-32 Weekday Transit Operations...........................................................................................................................3-39 Transit Performance ...........................................................................................................................................3-42 Transit Ridership on SR 1 .................................................................................................................................3-43 i Table of Contents Geometric Design & Operating Guidelines ..........................................................................................................3-45 Forms of Bus-on-Shoulder Concept..............................................................................................................3-45 Existing Highway Geometrics..........................................................................................................................3-48 Monterey Branch Line ........................................................................................................................................3-58 Chapter 4 Project Alternatives...........................................................................................4-1 Monterey County ...............................................................................................................................................................4-1 Segment I: Reservation Road/SR 1 to Fremont Boulevard/SR 1......................................................4-2 Segment II: Fremont Boulevard/SR 1 to SR 218 ......................................................................................4-6 Segment III: SR 218 to Del Monte Avenue ................................................................................................4-10 Segment IV: Casa Verde Way/SR 1 to Fremont Boulevard/SR 1....................................................4-12 Santa Cruz County ..........................................................................................................................................................4-15 Right-Shoulder Alternatives ............................................................................................................................4-15 Left-Side Alternative ...........................................................................................................................................4-24 Cost Estimates..................................................................................................................................................................4-26 Methodology ...........................................................................................................................................................4-26