Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Transit Planning Study July 2015 DOT-VNTSC-FWS-15-03 Prepared for: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Notice This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for the contents or use thereof. The United States Government does not endorse products or manufacturers. Trade or manufacturers’ names appear herein solely because they are considered essential to the objective of this report. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: Transit Planning Study i REPORT DOCUMENTATION PAGE Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for this collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington, VA 22202-4302, and to the Office of Management and Budget, Paperwork Reduction Project (0704-0188), Washington, DC 20503. 1. AGENCY USE ONLY (Leave blank) 2. REPORT DATE 3. REPORT TYPE AND DATES COVERED July 7, 2015 Final 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. FUNDING NUMBERS Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: Transit Planning Study 6. AUTHOR(S) 5b. CONTRACT NUMBER Elisa Kropat, Scott Lian, Haley Peckett, Ryan Yowell 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION U.S. Department of Transportation REPORT NUMBER Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology DOT-VNTSC-FWS-15-03 John A. Volpe National Transportation System Center 55 Broadway, Cambridge, MA 02142 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSORING/MONITORING U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Transportation Program AGENCY REPORT NUMBER 5257 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041 11. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 12a. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT 12b. DISTRIBUTION CODE Public Distribution/availability 13. ABSTRACT (Maximum 200 words) This study for the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) identifies and analyzes options for enhancing existing transit service at Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge (the Refuge), a regional destination in Florida’s Space Coast which serves approximately 1 million visitors annually. The Refuge, a popular destination for birders and tourists, experiences seasonal congestion at high-use visitor sites. Additionally, the Refuge acknowledges the opportunity to expand access to new user groups and serve visitors in a more sustainable manner through transit. The study team researched existing conditions on the Refuge and the surrounding community, safety, staff capacity, financial resources, and other considerations to develop a number of short- and long-term transit scenarios. The study presents specific considerations for FWS and its partners as they move to enhance transit service on the Refuge. 14. SUBJECT TERMS 15. NUMBER OF PAGES Transit, Alternative Transportation, Merritt Island, National Wildlife Refuge 200 16. PRICE CODE 17. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 18. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 19. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION 20. LIMITATION OF ABSTRACT OF REPORT OF THIS PAGE OF ABSTRACT Unlimited Unclassified Unclassified Unclassified NSN 7540-01-280-5500 Standard Form 298 (Rev. 2-89) Prescribed by ANSI Std. 239-18 298-102 Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: Transit Planning Study ii Acknowledgments The U.S. Department of Transportation Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, in coordination with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, prepared this study, which was funded by the Paul S. Sarbanes Transit in Parks program. The Volpe Center project team included Haley Peckett and Ryan Yowell of the Transportation Planning Division. Technical support was provided by Scott Lian of the Energy Analysis and Sustainability Division. Elisa Kropat, a Transportation Scholar at the Refuge through the Transit in Parks Technical Assistance Center, also assisted in writing this study. The authors wish to thank the numerous individuals who graciously provided their time, knowledge and guidance in the development of this report. A full list of stakeholders involved in the development of this plan is available in Appendix G. Those of particular note are listed below: Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge Layne Hamilton, Refuge Manager Sandra Mickey, Supervisory Refuge Ranger Nancy Corona, Refuge Ranger Mike Legare, Supervisory Wildlife Biologist Pat Pearson, Fire Management Officer Candice Stevenson, Wildlife Refuge Specialist Jane Whaley, Supervisory Law Enforcement Officer Canaveral National Seashore Myrna Palfrey, Park Superintendent Shawn Harris, Facility Manager All photos are by the Volpe Center or U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service unless otherwise noted. Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge: Transit Planning Study iii Table of Contents List of Figures ........................................................................................................................vi List of Tables ......................................................................................................................... vii List of Acronyms .................................................................................................................... ix Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 1 Transportation Challenges .................................................................................................................... 2 Chapter 1: Existing Conditions ............................................................................................... 6 Refuge Overview ................................................................................................................................... 7 Physical Description and Regional Context .......................................................................................... 9 Visitation ............................................................................................................................................. 10 Visitor Origins and Access ................................................................................................................... 11 Transportation Network and Infrastructure ....................................................................................... 14 Synthesis of Existing Conditions ......................................................................................................... 24 Chapter 2: Transit Partners and Audiences ........................................................................... 26 Partners............................................................................................................................................... 27 Transit Audiences................................................................................................................................ 31 Chapter 3: Short-Term Transit Plan ...................................................................................... 34 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 35 Program Types and Interpretation ..................................................................................................... 36 Safety .................................................................................................................................................. 39 Routes ................................................................................................................................................. 41 Scheduling ........................................................................................................................................... 47 Estimated Program Costs .................................................................................................................... 49 Staff Capacity ...................................................................................................................................... 53 Marketing Strategy ............................................................................................................................. 55 Conclusions ......................................................................................................................................... 56 Chapter 4: Long-Term Transit Plan ....................................................................................... 57 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 58 Long-Term Transit Scenarios .............................................................................................................. 60 Visitor Distribution Analysis ................................................................................................................ 75 Financial Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 77 Considerations for All Transit Scenarios ............................................................................................