Southern New Jersey to Philadelphia Mass Transit Expansion Alternative Analysis Study Final Report October 2009 Prepared by: Southern New Jersey to Philadelphia Mass Transit Expansion Alternatives Analysis Final Report TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 4 1.1 Description of the Study Area ...................................................................................... 4 1.2 Previous Transportation Studies ................................................................................. 8 1.3 AA Study Process and Components ........................................................................... 9 2 EXISTING STUDY AREA CONDITIONS ............................................................................ 11 2.1 Population and Employment ..................................................................................... 11 2.1.1 Population and Population Density ................................................................ 11 2.1.2 Minority and Low-Income Population ............................................................ 15 2.1.3 Employment Density ...................................................................................... 15 2.2 Land Use ................................................................................................................... 18 2.2.1 Land Uses by Corridor ................................................................................... 18 2.2.2 Major Activity Centers in the Study Area ....................................................... 20 2.3 Transportation Network ............................................................................................. 23 2.3.1 Highway Facilities .......................................................................................... 23 2.3.2 Public Transportation ..................................................................................... 24 2.4 Travel Patterns .......................................................................................................... 26 2.4.1 Trip Origins and Destinations ........................................................................ 26 2.4.2 Travel Time .................................................................................................... 28 2.4.3 Congested Corridors ..................................................................................... 29 2.5 Environmental Conditions ......................................................................................... 31 2.6 Planned Study Area Initiatives .................................................................................. 35 2.6.1 Planned Highway and Transit System Improvements ................................... 35 2.6.2 Planned Real Estate Developments .............................................................. 36 3 PUBLIC OUTREACH AND AGENCY COORDINATION ................................................... 38 3.1 Public Open Houses .................................................................................................. 38 3.2 Technical Advisory Committee .................................................................................. 41 3.3 Elected Officials Briefing ........................................................................................... 41 3.4 Targeted Outreach and Agency Coordination ........................................................... 42 3.5 Project Newsletter and Website ................................................................................ 42 3.5.1 Newsletters .................................................................................................... 42 3.5.2 Website .......................................................................................................... 42 3.6 Regional Project Support .......................................................................................... 43 4 PROJECT PURPOSE AND NEED ..................................................................................... 44 4.1 Statement of Needs ................................................................................................... 44 4.2 Goals and Objectives ................................................................................................ 45 5 DEFINITION OF ALTERNATIVES ...................................................................................... 48 5.1 Alternatives Development ......................................................................................... 48 5.1.1 Southern New Jersey to Philadelphia Transit Study ..................................... 48 5.1.2 Southern New Jersey Transit Expansion Alternatives Analysis .................... 49 5.2 Definition and Attributes of Alternatives .................................................................... 49 5.2.1 Alternative 1 – PATCO from Philadelphia to Williamstown via Route I-676, NJ Route 42 and the Atlantic City Expressway ................................................... 50 October 2009 1 Southern New Jersey to Philadelphia Mass Transit Expansion Alternatives Analysis Final Report 5.2.2 Alternative 2 – PATCO from Philadelphia to Glassboro via Route I-676, NJ Route 42 and NJ Route 55 ............................................................................ 54 5.2.3 Alternative 2A – PATCO from Philadelphia to Glassboro via Route I-676, NJ Route 42, NJ Route 55 and the Conrail RR Right-of-Way ............................ 58 5.2.4 Alternative 3 – PATCO from Philadelphia to Glassboro via the Conrail Right- of-Way ........................................................................................................... 62 5.2.5 Alternative 4 – Diesel Light Rail from Philadelphia to Glassboro via the Conrail Right-of-Way ..................................................................................... 66 5.2.6 Summary of the Alternatives ......................................................................... 71 6 EVALUATION OF THE ALTERNATIVES .......................................................................... 73 6.1 Identification and Definition of Evaluation Criteria ..................................................... 73 6.2 Comparison of the Alternatives Relative to the Evaluation Criteria ........................... 76 6.3 Selection of a Recommended Alternative ................................................................. 86 7 NEXT PROJECT DEVELOPMENT PHASES ..................................................................... 89 7.1 Immediate Next Steps ............................................................................................... 89 7.1.1 Draft Environmental Impact Statement .......................................................... 89 7.1.2 Final Environmental Impact Statement .......................................................... 89 7.1.3 Preliminary Engineering ................................................................................ 89 7.1.4 Final Design ................................................................................................... 90 7.1.5 Construction .................................................................................................. 90 7.2 Southern New Jersey Transit Vision ......................................................................... 90 7.2.1 Bus Rapid Transit along Routes 42 and 55 to Camden/Philadelphia ............ 90 7.2.2 Atlantic City Rail Line Improvement Study .................................................... 90 APPENDICES Appendix A: Existing Study Area Conditions Included in separate document Appendix B: Land Use and Demographic Maps Included in separate document Appendix C: Public Outreach Materials Included in separate document Appendix D: Ridership and Cost Methodology Included in separate document TABLE OF FIGURES Figure 1-1 – AA Study Area .......................................................................................................... 7 Figure 1-2 – Alternatives Analysis Study Process ...................................................................... 10 Figure 2-1 – 2005 Population Density vs 2030 Population Density ............................................ 13 Figure 2-2 – 2005 Employment Density vs 2030 Employment Density ...................................... 17 Figure 2-3 – The PATCO System ............................................................................................... 25 Figure 3-1 – Project Newsletter Cover ........................................................................................ 42 Figure 3-2 – Project Website Home Page .................................................................................. 42 Figure 5-1 – Alternative 1: PATCO from Philadelphia to Williamstown via Route 42 ................. 51 Figure 5-2 – Alternative 2: PATCO from Philadelphia to Glassboro via Route 55 ...................... 55 Figure 5-3 – Alternative 2A: PATCO from Philadelphia to Glassboro via Route 55 and Conrail ROW ............................................................................................................................... 59 Figure 5-4 – Alternative 3: PATCO from Philadelphia to Glassboro via Conrail ROW ............... 63 Figure 5-5 – Alternative 4: Diesel LRT from Philadelphia to Glassboro via Conrail ROW .......... 67 Figure 6-1 – Estimated Daily Ridership by Alternative ................................................................ 76 Figure 6-2 – Daily New Transit Trips by Alternative ...................................................................