BUFFALO -NIAGARA Cily of Buffalo City of Niagara Falls GBN County of Erie County of Niagara New York State Thruway Authority Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority New York State Department of Transportation RESOLUTION NUMBER 2010-6 2035 LONG RANGE TRANSPORTATION PLAN UPDATE WHEREAS, the Greater BufTal o-Niagara Regional TranspOliation Council (GB RTC) has been designated by the Governor of New York State as the Metropolitan P lanning Organization responsible, together with the State, for the comprehensive, continuous, cooperative transportation planning process for the Buffalo iagara area, and WHEREAS, Federal Regulations require that each Metropolitan Planning Organization shall develop a Long Range Transportation Systems Plan as a product of that planning process from which Transportation Improvement Programs and Annual Elements shall be derived, and WHEREAS. as part of these responsibilities, the Greater B uffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council last developed a Long Range Transportation Plan to the Year 2030 planning horizon which was endorsed by the GBNRTC on June 22, 2007, and WHEREAS. Federal regulations require that a Long Range Transportation Plan be updated every four years to determine its consistency with current trends and conditions and to maintain at least a 20-year planning horizon, and WH (REAS, GBNRTC in cooperation with the New York State Department of Transportation ( YSDOT), has reviewed and documented compliance of the GBNRTC planning process wi th all existing federal rules and regulations, including Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Effic ient Transportation Equity Act - Legacy for Users (SAF TEA-LU) requirements; and WHEREAS, the GBNRTC has approved demographic data for the 2035 Planning horizon year, and WHEREAS, this region is still classified as an air quality non-attainment area, and 'VHEREAS, th e GBNRTC has prepared a Long Range Transportation Plan update to the year 2035 Plan ning horizon based upon this updated data, as documented in the repOli, 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan, and WHEREAS, said Plan has been found to address the critical issues likely to be impacting in the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Region during the planning period, and WHEREAS, said Plan has been subjected to an extended public review and comment period, and ~OW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the GBNRTC does hereby endorse the attached Year 2035 Long Range Transpoliation Plan, and 4 3 8 Main Stree t, S ui le 503, Buffa l o , New York 14202-320 7 716 856, 2026 Fax 716 856- 3203 emaiL staff@gbnrtcorg web site: wwwgbnrtc .org BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that future work plans and projects for further study and/or capital project action will be bas d upon the Plan's recommendations and priorities, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the development of the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) shall refl ect the Plan 's recommendations and priorities, and BE IT FURTHRE RESOLVED, that the GBNRTC endorses said plan as being in conformity with the State Implementation Plan for Air Quality in accordance with requirements of the Clear Air Act Amendments of 1990 and most current U. S. Department of Transportation, U.S. nvironmental Protection Agency, NYSDOT, and NYS Department of Environmental Conservation procedures, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Plan's relevance and currency shall be maintained through a comprehensive update of this Plan to be completed no later than four years from th is Plan's adoption, and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the B RTC requests the New York State Department of Tran portation, acting on its behalf, to forward this 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan to the Federal Highway Administration, Federal Transit Administration, and other appropriate Federal and State agencies to satisfy all current reporting requirements. Resolved this daY' ~l:~t==:---- BY : ~~~~~_______~_~ ____________ Committee Recommended by the Greater Buffalo-Niagara Regional Transportation Council Planning and Coordinating Committee (GB RTC-PCC) on May 5, 2010. BY : ~-=~~~~+-____~ __~~ ____________ czyk, P. E., C aJrman, GBNRTC-PCC Table of Contents Chapter 1 Introduction Long Range Transportation Plan Update …………………………………………………………………………………………….1 SAFETEA-LU and Federal Requirements .................................................................................................. 2 Chapter 2 The Region’s Transportation System Highways and Roadways .......................................................................................................................... 5 Binational Transportation ........................................................................................................................ 9 Bicycle and Pedestrian ........................................................................................................................... 10 Public Transportation ............................................................................................................................. 13 Freight .................................................................................................................................................... 16 Other Transportation ............................................................................................................................. 18 Chapter 3 Ongoing Long Range Planning and Initiatives Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan ....................................................................................................... 19 Erie County Transit Service Restructuring and Strategic Assessment ................................................... 20 Regional Freight and Goods Movement Study ...................................................................................... 21 UB 2020 .................................................................................................................................................. 21 Binational Planning ................................................................................................................................ 22 Chapter 4 Vision, Goals and Objectives Preservation ........................................................................................................................................... 24 Mobility and Accessibility ....................................................................................................................... 25 Economic Development ......................................................................................................................... 25 The Environment ................................................................................................................................... 26 Land Use ................................................................................................................................................. 26 Chapter 5 Land Use and the Framework for Regional Growth The Framework for Regional Growth ..................................................................................................... 28 Regional Growth and Development Principals ....................................................................................... 28 Future Development Strategies ............................................................................................................. 29 Regional Demographics Projections ...................................................................................................... 34 Chapter 6 Transportation Security State Level Initiatives .............................................................................................................................. 40 Regional, County, and Local Initiatives .................................................................................................... 41 Chapter 7 Transportation Safety Policies ................................................................................................................................................... 44 Objectives ................................................................................................................................................ 44 Assessment Approach ........................................................................................................................... 45 Improvement Strategies .......................................................................................................................... 45 Data System and Analysis ...................................................................................................................... 46 Chapter 8 Congestion Management and Systems Operations Congestion Management Process .......................................................................................................... 47 Identification of Strategies ..................................................................................................................... 49 Operational Integration and Planning .................................................................................................... 50 Chapter 9 Environmental Planning Considerations New York State Open Space Plan ......................................................................................................... 56 Resource Agency Consultation ............................................................................................................... 57 Potential Mitigation Activities ................................................................................................................ 58 Chapter 10 The Constrained