Public Meetings January 2016 Agenda Welcome and Introductions - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Public Meetings January 2016

Agenda  Welcome and Introductions  Project update  Process  Project definition  Key environmental findings  Key traffic analysis findings  Related activities  Bike/pedestrian projects  15L Short-Term Improvements  Passenger stop visual preference survey  Q&A  Open House

Moving People: Proposed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) 3

What is the purpose of this project? To identify and provide a package of multi- modal transportation improvements in the East Colfax corridor that:  Meet current and future person-trip demand  Improve mobility, connectivity, safety, and accessibility  Help to mitigate congestion  Encourage a shift of auto trips to alternative modes  Interact seamlessly, efficiently, and safely with other transportation corridors, systems, and modes  Are consistent with economic development components of federal sustainability & livability plans and principles

Key Challenge:  Adding person-trip capacity to East Colfax without adding roadway lanes or taking property Maximum number of Distribution of people The same number of The same number of people cars on a street served by these cars people on a bus on a ped-bike friendly street 5

Previous Studies and Plans 6

CCD Strategic Transportation Plan, 2008  Identified 20-30% increased person trip demand in corridor by 2025 CCD Colfax Streetcar Feasibility Study, 2010  Identified four transit routes in study area, with current use ~30,000 riders per day  Determined all four routes at capacity during peak  Routes 15 and 15L at capacity throughout day, with ~22,000 riders per day Colfax Corridor Connections Study  Recommendation: Bus Rapid Transit in exclusive lanes during peak periods 7

Stakeholders and Public Involvement 8

Project Stakeholders & Team  Lead Agency o City and County of Denver  Partner/Coordinating Agencies o City of Aurora o Regional Transportation District (RTD) o Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) o Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) o Federal Transit Administration (FTA)  Stakeholders o Regulatory Agencies o Auraria and Anschutz Campuses o Registered neighborhood organizations o Businesses and property owners o Community leaders o Residents and travelers along the corridor  Consultant Team: Steer Davies Gleave (lead) 9

Public Involvement Activities  Technical Working Group Meetings  Community Task Force Meetings  Four sets of Public Meetings in Denver & Aurora  Printed Materials o Available at 100+ local businesses on Colfax o Info sent to a network of nearly 150 organizations o RTD ridership survey/meeting info available on 15/15L buses  Digital Resources o Website, Facebook and Twitter sites o Email database of nearly 1,000 stakeholders 10

Initial Feedback on BRT Concept  City of Aurora: o Supportive of the BRT project o Agencies are working together on additional technical analysis  Technical Working Group: o Supportive of the BRT recommendation  Community Leadership Group: o Supportive of the BRT recommendation  RTD: o Supportive of Enhancing Transit on Colfax; Fiscally Constrained with FasTracks, which is their current priority 11

Public Meeting Feedback: Several hundred comments submitted o Majority have been supportive of BRT concept Most cited benefits of BRT were: o Faster travel times o Transit schedule reliability o Increased corridor capacity o Economic development potential Most cited areas where more information was desired were: o Traffic operations o Interaction of bicycle/pedestrian facilities o Economic activity o Social/community effects 12

What’s Happened Since the Last Public Meetings? • More detailed project definition • Continued discussion and review on specifics of project with partners • Additional ridership forecasting • Additional in-depth traffic analysis • Initiation of environmental clearan ce 13

How Did We Get Here?

What’s the study area for this project? 10 miles

Why is This Project Needed? (2010 to 2035) (2010 to 2035)

Why is This Project Needed? * * *ridership includes (2010 to 2035) (2010 to 2035) 10, 20, and 15 & 15L

Roadway Expansion Enhanced Bus Bus Rapid Transit Light Rail Modern Streetcar Heavy Rail (Metro) Automated Guideway Transit Monorail MagLev Commuter Rail Gondola Personal Rapid Transit Mode/Technology Options Considered

Colfax Avenue - Route Recommended to Advance • Greatest number of activity centers • Fewest on-street parking spaces • Shortest alignment • Fewest roadway intersections • Most consistent with locally adopted plans • Blueprint Denver ‘area of change’ • Urban character is primarily commercial & mixed-use • Economic development opportunities Route/Alignment Options

End of Screen 2 - Results 20 th / 13 th /14 th 17 th Colfax Montview Enhanced Bus Bus Rapid Transit Modern Streetcar Light Rail * Other transportation improvements (bike, pedestrian, etc.) are components of all options

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Locally Preferred Alternative: Bus Rapid Transit in Exclusive Lanes During Peak Hours

Project definition • Most stops are at existing 15L stops • 2 stops proposed at different locations • Glencoe to Eudora • Tamarac to Uinta 23

Project definition  Exclusive lanes (replacing general purpose lanes) during peak periods between Broadway (and the Civic Center Station) in downtown Denver and Syracuse Street in east Denver, a distance of 4.7 miles.  Exclusive lanes would continue to allow right-turns for autos and would also allow crossing for parking adjacent to the lanes. 24

Project definition Extent of improved service frequencies and stop enhancements: I-25 to I-225 25

Project definition Extent of peak-period exclusive lanes: Broadway to Syracuse 26

Project definition  Branded service with low-floor articulated buses the 10-mile length of the corridor. 27

Project definition  Five-minute peak-period headways the entire length of the 10- mile corridor. 28

Project definition  Twenty enhanced passenger stations throughout the corridor with real-time passenger information, off-vehicle ticketing, and other passenger amenities.  Stops will consist of curb extensions where appropriate (primarily in current bus stop location with minimal parking loss) and on- sidewalk curbside enhancements where curb extensions are not appropriate. 29

BUS RAPID TRANSIT

BUS A new type of

RAPID It should be

Example BRT Before/After Concept 35

TRANSIT Focused on

Bus Rapid Transit: How It Addresses Corridor Needs 2035 BRT Up to 50,000 Daily Riders More than doubles ridership of current bus service…

Bus Rapid Transit: How It Addresses Corridor Needs Increases person- trips potential by 25%… 40

Bus Rapid Transit: How It Addresses Corridor Needs End-to-end transit travel time change

More Information at meeting station….

Key environmental issues and findings  Already heavily used urban transportation corridor  Minimal to no impacts (and many benefits) in most federal resource areas  Categorical exclusion document being prepared under guidance of Federal Transit Administration  Anticipated completion spring 2016

More Information at meeting station….

Bus Rapid Transit: Traffic Takeaways  Congestion occurs today and will get worse in the future with or without the project  Traffic diversion occurs today and will get worse in the future with or without the project  Some shift from autos to transit due to improved travel times and convenience  Appropriate operational improvements at hot spots as necessary  BRT increases person-trip capacity by up to 25%

Bus Rapid Transit: Traffic Methodology  Traffic Analysis used two separate types of models  FOCUS travel demand model for traffic growth and ridership forecasting  VISSIM / Synchro capacity analysis models for more specific intersection analysis  VISSIM evaluated specific intersection operations along Colfax  Synchro evaluated select intersections adjacent to Colfax (such as 13 th , 14 th , etc.)  Analysis conducted with and without the project

Bus Rapid Transit: Traffic Findings  Many streets see only a minor increase in delay/congestion  Regardless of project, some intersection hot spots become apparent  For corridor hot spots, we have identified potential operational improvements:  Signal optimization  New and/or lengthened turn lanes/pockets  Minimal capacity improvements through re-striping or minor curb/gutter relocation (all within ROW)  Currently developing package of operational improvements using Synchro model to see which are most effective to meet the goals of the project

More Information at meeting station….

Bike/Pedestrian Access  Bike/Ped access has been a key component of the BRT project from the beginning.  We are identifying short term opportunities for pedestrian and bicycle improvements that support the larger Colfax bus rapid transit (BRT) project