Southern Maryland Southern Maryland Transit Corridor Transit Corridor Preservation Study Preservation Study Charles County Charles County Board of County Commissioners Board of County Commissioners September 22, 2009 September 22, 2009
Study Overview Study Overview � Called for in Senate Bill 281 Called for in Senate Bill 281 � � Southern Maryland Transportation Commission Southern Maryland Transportation Commission � � Study of Study of “ “light rail light rail” ” between White Plains and Branch between White Plains and Branch � Avenue Avenue � Follow up to the US 301/MD5 Transit Staging Plan Follow up to the US 301/MD5 Transit Staging Plan � completed in 2005 completed in 2005 � Initiated in January 2008 Initiated in January 2008 � � Will be completed Fall of 2009 Will be completed Fall of 2009 � � Final report will be available for distribution by end of Final report will be available for distribution by end of � 2009 2009 2
Study Purpose Study Purpose � Study the feasibility of rapid transit on the US 301/MD Study the feasibility of rapid transit on the US 301/MD � 5 corridor between White Plains and the Branch 5 corridor between White Plains and the Branch Avenue Metro station Avenue Metro station � Project Goal Project Goal - - Provide counties with a specific transit Provide counties with a specific transit � alignment to protect in local land use plans alignment to protect in local land use plans � Prince Georges Prince Georges – – adopted general alignment into the Master adopted general alignment into the Master � Plan of Transportation and Subregion Subregion V Master plan V Master plan Plan of Transportation and � Charles County Charles County – – adoption in Comprehensive Plan (?) adoption in Comprehensive Plan (?) � � Identify approximate locations of potential transit Identify approximate locations of potential transit � stations, parking and other facilities to enable station stations, parking and other facilities to enable station area land use planning and zoning area land use planning and zoning � Generate alignment mapping to facilitate property Generate alignment mapping to facilitate property � reservation by County planning staff reservation by County planning staff 3
Study Approach Study Approach � Examine existing and future land uses for transit Examine existing and future land uses for transit � supportive environments supportive environments � Identify several alternative alignments that could be Identify several alternative alignments that could be � developed into BRT or LRT in the future developed into BRT or LRT in the future � Analyze alignments: Analyze alignments: � � Support of local land use and economic development goals Support of local land use and economic development goals � � Environmental Environmental “ “fatal flaws fatal flaws” ” � � Engineering feasibility Engineering feasibility � � Select preferred alternative Select preferred alternative � � Refine engineering and basic operations assumptions Refine engineering and basic operations assumptions � for preferred alternative for preferred alternative 4
Study Approach (continued) Study Approach (continued) � Conduct conceptual level capital cost estimates Conduct conceptual level capital cost estimates � � To facilitate financial planning activities / ball park estimate To facilitate financial planning activities / ball park estimate � � Conduct ridership estimates Conduct ridership estimates � � Compare robust commuter bus, BRT, and LRT modal Compare robust commuter bus, BRT, and LRT modal � options for serving similar US 301/MD 5 travel market options for serving similar US 301/MD 5 travel market � Assumes 2030 horizon year Assumes 2030 horizon year � � Applies MWCOG Round 7.1 land use model and CLRP Applies MWCOG Round 7.1 land use model and CLRP � projects projects � US 301 improvements are not in the assumptions US 301 improvements are not in the assumptions � � MD 5 improvements are in the assumptions MD 5 improvements are in the assumptions � � Land use does not include Waldorf Urban Activity Centers Land use does not include Waldorf Urban Activity Centers � � Develop report with recommendations for right Develop report with recommendations for right- -of of- -way way � preservation and land use policy to support transit preservation and land use policy to support transit supportive environment supportive environment 5
Coordination Coordination � MTA has worked collaboratively with agency stakeholders MTA has worked collaboratively with agency stakeholders � throughout the study throughout the study � Interagency Project Management Team: Interagency Project Management Team: � � Charles County Charles County � � Prince George Prince George’ ’s County s County � � Tri Tri- -County Council for Southern Maryland County Council for Southern Maryland � � Maryland State Highway Administration Maryland State Highway Administration � � Maryland Department of Transportation headquarters Maryland Department of Transportation headquarters � � Andrews Air Force Base Andrews Air Force Base � � Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority � � Collaboration with SHA on roadway projects Collaboration with SHA on roadway projects � � US 301 US 301 � � MD 5 MD 5 � � Brandywine Interchange Brandywine Interchange � 6
Light Rail Transit (LRT) Light Rail Transit (LRT) � Operate on rails on principally Operate on rails on principally � a separate guideway. a separate guideway. � Get their power from Get their power from � overhead electrical lines overhead electrical lines � Travel speeds will match Travel speeds will match � existing adjacent roadway existing adjacent roadway speeds in the Southern speeds in the Southern Maryland corridor Maryland corridor � Low Low- -floor, modern vehicles floor, modern vehicles � and stations and stations 7
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) � Uses buses to transport large Uses buses to transport large � numbers of people rapidly and numbers of people rapidly and efficiently efficiently � Provides service with the speed and Provides service with the speed and � comfort of rail and still has the cost comfort of rail and still has the cost benefits and flexibility of bus transit benefits and flexibility of bus transit � Branded service with rail Branded service with rail- -like vehicles like vehicles � and station designs and station designs � Operate on bus Operate on bus- -only lanes only lanes � � Off Off- -bus fare collection bus fare collection � � High High- -frequency all day service frequency all day service � � Signal priority at stop lights Signal priority at stop lights � or grade separation or grade separation 8
Design Assumptions Design Assumptions – using a more � System could be LRT or BRT System could be LRT or BRT – using a more � conservative LRT- -based transit envelope for design based transit envelope for design conservative LRT analysis analysis � Alignment will be double tracked or double Alignment will be double tracked or double laned laned with with � both tracks (lanes) together on one side of the roadway both tracks (lanes) together on one side of the roadway � At least one full service operations and maintenance At least one full service operations and maintenance � facility will be required to service this system facility will be required to service this system � Two may be more appropriate for an alignment this long Two may be more appropriate for an alignment this long � � LRT needs to be adjacent to alignment LRT needs to be adjacent to alignment � � BRT does not need to be adjacent to alignment BRT does not need to be adjacent to alignment � � Locations are being identified in both Prince Georges and Locations are being identified in both Prince Georges and � Charles Counties Charles Counties 9
LRT Typical Section: Ballasted LRT Typical Section: Ballasted Track Adjacent to Roadways Track Adjacent to Roadways 10
LRT Typical Section: Ballasted Track LRT Typical Section: Ballasted Track Adjacent to Pope’ ’s Creek Railroad s Creek Railroad Adjacent to Pope 11
LRT Typical Section: LRT Typical Section: Embedded Track Embedded Track 12
BRT Typical Section BRT Typical Section 13
Alternatives Considered Alternatives Considered � 5 Alternatives were considered between 5 Alternatives were considered between DeMarr DeMarr Road Road � and Allentown Road and Allentown Road � The alternatives were comprised of different The alternatives were comprised of different � combinations of alignments in Charles County and combinations of alignments in Charles County and Prince George’ ’s County s County Prince George � Charles County Charles County � � Adjacent to west side of Pope Adjacent to west side of Pope’ ’s Creek Railroad s Creek Railroad � � Median of Old Washington Road (MD 925) Median of Old Washington Road (MD 925) � � Adjacent to Western Parkway on the west side of US 301 Adjacent to Western Parkway on the west side of US 301 � 14
Alternatives Considered (cont’ ’d) d) Alternatives Considered (cont � Charles County alternatives Charles County alternatives � 15
Recommend
More recommend
