Presentation Transcript

1. Amy Inman Planning & Mobility Programs Administrator Department of Rail and Public Transportation February 26, 2014
2. Presentation Overview Project History and Decision Points Alternatives Analysis Project Capital and Operating Costs Economic Impact Analysis
3. Broad Street Rapid Transit Study Background Richmond Rail Transit Feasibility Study (VDOT and Richmond Regional MPO, 2003) Describes the benefits of BRT service to the metro area Identified corridors for preliminary analysis and screening, including the Broad Street Corridor GRTC Comprehensive Operations Analysis (GRTC, 2008) Examined current operating system and provided recommendations to improve future public transportation services Recommended BRT in two phases Richmond Regional Mass Transit Study (DRPT and Richmond Regional MPO, 2008) Identified several corridors that focus on local and regional rail service
4. Broad Street Corridor Existing Land Use Broad Street Corridor ~ West: Willow Lawn Shopping Center Urban scale multifamily redevelopment Typical single family redevelopment Adaptive reuse of industrial to office and multifamily Anthem BCBS Headquarters within walking distance of potential Staples Mill Road station Within walking distance to Museum District destinations, such as The Science Museum of Virginia Broad Street Corridor ~ East VCU Monroe Park Campus along and south of Broad Street VCU Residence Hall at Broad & Belvedere State and City Government Offices Historic Main Street Station Adaptive reuse of Tobacco Row Warehouses to mixed use: residential, office and retail Rocketts Landing brownfield redevelopment to mixed use: residential, retail and hotel VCU health systems and MCV hospitals
5. Project History
6. Timeline of BRT Planning
7. Timeline of BRT Planning Note that FTA altered the Small Starts program process and criteria in early 2013
8. Key Decision Points TAC Meeting #3 - May 2010 Selection of 14th Street as N/S Connector Best balance of connectivity and congestion Selection of Build 1 Alternative 50% dedicated guideway Achieved balance of cost and benefits. Selection of current station locations Trimmed from 16 to 14 stations. Shifted stations to balance access to population and jobs and minimizing travel time.
9. Key Decision Points TAC Meeting # 5 and PAC Meeting # 5 – January and April 2011 Initial Estimates of Capital and Operating Costs Initial Discussions of Funding Mechanisms Concerns raised over costs Specific concerns on the ability of local funding partners to meet funding needs of the proposal. Series of meetings with City and County led to the development of the Economic Impact Analysis Changes in FTA evaluation criteria in 2013 made cost reductions more feasible
10. What are the Alternatives? No-Build Current bus operations with already committed improvements Required by FTA to be used as a comparison to the build alternative Build Bus Rapid Transit service utilizing dedicated lanes in various segments of the corridor
11. Example BRT Improvements Sidewalk & crosswalk improvements Signal priority Streamlined transfers Low floor buses Dedicated lanes Off-board ticketing
12. West End Museum/VCU Downtown East End Route Length: 7.6 Miles Dedicated Bus Lanes: Thompson to Adams (Median) 4th to 14th (Curb, widened) Travel Speeds: 8.0 MPH Local Bus (No Build) 13.2 MPH BRT Local Bus Improvements: Curb Lane and Consolidated Stops Downtown Ridership: 11,900 trips, 3300 BRT only* *Final ridership numbers are subject to change based on additional analysis of operating plan New Service Features 10 Minute Peak Period Service New BRT Vehicles 14 Stations and Park & Ride Branding and Off-Board Fare Collection Build Alternative
13. West End Museum/VCU Downtown East End Conditions Lower volumes of bus traffic (21 buses/hr AM) Traffic LOS A-C Lower density land uses Solutions Use general travel lanes Limit number of stations to improve travel times Consider Park and Ride West End
14. West End Museum/VCU Downtown East End Conditions Moderate volumes of bus traffic (20-29 buses/hr AM) Traffic LOS A-C Local buses cannot pass one another Solutions Median lane to bypass local buses Split platforms to minimize ROW impacts Stations closer together than West End Museum/ VCU
15. Illustration of Median Guideway Station
16. West End Museum/VCU Downtown East End Conditions High volumes of bus traffic (36-48 buses/hr AM) Traffic LOS A-C Increased auto-bus conflicts One bus at a time boards at stations Solutions Widen shoulder bus lane to improve speeds, minimize conflicts Use fewer stations with longer platforms Spread user benefits for all routes on Broad St. Downtown
17. Illustration of Curb Guideway Section
18. West End Museum/VCU Downtown East End Conditions Low volumes of bus traffic (0-12 buses/hr AM) Traffic LOS A-C Constrained ROW (4 lanes) Solutions Use general travel lanes and on-street bus stops Limit number of stations to improve travel times Consider Park and Ride East End
19. Cost and Funding Updates
20. Project Development and Construction Costs Project Development: $4M Federal: $0.2M DRPT: $1.4M City: $2.5M Final Design and Construction: $49.8M Federal: $24.9M (TIGER or FTA Small Starts) DRPT: $16.9M City: $ 7.6M County: $ 0.4M
21. Annual Operating and Maintenance Costs Total BRT annual O&M costs: $2.73 M DRPT: $0.7M City: $1.4M County: $0.1M
22. Funding Breakdown
23. Economic Impact Analysis (EIA)
24. Economic Impact Analysis
25. Cleveland, OH - HealthLine(Euclid Corridor) Source: Cuyahoga County Assessment Database and GIS
26. Euclid Corridor Impacts Economic Development Economic impact: $4.3 billion in investment Notable investments: technology firms, residential townhomes, senior housing Contributing factors: Transit-oriented zoning Streetscape improvements Tax abatements, credits and incentives Housing Assistance
27. Euclid CorridorLessons Learned BRT and policy initiatives can help influence the nature and pace of development Cleveland State University, Cleveland Clinic Cleveland’s Health Tech Corridor BRT can help attract those seeking a less auto-dependent environment BRT’s “perceived permanence” is critical to establishing faith in the system (and in the surrounding real estate market)
28. One-Time Economic Impact of BRT Initial Investment
29. GRTC User Benefits Existing Riders Existing riders can enjoy shorter travel time, reduction from 36.4 minutes to 22.4 minutes Aggregate rider benefit: $1.3 million per year New Riders Vehicle operating cost savings: $0.4 million/year Total annual economic impact can support $1.5 million per year Other environmental benefits
30. Property Values and Real Estate Tax Revenues The implementation of BRT (and associated policies and improvements) could reasonably increase property values by $1.1 billion over the 20-year period This appreciation translates to $98.3 million in real estate tax revenue (over 20 years) Annual average: $4.9 million
31. Property Values and Real Estate Tax Revenues
32. Highlights of Findings Broad Street Corridor Economic impact of construction and annual operation modest Projected property tax impacts based on corridor “premium” show an annual benefit to tax revenues More of a catalyst than a rainmaker Existing development plans are a good backdrop to capture benefits of BRT More dramatic in the city where density and retail activity could be boosted Enhanced value in existing and planned developments in Henrico
33. Next Steps Official Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) Selection by GRTC Board June 2014 LPA Presentation to the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for adoption into the Fiscally Constrained Long Range Transportation Plan (CLRTP) for construction Advance LPA Selection into Preliminary Engineering and Design; Refine Ridership, Station Area Development , Capital and Operating Costs, Continue Public and Stakeholder Involvement

34. Thank you!!Questions??