City of Alexandria, Virginia
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MEMORANDUM
DATE: SEPTEMBER 18, 2013
TO: THE HONORABLE MAYOR AND MEMBERS OF CITY COUNCIL
FROM: RASHAD M. YOUNG, CITY MANAGER /s/
DOCKET TITLE:
TITLE
Consideration of the FY2015 - FY 2020 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) and Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) Funding Requests
BODY
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ISSUE: Consideration of the FY2015 - FY2020 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) and Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) project funding requests.
RECOMMENDATION: That City Council:
1. As recommended by the Transportation Commission, adopt the projects discussed below as the City's FY2015-FY2020 CMAQ-RSTP request; and
2. Authorize the City Manager to apply for these grants, and to enter into necessary agreements with the Commonwealth of Virginia to accept these grants.
BACKGROUND: Since 1993-1994, the Commonwealth has allocated CMAQ and RSTP funding to the northern Virginia region. CMAQ funds are allocated to metropolitan regions that do not meet the standards established in the Clean Air Act. The funds must be used for activities that improve air quality and may not be used to increase the capacity of roadways. The new federal transportation legislation (MAP-21) placed considerable emphasis on diesel engine retrofits and other efforts that underscore the priority on reducing fine particle pollution (PM 2.5). RSTP funds are very flexible and can be used for a wide range of regional transportation activities.
The annual funding allocations for the entire region typically total approximately $30 million for CMAQ funds and $40 million for RSTP funds. NVTA distributes the funds to the jurisdictions based on jurisdiction requests.
In 2012, the Commonwealth adopted its first multi-year plan for CMAQ and RSTP funds. For the last two years, a six-year plan has been approved by Transportation Commission and Council and forwarded to NVTA. The final FY2014 - FY2019 plan adopted by NVTA largely reflected what was requested by the City and included additional funds for bike sharing and transitway enhancements (Attachment 3).
DISCUSSION: On September 9, 2013, City staff briefed the Transportation Commission on the proposed FY2015-FY2020 CMAQ/RSTP funding request. No public comments were received. After a brief discussion, the Transportation Commission unanimously approved the recommended FY2015-FY2020 CMAQ/RSTP program as outlined in Attachment 4.
The following provides additional information about each of the proposed projects in the proposed funding request:
1. DASH Bus Replacement
For DASH to maintain its fleet, vehicles must be replaced after their useful life has been reached. In addition, new buses are added to address high demand on existing routes and to serve new transit markets. With the funds available, the City should be able to buy three to four buses each year, using FHWA funds. The City is also exploring mid-life rehabilitation for vehicles. Both replacement and rehabilitation are strong candidates for additional CMAQ funding given MAP-21's new emphasis on reduction of fine particulate matter emissions through the use of hybrid vehicles.
2. Transit Store
Funding the operations of the City's Old Town Transit Shop is a continuing priority for the City. The Transit Shop has relied on RSTP funds since 2002. The federal grants keep the store in operation providing transit assistance and transit media.
The Old Town Transit Shop is located directly across from the King Street Metrorail station to serve commuters, residents, and visitors. The Transit Shop provides residents and employees a convenient "one stop" destination for all their commuting needs. Commuters are able to purchase fare media for almost every transit system in the area, pick up transportation information and schedules, and get answers to transportation related questions. Sale of most forms of transit fare media have increased in recent years.
3. Transit Analysis Study
To ensure that the City continues to meet the mobility needs of its residents, workers, and visitors, it must periodically examine transit services throughout the City. The Community-Wide Transit Analysis, completed in 2010, provided the platform for a variety of enhanced transit recommendations that are currently being studied in further detail and implemented. This study should be updated every five years, to analyze the effectiveness of previously implemented modifications and to ensure that transit supply is keeping up with changing population and land use patterns. The next Community-Wide Transit Analysis is scheduled for 2015.
4. Transportation Demand Management Advancement
The City's Transportation Demand Management (TDM) program is tasked with the goal of reducing the number of single person occupied vehicles (SOVs) during peak travel times. To do this, the program has developed an extensive set of techniques to encourage City residents and employees to use a variety of modes, such as transit, carsharing, ridesharing, and teleworking.
In 2011, the City completed a Long Range TDM Plan, outlining goals and strategies to enhance its TDM program. These TDM funds will help implement the recommendations of the Long Range TDM Plan, reduce congestion, and improve air quality in the City and the region.
5. Bicycle Sharing Initiative
Bicycling is a practical, cost-effective and efficient way to move through urban areas. Old Town and the Carlyle/East Eisenhower areas of Alexandria are both compact, dense areas of mixed use development with many low-speed streets and existing on- and off-street bicycle facilities. While the City is making improvements on many fronts to encourage more sustainable transportation choices, one major goal in the City's Transportation Master Plan is to implement a pilot bicycle sharing program. Public bicycle transit (also known as "bike sharing") is a service where public bicycles are made available for shared use. Users can pick up and drop off bikes at designated stations by either registering online or at a station.
Capital Bikeshare, the bikesharing program in DC and Arlington, is the largest bikesharing program in the United States. When the first stations were put in place in September 2010, officials predicted that 6,000 people would purchase the $75 annual memberships in the first year. Instead, that target was reached in six months, and then doubled in 24 hours through a half-price promotion. In its first seven months, Capital Bikeshare generated 330,000 trips. Capital Bikeshare jurisdictions have found bike share to be well used by tourists and residents alike. In DC, revenues are already covering operating expenses.
Existing bike share programs have demonstrated that dense systems work best, and Capital Bikeshare trips are intended to be short. To accommodate this, stations are placed approximately a quarter mile apart and located at major origins and destinations, such as residential areas, commercial centers, and transit stations. Bike share helps solve the "last mile problem" of commuters getting to their destination by co-locating bike share stations with transit.
The Capital Bikeshare pilot program includes eight stations and was launched in Alexandria in September 2012. Funding for the Bicycle Sharing Initiative would add more stations in Old Town, Carlyle, and Braddock. Staff continues to identify additional funding sources to expand the program through Transportation Management Plan contributions and grants. The pilot program and planned expansion will provide critical information for decision-making about future program expansion.
6. Bicycle Parking at Major Transit Stops
Bicycle commuting has risen in Alexandria since 2005, in part due to improved on- and off-street connections to the City's bikeway network. However, the City still lags behind other local jurisdictions in providing safe, secure bicycle parking at its major transit stops. To address high demand and current use levels that meet or exceed capacity, the City is seeking funds for modular, enclosed, unattended bicycle parking "stations" at Metro stops. These stations are designed to provide a low-cost, high-capacity solution that will also encourage short bicycle trips to complement public transit usage. A recent study by WMATA of bicycle parking facilities showed a deficiency in bicycle parking at the King Street and Braddock Road Metrorail stations. The study also showed a need for secure bicycle parking at the King Street Metrorail station, where there are incidences of bicycle theft.
7. Transitway Enhancements
The City of Alexandria is engaged in a program of implementing transitways in three travel corridors in the City: the Crystal City-Potomac Yard Transitway (Corridor A), the Duke Street corridor (Corridor B), and the Van Dorn-Beauregard corridor (Corridor C). This project will fund additional planning work, preliminary engineering, and construction of facilities which may be necessary for high capacity transit in these corridors.
The City is currently constructing the first segment of the Crystal City-Potomac Yard Transitway through a design build contract. The transitway is expected to be operational by 2014. In addition, the City is preparing to begin an Alternatives Analysis (AA) and Environmental Assessment (EA) for the Van Dorn-Beauregard corridor. Completion of the AA/EA will position the City to compete for federal funds to construct the transitway in the future. Preliminary planning for Corridor B is anticipated to begin in FY2019.
8. Van Dorn-Beauregard Pedestrian and Bicycle Facility
An important component of the Beauregard Small Area Plan is to redesign Beauregard Street to be a truly multi-modal facility that can accommodate all methods of travel effectively and safely. A pedestrian and bicycle facility is needed to provide connectivity between existing regional multimodal facilities, major transit hubs, the future transitway along Beauregard Street (Corridor C), and other major activity centers and employment areas. The Small Area Plan recommends providing a multi-use trail along Beauregard Street, connecting the Holmes Run Trail to the W&OD Trail and the Four Mile Run Trail. These funds will be used to design and build a multi-use trail along portions of Beauregard Street. This facility will result in significant bicycling opportunities in the corridor, as well as improve multi-modal connectivity.
9. Parking Ratio Study
The goals of the parking ratio study are to document the existing on- and off-street parking occupancy per land use; provide an analysis of the relationship between current parking activity and land use activity; develop a methodology to determine what the existing demand based parking ratios are in transit and non-transit accessible neighborhoods per land use; and compare the results with existing parking ratios provided in the City Ordinance.
10. Parking Technologies
This study will fund the assessment and implementation of improved parking management techniques, such as multispace meters, real-time parking management, performance parking, and pay-by-phone parking. Improving parking management in the City will reduce congestion and vehicle miles traveled by increasing drivers' ability to find and access parking. In addition, these funds will be used to update the City's parking webpage and create mobile parking applications.
11. Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements
Several recently adopted Small Area Plans have identified the need for pedestrian and bicycle improvements throughout the City. This project will fund additional planning work, preliminary engineering, and construction of pedestrian and bicycle facilities throughout the City. Enhancements will include:
· Feasibility study for a riverside pathway or boardwalk on Dangerfield Island, as identified in the Waterfront/Old Town Small Area Plan;
· Implementation of enhanced signage and surface improvements to the Mount Vernon trail, and additional bicycle parking in Oronoco Bay park and at or near the foot of King Street in racks and/or covered shelters, as identified in the Waterfront/Old Town Small Area Plan; and
· Detailed planning for a network of bicycle and pedestrian trails through the Beauregard area, as identified in the Beauregard Small Area Plan.
12. Braddock Road Metro Multimodal Connections
The Braddock Metro Neighborhood Plan recommends studying the feasibility of building a tunnel connection under the freight rail tracks from Braddock Road Metrorail station to the neighborhood. According to the plan, the tunnel would "provide a grand new station entry from the west, saving pedestrians walking time by eliminating the existing need to walk south to the Braddock Road underpass to reach the station." In addition, the plan recommends studying a pedestrian-bike connection and a walking route to the northern gateway. This project will fund the preliminary engineering, including the soil analysis, hydrology, utility analysis, and preliminary design to improve multimodal access to the station.
The City of Alexandria must submit its FY2015 - FY2020 CMAQ/RSTP funding request to NVTA by September 27, 2013. The requests will be reviewed by jurisdictional staff and a recommended set of projects will be submitted to the NVTA Board for approval. The approved NVTA plan will be forwarded to the Commonwealth Transportation Board, which will approve the projects by June 2014.
FISCAL IMPACT: The proposed projects do not require local matching funds from the City. The match will be provided by the Commonwealth, as it is their policy to match CMAQ-RSTP funds.
ATTACHMENTS:
Attachment 1: Letter of Recommendation from City of Alexandria Transportation Commission
Attachment 2: City of Alexandria Annual CMAQ Funding FY 2009-FY 2014
Attachment 3: City of Alexandria FY 2014-FY 2019 Approved CMAQ/RSTP Funding Plan
Attachment 4: City of Alexandria FY 2015-FY 2020 Proposed CMAQ/RSTP Funding Plan
STAFF:
Mark Jinks, Deputy City Manager
Richard J. Baier, P.E., LEED AP, Director, T&ES
Joel Marcuson, Deputy Director, Transportation, T&ES
Jerome Fletcher, Special Assistant to the City Manager
Antonio Baxter, Division Chief, Strategic Management Services, T&ES
Marti Reinfeld, Division Chief, T&ES
Jim Maslanka, Manager of Capital Programs, T&ES