Proposal To Address Congestion, I-270 and I-495

I testified last Thursday at the state delegation's Annual Statewide Transportation Investment Tour. I encouraged the state to think big and take an aggressive, multi-modal approach in the Governor's P3 program to address traffic on I-495 and I-270. here's the full press release:

ROCKVILLE, Md., Nov 3, 2017— Councilmember Nancy Floreen, member of the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee, testified yesterday at the State Delegation’s Annual Statewide Transportation Investment Tour.

Every year, the Maryland Department of Transportation (MDOT) Office of the Secretary and representatives from MDOT’s business units visit Montgomery County to discuss transportation investments. This tour provides updates for local officials and the public on the Governor’s Administration Draft FY 2018-2023 Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP), and details of MDOT’s $14.7 billion six-year capital budget.

In her testimony, Councilmember Floreen encourages the State to “think big” and “to take an aggressive multi-modal approach in the Governor’s P3 program to address traffic on I-495 and I-270. By expanding the effort to include the Corridor Cities Transitway, a longtime County priority, in the P3 project, Maryland can be assured of assuming national leadership in multi-modal planning; linking highway improvements to transit needs; and achieving a truly comprehensive solution to our deep and abiding congestion problems.”

To read Councilmember Floreen’s entire testimony, visit https://tinyurl.com/ya67u6by .

Governor Chooses Locally Preferred Alternative for Corridor Cities Transitway

Today Governor Martin O’Malley announced that the locally preferred alternative (LPA) for the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) will be a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system. This will make the CCT Maryland’s first BRT system. Following Governor O’Malley’s announcement, the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will submit the project to the Federal Transit Administration under its New Starts Program for federal funding.

Earlier this year, the Council recommended BRT for the CCT in light of a study showing a greater economic benefit to the County if the project is built sooner. This marked a change from our earlier decision to support light rail transit (LRT).

Given the huge boost our economy will get from the BRT, I’m glad to see the project moving along. We need the CCT, and we need it sooner rather than later.

Here’s the full text of the Governor’s press release:

GOVERNOR O’MALLEY ANNOUNCES LOCALLY PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE FOR THE CORRIDOR CITIES TRANSITWAY

New Bus Rapid Transit System to be a First for Maryland

HANOVER, MD (May 11, 2012) – Governor Martin O’Malley announced today that the locally preferred alternative (LPA) for the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) will be Maryland’s first Bus Rapid Transit system operating along a 15-mile north-south corridor from the Shady Grove Metrorail station to the COMSAT facility near Clarksburg in Montgomery County. The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) will now submit the project to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) under its New Starts Program as the MTA prepares for the preliminary engineering phase of the project.

“The CCT Bus Rapid Transit line will provide easy, accessible, cost efficient transportation for Montgomery County’s neighborhoods” said Governor O’Malley. “This north-south transitway line will reduce our dependence on cars as we continue our goal to double public transit use by 2020. The CCT will support nearly 15,000 jobs in the corridor, help facilitate smart growth through mixed used development and it can be built in a timely manner."

The preferred alternative will connect major employment, residential and activity centers in the corridor including Shady Grove, King Farm, Crown Farm, Life Sciences Center (LSC), Kentlands, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Metropolitan Grove, Germantown, and COMSAT. There will be direct connections to the Red Line at Shady Grove, the MARC Brunswick Line at Metropolitan Grove and local bus service throughout the corridor. The CCT has the support of Montgomery County Executive Isiah Leggett, as well as the Montgomery County Council, the Mayors of Gaithersburg and Rockville and many others along the 15-mile corridor.

“The significant economic advantages of implementing Bus Rapid Transit is not lost on Montgomery County,” said County Executive Leggett. “Bus Rapid Transit can be built sooner and at a significantly lower cost while complementing our master plan. The design and construction of the CCT project is vital for the county and state, and we must collectively move forward to bring it into service as soon as possible.”

Under this preferred alternative, the CCT, as proposed, will be a pedestrian friendly system with a total of 16 stations. It is projected to carry 47,700 boardings a day by 2035. The CCT will operate at street level on a fully dedicated right-of-way separate from existing traffic, allowing for fast and reliable operation. CCT stations will be located in or near dense residential communities or commercial and business centers putting the system within walking distance for many and making it easy to access. Parking will be available through existing and/or new Park and Rides at Shady Grove, Crown Farm, LSC West, Metropolitan Grove, Germantown, and COMSAT. The transitway is being designed to accommodate a future hiker/biker trail over its entire length.

“Modern, smart and efficient transportation infrastructure is critical to growing our communities, expanding our economy, creating jobs and protecting our environment,” said Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown, who earlier this month spoke at the National Bus Rapid Transit Institute Forum in College Park. “The CCT Bus Rapid Transit project will provide fast dependable travel time on a dedicated transitway while offering the flexibility for buses to directly serve surrounding communities. The choice of BRT is a good fit for the needs and resources of the corridor’s communities, and it will help ensure that Montgomery County has a robust and diverse transportation infrastructure.”

The CCT BRT service will feature innovative, stylized vehicles with low floors and multiple doors opening at sidewalk level allowing people to walk on and off as they do on the Metro subway. The vehicles use alternative clean fuels and state-of-the-art technology. Fares will be purchased before boarding, not onboard the vehicle. Concepts showing bus rapid transit can be found at http://www.mdot.maryland.gov/Bus_Rapid_Transit_Components.html.

The CCT will be constructed in two phases. Phase I will involve a 9-mile segment between Shady Grove and Metropolitan Grove. Phase II will be 6-miles long from Metropolitan Grove to COMSAT. The area encompassed by the Phase I segment has seen significant development over the past 20 years and has reserved transitway rights-of-way and will support the ridership to begin this service. Additional information on the CCT can be found at http://www.cctmaryland.com.

Planning for this project has included extensive public participation and the MTA has worked with local communities to develop a plan that provides the greatest benefits while minimizing adverse impacts. Public outreach and agency coordination will continue to be an integral part of the development of the final environmental impact statement, providing opportunities for local residents and stakeholders to contribute to the planning and design of the project.

CCT Bus Rapid Transit Key Facts

• Mode: Bus Rapid Transit

• Overall Length: 15 miles

• Stations: 16 proposed

• Average Daily Ridership: 47,700

• Maintenance Facility: Near Metropolitan Grove

• Bus Rapid Transit Vehicles: 68

Projected Capital Cost

• Total Project: $828 million

• Phase I: $545 million

• Phase II: $283 million

One-way Travel Time

• COMSAT to Shady Grove: 49 minutes

• Metropolitan Grove to Shady Grove: 33 minutes

• Frequency of service: 6 minutes during peak periods and 10 minutes off peak

Schedule

• Summer 2012 – begin New Starts process

• Spring 2013 – FTA Approval to Enter Preliminary Engineering

Dependent on Funding

• Winter 2014/2015: Initiate Final Design Activities

• Summer 2017: Receive Full Funding Grant Agreement from FTA

• Summer 2017: Begin Right-of-Way Acquisitions/Permitting/Agreements

• Fall 2018: Begin Construction

• 2020: Service begins

Council Endorses BRT for CCT

Today the full Council unanimously endorsed bus rapid transit for the Corridor Cities Transitway. We changed our recommendation from light rail because of a new study showing significantly better economic benefits if the transit system can be built sooner. BRT is less expensive and can be built more than a decade earlier than light rail. We need the CCT, and we need it now, so I’m glad to make this adjustment. For more information see my January 19 post.

Committee Recommends Rapid Transit for CCT

Today the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee unanimously recommended bus rapid transit (BRT) for the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT) in light of a study showing a greater economic benefit to the County if the project is built sooner. If the full Council agrees, this will mark a change from our earlier decision to support light rail transit (LRT).

The study, which was commissioned by the Maryland Department of Transportation, assumes that the first segment of BRT (to Metropolitan Grove) could begin construction in 2018 and be completed in 2020 and that the second segment (to COMSAT in Clarksburg) could begin in 2026 and be completed in 2028. On the other hand, LRT could begin in 2028 and be completed in 2031—11 years later than BRT—and the second segment could begin in 2038 and be completed in 2040—12 years later than BRT.

The study found that the present value economic impact in the Life Sciences Corridor would be 74 percent higher, employment would be 54 percent higher, and present value tax impact would be 76 percent higher if the CCT could be build sooner.

Given the huge boost to our economy, I see this as a no-brainer, and I fully support changing our recommendation to BRT. We need the CCT, and we need it sooner rather than later.

The full Council will take up the committee’s recommendation on January 24. The Governor will make the final determination about which mode the State will submit to the U.S. Department of Transportation for funding.

For more information, see the analysis we used for today’s meeting.

Appearing at the American Highway Users Alliance

Tomorrow I will participate in a panel discussion titled “The Surface Transportation Authorization Bill: Consequences of Current Failures and Opportunities to Change the Dynamic” at the American Highway Users Alliance Quarterly Meeting in Washington, DC.

I will join panelists from the Maryland Department of Transportation and the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. Our discussion will focus on the stalled bill’s importance to local governments, particularly as it affects planning, programming and the ability of counties to respond to transportation needs. We need all hands on deck to move our transportation agenda forward. Federal, state and local governments must work together, and I’m glad to be a part of these important conversations.

Several projects in Montgomery County which are planned to be constructed by the Maryland Department of Transportation cannot proceed to construction due to lack of funding. They include the Purple Line; the Corridor Cities Transitway; the widening of the western portion of the Beltway over the American Legion Bridge; and the addition of reversible high occupancy toll (HOT) lanes on I-270. This year the Council decided to use local dollars to fund one such project—a $60 million segment of the Montrose Parkway.

In addition to chairing the Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee, I also serve as Vice-Chair for Transit for the National Association of Counties’ Transportation Steering Committee.

Corridor Cities Transitway on Tuesday Agenda

On Tuesday, the Council will consider a recommendation that I believe is the best bet to maximize transit usage and reduce congestion along the I-270 corridor.

The Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee, which I chair, recommended Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) for the Corridor Cities Transitway. This option offers a much higher level of service and convenience than a standard bus, and it provides the best flexibility to serve residential neighborhoods.

The alignment we chose for the transitway provides service to the highest-demand areas between the Shady Grove Metro Station and Clarksburg, including the Crown Farm area (which also serves the popular Rio commercial center) and the Kentlands (which includes the growing MedImmune campus). We also recommended a stop to serve Johns Hopkins’ proposed biotechnology center at the Belward Farm. We’re aware that the Council may approve higher densities in the upcoming Gaithersburg West Master Plan, so we reserved the right to revisit the light rail option if the new plan warrants it.

For the I-270 portion of the two-pronged plan, we’re supporting the option that adds two electronic toll lanes in each direction. I don’t like adding pavement any more than you do, but I’m convinced the juice is worth the squeeze in this case, especially since much of the land needed is within the existing I-270 right-of-way, and this, they tell us, is the best way to maximize transit and reduce congestion in the corridor up to Frederick.

The new lanes will be operated as High Occupancy/Toll (HOT) lanes, which are HOV lanes (allowing buses, carpools and vanpools to drive at the speed limit even during congested times) that also allow lower occupancy vehicles to use the lanes if they pay a toll. The experts tell us this is the best option to provide the most congestion relief with the least disruption to the people who live near the highway.

This is only the first step in coming to regional and state agreement on locally preferred alternatives both for the CCT and the I-270 project that will then go to the feds for review and, we hope, funding in the next year.

I have long believed that providing the appropriate transportation infrastructure is one of the government’s most basic jobs. That means supporting our growing biotechnology industry, the emerging Germantown Employment Corridor and the ongoing build-out of Clarksburg. Our proximity to the nation’s capital affords us vast opportunities, and we need to have the infrastructure in place to make the most of them. I feel confident we’ve chosen a good mix of highway and transit improvements to meet our goals.

For more details, see the press release, and remember to tune in to the Council session on Tuesday.

Planning Staff's Recommendations on the CCT

Last week, planning staff at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission recommended bus rapid transit for the Corridor Cities Transitway. Such a system would be designed to move transit vehicles past traffic congestion on dedicated lanes between Shady Grove and Clarksburg.

Following recommendations rolled out in the draft Gaithersburg West Master Plan, planners have endorsed a route for the CCT that follows a long-established alignment from the Metro station through Gaithersburg, Middlebrook and Germantown on its way to Clarksburg. However, planners recommend a change to the previously planned route through the Life Sciences Center near Gaithersburg. The recommended alternative will cost around $450 million, and the transitway will carry up to 27,000 people daily by 2030.

The staff recommendations now go to the Planning Board. You can have your say by testifying at the public hearing or submitting written testimony to the Planning Board.

My committee, the Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee, will take up the Planning Board’s recommendation on July 13. Once the full Council has looked at the my committee’s recommendations we will forward our formal position to the state.

These are important decisions that will affect the entire county and the Upcounty in particular, so please let me know what you think.

Testimony to SHA on Corridor Cities Transitway

Thank you, everyone who attended last night’s public hearing for the I-270/US 15 Multi-Modal Corridor Study (which includes the Corridor Cities Transitway). Your advocacy on these transportation and transit priorities makes a difference. For your reference, here’s the testimony I presented last night:

Good evening and thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak. My name is Nancy Floreen, and I am an at-large member of the Montgomery County Council. I also serve as the chair of the Council’s Transportation, Infrastructure, Energy and Environment Committee. In that role I have been committed to and continue to be committed to making sure Montgomery County has the best possible transportation infrastructure.

As an elected official, I know how challenging it is to meet current and future demands, and I appreciate the hard work that has gone into the Multi-Modal Corridor Study. The County Council will take up the details of the study and make its specific recommendations in July after the Planning Board completes its analysis.

Today I want to emphasize the Council’s overarching dedication to improving our transportation options. In particular, the Council has ranked the Corridor Cities Transitway, along with the Purple Line, as its top transit priorities. Adding HOV lanes on I-270 is also a very high priority.

I have long believed that providing the appropriate transportation infrastructure is one of government’s most basic jobs. For the Upcounty, that means supporting our growing biotechnology industry, the emerging Germantown Employment Corridor, and the ongoing build-out of Clarksburg. There’s no question that the Upcounty needs improvements to its roadways as well as new transit.

It is not just the Upcounty that will benefit, though. Our proximity to the nation’s capital provides us with invaluable opportunities not just for cultural and educational connections, but especially for the entire County’s economic vitality. We can’t afford to have the buck stop in gridlock on I-270. Traffic on this highway is intolerable and getting worse.

Additionally, Montgomery County, along with many other counties across the country, has pledged to reduce emissions that cause global warming 80 percent by 2050. To do that, we need to reduce vehicle miles traveled and spend less time idling in traffic. That’s good not just for the environment but for our quality of life too. What’s more, Metro’s dramatically increased ridership numbers indicate that commuters are hungry for transit options.

The proposed I-270/US 15 Highway and Transit Improvements will go a long way toward meeting these goals. That’s why I enthusiastically support the broad concepts of this plan, and I look forward to conducting in-depth analysis after hearing from our residents about what the plan means to them.

Corridor Cities Transitway Plans Ready for Public Comments

Now is your chance to comment on the Corridor Cities Transitway (CCT), the planned rapid transit system that will run from the Shady Grove Metro station to Clarksburg and eventually Frederick County. Don’t let the project’s formal name, I-270/US 15 Highway and Transit Improvements Study, confuse you. This study does include the CCT in addition to other improvements for the Upcounty corridor.

Possible transportation alternatives include several combinations of transit and highway strategies including Express Toll Lanes, light rail, bus rapid transit and more. For detailed information, take a look at the Alternatives Analysis/Environmental Assessment.

I encourage you to take advantage of the public review period and learn more about the project and offer your comments. Written comments are due to the State Highway Administration by July 31. Alternately, you can speak at one of these two public hearings:

June 16
Gaithersburg Middle School
2 Teachers Way
Gaithersburg, MD 20878

June 18
Monocacy Middle School
8009 Opossumtown Pike
Frederick, MD 21702

At both locations, a time to review maps and displays will take place 5:00-9:00 p.m. Public testimony will begin at 7:00 p.m. To register or learn more about the process, visit the State Highway Administration.

The CCT concept has met with broad community support, and right-of-way already has been set aside. Construction could begin by 2012, once funding is available.

The County Planning Board and the County Council will consider the options later this year, so let me know what you think.