Regional Priority Bus Transit Conference June 24, 2009

Northern Virginia BRT Studies  I-66 and I-95/395 Corridors  Coordinated with Technical Advisory Committee –All local operators –All local jurisdictions  BRT Station concepts with park & ride lots  BRT system regional performance modeling  Infrastructure improvements in the short and medium term  BRT Strawman –Definitions of the premier service –Includes ITS

Bus Priority/BRT  Provide service frequency, speed and reliability comparable to that of rail lines  Mimic rail headways, includes express bus operations  Bypass traffic congestion with use of HOV/HOT and exclusive ROW improvements or signal priority  Access to accurate information about next arrivals and provides for comfortable, weather-protected stations  Quick boarding with fare prepayment technologies

I-66 Transit/TDM Study

 Commonwealth and Congressional members acknowledged need to advance findings from previous studies and address local requests for multi-modal corridor studies  Goal: Address local concerns of transit / transportation demand management (TDM) –Identify more transportation choices through transit and TDM enhancements that will increase mobility in the I-66 Corridor –Recommend a plan for short- and medium-term transit and TDM service improvements in the I-66 Corridor The Study

Study Team  Conducted by DRPT in coordination with a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) –TAC reviews and provides comments on study scope and all deliverables  TAC Members Arlington County City of Fairfax City of Falls Church City of Manassas District of Columbia DRPT Fairfax County Loudoun County Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) Northern Va. Transportation Commission (NVTC) Prince William County Potomac and Rappahannock Transportation Commission (PRTC) VA Department of Transportation (VDOT) Virginia Railway Express (VRE) WMATA (Metro)

Study Corridor Map

 HOV Lanes  Metrorail service  Virginia Railway Express commuter rail  Park and ride lots  Buses  Vanpools  Slug (casual carpool) pickup locations  Rideshare/commuter service programs  Telework centers Existing Transit/TDM Services in the Study Corridor

 Short and medium term improvements may include: –TDM information and financial support initiatives for carpooling, vanpooling and slugging –Modifications to existing transit routes to serve new markets –New local feeder buses –Neighborhood circulators/shuttle buses –Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) infrastructure and services –Improvements to transit stations, including bike and ped access –Improvements to park and ride lots –In-line and direct access transit stations at major activity centers –Operating buses on shoulder lanes, queue jumpers, etc. Potential Transit/TDM Improvements

 Data Collection –Data Collection Report - available on DRPT’s Web Site: –Park-and-Ride Lot Survey  Baseline Development –Evaluate transit and TDM options such as buses, Bus Rapid Transit, vanpools, carpools, and park-and-ride facilities  Market Demand Analysis –Examine potential markets for enhanced transit/TDM services –Forecast future market demand  Outreach –Market Research Surveys –Stakeholder Interviews –Public Information Meetings Study Activity

 BRT Definition and Station Sketch Planning –BRT Northern Virginia Strawman –Describe and evaluate options for potential BRT service –Define general footprint, operating characteristics, and type of stops/stations  Evaluation of Alternatives –Travel demand forecasting and modeling of transit alternatives –Transportation Demand Management (TDM) analyses –Sensitivity analyses  Financial Projections –Cost estimates (capital, operations, maintenance) –Revenue sources  Document Results/Findings Study Activity (continued)

Study Schedule and Milestones

I-95/I-395 HOV/Bus/HOT Lane Project BRT Operational Analysis

Initial Study I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Study Final Report FEBRUARY 29, 2008 Project Lead: Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation Developed by: I-95/I-395 Transit/TDM Technical Advisory Committee

Recommended Transit/TDM Improvements Included:  TDM initiatives to increase carpooling, vanpooling and slugging  Modifications to existing routes to serve new markets  New bus services  Fixed guideway/rail - Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) - Enhanced VRE/Amtrak  Other capital improvements such as: - Improvements to transit stations, - New/improved Park and Ride lots, - In-line transit stations at major activity centers

BRT Analysis  In-Line or Direct Access Station Features  Operating Methodologies  Approaches to Incorporating BRT  Northern Virginia BRT Strawman

Station Area Refinements  In-line versus Direct or In-Direct Access  Mode of Access Discussions –Quality of pedestrian and bike connections can greatly influence ridership –Need to consider all modes – changing modes in corridor  Operators’ Perspective

 TYSONS CORNER  Routes TO Stations  Station Facility  New Pedestrian  Connection  AM PEAK  I-495 Peak Direction  TYSONS 123 Metrorail Station  TYSONS East Metrorail Station  I- 495  RT 123

 I-95  Station Facility  New Pedestrian  Connection  AM PEAK  I-95 Peak Direction  Route TO Station  Route FROM Station  PRTC TRANSIT CENTER  Par k  and  Ride  DALE BOULEVARD (OPITZ STATION LOCATION)  Alternative # 2b

 I-95  Franconia-Springfield Parkway  (FRANCONIA-SPRINGFIELD METRO)  Alternative # 1  THIS HOT RAMP FOR BUS ONLY  Franconia- Springfield Station  Total deviation from I-95 Corridor approx. 2 ¼ mile  Route TO Station  Route FROM Station  BRT Station Facility  AM PEAK  I-95 Peak Direction  Parking

Next Steps  Modeling Runs – Macro, Corridor Wide  Refinement of Stations As Needed  Microsimulation VISSIM Analyses  Refinement of Station Concepts / Identification of Priority Treatments  Recommendations