SH 119 BRT Corridor Project Public Meetings November 1516, 2017 Longmont and Boulder
Background Given inadequate funding for Northwest Rail in the near term, RTD initiated the Northwest Area Mobility Study (NAMS) in April 2013 Purpose was to develop consensus among RTD, CDOT, and Northwestarea stakeholders on costeffective mobility improvements Stakeholders developed Final Consensus Statement to establish priorities for Northwest area One of highest priorities was to establish Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in the SH 119 Corridor from Longmont to Boulder RTD Board approved resolution accepting Final Consensus Statement in June 2014 Next Step: advance Northwest Area Mobility Study (NAMS) recommendation for SH 119 BRT
SH 119 Corridor
Study Process
Environmental Scoping and Analysis This study will examine potential environmental impacts and benefits related to: Natural Resources (Wildlife/Birds/Vegetation) Community and Social Resources including Parks and Recreation Land Use/Right of Way Traffic Noise Air Quality Cultural Resources LowIncome and Minority Populations Hazardous Materials Utilities Visual Context Water Resources St. Vrain Greenway Crossing St. Vrain River Existing Bus Service
Scope of Work / Schedule
Public Meeting Schedule November 1516, 2017 Introduction, environmental scoping, and develop initial BRT alignment/station options February 2122, 2018 Review analysis of initial BRT options; develop refinements May 2018 Review locally preferred alternative (LPA) August 2018 Review preliminary engineering plans, capital and O&M costs, phased funding strategy for implementation November 2018 Review Environmental Document
Policy Advisory Committee (PAC) and Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) PAC is comprised of elected and policy officials of corridor stakeholders TAC is comprised of technical staff of key corridor stakeholders Attend 6 quarterly meetings over the 18 month schedule Evaluate design/operational alternatives and environmental issues Develop agreement on preferred alternative and design options
Project Purpose & Need Advance Northwest Area Mobility Study (NAMS) recommendation for BRT Reduce corridor transit travel time and improve reliability Improve transit route connections Safely increase person throughput, including transit, pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles Address growing travel demand in the SH 119 corridor Improve 1 st /last mile connectivity to BRT Minimize environmental impacts while improving multimodal access Identify/evaluate cost effective BRT options Goal: Determine the most cost effective multimodal improvements for the corridor.
What is Bus Rapid Transit (BRT)? Premium, branded, highcapacity transit service Frequent, fast, efficient, safe, and reliable Limited, strategic stops to improve speed and reduce travel time, and to maximize ridership Logical termini (significant activity centers) Dedicated bus lanes where possible Comfortable vehicles and enhanced stations with realtime bus information and passenger amenities Pedestrian, bicycle, and rideshare access to stations Intersection treatments such as queue jump lanes and Transit Signal Priority (TSP) to reduce travel time
What are typical BRT options? Dedicated guideway Other alignment configurations Attractive infrastructure Vehicles Fare collection Service Intelligent Transportation Systems Increased bus speed/reduced travel time Increased reliability Managed lanes Busonshoulder Queue jumps Convenient and easily accessible stations Parknrides, pedestrian and bicycle access, TOD Security/surveillance Comfortable, modern vehicles Dedicated fleet Clean fuel technologies Electronic ticketing Preboard or onboard Higher frequency Limited stops Short dwell times at stations Improved capacity and reliability Connections with local routes Track vehicle locations Realtime passenger information Transit Signal Priority (TSP) Parking management
Examples of BRT Projects sbx in San Bernardino, CA Curitiba, Brazil VIVA in Ontario, Canada HealthLine in Cleveland, OH Quito, Ecuador SDX in Las Vegas, NV
Current Transit Services in the Corridor and Ridership on the BOLT, J, and FLEX Routes
Station 4 Design your SH 119 BRT Your Task 1. What are the best/strategic initial BRT station locations? 2. What are the best initial BRT alignment options for the SH 119 corridor? Key BRT Criteria Logical termini (significant activity centers) Strategic/limited stops BRT trunk line plus branches
Initial BRT Alignment & Station Input: How should BRT be implemented in the SH 119 Corridor? (at Station 4)
Questions Next Meetings in February, 2018 http://www.rtddenver.com/hwy119.shtml[rtddenver.com]
Advanced Traveler Information System (ATIS)