Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
1
LONG BRIDGE CAPACITY NEEDS
Oscar J. GonzalezVirginia Railway Express
Project ManagerAlexandria, VA
22
VRE OverviewProject Location and PartnersChallenges and OpportunitiesFunding StrategiesLessons Learned
TODAY’S PRESENTATION
33
WHO WE ARE
Commuter rail system9 member jurisdictions
Two lines, 87 route-miles4.5 million annual riders between Virginia and DC
(18,500 daily trips)
44
WHAT WE ARE KNOWN FOR
Safe Operations
High Customer Satisfaction
Reliability
Strong Partnershipswith Our Host Railroads
55
WHAT WE DOWe add peak capacity…
Currently 5,400 peak seats/hour
…to corridors of statewide significance…
I-66, I-95 & I-395
…for longer-distancecommuters…
Travelers that would otherwisedrive on highways*
…using non-highway rights-of-way
CSXT, NS & Amtrak
* Source: Texas A&M Transportation Institute Congestion Relief Provided by Virginia Railway Express
66
58%
17%
13%
11% 1%
VRE
BUS
METRORAILAUTOMOBILE
OTHER
Peak Hour Trips Virginia to DC
across the 14th Street Bridges
(6:30 to 7:30 AM)
Source: Transportation Planning Board 2013 Central Employment Core Cordon Count
21,934 TOTAL TRIPS
77
Add service as we add capacity
PHASE 1: Run Longer TrainsLonger & second platformsMore station parkingMore railcarsMore train storage tracks
PHASE 2 & 3: Run More TrainsEarn additional “train slots” through capacity improvements
Additional tracksParking, railcars, yardsLong Bridge expansion
VRE SYSTEM PLAN 2040
88
LONG BRIDGE LOCATION
L’Enfant
RO
VirginiaL’Enfant
CSX TransportationAmtrakPassenger StationInterlockingsLong BridgeOther U/G Bridges
99
LONG BRIDGETwo track, 2,529 foot
crossing of the Potomac
11-span steel truss bridge with one moveable spanHas not moved since 1967
Built by the Pennsylvania Railroad in 1904
Extensively rebuilt in 1942
Owned by CSX Transportation
Shared with VRE and Amtrak
1010
LONG BRIDGEStrategic transportation asset
for the Eastern SeaboardLinks the North and the South
Eastern‐most crossing of the Potomac
Next crossing 75 miles away in WVNo practical detour
Freight and passenger traffic growing
Typical Weekday Traffic21 CSXT Freight Trains
34 VRE Commuter Trains20 Amtrak Trains
1111
LONG BRIDGEKEY DESIGN CHALLENGESConstrained right of way
Significant adjacent developmentAdjacent highways
Sensitive park/historic resourcesHeightened security issues
Confined Rail InfrastructureTight track centers
Multiple under‐grade bridgesFixed Overbuilds/Tunnels
1212
PROJECT PARTNERSFederal Railroad Administration (FRA)District Department of Transportation (DDOT)
CSX Transportation (CSXT)—owner of the bridgeVA Department of Rail and Public Transportation—(DRPT)Virginia Railway Express—(VRE)
1313
PROJECT PARTNERSPlanning for DC/VA-specific coordination, focusing on agencies with special areas of interests and/or jurisdiction, for example:
‒ National Park Service‒ National Capital Planning Commission‒ Architect of the Capitol‒ Commission on Fine Arts‒ Homeland Security
1414
PHASE 1: Feasibility Study (2013-2014)Lead by DDOT
FRA ARRA Grant
PHASE 2: Pre-NEPA Activities (2015-2016)Lead by DDOT-VRE-DRPT Partnership
FRA ARRA Grant
PHASE 3: EIS/Preliminary Engineering (2016-2018)Lead by DDOT-VRE-DRPT Partnership
FRA TIGER Grant
LONG BRIDGE PROJECTFIRST STEPS
1515
LONG BRIDGE PROJECTKEY NEPA ACTIVITIES
Long Term Service Plan
NEPA Preparation
& Data Collection
Preliminary Engineering to Advance
NEPA
1616
Provide additional railroad capacity
Optimize the physical plant to minimize freight-passenger train conflicts (“fluidity”)
Provide redundancy to maintain reliability during maintenance or disrupted conditions
LONG BRIDGE PROJECTEIS GOALS
1717
No-Build Alternative (two tracks)Build Alternatives‒ Phase 2 narrowing Phase 1 alternates
• One new two-track bridge adjacent to existing bridge (four tracks total)
• Two new one-track bridges on either side of existing bridge (four tracks total)
• Rehab/replace existing bridge in either case
LONG BRIDGE PROJECTPOTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES TO BE CONSIDERED
18
SEGMENT 1 (NORTH)LENGTH: 0.7 milesKEY INFRASTRUCTURE: L’Enfant Station
L’Enfant North Storage TrackL’Enfant South Storage Track
CURRENT ACTIVITIES: Storage Track Construction (VRE)L’Enfant Station Assessment (VRE)
SEGMENT 2 (MIDDLE)LENGTH: 1.4 milesKEY INFRASTRUCTURE: Long BridgeCURRENT ACTIVITIES: Long Bridge NEPA & PE (DDOT)
SEGMENT 3 (SOUTH)LENGTH: 5.8 milesKEY INFRASTRUCTURE: Crystal City Station
Slaters Lane InterlockingAlexandria Union Station
CURRENT ACTIVITIES: DC2RVA NEPA & PE (DRPT)Slaters Lane/Track #1 Access (VRE)Alexandria Pedestrian Tunnel (VRE)Alexandria Platform Improvement (VRE)Crystal City Station Assessment (VRE)
SEGMENT 1
SEGMENT 2
SEGMENT 3
LONG BRIDGE PROJECTTHE “EIGHT-MILE BRIDGE”
Consider Long Bridge asthe centerpiece of an eight mile program of interrelated projects‒ Corridor approach to design and implementation
‒ Maximize the benefits achievedfrom public investments
‒ Create synergies forconstruction (design‐build)
‒ Open up alternative for program funding
1919
FUNDING STRATEGIES
Assess potential sources‒ Commuter rail traffic predominate Long Bridge user, growing
‒ Potential FTA Core Capacity program of improvements
Provide equitable balance between public‐private investments
TYPICAL WEEKDAY TRAFFICMIX IN THE CORRIDOR
CSXTFreight
28%VRE
Commuter Passenger45%
AmtrakIntercity Passenger
27%
TODAY
AmtrakIntercity
Passenger**29%
CSXTFreight*
16%
VRECommuter Passenger
54%
2025* Virginia Avenue Tunnel EIS** DC2RVA EIS
Engaged project management team
Focused and specific agency coordination
small working groups
LESSONS LEARNED• Lessons Learned– Engaged project
management team– Focused and specific
agency coordination• Build relationships• Small working groups• Subject matter experts
– Work and own the schedule!
Engaged project management team
Focused and specific agency coordination
small working groups
LESSONS LEARNED
Thank You!
