Waco Rapid Transit Corridor (RTC) Feasibility Study

September 19, 2017 Steering Committee Meeting #2

Chris Evilia, Director of Waco Metropolitan Planning Organization John Hendrickson, General Manager Waco Transit System Jimi Mitchell, Project Manager AECOM

Study Objectives

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Rapid Transit Corridor (RTC) as a catalyst Increase the efficiency of WTS

operations and decrease overall transit travel times

Support and promote regional

economic growth Increase access to employment

opportunities and critical services

Develop an implementation strategy leverage available local, state and

Federal funding opportunities

Existing WTS System

Developing an RTC Step 1: Assess existing conditions Where are people coming from and where are they going? What are the primary travel corridors and roadways? How will the RTC support existing transit?

Step 2: Develop potential solutions and evaluation metrics What are the right infrastructure, technology and service components? What are the effects to riders, stakeholders, and transportation

providers? How much will the solutions cost to implement and operate?

Step 3: Select a locally preferred alternative (LPA) Is this what the community wants? How do we pay for it?

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Step 2: Infrastructure & Technology Alternatives Components and operational characteristics Frequent service (< 15 minutes) Partially dedicated facilities (lanes) Premium, rail-like stations Longer stop spacing (0.5 to 1 mile) Branding Higher capacity vehicles (seating up to 60) On-board technologies (i.e. payment options) curbside technologies (i.e. information displays)

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Step 3: Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) Project-specific website http://www.waco-texas.com/cms-mpo/ http://www.aecomconnect.com/WacoRTC/

Stakeholder Charrette Workshop – June 2017

Public Preference Survey Existing riders and online Inform development of Alternatives

Public Open House (Oct/Nov) Draft Alternatives and evaluation approach / data

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Public Preference Survey Results

Waco RTC Feasibility Study

RTC Public Preference Survey Results

Roughly 200 responders June 15 thru Sept 4

Public Preferences Alignment Station shelter type Station amenities Reasons for using transit Trip Attractions /

Destinations

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Preferred Alignment Segments

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46%

20%

34%

Downtown Segment

A – Franklin Avenue (91)

B – LaSalle Avenue (40)

C – US 84 / Waco Drive (66)

A

B

C

Total: 197 responses

Preferred Alignment Segments

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A B

C

Total: 195 responses

28%

28%

44%

North River Segment

A – Taylor Street / Bus US 77 (54)

B – Taylor Street / Bellmead Drive (55)

C – US 84 / Waco Drive (86)

Preferred Alignment Segments

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A B

C

Total: 193 responses

35%

15% 51%

North Extension Segment

A – Bus US 77 to Crest Drive (67)

B – US 84 to Air Base Road (28)

C – Bellmead Drive / US 84 to Loop 340 (98)

Draft Alignment Alternatives

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Visual Preference Survey: Stations

Station shelters

Station amenities

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Preferred Station Shelters

35 (20%) 58 (33%)* 38 (21%) 46 (26%)*

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Total: 177 responses

Preferred Station Amenities

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Total: 133 responses

Arrival Information Bike Storage Trash Cans Newspaper Pedestrian Safety

Public WiFi Route Information Landscaping Bike Share Bike Repair

Device Charging Ticket Vending Area information Emergency Call Box Safety Infrastructure

1st Tier 2nd Tier

Evaluation of Alternatives

Waco RTC Feasibility Study

Definition of Alternatives Evaluation Infrastructure Alignment options Guideway (mixed use vs

dedicated) Station shelters, amenities

and pedestrian access Technology Real-time arrival, passenger

ticketing and information Traffic signal priority

Operations Hours of operation Local bus modifications

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Evaluation Criteria Ridership Projections Traditional travel demand modeling effort FTA simplified existing-benefiting ridership analysis

Economic Development Potential Current / future land uses Redevelopment potential

Mobility Impacts Roadway operations: volume / capacity and intersections Parking, bicycle, pedestrian

Capital and Operating Costs

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Mobility Impacts: Cross Section Analysis

Example -- Franklin Avenue / 12th Street

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Mobility Impacts: Cross Section Analysis

Example -- US 84 / Lake Air Dr.

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Preferred Destinations

Gov’t Services Daycare Doctor’s Office Grocery Store Library

Parks Post Office Restaurants Farmer’s Market Hospital

Shopping Sporting Events Work / Job Community Events School

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1st Tier 2nd Tier Total: 133 responses

Next Steps

Waco RTC Feasibility Study

Overview of the FTA Small Starts Evaluation

Federal Share

Non-Federal Share

Total Capital Costs $$$

Capital Improvement Grant Program (CIG) New Starts, Small Starts, Core Capacity

What is Small Starts? Maximum capital cost - $300 M Maximum FTA SS funding - $100 M Nationally competitive and subject to future Federal Funding

availability

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Source: Final Interim Policy Guidance FTA CIG Program (June 2016)

Milestone Schedule Task Description Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Technical Analysis

Task 3 Major Trip Generators

Task 4 Corridor Conditions

Task 5 Develop Screening Criteria

Task 6 Ridership Analysis

Task 7 Technology Assessment & Design Criteria

Task 8 Evaluation & Selection

Task 9 Funding & Implementation Plan

Public Involvement (Task 2)

Steering Committee Mtgs

Public Meetings

Approvals

Stakeholder Charrette Workshop Proposed meeting date (TBD)

Not shown: Project Management (Task 1) 23

Next steps for development Assuming selection of Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) investment in rapid transit service: Conduct engineering and design study Determine funding sources Estimated cost $2 M - $5 M (pending level of infrastructure) Approximately 2 years

Obtain any necessary right of way

Construction/ purchase of rolling stock Approximately 2 - 3 years (pending level of infrastructure)

Thank You

Waco RTC Feasibility Study