AGENDA Other Business HB2 Update... Michael Gray

Transcription

1 313 Luck Avenue, SW Roanoke, Virginia P: / F: rvtpo.org February 5, 2015 MEMORANDUM TO: FROM: SUBJ: Members, Transportation Technical Committee Mark McCaskill, AICP, Director of TPO Programs February 12, 2015 TTC Meeting/Agenda The February meeting of the Transportation Technical Committee will be held on Thursday, February 12, 2015 at 1:30 p.m. at the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission office (Upstairs Conference Room), 313 Luck Avenue, SW in Roanoke, VA. AGENDA 1. Welcome, Call to Order and Introductions... Vice Chair Belcher 2. Approval of the January 15, 2015 TTC Minutes, pp Vice Chair Belcher 3. Follow-up on Pedestrian Plan Performance Measure Recommendations... Cristina Finch 4. Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP) Applications -- Final... Mark McCaskill Recommendations to the Roanoke Valley TPO Policy Board, pp Project Updates... Mark McCaskill Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) Development Schedule, p. 9 Transportation Alternatives (TA) Application Process Development of the FY Unified Planning Work Program (See link below for project request form(s). All project requests must be submitted through your respective Chief Administrative Official by Friday, February 20, 2015.) 6. Other Business HB2 Update... Michael Gray 7. Comments by Members and/or Citizens 8. Adjournment TPO POLICY BOARD: Cities of Roanoke and Salem; Counties of Bedford, Botetourt, Montgomery and Roanoke; Town of Vinton; Greater Roanoke Transit Company (Valley Metro); Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport; Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation; Virginia Department of Transportation Roanoke Valley Area Metropolitan Planning Organization 1

2 313 Luck Avenue, SW Roanoke, Virginia P: / F: rvtpo.org MINUTES Transportation Technical Committee Meeting January 15, 2015 The January meeting of the Transportation Technical Committee was held on Thursday, January 15, 2015 at 9:00 a.m. at the Roanoke Valley-Alleghany Regional Commission office, 313 Luck Avenue, SW, Roanoke, VA. Attendance follows: Member Curtis Andrews Liz Belcher Dan Brugh Chris Chittum Bryan Epperly Michael Gray David Holladay Mark Jamison Carol Linkenhoker Kevin Price Ryan Spitzer Ben Tripp Gary Woodson Representing RADAR Roanoke Valley Greenway Commission Montgomery County City of Roanoke Roanoke County Virginia Department of Transportation Salem District Roanoke County City of Roanoke Botetourt County Greater Roanoke Transit Company (Valley Metro) Town of Vinton City of Salem Town of Vinton Staff Present: Cristina Finch, Bryan Hill, Mark McCaskill, Jackie Pace 1. CALL TO ORDER & INTRODUCTIONS Chairman Holladay called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m. and noted that a quorum was present. Guests/Others in attendance: Lindsey Blankenship, Roanoke County Parks Department; Megan Cronise, Roanoke County Planning Department; and Carl Palmer, Greater Roanoke Transit Company. TPO POLICY BOARD: Cities of Roanoke and Salem; Counties of Bedford, Botetourt, Montgomery and Roanoke; Town of Vinton; Greater Roanoke Transit Company (Valley Metro); Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport; Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation; Virginia Department of Transportation Roanoke Valley Area Metropolitan Planning Organization 2

3 2 P a g e 2. APPROVAL OF THE DECEMBER 11, 2014 TTC MINUTES The Minutes of the December 11, 2014 Transportation Technical Committee meeting were distributed earlier. Transportation Technical Committee Action: Upon motion by Mr. Price, seconded by Mr. Gray and carried, the Minutes of the December 11, 2014 Transportation Technical Committee meeting were approved, as presented. 3. DISCUSSION CONCERNING REGIONAL SURFACE TRANSPORTATION PROGRAM (RSTP)_PROJECTS Mark McCaskill stated that a de-facto scenario committee meeting of the TTC chair & vice chair, VDOT representative, Valley Metro and staff was held earlier in January to discuss possible scenarios in regard to the TTC s recommendations to the Roanoke Valley TPO Policy Board of the Regional Surface Transportation Planning (RSTP) projects. From that meeting, three scenarios were developed and ed earlier for discussion (copies were also available at the TTC meeting). Scenario #1 was priority based -- the original example funding plan distributed in December Scenario #2 was flat funding for bus replacements (50% of projected RSTP amount). Mr. McCaskill compared it to a fixed amount/yearly annuity that is assumed to continue beyond the 6-year funding plan. Scenario #3 was based on feedback from Valley Metro concerning approximate bus replacement schedule/costs. Following discussion, TTC members concurred to move forward with an updated version of Scenario #2. Scenario #2 highlights include: Funding begins in FY 17 (partially) and fully in FY 18. Assumption is that the TTC would recommend that the TPO Policy Board fund the flat rate beyond the six years, for the foreseeable future, and that Valley Metro would not recompete for the flat rate funding the next time RSTP applications are received (Round Three). The Garden City Trail connection project would be moved forward to FY 18 (per discussions at the December TTC meeting). All other projects are programmed according to priority. NOTE: Total 6-year Valley Metro Bus Replacement expenditures are only $9,618,071 in this Scenario with the assumption of ongoing funding per previous bullet. Prior to the February TTC meeting, staff will look at ways to move the Garden City, Plantation Road and Greenway projects further up. Staff was instructed to develop an updated version of Scenario #2 that incorporates any funding from willing projects that can be extended so that the Garden City Trail project or PE on the Tinker Creek projects can get started a little earlier than originally stated in the scenario. All modifications would be voluntary on the part of previously funded or higher priority projects based on their schedules/needs. 3

4 3 P a g e An additional question focused on when the staff thought that the TPO would open applications for new projects (i.e., Round Three). Mr. McCaskill pointed out that RSTP is not a yearly program; however, there is a yearly review process to make any necessary technical, financial adjustments on existing projects, and to recommend whether or not new applications should be received next year. The TPO Policy Board can review and decide if they want to accept RSTP applications next year or any year in the future (2 years, 3 years, 4 years from now, etc.). With a healthy number of existing projects, it is anticipated that the TPO Policy Board might decide to wait several years for new projects in order to complete the previous projects (Round One) and to get a couple current projects (Round Two) started. However, this is a staff opinion and subject to change by the TPO Policy Board. 4. REVIEW OF THE FEDERAL FISCAL YEAR 2014 ANNUAL LISTING OF PROJECT OBLIGATIONS REPORT The Annual Listing of Transportation Project Obligations for Federal Fiscal Year 2014 includes all projects and strategies listed in the Transportation Improvement Program for which federal funds were obligated during the preceding program year. An obligation is the Federal share of a project s cost and has been authorized by that Federal agency (FHWA, FTA, etc.) --- this does not necessarily mean that a project has been initiated or completed during the fiscal year. The funds are set aside for a particular part of the project (ROW, PE, CN, etc.) and are used to pay expenditures. Obligations occur when: 1. Federal Transit Administration When the FTA grant is awarded 2. Federal Highway Administration When the project agreement is executed and VDOT/Grantee requests the funds to be obligated Transportation Technical Committee Action: Mr. Gray recommended that the Annual Listing of Transportation Projects for Federal Fiscal Year 2014 be forwarded to the Roanoke Valley Transportation Planning Organization s Policy Board for review and action at their January 22, 2015 meeting. The motion was seconded by Ms. Linkenhoker and carried. 5. OTHER BUSINESS/UPDATES A. Mini Visual Preference Survey Experiment Staff is looking for new innovative ways to involve the public in their planning process. A mini visual preference survey has been developed. Staff was looking for input and suggestions on the next version of the survey. Discussion ensued among staff and the Committee on suggestions for revising the survey. Roanoke County staff mentioning providing local photos to use in the survey. If successful, the survey may be tangible for work on the Long-Range Transportation Plan. B. FY Unified Planning Work Program Discussion -- Mr. McCaskill reported that it is time to begin developing the next Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP). The Have To items, such as the Long-Range Transportation Plan, Congestion Management Process Plan Review, RSTP scoring and allocation, Transportation Improvement Program, Public Transportation Planning Assistance, etc., cover 60-75% of the total UPWP. Mark asked TTC members to inquire with their respective local government administrator/manager and 4

5 4 P a g e planning staff about project ideas to include in the UPWP. It is anticipated that a final UPWP will be forwarded to the Roanoke Valley TPO Policy Board at their April 2015 meeting. C. Discussion from the January 8, 2015 VDOT Meeting on House Bill 2 -- A synopsis of the VDOT meeting held in January on House Bill 2 was previously distributed to TTC members. Mark McCaskill reported that this bill, if executed correctly, could provide the bridge between our region s Long-Range Transportation Plan and the State s Six-Year Improvement Program. D. Air Quality Update -- Mark McCaskill stated that the nationwide federal government range for the proposed new 8-hour Ozone standard is ppb and is currently going through the Federal Register process. In October, EPA will choose a new standard and it is anticipated that this will be applied to a three-year rolling average ( ) of the 4 th worst Ozone day in each aforementioned year. Mark was pleased to report that the region s average was lower than anticipated. Currently, the 3-year rolling average reported from Virginia DEQ is 62 ppb, which may be slightly adjusted for a final value. E. UDA Planning Grant Assistance Announcement -- Through legislation, the General Assembly has directed that transportation improvements to support Urban Development Areas (UDAs) be considered in both the needs assessment contained in the statewide longrange plan known as VTRANS, as well as the HB2 statement prioritization process for project selection. The Virginia Office of Intermodal Planning and Investment announced that they would be offering professional planning consultant assistance to local governments and regional entities interested in designating such areas. The assistance will be made available through an application and award process over the coming months. Applications are being accepted now through COB Friday, February 20, 2015 and will be decided on a rolling basis in order to maximize the time between now and the fall of For more information and to download an application, go to: 6. NEW BUSINESS Chris Chittum reported that the City of Roanoke will hold their first public input meeting on the Downtown Multimodal Study on Thursday, January 29, 2015 from 4 to 7 p.m. at Campbell Court in downtown Roanoke. Chairman Holladay noted that he would be out of town on the February TTC meeting date and that Liz Belcher, Vice Chair, would be presiding over the February 12, 2015 meeting. Liz Belcher asked if the TTC would be reviewing the Transportation Alternatives (TA) applications that were received. Mark McCaskill stated that staff has been given login access to VDOT s external system. However, the TA applications have not yet been scored by VDOT. Michael Gray also stated that to his knowledge the TA applications are still being scored. Mark reported that if the applications are scored by the February meeting, they can be added to the agenda. 5

6 5 P a g e The meeting was adjourned at 10:40 a.m. Submitted by Jackie L. Pace, Recording Secretary 6

7 313 Luck Avenue, SW Roanoke, Virginia P: / F: rvtpo.org STAFF REPORT SUBJ: Updates to RSTP Scenario #2 The attached 11x17 table was provided by Michael Gray as an updated version of Scenario #2 for the Regional Surface Transportation Program (RSTP). This table includes more detail such as the original Round One RSTP projects that will be removed so that that they can be removed at the VDOT level; and, the $200,000 that will be transferred from the Intermodal Study, etc. This is a rough snapshot and more polished information will be provided at the February 12 TTC meeting. This updated version of Scenario #2: Removes some projects that were approved/included as part of the first round of applications, and either did not re-apply or were combined into other Round Two applications. Removes $200,000 from the Impacts of Freight Intermodal Center - Transportation and Economic Study project and moves it to the new Garden City Trail Connection project. This is FY14 funding and will need to be spent before FY17. Removes some FY17 funding from the Exit 140 Park and Ride Reconstruction project and moves it to the new Tinker Creek Pedestrian Bridge and Tinker Creek Trail Extension projects, which will allow these new projects to begin preliminary engineering a year soon than would have been allowed under our 2 nd FY16-21 option. Removes some FY18 funding from the Tinker Creek Pedestrian Bridge and Tinker Creek Trail Extension projects and moves it back to the 140 Park and Ride Reconstruction project. TPO POLICY BOARD: Cities of Roanoke and Salem; Counties of Bedford, Botetourt, Montgomery and Roanoke; Town of Vinton; Greater Roanoke Transit Company (Valley Metro); Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport; Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation; Virginia Department of Transportation Roanoke Valley Area Metropolitan Planning Organization 7

8 Roanoke Valley Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (RVAMPO) All FY's RSTP Working Financial Plan - Proposed for Inclusion of FY-16 thru FY-21 Project Funding Request FY14 FY15 FY16 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY20 FY21 Roanoke River Greenway - Greenhill Park (Rke Cnty) to Riverside Park (Salem); UPC 97171; administered by Roanoke County $ 2,990,760 $ 218,600 $ 2,772,160 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Roanoke River Greenway - Eddy Avenue Bridge (Salem); UPC ; administered by City of Salem $ 405,600 $ 405,600 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Roanoke River Greenway - Apperson Dr. Bridge (Salem); UPC ; administered by City of Salem $ 657,000 $ 657,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Roanoke River Greenway - City of Salem line to Bridge Street; UPC ; administered by City of Roanoke $ 2,863,800 $ 2,863,800 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Roanoke River Greenway - Water Pollution Control Plant to the Blue Ridge Parkway; UPC 91191; administered by Roanoke County Impacts of Freight Intermodal Center - Transportation and Economic Study (REMOVE FROM $ 5,857,840 $ 1,085,650 $ - $ 3,164,400 $ 1,607,790 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 200,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Downtown Roanoke Multimodal Transportation Study $ 300,000 $ 300,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Bus Replacement for Smart Way Commuter Service Freightliner $ 560,000 $ 560,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Plantation Road, Bicycle, Pedestrian and Streetscape Improvement Project $ 1,279,503 $ 21,778 $ 1,046,230 $ 211,495 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Exit 140 Park and Ride Reconstruction $ 2,650,000 $ 1,608,244 $ - $ 534,983 $ 161,773 $ 345,000 $ - $ - $ - West Main Street Pedestrian Improvement Project $ 177,956 $ 177,956 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Walnut Avenue Phase I $ 100,000 $ 100,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Glade/Tinker Creek Greenway Bridge (REMOVE FROM $ 1,800,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Walnut Avenue Phase II (REMOVE FROM $ 2,088,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Downtown Roanoke Signal Coordination - (Study + Signal Replacement) (REMOVE FROM $ 1,500,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Tinker Creek Greenway Corridor Planning Study (REMOVE FROM $ 250,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Botetourt and Roanoke Counties Greenway Connectivity Study (REMOVE FROM $ 85,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Street Resurfacing (REMOVE FROM $ 3,500,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Route 24 (Dale Avenue) Bridge over Tinker Creek Reconstruction (REMOVE FROM $ 6,975,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Tinker Creek Pedestrian Bridge (NEW, ADD TO $ 1,459,500 $ - $ - $ - $ 145,000 $ 1,314,500 $ - $ - $ - Tinker Creek Greenway Extension (NEW, ADD TO $ 1,220,000 $ - $ - $ - $ 200,000 $ 295,939 $ 724,061 $ - $ - Bus Replacement and Rebuild Program (NEW, ADD TO $ 14,127,475 $ - $ - $ - $ 1,796,315 $ 1,955,439 $ 1,955,439 $ 1,955,439 $ 1,955,439 Garden City Trail Connection (NEW, ADD TO $ 200,000 $ 200,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - Plantation Road - Lila Drive Intersection (NEW, ADD TO $ 968,750 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 968,750 $ - $ - Tinker Creek Greenway Connectivity Study (NEW, ADD TO $ 400,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 262,628 $ 337,372 $ - West Main Street Pedestrian Improvements - Phase II (NEW, ADD TO $ 803,995 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 803,995 $ - Bus Stop Accessibility - GRTC (NEW, ADD TO $ 1,000,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 814,072 $ 185,928 Campbell Avenue Bike and Ped Improvements (NEW, ADD TO $ 3,300,000 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ 1,769,511 Total Funding Allocated: Total Funding Available: * FY14 RSTP allcoations approved by RVAMPO Policy Board on June 27, 2013 Difference: $ 8,198,628 $ 3,818,390 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ 8,198,628 $ 3,818,390 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ 3,910,878 $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - $ - * FY15 RSTP allcoations approved by RVAMPO Policy Board on February 27, 2014; this action also established project allocations for FY-16 thru FY-20; no action was taken to sollicit new projects for FY20, so these funds remain unallocated. 8 Prepared by VDOT Salem District Planning

9 313 Luck Avenue, SW Roanoke, Virginia P: / F: rvtpo.org STAFF REPORT SUBJ: Long Range Transportation Plan Development Schedule April 2015 Alpha Draft Only 80% complete and very rough for early TTC and CAC review. May 2015 Beta Draft More complete. Initial TPO preview draft and yearly Annual Open House review. June 2015 Draft Report Essentially complete. The financially constrained list and other technical work may not be 100% complete. Public comment period begins. July 2015 Second Draft Continued TTC and TPO review. August 2015 Final TPO approval and Final Public Hearing. NOTE: This general outline may change due to external circumstances. TPO POLICY BOARD: Cities of Roanoke and Salem; Counties of Bedford, Botetourt, Montgomery and Roanoke; Town of Vinton; Greater Roanoke Transit Company (Valley Metro); Roanoke-Blacksburg Regional Airport; Virginia Department of Rail & Public Transportation; Virginia Department of Transportation Roanoke Valley Area Metropolitan Planning Organization 9