Albuquerque Rapid Transit - PDF Free Download

Albuquerque Rapid Transit Congressional Staff Briefing City of Albuquerque, New Mexico

Agenda Introductions Project Status Schedule Alignment and Station Renderings Public Outreach Financial Plan Transit Oriented Development TOD Planning Grant TOD Projects Projections Frequently Asked Questions Fact Sheets 1

Project Status Schedule Service begins September 2017 2

Major Accomplishments since March 2015 96% ($24.5M of $25.5 M) in Local Funding is Committed NEPA Approval Small Starts Package Submitted Project Risk Assessment Conducted Task Start End Public Outreach On-going Project Development NEPA Preliminary Engineering Complete Complete Final Design May 2015 March 2016 FTA Small Starts Rating and Funding Small Starts Submittal Complete LONP Bus Procurement (Needed) January 2016 LONP Phase 1 Construction (Needed) February 2016 Small Starts Grant Agreement March 2016 Oct 2016 Local Funding Process Adapt of City bond Ordinance January 2015 May 2015 Finalize Other Non-Small Starts Funding January 2015 February 2016 Construction/Vehicles Bus Procurement Process October 2015 July 2017 CMAR Procurement August 2015 November 2016 Construction Phase 1 March 2016 July 2017 Construction Phase 2 May 2016 July 2017 Testing and Start Up July 2017 September 2017 Revenue Operations September 2017 3

Three transit lines on Central serve increased ridership. 4

Public Outreach Response to Community Concerns One on One Meetings with Concerned Business Owners Friends of Transit Developing Business Outreach Program Center for neighborhood Technology Bloomberg Foundation Public Meetings Visioning session August 2015 o Six sessions to focus on station areas and opportunities Open houses Early 2016 o Review of construction process Business Outreach Program Assembling team for business outreach and support Letters to 956 businesses mailed October 9, 2015 In-person outreach to individual businesses begin October 22, 2015 o Surveys o Answering questions and discussing concerns 10

Letters of Support 11

Financial Plan Total Capital Cost (2015) $119,303,378 Total Capital Cost (YOE) $126,156,088 Section 5309 Small Starts Funding $69,023,577 Section 5309 Small Starts Share 54.7% Other Federal Funding Sources Type of Funds Dollar Amount (YOE) % of Total Capital Cost New or Existing Source Committed, Budgeted or Planned FTA Section 5309 Formula Funds $1,500,000 1.2% Existing Committed FTA Section 5307 Formula Funds $8,139,000 6.5% Existing Committed FTA Section 5307 Formula Funds $6,000,000 4.8% Existing Budgeted FTA Section 5339 Formula Funds $3,204,600 2.5% Existing Budgeted CMAQ Formula Funds $5,118,511 4.1% Existing Committed CMAQ Formula Funds $7,650,000 6.1% Existing Budgeted Sub-Total $31,612,111 Local Funding Sources Type of Funds Dollar Amount (YOE) % of Total Capital Cost New or Existing Source Committed, Budgeted or Planned Match to FTA 5309 funds General Funds $420,400 0.3% Existing Committed Bernalillo County General Funds $1,000,000 0.8% Existing Planned GO Bond Proceeds Bond Proceeds $13,000,000 10.3% Existing Committed GO Bond Proceeds Bond Proceeds $4,100,000 3.2% Existing Committed GO Bond Proceeds (Broadband) Bond Proceeds $1,000,000 0.8% Existing Committed Transportation Infrastructure Tax Gross Receipts Tax Funds $6,000,000 4.8% Existing Committed Sub-Total $25,520,400 Total Non-Section 5309 Funding $57,132,511 45.3% 15

Transit Oriented Development Cleveland invested $250 million Investment return $5.8 billion in associated development Open 6 years Ft. Collins invested $ 87 million Investment return $150 million in associated development Open 1 year TOD Planning Grant 16

TOD Projections 17

Commercial Real Estate Estate Development Association, New Mexico 18

Center for Neighborhood Technology 19

Center for Neighborhood Technology 20

TOD Projects Station Area: UNM Presbyterian Hospital Mixed-Use Titan Development has conceptual plans for nearly five full blocks (approximately 10 acres) along Central Avenue, directly adjacent from the Presbyterian Hospital campus. Note the ART Station in the center of the interface. Titan is proposing a vertical mixture of multifamily, retail, and a hotel. The company is currently concluding discussions with neighborhood groups and expects to submit a master plan to the City s Environmental Planning Commission by the end of the year. Station Area: CBD Entertainment Hub Through a competitive bid process, a developer was chosen by the Metropolitan Redevelopment Agency to construct an Entertainment Hub on a 1.75-acre site in downtown, adjacent to the Alvarado Transportation Center and across the railroad tracks from Innovate ABQ. The site will incorporate the west-bound ART station directly at the corner of First and Central. The winning bid proposes a $38.5 million mixed-use project to include 39,000 square feet of entertainment (bowling alley, retail, brewery), 5,500 square feet of outdoor dining, and 76 apartments. 21

Station Area: CBD Innovate ABQ Located within the CBD, this 7-acre project is a publicprivate partnership intended to establish the headquarters of a STEMbased research district intended to leverage the region's scientific acumen in an effort to incubate job opportunities. Anticipated uses include laboratories, offices, retail, residential, hotels, and public open space. The project site was chosen to leverage the regional transit hub and network (including both east- and west-bound ART stations) available immediately west of the site at the Alvarado Transportation Center. The development team is in the due diligence phase and is proposing approximately 300 residential units, along with renovated office space as part of the first phase. The Master Plan shows the potential for over 500,000 square feet of development at full build-out. Station Area: Nob Hill The Carlisle Located in the heart of Albuquerque's Nob Hill, a private developer is constructing a vertical mixed-use development which will include 36 luxury residences, 2,000 square feet of retail on the ground level, and a 43-space underground parking structure, all on ½ acre of ground. The ART Station is two blocks east at Solano Street. Ground was broken in August 2015. The development will cost an estimated $8.2 million and is primarily targeted to Baby-Boomers. 22

Station Area: Old Town El Vado Motel Redevelopment The Metropolitan Development Agency has secured proposals for a $15.9 million repurposing of a former Route 66 motel, combined with some new construction, to include 30 workforce-housing units, 16,000 square feet of commercial and common space, an amphitheater, motel, and events center. Construction on the 2.7 acre site is anticipated to begin in 2015. Station Area: Nob Hill De Anza Motor Lodge Redevelopment This $8.2 million project proposes to redevelop a historically listed Route 66 motor lodge into mixed use, condominium project with a restaurant. The existing structure was built in 1919 and was a tourist stop for years. In 2003 the city purchased the 2-acre site after it had been vacant for some time. In mid-2015 the development team won approval by the Albuquerque Development Commission to re-develop the site and proposes to complete the redevelopment by the end of 2016. All of these projects are in active stages of development and evidence the characteristics of transit orientation by their placement on the Corridor, by their orientation to the Corridor, and by their proximity to an ART station. Save for the El Vado and De Anza redevelopment projects, both of which involve historically listed structures they are vertical mixed-use transit-oriented developments. 23

Frequently Asked Questions Q: What s this all about anyway? Answer: Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) is planning to implement a new form of transit that combines many features of rail transit with the flexibility of buses. ART, at 1/3rd the cost of rail, is the most cost-effective technology for the City of Albuquerque s current population and future ridership estimates. Some key elements of ART include: Dedicated road, lane or mixed traffic route Frequent service (every 7.5 minutes) Prioritized signaling at intersections Pre-boarding ticketing Level boarding raised-platform stations The goal of Albuquerque Rapid Transit is to provide quick and efficient bus service with increased dependability and timeliness. The level boarding platforms mean that wheelchairs, walkers, and bicycles can just roll on board; no time-consuming racks or ramps. Combined with off-board fare purchases, ART can reduce the time the bus stands still to pick up passengers, which will greatly improve service speed. This, combined with advanced signal timing and a dedicated lane allows the ART to move more easily through city traffic, with much greater dependability than Rapid Ride. Q: Where will it go? A: ART will run a 9 mile route in dedicated lanes serving 20 stations from Louisiana on the east to Coors on the west. Just as the Rapid Ride does, ART service will extend in undedicated lanes from Louisiana to Tramway and Uptown, and from Coors to the Central and Unser Transit Center. Q: What s the difference between this and bus service we already have? A: There are two, current Rapid Rides run along Central in the existing traffic flow. They utilize stations spread from one to two miles apart. When traffic stacks up at key points during certain times of the day, the Rapid Rides tend to stack up with it, too. ART would be a timelier service, utilizing a mix of dedicated lanes, bi-directional lanes, and reversible lanes. It will run by each station every 7 ½ minutes as intended, without being stuck in regular traffic. Q: Who s paying for it and where is the money coming from? A: The vast majority of the money for this project (80%) is coming from the Federal Transit Administration s (FTA) Small Starts Capital Grant Program. Earlier this year, 24

City Council also agreed to issue $13 million dollars of gross receipts tax revenue bonds for this project. The remaining money will come from different sources. Q: Why are we doing this? A: Two main things. The city wants to improve the timely nature of service down Central Avenue, ABQ RIDE s most-used corridor (roughly 42% of all ridership on ABQ RIDE is concentrated on Central). Secondly, the city wants to take advantage of the opportunities for development that occur when a transportation system goes into a main corridor. As has happened with so many other cities, business development occurs along areas where many people are concentrated. Q: How do we know it will do what s claimed? While no one can foretell the future, other cities such as Ft. Collins, Cleveland and Phoenix have done it. They have all experienced a positive return on their investment in a transit system; anywhere from four to $150 dollars on every dollar spent, and in all cases property values along the line have gone up. There is much supporting documentation on our project website at brtabq.com. Q: Has anyone done any research for this project? A: Consideration of a replacement for the Rapid Ride began when City Council adopted R-2002-66, instructing us to consider Central as the priority corridor for a high-capacity transit project. The Rapid Transit Project Alternatives Analysis was received by the City Council in 2003. The Rapid Rides themselves were instituted in 2004 and 2009 on the basis of that report, both to meet growing demand and as a means of testing the market on Central. They have been very successful. So, the first feasibility study specific to BRT was conducted in fall of 2011. Since then, we have examined just about every system in the United States; researched FTA documents, investigated information from the National Bus Rapid Transit Research Institute, and the Institute for Transportation Development Policy among many others, to determine what works and why. Many research documents can be found on the www.brtabq.com website. Q: Won t this add to congestion? A: A traffic-impact analysis was performed as part of the environmental evaluation. The impact to each signalized intersection on Central Avenue between Unser Boulevard and Louisiana Boulevard was assessed using actual traffic counts from morning and afternoon rush hours. The results of the analysis found that all of the intersections would continue to operate in accordance with City of Albuquerque standards. In addition to the intersection-level analysis prepared for the project, the Mid Region Council of Governments (MRCOG) analyzed potential impacts to parallel routes and found that while some through-traffic shifts to parallel routes, those routes have available capacity to handle the additional traffic and meet the City s standards. Nationally, studies have also found that focusing development in major transit corridors like Central Avenue makes a significant dent in future congestion because 25

it enables more people to use transit or other modes of transportation, including walking. Q: Won t existing businesses lose ease of access to their properties? A: Some left turn access will go away, in favor of legalized, signalized U-turns. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and others have studied the impacts of similar projects on businesses and safety. FHWA found the vast majority of businesses do as well or better after the access management project is completed. FHWA and other scholarly studies found that most drivers will use a signalized U- turn to get to their destination business. Q: Is there an opportunity to discuss all this in greater detail? A: Our public input is ongoing. The next round of public input sessions are likely scheduled for next year. Dates and places will be posted on the project website as well as in this newsletter Q. Why not use the money from the grant ABQ RIDE is applying to the Federal Government for ART to expand existing service/repair roads/ add parking/add routes to other areas? A. Small Starts grant funds cannot be used for other types of infrastructure improvements nor to offset operating expenses. The grant offers a unique opportunity for the City of Albuquerque to enhance and update the Central Avenue Corridor, providing first class transit service, safety improvements, ADA-compliant, vibrant pedestrian-friendly neighborhoods that support existing businesses and attract new investment while following Albuquerque s Complete Streets policy. The grant for this specific corridor is an opportunity for improvements that would not otherwise be available. Q. Why implement ART on Central Avenue, where there are already three routes? Central Avenue is the heart of the city. The corridor has the ridership, population density, land uses, and activity centers to support a successful BRT system. It would meet the demand for reliable transit service while benefiting the entire community. The Rapid Ride introduced in 2004 is at capacity. ART is the next logical step in modern transportation service. 5.3 million riders in 2014 nearly 15,000 per day and 41% of the total number of ABQ RIDE passengers Connections with 32 of the 37 existing ABQ RIDE bus routes Feasibility study ruled out the Lomas Blvd corridor as an anchor for BRT transportation must be where people want to go. 26

Q. How will changing left turn access increase safety? All vehicular turns and crossings of Central Avenue will be at signalized intersections with signalized left turn/u-turns. These signals will be provided every ¼ mile, on average. These changes are estimated to cause drivers a 30-90 second delay in travel time to accomplish the safe U-turns. According to studies conducted by Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), signalized left turns/u-turns are safer for vehicles and pedestrians than uncontrolled left turns in and out of driveways and neighborhood streets. They improve visibility and reduce distractions to make travel safer for pedestrians and drivers. Q. What does it cost to run ABQ RIDE? A. Cost of operating fixed route buses and their associated maintenance is $29.3. ABQ RIDE general fund subsidy is $21.6 Q. What will it cost to run ART? A. An increase of about 4% with the current operating plan. Q: What will hours of service be for Albuquerque Rapid Transit? A: For now, the hours of service for ART will match the current hours of service for the Rapid Rides down Central; from approximately 5:30 a.m. to 9:45 p.m. The hours for ART could also be expanded later during summer, much as Route #66 operates 66 Late Night during the summer. Q: Why can t it run until 1 am year round? A: Currently, it is a matter of money. But one of ART s goals for the future is to expand service. Q: Will there be access to Central Ave. businesses during construction? A: Yes. One lane will be open in each direction at all times in front of businesses. We will also be working with business to make sure people know they are open and accepting customers. Q: Why do we think this will help Central? A: ART will not only improve the timely nature of transit service on Central Avenue, it will also upgrade the appearance and condition of Central. The project will add lighting, improve sidewalk conditions, add sidewalk landscaping, and improve pedestrian safety, all of which supports the furtherance of economic opportunity along this corridor. Q: Why do I care, if I live in an area such as the Northeast Heights? A: A project like ART, by motivating development along Central, would help grow the overall economy in the city. And when the economy improves, all areas of the city benefit. Also, the majority of ABQ RIDE s bus routes connect to the Central Ave routes. ART could help improve the timeliness of those routes as well. 27

Q: Why is this project being promoted as a key element of bolstering the underperforming economy of Albuquerque? A: Rapid transit projects like ART have a proven record of stimulating development and redevelopment of neighborhoods in other cities. For instance, an article in Albuquerque Business First said during the first year that Fort Collins, CO operated its rapid transit system, it attracted $150 million in associated development along its transit corridor. A Forbes magazine article said Cleveland s $250 million investment in putting its HealthLine down a main corridor has generated $5.8 billion in development since opening in 2008. That s $114 for each transit dollar invested. Q: Why Central Ave? It goes through historic districts, fledgling business districts and some of the only pedestrian friendly areas outside planned malls in all of Albuquerque? A: It is for exactly those reasons that Albuquerque Rapid Transit will be operating on Central Ave. from Coors to Louisiana. Transit systems have been described as moving sidewalks. They transport people to locations where they can get off and shop, do business or have a meal. People can get right back on and do more of the same or go home. ART will also upgrade the look and feel of Central Ave by adding to the walkability and livability of neighborhoods. Plans include widening sidewalks and adding trees to encourage pedestrian and bike-friendly development. Signalized crosswalks will also improve the safety of those walking or biking in the neighborhoods, as well as improved street lighting. Central also connects some of Albuquerque s main institutions; University of New Mexico, Presbyterian Hospital. With the help of Innovate ABQ, ART could stimulate a tremendous economic revitalization and development of the corridor. Q: I have read the ABQ NAIOP study, reports from the FTA and other sources, but still cannot find evidence of how ART will promote economic growth. Yes, there is real evidence of real estate development along corridors where these buses travel, but real estate development is being confused with economic growth. Why is this? A: The NAIOP study, for instance, says that development along the ART route could create several thousand new residences and importantly several thousand new jobs. The creation of jobs is the very definition of economic development. Organizations like LAVU, Molina, Fat Pipe, and Innovate ABQ could go anywhere in the City they wanted. They chose the Central Corridor. 28

Q: Route 66 is sparsely populated, from east to west. A number of Albuquerque s largest employers are situated on this corridor; the City/County, UNM, two hospitals and Sandia Labs/Kirtland Base. My question is how many of their employees actually live along Central? It seems to me that ART would be worth the investment only if we had an enormous population that needed to move along this corridor from end to end. Isn t this true? A: One-mile wide and ten miles long, the Corridor contains about 5% of the area of the City of Albuquerque but is home to 15% of all households and 23% of all jobs in the City. The three routes on Central carry 42% of all transit ridership on the system and connect to 32 routes that crisscross the City. The Central Corridor is a busy place. Q: Lomas Boulevard, runs parallel to Central/Route 66 and also services all of the same employers. The difference is Lomas has always been a service street, from west of Downtown to Tramway. Lomas is low on character, has very little charm, almost no residential. If we must build the ART, why wouldn t Lomas be the best street to use? A: Lomas doesn t serve important locations like the International District, Nob Hill, and Presbyterian Hospital, and does not perform the vital chore of crossing the Rio Grande. Compared to Central (using the same one-mile corridor approach) it has 20% fewer jobs and only half the number of households. Transit is supposed to connect people to places. Central is the much stronger Corridor. Q: The proposed plans for Central Avenue tell me this project will not enhance the charm of the street but rather degrade its historic and charming value. At the least, in areas where the streets are narrow and charming, it will clog up the streets and slow traffic. Why would the city authorize and promote this? A: The ART project will contribute and in some areas enhance the character of Central Avenue. Widening sidewalks, removing sidewalk ADA deficiencies, adding sidewalk landscaping, and improving pedestrian lighting create a walkable environment. This type of environment attracts people and businesses. Many areas along Central Avenue want slower traffic. This increases the safety of pedestrian and bicycle users and makes businesses more visible. 29