We re studying mass transit options for the East San Fernando Valley.

Transcription

1 metro.net/works We re studying mass transit options for the ast San Fernando Valley. east san fernando valley transit corridor study project Frequently sked Questions february 2016 Metro Metro and the Federal Transit dministration (FT), in coordination with the cities of os ngeles and San Fernando, are evaluating the feasibility of a major mass transit project that would operate in the center or curb-lane of Van uys Boulevard from the Van uys Metro Orange ine, north to San Fernando oad. From there, the proposed alignment would proceed northwest on or adjacent to San Fernando oad to the Sylmar/ San Fernando Metrolink station a distance of 9.2 miles.

2 14 ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Study Project: Project Study rea I G Z FO 40 Y SH B BO OS TU C T B O B W TU X U S WOOM TUJUG P MP MUHO M C UHO W UIV COWT CMT ST Universal City BVY Potential Project lignment VI 134 Metro Orange ine & Station mtrak/metrolink & Station IVSI STUIO B V 40 Metro ed ine & Station TOUC K 170 MOOPK ST VTU T VIS VY VIG IVSI MGOI CIO Subject to Change VI U C HIM orth Hollywood P M aurel Canyon U B SHM O VICTOY BU CH Valley College BU KY BUBK Bob Hope irport (BU) OTH HOYWOO MGOI VT O IM BUB OX Valley College Woodman K B H S BUBK B VICTOY K Sepulveda Sepulveda am ecreational rea VOW F SHM Van uys eseda COFX VY VICTOY SU VY WHITSTT VOW COWT C SPUV Woodley SHM 170 WOOM V UYS OY FUTO Balboa VICTOY 40 STTH TIC TICOY V UYS B VOW S B POM WOOY S HYVHUST SHM BBO TICOY WHIT OK S B WIBU TMP OSCO OSCO Z B HOYWOO Y M O V UYS B O BU WO T T SU WOOY SPUV C PTHI Van uys irport (VY) O BBO F ZZH O S B WIBU K SHOW PCOIM T OTH OHOFF B WTWOTH Hansen am ecreational rea O KVIW TC IC C TMP H B MISSIO G PUMM California State University of orthridge B OS U OTHIG X 118 VOSHI SS 118 CHTSWOTH ST H UG V B FO MISSIO O O F II UJ POT CH CY U T K T IT PO T M P U HI OT G C C H O Y O K OP K IC PO O B S B Mission College H Y XF O F GV I Y G O I O BO B ST ce ege n BO HU BB 10 HOYWOO HOYWOO B

3 ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Study Project: FQs 1. What is the process for studying this project? The ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor must go through an environmental review process consistent with federal and state guidelines. The process began with the completion of an lternatives nalysis () eport (a report that considered all feasible alternatives for the corridor) and continued with the refinement of the alternatives and now the preparation of a raft nvironmental Impact Statement/nvironmental Impact eport (IS/I). Metro will submit an administrative raft IS to the FT for review and approval. Once the raft IS/I has been approved by the FT, the document will be circulated for a 4-day public review and comment period. uring this period, Metro will hold public hearings on the document throughout the corridor to present its findings and to obtain comments on the document. fter conclusion of the public comment period, the Metro Board of irectors will be asked to select a ocally Preferred lternative (P). fter the P is selected, Metro will prepare the Final IS/I. This document will address public comments received, as well as if there are any areas requiring further technical analysis. The Metro Board will then be asked to certify the I (the State environmental document) and it becomes final. The federal environmental review process concludes when the FT grants the project a ecord of ecision (O). 2. How was the study area determined? Initially, an alignment along Van uys Boulevard and Sepulveda Boulevard (as well as several hybrids of both) were considered as these two boulevards realize the greatest north/south transit ridership and the greatest congestion in the San Fernando Valley. fter completing a technical review and after considering hundreds of community comments (most expressing a preference for service on Van uys Boulevard), it was determined that the project should focus on Van uys Boulevard. In addition to this boulevard being the busiest north-south transit corridor in the San Fernando Valley, it includes the Civic Center and other primary origin/destination points, including the Van uys Metrolink station. lso based on community comments and a technical review, the northern origination/terminus of the corridor was changed from Van uys Boulevard and the Interstate- Freeway, to the Sylmar/San Fernando Metrolink Station. This location is serviced by a number of local and rapid buses and provides a connection to regional commuter rail service that connects with Santa Clarita and the ntelope Valley communities. 3. How were the build alternatives developed? Initially, approximately 130 build alternatives were given consideration, which consisted of a combination of alignments and modal options. fter completing analysis and hosting a series of community meetings where feedback was encouraged and received, in January 2013 an lternatives nalysis () report was completed. This report recommended the Van uys Boulevard/San Fernando oad alignment (see map) and recommended evaluating ail and Bus apid Transit modal opportunities. s a result of comments received at project scoping meetings and through a more in-depth corridor analysis, the study alternatives were refined throughout 2013 and What are the refined alternatives being studied now? Four build alternatives are being evaluated: alternative 1: curb-running bus rapid transit (brt) Similar to the Wilshire BT service, high-capacity, cleanfuel/compressed atural Gas (CG) buses would operate in dedicated bus only lanes, running along the curb for 6.7 miles on Van uys Boulevard and for 2. miles in mixed-flow lanes along San Fernando oad either operating 24 hours or only in peak periods. The alternative would include 18 enhanced stations. alternative 2: median-running brt Similar to the Metro Orange ine, high-capacity, clean-fuel/ Compressed atural Gas (CG) buses would operate in a 6.7 mile dedicated median busway in the center of Van uys Boulevard and 2. miles of mixed flow operations along San Fernando oad and would include 17 enhanced stations. alternative 3: low-floor light rail transit (lrt)/tram Similar to surface-running rail systems in San iego, San Francisco, and Portland, low-floor, electric-powered rail vehicles would operate in a dedicated guideway in the center of Van uys Boulevard for 6.7 miles and 2. miles mixed-flow lanes along San Fernando oad with 28 enhanced stations. alternative 4: light rail transit (lrt) Similar to the existing Metro Blue, Green, Gold, and xpo ines, overhead electric-powered rail vehicles would operate on a dedicated guideway in the middle of Van uys Boulevard, with 2. miles underground between Sherman Way and oscoe. The trains would operate for 2. miles on railroad right-of-way adjacent to San Fernando oad.. How much does each build alternative cost? Currently, all costs are preliminary capital costs in 2014 dollars and are subject to change. Once an P is selected, a more detailed cost estimate will be available. > Curb-unning BT: $ 294 million > Median-unning BT: $402 million > ow-floor ight ail Transit/Tram: $1.3 billion > ight ail Transit: $2.7 billion

4 ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Study Project: FQs 6. How much money is available for the Project and what are the funding sources? The Project has $170.1 million in funding reserved through Metro s 2009 ong-ange Transportation Plan, which includes $68. million from Measure, the halfcent sales tax increase approved by os ngeles County voters in dditional funds will need to be identified from other sources in order to cover the cost of any of the four transit alternatives being studied. The project may also be built in phases to match available funding. These options will all be evaluated as the study progresses. 7. What other alternatives are being evaluated? The federal and state environmental process requires that the following low or no-cost alternatives be considered: no build: This looks at the study area in 2040 without any new project. It incorporates existing roads, highways, transit services and facilities, as well as any other future projects that are included in the Metro Board adopted 2009 ong ange Transportation Plan for implementation by transportation systems management (tsm): This option considers low-cost capital and operations improvements to the transportation system, such as improvements to signal timing, enhancing existing bus service, widening targeted intersections, etc. 8. What factors will be used to evaluate the various project alternatives? The alternatives will be evaluated using the following screening criteria: > Mobility Benefits and Impacts > egional Connectivity > Cost-=ectiveness (such as capital and operating costs) > nvironmental Benefits and Impacts > and Use Considerations (such as job creation, development opportunities and quality of life improvements) > Community Input > Financial Capability 9. What are some of the existing conditions of the Study rea, specifically Van uys Boulevard? > Van uys Boulevard realizes approximately 2,000 daily/weekday boardings. > The corridor has more transit-dependency, more zero-vehicles households and greater poverty than os ngeles County averages. > Of the transit trips, 0% stay within the corridor. > More than half of the boardings within the study area occur within the three-mile segment between the Metro Orange ine to the south and the Panorama City Mall to the north. > In the congested segments of the corridor, bus speeds drop to as low as 10 mph during the afternoon peakperiods (3 to 6pm). > The corridor has the 7th highest transit boardings in the entire Metro system. > The corridor has the 2nd highest transit boardings in the San Fernando Valley, following the Metro Orange ine. 10. How will the proposed ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project improve transit connections to the entire region? The ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor intersects with the Metro Orange ine, which connects to the Metro ed ine in orth Hollywood. It also connects with Metrolink and mtrak stations providing linkages to regional destinations. 11. How will the proposed ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project work with the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor Project? The Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor Project is also a Measure transit project. This future project is intended to improve connections between the San Fernando Valley and West os ngeles and beyond. This future improvement has not been defined. Options range from BT in High Occupancy Vehicle/xpress anes along the I-40 Freeway to a full transit/highway tunnel extending under the Pass from the Metro Orange ine to the future Metro Purple ine and/or Metro xpo ine Stations in West os ngeles. Planners for the ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor and the Sepulveda Pass Transit Corridor Project are working together to ensure coordination between the two projects. 12. Is Metro working with other agencies on the ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Project? s part of its planning process, Metro is collaborating with several agencies, including the os ngeles epartment of Transportation (OT), City of San Fernando, Metrolink and the California High-Speed ail uthority. ny future Metro project must take into consideration the City of os ngeles Mobility Plan; the City of os ngeles Great Streets program, which includes two sections of Van uys Boulevard; potential projects planned by the City of San Fernando; the proposed Metrolink safety improvements between Brighton and oxford; and the possible future development of High Speed ail service that will connect downtown os ngeles and San Francisco. 13. Is Metro studying ctive Transportation needs for the corridor? s a part of the environmental study, Metro is evaluating the needs of bicyclists and pedestrians throughout the study area with an emphasis on safety and maximizing first-mile, last-mile connections to each future station.

5 ast San Fernando Valley Transit Corridor Study Project: FQs 14. Will a new storage and maintenance facility be needed? If a Bus apid Transit (BT) project is selected as the preferred alternative, the service would be supported with Metro s existing bus maintenance facilities though they may need some modifications. If a ight ail Transit (T) or Tram alternative becomes the preferred alternative, a new facility would be needed to store and maintain the rail/tram cars. Three candidate locations have been identified for a rail yard, all three of which are to the west of Van uys Boulevard. The first is south of the Metro Orange ine and behind the fire station on Van uys Boulevard. The other two are adjacent to the Ventura Metrolink tracks that are just north of Saticoy. The first is to the immediate south of the tracks and the second to its immediate north. The candidate rail yards are located within a ¼-mile of the route (Van uys Boulevard) in an area zoned for industrial use, and are approximately 20 acres in size. 1. How will public input be reflected in the study? Public input is a critical element of the planning process and has already influenced the study. Metro has hosted numerous community meetings to update residents, businesses, elected o;cials and stakeholders on the study s progress. Based on comments received at earlier stages, the project has evaluated di=erent travel modes, routes and origin/destination points. Public input will continue to be one of the factors used to analyze the alternatives being evaluated for this project. ll feedback received will be summarized, documented and shared with the Metro Board of irectors. While public input is gathered throughout the study e=ort, there are two formal public comment periods. scoping meetings: The work on the raft IS/I began with a scoping period from March 1 through May 6, uring this time, the public was invited to provide input on the issues they suggested the study analyze. Public comments were received in person during scoping meetings and in writing. public hearings: Prior to consideration and action by the Metro Board of irectors, the raft IS/I will be released for a 4-day public review period. This is the time when the public can submit official comments and questions for further consideration by the Metro Board as it considers its selection of the ocally Preferred lternative and for additional analysis during development of the Final IS/ I. Comments and questions may be submitted in writing either at public hearings or to Metro prior to the end of the 4-day public comment period. Contact Us Please use the following contact tools for additional information, questions, or comments: eastsfvtransit@metro.net eastsfvtransit ustream.tv/channel/eastsfv please recycle this material bg lacmta 2016