project mobility: route 3 express toll lanes study

Project Mobility: Route 3 Express Toll Lanes Study

Introductory Briefing to the South Shore Coalition March 26, 2015 Massachusetts Department of Transportation Highway Division

Agenda

1. Introductions 2. Purpose of the meeting 3. Overview of Public-Private Partnership (P3)

opportunity 4. Overview of toll lane study 5. Discuss opportunity for project in Long Range

Transportation Plan 6. Q & A and Discussion

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Goals for South Shore Coalition Briefing

• Provide overview of the P3 concept, origins and benefits

• Introduce the Route 3 Express Toll Lane study • Describe study process, next steps and

interest in Long Range Transportation Plan • Answer questions

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Why Express Toll Lanes on Rte. 3?

• Address identified safety problems

• Restore the breakdown lane to its intended use

• Improve mobility for autos and buses

• Reduce congestion 4

Public-Private Partnerships (P3): Overview • Legislature authorized P3 in 2009 Transportation

Reform • A private concessionaire leases asset for 30-50

years, implements the project and returns the facility in a state of good repair

• The financing mix can vary: • state payments; • private equity; • private loans; and • federal TIFIA loans

• Toll revenues cover financing & maintenance costs

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P3 Advantages

• Opportunity to share or transfer risk • Ability to pursue projects in times of limited

federal and state funding • As in Design-Build projects, increased

opportunities for private-sector innovation and improved project delivery

What is Project Mobility? • Project Mobility is a study to explore Express Toll

Lanes on Route 3 South • Proposed project runs from the Norwell-Marshfield

line, north of Exit 12, to Exit 18/19 at the Braintree Split and beyond Exit 6 on I-93/Route128 in Quincy, about 17 miles

• Toll lanes would be in median with restored shoulder • Two toll-lane options are being studied:

• two-lane reversible facility (reverses a.m. & p.m.) • single, permanent dedicated lane in each direction

• Toll lane free for buses

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Project Mobility Objectives

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Key Issue is Safety: Peak Period Breakdown Lane Use

• More crashes and higher crash rate on Rte. 3 segments with active breakdown lane

• Data suggest peak-period breakdown lane use influences crash rates Rte. 3 SB: 17% more crashes Rte. 3 NB: 37% more crashes

• Project would restore shoulder for emergency use only 9

Key Issue is Safety: High-Crash Locations Throughout Corridor

Rte. 3 interchanges are on State list of the highest crash locations in Greater Boston region*

• Burgin Pkwy/Washington Street, Exit 18/19 • Union Street, Exit 17 • Main Street, Rte. 18, Exit 16 • Derby Street, Exit 15 • Hingham Street, Rte. 228, Exit 14 • Washington Street, Rte. 53, Exit 13

* MassDOT Highway Safety Improvement Program-identified crash clusters, 2011–2013 for the area between Merrimack Valley & Northern Middlesex; Central Mass., and Old Colony.

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Project Mobility Project Area

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Existing Conditions, South Section Exit 12 (Rte. 139) to Exit 14 (Rte. 228)

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Existing Conditions, Middle Section Exit 14 (Rte. 228) to Exit 16 (Rte. 18)

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Existing Conditions, North Section Exit 16 (Rte. 18) to Exit 18/19

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Option 1: Two-lane Reversible

Express Toll Lane Shoulder General Purpose Lane

Shoulder Shoulder North Section

Shoulder Shoulder

South Section

Option 2: Single Express Toll Lane in Each Direction

Express Toll Lane Shoulder General Purpose Lane

Shoulder Shoulder

North Section

South / Middle Section Shoulder Shoulder

Transportation & Mobility • Express toll lanes give drivers flexibility to

choose toll lane or existing lanes • Research finds that few drivers choose to

use toll lanes all the time • Detailed traffic and revenue

studies will determine appropriate tolls • Travel time savings must be

significant to attract users and reduce congestion in free lanes

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Operational Issues • Goal is to use pricing to manage toll lane volumes

to maintain a minimum continuous speed of about 45 mph

• Goal is to improve travel speeds in general purpose lanes by attracting drivers to the toll lanes

• All Electronic Tolling (AET) will prevent delays associated with toll plazas

• Toll pricing structure has not been established

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• Corridor has sensitive resources: wetlands, water supplies, protected habitat

• Majority of widening is within existing right-of-way and median

• Unavoidable impacts to wetlands • Improvements to wildlife passages • Stormwater management benefits • Potential for noise barriers

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Environmental Issues

South Section Environmental

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Middle Section Environmental

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North Section Environmental

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Consistency with MPO Goals Safety

• Improves high-crash cluster locations identified by MassDOT

• Adds capacity to help reduce peak-period congestion and resulting rear-end collisions

• Restores breakdown lane for its intended emergency-only use which may help reduce crashes

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Consistency with MPO Goals Capacity Management/Mobility

• Manages congestion using active lane management and congestion pricing

• Improves mobility for bus passengers with free-flow express lanes

• Improves mobility for pedestrians and cyclists with new accommodations on bridges

• Reduces congestion on arterials by improving travel time on Rte. 3

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Consistency with MPO Goals System Preservation

• Helps achieve state of good repair • Rehabs or replaces 27 bridges • New pavement on existing lanes • New ITS elements

• Permanent Variable Message Signs • Fiber optic cable

• Modernizes roadway drainage

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Consistency with MPO Goals Economic Vitality

• Modernizes and expands Route 3 to improve access to existing employment centers and homes

• Reduces auto and bus riders’ travel time

• Helps address perception of South Shore as hampered by mobility issues

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Cost and Schedule

• Estimated construction duration: 4 years • Estimated construction cost: $600 m–$800 m • P3 procurement will induce private investment • Project must be in new Long-Range Transportation

Plan to initiate federal environmental process

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Study Status

• MassDOT has initiated a study of engineering, traffic, financial and environmental issues

• Federal and state environmental processes to begin later in 2015

• Public and agency outreach is beginning

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Questions & Discussion

Comments or questions?

Route3ExpressLanes@dot.state.ma.us

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