TRB is sponsoring a conference,”Making Progress: Transportation Planners and Programmers Turn Ideas into Reality” on May 23-25, 2012, in Denver, Colorado. The conference will dive into the steps transportation planners and programmers take to turn ideas into reality--from setting long-range visions and plan development to investment decisions and project delivery--and showcase key tools and strategies along the way. Focus areas will include stakeholder outreach, partnerships and collaboration, scenario planning, effective communication, performance measurement, and investment prioritization.

As part of a panel discussion describing how their agencies effectively integrate  prioritization and communication with the public and informing decision makers into their project selection and programming process, Dr. Camelia Ravanbakht, Deputy Executive Director of HRTPO, will be leading a break-out session entitled: “Going the Extra Mile: Integrating Prioritization, Outreach, and Politics into Transportation Planning in Hampton Roads, VA”.  Click here to go to the conference website and review conference materials and schedules.

By Benito O. Pérez
HRTPO Transportation Engineer

 To advance the passenger rail service in Hampton Roads   the following efforts are currently undertaken by DRPT, and  the cities of Norfolk and Newport News:

•    Bringing conventional passenger rail from Petersburg to Norfolk

•    Station development in Newport News and Norfolk

Next Stop Norfolk - March 2012 Update

Starting in December 2012, residents in Hampton Roads will hear the ‘All Aboard’ call from Amtrak’s new passenger rail service to Norfolk, Virginia. Dubbed Next Stop Norfolk, the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT) is partnering with Amtrak, Norfolk Southern, and CSX Incorporated to realize passenger rail service from Norfolk to the Northeast Regional Corridor.

To realize this project, DRPT and its partners have been hard at work at planning, designing, and constructing improvements along the Petersburg to Norfolk rail corridor. Those efforts include:

•    Construction nearly complete of the Harbor Park passenger rail platform  (see photo)

•    Construction ongoing of the Norfolk train turning and servicing facility

•    Discussions and design work of the Norfolk multimodal station facility improvements to connect the following services:

o    Tide Light Rail
o    HRT Ferry
o    HRT Bus Service
o    Amtrak connector bus service
o    Amtrak Passenger Rail service

•    Design work for Portlock Rail Yard improvements (circled in red) are complete. Bidding underway for construction.

•    Design work on Petersburg Collier Connection (circled in red) completed by CSX and reviewed by DRPT. Pending a Notice to Proceed from DRPT.

•    Grading work on Norfolk Southern’s component of Collier Connection is complete; track work near completion – adjustments to be made upon CSX connection work

•    Facility coordination meetings being held between DRPT, CSX, and Norfolk Southern

•    Coordination between Norfolk Southern, DRPT, and Petersburg on minimizing impacts to the Johnson Road highway construction project (circled in blue)

•    Construction for Norfolk Southern running track between Poe and Walnut Hill (marked by white box) is underway

•    Field surveys continue on the design of the US 460 corridor signal and crossover improvements

•    Amtrak technical service agreement has been executed; work underway on service design

For additional information and project updates on Next Stop Norfolk, consult DRPT’s project website at: http://www.drpt.virginia.gov/activities/norfolk.aspx

ITS Virginia (ITSVA) “serves as a forum and network for its public and private sector members to share information, ideas and experiences” concerning Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS), i.e. “technologies that improve the safety, security and efficiency of the surface transportation system” in Virginia.

On April 19 and 20, ITSVA held its Annual Conference in Richmond. Conference sessions included “Transit Technology Initiatives to Improve Mobility Options” at which VDOT discussed the  Integrated Corridor Management project for the I-95 corridor in Northern Virginia which analyzes the usage of arterial, rail, bus, and parking networks to relieve congestion on the freeway.  A similar effort is being considered for the I-264 corridor in Hampton Roads.

In the “Traffic Adaptive Control” session, representatives from technology companies and government explained that adaptive control systems “monitor the flow of traffic and…adjust the signal timing to the current traffic patterns by making adjustments to the splits, offsets, and/or the cycle lengths”.

In the “TMCs of the Future” session, representatives from design and technology companies described possible futures for the centers VDOT and localities use to manage traffic, known as traffic management centers (TMCs) or traffic operations centers (TOCs).  URS consultant staff highlighted the travel time messages which VDOT will soon display on variable message signs in Hampton Roads.

The Regional Board Room, 723 Woodlake Drive, Chesapeake, Virginia

1. CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by the Chair at approximately 10:30 a.m.

2. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD
There were no public comments.

3. COMMONWEALTH TRANSPORTATION BOARD MEMBER COMMENT PERIOD
Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) members Mr. Aubrey Layne and Mr. W. Sheppard Miller III briefed the HRTPO Board on the actions of the April 18, 2012 CTB meeting. They noted that the CTB approved allocating $100 million to the Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/MLK Freeway Extension project, thereby delaying tolls until January 2014. They also noted that the CTB approved several transportation enhancement projects in Hampton Roads. They also indicated that the draft FY 2013-2018 Six-Year Improvement Program was released and out for public review and that a public hearing was scheduled in Hampton Roads on May 7, 2012. Mr. Layne and Mr. Miller then referred to an article that had been printed in The Virginian-Pilot and clarified several misconceptions regarding the money allocated to delay the tolls as well as the voting intentions of the CTB members. In addition, the CTB members indicated that Hampton Roads is no longer a ‘donor’ region as the region is currently receiving approximately the same amount as it is contributing (~20%).

4. SUBMITTED PUBLIC COMMENTS
Submitted written public comments were provided to the HRTPO Board.

5. APPROVAL OF AGENDA
At the request of the Mr. William Bell, a new item was added under Old/New Business to discuss the HRTPO Freight Transportation Advisory Committee (FTAC) public outreach initiatives. The amended Agenda was approved.

CONSENT AGENDA:
Agenda items under the Consent Agenda were approved by the HRTPO Board.
6. Minutes
7. FY 2012-2015 Transportation Improvement Program: Suffolk

REGULAR AGENDA:
8. HRTPO FY 2013 Draft Budget
The HRTPO Board approved the HRTPO FY 2013 Budget with the exception of a 2% merit based adjustment. This will be addressed during the June HRPDC Executive Committee meeting.

9. FY 2013 Unified Planning Work Program: Final Document
The HRTPO Board approved the HRTPO FY 2013 Unified Planning Work Program.

10. HRTPO Regional Performance Measures: Final Report
The HRTPO Board approved the HRTPO Regional Performance Measures final report.

11. Hampton Roads Travel Time/Speed Study: Final Report
The HRTPO Board approved the Hampton Roads Travel Time/Speed Study final report.

12. Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/MLK Freeway Extension Project Briefing
This item was for informational purposes only. The HRTPO Board took no action on this agenda item.

13. Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation Comments and Updates
Ms. Thelma Drake briefly reported on the transit and rail funds included in the recently approved state budget as well as the flexibility for the CTB to utilize Rail Enhancement Funds to increase the number of trains for the Amtrak service to Norfolk. She also noted that the operating subsidy in the draft FY 2013-2018 Six-Year Improvement Program will most likely remain the same as last year’s program. Ms. Drake stated that the statewide transit assessment performance and financial study DRPT is conducting, as specified in the 2011 Senate Joint Resolution 297, will ultimately aid the Department in requesting more funds for transit.

14. HRTPO Board Action Items: Three-Month Tentative Schedule
This item was for informational purposes only. The HRTPO Board took no action on this item.

15. Correspondence of Interest
This item was for informational purposes only. The HRTPO Board took no action on this item.

16. For Your Information
This item was for informational purposes only. The HRTPO Board took no action on this item.

17. Old/New Business
Mr. William Bell spoke on the public outreach the FTAC has initiated. He noted that the video ‘A Region United’ is the central point of their outreach and has been and will continue to be distributed. In addition, the FTAC will make presentations to groups/agencies/organizations on the topic of regional transportation initiatives to increase awareness.

In addition to this new item, the HRTPO Board approved the addition of a second New Business item per Chair Krasnoff’s request. Dr. Camelia Ravanbakht requested HRTPO Board approval of a resolution authorizing the HRTPO staff to execute and file an application for Federal Transit Administration Section 5303 Transit Technical Studies Funding. The HRTPO Board approved the resolution.

Per Delegate Cosgrove, Chair Krasnoff also requested that HRTPO Board members distribute the Downtown Tunnel/Midtown Tunnel/MLK Freeway Extension project presentation given by Mr. Tony Kinn to their councils and board of supervisors.

ADJOURNMENT

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO), during its meeting on April 19, 2012, approved the Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for fiscal year 2013. The UPWP describes the transportation planning work and associated funding for the Hampton Roads metropolitan planning area (MPA) for the period from July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013. The UPWP is developed by the HRTPO in coordination with Hampton Roads Transit, Williamsburg Area Transit Authority, the Virginia Department of Transportation, and the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation.

In addition to detailing the work associated with HRTPO core functions - the Long-Range Transportation Plan, the Transportation Improvement Program, the Congestion Management Process, and Public Participation - the UPWP includes a discussion of the planning priorities facing the MPA. It is in the determination of these planning priorities that the HRTPO Board endures its vision and goals are carried forward in the UPWP. The FY 2013 planning priorities for the HRTPO are:

Transportation Programming - Involves selecting projects on which to allocate scarce transportation funding and striving to ensure that those scarce dollars are used in the most cost-effective manner.

Military Transportation Needs – Building on the work of the past two years, the HRTPO will continue to focus on ways to improve transportation for the military, thereby furthering national defense and the economic well-being of the region.

Passenger Rail – Since the HRTPO Board approved a resolution in October 2009 in support of establishing passenger rail service between Richmond and Norfolk and enhancing the existing rail service between Richmond and Newport News, the HRTPO has worked diligently to improve the region’s potential for passenger rail service.

Regional Freight Planning – The Port of Hampton Roads is the third largest seaport on the East Coast, attracting more than 80% of the world’s major shipping lines and connecting the region with more than 100 nations and over 300 ports of call. The HRTPO will continue to consider and incorporate freight as a critical element of the region’s transportation planning process.

Keith Nichols, Senior Transportation Engineer

The Hampton Roads Transportation Planning Organization (HRTPO) monitors regional roadway congestion through the Congestion Management Process (CMP). Historically, HRTPO staff has estimated peak hour congestion levels on each roadway segment based on traffic volumes collected over a short time period and roadway characteristics.

In recent years, new technologies have been created that collect travel time and speed data on a continuous basis. One source of such data, INRIX, provides real-time and historical travel time and speed data on an extensive roadway network. For 1,300 miles of roadway throughout Hampton Roads, INRIX provides averaged travel time and speed data in 15-minute intervals. HRTPO staff used this 2010 archived data to determine travel times and speeds, congestion levels and durations, and delays on regional roadways.

For each roadway segment, Speed Reduction Factors were calculated to determine the slowest roadways in the region. Speed Reduction Factors are defined by the Texas Transportation Institute as the ratio of the actual segment travel speeds divided by the segment free flow travel speeds. A total of 29 roadway segments throughout the region have a minimum Speed Reduction Factor of 0.40 or lower during the AM Peak Period (defined in this study as occurring between 6 am and 9 am), and 54 segments meet this threshold during the PM Peak Period (defined as occurring between 3 pm and 7 pm). Many of these segments, as shown in the table, include high profile facilities throughout the region such as the approaches to the Downtown Tunnel, Midtown Tunnel, Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, High Rise Bridge, and Gilmerton Bridge.

This INRIX data was also used by HRTPO staff to determine the duration of congestion, which HRTPO staff had not been able to do with previous congestion analysis methods. A total of 34 roadway segments throughout Hampton Roads are severely congested for at least 9 of the 12 15-minute intervals during the AM Peak Period, and 50 roadway segments are severely congested for at least 13 of the 16 15-minute intervals during the PM Peak Period. Similar to the lowest Speed Reduction Factors, many of the roadway segments with the longest congestion durations include high profile facilities throughout the region such as the Downtown Tunnel, Midtown Tunnel, Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel, High Rise Bridge, and Gilmerton Bridge.

As part of this study, a number of high profile locations throughout Hampton Roads were analyzed in further detail. This includes the length, duration, and level of congestion during the AM and PM Peak Periods at each location, and the total delay during each peak period. Among the ten high profile locations studied in this report, the Downtown Tunnel has the highest peak period delays in both the AM and PM Peak Periods. The Midtown Tunnel has the second highest delay during the AM Peak Period, while the Hampton Roads Bridge-Tunnel has the second highest delay during the PM Peak Period.

The Hampton Roads Regional Travel Time/Speed Study is available on HRTPO’s website at http://hrtpo.org/TPO_Reports.asp.

By Jessica M. Banks
Senior Transportation Analyst

The Commonwealth Transportation Board (CTB) is soliciting public comments for the Draft FY 2013-2018 Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP), set to be approved by the CTB in June 2012. The SYIP is updated annually and is the means by which the CTB meets its statutory obligation to allocate funds to interstate, primary and urban highway systems, rail, public transportation, airports, ports, and other programs for the immediate fiscal year. The SYIP also identifies planned program funding for the subsequent five fiscal years.

Public hearings are scheduled throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia. Hampton Roads residents will have an opportunity to contribute their comments at the May 7, 2012 meeting. The meeting is scheduled to start at 6:00pm and is located at:

Regional Boardroom
723 Woodlake Drive
Chesapeake, VA 23320

By Benito O. Pérez, bperez@hrpdcva.gov
HRTPO Transportation Engineer

In June 2011, the HRTPO Board approved the Hampton Roads Regional Land Use Map report. Succeeding the research scan of best practices from 2010, this report documented the tools developed and efforts undertaken to develop the Existing and Future Regional Land Use Map for the Hampton Roads region. Additionally, the Future Regional Land Use map was visualized and made available for interactive use to the public. In November 2011, the American Planning Association selected the HRTPO to develop a poster entitled ‘Mapping Hampton Roads’ Regional Land Uses’ for presentation at the 2012 American Planning Association’s National Planning Conference in Los Angeles, CA. The four-day conference features more than 200 conference sessions and 65 mobile workshops that focus on a variety of topics such as demographic changes, transit-oriented development, alternative energy, food systems and public health. The conference focuses on addressing the challenges facing cities and communities today, and tomorrow.

HRTPO Staff developed and presented the poster, aimed towards planners, policy makers, and citizens from across the United States. The poster highlighted key points of the research scan and map development process, as well as showcases the Common Land Use Classification System, the Existing and Future Land Use Maps, and the visualization tool developed for interactive public use.