EFFICIENT TRANSPORTATION SOLUTIONS

IN MINNESOTA A JOINT PRESENTATION TO THE

Transportation Funding Advisory CommitteeSeptember 14, 2012

What do we mean by efficient transportation solutions?

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• High Return on Investment (HROI) projects

• Cost-Effective solutions

High Return on Investment (HROI) Projects

• Achieve most benefits at a much lower cost

• Use other funded projects (i.e. preservation, bridge replacement) to leverage resources

• Maximize use of existing right-of-way (ROW)

Series1

Cost

Ben

efit

75% Benefit33% Cost

• Benefits include bottleneck relief, improved geometrics, address safety hazards, shortened implementation timelines and money can be spread to more projects

This HROI approach is centered around:

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• Performance and Outcomes• Lower Cost, High Benefit • Safety • Technology • Risk Based Analysis Approach• Enhanced Quality of Life

• T.H. 100 widening at Excelsior Boulevard• I-694/T.H. 10/Snelling Ave• Willmar Business 71• I-35W MnPASS• Toward Zero Deaths

High ROI ProjectsExamples

Highway 100 at Highway 7Project Profile

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• Traditional solution:– full build/reconstruction– $118 million

• High ROI solution: – shoulder conversion – $7.1 million

• Benefits: – Improved mobility– Reduced congestion– 10 years of benefits accrued – Positioned for performance based design

I-694 / Highway 10Project Profile

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• Traditional solution:– full build/reconstruction– $105 million

• High ROI solution: – Performance based design – $42.5 million

• Benefits: – Reduced crashes– Improved mobility

Wilmar; Business 71 / CR 24Project Profile

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• Traditional solution:– Grade separated interchange– $ 7.0 million

• High ROI solution: – Performance based design; reduced conflict

intersection – $730,000

• Benefits: – Reduced crashes– Reduced crash severity– Improved mobility

I-35W MnPASSProject Profile

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• Traditional solution:– Highway reconstruction and widening– $ 400 million

• High ROI solution: – Performance based design; Priced Dynamic Shoulder

Lanes, ATM technology– $15 million

• Benefits: – 2 miles of added interstate capacity – Transit, HOV and MnPASS user advantages– Time savings: 5 months vs. 3 years

Statewide Toward Zero Deaths Project Profile

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• Traditional solution:– Rural interchange: $15-25 million – 4 lane highway construction and widening:

$ 4-8 million per mile

• High ROI solution: – Performance based design;

• Rumble Strips at $4000 per mile• 3 cable guard rail at $150,000 per mile

• Benefits: – Reduced fatalities – 100’s of miles of safer roads vs. one location at a time

Improving Mobility in the Twin Cities Metro RegionA realistic, innovative, flexible, sustainable

and problem-focused investment direction:

• Manage congestion, improve mobility

• Multimodal solutions

• Preserve, manage, optimize existing highway system

Improving Regional MobilityFuture Congestion Management

• Improve highways to move the most people, not the most cars

• Use Active Traffic Management• Construct high-benefit/lower-cost projects• Expand system of managed (priced) lanes

Improving Regional MobilityFuture Congestion Management

• Encourage alternatives to driving alone• Promote land use that promotes efficient

use of the transportation system• Invest in transit

Active Traffic Management• Advanced traffic management

technologies coordination through a highly sophisticated Regional Transportation Management Center (RTMC)

• Increases in capacity, travel time reliability, speed, safety

Cost-Effective Transit Solutions

• Operational Improvements• Capital Investmentso Park-ride facilitieso Transitway developmento Arterial BRT

Transit Operational Improvements• 33 miles of bus-only lanes on city streets • 300 miles of bus-only shoulder lanes on freeways• 44 miles of managed lanes on freeways• 89 ramp meter bypasses• Traffic signal priority• Low-floor boarding• Advanced fare technology (Go-To cards/programs)• Real-time information signs• GPS bus technology/ Advanced scheduling software

• These improvements help buses save time (time = money), fuel, and the environment

Energy SavingsIncreased use of:• Higher capacity buses,

where demand warrants• Clean diesel buses (90%

cleaner than old technology)

• Hybrid-electric buses (15% of the fleet by year end)

• Use of advanced navigational technology

$-

$200,000

$400,000

$600,000

$800,000

$1,000,000

$1,200,000

Bus Garage Energy Costs, by Year

2008 20092010 2011

Park-and-ride Facilities• 29,200 parking spaces• Benefits of regional park-

and-rides:– Increases accessibility for

suburban and rural transit users

– Concentrates demand – Reduces length of collection

portion of the route– Improves operating efficiency

Transitway Development

• Large capacity investments, appropriate in heavily traveled corridors

• More efficient operations in corridors with high ridership potential

• High Return on Investment (ROI)• Promote more efficient transit-oriented

development

Transitway Development

Subject to rigorous and lengthy project development process to:

• Select cost-effective mode and alignment• Implement nationally competitive projects• Secure federal funding• Clearly define the project through planning

Arterial BRT• High-benefit/Lower-cost transit investments• Appropriate in large transit demand arterial

corridors• Emphasis on fast, reliable, convenient

service• Low capital cost ($3-4 million/mile)• 30% faster service than regular route local

service

Cost-Effective Transit Solutions

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Pitts-burgh

Cleveland

Denver

Phoenix

Twin Cities

Houston

$- $2.00 $4.00 $6.00 $8.00

$6.03 $5.50

$4.35 $4.01

$2.45 $2.33

$1.96 $1.64

$1.47 $0.91 $0.85

2010 Light Rail Subsidy per Passenger Trip

DallasSt. LouisHouston

PittsburghSeattle

PhoenixBaltimore

PortlandCleveland

DenverTwin CitiesMilwaukeeSan Diego

$- $2.00 $4.00 $6.00

$5.58 $4.12

$4.01 $3.79 $3.76

$3.49 $3.23

$3.12 $2.92

$2.72 $2.61

$2.31 $2.00

2010 Regional Bus Subsidy per Passenger Trip

Conclusions

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• HROI projects using performance based designs help to significantly leverage resources – Improve safety– Reduce costs

• In an increasingly competitive world, it is imperative that we design and operate in a manner that is– Sustainable– Affordable– Maintainable scale