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June 28 2005
MTA Shares Maps of Refined Red Line Routes at Open Houses At five open houses held earlier this month, MTA's Red Line team shared the latest thinking about the project with approximately 450 attendees. The presentation focused on refined rail and bus rapid transit alternatives which were depicted on maps of the corridor. (To see the routes from Social Security to Gwynns Falls Park, click here. To see the routes from Gywnns Falls Park to Canton, click here.) There was also information about the refinement process, major environmental features and historic sites, and an updated project schedule. Click here for an on-line version of the meeting materials. Project staff characterized the attendees as ranging from curious to skeptical depending on the community. There was particular concern about project alignments and impacts expressed at the meeting held at Woodlawn Community Center and Edmondson High School, and MTA has committed to make these areas a priority in the next phase of work.
BTA Calls Proposed Bus System Restructuring Overdue At its June 17 meeting the BTA Board of Advisors adopted a position on the MTA's proposed bus system restructuring. The BTA called the effort overdue and urgently needed, but expressed concern that the proposal does not sufficiently advance the vision of "excellent bus service as a fundamental element of a world class region." The BTA praised the MTA's data-driven decision making process but expressed concern about the elimination of portions of lines that serve suburban employment centers; a failure to propose innovative service concepts that would attract choice riders; and too much emphasis on cost recovery at the expense of effectiveness. To read the full text of the BTA's position, click here. Last week Governor Ehrlich extended the public comment period to mid-July, and the MTA is now considering whether and how to revise its proposal in anticipation of an October implementation.
Expert Tells BTA Process to Receive Federal Funds is Rigorous, Lengthy At a recent meeting, Jeff Boothe, a partner in the law firm Holland & Knight and an expert on federal "New Starts" transit funding, told the BTA Board of Advisors that the process to receive federal funds for a project starts early and includes involvement from the Federal Transit Administration. From FTA's perspective, this strategy has been effective at reducing the number of projects in the funding pipeline and increasing the amount of uncommitted funding to $1.5 billion in Fiscal Year 2009. Projects with a high "cost effectiveness" rating are the most likely to be funded, with cost effectiveness defined as the ratio of capital and operating cost over time compared the aggregate travel time savings for riders.
Event Alert: Workshop on Integrating Rapid Transit with Existing Communities Coming August 1
Heavy Rail Line Opens in San Juan
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