Chicago Transit Authority YELLOW LINE EXTENSION ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS STUDY SCREEN 2 April 2009 SLIDE: Schedule for Tonight’s Meeting -- Structure of the Meeting -- Questions and answers process * Submit your comments in writing on comment cards * Comments and questions will be grouped and answered by topic * All comments and questions will be addressed on CTA’s website -www.transitchicago.com * An interpreter for the hearing impaired is available this evening SLIDE: Tonight’s Speakers Darud Akbar, Moderator ? Chicago Transit Authority Jeffery Busby, Strategic Planning Manager ? Chicago Transit Authority Art Peterson, Yellow Line Study Area Manager ? Parsons Brinkerhoff SLIDE: Outline of Presentation -- Discuss Status of Yellow Line Extension Alternatives Analysis Study * New Starts Overview * Screen 1 Findings -- Screen 2 preliminary findings -- Public involvement process NEW SECTION: STATUS OF STUDY SLIDE: FTA’S Required New Start Process Flow chart of the New Start Process: Concept Development, Alternatives Analysis Study (present stage), Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Impact Statement, Final Design, Construction, then Operation. SLIDE: Alternatives Analysis (AA) Studies -- FTA Requirement for federal funding for transit expansion (New Starts) -- Identifies transit opportunities and ensures all practical solutions are considered -- Ensures planning is consistent among all New Starts projects throughout the country -- Provides opportunity to gather information and receive public input -- Identifies Locally Preferred Alternative SLIDE: FTA’s Evaluation Process The Purpose and Need is first defined, the evaluation criteria are applied, and options within the Universe of Alternatives are eliminated until, at the end of the process, there is a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). Flow chart illustrates process of examining a universe of alternatives, application of evaluation criteria, and narrowing options during the Alternatives Analysis screening process to arrive at a Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA). SLIDE: Purpose and Need -- Enhance access to the concentration of institutional, employment and retail activity in the Old Orchard Road area -- Leverage existing transit infrastructure to provide locally oriented rapid transit service -- Support local land use and development goals -- Alleviate traffic congestion due to expected growth in Skokie population and employment SLIDE: Screen 1 Process 1. Define the Universe of Alternatives 2. Evaluate all Potential Technologies 3. Evaluate all Potential Alignments (Corridors and Profiles) 4. Evaluate all Potential Combinations of Technological and Alignment Alternatives 5. Advance Strongest Combinations to Screen 2 SLIDE: Universe of Alternatives – Technologies List of technologies examined: Automated Guideway/Monorail, Bus Rapid Transit, Commuter Bus, Commuter Rail, Heavy Rail Transit, High Speed Rail, Light Rail Transit, Local Bus, MagLev, Personal Rapid Transit, Streetcar SLIDE: Universe of Alternatives – Profiles List of profiles examined: Elevated, At-Grade, Trench, Underground SLIDE: Corridors Considered in the AA Study Four corridors are identified: Edens Expressway, Union Pacific Railroad, Gross Point Road / Skokie Boulevard, Skokie Boulevard SLIDE: Screen 1 Evaluation Process Findings -- Heavy Rail Transit, Union Pacific Railroad, At-Grade, elevated, and trench Map: This corridor begins at the Dempster Street Yellow Line Station and continues north along the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way. Near the Edens Expressway, it offers an east or west alignment and possible location for the terminal station at Old Orchard Road. The east terminus option is near Niles North High School and Old Orchard Mall and the West terminus option is near the Cook County Courthouse. -- Bus Rapid Transit, Union Pacific Railroad, At-Grade Map: This corridor begins at the Dempster Street Yellow Line Station and continues north along the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way. Near the Edens Expressway, it offers an east or west alignment and possible location for the terminal station at Old Orchard Road. The east terminus option is near Niles North High School and Old Orchard Mall and the West terminus option is near the Cook County Courthouse. Bus Rapid Transit, Gross Point Road / Skokie Boulevard, At-Grade Map: This corridor begins at the Dempster Street Yellow Line Station. It has the option to go east/northeast on Gross Point Road or Dempster Street to Skokie Boulevard. At Skokie Boulevard, the corridor continues north to the Old Orchard Shopping Mall. SLIDE: Screen 1 Public Involvement Process -- Public Meeting on August 26, 2008 at National-Lewis University -- More than 50 people attended the public meeting -- Met with stakeholders and elected officials -- 138 comments submitted and answered NEW SECTION: SCREEN 2 ANALYSIS SLIDE: Screen 2 Process -- Step 1 – Alternatives Definition * Conceptual Alignment Refinement * Operating Plans -- Step 2 – Detailed Evaluation * Physical Constraints * Social & Economic Factors * Environmental Factors * Transportation Factors * Capital Cost Comparison * Operating and Maintenance (O&M) Cost Comparison * Ridership Potential SLIDE: Alternatives Definition -- No Build Alternative -- Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative * Gross Point Road / Skokie Boulevard Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) combined with Transportation System Management (TSM) alternative. -- Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Extension via Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) at-grade -- Heavy Rail Transit (HRT) Extension via UPRR elevated and trench * At-grade not recommended SLIDE: Study Area Map: Yellow Line Extension Alternatives Analysis Study Area with the boundaries of Dempster Street to the south, Old Orchard Road to the north, Skokie Boulevard to the east and Central Avenue/Harms Road to the west. At the southern boundary of the map is the Skokie / Dempster Street Yellow Line terminus. SLIDE: No Build Alternative -- Existing CTA heavy rail transit service terminating at the Dempster Street Station -- Existing CTA and Pace bus service Map: There is a map which displays the study area with existing CTA rail service and bus routes and Pace bus routes. Four bus routes service the Dempster Street Station and six routes service Old Orchard Shopping Center SLIDE: Transit Service Management (TSM) Alternative -- Gross Point Road / Skokie Boulevard BRT refined to be part of the Transportation System Management (TSM) Alternative -- Express bus between CTA Yellow Line Dempster Street Station and Old Orchard Shopping Center and the Cook County Courthouse * No exclusive bus lane * Transit Signal Priority Map: A map illustrating the study area with TSM bus route shown from the Yellow Line Dempster Street Station to the Old Orchard Shopping Center and the Cook County Courthouse along Skokie Boulevard and Old Orchard Road SLIDE: Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Alternative – UPRR -- New BRT station on north side of Dempster Street -- Two-lane exclusive BRT roadway -- Traffic signals with transit signal priority at cross-streets -- BRT station at UPRR and Old Orchard Road -- Continues to Old Orchard Shopping Mall in mixed traffic SLIDE: Heavy Rail Transit (HRT) Alternative – UPRR -- Single-track operation -- Elevated or trench profile with new Dempster Street Station -- West Option remains on UPRR with new station south of Old Orchard Road -- East Option goes on the east side of the Edens Expressway with a new station south of Old Orchard Road SLIDE: BRT / HRT Alternatives – UPRR Section Photographs: Photograph of Gross Point Road looking north and Church Street looking north on the UPRR railroad. Both photographs show the UPRR Railroad corridor that has aged tracks, an at-grade street crossing, and electrical poles and towers. SLIDE: HRT Elevated Typical Section Engineering cross-section: Typical cross section for the Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way with CTA HRT improvement. The right-of-way is measured at 134-feet wide. Starting on the left and moving right, there is a CTA HRT on an elevated structure approximately 23 feet tall contained within the 25-foot Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way. The track structure is protected with an 8-foot fence on both sides. The track is separated from Commonwealth Edison right-of-way property and an electrical tower. The electrical tower is approximately 85-feet tall and carries high-tension electrical wires. Next is a proposed location of a 10-foot wide shared use path, currently on Commonwealth Edison right-of-way. At the right-most edge of the right-of-way corridor on Commonwealth Edison property are another set of electrical poles, but not high-tension towers. SLIDE: HRT Alternative – Old Orchard Road Station Example Artist rendering: An artist rendering of an above-grade HRT station with a parking structure in the background. SLIDE: Step 2 – Detailed Evaluation Evaluation Factors -- Physical constraints * Right-of-way requirements -- Social and Economic Factors * Demographic and Employment -- Environmental Factors * Noise, Visual, Natural and Cultural Resources -- Transportation Factors * Travel time, transit connectivity, and traffic -- Capital Cost -- Operating and Maintenance Cost -- Ridership Potential SLIDE: Table illustrating the Step 2 Detailed Evaluation -- The TSM alternative offers relative benefits in capital costs, but is less advantageous under the transportation criteria -- The BRT alternative offers relative benefits in capital costs and operations and maintenance (O&M) cost factors, but is less advantageous under the transportation criteria -- The HRT UPRR West Elevated option rates positive for transportation and ridership factors, but negative for capital costs and environmental factors -- The HRT UPRR West Trench option rates positive for transportation and ridership factors, but negative for capital costs, physical factors, and environmental factors -- The HRT UPRR East Trench option rates positive for transportation, economic, and ridership factors, but negative for capital costs, physical factors, and environmental factors -- The HRT UPRR East Elevated option rates positive for transportation, economic, and ridership factors, but negative for environmental factors The HRT UPRR East Elevated option is the Locally Preferred Alternative SLIDE: Table illustrating evaluation criteria factors of six alternatives. TSM – The capital cost is $40 million, annual O&M cost is $1.6 million, Annual ridership is 400,000. Ridership from Old Orchard to Howard is 26 minutes BRT -- Capital cost is $90 million, annual O&M cost is $1.4 million, Annual ridership is 300,000 Ridership from Old Orchard to Howard is 16 minutes The HRT UPRR West Elevated – capital cost is $340 million, annual O&M cost is $1.9 million, Annual ridership is 2,000,000. Ridership from Old Orchard to Howard is 18 minutes The HRT UPRR West Trench – capital cost is $420 million, an annual O&M cost is $2.1 million, Annual ridership is 2,000,000. Ridership from Old Orchard to Howard is 18 minutes The HRT UPRR East Trench – capital cost is $360 million, annual O&M cost is $2.1 million, Annual ridership is 2,000,000. Ridership from Old Orchard to Howard is 11 minutes The HRT UPRR East Elevated – capital cost is $270 million, annual O&M cost is $1.9 million, Annual ridership is 2,000,000. Ridership from Old Orchard to Howard is 11 minutes SLIDE: Screen 2 Evaluation – Preliminary Findings The Locally Preferred Alternative Preliminary Recommendation is Heavy Rail Transit Extension via the Union Pacific Railroad East option elevated NEW SECTION: NEXT STEPS SLIDE: Next Steps -- Incorporate public comments -- Confirm Screen 2 preliminary findings for LPA and conclude Alternatives Analysis study -- Review findings with FTA -- CTA Board to approve LPA -- Ongoing public involvement * Sign-in cards will be used to create a contact list to send notices and updates * Project updates on CTA web site -www.transitchicago.com SLIDE: Questions and Comments -- CTA representatives are available to answer additional questions -- Written comments and questions accepted through May 14, 2009 (two weeks from today) -- Contact information: Mr. Darud Akbar, Chicago Transit Authority, Government and Community Relations P.O. Box 7567 Chicago, IL 60680-7567 dakbar@transitchicago.com CTA Customer Service: 1-888-YOUR-CTA TTY: 1-888-CTA-TTY1