1

Case StudyASCE Tri-County Workshop

May 10, 2013

Presented by: Jaime C. Lopez, P.E.

Tri ‐Rai l Coasta l Linkf/k/a South Flor ida East Coast Corr idor Study

M I A M I ‐ D A D E , B R O W A R D , A N D P A L M B E A C H C O U N T I E S , F L O R I D A

2

History

• Henry Flagler built the railroad corridor at the turn of the 20th century

• 8,000 acres of land claimed for every mile of railway built

• Opened up Florida to development – St. Augustine to the Florida Keys– Resorts, industry, cities sprung up along the line

• Coastal cities developed around the railroad stations

• Passenger service ended in 1968

3

Overview

• Multi-modal Corridor study • Evaluating transportation solutions

in dense urban corridor• Corridor is 85 miles long,

2 to 7 miles wide– Palm Beach– Broward– Miami-Dade– 28 coastal cities

PALM BEACH COUNTY

BROWARDCOUNTY

MIAMI-DADECOUNTY

Palm BeachInternational

Airport

Ft. Lauderdale-Hollywood

InternationalAirport

MiamiInternational

Airport

4

Partners

• Project Steering Committee– FDOT, SFRTA, 3 MPOs– Transit Agencies– Regional Planning Councils– Guidance during project development

• Memorandum of Understanding– Agency roles and responsibilities– In process of adoption

• Over 30 resolutions of support to date – Local municipalities & agencies– SFRTA (Tri-Rail) – SEFTC (Tri-county regional MPO body)

5

Project Goals

• Re-introduce Passenger Rail as a Mobility Option

– Population density along the coast and severe congestion on highways

– Access to transit dependent populations– Continue developing an integrated regional multi-

modal network

• Redevelopment, TOD and Environmental Preservation

– Sustainable economic development and land use– Preserve and enhance the environment

6

Project Goals (cont’d)

• Enhance Transit Connectivity– Existing transit – Metrorail, Metromover, Bus routes, Trolleys, Express Bus– Planned transit –Wave Streetcar, Central Broward East-West, All Aboard

Florida intercity service

• Leverage RR Corridor and Revenue Opportunities– Grow the tax base– Employ value capture techniques

7

Project Team

• RS&H– Corridor Manager, Agency Coordination,

Environmental, Public Involvement• Major Subconsultants

– CH2M Hill –• Concepts & Cost Estimating

– AECOM –• Modeling & Station Planning

– Ernst & Young–• Financial Planning

• Specialty subconsultants

8

FEC RR / I-95 Corridor: The Regional Core

• Economics– 1 million jobs, 1.5 million people,

and multiple CBDs & downtowns within the corridor

– 3 international airports – MIC, Eller Drive– 3 seaports – PortMiami deep dredge,

Port Everglades ICTF– Truck and rail freight

• Transportation– 3 million trips per day 17% of these

trips take place in corridor– Strong, established transit corridor– Improvement projects underway

9

I-95 & US-1: North-South Transportation “Spine”

• Existing transportation options are heavily used

– 300,000 vehicles per day on I-95 – Severe auto congestion– Over 55,000 trips per day on

bus and rail transit

• Strong population and employment growth forecast

• Limited opportunities and desire for roadway expansion

Miami

Ft. Lauderdale

Miami Beach

10

West Palm Beach

Miami

Ft. Lauderdale

Commuter Rail & Intercity Passenger Service

TRCL – Commuter Passenger Rail ServiceTRCL – Commuter Passenger Rail Service All Aboard Florida – Intercity Passenger Rail ServiceAll Aboard Florida – Intercity Passenger Rail Service

West Palm Beach

Miami

Ft. Lauderdale

Orlando

Jupiter

Orlando

Pompano Beach

• Commuter Passenger Rail- 25+ Round-trip Trains Per Day

• Commuters and Local Travelers

• Miami to Jupiter

• 85 miles (Phased Implementation)

• Station Spacing at 2-5 Miles

• Tri-Rail integrated with extension into FEC corridor

• Local, state, and federal funding

• Project Development funding to be programmed in Summer 2013

• Intercity Passenger Rail Service- 19 Round-trip Trains per Day

• Tourists and Regional Travelers

• Miami to Orlando

• 240 miles

• 3 Stations in Tri-County area

• Privately funded

11

Project Timeline

Dates Activities

2005 – 2010MPOs requested FDOT lead Regional Study (consolidated prior studies);Initiated Alternatives Analysis and data collection; Identified mode, alignment, and station area alternatives; Conducted extensive Public Outreach

Winter 2010 Regional Rail alternative identified as System Master Plan; Initiated update of regional travel demand model and operations simulation

Spring 2012 FEC announces All Aboard Florida intercity passenger rail service between Miami and Orlando

Spring – Fall 2012 Refinement of Regional Rail alternative

Fall 2012 –Summer 2013

Steering Committee consensus on Build Alternative and potential phases;Capital costs updated to reflect All Aboard Florida service plan

Spring 2013 Preparation of preliminary Project Development documentation

Summer 2013 Project Development funding programmed; NEPA contract(s) advertised

Fall 2013 Submit Request to Enter Project Development Phase to FTA

12

45th St.

30/6

0

Palmetto Park Blvd.Palm Beach Co.

Broward Co.

Broward Co.

Miami Dade Co.

CSX/Tri‐R

ail

Atlantic Blvd.

36th St.

79th St.

163rd St.192nd St.

Ft. Lauderdale Govt. Center

Hollywood/Hallandale

Toney Penna (Jupiter)PGA Blvd.

Boynton Beach Blvd.

Atlantic Ave.

West Palm Beach/45th St./Riviera Beach/Lake Park

Hillsboro

Oakland Park/Wilton Manors

Dania Beach/FLL

125th St.

30/6

0FEC

West Palm Beach Govt. Center/Okeechobee

60/1

20

Lake Worth

60/1

20

PompanoRail Connection

NorthwoodRail Connection

Lake Worth

Deerfield  Beach

Pompano  Beach

Ft. Lauderdale

Golden Glades

West Palm Beach

Metrorail Transfer

Miami Int’l Airport

Mangonia Park

Boynton Beach

Delray Beach

Boca Raton

Cypress Creek

Hollywood

Ft. Lauderdale Airport

Sheridan Street

Opa‐locka

HialeahMarket

Miami Gov’t Center/Overtown

System Master Plan (2010) Build Alternative (2013)

Palmetto Park Blvd.

CSX/

Tri‐R

ail

Pompano Transfer

11th St.

79th St.

163rd St.193rd ‐ 203rd St.

Ft. Lauderdale Govt. Center

Pembroke Rd.

PGA Blvd.

Forest Hill Blvd.

Hypoluxo Rd.

Hillsboro

Commercial Blvd.

Ft. Lauderdale Airport

FEC

West Palm Beach Govt. Center

West Palm Beach

Deerfield  Beach

Pompano  Beach

Ft. Lauderdale

Golden Glades

Metrorail Transfer

Miami Int’l Airport

Boynton Beach

Boca Raton

Hollywood

Opa‐locka

HialeahMarket

Miami Gov’t Center/Overtown

Indiantown

Metrorail

Airport F

lyer

• 122 passenger trains• 20+ new stations• $800 M capital cost

• 300 passenger trains• 52 stations• $3 B capital cost

NW 51st St.

Temple Blvd.

AAF Station

13

Distinctive Project Aspects

• Shared use of rail corridor with commuter service– Tri-Rail operating in South Florida Rail Corridor– SunRail Phase 1 under construction in Orlando

• Active freight corridor anticipating growth– Panama Canal expansion– Capital improvements at seaports

14

Distinctive Project Aspects (cont’d)

• Opportunities to share infrastructure– Intercity passenger service proposed – Shared trackwork– Potential for shared passenger stations– Gauntlet track for high and wide loads– Shared vehicle maintenance facilities

• Hialeah Yard• Northern Layover Facility (planning phase)

– Implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) • FRA mandate (December 2015)

– Freight connections can benefit passenger rail• Northwood, Pompano, Little River

– Quiet zones• FEC’s recently restored PortMiami lead

15

Modeling & Simulation

• Ridership forecasting– Transit model now New Starts-compliant– FTA will perform “hands-on” model assessment– Preliminary forecasts helped refine Build

Alternative

• Rail operations simulation– Ongoing coordination with SFRTA, FEC, AAF– Model reflects all existing rail services: Tri-Rail,

Amtrak, FEC, CSX– Includes proposed FEC freight service and

proposed All Aboard Florida intercity service

16

Stakeholder and Agency Coordination

• Continuing coordination with stakeholders• 24 Project Steering Committee meetings• 194 MPO Board and elected officials meetings• 89 Meetings & workshops with local governments• 219 Public meetings, workshops, and station

planning meetings• Feedback:

– Strong local support for project– Identify funding for accelerated implementation

17

Station Planning and Refinement

• 20+ primary stations– Average station spacing of 2-5 miles– System Master Plan had 52 stations

• Remaining station locations tiered for future infill

18

Steering Committee Structure

Steering Committee

Technical Subcommittee

FinancialSubcommittee

OutreachSubcommittee

Steering Committee

Technical Subcommittee

FinancialSubcommittee

OutreachSubcommittee

19

Transit Project Process

Preliminary Project Development

(formerly Alternatives Analysis)

ConstructionPhase

EngineeringPhase

Project Development Phase

2 YearsMAP-21 Requirement

FTA Approval to enterProject Development

FTA Approval to enter Engineering

FTA Approval of Full Funding Grant 

Agreement

Keys to Success:Project Justification RatingLocal Financial CommitmentChampion

20

MAP-21 Legislation

• Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21)– 2-year federal transportation bill effective October 1, 2012

• Streamlines environmental process– New rule for Major Capital Investment Projects in Federal Register in 2013

• Changes FTA’s New Starts process– 2-year timeframe for Project Development (PD) phase

• Combines aspects of former Alternatives Analysis (AA) and Preliminary Engineering (PE) phases

– PD phase concludes with:• Selection of Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) • Adoption of LPA in fiscally constrained LRTPs• New Starts Rating (project justification)

21

MAP-21 Legislation (cont’d)

• New Starts evaluation criteria:– Mobility improvements– Environmental benefits– Congestion relief– Economic development effects– Cost-effectiveness– Existing land use

• Guidance expected from FTA in summer 2013• In the interim, FTA will approach as follows:

– 50% weight to project justification rating– 50% weight to local financial commitment

22

Milestone Schedule

TASKS

Request Entry into PD

Commence PD / Kick-off Meetings

Public Workshops

Draft EA Analysis

MPO Endorsement of LPA / Public Hearings

Final EA / FONSI

New Starts Submittal

Request Entry into Engineering

2013Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2014Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

2015Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

23

Questions?

Tri ‐Rai l Coasta l Linkf/k/a South Flor ida East Coast Corr idor (SFECC) Study

M I A M I ‐ D A D E , B R O W A R D , A N D P A L M B E A C H C O U N T I E S , F L O R I D A