Memorandum
Date August 7, 2014
TO Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
FROM Karl H. Quackenbush
CTPS Executive Director
RE Work Program for: McGrath Boulevard Area Traffic Analysis: Modeling Support
Review and approval
That the Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization, upon the recommendation of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, vote to approve the work program for McGrath Boulevard Area Traffic Analysis: Modeling Support, presented in this memorandum
Planning Studies
22208
Massachusetts Department of Transportation, Highway Division
Project Supervisor: Michael Trepanier
Principal: Scott Peterson
Manager: Bruce Kaplan
MassDOT Contract #TBD
The MPO staff has sufficient resources to complete this work in a capable and timely manner. By undertaking this work, the MPO staff will neither delay the completion of nor reduce the quality of any work in the UPWP.
East Somerville and other areas adjacent to or near Route 28 are the locations of a great deal of existing and future residential, commercial, and industrial development that is important to overall development in the Boston metropolitan region. Accessibility to and within this corridor, and accessibility to surrounding areas from this corridor, including access to open space and connections to the Boston core, is very important for the corridor’s development and for the quality of life of its residents.
Route 28 is a heavily traveled roadway, which is why it is classified as an “other freeway,” a higher classification than “urban principal arterial.” It provides regional mobility and land access to neighborhoods adjacent to the roadway. Most of Route 28 in Somerville is congested during peak hours, and motorists experience low speeds and delays.
Concerns about corridor accessibility led to a recent MassDOT study carried out under the guidance of the Route 28 Corridor Advisory Committee. One result of this extensive study and additional research was a decision to redesign Route 28 as a “boulevard” type of roadway similar to the segment of Massachusetts Avenue between Harvard Square and Porter Square in Cambridge. The design currently includes a median with green landscaping, street furniture, and wide sidewalks for pedestrians.
As the design has proceeded, it has become apparent that there are two major issues regarding traffic capacity and traffic patterns that would require further analysis: 1) whether a four-lane boulevard would provide suitable traffic capacity or whether a six-lane boulevard would be required; and 2) how the diversion of traffic from the new boulevard segment of Route 28 would affect traffic levels on nearby roadways, especially on Rutherford Avenue, whether Rutherford Avenue were to retain present configuration or be a redesigned boulevard. It is hoped that this study will begin to answer these questions.
The objectives of this study are to prepare estimates of the changes in local and regional travel patterns that would occur as a result of each of four potential future scenarios and to analyze the consequent impacts on air quality and environmental justice in and around the project area.
Work on this study will consist of the following six tasks: calibrating an updated base-year regional travel demand model, creating a microsimulation model of the project area, modeling a future-year no-build scenario, modeling future-year build scenarios, documenting the results of the study in a memorandum, and providing ongoing modeling assistance.
CTPS will take the most up-to-date TransCAD version of the base-year (2010) Boston Region MPO regional travel demand model and calibrate it to the available data on traffic patterns in the project area (including the latest set of roadway volume counts).
While the regional model that was used to create the base-year model in Task 1 could be used to estimate regional changes, as well as many local changes, in travel patterns resulting from changes in the transportation infrastructure and transit services, it is not capable of estimating changes at the detailed traffic engineering level. In order to make that possible, CTPS will create a microsimulation model of the project area using TransModeler software, building on the model calibrated in Task 1. In order to complete this task, CTPS will obtain data on the transportation infrastructure (such as traffic signal locations and timing) from the consultant and will add several local roads to the network.
CTPS will model a future-year version of the Boston Region MPO’s regional travel demand model, using the latest available demographic forecasts for 2035 and transportation networks that will include all of the projects that would be in place by 2035 under the Boston Region MPO’s current adopted Long-Range Transportation Plan (including the Green Line Extension to Union Square and Medford). CTPS will also update the microsimulation model of the McGrath Boulevard area to reflect network changes and estimated changes in travel volumes.
CTPS will apply the future-year regional travel demand model and microsimulation model (both prepared in Task 3) to up to four build scenarios. Each scenario will incorporate the proposed modifications to the roadways and services into the transportation network.
The scenarios will analyze the impacts on travel patterns, vehicular emissions, and environmental justice metrics of the construction of a four-lane McGrath Boulevard or a six-lane McGrath Boulevard, which would replace the present McGrath Highway, and the replacement of the present Rutherford Avenue infrastructure with a boulevard. The microsimulation model will be used to analyze the impacts of traffic engineering changes and will estimate the changes in travel patterns at a more detailed level.
CTPS will prepare a technical memorandum that will describe the models and techniques used in carrying out the analysis during this study and the results of the analysis
Technical memorandum documenting the analytical procedures used in this study and the results of the analysis
CTPS will provide up to five person-weeks of additional support to the modeling efforts performed for the McGrath Boulevard project. This work could include attending MassDOT project team meetings and public meetings.
Tabular or graphical summaries of the results of additional analysis performed as part of this task
It is estimated that this project will be completed 4.5 months after work commences. The proposed schedule, by task, is shown in Exhibit 1.
The total cost of this project is estimated to be $127,954. This includes the cost of 42.0 person-weeks of staff time, and overhead at the rate of 91.82 percent. A detailed breakdown of estimated costs is presented in Exhibit 2.
KQ/IEH/ieh
Task |
Month | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | |
|
1.
Calibrate an Updated Base-Year Model |
From month 1 to 1.8.
| ||||
|
2.
Create a Microsimulation Model of the Project Area |
From month 1.5 to 2.2.
| ||||
|
3.
Model a Future-Year No-Build Scenario |
From month 1.8 to 2.5.
| ||||
|
4.
Model Future-Year Build Scenarios |
From month 2.5 to 5.5.
Deliverable A, Results of first build scenario delivered by Month 3.1
Deliverable B, Results of second build scenario delivered by Month 3.7
Deliverable C, Results of third build scenario delivered by Month 4.3
Deliverable D, Results of fourth build scenario delivered by Month 4.9
Deliverable E, Results of environmental justice analysis delivered by Month 5.5
| ||||
|
5.
Produce a Technical Memorandum |
From month 4.5 to 5.5.
Deliverable F, Technical memorandum delivered by Month 5.5
| ||||
|
6.
Provide Additional Technical Assistance |
From month 1 to 5.5.
| ||||
Task |
Person-Weeks | Direct Salary |
Overhead (91.82%) |
Total Cost |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| M-1 | P-5 | P-4 | P-3 | Total | ||||
|
1.
Calibrate an Updated Base-Year Model
|
0.0 | 4.5 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 6.5 | $10,105 | $9,278 | $19,383 |
|
2.
Create a Microsimulation Model of the Project Area
|
0.0 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 2.0 | 5.5 | $8,349 | $7,666 | $16,015 |
|
3.
Model a Future-Year No-Build Scenario
|
0.5 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 4.5 | $7,247 | $6,654 | $13,901 |
|
4.
Model Future-Year Build Scenarios
|
1.0 | 12.0 | 0.0 | 4.0 | 17.0 | $27,169 | $24,946 | $52,115 |
|
5.
Produce a Technical Memorandum
|
1.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 3.5 | $5,711 | $5,243 | $10,954 |
|
6.
Provide Additional Technical Assistance
|
0.5 | 3.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 5.0 | $8,125 | $7,460 | $15,585 |
|
Total
|
3.5 | 27.5 | 1.0 | 10.0 | 42.0 | $66,705 | $61,249 | $127,954 |