I know that Philadelphians have always talked about a multi-level
Route 76, Schuylkill Expressway, even as far back as the late 70’s and early 80’s
if my memory serves me right. It was
never more prevalent then back in the mid 80’s, when we rebuilt Route 76. I remember sitting in 76 road traffic for
hours almost every Friday night just trying to get out of the suburbs and to
the New Jersey shore! Times have
changed, congestion is even more significant now and sprawl continues out
through the 422/202 corridor.
Just for a second, imagine once again the possibility of a
tolled Route 76. Imagine taking the existing
roadway and raising it up one level.
What if you could construct another roadway underneath? A tolled roadway that would be protected from
the elements resulting in potentially better driving conditions, protection from
the elements, overall reduced maintenance cost and effectively increasing the capacity
of the roadway while mostly maintaining the existing right of way? What if you could also install a high speed
rapid transit system, rail or bus, in that same space? What if all of that could be done in a P3 relationship?
There are so many what ifs and there
have always been. Interestingly enough,
the growing popularity of P3 relationships and the need to address our aging infrastructure
is starting to bring out the dreamers and turning that vision into a
reality. For a second, planners need to forget
about the realities and only dream about the possibilities. Just look what’s happening in Virginia!
The 19 firms that responded to Virginia’s request for
information on Interstate 66 improvements generally focused on one major
upgrade: the introduction of managed toll lanes.
They offered few specifics (and wouldn’t be expected to at
this stage of the process), except to say most were interested in pursuing a
future request for proposals to build or manage a toll lane system of some type
between Route 15 in Prince William County and the Capital Beltway in Fairfax
County.
But one response stood out, or, more specifically, stood
above. Fluor Enterprises Inc., wrote that it “sees the likelihood or
probability of success in using the [Public Private Partnership, or P3] model
for the I-66 Corridor Improvements as very high.” But if Virginia wants to run
rail or bus rapid transit through the 25-mile corridor, it must look up.
“Based on the currently available information, we believe
that the only way to implement [managed lane, or ML] and BRT Concepts and
preserve the potential for rail extension is to take the ML/BRT vertical,” the
firm, a partner in the Beltway and I-95 Express Lane project, wrote. “Absent a
vertical expansion with the corridor, the Right-of-Way required would be
substantial, which would introduce huge costs and also introduce schedule risk.
“For a vertical solution ... the most significant cost
drivers are going to be in the structures and in safety and maintenance of
traffic (MOT),” the response continues. “We believe there are innovative ways
to implement such solutions to minimize costs, schedule, and potential traffic
delays, but we would respectfully prefer to share these in an environment where
the confidentiality of such solutions is protected.”
While Transurban, also a co-developer of the I-495 and I-95
Express Lanes, believes that managed lanes would "enable express bus
routes and other transit improvements," several firms suggested, like
Fluor, that there’s simply not enough space for both expanded vehicle lanes and
dedicated transit on I-66.
Abertis USA Corp., which describes itself as the “world’s
leading toll road concessionaire,” expressed an interest in “serving as the
concessionaire to a self-sustaining project on I-66.” But the firm’s president,
Jordi Graells, was concerned about the extension of rail along the highway, and
rejected a bifurcated highway system “because it will take up the space that is
need for additional lanes.”
Lane Construction Corp. indicated that the right-of-way
impacts of a highway expansion “appear to be understated."
“We see more properties, homes and facilities impacted east
of Route 50 than is indicated,” Lane wrote. “We currently have no alternative
solution as space is required and whatever is needed must be taken.”
If anything, the Fluor response shows that firms are
thinking creatively (we’ll see later about realistically) about how to provide
all manner of transportation options along one of the region’s most congested
corridors.
Source: Washington
Business Journal
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