PROJECT UPDATE PUBLIC OPEN HOUSE #3 OCTOBER 17 4:30 PM – 6:30 PM Dakota County Northern Service Center

AA PROCESS 2 Project Scoping We are here

1. PROJECT SCOPING: PURPOSE AND NEED PROJECT PURPOSE The purpose of the Robert Street Transitway is to provide the necessary transit infrastructure and service to meet the long-term regional mobility and local accessibility needs between downtown St. Paul and areas within Dakota County. PROJECT NEED  Forecasted growth in travel demand  Limited transit service and time-efficient transit options  Needs of people who depend on transit  Roadway congestion and shift toward multimodal investments  Regional objectives for growth 3

1. PROJECT SCOPING: GOALS AND OBJECTIVES GOALS  Improve mobility and accessibility  Enhance the effectiveness of transit service within the corridor  Provide cost-effective and financially feasible transit solutions  Support and enhance existing communities and planned development  Support healthy communities and sound environmental practices 4

2. PRELIMINARY SCREENING 5 WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN PRELIMINARY SCREENING?  Does the alignment meet the project purpose?  Does the alignment show ridership potential?  Does the alignment match a transitway mode’s recommended facility type, system length, and physical needs?

2. PRELIMINARY SCREENING: ALTERNATIVES Preliminary screening considered alignment and mode alternatives generated by fall 2012 open houses, the Robert Street Steering Committee, and the 2008 feasibility study. Alternatives included:  33 unique alignment segments  7 mode alternatives

2. PRELIMINARY SCREENING: RESULTS Alternatives advanced through preliminary screening:  Robert Street Arterial BRT  Robert Street Streetcar  TH 52 LRT/Dedicated Busway  TH 52 Highway BRT  Concord Arterial BRT  Concord Streetcar These alternatives:  Met the project purpose  Showed ridership potential  Fit a transitway mode A possible service extension to Rosemount was advanced for sensitivity analysis.

3. CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION AND PRELIMINARY EVALUATION WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN THE CONCEPTUAL DEFINITION OF ALTERNATIVES?  Alignments  Service plans  Cross sections  Facilities  Conceptual station design 8

3. PRELIMINARY EVALUATION WHAT WAS INCLUDED IN PRELIMINARY EVALUATION? 9 Assess alternative’s ability to: ■ Provide cost-effective and financially feasible transit solutions 1. Engineering Constraints Assess alternative’s ability to: ■ Improve mobility and accessibility ■ Support healthy communities and sound environmental practices 2. Ridership Potential Assess alternative’s ability to:  Enhance effectiveness of transit service within the corridor  Improve mobility and accessibility 3. Capital Improvement Needs Project Goal

3. PRELIMINARY EVALUATION: RESULTS Alternatives advanced through preliminary evaluation: Robert Street Streetcar Robert Street Arterial BRT TH 52 Highway BRT These alternatives showed the best ability to satisfy project goals based on one or more factors including:  Physical impacts  Projected ridership  Cost-effectiveness A service extension to Rosemount was evaluated separately from preliminary evaluation. Further study of a traditional express bus service along TH 52 is recommended for analysis outside of this study.

4. ADVANCED DEFINITION AND FINAL EVALUATION ADVANCED DEFINITION WILL INCLUDE:  Runningway alignment  Stations  Service plans  Traffic controls  Operating facilities design 11 We are here

4. ADVANCED DEFINITION AND FINAL EVALUATION ADVANCED DEFINITION WILL PROVIDE INFORMATION TO EVALUATE: Cost estimates Economic development and land use Environmental and natural resources Environmental justice Mobility Traffic operations Travel demand 12 We are here

4. ADVANCED DEFINITION AND FINAL EVALUATION INFORMED BY: Purpose and Need local Adopted goals, objectives, and evaluation measures Metropolitan Council Regional Transitway Guidelines regional Capital Investment Criteria – Section 10.8 FTA New Starts national Project Justification Criteria 13 We are here

NEXT STEPS TODAY WHAT’S NEXT TODAY? We invite you to:  Review materials  Ask questions  Sign-up for list  Fill out comment cards  Provide feedback on preliminary alternatives 14

THANK YOU!