Northeast Congestion Management Process Corridor

Improving the Northeast Corridor of Baltimore County
After reviewing federal congestion management process requirements, current State Highway Administration project planning studies, and expected growth in the Baltimore region, Baltimore Metropolitan Council has identified the Northeast corridor (excluding I-95) in Baltimore County as a candidate location for implementing CMP strategies.

Currently, SHA is in the final stages of construction of MD 43 extended from US 40 (Pulaski Highway) to MD 150 (Eastern Boulevard). This region is projected to experience major growth in population and employment over the next several years. Along with that growth also comes an increase in the number of vehicles.

With help from SHA, BMC is developing a simulation model to determine current and projected levels of service at several key signalized locations in the region. Staff will also monitor trends and growth in development in the region and develop alternatives/recommendations for alleviating traffic congestion.

Why the Northeast Corridor?
The northeast corridor has several highway, transit, and freight elements that make it a perfect location for CMP studies. This section has the following elements for inclusion in a CMP:

Highway

• US 40 (Pulaski Highway)
• MD 702 (Southeast Boulevard)
• MD 700 (Martin Boulevard)
• MD 150 (Eastern Avenue)
• MD 43 (White Marsh Boulevard)
• MD 7 (Philadelphia Road)

Transit

• MARC (Commuter rail)
• Bus

Other Transportation Features

• Freight
• Martin State Airport

In addition, there are a large number of diverse stakeholders in the northeast corridor. These include Maryland Department of Transportation, Maryland Transportation Authority, Baltimore County and Baltimore City, the Baltimore County Chamber of Commerce – Eastern Area Division, and the Essex/Middle River/White Marsh Chamber of Commerce.

What will be measured?

There is a wealth of information already available about this corridor which can be used to measure congestion. This includes:

Roadway

• Vehicle volumes (direction, time of day, peak hour, annual daily traffic)
• Volume/Capacity ratios by direction and time of day
• Intersection Level of Service – average queue length, delay
• Miles operating at LOS E or F in peak period
• Duration of congestion

Transit

• Average speeds or travel time
• Ratio of bus to auto speed (for bus systems)
• Average peak period vehicle load factors (passenger miles per seat miles; passengers per vehicle)

In addition, other performance measures may be used. These include:

Efficiency

• Average auto occupancy
• Modal split (especially percent transit vs auto driver)
• Multi-modal person throughput (person trips or person miles per hour across all modes)

Policy

• Average trip length of corridor users (overall & by mode)
• Percent of corridor users who have an alternative (proportion who have a realistic transit alternative; availability of high occupancy vehicle lane or managed lane)
• Distribution of congestion burden across population groups
• Average travel time for index of origins/destinations
• Crash/injury or fatality rates
• Average delay per traveler
• Reliability: Variation in daily travel time
• Number & duration of breakdowns/incidents

BMC is currently working on a traffic simulation model using SYNCHRO to determine existing levels of service. The existing conditions report will be available in October 2005.

For more information:
Bala Akundi, bakundi@baltometro.org or 410-732-0500 x1019.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 19 August 2008 08:12