RECEIVE presentation on the Monterey-Salinas Transit Feasibility Study of Bus Operations on State Route 1 Shoulders and in the Monterey Branch Line right-of-way.

MST led this regional study, which had a consultant cost of $220,957. TAMC provided $65,000 of funds from Monterey Branch Line lease revenues to support this regional study in January 2016, and AMBAG provided additional monies to fund the study. MST has programmed its share of SB-1 gas tax funding under the Local Partnership Program for FY 2018/19 to pay for the preliminary engineering and environmental documentation phase of this project. 

Funding for the overall project is identified in TAMC’s Measure X sales tax ($15 million) and in the Fort Ord Reuse Authority’s Capital Improvement Program ($14.56 million). Additionally, this project that could compete for SB 1 gas tax funds. 

Traffic congestion on State Route 1 between Marina, Seaside and Monterey has led to the evaluation of several options for reducing travel times in the corridor.  In 2002, Sand City and Seaside prepared a project study report proposing widening of the highway in this corridor, at a projected cost of $80 million (2016 dollars). 

Rail and bus transit options have also been evaluated.  In 2003, the Transportation Agency purchased the Monterey Branch Line (which roughly parallels Highway 1 between Monterey and Castroville) for $9.3 million to preserve the right-of-way for future transit usage.  In 2009, the Transportation Agency adopted light rail as the preferred use for the Branch Line. The cost of Phase 1 (light rail service with 15 min headways between Monterey and Marina) was estimated to be $165 million. Phase 2 (extended service with 15 minute headways from Marina to Castroville) was expected to cost an additional $40-50 million; operational costs were estimated at approximately $5 million/year. The light rail project was put on hold due to federal and local funding constraints. Per TAMC Board action, light rail remains the long-term plan for the use of the Monterey Branch Line.

Bus rapid transit was identified as another viable alternative use for the Branch Line to improve bus travel times along the Highway 1 corridor.  In addition, such service could be a precursor for light rail, by building transit ridership along the corridor.  Monterey-Salinas Transit district has also been interested in exploring the feasibility of running buses along the shoulders of several highways, including Highway 1, in order to improve travel times.  As such, the district sponsored and secured approval of AB 946 (Stone) that authorized the operation of public transit buses on road shoulders in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties.

In light of these considerations, in October 2016, MST hired CDM Smith to conduct a study to evaluate the feasibility of operating buses on highway shoulders in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, as well as the option of operating buses along the Monterey Branch Line. The Study analyzed the following alternatives:

1. Southbound Bus-On-Shoulder of Highway 1 between Del Monte Blvd in Marina and Del Monte Ave in Monterey
2. Southbound Bus-on-Shoulder in the morning between Del Monte Blvd in Marina and Fremont Blvd in Sand City, plus a a single Monterey Branch Line busway from the Monterey Rd, California Ave, Fremont Blvd to Contra Costa St in Sand City. This alternative includes an underpass to avoid conflicts at Monterey Rd, California Ave, and Fremont Blvd.
3. Single lane bi-directional busway that would operate southbound in the morning, and northbound in the evening on the Monterey Branch Line right-of-way from Reservation Rd in Marina to Contra Costa St in Sand City, and then use Del Monte Blvd in Seaside and Monterey
4. Bike/Pedestrian Trail Plus Monterey Branch Line would use the current Caltrans trail between Marina and Sand City, and then underpass the Monterey Rd, California Ave, Fremont Blvd intersection.
5. Northbound Bus-on-Shoulder between Casa Verde Ave in Monterey and Fremont Blvd in Sand City
6. No-Build Alternative that represents current conditions
7. Bus/Carpool Lanes between Marina and Monterey: This is a hypothetical alternative that is not currently included in any plans.

The Study included data collection, literature review, traffic analysis, transit route performance, concept feasibility, a cost-benefit assessment of the alternative operational scenarios, and an analysis of the next steps for implementation.

Key findings of the Study include:

1. There is significant Highway 1 traffic congestion in the morning and afternoon:
   a. Between 7:15 a.m. and 9:15 a.m. from Del Monte/Reservation in Marina to Del Monte in Monterey, and,
   b. Between 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. from Carpenter in Carmel to Fremont/California in Seaside/Sand City.
2. Traffic congestion delays MST bus travel time and degrades reliability:
   a. Without traffic congestion, bus travel time between Marina and Seaside/Sand City should only take 9 minutes;
   b. Actual bus travel time ranges from 11-30 minutes in the morning and from 12-27 minutes in the evening.
3. Traffic congestion will worsen with the ongoing redevelopment of the former Fort Ord.
4. Highway 1 shoulders lack the width and structural section to support bus on-shoulder operations without significant reconstruction. 
5. A busway on the Monterey Branch Line shows promise in terms of transit performance.
6. Segment I – Option I-B could be a good initial busway project – yielding the greatest time savings benefits as well as acceptable cost to-benefit evaluations.

The summary evaulation of the alternatives shows the most promising segment, in terms of travel time savings and cost effectiveness, to be Segment 1 - Option 1B, along the Monterey branch line.  This segment has a cost estimate of $33.4 million.

Monterey Bay Area Feasibility Study of Bus on Shoulder Operations on State Route 1 and the Monterey Branch Line:

https://mst.org/about-mst/planning-development/