Baltimore City Middle Branch Transportation Plan

(This is a guest post by Robert Klasen of WRA, one of our consultants working on the Middle Branch Transportation Plan)

Whitman Requardt and Associates (WR&A) is currently preparing the draft report for the Middle Branch Transportation Plan. The Plan is a long range guide to transportation system enhancements within Middle Branch communities that will facilitate access to Baltimore’s waterfront and improve mobility for residents and visitors. The study considers travel demands on the area’s transportation infrastructure through the year 2030 and considers such major development initiatives as Westport Waterfront and the Baltimore Casino. WR&A has evaluated traffic and roadway improvements as well as environmentally-friendly “green” infrastructure improvements, with both having an equal priority towards creating sustainable Middle Branch neighborhoods.

• In the process of evaluating vehicular traffic operations and roadway improvement alternatives, WR&A completed the following analyses:
• Analyzed existing and future (year 2030) intersection vehicular operations
• Analyzed existing and future operations along MD 295 and its ramps in the Middle Branch area
•  Analyzed crash history at all intersection
• Assessed pavement conditions along all road segments and determined which segments are in the greatest need of repair
• Determined the traffic impacts of all proposed developments in the Middle Branch area
• Developed conceptual improvement plans for roadways and intersections that are expected to be inadequate to serve future traffic needs

Providing more opportunities for people to walk, bike, or use transit has been identified as a priority goal in the Middle Branch Master Plan and the Baltimore Department of Transportation Strategic Plan.  In order to reduce single-occupant vehicle usage and enhance the attractiveness of alternative modes of transportation, WR&A has analyzed pedestrian, bicycle, and transit improvements, including:

•  Assessed sidewalks and intersections for pedestrian accessibility
• Assessed existing bicycle facilities and examined the addition of bicycle lanes along Hanover Street and Potee Street
• Assessed the potential for converting the CSX Swing Bridge into a pedestrian and bicycle bridge
• Assessed existing transit service coverage and schedules
• Assessed bus stop conditions
• Examined the potential of extending the proposed Charles Street streetcar system and the Charm City Circulator shuttle bus system into Middle Branch
• Examined potential MARC Station Park-and-Ride site
• Assessed water taxi service and examined sites for potential future landings

With the above work completed, WR&A is in the process of completing the following tasks in order to finalize the project:

• Assessing  proposed intersection and roadway geometric improvements
• Holding final public meetings
• Completing the report summarizing all findings

http://www.governing.com/hidden/The-Return-of-the.html

Alan Ehrenhalt makes an interesting case for two-way streets. Traffic engineers obviously think about traffic, but there are larger issues to be considered. There's evidence that one way streets increase operating speeds, reduce neighborhood accessibility and can sometimes hurt commercial districts. In designing streets to meet future level of service requirements, we may be sacrificing neighborhood livability. 

I know of several residential streets in Baltimore which are currently one way and operate at speeds well above the posted limit. Some of these streets are also excessively wide and could easily handle 2 lanes of bi-direction and full bike lanes. The NDC design study for Annapolis Road makes the recommendation that Manokin and Wenburn Streets remain two way until sufficient traffic exists requiring conversion. This is a reasonable idea which will be considered in the MIddle Branch Transportation Plan.

Thanks to the Neighborhood Design Center, RTKL and Westport Neighborhood Association for drafting this design study for Annapolis Road and the Westport area. It includes many concepts for improving pedestrian safety in the neighborhood and connecting the east and west parts of Westport which are now seperated by 295. We'll be taking a closer look at some of these design recommendations in the Middle Branch Transportation Plan.

Click here to download:

Westport_FINAL_DRAFT_6-03-10_Email.pdf (6.4 MB)

(download)

Click here to download:

Westport_FINAL_DRAFT_6-03-10_Email.pdf (6.4 MB)

I think the Westport community agrees that Annapolis Road and other local streets should not only move traffic but provide a safe place to walk, bike, and serve as attractive gateways to the Middle Branch and surrounding neighborhoods.

http://www.grist.org/article/cities3/

Source: istockphoto

Grist.org has an excellent review of green cities around the world. Common themes seem to be great parks, public waterfronts, walking/biking facilities and public transit.  We're supporting all of these things with the Middle Branch Transportation Plan. With excellent access to Light Rail, a green waterfront along Westport, and future pedestrian/bike connections to and from downtown and South Baltimore, I think the Middle Branch communities are key in turning Baltimore into a truly green city.

As Whitman Requardt and Associates and Baltimore Department of Transportation complete the draft of the MIddle Branch Transportation Plan, I'd like to give the public a useful venue to review the document and give their feedback. I'll be using this site to update the community on the progress of the plan, its implementation, and upcoming public meetings.

As always, you can still view the latest maps we've created at http://www.middlebranchbaltimore.com.

The plan has been split into Phase I (Cherry Hill, Westport) and Phase II (South Baltimore, Federal Hill, parts of Locust Point). We are now just wrapping up work on a few concepts for several key intersections in Port Covington. With a number of development projects delayed or altered, we want to make sure the plan's recomendations are as comprehensive as possible and account for many development possibilities.

The draft of the complete plan will be available for download here. We are expecting it to be released in mid-July. Stay tuned!