Mobility Assessment Report: Appendix
Mobility Assessment Report: Appendix
Mobility Assessment Report: Appendix
Appendix
April 2014
Abstract
This appendix contains data that complements the 2014 Mobility Assessment Report. The data
reported provides a snapshot of multi-modal travel conditions in Montgomery County, pertaining to
roadway and intersection congestion, as well as pedestrian, bicycle, bus, and Metrorail travel.
Source of Copies
Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission
8787 Georgia Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Online at: MontgomeryPlanning.org/transportation
Data Sources
The Planning Departments Intersection Traffic Count Database is maintained by Planning Department
staff. The database contains traffic counts for 627 of the 772 signalized intersections in Montgomery
County.
Traffic counts are provided from a variety of sources. One important source is the traffic studies that
must be provided as a requirement of development applications. Other traffic counts are provided by
the Maryland State Highway Administrations continuous traffic count program for state roadways.
Finally, some traffic counts are provided by consultants in response to requests made by Planning
Department staff to support special studies, master plans, and the Mobility Assessment Report.
The oldest traffic count in the database is from March 1, 2001. All traffic counts currently maintained in
the database were analyzed in support of the 2014 Mobility Assessment Report. No new additional
traffic counts were specifically collected to support this document.
Travel time data has been collected, processed, and analyzed for major arterials in the County. The two
sources used to provide travel time data are Motion Maps, LLC and INRIX. Travel time data provided by
Motion Maps, LLC has been used in support of earlier version of this report. Staff has taken advantage of
the quantity and scope of travel time data more recently provided by INRIX to supplement the data
provided by Motion Maps, LLC. This expanded data set has been used to measure arterial roadway level
performance in all major travel corridors in the County. This travel time information is used to establish
a baseline of traffic congestion conditions in the County which can eventually be used to support the
monitoring of traffic congestion conditions over time.
Data Introduction
INRIX (www.inrix.com/) is an international transportation consulting firm that has been retained by the
I-95 Corridor Coalition (www.i95coalition.org) to acquire travel times and speeds using probe
technology for both freeways and arterialsto present a comprehensive picture of traffic flow.
The travel time data acquired by the Coalition is primarily intended for monitoring and managing traffic
flow in the I-95 Corridor from Maine to Florida. In addition, the data gathered may also be used to build
local transportation monitoring data bases. The Planning Department has direct access to this
information which supplements the travel time datasets derived from Motion Maps, LLC used in
previous reports. The combination of these datasets allows comparison of trends along all major routes
throughout the County.
A major repository of INRIX data is an entity called the Center for Advanced Transportation Technology
Laboratory (CATT Lab) at the University of Maryland. The mission of the lab is to support national, state,
and local efforts to provide safe and efficient transportation systems through improved operations and
management by means of research and development, technology implementation, training, and
education. The CATT Labs research and development activities provide a bridge between the intelligent
transportation systems (ITS) community, the information technology community, and other disciplines
essential to the successful application of ITS. As a member of the I-95 Corridor Coalition, the Planning
Department has direct access to INRIX data maintained by the CATT Lab which is available free of
charge. The travel time data for Montgomery County has been expanded to include most major arterials
in comparison to previous studies. The CATT Lab provides a wide variety of information such as
transportation data fusion, data visualization, performance measurement, business processes, safety
analysis, user interface design, software development, 3D/4D modeling, traveler information systems,
training, transportation operations, work zone management, and incident management. For purposes
of this report, we focus on the performance measurement information to evaluate roadway congestion
conditions in the County.
The travel time data used for the 2014 Mobility Assessment Report covers major arterials in
Montgomery County: MD 27, MD 28, MD 97, MD 117, MD 118, MD 119, MD 185, MD 193, MD 198, MD
355, MD 390, MD 586, US 29 and, MD 650. All of these roadways cross multiple policy areas, which is
reflected in the analysis. The 2014 report develops a countywide congestion baseline for the major
roads in the County that can be compared to similar information in future reports.
The speed data that is collected, processed and analyzed is assigned a roadway segment number (also
known as a Traffic Message Channel or TMC locator code), roadway name, direction, time, date,
reference speed, and an actual (reported) speed. Reference speed is the uncongested free flow speed,
basically, the speed limit on each road segment. Reported speed is the actual observed travel speed for
every hour each day of the week. By comparing these two factors within a specified time period,
congestion is indicated if the reported speed is less than the reference speed. The 2014 Mobility
Assessment Report analyzes travel time and speed congestion for the year 2012 and reports the
information for a full-day average by each weekday.
uncongested conditions. The TTI chart display format used in support of the 2011 MAR has been used in
the 2014 MAR and has been applied to all selected roadways as these facilities cross through policy
areas.
The Travel Time Tax (TTT) is the percentage of extra time allocated above free-flow to get from point A
to point B in a roadway segment. For this report, the travel time tax is also known as the average
percentage of congestion. The average percentage of congestion is calculated in aggregated average
non-peak (12:00 AM-5:00 AM, 8:00 PM-11:00 PM, 10:00 AM-3:00 PM) and average peak intervals by
each hour (6:00 AM-10:00 AM and 4:00 PM-8:00 PM). Please see all Travel Time Index and Average
Percentage of Congestion graphics at the end of this document.
Methodology
The evaluation mobility is represented in the form of historical, current, and future traffic congestion
trends. Current congestion measures included in this study are:
Future congestion data which is reported using volume to capacity ratios (V/C) as derived from the
Departments regional transportation model, TRAVEL/3. These current and future transportation
indicators are intended for use by the Planning Board and County Council to inform their comments
on capital programming priorities.
This calculation uses the lane use and configuration for each of an intersections approach legs to
determine the north/south and east/west peak flow of traffic, referred to as the critical movements.
The intersections signal phasing then specifies if approaching traffic on a specific leg moves
independently from traffic in the opposite direction. This information is used to determine whether or
not a potential turning movement (i.e. left turn) conflict exists.
Critical Lane Volume (CLV) and Local Area Transportation Review (LATR) Standards
Intersection congestion can also be measured by comparing the observed CLV to the applicable LATR
policy area congestion standard.
The current LATR congestion standards reflect the approved CLV thresholds in the 2012 Subdivision
Staging Policy as adopted by County Council on November 13, 2012 (see Table 1 LATR Congestion
Standards). These standards reflect the Countys policy of concentrating growth in areas with existing
transit infrastructure such as the Central Business Districts, and Metro Station Policy Areas.
Regarding the demographic assumptions the year 2022 TPAR analysis, land use development
assumptions throughout the regions (including Montgomery County) reflect an estimate of the year
2022 Round 8.0 MWCOG Cooperative Forecast.
Within Montgomery County, the forecast for level of development is roughly 406,000 households and
607,000 jobs. Roughly one-third of these households and nearly one-half of these jobs are forecasted to
be located in the northern half of the I-270 corridor, from Rockville City north to Clarksburg, including
the following ten policy areas:
Clarksburg
Germantown West, Germantown Town Center, and Germantown East
North Potomac
Gaithersburg City
Montgomery Village/Airpark
Derwood
R&D Village
Rockville City
These ten policy areas currently have roughly one-third of the Countys existing jobs and households.
It should be noted that the 2022 TPAR land use scenario also reflects assumed Base Realignment and
Closures (BRAC)-related employment totals at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda as well as
anticipated employment development at the Food and Drug Administration in White Oak associated
with Federal consolidation plans at that location.
Regarding the 2022 TPAR scenario transportation network, projects needed in order to achieve roadway
adequacy in most policy areas were assumed. Within Montgomery County these improvements include:
(1) transportation projects considered to be fully-funded within the current six-year County Capital
Improvement Program (CIP) and the State Consolidated Transportation Program (CTP); (2) those
projects conditioned to be built by the private sector as a condition of development pipeline approval
and; (3) a selected set of conditional projects which are anticipated to be needed in order to achieve
County-wide roadway adequacy by 2022. For the remainder of the network located outside
Montgomery County, this analysis incorporates projects identified in the MWCOG Constrained LongRange Plan (CLRP) network that are anticipated to be completed by the year 2020.
Project planning studies are currently underway for the both the I-270 / US 15 corridor, and the Capital
Beltway (from the I-270 Spur to the American Legion Bridge). However, the proposed capacity
improvements associated with these facilities were not included in the year 2022 scenario. However,
project planning studies for the Corridor Cities Transitway (between Shady Grove and Metropolitan
Grove) are anticipated to be completed by 2022; therefore these projects were included in the scenario.
The PM peak period results from the year 2022 were analyzed and compared to that of the year 2010
scenario for discussion purposes, with the primary focus on the non-freeway facilities (i.e., local
roadways) .
Table 4 shows a comparison of the model run results for the year 2010 and 2022 scenarios. It
should be noted that the levels of development assumed in these two scenarios are
significantly different. For 2010, countywide totals for households and jobs are 360,500 and
506,000, respectively. For 2022, the countywide total for households is assumed to be 405,597
(an increase of 12.5% relative to 2010). The year 2022 countywide total for jobs is assumed to
be 606,679 (an increase of 20% relative to 2010). Relative to 2010 conditions, the average
volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio on the Countys roadway network is anticipated to increase by
9.6 % by the year 2022. In addition, both the vehicle-miles traveled (VMT) and the vehiclehours traveled (VHT) are anticipated to increase by 13.6 % and 19.8%, respectively. The
Intercounty Connector (ICC) and other future road improvements will account for a 4.3%
increase in the County-wide roadway networks total lane-miles. These figures indicate that
more vehicles are predicted travel the Countys roadways and are forecasted to travel in more
congested conditions by the year 2022. However, planned capacity improvements (most
notably the ICC) are anticipated to marginally improve current average levels of mobility in the
County as reflected in the slight decrease in average travel speeds.
Table 4
2010
2022 TPAR % Change
Network Network from 2010
Households
362,000
405,597
12.0%
Jobs
510,000
606,679
19.0%
2,842
2,965
4.3%
5,675.8
6,446.1
13.6%
335.4
401.8
19.8%
16.9
16.0
-5.2%
0.76
0.83
0.10
Total Lane-Miles
Table 5 compares and summarizes the 2010 and 2022 modeled results for both non-freeway
(i.e., local roadways) and freeway facilities in the County. Based on the results, the forecasted
increase in the average V/C ratio is higher for the freeway facilities (10.2%) relative to nonfreeway facilities (8.7%). Similarly, the percent increases in VMT and VHT on the freeway
facilities (26.1 % and 24.7%, respectively) are forecasted to be higher than that of the nonfreeway facilities (7.9 % and 18.1%, respectively). One of the main reasons for the significant
increase in total lane-miles for freeway facilities is the completion of the full length of the ICC
between I-370 and US Route 1. This facility is anticipated to carry a significant amount of the
additional traffic traveling on the Countys roadways by 2022.
Table 5
Non-freeway Facilities
Freeway/Ramp Facilities
2010
2022 TPAR % Change
2010
2022 TPAR % Change
Network Network from 2010 Network Network from 2010
Total Lane-Miles
2,433
2,458
1.0%
409
507
24.0%
3,913.7
4,224.3
7.9%
1,762.1
2,221.8
26.1%
250.6
296.1
18.1%
84.8
105.8
24.7%
15.6
14.3
-8.6%
20.8
21.0
1.1%
0.76
0.84
0.10
0.77
0.82
0.06
Map 3 shows the PM peak period V/C ratios and volumes forecasted for the year 2022 on the Countys
transportation system. The model results indicate that roughly 25% of the congested lane-miles (i.e.,
roadways with V/C ratios greater than 0.8) will be located along the freeway facilities (i.e. I-495 and I270), while the remaining 75% will be located along the major non-freeway facilities such as; Columbia
Pike (US 29), Georgia Ave (MD 97), and Connecticut Ave (MD 185). These results help to reinforce the
need for additional transportation capacity (roadways and/or transit) on some of the Countys major
facilities that will be needed to accommodate anticipated future increases in traffic.
Map 4 depicts the forecasted PM peak period traffic volume differences between 2010 and 2022. Not
surprisingly, traffic volumes are generally forecasted to increase throughout the County. In contrast to
this general pattern, the opening of some new facilities is anticipated to have a beneficial effect on
roadways located in the immediate vicinity of these projects. A notable example includes the addition of
the ICC as a primary east-west route travel alternative. Some local roadways located in the immediate
vicinity of the ICC are anticipated to experience reductions in PM peak period travel volumes during the
analysis period. These roads include Norbeck Rd (MD 28), Spencerville Rd (MD 198), Muncaster Mill Rd
(MD 115), and sections of Olney-Laytonsville Rd (MD 108). Similarly, modest reductions in travel
volumes along the Beltway as well as along I-270 between the ICC and Montrose Road are also
projected. These findings provide some indication that east-west mobility in the County will be
enhanced, at least for the short-term, with the addition of the ICC
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
List of Intersections and CLV Information
Appendix 5
Southbound
Damascus
Northbound
Southbound
Germantown East
Northbound
Southbound
Germantown West
Northbound
Southbound
MD 28
Aspen Hill
Eastbound
Westbound
Cloverly
Eastbound
Westbound
Gaithersburg
Eastbound
Westbound
North Potomac
Eastbound
Westbound
Olney
Eastbound
Westbound
Rockville
Eastbound
Westbound
R&D Village
Eastbound
Westbound
Rural West
Eastbound
Westbound
MD 97
Aspen Hill
Northbound
Southbound
Kensington-Wheaton
Northbound
Southbound
Olney
Northbound
Southbound
Rural East
Northbound
Southbound
Southbound
MD 117
Gaithersburg
Eastbound
Westbound
Germantown West
Eastbound
Westbound
North Potomac
Eastbound
Westbound
Rural West
Eastbound
Westbound
MD 118
Germantown East
Northbound
Southbound
Germantown West
Northbound
Southbound
Rural West
Northbound
Southbound
MD 119
Gaithersburg
Northbound
Southbound
Germantown West
Northbound
Southbound
North Potomac
Northbound
Southbound
R&D Village
Northbound
Southbound
MD 185
Aspen Hill
Northbound
Southbound
Northbound
Southbound
Kensington-Wheaton
Northbound
Southbound
MD 193
Kensington-Wheaton
Eastbound
Westbound
Westbound
MD 198
Cloverly
Eastbound
Westbound
Fairland-White Oak
Eastbound
Rural East
Eastbound
Westbound
MD 355
Bethesda-Chevy Chase
Northbound
Southbound
Clarksburg
Northbound
Southbound
Derwood
Northbound
Southbound
Gaithersburg
Northbound
Southbound
Germantown East
Northbound
Southbound
Montgomery Village-Airpark
Northbound
Southbound
North Bethesda
Northbound
Southbound
Rockville
Northbound
Southbound
Rural East
Northbound
Southbound
Shady Grove
Northbound
Southbound
MD 390
Silver Spring-Takoma Park
Northbound
Southbound
MD 586
Aspen Hill
Eastbound
Southbound
Kensington-Wheaton
Eastbound
Westbound
North Bethesda
Eastbound
Westbound
Rockville
Eastbound
Westbound
US 650
Cloverly
Northbound
Southbound
Fairland-White Oak
Northbound
Southbound
Rural East
Northbound
Southbound
Southbound
US 29
Rural East
Northbound
Southbound
Fairland-White Oak
Northbound
Southbound
Kensington-Wheaton
Northbound
Southbound
Southbound
Appendix
March 2014
Montgomery County Planning Department
M-NCPPC
MontgomeryPlanning.org
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