Mobility Assessment Report: Appendix

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Mobility Assessment Report

Appendix
April 2014

Montgomery County Planning Department


M-NCPPC
MontgomeryPlanning.org

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

Mobility Assessment Report


Appendix

Appendix 1 Data Sources and Methodology


Data Sources
Data Introduction
How INRIX works
INRIX & CLV Data & Methodology
INRIX Data Introduction
INRIX Analysis Methodology
Critical Lane Volume & Methodology
CLV and Local Area Transportation Review
Analysis of Intersections Using CLV and LATR Standards
Appendix 2 Future Congestion
Year 2022 Forecasted Mobility
Appendix 3 Scheduled Road Construction Projects
Appendix 4 List of Intersections and CLV Information
Appendix 5 Travel Time Index and Average Congestion Percentage By Policy Area & Roadway

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.

How INRIX Works


INRIX collects and processes traffic speed and travel time data collected from GPS-outfitted commercial
vehicle fleets (vehicle probe data) as well as other sources. Vehicle probe data are derived from GPS
satellite signals that transmit location information to on-board devices located on commercial vehicles.
These data are transmitted to INRIX, where the information is processed and sent to customers who can
use the data to compute reference speed and reported speed.

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.

INRIX Data, Travel Time Index, Percentage of Congestion


The data variables provided by INRIX included route, direction, time, date, reference speed, and
reported speed. The performance measure used to determine congestion along the arterials is the
Travel Time Index (TTI). This metric is used by many transportation analysts and planners and describes
how much longer it takes to travel in congested conditions relative to free flow conditions. The 2014
Mobility Assessment Report displays this index for both a daily and hourly time periods based on
weekday or weekend travel. This information is derived from the raw travel time files that were
collected along these roadways. The original raw files are in text format, which are later processed into
Excel and database files where multiple queries are executed to ensure accurate information capture
based on quality control parameters for roadway data analysis.
TTI is the ratio of reported speed relative to reference speed. If this ratio for a particular road segment is
valued at 1.0 during a specified time period, the TTI indicates that reported speed is equal to the
reference speed.
If the same roadway during a different time, such as the peak period, has a TTI of 1.5, then the
additional time needed to travel that roadway segment is 50 percent more than the time in

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:

Critical Lane Volume (CLV) for signalized intersections and

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.

Critical Lane Volume


Critical Lane Volume (CLV) is a measure of conflicting traffic movements at an intersection. This metric is
used to determine an intersections level of service. The CLV is calculated mathematically using the
following variables for a particular intersection:

traffic approach volumes


lane use factors of throughput and conflicting movements
geometric lane configuration
traffic signal phasing.

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.

Analysis of Intersections Using CLV and LATR Congestion Standards


Intersection performance was analyzed by comparing observed CLV to the applicable LATR congestion
standard. (See Table 2 Intersections that Exceed the Policy Area Congestion Standard). The following
table lists the intersections by each policy area that has that has a current CLV that exceeds its LATR
standard. Comparing CLV to LATR is a new way of ranking and prioritizing intersection improvements. It
would allow planners to better prioritize improvements based on planning policy considerations rather
than by a relative ranking of CLV observations.
Intersections by CLV Ranking
The top 50 intersections are ranked based on the percent by which the observed CLV differs from the
LATR policy area standard, a measure that helps planners prioritize intersections by policy area. The
following is a list of all of the intersections ranked by CLV.

Year 2022 Forecasted Mobility


For the purpose of this report, the traffic forecast results derived from the year 2022 Transportation
Policy Area Review (TPAR) analysis were used to report future traffic conditions. This analysis was
performed using the Departments TRAVEL/3 regional travel demand model. This modeling tool is an
adaptation of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG) modeling process and
has been applied in support of various subdivision staging policy and master planning studies
undertaken by the Department.

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%

PM Vehicle-Miles Traveled (in 000s)

5,675.8

6,446.1

13.6%

PM Vehicle-Hours Traveled (in 000s)

335.4

401.8

19.8%

PM Average Speed (mph)

16.9

16.0

-5.2%

PM Average V/C Ratio (4-7 PM)

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%

PM Vehicle-Miles Traveled (in 000s)

3,913.7

4,224.3

7.9%

1,762.1

2,221.8

26.1%

PM Vehicle-Hours Traveled (in 000s)

250.6

296.1

18.1%

84.8

105.8

24.7%

PM Average Speed (mph)

15.6

14.3

-8.6%

20.8

21.0

1.1%

PM Average V/C Ratio (4-7 PM)

0.76

0.84

0.10

0.77

0.82

0.06

2022 PM Peak Period V/C Ratios & Volumes

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.

Showing Difference in PM Peak Period Volumes

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

Scheduled Road Construction Projects

Appendix 4
List of Intersections and CLV Information

Appendix 5

Travel Time Index & Percentage of Congestion by Policy Area


MD 27
Clarksburg
Northbound

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

Silver Spring-Takoma Park


Northbound

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

Bethesda Chevy Chase

Southbound

Kensington-Wheaton
Northbound

Southbound

MD 193
Kensington-Wheaton
Eastbound

Westbound

Silver Spring-Takoma Park


Eastbound

Westbound

MD 198
Cloverly
Eastbound

Westbound

Fairland-White Oak
Eastbound

No Westbound Data Available

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

Silver Spring-Takoma Park


Northbound

Southbound

US 29
Rural East
Northbound

Southbound

Fairland-White Oak
Northbound

Southbound

Kensington-Wheaton
Northbound

Southbound

Silver Spring-Takoma Park


Northbound

Southbound

Appendix

Mobility Assessment Report

March 2014
Montgomery County Planning Department
M-NCPPC
MontgomeryPlanning.org
Bar code:

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