Over the past few years, traffic on the Portland-area section of the Maine Turnpike has been growing fast. The Maine Turnpike Authority (MTA) is conducting a formal needs assessment study to determine how to address growing safety and capacity challenges on the Portland-area section of the Turnpike. A public advisory committee (PAC) has been formed to assist the MTA in identifying and evaluating solutions to the safety and capacity challenges. Below are the alternatives that have been analyzed and will be discussed by the PAC.
Overview
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) programs provide tools to commuting travelers to reduce the demand for transportation, i.e., reduce the number of vehicles on the road. These tools include ride share programs, park and ride lots (which can support rideshare programs), and work from home opportunities, all of which either make it easier to rideshare or to stay off the road altogether. In this Alternative, these programs will be evaluated to determine the following:
Overview
Congestion pricing is an alternative where motorists are charged a premium to use a roadway during certain times of the day. The goal of congestion pricing is to encourage motorists to shift their travel away from peak travel times. In this alternative, congestion pricing will be evaluated to determine the following:
Overview
The primary interstate bus providers in the study area are Concord Coach Lines and Greyhound. Both Concord and Greyhound provide service to Boston and New York (to the south) and to Lewiston/Auburn (to the north). The Lewiston/Auburn bus service is identified in this alternative as an Interstate Bus because the bus providers operate interstate routes. In this alternative, the Concord and Greyhound bus systems will be evaluated to determine the potential effects of practicable system improvements including increased service and additional transit infrastructure on:
Overview
This alternative assesses the potential for new or improved regional bus services to reduce demands on the Maine Turnpike between Exits 44 and 53. Regional providers included in this alternative are the ZOOM Bus (Biddeford - Portland) and the METRO Breez (Portland - Brunswick). In this alternative, these bus systems were evaluated to determine the effects of:
Overview
This alternative assesses the potential for new or improved local bus services to reduce demands on the Maine Turnpike between Exits 44 and 53. Local bus providers included in this alternative are Greater Portland METRO and City of South Portland Bus Service. In this alternative, these bus systems were evaluated to determine the effects of:
Overview
This alternative assesses the potential for new regional bus service along I-95 to reduce demands on the Maine Turnpike between Exits 44 and 53. The potential new regional bus service would consist of two separate routes, the southerly of which would run from Biddeford/Saco to the I-95 Portland area exits 45-48, and the northerly that would run between Gray/West Falmouth to the I-95 Portland area exits 48-45.
In this alternative, the bus system was evaluated to determine the effects of:
Overview
The Downeaster, operated by Amtrak and managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, provides commuter rail service from Portland south to Boston and from Portland to Freeport/Brunswick and possible future points north. Additionally, a possible commuter rail service from Portland to Lewiston/Auburn and up to Montreal is currently being studied by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority (NNEPRA) and the Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT). Service to the west via the Mountain Division was previously evaluated by MaineDOT. In this alternative, the rail system will be evaluated to determine the effects of:
Overview
Operated by Amtrak and managed by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, the current commuter rail service in Maine is the Downeaster. Commuter rail service rail service in the region is provided from Portland south to Boston and from Portland north to Freeport/Brunswick. However, opportunities exist to establish local commuter rail service that can run along existing or previously operated rail lines. Based on current projects and studies, the following local new routes were analyzed as part of this alternative:
Overview
Freight is currently moved using four modes of transportation: rail, truck, air, and water. Truck freight is the most common, with approximately 86 percent of the tonnage moved within the state of Maine being transported by trucks. This alternative focused on the possibility of converting freight movement by truck to freight movement by rail. Truck trips greater than 500 miles are good candidates for possible conversion to rail2. However, other factors must also be taken into consideration, including freight content and time-of-delivery requirements. In this alternative, the freight rail system was evaluated to determine the effects of:
Overview
Changes in land use patterns (density, diversity, design, destination) can result in both a reduction in travel demand and an increase in transit ridership. Land use is primarily under control of each municipality, but recent efforts as part of a regional partnership known as Sustain Southern Maine, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and administered by the Greater Portland Council of Governments (GPCOG), have sought to address the decentralization of urban centers that lead to such critical issues as rising personal transportation costs, limited transportation options, and lack of diverse and affordable housing. The Sustain Southern Maine work focused on identifying centers of opportunity throughout the region - areas where an existing level of density and/or commercial activity could, with the appropriate zoning, act as a catalyst to increase growth within a more contained area. These denser, village-like centers would then lend themselves to be part of a more efficient public transit system.
As part of the Portland Area Mainline (PAM) Needs Assessment, the Study Team assessed the benefits of an alternative pattern of growth and development that was originally identified and quantified under the Gorham East-West Corridor Study2. The key components of this alternative consist of:
Overview
Ramp metering is used across the country to control the traffic entering a freeway. States that use ramp meters include Washington, California, North Carolina, Minnesota, Arizona, and Nevada. A ramp meter is a traffic signal placed on an on-ramp that turns green for a few seconds and then red for a few seconds. The signals generally allow between one to three vehicles through per green light. This creates breaks in the line of entering vehicles, which can improve traffic conditions on the mainline of the freeway. The key components of this alternative would consist of:
Overview
High-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes are restricted traffic lanes reserved at peak travel times or longer for the exclusive use of vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers. These often include carpools, vanpools, and transit buses. The normal minimum occupancy level is either two or three occupants. HOV lanes are typically created to increase average vehicle occupancy with the goal of reducing traffic congestion and related air pollution.
High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes are restricted traffic lanes that are available to HOVs without charge; other vehicles are required to pay a toll that varies according to the time of day or according to real-time traffic conditions. Although numerous HOT lanes are operating in the United States today, none are operating parallel to an existing conventional toll facility. The concept of charging all customers a base toll, while designating an additional lane solely for HOVs and for SOVs willing to pay a higher toll, is untested in this country. This alternative would also create social justice issues with higher tolls being charged for patrons using the dedicated, additional lane.
As noted, no HOT lanes currently exist within conventional toll facilities in the United States. However, many of the components identified above can be observed at various facilities throughout the country. Some comparable facilities are identified below.
The concept of variable tolling is commonly applied at various managed lane facilities. Variable tolling by time of day or in response to real-time traffic conditions approach is employed on managed lanes on State Route 91 in Orange County, I-25 in Denver, the Katy Freeway in Houston, I-66 near Washington, D.C., I-495 on the Capital Beltway, I-95 in Miami, I-15 in Utah, I-15 in San Diego, I-580 in Alameda County, CA, and I-10/I-110 in Los Angeles.
Here, in looking at both HOVs and HOTs, the Study Team assumed that the Maine Turnpike would be widened to three lanes in each direction. Roadway widening alternatives are typically construction-based alternatives that require a fair amount of capital investment, including right-of-way acquisition. They sizably increase the throughput capacity (number of vehicles that can travel) of the roadway.
As part of the Portland Area Mainline (PAM) Needs Assessment, the Study Team assessed the potential results of converting an additional lane in each direction to either HOV or HOT usage from Exit 44 in Scarborough to Exit 53 in West Falmouth. They key components of this alternative would consist of:
Overview
Roadway widening alternatives are typically construction alternatives that require a fair amount of capital investment, including right-of-way acquisition. They sizably increase the throughput capacity of the roadway.
As part of the Portland Area Mainline (PAM) Needs Assessment, the Study Team assessed the impacts of widening I-295 to three general purpose lanes in each direction from I-95 Exit 44 in Scarborough to I-295 Exit 11 in Falmouth. The key components of this alternative would consist of:
Overview
Roadway widening alternatives are typically construction alternatives that require a fair amount of capital investment, including right-of-way acquisition. They sizably increase the throughput capacity (number of vehicles that can travel) of the roadway.
As part of the Portland Area Mainline (PAM) Needs Assessment, the Study Team assessed the impacts of widening I-295 to three general purpose lanes in each direction from Exit 44 in Scarborough to Exit 11 in Falmouth and placing tolls on I-295. The key components of this alternative would consist of:
Overview
Roadway widening alternatives are typically construction-based alternatives that require a fair amount of capital investment, including right-of-way acquisition. They sizably increase the throughput capacity (number of vehicles that can travel) of the roadway.
As one of twelve alternatives, the Study Team assessed the impacts of widening the Maine Turnpike from two to three general-purpose lanes in each direction from Exit 44 in Scarborough to Exit 53 in West Falmouth. The key components of this alternative would consist of:
Overview
This Combined Alternative includes several individual alternatives that were examined separately as part of the Portland Area Mainline Study. This Combined Alternative includes the following individual alternatives:
Overview
This Combined Alternative includes several individual alternatives that were examined separately as part of the Portland Area Mainline Study. This Combined Alternative includes the following individual alternatives: