At its April meeting, the Transportation Planning Board approved projects for the Transportation Land Use Connections (TLC) Program. This year, there is $857,266 in technical assistance, which will provide support to 15 projects. The TLC Program is entering its 14th year, and this is the largest amount of assistance available and the largest number of projects selected in the program’s history.
TLC provides short-term consultant services to local jurisdictions for small planning projects that promote mixed-use, walkable communities and support a variety of transportation alternatives. The program provides consultant assistance of $30,000 to $60,000 for planning projects, and up to $80,000 for design or preliminary engineering projects.
This year, the TPB made additional funding available for design projects that will make it easier to walk and bike to transit. Non-motorized access to transit is one of seven Aspirational Initiatives in Visualize 2045, the region’s long-range transportation plan.
Solicitation for this year’s applications began back in January and ended on March 9. Applicants demonstrated how each project focused on TPB priorities. The TPB has called on local, state, and regional leaders to “think regionally and act locally”
A selection panel made up of experts from the National Capital Planning Commission, American Society of Civil Engineers, Urban Land Institute, Transportation Research Board, and American Planning Association along with TPB staff was tasked with recommending a list of projects to the TPB for approval.
The selection panel developed a list of 15 projects to recommend. It endorsed these projects as the most locally and regionally beneficial while attempting to create a slate of projects that address regional priorities across a diversity of topics affecting core, inner, and outer jurisdictions. Thirteen of the projects are in or near Activity Centers; 11 projects are in or near Equity Emphasis Areas; 12 projects are in or near high-capacity transit stations; and 8 projects are in or near key regional trails.
Here’s more about this year’s TLC projects and how they will help the region:
City of Alexandria -- Low-Income Fare Pass Assessment
The study will assess if a low-income fare pass program is feasible and what kind of impact it would have on the community. The analysis will consider what a program in Alexandria could look like (i.e., who would receive a discounted fare, the actual discount, any restrictions on hours of service, applicable on DASH and WMATA or just DASH, etc.), the impact on ridership, how the program could be implemented, the costs to the city and how that impacts the city.
Arlington County -- Micro-Mobility Transit Hub Prototype
This design project will develop plans for a prototype installation of a micro-mobility hub that can be added to high ridership transit stops and stations. Micro-mobility refers to transportation options that are often shared like bikes or scooters used for short trips. The prototype should include parking/docking and battery charging facilities for bikeshare, e-scooters and other shared micro-mobility devices, components for parklets, public art, informational displays, accommodations for people with disabilities, and seating/waiting areas for transit passengers.
Arlington County -- Curb Space Allocation Spreadsheet Tool
The project will develop a general planning spreadsheet tool that will help planners figure out how to monetize curb space and its benefits to society. The user will be able to enter the current curb space allocation, as well as inputs to include observed traffic volumes, transit passenger volumes, and fronting land uses. The outputs will help planners make decisions on how to allocate curb space at a block level.
Fairfax County -- Fairfax County Parkway Trail and Cross County Trail Connection
The Fairfax County Parkway Trail runs for 28 miles through communities from Reston to Lorton, while the Cross County Trail runs for over 40 miles through Regional Activity Centers including Annandale and Fairfax. The county seeks assistance to design a shared use path connection between these two trails, to improve a gap where pedestrians currently travel in a narrow roadway.
City of Fairfax -- Fairfax Circle Visioning and Multimodal Intersection Alternatives Development
This project will develop a vision and feasible design alternatives for Fairfax Circle (the intersection of Route 50 and Route 29). This non-traditional "hamburger roundabout" is at the center of the Fairfax Circle Activity Center and is approximately one mile from Metro’s Orange Line. It’s called a hamburger because there is a road that cuts through the middle. This intersection is also the city's northern gateway and is a critical transportation hub. Developing a vision and design alternatives for this intersection are important steps in supporting the ongoing redevelopment of this area into a transit-friendly and walkable mixed-use activity center.
Town of Herndon (Fairfax County) -- Shared Micromobility Feasibility Study
The study will analyze current trends and future needs in shared micromobility like Capital Bikeshare, e-bikes, scooters, and others, specific to the Town of Herndon, and provide implementation recommendations for a shared micromobility system that best connects those working, living, and visiting Herndon to transit, trails, and activity centers.
Prince William County -- Peak Hour Express Bus and HOV Lanes Feasibility Study
The project will determine if dedicated express bus/High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes are feasible. The lanes would operate during peak hours along Dale Boulevard and would connect transit hubs to Regional Activity Centers along the I-95 corridor.
City of Bowie -- Feasibility Study for Pedestrian Overpass over Maryland Route 214
The proposed crossing would be a crucial segment of The Bowie Byway recommended in the city's Trails Master Plan and the Countywide Master Plan trail shown the 2006 Bowie and Vicinity Master Plan (Collington Branch Stream Valley Trail). It will link the neighborhoods of Ternberry and Collington Ridge and South Lake to the Pointer Ridge neighborhood and the Hall Road transit hub and public library.
City of Frederick -- Rails with Trails Phase 3 Bypass Design
The Bypass will connect an existing shared-use path through the Clemson Corner neighborhood with the northern end of the shared-use path now undergoing final design and construction ("Phase 2").
East Street Rails with Trails will create a north-south bicycling spine for the City of Frederick connecting its downtown MARC station with neighborhoods and regional shopping destinations to its north before continuing beyond to the town of Walkersville.
Montgomery County -- Visually Impaired Urban Navigation Study and Pilot Design
The Visually Impaired Urban Navigation Study and Pilot Design will make recommendations on which technologies and design standards should be applied to support safe navigation by blind and low vision pedestrians to and from transit in dense urban areas of Montgomery County. The pilot component of the project will develop designs for 2nd Avenue in Silver Spring between the Sarbanes Transit Center and Spring Road.
Prince George’s County -- Cool Spring and Adelphi Pedestrian and Bicycle Access Improvement Project
There is a lack of infrastructure to facilitate bicycle and pedestrian connection between the Cool Spring Neighborhood and the Purple Line station at the University of Maryland Campus. The project will develop preliminary engineering designs for a separated pedestrian/bicycle facility along Cool Springs Road and a crossing at Adelphi Road.
Prince George’s County -- Riggs Road Neighborhood Bicycle Boulevards Project
This project will develop design plans for bicycle lanes and shared use roads on several local streets in the Langley Park area. The project will greatly improve pedestrian and bicycle access to the future Purple Line station.
City of Takoma Park -- Maple Avenue Complete Street Design
Maple Avenue is a well-traveled neighborhood street connecting residents and visitors to schools, jobs, housing and recreation, while also providing linkages to the Takoma Metro station and the Sligo Creek Trail. This TLC project will redesign Maple Avenue as a complete street which prioritizes pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users in order to provide safer, more convenient, and more comfortable travel for all users.
District of Columbia -- North Capitol Cloverleaf Urbanization Study: Replacing Highways with Human Scale Infrastructure
The project will provide intersection analysis for retrofitting the North Capitol and Irving Street Cloverleaf interchange (Cloverleaf) into a pair of two connections between the grade separated roadways with four new signalized intersections.
The intersection of Irving Street and North Capitol Streets NW has a cloverleaf design making it hard for people to get through on foot or bike. This TLC project will study how to make this area more friendly for people on the ground. (TPB)
District of Columbia -- Independence Avenue SW Transportation Assessment
Local and federal agencies are collaborating to improve connectivity, multi-modal use (walking, biking, transit, and curbside uses), safety, and the quality of the pedestrian experience traversing north-south between the National Mall and the SW waterfront and neighborhoods, and east-west along Independence Avenue SW.
About the TLC program
The TPB initiated the Transportation/Land-Use Connections (TLC) Program in November 2006 to provide support to local jurisdictions as they deal with the challenges of integrating land-use and transportation planning at the community level. Since its start, the TPB has funded 130 technical assistance projects for more than $5 million in funding. For more information about completed projects, please visit the TLC website at www.mwcog.org/tlc .
Next steps
Now that the TPB has approved the projects, staff will coordinate with the jurisdictions to begin the consultant selection process. All projects are expected to begin in the Fall after the consultant contracts are signed. The projects will be scheduled for completion by June 30, 2021.