The TPB on April 21 approved 11 small planning projects that will help build and enhance vibrant communities where it is easy to walk, bike, and take transit.
This was the 15th round of projects funded through the Transportation Land-Use Connections (TLC) Program. Founded in 2007, the TLC Program has funded 145 planning studies and preliminary engineering projects in all of the TPB’s member jurisdictions. The program originated in regional scenario analysis conducted nearly 20 years ago which found that mixed-use, walkable communities can have a positive impact on regional travel, in addition to expanding access to opportunities and enhancing the lives of the region’s residents, particularly in historically disadvantaged communities.
Over the years, public interest has grown in the kinds of changes promoted by TLC. In the TPB’s recent Voices of the Region survey, 63% of respondents said they support more or wider sidewalks, even if it means a reduction in on-street parking. Thirty six percent said they would be more likely to walk or bike to transit if there were safe crossings all the way there. And, of the people who said their travel habits would be different after COVID, 53% said they expect to be walking more.
This year’s 11 TLC projects are very supportive of TPB policy objectives. They are all in or near Activity Centers, which are the 141 places in the region that COG and the TPB have designated as focal points for housing and jobs, and nodes for transportation linkages. All 11 projects are also in or near high-capacity transit stations, and eight of them are in Transit Access Focus Areas, which were identified by the TPB last July as particularly opportune locations for improving walk/bike access to transit.
Ten of the new projects are in Equity Emphasis areas, which are areas in the region that the TPB has flagged as places with high concentrations of low-income populations and people of color. And nine of the projects support completion of— or connections to— the National Capital Trail Network, which is the 1400-mile regional trail system approved by the TPB last July.
As in past years, the TLC projects have a fast turnaround. They are scheduled to begin in September and must be completed by June 2022.
Here are some short descriptions of this year’s TLC projects:
Discovery District Multi-Use Trail Transit Access Plan
College Park, $60,000
Plan for a multi-use trail between the University of Maryland East Campus Purple Line Station and the Riverdale Park Purple Line Station.
Congress Heights Pedestrian Access Study
District of Columbia, $60,000
Study to recommend improvements in the pedestrian transportation infrastructure in Congress Heights, with a focus on four community-serving destinations.
Microtransit in D.C - Assessment of DC Connect and Opportunities for Expansion
District of Columbia, $30,000
Identification of options for microtransit expansion, particularly for populations needing to access medical and food services in the face of cuts in transit services.
Development of an Active Transportation Plan near the Huntington Metrorail Station
Fairfax County, $55,000
Creation of an Active Transportation Plan for the Huntington Metrorail station and surrounding area to promote walkability, bikeability, and access to transit.
East End Transportation Study
Falls Church, $60,000
A multimodal transportation study for the East End of Falls Church in an area adjacent to the busy Seven Corners commercial area.
East Street Redesign
City of Frederick, $60,000
A new design for East Street, from North Market to Monocacy Boulevard/New Design Road, including a road diet, new and improved sidewalks, and bicycle access.
Greenbelt Road Corridor Plan
Greenbelt, $55,000
Plan to enhance multimodal access and increase safety along the Greenbelt Road Corridor.
Connecticut Avenue Corridor Pedestrian and Bicycling Access and Safety Study
Kensington (Montgomery County), $55,000
Plan to identify a vision and solutions for improving pedestrian and bicycle access and safety along this busy and dangerous corridor.
Cool-Street Design Guidelines and Standards
Montgomery County, $50,000
Identification of practical measures – such as the use of certain surface materials or green infrastructure -- to mitigate the escalating temperatures of the urban streetscape caused by climate change.
Anacostia Gateway Connector
Prince George’s County, $60,000
A project to develop 30% design plans, a geotechnical study, and a cost estimate for the Anacostia Gateway Connector/Prince George’s County Connector, a long-planned trail link between the NW Branch Trail at West Hyattsville and the Metropolitan Branch Trail at Ft. Totten.
Innovation Park Town Center Shuttle Service Feasibility Study
Prince William County, $55,000
Feasibility study for the implementation of a shuttle service within the Innovation small area, including employment centers, commercial, and recreation, and the Broad Run VRE Station.