Fiscal Note
The 2020 Capital Budget includes $128.5 million for planning, design, and construction costs to implement the first leg of Bus Rapid Transit. The proposed resolution establishes the route for the anticipated first leg. No additional appropriation is required.
Title
Adopting the recommendations from the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Downtown Routing and West Side Routing reports and incorporating the recommendations into the BRT east-west corridor Locally-Preferred Alternative (LPA), and recommending that LPA enter into project development and the next phases of planning, preliminary engineering, design and environmental evaluation.
Body
WHEREAS the Madison area continues to create employment and draw residents, and that growth creates significant transportation demands; and,
WHEREAS the Madison area geography makes it difficult to address the significant transportation demands with conventional roadway expansion; and,
WHEREAS Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is a critical component in addressing Madison’s future transportation needs, enabling the continued prosperity of the region; and,
WHEREAS the Phase 1 BRT East-West corridor project included a detailed evaluation of potential routes and street alignments, including a thorough evaluation of BRT routes through the downtown and the west side; and,
WHEREAS the route evaluation used criteria to determine recommended streets, including ability to serve employment centers and key destinations, ability to provide dedicated running way, ability to provide access to BRT for other users of the Metro local system (including disabled persons or other underserved communities), ridership potential, and impacts on traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists; and,
WHEREAS, the City will need to identify its Locally-Preferred Alternative and request permission from the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to enter the project development phase, eventually leading to a future Small Starts application; and,
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Common Council adopts the recommendations contained in the BRT Downtown Routing and West Side Routing reports dated January 27, 2020, and incorporates them into the Locally Preferred Alternative for the east-west corridor; and,
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the project enter into project development and the next phases of planning, preliminary engineering, design and environmental evaluation; and,
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that Department of Transportation staff continue to provide updates and project status to the Transportation Policy & Planning Board.