Final Report - Pima Association of Governments

Highway Capacity Transit System Plan - Final Report June 2009
Development of Updated HCT System Plan
Refined Alignments
Broadway Boulevard Corridor
There are two significant changes to the Broadway Boulevard alternative that the project team
recommended for further study at the end of Task 5 (Section 5.0). The first significant change is
the extension of the modern streetcar between downtown Tucson and El Con Mall in a second
phase; BRT running from downtown Tucson to Houghton Road (the alternative recommended in
Task 5) would be the first HCT phase. This two‐phased HCT project for Broadway Boulevard has
several advantages:
• BRT can be implemented relatively quickly in curbside lanes for the length of Broadway
Boulevard and can be operated independently of streetcar. Design and implementation of
the BRT service is not likely to limit development of streetcar.
• BRT can provide travel times that are competitive with automobile travel, thus addressing
mobility needs in the corridor and operating as a “line‐haul” service. BRT travel time
benefits result from dedicated transit lanes, wide station spacing, and transit preferential
treatments (e.g., TSP).
• Streetcar can tie in with and extend the Tucson Modern Streetcar project.
• Streetcar can provide circulation in the densest part of the corridor (i.e., downtown
Tucson to El Con Mall) and support promising TOD opportunities at sites such as El Con
Mall. Streetcar is well‐suited to address accessibility needs because streetcar services
typically have short station spacing.
• The combination of BRT and streetcar provides mobility where it is most needed (the
length of the corridor) and accessibility/circulation where it is most needed (central
Tucson).
• Both BRT and streetcar can positively impact redevelopment along the Broadway
corridor.
A potential limitation associated with this two‐phased implementation is the interaction between
BRT vehicles and streetcar vehicles, as the latter are likely to serve more stops and travel slower
than the former. This is not unlike the issue of BRT and local bus service operating in the same
corridor, which is an issue that was discussed in Section 5.0. Where local buses or streetcar would
impede BRT, more detailed operational analysis may identify solutions such as providing pullouts,
providing bypass lanes, or re‐routing the slower service. Such detailed operational analysis
may consider factors such as segment level of service, intersection turning volumes, driveway
locations, and availability of right‐of‐way (including medians) at specific sites.
The second change to the Broadway Boulevard system alternative is diversion of HCT service
from Broadway Boulevard to serve UA. UA is a major regional trip generator and attractor, with
relatively high population and employment densities; it is also a special events destination. The
cost of serving UA with HCT is increased travel times for riders who originate in or are destined
for downtown Tucson, but these increased travel times may be minimized by implementation of
transit preferential treatments (e.g., queue jump lanes) along the diverted portion of the
129