Representatives from WABA, the Town of Chevy Chase, and the B-CC Chamber of Commerce met with Councilmember Roger Berliner and Council Staff Director Glen Orlin on Dec. 1 to discuss the recent recommendations from the Planning Board on the design of the future CCT. The CCCT reports.
The CCCT repeated its position to Councilmember Berliner that the Trail should remain in the tunnel, and shared its concern that MTA had not been responsive at the Planning Board hearing to the CCCT proposal to single-track the Purple Line in the tunnel. Councilmember Berliner agreed to ask MTA to prepare a more thorough response to the single-track proposal, to include some quantification of the impacts upon Purple Line operations so the Council could make an informed decision.
Councilmember Berliner reported that communication between the Council and the Planning Board had clarified one of the options under consideration. Where the Planning Board recommends evaluating moving the Purple Line station to be under the Air Rights Building, it is intended to evaluate placing the station under the parking garage structure that is at the east side of the Air Rights Building where more tunnel width is available. Taking down the Air Rights building is not being recommended as an option for consideration.
The date for the Council to take up the issues has changed - from the Dec. 5 date reported earlier to now a January 30, 2012 date for a Council T&E Committee hearing. The date has been pushed off to give the MTA time to complete and report its study of the options. To summarize the options to be evaluated: 1) Have the Purple Line in the tunnel and the Trail on an upgraded surface route; 2) Move the station platform east to outside the tunnel, near Pearl Street; 3) Move the station platform east to under the Air Rights building parking structure; and 4) single-track the Purple Line in the tunnel. The Planning Board is recommending that if the cost of keeping the Trail in the tunnel with the Purple Line remains at an estimated $40M, then the Trail should be removed from the tunnel.
The MTA has been asked to report its study findings about one week before the Jan. 30 T&E Committee meeting.
Based on the letter from the Planning Board, they're still investigating what the true cost or risk differential is, or if there is another, cheaper, way to do the project as originally planned.
The letter also outlines what a surface route might be like. They recommend a separated, 12 foot wide off-road path that continues the look and feel of the trail through similar furniture and landscaping, with an enhanced crossing at Wisconsin/Willow/Bethesda.
The Eugene, Oregon BRT system has a center-running portion that is single track (single vehicle at a time) and seemed to work well when I visited. One vehicle just pauses for about a minute while the incoming vehicle clears. If the section is only a few hundred feet, they should be able to schedule it for minimal disruption.
Posted by: Will | December 02, 2011 at 03:28 PM