August Akron Metropolitan Area Transit Study meetings
Covered by Documenter Rick Bohan (see his notes at the end of the story).
Costs to extend the life of pavement and keep road conditions safe along Akron’s highways have increased 71% since 2019, according to the Akron Metropolitan Area Transportation Study.
AMATS officials predict the total cost to preserve roads and bridges in the region through 2050 to be $6.86 billion. AMATS covers an area with more than 700,000 people. It includes Summit and Portage counties and a portion of Wayne County.
Akron Documenter Rick Bohan attend three AMATS committee meetings earlier this month and here’s some of what he learned.
At the AMATS Policy Committee meeting on Aug. 8, Planning Administrator Matt Stewart presented a detailed overview of the committee’s Highway Preservation Needs Report, which attributed rising costs to escalating material, labor and construction expenses.
According to the report, pavement resurfacing costs have soared by 52%, while bridge preservation costs have risen even more sharply, up 88% compared to 2019 estimates.
Stewart said despite these increases, the city’s pavement quality has remained stable, although bridges are showing signs of deterioration.
Pavement replacement costs as a whole have decreased by 27%, due to higher thresholds for initiating replacements.
Highway preservation initiatives are typically planned and performed to restore the overall condition of the road or bridge and do not include new construction.
Highway, bridge funding comes from multiple sources
Funds to maintain highways come from a combination of federal, state and local funding, along with money accrued from fuel taxes, vehicle registration fees and tolls.
The report does not include small rural roads or local roadway preservation costs that do not qualify for federal funds.
“This is important to note as local communities struggle to find necessary funding for their transportation infrastructure,” according to the report.
The Highway Preservation Needs Report (starting on page 26) is critical for AMATS’ long-term planning, particularly its Transportation Outlook 2050 (TO2050) plan (see page 70)
This plan, currently in development, will shape the future of transportation in the region over the next three decades.
It is intended to ensure the city’s transportation infrastructure is well-maintained and future-ready and includes recommendations for highway preservation and active transportation and transit.
The plan includes a vast amount of data, particularly related to population, that informs transportation decisions and planning around the construction of new schools and other public facilities.
The TO2050 will be instrumental in guiding the region’s transportation policy and project recommendations and should be completed next year as the AMATS Policy Committee’s next major milestone.
Road congestion under discussion
At the Policy Committee meeting and the less formal AMATS Citizens Involvement Committee held earlier this month, road congestion was another topic of conversation.
Officials presented an overview of the AMATS Congestion Management Process Strategies. This report discusses the free flow speed, or the average speed drivers would drive without congestion or other adverse conditions.
According to AMATS Director Curtis Baker, a 35% congestion rate is the threshold for considering mitigation steps. A level of 55% is highly congested.
The Congestion Management Process (CMP) is a key component of AMATS’s long-range transportation planning, developed every four years.
Its purpose is to identify and address congestion in the region by evaluating strategies, recommending improvements and analyzing the impact of past projects.
As a federally mandated process, the CMP must follow specific guidelines.
These include monitoring transportation system performance, setting congestion management objectives, collecting and analyzing data, evaluating congestion strategies, planning implementation with timelines and funding and regularly assessing the effectiveness of these strategies.
Officials project the 2024 CMP report to be completed in September. It does not recommend any significant roadway changes to address the region’s road congestion.
An interactive map of congested areas is available on the AMATS website.
METRO RTA garners more funding
Committee members discussed a draft of the AMATS 2024 Transit Plan.
Experts developed the plan in collaboration with METRO RTA and PARTA. It assesses transit service performance, identifies challenges and recommends strategies to improve and expand the system.
The plan aims to strengthen current services while addressing new needs. Recommendations may be included in the 2050 Regional Transportation Plan.
It emphasizes sustainable fleet investments, improved access and collaboration between transit agencies and communities to meet rider needs.
The drafted plan currently includes six main goals focused on providing safe and equitable transit services for the region.
The goals include:
- Investing in programs supporting transit goals
- Investing in sustainable fleet and operations
- Integrating transit into regional transportation projects
- Ensuring that transit is an integral component of land-use planning efforts
- Optimizing transit service — Studying current service and conducting service optimization every five to years to adjust to new travel patterns
- Increasing sidewalk access to bus stops and shelters
Each goal requires funding to be implemented according to the plan. Transit agencies have access to federal, state and local funding sources, including grants and sales tax revenue.
Officials are reviewing the plan expect a final draft in September.
Policy Committee Members unanimously passed a resolution to add capital funds for METRO RTA.
This federal transit funding will be used for preventive maintenance and to purchase more compressed natural gas-fueled replacement buses.
Both projects are scheduled for FY 2025 and total more than $29 million in costs, including local contributions.
