IV. IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING AND PROGRAMMING

TASK 4.07 ADA / Human Service Agency Transportation Options/ Welfare-to-Work / Special Transportation

CDTC staff continues to work with the Access Transit staff and county agencies to assure success of the brokerage. CDTC and CDTA staff will continue in 2003-04 to seek additional brokerage opportunities in other service areas.

CDTC continues to assist CDTA in its development of several related initiatives, including the successful regional program using state funds (Transportation Assistance to Needy Families) and the federal Jobs Access / Reverse Commute program. These efforts will continue.

TASK 4.17 Arterial Management Planning

Formal arterial management efforts were modest during 2002-03. Staff expects to revisit various CDTC arterial management guidelines in 2003-04, including 'standards' for arterial capacity and levels-of-service. Additionally, work will begin on an urban arterial version of the "level of compatibility" indices developed in 1995 for suburban settings.

TASK 4.18 ITS Architecture and Integration (new task)

NYSDOT and CDTC, along with CDTA, the NYSTA and other major players, will pursue the development of a "regional architecture" for the Capital District ITS deployment. RPI currently has the lead in the technical work.

A major element of this architecture development from CDTC's perspective is defining the methods for regular or continuous feedback from operational data to the planning process. One initial effort will be a CDTC staff effort to analyze frequency, duration and cost of freeway incidents by type and relate this information to traffic volumes. This will provide a locally-calibrated, advanced algorithm for use in CDTC's VISUM-based model.

Additionally, a key element of the task will be outreach to other stakeholders, including coordination with NYSDOT's Rural ITS initiative.

TASK 4.62 Transit Operations Planning

Further development of best bus concepts will continue in 2003-04. The further articulation of an full build scenario for Bus Rapid Transit in the NY5 corridor will take place through a consultant contract anticipated to be executed early in 2003-04; an "incremental build" scenario is funded in the 2001-06 TIP and will be progressed as well. In 2002-03, attention was directed to BRT aspects of TIP project A , Central Avenue: Everett to the city line. An additional Congressional earmark for BRT implementation was incorporated into the FFY03 transportation appropriations bill, as well.

All of CDTA's staff planning charges are included under this task.

TASK 4.67 Bikeway / Pedestrian Facility Planning

The Bike and Pedestrian Transportation Task Force remained active during 2002-03. Activities and products included provision of technical support to the Saratoga Heritage Trail program and involvement in CDTC's Spot Improvement Program, Linkage planning and Greenway contract and TIP evaluations. For 2003-04, the group will revisit the Mohawk-Hudson bike map with an eye to updating the map; it will review the adopted bike and pedestrian priority network and update the "toolbox" document that serves as part of the New Visions plan.

CDTC continues to be actively involved in the NYSDOH "Healthy Heart" program in Schenectady and in the town of Bethlehem's bike and pedestrian work.

Under this task heading, CDTC staff will continue to offer community assistance related to bike and pedestrian planning issues, including the broader category of "traffic calming" options. Additionally, CDTC will continue its cooperative work with county traffic safety committees and the Governor's Traffic Safety Board to coordinate attention on bike and pedestrian safety issues.

TASK 4.85 Staffing for the Transportation Management Center (TIP funded)

NYSDOT opened the regional Transportation Management Center in July 1999. To provide for supplemental staffing (weekends and holidays, for example), CDTA is serving as the employer for part-time staff, being reimbursed through the CMAQ-funded TIP project RG37. The effort is expected to continue in 2003-04 at the $20,000 annual level.

TASK 4.72 TIP Project Planning and Development Work (TIP funded)

NYSDOT continues project planning and development work for a number of projects on the CDTC TIP. This work will define the range of feasible alternatives to be considered in preliminary engineering, based on traffic operations, cost, and ROW impacts. Among the projects being studied are the Albany County Airport area projects (I-87 Exit 3/4), I-90 reconstruction projects and the Route 7 corridor projects in Rotterdam (I-890/I-90 Thruway Exit 25 area, intersections at Route 146 and Five Corners, traffic operations in the corridor). NYSDOT is also working to package corridor and project information developed by CDTC staff (in past UPWPs) into documents acceptable for use in NYSDOT's preliminary engineering process. This includes the Balltown Road, Route 50, and Everett Road corridors. Work will continue in 2003-04.

TASK 4.97 TIP Development, Monitoring and Update

During 2002-03, the TIP was maintained through numerous amendments and publication of a "real time" TIP on CDTC's web site. Work began in the fall of 2002 toward development of a 2003-08 TIP. For the first time in six years, the TIP update involved full solicitation and evaluation of candidate projects. Internet resources have assisted in this effort, as CDTC published application material on its web site, and has maintained a running draft with supporting summary tables as the new TIP has been assembled. The draft will be released by March 2003 for final approval in May and incorporation into a Statewide TIP by October 2003. The new TIP will be maintained through amendments over the coming year.