Reimaginig Public Transit in Worcester - Route 25??

Today we take a look at reimagining the WRTA's existing bus route Route 25 - City Hall to Auburn Industrial Park via Canterbury St. & Southbridge St.

Current Bus Route 25 Reimagined and Overlaid (Blue) on the proposed AIRLINE BRT System (Red), Visitor Trolley (Green) and other Proposed Bus Routes (Purple)

Current Bus Route 25 Reimagined and Overlaid (Blue) on the proposed AIRLINE BRT System (Red) and Visitor Trolley (Green). Other Proposed Bus Routes Turned Off for Clarity

The proposed route not only provides service for Route 25 but also adds (restores? - triple WOO points to the first person who can tell me what number this route was) service to Holden Center via Grove St.

The southern end of the route continues to provide service to both Auburn Industrial Park and the Seven Hills Foundation facility on Hope Ave, but in lieu of traveling along Southbridge St. to/from City Hall, the bus continues along Hope Ave. to/from Webster Square where it connects to the AIRLINE BRT system at Webster Square on the Fremont St. side.

Detail of Webster Square to Junction District Segment of Proposed Bus Route 25?? (Blue)

The route then continues along Fremont St. to Canterbury St., connecting again with the AIRLINE BRT system at the planned Clark University/South Worcester stop. The route then continues along Southbridge St. (as it does in it's present day configuration), connecting again with the AIRLINE BRT system at the Junction District station on New Salem St. The route then heads northwest along Madison and Chandler Sts., then travels north/south through downtown on its western edge along Lancaster, Linden and Irving Sts. (southbound), and Murray Ave, High, Chestnut and Harvard Sts. (northbound). Route 3 presently provides service along the northern segment of this proposed route.

Detail of Downtown Segment of Proposed Bus Route 25?? (Blue)

At Highland St., the route connects with the AIRLINE North BRT System at Lincoln Square. The route then provides local service along Salisbury St. and Park Ave. north of Salisbury St. before it again connects with the AIRLINE North BRT System at Chadwick Square. From Chadwick Square the line travels along Grove St. to Main St. in Holden, providing service to Holden Center, including the Big Y shopping center and Wachusett Regional High School.

Detail of North Worcester Segment of Proposed Bus Route 25?? (Blue)

Reimagining Public Transit in Worcester - Route 04

Today we take a look at reimagining the WRTA's existing bus route Route 4 - City Hall to The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley via Millbury St.

Current Bus Route 4 Reimagined and Overlaid (Blue) on the proposed AIRLINE BRT System (Red), Visitor Trolley (Green) and other Proposed Bus Routes (Purple)

Route 4 Reimagined and Overlaid (Blue) on the proposed AIRLINE BRT System (Red) and Visitor Trolley (Green). Other Proposed Bus Routes deleted for clarity

The proposed route is identical to the existing route on the suburban side, providing service from downtown Worcester to both the new WalMart and The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley. There is an interesting Telegram article today discussing how Worcester's public transportation "ranks 80th out of 100 [US metro areas] in its combined transit coverage area and ability to get workers to their jobs." Route 4 was specifically discussed in the article as a route designed to provide public transit options for retail workers at WalMart and The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley.

The downtown side of the route does have a few modifications.

Downtown Detail of Proposed Bus Route 04 (Blue)

Presently, Route 4 accesses downtown Worcester via Route 146 and the Canal District - Millbury and Water Sts. inbound and Harding St. outbound. After 8 hours on my feet at Marshall's at The Shoppes at Blackstone Valley I would just want to get home, and the last thing I'm looking to do is take a leisurely tour of the Canal District (see the proposed Visitor Trolley for this). After a relatively quick ride on Route 146, the slow crawl through the Canal District would be a major turnoff for me. The reimagined Route 4 enters Worcester via Route 146 and continues straight onto Quinsigamond Ave. and connects with the AIRLINE at the Junction District Station, thus avoiding the congested Canal District (riders with destinations in the Canal District can transfer to Route 0716 at Brosnihan Square). The route then continues to Union Station along McGrath Blvd. and Foster St. providing local service to the Worcester Public Library and the YWCA of Central MA and terminating at Union Station where passengers can connect to the numerous local and regional lines passing through this hub.

WRTA = W[orcester] R[ides] T[he] A[IRLINE]

There was some discussion last night at City Council regarding the idea of direct bus service between ORH and Union Station. The following is taken from  Worcester Magazine's City Council Live Blog (emphasis added):

'Germain says he’s been flying to Florida from ORH recently, and says people from other states are using it too. One guy told him it would be great to have shuttle service downtown from Union Station. He wants the Manager to have the WRTA coordinate with Direct Air to have direct bus service from Union Station to the airport. “That type of system is utilized throughout the country. You always had to jump on a bus to get from the parking lot to the airport, and sometimes that bus ride was longer than it takes to get from the Union Station to the Airport.”

J.O’Brien says this is a very thoughtful plan, and importantly connects all kinds of transportation. He says other shuttle ideas have included UMass.'

The Proposed AIRLINE BRT System (Red) and Stops (Yellow) for Worcester, MA

I could not agree with you more Councilors Germain and O'Brien! In fact, I blogged about the idea that travelers are already accustomed to riding a bus when traveling at airports on my Smurfs and Kool-Aid post a few weeks back in support of a direct ORH to Union Station bus link and the idea of a 1-seat ride from UMASS Memorial University Campus to ORH was discussed last November.

Keep promoting this idea Councilors.......

Worcester Airport Access, The Smurfs and Kool-Aid

Bill's blog has a recent post about ORH that mentions that apparently Massport thinks the only way ORH will be a success is if an access road to the airport is built.




From what I hear, the idea of an access road along existing MA Route 56 in Leicester and connecting to the Mass Pike at a new interchange in Oxford seems to be the most popular (least worst?) option up for consideration.

Map Showing Author's Guess as to Location of Proposed Route 56 Access Road Between the Mass Pike and ORH (Blue) and the Proposed AIRLINE Bus Rapid Transit System (Red)

I'm not drinking the blue Kool-Aid.

I see the positives in the Route 56 Access Road idea. I admit it would be relatively inexpensive to build a road along this route as it travels mostly through undeveloped areas of Leicester and it would provide easy access to the airport for the targeted Metrowest leisure travels I understand we want to target. My biggest concern, however, is that wherever this access path is built (I prefer to use the term path as opposed to road - road to most people has come to mean only autos and trucks, while the term path seems to encompass a wider variety of methods for getting around, including autos and truck, but also public transit, biking, etc.), opportunities for economic development will follow. 100's of travelers moving along this path on a daily basis will create demand for dining, retail, entertainment, lodging and numerous other goods and services. A path through Leicester most likely means the loss of thousands of acres of countryside to just more suburban sprawl, which I certainly could do without.

There's a unique opportunity here, with an access path connecting I-290 at Union Station to ORH, to bring hundreds of travelers a day into downtown Worcester to experience dining, retail, entertainment, lodging and numerous other goods and services before and/or after their flight. The Worcester path issue does not seem to be an issue of getting to or traveling along I-290 itself, but the issue is how does one get from I-290 to ORH? In the AIRLINE BRT proposal, those traveling by car along I-290 would exit at the existing MLK Jr. Blvd. exit, park their cars in the Union Station garage, and jump on a bus that would travel along a dedicated ROW with limited stops, dropping them off at the front door of ORH in less than 20 minutes.

I anticipate that many will react to the BRT model by saying that we need an access road because Worcester is a driving town, with public transit being used by a very small percentage of the population. In general I agree with this, as it is my experience that the concept of riding the WRTA on a regular basis for work or shopping is a foreign concept in a majority of resident's minds. That being said, I believe the AIRLINE BRT could be an exception to this general rule and the start of a change in attitude towards public transit in Worcester. The reason for this is that there is already an expectation by the general airline traveling population that they will likely use at least one, if not two or three forms of public transportation as a part of their travel experience. When I fly out of PVD, I park in the long term lot and guess what I board to get to the terminals? A bus! I've used buses at countless airports, and have also utilized subways, monorails and light rail cars and that Star Wars like people mover 'lounge' they use at Dulles. Viewed in this light, the AIRLINE BRT path as a substitute for an access road does not seem too far fetched to me.

Since 1875, when the original Union Station was constructed, through 1975, 100's of visitors and residents arrived in and departed from Worcester on a daily basis through Union Station's doors. The city restored the building to it's original grandeur in 2000, when once again train passengers, and a few years later, intercity bus passengers arrived in/departed from Worcester through Union Station's doors. I understand there are plans in the works to move the WRTA local bus hub from City Hall to Union Station within the next few years.  The economic development opportunities available to Worcester in general (and downtown and AIRLINE neighborhoods such as the Junction District, Main South, South Worcester and Webster Square in particular) by selecting Union Station as the local gateway for ORH travelers could potentially be tremendous, and the synergies available with all of the already in place or planned modes of transportation at Union Station are even more exciting.

Anyone for a cup of the red Kool-Aid?

Connecting to/from Route 9 in Shrewsbury, Worcester's Eastern Gateway

Here's the Shrewsbury post, my apologies for earlier post and delete....

The Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission released a report last week titled Route 9 Development and Traffic Analysis which looked at both current and future traffic on Route 9 in the towns of Shrewsbury, Northborough and Westborough. Not surprisingly, the report said many intersections were already over capacity and traffic would only get worse with more development. Improving intersections with vehicle detection and coordinating signals to minimize waiting time were recommended, but the focus for meaningfully improving capacity going forward was clearly on developing alternate means of getting around such as walking, bikes and public transportation. It's the public transportation piece that got me thinking about Worcester's AIRLINE BRT system, the AIRLINE East branch serving Shrewsbury and, more to the point, connections at it's eastern terminus at Fairlawn.

AIRLINE East (Red), Proposed Route 9 Bus (Orange) and Proposed Shrewsbury I-290 - Route 9 Highway Connector (Blue)

 Shrewsbury I-290 - Route 9 Highway Connector - Getting to the Worcester end of Route 9 in Shrewsbury is challenging. Options include accessing the area via Route 9 in Worcester, which is already overcrowded, or using narrow back roads such as Old Mill Rd. to get to Route 9 from I-290 near the Worcester/Shrewsbury line. I'm generally not a proponent of building new highways, but in this case there seems to be a unique opportunity to construct a 1.7 mile connector highway between I-290 and Route 9 along an existing power line right-of-way (ROW). The existing continuous ROW is approximately 200 feet wide and undeveloped with the exception of several power lines. The ROW crosses I-290 just east of the current Exit 22 near Shrewsbury High School and travels south to Route 9, crossing in the area of the Route 9/Maple Ave. intersection. One example of connector design that I think might work in this location is the Simarano Dr. connector off of Route I-495.

Simarano Dr. Connector (Exit 23C) off of I-495 in Marlborough (Image Rotated Approx. 45 degrees Counterclockwise to Match Orientation of I-290)

There appears to be sufficient existing undeveloped land for this style of interchange and the topography in the area is amazingly similar. The 4 lane Simarano Dr. connector width is approximately 70 feet, which would readily fit within the current 200 ft. ROW and should leave plenty of room for the existing and any future expansion of the existing power lines. As mentioned above, the exits for this connector would be close to existing Exit 22 off of I-290, and it may make sense to link these two exits with a frontage road in both directions so as to minimize the number of ramps to/from I-290. There is also the question of whether there should be a Main St. exit off of/entrance onto the connector. It seems to me that there should indeed be an exit/on ramp here as it should reduce reliance on local roads by through traffic.

 Intermodal Transit Station at Route 9/I-290 Connector/Maple Ave Intersections - I should be clear that the only way I would support developing the above highway connector was if it were a part of a bigger plan to support the development of multiple modes of transit both within Worcester and along the Route 9 corridor. It seems to me that the existing vacant industrial land and building (and presently listed for sale I believe) just east of the intersection of Route 9 and Maple Ave. would be a great location for an intermodal transit terminal similar in function (but certainly not scale) to the intermodal Alewife Station in Cambridge.


Potential Location for Intermodal Transit Station Just East of the Route 9 and Maple Ave. Intersection in Shrewsbury

A large parking area (surface initially, structured parking when the demand justifies it) would serve those arriving by car and provide users with three options - jump on the AIRLINE East to get to all points in Worcester, pickup the Route 9 bus to get to points along Route 9 in Shrewsbury, Northborough and Westborough (and points east), or travel to Shrewsbury center and other local points via the WRTA run Shrewsbury local service (present day WRTA Route 15). Some further thoughts on this intermodal station:

1. This station could serve as a convenient jumping off point for getting to Worcester - get on the AIRLINE East bus and you can ride all the way to ORH within 1/2 hour while reading a book or catching up on those unread e-mails. 
2. This station would provide Shrewsbury with a great opportunity to promote Transit Oriented Development (TOD) along Route 9 and could serve as a model for the growth of the balance of Route 9 in Worcester County going forward.
3. UMASS Memorial Medical Center - University Campus continues to grow and it seems like I see satellite parking lots for their employees all around town - this intermodal station together with the highway connector would allow UMASS to consolidate it's employee satellite parking in one convenient location and share both parking and transportation facilities instead of covering 100% of these costs themselves. The UMASS Memorial Medical Center - University Campus is tight, the less land that needs to be dedicated towards storing vehicle, the more land that is available for labs and offices focused on saving lives.

Ride the AIRLINE - The Backbone of Worcester's Future Public Transportation System

The AIRLINE Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) proposal for Worcester has come together in a series of posts over the past few months (the original Union Station - ORH line, the Union Station - Fairlawn branch to Shrewsbury and the Union Station - QCC branch), so I thought it might be helpful to step back and look at the BRT system in its entirety for a change.



The Proposed AIRLINE BRT System for Worcester, MA
AIRLINE (Orange) - AIRLINE East (Red) - AIRLINE North (Blue)

 The current WRTA bus system (map) is run as a hub and spoke system with City Hall playing the role of the hub. This system worked well for many years when most Worcester County businesses and retailers were downtown, but started to become less effective when businesses and retailers could locate just about anywhere thanks to the new highways built after World War II. Today, just as many public transit users need to get across town as downtown, but the system is still setup as if we were still in the 1950's.

Ideally, the WRTA would revamp it's bus routes using more of a grid plan like those found in NYC and Philadelphia. A grid system is great for transit users as it gives them more than one option for getting to their destination (e.g., you can go up, then across, or across and then up, etc.) while with a hub and spoke system you are largely tied to the one spoke that runs to your destination. Practically speaking, Worcester's terrain and existing road infrastructure outside of the downtown core does not make a true grid system practical, so the best I think Worcester could do is a hybrid transit system with Union Station serving as the primary hub.

I've heard here and there that the WRTA is planning on moving its hub from City Hall to Union Station at some point, but I have not heard much about it lately. The AIRLINE BRT would serve as the backbone of this redesigned system, providing efficient, frequent service along Worcester's primary business corridors and connecting to ORH. The next step would be to lay out traditional bus routes that would serve the secondary business corridors and residential areas and cross over (like a grid) the BRT lines at secondary hubs (e.g., Lincoln Square, Webster Square, etc.) - the objective would be to get riders on the traditional bus routes to the BRT system as quickly as possible where they can then transfer to the BRT and get to their ultimate destination quickly. Alternatively, as the bus line would cross the BRT line, the rider would have the option to stay on the bus (or perhaps take the bus in the opposite direction) and take an alternate route to their destination. I'll layout a sample route next post to demonstrate what I am thinking here.

Ride the AIRLINE - Heading North out of Union Station

Single seat ride ORH to QCC via Union Station/Lincoln Square/Greendale Mall.

Proposed Airline North BRT Line

Downtown Detail of Proposed Airline North BRT Line

Previous posts discuss the Airline BRT system connecting Union Station and ORH, and an extension along Shrewsbury St. to UMASS and Shrewsbury. The Trolley service connects Union Station with Main St. and Lincoln Square, but would be designed with the visitor experience in mind and not that of the everyday commuter or businessperson whose transportation needs are very different from those of a visitor.

The proposed 4 mile Airline North BRT Line would originate at Union Station and travel along Foster St. to Major Taylor Blvd. to Lincoln Square where it would then travel along Grove St. to Chadwick Square where it would then ride along Gold Star Blvd./West Boylston St., terminating at Quinsigamond Community College. Like the Shrewsbury St. line, this line would run along the existing auto ROW possibly with priority lane/signal control and limited stops in order to provide fast service to/from Union Station. Major Taylor Blvd. is quite an imposing road from a pedestrian POV - perhaps installing a dedicated BRT transitway in the middle of MTB (the C Branch of the Green Line on the T, the line that runs along the centerline ROW of Beacon St. (apparently, according to "Your Worcester Street" by Ivan Sandrof, Worcester's Beacon St. is indeed named after this "graceful Boston street") is a good example of what I am thinking of here).

Ride the AIRLINE - Single Seat Ride ORH to UMASS/Shrewsbury via Union Station

Proposed "Union Station - Fairlawn" Segment



Proposed "AIRLINE"

The idea of the Union Station - ORH bus rapid transit (BRT) system started as a way of getting people quickly and efficiently to/from ORH via downtown. However, as I thought more about it, it really also becomes a great opportunity to also connect and promote the development of a number of key Worcester neighborhoods, one example of which is the previous post about the Junction District.

This post builds on this idea of connecting Worcester's neighborhoods by extending the existing Union Station - ORH BRT line along the busy Shrewsbury St. corridor to the biotech and UMASS campuses and then along Route 9 into Shrewsbury. This proposed line, which I call the AIRLINE (a nod to the nickname for the old trolley line that formerly ran along Shrewsbury St. and Route 9 to Boston - apparently so called because it's route was a straight line between Worcester and Boston, much like an airline would take flying between the two cities) would provide for a single seat ride between ORH and the busy Shrewsbury Route 9 shopping corridor, serving Webster Square, Clark University/South Worcester, Junction District, Union Station, the Shrewsbury St. restaurant district, the biotech park and UMASS campuses and Lake Quinsigamond along the way.

The Union Station - Fairlawn leg as shown above is about 3.75 miles long, resulting in a total ORH - Fairlawn route length of approximately 10.25 miles. The Union Station - Fairlawn leg is envisioned to run along the existing Shrewsbury St. and Route 9 auto ROW, possibly with a priority lane/signal control and limited stops in order to provide fast service to/from Union Station.

Improving Access to ORH While Supporting Worcester's Economic Development

With MassPort's acquisition of Worcester Regional Airport (ORH) this past summer there has been some speculation that the airport access road issue will again come to the forefront. I know that access roads from I-290 to ORH have been studied along both the Hope Ave. and Cambridge St. corridors without much success and others promote a new exit off of the MassPike at its intersection with Rt. 56 as an alternative.

The I-290 auto connections look great on paper, but the costs (both $ and environmentally speaking) and takings necessary to carry either of these plans forward appear to be insurmountable hurdles. The MassPike/Rt. 56 option solves the problem at expected lower costs with fewer property takings, but would likely divert economic development from Worcester to this new Rt. 56 corridor for many years to come. I want to throw out a third alternative for consideration - a bus rapid transit system connecting Union Station and ORH.

The line would originate at Union Station and run within the P&W right-of-way (ROW) until it's junction with the CSX ROW where it will then run alongside the CSX ROW until it's intersection with James St. The busway will then turn north and connect up with Goddard Memorial Dr. on its way to ORH. I imagine a dedicated ROW along the rail lines and for the segment connecting to Goddard Memorial Dr. and then the busway using the existing Goddard Memorial Dr. ROW for the remainder of the busway.

According to Google Maps, the line would be approximately 6.5 miles long. Because the ROW would be separated from other traffic and have no streetlights, it would seem to me that average speeds of 30 MPH could certainly be achievable. This means a passenger boarding a bus at Union Station could be at the airport in just 13 minutes if there were no stops along the way. Even adding in a few stops, say three stops at two minutes per stop, we are still less than a 20 minute ride from Union Station to ORH!