"The effect of commuter rail or other high capacity transit options to Beltline traffic will be small. Traffic modeling performed by the Regional Planning Commission (RPC) and the MPO indicates that a high capacity transit option traveling through the Isthmus would draw from 1500 to 3600 vehicles per day from the Beltline. This amounts to 2 to 3 percent of the traffic the Beltline currently carries. So while high capacity transit alternatives have merit to addressing some of Madison's transportation challenges, they provide minimal benefit to Beltline traffic and congestion." P. A-10
This is comparing apples and oranges. A light rail from Middleton to the American Family Insurance office complex on the east side through the Isthmus is not the direction of travel on Verona Road / Hwy 151 covered by the SDEIS/DEIS. The question is: how many vehicles would be removed from Verona Road / Hwy 151 if a light rail was constructed between Verona and Shorewood Hills? Especially interesting question if that rail connected to a transportation hub at the intersection of Midvale Boulevard and University Avenue, providing a linkage from the south to the east and west? Why not spend $500 million constructing the rail right down the median of Highway 151 and up Midvale Boulevard instead? Shouldn't the project be envisioning actual solutions instead of designing a freeway upgrade with minimal benefit? --- "Comments on the SDEIS are encouraged from all members of the public and are due by Friday, December 17, 2010." http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/projects/d1/verona/index.htm These are comments on the supplemental and draft environmental impact statement (SDEIS/DEIS) reports for the Dane County US 18/151 (Verona Road) corridor. I've edited these down to bite size quick reads... --- _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [email protected] http://lists.danenet.org/listinfo.cgi/bikies-danenet.org
