Maximize2045: A Performance-Based Transportation Plan

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On behalf of the Baltimore Regional Transportation Board (BRTB), thank you for your interest in our activities and efforts to update the region's long-range transportation plan - Maximize2045:  A Performance-Based Transportation Plan. For many, the importance of the long-range transportation plan is the identification of major projects the region expects to implement over the next 20-25 years.

In late spring, the BRTB will release a draft Maximize2045, along with the 2020-2023 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), for public review. We share with you our steps along the way and invite you to get involved in the process by learning more about the steps and staying tuned for upcoming events and the public comment period.

PLANNING FOR AN UNCERTAIN TOMORROW

Planning a transportation system for generations to come is a complex task. How many people will live here? Where will they work? What kind of transportation service will they want and need? Questions like these are important to examine when putting together a long-range transportation plan.

The BRTB’s Cooperative Forecasting Group (CFG) has developed population, household, and employment forecasts for the Baltimore region. Here’s a bit about what they’re forecasting over the next 25+ years:

  • The Baltimore region is expected to add over 333,000 people – a population increase of nearly 12 percent.   

  • Households will grow at a rate of nearly 15 percent, surpassing population growth and leading to smaller household sizes

  • The region expects to see employment growth of 28 percent with over 461,000 jobs being added. 

The BRTB also considers other factors - some known, some anticipated, and some unknown at this time - that will affect the regional transportation network in the future. These include issues such as: 

  • Greenhouse gas emissions and climate change

  • Distracted driving and other safety concerns

  • Growth in and around the Port of Baltimore

  • Mega-Regional projects such as a MagLev Train and The Loop

  • Potential consequences of emerging technologies such as connected and automated vehicles, shared mobility services, on-demand freight services, etc.

EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

The rapid evolution of technology is affecting all parts of our lives, especially how we get around and how freight is moved.  Emerging technologies include connected and automated vehicles, shared mobility such as car and bike sharing, on-demand freight services, artificial intelligence and smart infrastructure. 

Given the fast pace of change, there is significant uncertainty about the effects of emerging technologies.  Questions are being raised such as "Will more congestion result from more vehicles on the road since automated vehicles will open opportunities for people who currently are not able to drive? Or will there be less congestion because vehicles can operate at peak efficiency?"  

Advancements like these offer the potential to improve dramatically the safety, reliability, accessibility, and environmental footprint of our transportation networks. However, these technologies may also significantly affect travel demands and modes used by passengers and freight, land use patterns, and future transportation investment needs in ways that are not yet fully understood. Technology is as likely to improve performance as it is possibly to create unintended or adverse consequences.
 

WHAT'S NEXT? 

The next steps of the process to develop Maximize2045 are: 

  • Project Evaluation – BRTB members have submitted a list of projects they’d like to have included in Maximize2045. BMC staff are evaluating the projects based on the scoring methodology adopted by the BRTB.  Using the scoring result, the BRTB will select a list of projects that the region could implement over the next 20-25 years given the amount of money available. 
     

  • Draft Plan Released for Public Comments – A draft of the plan will be made public for a comment period during May and June 2019 and we’ll hold a public meeting in each jurisdiction in the Baltimore region. 
     

  • Respond to comments and vote on a final plan – The BRTB will then review and respond to public comments and vote on a final plan in July 2019.