June
26, 2006
TOWN
OF CHAPEL HILL/TOWN OF CARRBORO/
THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT CHAPEL HILL
LONG
RANGE TRANSIT PLAN
REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS
Background
The Town of Chapel Hill, the Town of Carrboro and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) wish to develop a Long Range Transit Plan for the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. In particular, the Plan will focus on the transportation needs of the Carolina North development project that is being planned by the University. The purpose of this Request for Qualifications (RFQ) is to select one or more consultants to assist the above parties in preparing this Plan. The consultant(s) will report to and be directed by a Transit Study Committee comprised of two representatives from the Town of Chapel Hill, two from the Town of Carrboro and four from the University of North Carolina. A technical committee, composed of staff representatives of the above organizations, the North Carolina Department of Transportation and the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization, and possibly other agencies, also will be established and will monitor the development of the Plan and provide guidance to the consultant(s).
The purpose of the Long Range Transit Plan is to support the continued development of regional transportation plans. The Long Range Transit Plan is intended to inform the ongoing process of preparing the 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan by providing more detailed identification and analysis of transit alternatives. The development of the 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan will address broader issues of new or expanded roadways and related transportation improvements.
There are six objectives to be achieved:
Respondents should be mindful of the following in preparing a response:
In preparing to respond to this RFQ, the following documents are available on line for review:
Proposed Scope of Work
Work Task 1: Identify Principal Transportation Corridors, Study Area and Travel Patterns
The Chapel Hill-Carrboro area includes major transportation corridors providing access to the UNC-Chapel Hill Main Campus, the downtowns, and surrounding residential and commercial destinations. The distribution of travel demand into and out from the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area, as well as travel demand within the Towns should be identified. This analysis should also include the designation of principle transportation corridors within and to the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. The designation of principle transportation corridors should be based on future travel demand as identified in the results of the 2030 Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro (DCHC) Urban Area Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), and available geo-coding of addresses of current employees at UNC-Chapel Hill. The identified Principal Transportation Corridors will be used to develop the Long Range Transit Plan. The designation of the travel corridors will also result in the designation of a study area for purposes of the completion of the Long Range Transit Plan.
Work Task 2: Assess Current and Planned Transportation System within Principal Transportation Corridors
The intent of this task is to provide study participants with a broad, introductory understanding of future local and regional transportation issues and deficiencies. The consultant(s) will describe the key features and assess the capacity and performance of the major current and planned transportation elements within the identified corridors. Major transportation elements will include local and regional transit services and roads. The assessment of existing transit services will include bus headways, travel times, capacities, ridership, deficiencies, etc. The assessment of existing roads will include number of lanes, capacities, peak period and daily traffic demands, volume to capacity ratios, bottlenecks, deficiencies, etc. The assessment will also include an estimate of person trips by mode of travel within each transportation corridor.
An identical assessment will be undertaken for 2030 conditions using information from the LRTP and the most recent Triangle Regional Model (TRM). The assessment will include the identification of transportation improvements that are assumed in the LRTP.
Work Task 3: Develop Goals, Objectives and Evaluation Criteria
Based on the findings of the two preceding tasks and input from the Towns on their goals and priorities and the University on the vision and objectives for the Carolina North project and Main Campus, the consultant(s) will develop draft, goals, objectives and evaluation criteria for selecting and evaluating transportation alternatives and strategies. These will address transit, bicycle and pedestrian modes of travel, and reflect mobility needs, preferences and priorities, land use changes, community and environmental values, sustainability, and funding agency criteria. This Task will develop goals for future person trips, by mode, for all principal transportation corridors, using available data from the Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro 2030 Long Range Transportation Plan.
The consultant(s) will finalize the draft goals, objectives and evaluation criteria following review by the Transit Study Committee.
Work Task 4: Update/Enhance/Develop Travel Forecasting Model(s)
It is expected that the development of the Transit Plan will require the use of transportation modeling to project peak period and daily travel demands by mode and evaluate the impact of various transportation improvements and land use changes. The transportation model(s) must include the ability to accurately represent existing travel behavior, including public transit, park-and-ride, bicycling and pedestrian activity. The model(s) should be able to assess the impact of changes in land use, congestion, improvements to public transit services and the road network, and additional bicycle and pedestrian facilities to travel behavior. It should also be able to assess the impact of parking limitations and travel demand management (TDM) policies on travel behavior. The model(s) also should be capable of producing key statistics that are necessary in undertaking a preliminary evaluation of eligibility for Federal Transit Administration (FTA) New Starts or Small/Quick Starts funding.
The consultant(s) will evaluate the adequacy of the existing Triangle Regional Model (TRM) to perform the tasks described above. The consultant(s) should indicate if they propose to utilize the Triangle Regional Model or some combination of the Triangle Regional Model and other procedures designed to prepare the required analysis. The option of a separate GIS-based model to estimate bicycle and pedestrian demands and test responses to various transportation improvements and land use scenarios should be considered.
The consultant(s) will review the transportation improvements or changes incorporated in the 2030 TRM model with the Towns, University, DCHC Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Orange County, North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), and Triangle Transit Authority (TTA). The network will be revised to initially reflect only those improvements that are likely to be in place by 2030.
Work Task 5: Project Future Travel Demand and Transportation Corridor Capacity
The Plan should include a determination of the person-trip capacity of principal transportation corridors reflecting anticipated transportation improvements. The scope of anticipated transportation improvements will include adopted elements of the 2030 DCHC Long Range Transportation Plan and other improvements as delineated by the Advisory Committee. Using the updated 2035 socio-economic projections, estimates of future travel demand by mode of travel should be prepared.
Work Task 6: Identification and Preliminary Evaluation of Transit Technologies
The consultant(s) will evaluate the ability of different transit technologies to accommodate future travel demand in specific transportation corridors. As an explicit goal of the Plan is to promote alternatives to single occupant vehicles, the first step in the evaluation process will be to test the maximum likely impact of transit improvements by assuming transit improvements that have a very high level of service regardless of cost. No roadway improvements beyond those in the adopted 2030 LRTP will be assumed at this stage.
The consultant(s) will summarize the key characteristics of a range of transit technologies. Technologies will also be evaluated with regard to their compatibility with existing or anticipated land uses and consistency with community character and environmental constraints and goals. The technologies should include a range of options that could operate on street and/or in exclusive right of way, and include feeder services and park-and-ride facilities.
The consultant(s) will prepare a preliminary evaluation of all possible technologies and alignments and provide recommendations for the most applicable technologies and alignments that maximize transit utilization. The alternatives will include park-and-ride, TDM and parking strategies that may reduce vehicular traffic
The emphasis of the evaluation will be to determine that there are no obvious fatal engineering, community, environment or other flaws, and identify any key issues in implementing a particular technology in a particular alignment. The Transit Study Committee will review the consultant recommendations and select technologies and supporting strategies to be evaluated for mobility impacts.
Work Task 7: Assessment of High Level Transit Alternatives
The consultant(s) will assess the potential ridership impacts of the preliminary transit alternatives with the TRM and any other models/tools developed in Work Task 4, including estimates of pedestrian and bicycle mode splits. The TRM also will be used to determine the number of vehicle trips remaining on the highway system and assess the associated levels of congestion. If appropriate, the transit alternatives will be adjusted in an attempt to address unacceptable levels of congestion.
Other impacts of the transit alternatives will be evaluated based on the goals and evaluation criteria developed in Work Task 3. Capital and operating impacts of different technologies will be evaluated and compared. Impacts on air quality and integration of the technology into ongoing carbon reduction plans will also be assessed.
The consultant(s) will undertake a preliminary assessment of funding options (availability, and probability) for all the transportation alternatives, including FTA New Starts or Small/Quick Starts programs.
The Transit Study Committee will review the assessment and determine the appropriate level of transit improvements to carry forward in the study.
Work Task 8: Refinement and Assessment of Initial Transit Alternatives
The consultant(s) will assess the potential benefits and impacts of the selected transit alternatives (all modes) based on the goals and evaluation criteria developed in Work Task 3. Mobility benefits will be assessed with the TRM and any other models/tools developed in Work Task 4, including estimates of pedestrian and bicycle mode splits The Plan will evaluate the ability of each technology to attract and accommodate the maximum transit ridership. Capital and operating impacts of different technologies will be evaluated and compared. Impacts on air quality and integration of the technology into ongoing carbon reduction plans will also be assessed.
The impact of TDM and parking strategies in reducing vehicular traffic and person travel demands also will be included in the assessment.
The consultant(s) will undertake a preliminary assessment of funding options, including availability and probability, for all the transportation alternatives, including FTA New Starts or Small/Quick Starts programs.
The Transit Study Committee will review the assessments and determine any adjustments or refinements to the transit improvements.
Work Task 9: Future Land Development
The Plan will include an assessment for future levels of land use development that could be accommodated within the Chapel Hill-Carrboro community. This assessment will be based on the person trip capacity of major transportation corridors, as determined by full implementation of the anticipated public transit investments identified in Work Task 10. The Plan will also include recommendations for implementing transit oriented land use within the major transit corridors to support proposed transit investments.
The Transit Study Committee will review the assessment and approve any adjustments or refinements to the land use plan.
Work Task 10: Assessment of Transportation Refinements and Finalize Plan
The consultant(s) will update the assessments undertaken in previous tasks to include any adjustments or refinements to the transit and land use plans. The consultant(s) will collect any additional information necessary to finalize the assessment of impacts and costs. Additional engineering and other investigations will be undertaken to refine the cost estimates.
The Transit Study Committee will review the revised assessments, and determine any final refinements to the transit improvements, land use plans, impact analyses, and mitigation measures. The consultant will make any necessary changes.
Work Task 11: Implementation Plan
The Plan will prepare a program for implementing investment in identified transportation corridors. Implementation will be phased and coordinated with the financial plan to be developed as Work Task 12
Work Task 12: Financial Plan
The Long Range Transit Plan will include a financial program designed to implement the adopted alternatives. The financial plan will include estimates of capital, maintenance and operating expenses. Cost estimates which include an annual inflation factor should also be calculated. The financial plan should be staged to allow incremental implementation. The plan should provide guidance in the sequencing of investments.
The proposed program of transit investments will also include an evaluation of the financial impacts of the full implementation of the program. The financial evaluation will include an assessment of existing and anticipated local, State and federal funding. The financial evaluation also should identify potential sources of funding for transit investments, including possible use of FTA New Start or Small/Quick Start funding.
Work Task 13: Monitoring Plan
The Transportation Plan will include a process to monitor and evaluate long term implementation. A proposed process for periodic updating of the Plan should also be included.
The selected consultant(s) work plan will be managed by the Transit Study Committee. The Committee will be briefed on a regular basis and provide guidance on all aspects of the project.
Submittal Requirements
The RFQ is designed to give respondents the broadest possible flexibility to address the work elements outlined in the next section. The selection process will involve three steps.
A. Respondents may choose to address the entire Scope of Work or selected work elements. Respondents shall provide information to describe the approach, methodology and strategies/significant activities to be used in addressing each of the work elements. The following parameters shall guide the respondent’s proposal.
i.) No financial information or budget shall be included with the proposal.
ii.) Time allocations (days) are required for each work element component.
iii.) Limit the proposed work plan to a maximum of thirty-six (36) pages or three pages per work element.
One unbound copy, ten bound copies, written in 12 point font or larger, and one electronic copy, (PDF format on CD) must be submitted to the Town of Chapel Hill’s Purchasing Coordinator by 5:00 pm on ______________, 2006. All proposals should include:
Each proposal shall be signed in ink by a duly authorized officer of the company.
Selection Process
Please see the attached Town of Chapel Hill policy regarding selection for architectural and engineering services. (See attachment “Selection of Architectural and Engineering Professional Services”)
Selection Criteria
Proposals received will first be reviewed for completeness and inclusion of the information specified in the submittal requirements. The absence of required information may result in exclusion from further consideration. Proposals will then be evaluated on the following criteria:
The final consultant selection shall be the responsibility of the Transit Study Committee.
Anticipated Selection Schedule
The following anticipated timeframe for selection of the consultant(s) and initiation of the project:
It is anticipated this overall project will take 6-9 months to complete.
Town Contact Person
Questions about this Request for Qualifications should be directed to David Bonk, Coordinator, Long Range and Transportation Planning, in the Chapel Hill Planning Department. He can be reached by phone at (919) 968-2888 ext. 347, or by email at [email protected].
Suspense Date for Submission of Statements of Qualifications
Responses to this RFQ are to be submitted in a sealed package by 5:00 pm, ______ , 2006 to:
Ms. CoCo
Hall, Purchasing Coordinator
Chapel Hill Finance Department
405 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Chapel Hill, NC. 27514
Pre-submittal Conference
A pre-submittal conference will be arranged for the week of August 7, 2006. Details on the format for this conference will be provided to potential proposers.
Description of the Selection Process