Baton Rouge Transportation

[ehyfield]

Will CATS have any involvement with the new rail line between downtown to LSU. I know confidence isn't high with them right now, but I wonder if that will change and a pass for the train will be good for a bus too, and vice versa.

Edited January 29, 2014 by ehyfield

[itsjustme3]

Will CATS will have any involvement with the new rail line between downtown to LSU.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! No. CATS will have zero involvement with this.

[Antrell Williams]

Will CATS have any involvement with the new rail line between downtown to LSU. I know confidence isn't high with them right now, but I wonder if that will change and a pass for the train will be good for a bus too, and vice versa.

Let's hope not. They would literally have to make a complete 360 within the next two to five years and that doesn't look likely.

[ehyfield]

Do you have proof of that itsjustme3?

I remember hearing from some other source, but I can't remember who or where, that by passing the CATS tax CATS is now the only board that can issue some sort of transportation permit (to prevent competition). This may not be true and I may have it all wrong, but if it is true, why would CATS give anybody a permit that would give away a good chunk of their future income?

And I can't imagine two different transit authorities operating on the same turf.

Edited January 29, 2014 by ehyfield

[richyb83]

Plans for streetcar connecting LSU and downtown B.R. on track
 

Plans to develop a streetcar along Nicholson Drive are beginning to take shape, according to Portland, Ore.-based consultant John Fregonese, who is helping the city-parish implement its new master plan, FuturEBR. Fregonese says he is working on a conceptual plan for a three-mile streetcar line that would run along Nicholson Drive from LSU to North Boulevard Town Square downtown, connecting, along the way, new planned developments for the area including the 34.8-acre River District, and the Water Campus, a research park devoted to coastal studies. "There is an amazing set of opportunities that present themselves right there," says Fregonese, adding that a second phase of the project would extend from Town Square to the State Capitol. "You have LSU, the River District, Water Campus, River Center, Shaw Center, old State Capitol, all the way down to the new state capitol and the IBM building. Everything you want to be in Baton Rouge for is all on that line," he says. The streetcar will cost an estimated $60 million, as much as 80% of which could potentially be covered by federal grant funds. However, Fregonese says many of the 30 cities around the country developing new streetcars have relied on a variety of local, state, federal and private funding sources. "We are discussing 10 or so potential sources and we will present several options," he says. Plans are scheduled to be unveiled in April. The project would take an estimated three years to complete. —Stephanie Riegel

 

http://www.businessreport.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=daily-reportPM&date=20140128

Edited January 29, 2014 by richyb83

[garrett_225]

Do you have proof of that itsjustme3?

I remember hearing from some other source, but I can't remember who or where, that by passing the CATS tax CATS is now the only board that can issue some sort of transportation permit (to prevent competition). This may not be true and I may have it all wrong, but if it is true, why would CATS give anybody a permit that would give away a good chunk of their future income?

And I can't imagine two different transit authorities operating on the same turf.

 

I'm not sure about that, but I know that LSU transit is run by an outside entity. 

[dan326]

I hope that really is a Canes they are building in the Coca Cola building, I think it would be a good stop along the rail line.

[ehyfield]

If the train only had limited stops for efficiency, one of the northern stops (past Water Campus) would be at Town Square. Where do y'all think the other Downtown stop should be? I think North St. & 3rd is a good intersection due to its slightly higher density and taller buildings as compared to the rest of 3rd.

Edited January 30, 2014 by ehyfield

[Antrell Williams]

That seems the most likely stop with all the employees there. I'm just waiting to see how it will turn around...

[ehyfield]

Since 3rd St. is such a skinny passage, what if the train took 4th St.? It would go up 4th, around State Capital Park and back down 4th. This street is much wider and wouldn't look as clustered as 3rd.

Another issue I was thinking through was the track's transition from St. Louis (Nicholson) to either 3rd or 4th to go further north into downtown. I've been in some streetcars the articulate pretty well, but I don't think they turned 90* on a dime. They would have to cut into either the "yard" or the "plaza" of Towne Square to get a safe turning radius.

Edited February 1, 2014 by ehyfield

[Antrell Williams]

If the parking was removed from 3rd St, the streetcar would fit perfectly. It should be a dedicated lane through there.

 

Actually, with that large tiled "relief" in the middle of the Square, the streetcar should be able to turn on to either 3rd or 4th pretty easily. Looks like a similar distance as the Carondolet-Canal turn in New Orleans.

 

It could go up 3rd, circle around Capitol Park (or not because it seems excessive, expensive, and unnecessary), and use Spanish Town Rd to take 4th back down to St. Louis.

 

They could always play with the option of shutting down vehicular traffic on 3rd St and still have the streetcar run on it. It would have to be a really strong corridor though.

[ehyfield]

Yeah. When I said go around the park I was thinking tourists, but there isn't any demand for that.

[Antrell Williams]

LOL Baton Rouge doesn't have conventional tourists.

[itsjustme3]

LOL Baton Rouge doesn't have conventional tourists.

LOL most cities don't

[ehyfield]

I hope that when they design the Baton Rouge terminus of the BR-NO, which is planned to go on the donated Entergy Campus in Mid-City Baton Rouge, they keep in mind that this could be only a temporary terminus and that this line could continue on to Lafayette in the future.

I dream (haha) of a high speed train of some sorts connecting the Gulf Coast cities in the distant future. I'm just shooting for the stars...

Edited February 7, 2014 by ehyfield

[Antrell Williams]

Commuter rail won't work without significant upgrades to the entire public transportation system in both cities, especially Baton Rouge.

[richyb83]

Good article....nice pic on the Front Cover of yesterday's Advocate!  A Map of the proposed street-car route; complete with small renderings all of the new developments....IBM Complex; Water Campus; River District & LSU's new mixed-use plaza....

 

*2nd Frame shows the proposed route

Streetcar line desired for Nicholson Drive corridor....Line considered for Nicholson corridor

 

All of the development projects going on between downtown Baton Rouge and LSU has led to plans to develop a $100 million streetcar line along the Nicholson Drive corridor.

 

“It’s astonishing how much is going on,” said John Fregonese, the planner who is helping to implement the FutureBR master land-use plan.

Fregonese cited developments such as IBM’s service center, the residential tower going up next to it, The Water Campus coastal research center and the mixed-use River District development.

 

More than 3,700 housing units, from condominiums in the River District to new residential units at LSU, are either under construction on the drawing board.

More than 2 million square feet of commercial and office space also is in the works.

 

Fregonese showed plans for a 7.38-mile streetcar route at the FutureBR Implementation Team meeting Thursday. The route would stretch from the State Capitol to Tiger Stadium. A study has shown that a streetcar line would be feasible and could be done without rebuilding roads. The line would easily fit under Interstate 10. “Most of it could be done without affecting curbs,” Fregonese said. The work also fits with LSU’s master plan for the Nicholson corridor.

 

The next step is to do a funding plan. Typically, about 70 percent of streetcar line costs are paid for by federal funds; the rest of the money comes from local sources, Fregonese said. While federal money has been limited in recent years because of Washington budget-cutting, Fregonese said cities have received money for streetcar projects. The $53 million Loyola Avenue streetcar line, which opened in New Orleans in 2013, received $45 million in federal funds.

 

Other cities to get federal money for streetcars include Washington, D.C., Atlanta, Seattle and Portland, Ore., where Fregonese works.

The amount of development activity in the Nicholson corridor makes Baton Rouge “very competitive” for federal money for a streetcar line.

 

*rest of article*

http://theadvocate.com/news/business/8307612-123/streetcar-line-desired-for-nicholson

[ehyfield]

I think it will happen.

[Antrell Williams]

Decent proposal. Would like to see the desired stops and renderings. A crappy user experience and CATS management is a recipe for disaster for efficient transportation in the capitol region. A regional authority should be established.

[cajun]

Nothing would kill public support of the rail project faster than announcing CATS would be involved.

We want good public transit in Baton Rouge. That eliminates CATS from the discussion.

This needs to be on dedicated right of way within the median of Nicholson. Automotive traffic shouldn't impact train schedules. The train should be able to signal the lights so that it can pass safely through intersections without stopping.

Ideally, they'd use one of the newer model cars that are ADA compliant and are low enough to the ground to be compatible with short, curb-height passenger platforms. That makes it possible to cheaply and quickly install transit stops.

As pretty as the street cars in New Orleans or Memphis are.....they leave much to be desired as far as performing their basic function. Houston's line is a better benchmark.

Edited February 14, 2014 by cajun

[Antrell Williams]

Nothing would kill public support of the rail project faster than announcing CATS would be involved.

We want good public transit in Baton Rouge. That eliminates CATS from the discussion.

This needs to be on dedicated right of way within the median of Nicholson. Automotive traffic shouldn't impact train schedules. The train should be able to signal the lights so that it can pass safely through intersections without stopping.

Ideally, they'd use one of the newer model cars that are ADA compliant and are low enough to the ground to be compatible with short, curb-height passenger platforms. That makes it possible to cheaply and quickly install transit stops.

As pretty as the street cars in New Orleans or Memphis are.....they leave much to be desired as far as performing their basic function. Houston's line is a better benchmark.

Nicholson doesn't have the room within the neutral ground for a dedicated ROW. It's pretty narrow compared to St. Charles/Carrolton. A dedicated ROW could very well be established though, with a lane delete.

 

What does the New Orleans streetcars lack than Houston has? Is it merely capacity? I could go on and on about the Metro line. It's about as novelty as this line would be.

[ehyfield]

Isn't the train in Houston accident prone?

[Antrell Williams]

Why would you say that? I remember more than a couple distracted drivers causing accidents, that's all.

[ehyfield]

That's what I meant. I hope there are less distracted drivers in Baton Rouge. :-/

Edited February 16, 2014 by ehyfield

[Renzo]

That's what I meant. I hope there are less distracted drivers in Baton Rouge. :-/

 

Not much use hoping for that.