A group called Bridge Columbia is tired of listening to people talk about the need for a transit system in downtown Columbia. They say it’s time to act.
 
To that end, members have designed a bridge across Route 29 that calls for a bus-only roadway alongside an upgraded sidewalk for pedestrians and bicyclists, and have mapped out a three-mile east-west transit route on existing rights-of-way.

They estimate the cost of the bridge at $10 million to $15 million.

Frederick Gottemoeller, a bridge architect and 40-year Columbia resident, gave testimony outlining the group’s suggestions for an “exclusive transportation corridor” at a public hearing before the County Council on Nov. 14, the first of three hearings the council held earlier this month on General Growth Properties’ 30-year redevelopment plan for downtown.

Working with him in Bridge Columbia are John Slater, a landscape architect and planner, and Dave Bittner, a visual designer. All three have deep professional and personal roots in Columbia and have volunteered their time and talents to getting a preliminary transportation plan on the table.

“We are proposing that the community get serious about transit by committing to the serious infrastructure necessary to support it,” Gottemoeller said in his testimony.
 
The new or expanded bridge is also envisioned as an iconic architectural element, with vertical steel beams and white circular disks on both sides intended to evoke figures from The People Tree, a symbol of Columbia.

Mass transit will become a necessity if the 5,550 residential units, 1.25 million square feet of retail space and 5 million square feet of office space are approved as proposed in General Growth Properties’ redevelopment plan, experts say.

“But we’ll need to cut transit travel times so that people will have an incentive to take the bus,” Slater said, “and that’s what the new bridge and transit route would do.”

In the Bridge Columbia plan, express buses would ferry passengers between Howard Community College and Blandair Regional Park by way of a new or expanded bridge where the existing footbridge near South Entrance Road is now located. There would be stops along the proposed route at the Mall in Columbia and the village centers in Wilde Lake and Oakland Mills.

Building support

Members of Bridge Columbia have been sharing their concepts at the grassroots level for a year and a half, trying to build a groundswell of community support.
 
The plan has been endorsed by the Columbia Association board of directors.

“Mass transit makes a lot of sense,” board chairman Phil Kirsch said. “But it would have to be very innovative in order to persuade people to use it.”

Richard Story, head of the Howard County Economic Development Authority, said a transit system “adds to the total package” for downtown.

“Smart communities create places where smart people want to live,” he said.

Bittner said the project “could change people’s mindset about Oakland Mills by connecting it to Town Center in a meaningful way and helping to revitalize the commercial core there.”

County Council member Calvin Ball, an East Columbia Democrat whose district includes Oakland Mills, said he’s been interested in making the footbridge safer since he was that village’s community organizer  five years ago.

“This is a critical gateway to Columbia, so I’m glad we’re having these community conversations,” said Ball, who met with Bridge Columbia members.
 
“But there are challenges to their plan. First is the time frame, since I think something needs to be done now; second is the cost; and third is that the bridge has multiple owners.

“All sides need to demonstrate that building this bridge is a priority,” Ball said.

The county owns the existing bridge and the Columbia Association and GGP own the paths leading to it.

Greg Hamm, GGP’s vice president of master planned communities, said the company is already “looking aggressively” at transit.
“Making transit connections is what needs to happen here and Bridge Columbia is setting a very high goal,” said Hamm. “But their ideas require a very technical study regarding feasibility  and timing. Though GGP is prepared to study the bridge as well, bridges can be difficult to get approved, financed and built, and this project could take seven to 10 years.”

In the meantime, he said that if the 30-year redevelopment plan is approved, GGP would devote $500,000 to “filling in the missing links” in the existing three-mile pedestrian and bike pathway that stretches from Howard County General Hospital to Blandair Regional Park.

County, SHA OKs needed

Gottemoeller said his group envisions a shorter timeline for completing the transit bridge than GGP’s: three years as opposed to the seven-to-10 estimate.

Once a feasibility study is completed, the County Council and the State Highway Administration would have to approve the expansion or replacement of the existing county-owned bridge, he said.

 He said funding could originate from a combination of sources — such as county, state or federal agencies, GGP or the Columbia Association — depending on who ultimately assumes ownership of the bridge.

To help pave the way for a new bridge, Bridge Columbia also opposes  construction of an above-grade interchange in the same vicinity, saying it would not be needed if improvements were made to existing interchanges at MD 175 and Broken Land Parkway.

The group is asking the county to commit to starting feasibility studies of a downtown transit hub, downtown shuttle and new bridge within 60 days of approval of the amendments to the general plan and zoning regulations. A transit feasibility study is included as part of the community enhancements section of GGP’s 30-year redevelopment plan, he noted.

The group is also asking for feasibility studies comparing construction of a new interchange with Route 29 and making improvements to existing interchanges.

The County Council is expected to issue a decision on the general plan and zoning regulation amendments early next year.

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user comments (2)

user jmoney says...

I think the transit bridge is a great idea. But my only concern is that the transit system in Howard County needs to operate smoothly before we start building bridges like this for the transit system. As a regular bus passenger I know that the current bus system is not up to par. The buses run late or not at all and are often "broken down." As I said before I think the transit bridge would be a great transit improvement but lets try and fix the basic transit issues first.

Posted 8:20 AM, 11.24.09 | Permalink

user brdoon says...

Most of Howard Transit's problems result from over-used vehicles. According to a recent news article, the County is in the process of replacing many of the vehicles with the new buses entering service by the start of 2010. Before any actual planning or design occurs for a bridge originally designed for pedestrians the structure needs to be evaluated for the stresses entailed with carrying transit vehicles. It does make sense though to plan for a TC to Blandair route. Pre-driver license youth will no doubt focus on the Park and many Howard Transit vehicles are equipped to carry bicycles. Not only should the bridge carry people over US 29 but has the potential to ba a "Gateway" to Town Center as well.

Posted 9:48 AM, 11.24.09 | Permalink