Opportunities for Programming Suburban Multimodal Transportation Retrofits through the Maintenance Program: Case Study on Bicycle Accommodations

Half of Virginia's population lives in a jurisdiction with fewer than 1,000 people per square mile. Low densities, segregated land uses, and a lack of multimodal infrastructure limit opportunities for non automobile transportation options. In those locations, the incorporation of nonautomobile modes into the capital programming process is difficult without dedicated funding sources, advocates who fully understand the programming schedule, and mechanisms with which to compare fairly the benefits of such investments with traditional highway investments. This paper examined an effort to bring one type of nonautomobile investment–-bicycle accommodations–-to a suburban corridor in metropolitan Richmond, Virginia, a location that would not otherwise appear conducive to alternative modes. The catalyst for considering bicycle accommodations was the maintenance process rather than the capital planning process. Five case study characteristics made this consideration feasible within the suburban context: (a) information exchange between members of a county board of supervisors and the leadership of a state department of transportation; (b) staff willingness to interpret recent design guidance carefully to adapt available infrastructure for use by other modes; (c) a realization that the maintenance program yields an opportunity to implement new multimodal infrastructure; (d) an ability to present multiple multimodal options, because any project development process consists of many decision points and a preferred option may later become infeasible; and (e) robust consideration of findings from previous work that may influence the relative safety of possible options. Although the case study focused on bicycle accommodations, these characteristics may be of interest to others using the maintenance process to improve accommodations for other modes.