395 - GSA Development of St. Elizabeths Campus

2 Summary of FindingsThe purpose of this section is to summarize the general findings of the study that are presentedin more detail in Sections 3, 4, and 5 of this report.2.1 Existing Travel PatternsExisting travel patterns within the Study Area are affected by the following interwoven andoften competing traffic conditions: (1) regional trips that include work commutes, long-distancethrough trips, and visitors travelling to downtown Washington; (2) local trips that includeshorter travel distances (i.e., trips produced by neighborhoods within Ward 8), as well asmedium and longer travel distances with trip ends located at one of several institutional landuses within the Study Area (i.e., the new St. Elizabeths Hospital on the East Campus, AnacostiaNaval Air Station, Bolling Air Force Base, the Naval Research Laboratory, and the National ParkService – National Capital Parks East).2.1.1 Regional Trips or Patterns during Peak PeriodsRegional trips constitute the majority of total trips occurring within the Study Area. Travelpatterns are dominated by peak-directional trips that are highly concentrated during the typical3-hour morning and afternoon peak periods. During the morning peak, inbound commutertrips originate in the suburban counties of Prince Georges, Charles, and St. Mary’s in Marylandand Fairfax and Prince William in Virginia. These trips are generally focused along northboundand westbound routes, with destinations concentrated in the urban core between the Potomacand Anacostia rivers. Conversely, most of the trips occurring in the afternoon peak period areoutbound and directed eastbound and southbound. Major highway corridors carrying thehighest traffic volumes include I-295 and South Capitol Street/Frederick Douglass Bridge(northbound in the morning peak & southbound in the afternoon peak); the 11 th Street Bridgesand Suitland Parkway (westbound in the morning peak & eastbound in the afternoon peak).Mass transit trips primarily occur via regional rail lines and the Metrorail, which is operated bythe Washington Area Metropolitan Transit Authority (WMATA). The Green Line Metrorailoffers nearby access to St. Elizabeths through the Anacostia and Congress Heights Stations. Theremaining mass transit trips occur via Metrobus routes that follow traffic patterns along theSouth Capitol Street corridor.Other major categories of regional travel patterns include pass-by trips that use I-295 as athrough route to bypass downtown Washington DC and connect with the Capital Beltway andvisitors to the nation’s capital whose travel patterns usually mirror those of commuters butoccur outside the peak AM and PM time periods.2.1.2 Local Trips or Patterns during Peak PeriodsLocal travel patterns are influenced less by regional commuter trips and more by local land-usefunctions. Medium- and low-density residential neighborhoods that surround St. ElizabethsCampus account for a portion of the local traffic; these include Bellview and Congress Heightsto the south, Shipley Terrace and Douglass to the east, and Barry Farm and Anacostia to thenorth. In addition, the Anacostia Metro Station on the Green Line serves as a local2-1