Georgia Association of
MPOs Annual Conference
US 1 CORRIDOR STUDY AND
PROJECT PRIORITIZATION PROCESS
Jeff Carroll
CDM Smith
Augusta, GA
November 29, 2012
Goals and Tools
• Goals
– Protect existing 4-lane roadway
– Link land use and highway
corridor
– Improve safety
– Engage local residents
– Brief elected officials
• Tools
– Visualization
– Ripe/Firm Analysis
– Context Zones
– Charrette and Public Meetings
– Commission briefings
Augusta MPO Area
U.S. 1/U.S. 78 Corridor Study Area
Current volume in range of
20,600 to 31,600 per day.
May exceed 50,000 by 2035.
Warrenville
U.S. 1/U.S. 78
U.S. 421
Clearwater
U.S. 421
Existing Conditions
• Study Area
12 miles
4 interchanges
+ 12 signalized intersections
+ 9 unsignalized intersections
+ 163 private driveways
+ 52 intermediate median openings to serve private drives
= ~ 1,600 points of conflict!
Safety
•
Total Crash Types (2007-2010)
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189 Rear-End
165 Angle
81 Single Car
55 Sideswipes
31 Head On
15 Other
2/3 of all crashes
Projected Socio-economic growth
Ripe/Firm Analysis
Context Zones
Village Center
Freeway
Rural Parkway
Suburban
Context Zones
• Four Context Zones
– Freeway (0.5 miles)
– Suburban Highway (0.7 miles)
– Rural Parkway (8 miles)
– Village Center zones (2.9 miles)
• Character
– Zones reflect land uses, types of development, and corridor
character
– Each context zone keeps four lanes of through traffic, two in
each direction
Recommendations:
Access Management and Safety
•
Access Management
– Enforce existing requirements
– Limit Number of Driveways
– Limit Movements at Driveways (RI/RO)
– Increase spacing of Median Openings (Aim for 500’)
Recommendations:
Access Management and Safety
• Improve median openings
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Add Left-turn lanes
Increase width (storage)
Striping
Consolidate
Recommendations: Traffic Operations
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Coordinate traffic signals
Construct dedicated left & right turn lanes
Realign roadways
Construct roundabouts
Recommendations – Non-Motorized
Recommendations: Regulatory Strategy
• Extend the County Highway Overlay District from the city
limits of North Augusta to the city limit of Aiken.
• Use additional overlay districts within context zones:
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HO-VC District (Highway Overlay – Village Center)
HO-P District (Highway Overlay – Parkway)
HO-S District (Highway Overlay – Suburban)
HO-H District (Highway Overlay – Highway)
Outcomes
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Low cost operation improvements
Active citizen participation and interaction
Commission action
Enforcement
South Carolina Act 114
• Signed into law in 2007
• Act 114 requires MPOs and COGs to prioritize projects
based on the following three project types:
– Roadway Widening
– New Facilities
– Intersection Improvements
• Each project type has a set of criteria with an assigned
percent
Change Process
• MPOs and COGs have the discretion of using the statewide list
to establish local priorities or they may use criteria consistent
with Act 114, in addition to other criteria that address local
desires and/or concerns related to transportation
improvements
• Local criteria changes require SCDOT Commission approval
• Changes were developed through collaboration between
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Aiken County
City of Aiken
City of North Augusta
Burnettown
ARTS
SCDOT
FHWA
Widening Criteria
Criteria
State Rank
Aiken County New Rank
Traffic Volume and Congestion
35%
30%
Public Safety
15%
10%
Financial Viability
10%
14%
Potential for Economic Development
10%
10%
Truck Traffic
10%
8%
Pavement Quality Index
10%
6%
Environmental Impact
10%
10%
Livability
NA
12%
• SCDOT Commission approved
• Used to prioritize projects in 2035 LRTP
Intersection Criteria
Criteria
State Rank
Aiken County New Rank
Financial Viability and Maintenance Cost
25%
25%
Public Safety
20%
20%
Traffic Status
20%
20%
Truck Traffic
15%
10%
Potential for Economic Development
10%
7%
Environmental Impact
10%
8%
Livability
NA
10%
• SCDOT Commission approved
• Used to prioritize projects in 2035 LRTP
New Facility Criteria
Criteria
State Rank
Aiken County New Rank
Financial Viability and Maintenance Cost
20%
15%
Potential for Economic Development
20%
20%
Traffic Volume and Congestion
45%
40%
Environmental Impact
15%
15%
Livability
NA
10%
• SCDOT Commission approved
• Used to prioritize projects in 2035 LRTP
New Process
• Rewards projects that:
– Improve access and mobility options
– Incorporate all modes
– Improve modal connectivity
– Support land use plans
– Protect precious resources
– Strengthen established communities (discourages sprawl)
– Have the most future congestion
– Can be implemented under financial realities
• Recognized by FHWA-FTA during ARTS certification review
Project Prioritization Tool
• All inclusive tool
– Includes all three project types
• Easy data entry and look up tables
• Provides “on the fly” scoring results
• Transparent
– Reports provide data input, scoring and overall rankings
• Used to prioritize projects in ARTS 2035 LRTP and US 1
Corridor Study
Project Listings
Project Details
Project Details
Reports
Reports
Jeff Carroll, CDM Smith
carrollja@cdmsmith.com
803-251-2189
Questions?