Volume 4, Issue 2 - 2008

07/30/2008

TransActions

Volume 4 - Issue 2

THF Realty Wins 2008 Smart Growth Award

THF Realty was presented with a 2008 Smart Growth Award for its Hempfield Boulevard project and Trans Associates performed the traffic analysis for this project.  The award is given by the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland County, which helps municipalities to address challenges associated with economic growth and revitalization.

The road opened in 2007 as an alternate to Route 30, which had experienced the highest number of fatal accidents in Western Pennsylvania from 2002-2006.  Hempfield Boulevard is also part of THF's developments—Greengate Centre and Hempfield Plaza—but because the roadway was primarily constructed to give motorists an option other than Route 30, the Redevelopment Authority of Westmoreland County (on behalf of THF Realty)  received a 10-year $444,528 annual gift to assist with the construction of this connector road that would help alleviate traffic volumes on Route 30 and help to keep and attract approx. 1,800 jobs in the area.

The Average Daily Traffic volumes along this section of Route 30 (between North Greengate Road and Hempfield Plaza) are approximately 21,000 vehicles per day and are anticipated to continue to grow to approximately 24,000 vehicles per day within the next 10 years.  Studies performed on this section of Route 30 indicated that in order to accommodate these  future volumes, the roadway would need to be widened to provide an additional through lane in both the eastbound and westbound directions.  However, traffic projections indicate that Hempfield Boulevard could provide an alternate route for up to 1/3 of the Route 30 traffic every day, thereby eliminating the need for the construction of additional through lanes. 

Hempfield Boulevard provides access to Greengate Centre, Hempfield Plaza, and additional property available for future retail, residential, and industrial development. Traveling Hempfield Boulevard, between North Greengate Road and Toll Route 66, also eliminates the need to travel through three (3) additional traffic signals along Route 30, alleviating travel delays and pollution caused by idle motorists. 

Doug Watkins Retires from Upper St. Clair Township

Doug Watkins has retired as Township Manager from Upper St. Clair Township.  Trans Associates would like to congratulate Mr. Watkins for his twenty-five years of service.  Over the years, Trans has completed over 200 assignments for the Township.

City of Columbus Way-Finding Sign Program Will Assist Pedestrians and Motorists

Capital Crossroads was created to govern a Special Improvement District (CCSID) within Downtown Columbus, Ohio -- and to encourage and participate in programs that will maintain, improve, and build the area as a viable business, cultural, residential, and recreational community.  In that regard, Capital Crossroads has determined that the District would benefit from a Downtown wayfinding program of improved signage in and near the location that directs pedestrian and vehicular traffic to and from dining,  recreational, and cultural attractions, special districts, and other sites of interest in and near the area.

This wayfinding sign program includes the design and installation of pedestrian map kiosks, parking directional signs and parking rate signs, and sidewalk-mounted vehicular directional signs.  Working with CCSID and their sign designers and fabricators, Trans Associates is preparing plans for the installation of all signs in the system. This includes gaining permits from the City of Columbus for the installation of about 55 pedestrian kiosks and 85 auto directional signs.  The wayfinding program was recently featured on NBC-TV Channel 4 News in Columbus.

Shippensburg University Retains Trans as Township Engineer

Trans Associates has been retained as a traffic engineer by Shippensburg Township, located in South Central Pennsylvania.  Township supervisors approved the hiring of Trans' Harrisburg office to review   traffic studies that are submitted by area developers.  The firm was hired to study the impact that traffic from new developments will have on the area.

Trans to Represent City of Sarasota

The City of Sarasota's motto is "Where Urban Amenities Meet Small-town Living."  In the past ten years, the city has witnessed significant residential and commercial development.  Traffic  concerns are a priority throughout the City.  Trans Associates has been selected to conduct traffic impact studies as well as traffic circulation reviews for proposed development and redevelopment throughout the city.

The firm's services will include:

¨ Public Involvement Assistance

¨ Traffic Impact Studies

¨ Traffic Data Collection

¨ Traffic Capacity Analysis and Simulation

¨ Traffic Modeling

¨ Report Preparation

Q&A With Cheryn D. Fogarty, AICP -Director of Planning 

1. What are the most common land-use issues that municipalities or planners face today?

I begin every comprehensive planning process by asking the public three  questions about their community – "What do you like most, what do you like least, and what would you like to see changed?"  I have heard consistent answers throughout the many years these questions have been asked: "We like our community's character; that is, our work ethic, our people, and our mix of open land and neighborhoods," "We don't like traffic, particularly truck traffic in town," and  "We would like to see congestion reduced."  Reducing traffic in developed areas is difficult, but the first thing we look at is the existing land use patterns to identify where the traffic is coming from, the future development potential of the contributing area, and the connections of the roadway network.  Several planning principles we suggest that may help to address this land use / transportation conundrum are access management, expansion of the roadway network, and changes in the future land use plan to reduce development potential. Planners must have the ability to educate, facilitate discussions, and   resolve conflicts in order to reach consensus and to obtain the political will and public acceptance needed for enactment of these principles.

2. Why should a public agency or private development client use a planning consultant?  What value can a consultant provide?

There are two sides to every land development process, the public side and the private side.  The planning consultant's expertise may be equally effective on either side.  A planning consultant's role on the public side would be to advise the planning commission and governing body on the land development's consistency with the Township's planning goals/objectives, regulations, and general planning principles.  The Planner may also: facilitate meetings with the community and provide recommendations regarding land use ordinance changes or needed changes and services to update these ordinances; bring new development ideas to the community and, working for the private developer, assists the client by facilitating meetings with neighborhood groups, key stakeholders, and the public entities; review plans for consistency with ordinances and recommend changes prior to the submission-thus saving time and money;  may work on behalf of the developer to prepare workable solutions and draft new land use language that may be considered by the municipality to solve land use ordinance conflicts; and bring new development ideas.

3. What are some of the growing trends in land-use and transportation?

Have you heard the term "complete streets?"  There is a very interesting debate going on right now in the halls of Congress and across the nation.  The fuel for the continuation of this debate and implementation of the ideas is increasing gasoline prices.  What is a "complete street?" It begins with a legislative directive that puts in place a policy, which directs transportation planners to consider the needs of all users – pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and bus riders – and of all ages and abilities.  It takes form as the street shares space or is widened for sidewalks, landscaped islands and buffers, bikeways, and transit stop/shelters.  The complete street movement is a perfect fit with projects to revitalize the neighborhoods and downtowns of existing towns and cities and to develop new communities and mixed-use centers.  For more information, check out http://www.completestreets.org/.

4. How are Trans Associates' planning services different from those of its competitors?  What does Trans Associates provide that is unique?

The difference is quite simple, while many of our competitors have planning services – our services concentrate on transportation planning. Community planning is very different in its scope. The community planner views the municipality, region, and/or county as a series of interacting systems that must remain in balance in order to protect the general health and welfare of the community.  Therefore, when a community planner looks at a transportation network at the same time he/she is looking at how the land use relates to the network, what water and wastewater systems are in place, the location of special places in relation to the transportation system (e.g., historic resources, emergency facilities, community services and facilities), the network's effect on environmental features and natural resources, and the network as a change agent of community character.  It is with this perspective that Trans will set itself apart when a public agency or private developer wishes to design a project that will create a true sense of place and a community asset.

Installation of New Moon Town Signal Complete

In 2005, Trans Associates completed design for a traffic signal at the intersection of Brodhead Road and Shafer Road in Moon Township.  This was a previously unsignalized intersection that was identified as meeting the warrants for a traffic signal installation.

After design was completed for the municipality, Trans Associates managed the bid process for construction.  Traffic Control and Engineering Company was awarded the contract to build the signal, which was recently completed and installed in May 2008. 

The signal includes mast arm supports with in-pavement loop detection and emergency vehicle preemption, which allows authorized emergency vehicles to travel through the intersection without encountering a red light to allow the vehicle to reach its destination quickly and safely.  The total cost of the construction of this traffic signal was $103,387.00.

Trans Associates' services included:

- Survey base mapping

- Obtained traffic signal permit from PennDOT

- Traffic signal design

- Construction consultation

PennDOT and Trans Coordinate on Route 22 Construction

Recently, Trans Associates was part of a cooperative effort that involved quickly integrating proposed public improvements into a PennDOT construction project currently in progress.  Trans Associates was contracted by the Manor Development Group II to design entrances and public improvements required to secure Highway Occupancy Permits for their proposed Buncher Property Retail Development. This development is proposed along S.R. 0022 (William Penn Highway) in Murrysville, Westmoreland County, which is currently undergoing wholesale reconstruction and widening to provide four lanes of travel, as well as construction of various intersection improvements, etc. The Traffic Impact Study for the proposed development indicated that in order to accommodate projected traffic volumes, modification to the proposed S.R. 0022 configuration (under construction) would be necessary.  This modification would include the addition of dual eastbound left turn lanes for the future development and a single westbound left turn lane for Humes Road.

Recognizing that a small window of opportunity existed to integrate the proposed improvements into the S.R. 0022  project,  PennDOT District 12-0, Trans Associates, and Golden Triangle Construction worked together to provide a significant cost savings by avoiding reconstruction of what would be the newly established S.R. 0022 improvements.  Doing so, also reduced travel delay and inconvenience to the public by reducing the overall time of construction.  This was made possible by the specific efforts of PennDOT 12-0. 

Other phases of the project, including the proposed entrances, will be constructed as the development is established.  Trans Associates' services for this project included field surveying, roadway design, utility coordination, work zone traffic control, development of pavement marking and signing plans, drainage evaluation and design, traffic signal design, and construction consultation/coordination.

Tampa Office Manager Receives Ph.D.

Trans Associates' Senior Manager, Jason Collins, P.E., AICP, has received his PhD  in Transportation Engineering from the University of South Florida.  Jason is the manager for the firm's Tampa office, which opened in 2006, and is responsible for development of the traffic engineering and planning activities throughout    Florida. He specializes in consensus building for area-wide transportation studies, which necessitate the interaction of multiple public agencies and public/private partnerships. His office recently won contracts to perform engineering services for the City of Sarasota and City of Tampa.  Please join us in congratulating him on this achievement.

James Cullison, P.E., PTOE Addresses Conference Attendees

Jim Cullison, P.E., PTOE of Trans Associates' Harrisburg office gave a presentation titled "Use of VISUM in the PA Transportation Impact Fee Program" at the 2008 User's Group Meeting of PTV America held in Philadelphia. This presentation highlighted our unique approach to integrating travel demand modeling techniques with intersection operational analysis.  This marriage of transportation planning with traffic operations allows Trans Associates to produce future year traffic forecasts that recognize the influence of intersection traffic control on the route choice behavior of motorists within the transportation system.  Our firm has implemented this integrated technique on a variety of projects, particularly those where proposed changes to the transportation system—such as a new traffic signal, new roadway, or conversion of a one-way street—would result in substantial changes to existing travel patterns within a project study area.

Trans Associates has also utilized the integrated technique on several transportation impact fee studies in  Pennsylvania.  For transportation impact fee studies, the integrated technique has proven particularly  useful in accurately quantifying pass-through traffic in municipalities that have chosen to implement  impact fees municipal-wide with more than one transportation service area.

VISUM represents just one of many software packages in Trans Associates' state-of-the-art software library for travel demand modeling and intersection operational analysis.  Other software includes TransCAD, Cube Voyager, Cube TranPlan, FSUTMS, VISSIM, SIDRA Intersection, Synchro, SimTraffic, Corsim, Transyt 7-f, and Highway Capacity Software.

Marc Garfield, P.E. Receives Licensure in Florida

Marc Garfield, P.E. has recently received his Professional Engineer (P.E.) license to practice in the State of Florida. 

Marc is a Highway and Roadway Design Engineering Manager in Trans Associates' Pittsburgh office and also has a P.E. license in Pennsylvania.  He has over 15 years of experience and is responsible for managing design and surveying teams. 

Marc graduated with a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering from The University of Pittsburgh.