CE $4640/5640$ Transportation Planning Fundamentals

Traffic Impact Study Project

Residential and commercial developments require careful investigation of their access facilities to adjacent

roadways and their potential impact on the surroundings. Some commercial developments draw most of

their customer base from the existing pass$-$by traffic or they are diverted from another similar destination

and as such, add very little new traffic to the existing roadway system. On the other hand, residential

developments do not have pass$-$by or diverted trips yielding a much higher impact on the existing roadway

system as all of the trips are new. The evaluation of any negative impacts due to residential and$/$or

commercial developments must be carefully reviewed and, if necessary, mitigation strategies must be

implemented to ensure trouble free traffic operations in and around the development. Safe and smooth

traffic operations in and around a development are not only essential for the community at large, but are

also critical for a successful development.

Each student has been assigned a residential, commercial or mixed used development upon which to

evaluate the traffic impact of the development. The following objectives are established for the traffic impact

study project:

Perform a review of the roadway characteristics in the vicinity of the proposed development

through the use of pictures or Google Earth.

Review the provided turning movement counts for the AM and PM peak periods at the

major intersection$($s$)$ near the development.

Review the provided historical traffic or population data in the vicinity of the development.

Perform an analysis to determine the background traffic growth characteristics.

Perform a future trip generation analysis for the proposed development using the Institute

of Transportation Engineers $($ITE$)$ Trip Generation Handbook for the peak periods for the

adjacent roadways.

Perform a trip distribution and traffic assignment analysis to forecast future traffic on the

existing roadway system in the vicinity of the proposed development.

Determine the necessity of left turn or right turn lanes using ODOT requirements.

Prepare a Traffic Impact Study report with the following sections:

a$.$ Introduction detailing study purpose and traffic analysis area

b$.$ Site Descriptions including site plan features

c$.$ Traffic and Roadway Characteristics including existing traffic volume diagrams and

roadway$/$intersection features

d$.$ Trip Generation

e$.$ Background Traffic including data presentation, analysis and background traffic

volume diagrams

f$.$ Trip Distribution Assumptions

g$.$ Traffic Assignment including future traffic volume diagrams

h$.$ Auxiliary Lane Assessment for left turn and right turn lanes for adjacent roadways

and sight driveways

i$.$ Conclusions