The MDP
made very clear the Town’s recognition of the importance of an effective and
workable road network today and in the future, and the Call for Proposals for
the Traffic Study recognized the need to work toward that goal by including
several key components, paraphrased as follows:
· Prepare a summary of previous traffic studies, adopted land use and development plans, previously completed infrastructure studies and present adopted standards and specifications.
· Update traffic volume projections previously forecast in other studies based on present day measured volumes, subsequent development of land, and changes in projected growth areas.
· Examine emerging traffic issues and identify improvements and changes required to the Town’s road network, and provide conceptual designs and magnitude of costs of construction estimates.
· Identify standards for noise and congestion appropriate to the community and establish thresholds for mitigation.
· Undertake a public consultation program, and present the findings to both the Steering Committee and Council.
The study
also included an additional program funded by Alberta Transportation, focused on
the Highway 12 corridor through the Town, and intended to evaluate required
changes to Highway 12 through Lacombe as the community continues to grow and
expand. Specific goals of this component of the project included:
· Preparation of a summary of previous traffic studies, adopted land use and development plans, previously completed infrastructure studies and present adopted standards and specifications.
· Provide a summary overview of the local and regional plans of Alberta Transportation relative to the role and future of Highway 12.
· Identify standards for noise and congestion appropriate to the community and establish thresholds for mitigation.
· Update traffic volume counts and turning movements at key intersections along the highway.
· Identify improvements and changes required to the highway, and provide conceptual designs and magnitude of costs of construction estimates. Note that this would specifically include consideration of traffic and parking control in the downtown core area, street lighting requirements along the highway, and options for the reduction or elimination of heavy through traffic.
· Undertake a public consultation program, and present the findings to both Council and Alberta Transportation.
It is
noted that the 1990 Transportation Study
forecast traffic volumes for a population horizon of 10,000 people and made
corresponding recommendations to be implemented as part of the traffic
management plan for that horizon. As the Town population has now effectively
reached 10,000, considerable effort will be made to reflect the changes that
have occurred within Lacombe since 1990 and their corresponding impact on the
recommendations outlined in the 1990 study. These will be modified as necessary
to match the demand for road network capabilities to be established as part of
this new 2002 study that seeks to plan to the 20,000 population horizon.
It should
be noted that the forecasts of traffic volumes to the 20,000 population horizon
developed in this study were based on growth assumptions provided by the Town.
These assumptions noted the continuance of development northward from 63rd
Avenue toward Highway 2 as well as the commencement of development in the west
area between 58th Street and Highway 2, and north of Highway 12.
However, the Town directive included the completion of the development of the
west area prior to the completion of development of the north area. This had
significant impacts on the placement of recommendations as it raised the need
for a significant roadway infrastructure in the west area, including a four-lane
arterial roadway north of Highway 12, and the critical need for an extension of
63rd Avenue west of 58th Street. If the west area
development does not proceed in advance of the north area development, then the
priority of recommendations and perhaps the assumption of less than 100%
build-out in the north areas could require re-evaluation.