The Town of Lacombe and Alberta Transportation identified a number of emerging issues to be dealt with as part of the short term and long term analysis. Specifically, these included the following:
· Configuration of the 5-way stop intersection of C&E Trail/54th Avenue/53rd Street.
· Intersection congestion on Woodland Drive at C&E Trail and at 58th Street.
· Intersection congestion and upgrading on Highway 2A at Wolf Creek Drive.
· Upgrading of the Highway 2A service road between 54th Avenue and 63rd Avenue.
· Closure of Maple Drive between College Avenue and Rosedale.
· Alternatives for continued access of 58th Street to Highway 2.
· Upgrading of 51st Avenue between Highway 2A and 53rd Street.
· Closure of 49th Street at Highway 12.
· Safety of access and turning movements at Highway 2A and 49B/49C Avenues.
· Upgrade intersection design for Highway 12/Woodland Drive West.
· Upgraded access to the Lacombe Golf Course and adjacent north side development.
· Traffic signal requirements at Highway 12/C&E and/or Highway 12/53rd Street.
· Traffic and parking in the downtown core.
· Long term options for the reduction or elimination of heavy through traffic.
· Upgraded intersection design at 45th Street/Highway 12, Wolf Creek/Highway 12 and 34th Street/Highway 12.
· Development of street lighting and noise standards.
Bunt & Associates also identified the following additional emerging issues as a result of collecting input at the Open House held on April 23rd, 2002 as well as discussions with the Steering Committee and observations of conditions on-site:
· Traffic volume congestion and safety issues on 50th Street in front of the school sites between 54th Avenue and Woodland Drive.
· Sight distance and safety issues on Woodland Drive.
· Intersection congestion and pedestrian safety at the 58th Street/56th Avenue intersection.
· Intersection safety at the Highway 12/Highway 2A intersection and the corresponding railway crossing.
The traffic forecasting model developed by Bunt & Associates was based on information provided by the Town and the Province. The Town was then broken up into 27 Transportation Zones. Traffic volumes were then generated based on observed rates and distributed/assigned to and from all of the zones to develop a large traversal matrix for the major trip purposes during the weekday PM peak hour, specifically home based, work based and shopping based trips. Other trips such as recreation based trips were not included since they did not make up a significant proportion of the trips made during the weekday PM peak hour being modeled (approximately 4:30 to 5:30 PM). As well, school trips were not included as the majority of those trips are made during the period preceding the weekday PM peak hour being modeled.
The home based, work based and shopping based trips were then balanced (inbound and outbound) until the modeled traffic volumes converged to a point that they closely matched the observed 2002 traffic conditions as collected by Bunt & Associates. At this point, the base model was assumed to be calibrated, and it was then possible to utilize the same trip purposes and overall distribution patterns (with obvious adjustments to account for new growth areas and changes in available traffic routes) to model the 20,000 population horizon.
The forecasts developed by Bunt & Associates for the 20,000 population horizon identified a number of additional issues expected to develop as the Town grows, as outlined here:
· Roadway Classification: The existing hierarchy of roadways within the Town is effective in most locations to the 20,000 population horizon. However, the analysis identified a number of locations where the intent of the roadway does not appear to match the volume and/or classification of the roadway under the existing plan. As such, an updated road network hierarchy is required.
Also, in order to accommodate the ambient growth in
Town-generated traffic as well as through traffic, several roadways within the
Town will experience traffic volumes and trip purposes that lend themselves to
expansion to four lanes. Included are Highway 12, Highway 2A (as already planned
by the
Province), Woodland Drive in the new development area between 58th
Street and Highway 12, and Wolf Creek Drive between Highway 12 and 46th
Avenue. It should be noted that the majority of the growth on the roadways
(including Highway 2A and 12) is due to local traffic and not through traffic.
· Displacement of Downtown Parking: Growth in traffic volumes will necessitate four travel lanes on Highway 12 through the Downtown area, thus displacing approximately 200 stalls currently provided along Highway 12 between 58th Street and Highway 2A. While the available supply is expected to adequately accommodate this loss, the Town will need to monitor future land development within the downtown core to be sure that an adequate supply of parking is provided. It was also note that during the second Open House, considerable resistance to the widening of Highway 12 and the corresponding removal of parking was received. The Town should therefore review the feasibility of eventually providing a downtown parking facility placed strategically so as to serve the downtown businesses in as effective a manner as possible.
· Woodland Drive Operating at Capacity: Woodland Drive is expected to be operating effectively at-capacity as a primary collector roadway by the 20,000 population horizon. There is residential frontage on this roadway and locations where the roadway geometry does not lend itself to a roadway of a classification higher than a Primary Collector. Also, the area west of 58th Street and north of the Woodland Drive alignment though not currently part of the Town of Lacombe, though it represents the next logical annexation area for the Town. As such, there will be a need for a road network planned for the 20,000 population horizon that allows for expansion into this area, and will drive the need to construct the 63rd Avenue extension to better service this future development area, in particular to see 63rd Avenue provide a continuous east/west linkage in place of Woodland Drive given the capacity limitations inherent to Woodland Drive.
· C&E Trail/50th Street Nearing Capacity: As was the case for Woodland Drive, C&E Trail north of Woodland Drive, and 50th Street south of Woodland can be expected to function near to capacity at the 20,000 population horizon. Having said this, it should be noted that the section of 50th Street in front of the schools is expected to see double the daily traffic at the 20,000 population horizon as is present today, even with the inclusion of the 63rd Avenue extension west to 58th Street. The fact that C& E Trail is discontinuous through the Town creates some existing traffic management issues. However, growth to the 20,000 population horizon will exacerbate this condition. The review of the proposed road network at the 20,000 population horizon identified considerable benefits to re-connecting this roadway so as to make C&E Trail once again continuous through the Town. This would reduce the forecast traffic volumes on 50th Street and on 54th Avenue, thus reducing congestion and safety concerns adjacent to the schools and recreation centre. This is discussed in more detail later in this summary.
· 58th Street Connectivity to Highway 2: The future traffic conditions in the Town and the travel demand patterns were found to not be significantly altered with or without consideration of a connection to Highway 2 at 58th Street. As such, maintenance of this connection and/or the development of an interchange are not vital to the success of the Town road network. Should the Town annex lands west and north of Highway 2 at some point in the future, there may be merit in providing a grade separated connection between the two sides of the highway corridor at 58th Street.
· A South By-pass: A south by-pass has been talked about for some time, and although not needed to manage traffic volumes at the 20,000 population horizon, it represents a possible means of reducing truck traffic on Highway 12. Although the traffic volumes will not be large, there is also a need for an internal east/west connection through the Town south of Highway 12. This internal connection would differ from the South By-pass in that it would be driven by the desire lines connecting the employment in the southeast area with the residential development in the southwest area (and vice versa). While much of this traffic could be accommodated by Highway 12, to do so would unnecessarily burden the Provincial through route with local traffic and accelerate the need for four lanes. It would also accelerate the point where that roadway would reach capacity as a four lane facility at some point beyond the 20,000 population horizon.
· Signalization: Growth in traffic volumes will clearly necessitate the signalization of a number of key intersections throughout the Town. This will be required as a matter of course and the Town will need to monitor traffic volumes and accident frequency in order to prioritize the signalization process.
· Service Road Operation: The increase in traffic volumes will result in a need to improve the geometry of several intersections along the Highway 2A service road between 54th and 63rd Avenues, in some cases over and above the improvements noted as part of the short term recommendations.
· Intersection Improvements: Although noted in the short term analysis, intersection improvements on Highway 12 at Woodland Drive, 45th Street, Wolf Creek Drive and 32nd Street will not be required until closer to the 20,000 population horizon as development occurs in those areas.
All of the issues (existing and future) were examined in the context of short term (immediate) improvements as well as longer term (20,000 population horizon) forecasts. In some cases, immediate solutions were required and/or evident, while in other cases, the issues lent themselves to gradual correction over the longer term. These are summarized in the sections that follow.