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HomeMy WebLinkAboutDr. John Pittman Parcel May 1987 Traffic Study TABLE OF CONTENTS Section Page SUMMARY i I INTRODUCTION 1 II TRANSPORTATION SETTING 2 Existing Conditions 2 Existing Traffic Growth Trends 2 111 1990 Transportation Setting 4 2000 Transportation Setting 6 Existing Plans 7 III PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT TRAFFIC NEEDS 9 Trip Generation 9 1990 Traffic Needs of the Proposed Development 10 Year 2000 Traffic Needs of the Proposed Development 14 H N N N N N I N N LIST OF TABLES Table Page 1 TRIP GENERATION OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 9 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1 EXISTING CONDITIONS 3 2 1990 TRANSPORTATION SETTING 5 3 1990 A.M. PEAK-HOUR TRAFFIC INCLUDING PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 11 4 1990 P.M. PEAK-HOUR TRAFFIC INCLUDING PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 12 5 1990 ADDITIONAL ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS WITH PROPOSED 13 DEVELOPMENT n n I' SUMMARY PR The purpose of this traffic study is to identify traffic needs of proposed '— development of a 68-acre site located west of U.S. 31 between 116th and 111th Streets in Carmel . The project is proposed to include approximately 660,000 square feet of general office space on a 68-acre site. The study includes a review of background traffic conditions, forecasted traffic T" conditions , and improvements necessitated by the development. The transportation setting is one of relatively high growth. Several transportation improvements within the U.S. 31 corridor will be needed to serve recently constructed or approved developments at locations other than the one addressed in this study. These are assumed to be in place in evaluating the traffic needs of the proposed project . Existing plans for the area anticipate commercial development in the project area , and the Indiana Department of Highways has expressed a will- ingness to work with local officials in meeting future traffic demands of the corridor. The long-range regional thoroughfare plan endorsed by the ,Er- Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission includes major improve- ments to the U.S. 31/1-465 interchange. This interchange will apparently .__. be part of a statewide study of interchanges scheduled by IDOH for 1987. Roadway improvements needed to adequately support the proposed development are concentrated near the project site. No access points are proposed on U.S. 31 or on Spring Mill Road. Two entrances are needed, one providing access from 116th Street and a second with access from 111th Street. Both 116th Street and 111th Street will require widening near these entrances. r In addition , restriping of the westbound 116th Street approach to U.S. 31 may be necessary to provide better access to the site. Depending on the working hours of offices included in the development , high concentrations of entering traffic may occur at access drives for short periods during peak hours of travel . Staggered work hours would ease this problem. Traffic signals and/or police control may be necessary under worst-case conditions , if staggered work hours cannot be implemented effectively. This is a localized operational issue which can best be eval- uated when the development is in place. I 1 I I I I I I I I 1 I ii I. INTRODUCTION Dr. John Pittman , in conjunction with Thomas and Associates , an Indianap- olis area developer , has proposed to develop a b6-acre site located west of U.S. 31 between 116th and Ilth Streets on the western edge of Carmel , Indiana. The proposed project will consist of 660,000 square feet of general office space. To assure that traffic needs are properly addressed in design of the facility, Howard Needles Tammen & Bergendoff (HNTIi) was retained to conduct a study to determine the potential traffic needs of the proposed develop- ment . The study involved determining existing traffic conditions, fore- casting year 1990 and year 2000 traffic conditions, and superimposing traf- fic from the proposed development onto the network. Traffic needs of the proposed development are defined as those which will exist as a direct result of implementing this project. 1011 II. TRANSPORTATION SETTING /11 In order to establish the transportation setting for this studY, it is 1011 necessary to identify improvements which are likely to occur to satisfy traffic demands already anticipated for the North Meridian corridor. This /11 will provide an appropriate context for evaluating traffic impacts of additional development . Existing Conditions Figure 1 indicates existing street network conditions, including recent improvements to 116th Street and its intersection with U.S. 31 . U.S. 31 is a limited access, four-lane, divided facility. West of the Fidelity Gen- ii ter, 116th Street is a narrow, two-lane street. Both Spring Mill Road and 111th Street are narrow, two-lane roads. The pavement of 111th Street is in poor condition with an uneven surface, rutting, and extensive cracking. 141 Existing Traffic Growth Trends Manual traffic counts were taken at several nearby intersections , and these data were supplemented by Indiana Department of Highways machine traffic counts to determine existing traffic conditions An annual growth rate of 3% was assumed as a base for estimating traffic growth trends near the development site. This trend is indicated by a .-- comparison of traffic counts and the year 2000 travel projections developed by the Indianapolis computer simulation model , and a comparison of traffic volumes along U.S. 31 in recent years. "— Generally, the introduction of high density traffic generators at specific i i locations and their localized effects on traffic growth are not completely 11 recognized or adequately accounted for by regional growth projections. EXISTING LANE OEXISTING SIGNAL '''K * III IlL1 — STREET 1 ` t ," -<— k * ._..1) ( ___,, j) ) 1 I ( 11 --. 1 PI \ l i NFIDELITY 0 CENTER O cc N r —J _J ri _O Z Fr a U) PSI — I IIITH 7 STREET 71,4 R IP ---- :J' Y 7 Y4 ) 1f ( . uj 0 W Z > SCALE : i"■ 400' EC G L Q a JO u) i— .... HNTB FIGURE I HOMARIO MEEOI(S TAaw(N$serscdp•Dori ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS PLANNERS EXISTING CONDITIONS 7 WDANAPOIIS, wOIAMA DR. JOHN PITTMAN PARCEL CARMEL , INDIANA -3- I I Since the area has a high potential for additional future development , the base traffic growth rate must be supplemented to incorporate the effects of other high-intensity development anticipated to occur nearby. Two areas in the vicinity have been identified for potential high-intensity development in the future. The first area is located on the east side of U.S. 31 near 116th Street where several new office buildings have already been constructed. It is assumed that the area will be further developed by 141 1990 with an additional 500,000 square feet of new office space. The second area , Founders Park (Carmel Research/Development Park) , is being /11 developed north of Carmel Drive between U.S. 31 and Range Line Road. Year 199U traffic estimates include traffic due to Phase 1 development for /41 Founders Park, and year 2000 estimates include Phase 2 effects as docu- --. mented in "Traffic Impact Study, Carmel Research Park," August 1962. 1990 Transportation Setting 1001 Figure 2 indicates roadway improvements appropriate for meeting expected base traffic demand (ignoring the proposed development) . These include conversion of one of the westbound through lanes at U.S. 31 and 116th r Street to a left turn lane to provide a double left turn to southbund U.S. 31 . Also required at this intersection is the addition of an eastbound through lane. Future provision of an additional through lane on U.S. 31 is likely in order to maintain an acceptable level of service, particularly at the 116th Street intersection. U.S. 31 will probably require widening to six lanes from Main Street south to 1-465 by the year 2000 to serve developments already planned. Traffic would benefit from earlier implementation of this improvement. Improvements of the U.S. 31/1-465 interchange would also be desirable within the next ten years. -4- -- EXISTING LAKE f MEW UWE OEX IS TING I01604AL 4110 NEVI $.aiAL or— Ai 0 01:11 p l L1/4)::.-- ;Tr V" 11 " ( _, A1 � ti f I !— I f_ I I- FIDELITY CEN TER 0 Q M) R 0 r J D I _J -- i 11 Y Fr- a. ....* N r • 1 IIITH 1TREETsr- IY itttI,AW W .tea SCALE : I.• 400' J 0 N g ri HNTB FIGURE 2 avows) semis omit,'a worse r. ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS PLANNERS TRANSPORTATION SETTING DR. JOHN PITTMAN PARCEL 'CARMEL, INDIANA -C- Traffic at the intersection of 111th Street and U.S. 31 is currently experiencing delay for movements crossing the through traffic on U.S. 31 due to the very high north-south traffic volume. The installation of a signal at this intersection would reduce delay to these traffic movements and provide almost optimum spacing between the signals at 106th Street and 111 116th Street , allowing coordination of the signals for progressive movement Iof through traffic on U.S. 31 . The existing spacing between lObth Street and 116th Street is approximately one mile, which is too far for progres- III sive traffic movement . The installation of a signal at 111th Street could also reduce diversion of traffic to the existing signalized intersections along U.S. 31 . 1711 Improvements to the intersection of Spring Mill Road and 116th Street will also be desirable to accommodate base (not including the proposed develop- ment) traffic demands. These improvements would include signal installa- tion and left turn lanes. 2000 Transportation Setting Analysis for year 2000 base conditions without the proposed development indicates that the U.S. 31 and 116th Street intersection is likely to re- quire the addition of a westbound through lane, as well as a second left turn lane on the west approach. Even with these improvements, the inter- section will be operating near capacity with congestion and long delays. The intersection of 111th Street and U.S. 31 will operate well with no additional improvement , and it provide some relief to the 116th Street and U.S. 31 intersection. As currently programmed development occurs near U.S. 31 , isolated intersection improvements will provide limited additional 111 1 -6- relief to traffic congestion. A long-range plan for U.S. 31 which includes corridor-wide improvements is needed to adequately address trattic flow problems . The plan should include improvements to the interchange at 1-465. This need was recognized by the City of Indianapolis when interchange improvements were included in the long-range plan update 104 performed in 1982. Existing Plans Several planning activities are currently underway or have occurred during the past five years which should be briefly addressed in defining the transportation setting of the U.S. 31 corridor. The recently completed Carmel Master Plan specifically provides for high quality commercial devel- ril opment along each side of U.S. 31 . Future transportation needs are recog- nized , and frontage roads are proposed to minimize the disruption of U.S. 31 in accessing these developments. Implementation of the plan is a re- gional issue separate from any individual development and will require the cooperation of the Indiana Department of Highways (IDOH) . IDOH persononel have expressed an interest and willingness to work with local officials in meeting the long-range needs of the corridor. Another element of the U.S. 31 corridor which has received attention in recent years is the U.S. 31/I-465 interchange. The needs of this inter- -- change were addressed as part of a regional thoroughfare plan update per- formed by the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development , Division of Planning, in 1982. Immediate (Priority A) improvements consisting of additional turn lanes on U.S. 31 were recommended for early implementation. rtTo satisfy future needs, loop ramps were recommended for implementation within a five to ten-year period (Priority B) . Though these improvements were officially adopted as long-range plan elements by the Metropolitan Development Commission on November 17, 1982 , implementation is a function of the IDOH. This interchange and others will be part of a statewide /I( planning study to be performed by IDOH during 1987 and 1988. I I I I I I I 111 I I I I I I III. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT TRAFFIC NEEDS Trip Generation The proposed development consists of 660,000 square feet of general office space on a 68-acre site. Table 1 presents traffic generation rates for these proposed facilities. Trip generation rates were taken from the third -- edition of "Trip Generation," an informational report prepared and periodically updated by the Institute of Transportation Engineers. TABLE 1 TRIP GENERATION OF PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT 660,000 SQUARE FEET OFFICE SPACE --� Inbound Outbound Morning Peak Hour* 1 ,225 230 Evening Peak Hour* 175 895 *Peak hours of development traffic are assumed to coincide with peak hours of adjacent roadway traffic. The directional distribution of vehicle trips to and from the proposed development is based on an analysis of traffic entering and exiting the office complex in the southwest corner of U.S. 31 and 116th Street , just east of the proposed development site. It is estimated that 50% of the trips would be to and from the south, with 40% using U.S. 31 and 10% using Spring Mill Road. Another 35% of the trips would use 116th Street , with 25% being to and from the east and 10% to and from the west . The remaining 15% of the trips would be to and from the north, with 13% using U.S. 31 and 2% using Spring Mill Road. -9- I Forecasted traffic volumes for the morning and afternoon peak hours are superimposed over base 1990 conditions and presented in Figures 3 and 4 , respectively. These volumes include traffic expected to be generated by POthe proposed development and forecasted background (independent of the - proposed development ) traffic for 1990. k 1990 Traffic Needs ofthe Proposed Development 111 ^ Figure 5 indicates roadway improvements necessitated by the proposed 1/11 development. Analysis of traffic conditions indicates that two entrances, one providing access from 116th Street and a second with access from 111th rit Street , would be required. For the purpose of this review, it is assumed that signalization of the 111th Street/U.S. 31 intersection and other im- 141 provements described in the previous section are already in place. Traffic generated by the proposed development utilizing an entrance at 111th Street would have little delay at the 111th Street and U.S. 31 intersection. Re- striping of the westbound approach of the 116th Street and U.S. 31 inter- section should be accomplished to provide for additional through movements at that location. In conjuction with the new entrances , 116th Street will 11 require widening near the entrance, and 111th Street will require widening between the entrance and U.S. 31 . Analysis of the development entrances indicates that drivers turning left from 116th Street into the development may experience long delays in the morning. If working hours coincide in the proposed office buildings and entering traffic is concentrated during a short time period, it may be desirable to provide a traffic officer to expedite this movement. At the 111th Street entrance, drivers leaving the development and turning left on 111th Street will also experience some delay. Peak period delays of this type are not unusual for this type of development. -10- C�61 _ ZO � 2 � ) 30 I \ � 116 r— It ) i L 320 J �3©~' 1100 I ( .d 35 PI435 O 5 —� 405 ZO ""'+ _ �00 xi75 koo r__25 cry co III 00-415 1 --d • 0 '` i 380 ZOS—N 1 _ O 1 0 N 11 PROPOSED FIDELITY DEVELOPMENT � CENTER O r Q O a cri mil -J J N 0 `li7Y r ) iL s ___ L z 615 --e so1f r 5 —„,,,, tnpo 1 P• 0 N ro 0c ) ZS 1 \r a0 HintSTREET / t L ,--aO ri ( J ° 1 \ trIt n � i = 95 � OOQ Ng uj a1 � z z W > � r — SCALE : 1"• 400' Q: Q I- Cr a J O N 1- FIGURE 3 HNTB Na.uro «EEDits TAw1E«*KRGE0.00F, 1990 A.M. PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC A ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS PLANNERS INCLUDING PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT Ir01A«APOl IS,11g1A«A DR. JOHN PITTMAN PARCEL CARMEL, INDIANA oo0N nco),„, 65 � 0-1 loo J1 �- 435,, 116 r ru TREET J I \ ,—4B5 185- I 5 -‘1/4425— I IC - N “ 00p 360-�`` Onm "-'65 I �- To 2S --‘ .:5 0 y 111 -7 LcQ \ 107-N I PROPOSED FIDELITY o DEVELOPMENT CENTER 4 I O 6Ir _ tel S N's-.. -i ( VII II x--15 --- ,'- 15 ZIS Ea. so 1 f ( PR 0I I I _ In In N Ir/ N N N'- 50 f I 1 % ,-68:6s II IT" STREET ' IP -de-15g 7 ( 101 J 2 125 I I I st X00 IAat LI w z w5—� 0iStn N Z z i� SCALE : I.• 400' il 4 cr ~O cr N t- HNTB FIGURE 4 »oma MUMS MINK*.aNGcioorr L.990 P M. PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS PLANNERS INCLUDING PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT - NOIAINIAPOOS,INDIANA DR. JOHN PITTMAN PARCEL, CARMEL, INDIANA -12- -t— EXISTING LANE 4s, NEW LANE OEXISTING SIGNAL • NEW SIGNAL * REQUIRES LEFT TURN PHASE II � r IILI&_ r STREET J 1- 1 1 -- - ) l 1fIIr 7- I . ____, . _ ,. . ,---- ) ( ...______ ,... PROPOSED 1 FIDELITY DEVELOPMENT 1 CENTER D to _ 4 0 6Cr J _J Z_ EC 0 N Y ,. , VIIIIIIl }' ,„T. STREET ) t t t 1 0.1111milimJ -" 1fff ( i Q = W Z Z WWI SCALE : I"• 400 ii Q 0 0 J Cl) 1- FIGURE 5 HNTB 1990 ADDITIONAL ROADWAY IMPROVEMENTS MOWARp uEE0�E5 'WOMEN .KRGENDO« ARCHITECTS ENGINEERS PLANNERS WITH PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT W DIAMAPOt IS, INDIANA DR. JOHN PITTMAN PARCEL CARMEL, INDIANA -13- rol No improvements would be required at the intersection of Spring Mill Road 9 P g 111 and 116th Street above those required without the development. -- Year 2000 Traffic Needs of the Proposed Development With the proposed development traffic added to year 2000 base traffic , the intersection of U.S. 31 and 116th Street would continue to operate at or near capacity with congestion and long delays during peak periods of travel. The development entrance at 116th Street is likely to operate at a poor level of service unless work hours are staggered effectively or traf- fic movements are controlled by a signal or traffic officer. The intersec- tion of Spring Mill Road and 116th Street may require the addition of an eastbound through lane, depending on the actual distribution of traffic as measured in the field. 1111 P I 1111 I I -14-