Transportation Improvement Plan -...

\\Ri-data\projects\72204.00\reports\ AITS_Consolidated_Report\AITS Report_060811.doc 5-1 Transportation Improvement Plan

5 Transportation Improvement Plan

Chapter 4 presented detailed screening and packaging of potential improvement options

measured against the evaluation criteria established for this study, including

consideration of preliminary costs. Chapter 4 also presented concept plans (GIS-based

circulation and access management plans and overlay maps) for the recommended

transportation improvement alternatives.

This chapter builds on the alternatives evaluated in Chapter 4 by establishing the

phasing of recommendations into immediate, short, mid, and long-term actions and

policies that will comprise the overall transportation improvement plan for the Island.

5.1 Overview

From the outset of the study, ideas for transportation system improvements were

solicited from the public, stakeholders, and the Technical Steering Committee (TSC). The

alternatives were screened against the project scope and for fatal flaws and refined to

address any undesirable consequences by the Study Team and the TSC. This was

accomplished through iterative reviews conducted during meetings and working

sessions, where the priority and phasing for the recommendations were also identified.

From Chapter 4, the range of alternatives were described in detail and grouped into the

following packages:

Transit Improvements

Pedestrian/Bicycle Improvements

Roadway Improvements

Policy Recommendations

The recommended transit, pedestrian/bicycle, and roadway improvements described

in detail in Chapter 4, listed in order of performance (based on the evaluation criteria)

include:


Recommended Transit Improvements

Encourage Transit Oriented Development

Provide Additional Bus Service

Establish Newport Jitney Service

Implement Rapid Bus Service

Strengthen and Expand Island-wide Multimodal Centers

Maintain Active Newport Secondary Rail Corridor

Enhance the Transit Experience

Encourage Island Employers to Institute Transit Programs for Employees

Create Park & Ride Opportunities

Enhance Ferry Service

Recommended Pedestrian/Bicycle Improvements

Shoreline Bikeway (Burma Road) Shared Use Path

Connect Missing Links Between Suitable Roads for Bicycles

Provide Island-wide Destination Signing for Bicycles

East Main Road Shared Use Path

West Main Road Shared Use Path

General Upgrades of Pedestrian Accommodations

Recommended Roadway Improvements

Pell Bridge Access Improvements

Traffic Signal Optimization

Two Mile Corner Improvements (either roundabouts or Geometric improvements)

Localized Intersection Capacity/Safety Improvement

Corys Lane/Hedley Street Realignment

West Main Road Left-turn Lanes

Burma Road Improvements (northern and southern alignments to be determined)

East Main Road Roundabouts

Broadway Streetscape & Traffic Calming Improvements


The East Main Road Roundabouts (―Town Center‖ area) in Portsmouth and Broadway

Streetscape & Traffic Calming Improvements project in Newport are included at the

bottom of the list of recommended roadway improvements, as they were not evaluated

as part of the AITS. Both projects were endorsed by the Technical Steering Committee

and the Study Team as meeting the goals and objectives of the AITS.

The TSC and Study Team jointly developed and refined a matrix of the alternatives

which included potential implementation timeframes for each recommendation. The

time line utilized for the recommendations included immediate-term actions (under one

year), short-term actions (1 to 5 years), mid-term actions (5 to 10 years), and long-term

actions (over 10 years). Sections 5.2 through 5.5 summarize the immediate-term, short-

term, mid-term, and long-term recommended actions. Section 5.6 focuses on the policy

recommendations. Implementation of the recommendations is expected to be influenced

by external factors such as the region‘s economy, funding availability, and ease of right-

of-way acquisition where needed.

5.2 Immediate-Term (less than 1 year)

Recommendations

Immediate-term actions can be implemented within one year and address existing safety

and operational deficiencies or advance some aspects of longer-term improvement

projects. For the most part, the improvements that can be completed within one year

these include low-cost options that do not require environmental permitting, prolonged

design or approvals, or extensive community vetting.

The following immediate-term recommendations have already been implemented or are

underway:

1. Regional Traffic Incident Management Program

At the outset of the AITS, one of the immediate-term action items included the

establishment of a blueprint for managing, coordinating, and communicating special

events, construction projects, and traffic incidents on the Island. At the first Public

Information Meeting for the AITS, many concerns were voiced that the combination of

events, construction, and unplanned incidents occurring simultaneously on the Island

has created gridlock during peak times. Based on these concerns, the AIPC immediately

applied for and received funding to initiate a Regional Traffic Incident Management

Program for Aquidneck Island which would be conducted in parallel with the AITS. The

program will result in a Strategic Plan for managing special events, incidents, and

construction activities.


2. West Main Road Left-turn Lane Assessments

Working closely with RIDOT, assessments have been conducted to determine the need,

benefit, and feasibility of adding left-turn lanes on West Main Road at the following

intersections:

Corys Lane (northbound)

Hedley Street (southbound)

King Charles Drive (northbound)

Raytheon Drive (northbound)

Union Street (southbound)

3. Traffic Signal Timing Optimization

Working closely with RIDOT, field reviews at existing traffic signals along West and

East Main Road have been completed. Timing and phasing plans have been fine-tuned

to optimize flow for vehicles while accommodating pedestrian crossings.

4. Road Safety Assessments (RSAs)

A road safety assessment (RSA) is a formal safety examination of a roadway or

intersection conducted by an independent, experienced multidisciplinary RSA team.

Because of the significant amount of data collected for the AITS, the RIDOT initiated a

pilot program on Aquidneck Island for a new initiative called RI*STARS (Strategically

Targeted Affordable Roadway Solutions), which is focused on delivering low-cost/high-

benefit traffic safety and mobility improvements. The program includes RSAs at ―hot

spot‖ locations based on safety and congestion. The ―hot spots‖ represent both high crash

and localized bottleneck locations. On Aquidneck Island, RSAs have been completed at

the following 17 locations:

Newport:

1. Admiral Kalbfus Road from JT Connell Hwy to Malbone Road

2. America‘s Cup Avenue from Market Square to Memorial Boulevard

3. Memorial Boulevard at Bellevue Avenue

4. America‘s Cup Avenue at West Marlborough Street

5. Memorial Boulevard at Rhode Island Avenue

Middletown:

6. West Main Road from Smythe Street to Coddington Hwy

7. West Main Road at Forest Avenue

8. West Main Road at Admiral Kalbfus Road

9. Aquidneck Avenue at Green End Avenue

10. East Main Road at Aquidneck Avenue

11. East Main Road at Turner Road

Portsmouth:

12. West Main Road at Stringham Road


13. Bristol Ferry Road at Boyds Lane

14. East Main Road at Stubtoe Lane/Fairview Lane

15. West Main Road at Union Street

16. West Main Road at Bristol Ferry Road

17. East Main Road at Turnpike Avenue

Preliminary suggestions for safety improvements from the RSAs on Aquidneck

Island include pavement markings, signing, signal timing modifications, geometric

improvements to reduce pedestrian crossing widths, installation of median islands,

improved access management, and the installation of roundabouts in place of traffic

signals at some locations.

This RSA program will produce three separate reports with recommendations for

each community and will be available from the RIDOT Traffic Engineering Office.

The results of the RSAs will be immediate-term, short-term, and long-term

improvements to the intersections. The immediate-term improvements will likely

be implemented by RIDOT Maintenance, the short-term improvements will either

be added to other RIDOT projects currently under design or implemented under a

new project, and the long-term improvements will be implemented over time as

funding becomes available. Many of the recommendations under Localized

Intersection Capacity/ Safety Improvements would derive from these RSAs.

The recommended new immediate-term actions, described in detail in Chapter 4, listed

in order of performance (based on the evaluation criteria), include:

Transit


Create Park & Ride Opportunities (recommendation carries over as a short-term

action (1 to 5 years) due to right-of-way acquisition and construction)


Pedestrian/Bicycle

Connect Missing Links between Suitable Roads for Bicycles (for striping changes

along some roadways)


General Upgrades of Pedestrian Accommodations (immediate-term

recommendations would be derived from the RSAs)


Roadway

Pell Bridge Access Improvements (begin design and permitting; project

implementation is expected to be completed in over 10 years)


Two Mile Corner Improvements (advance design and permitting; project

implementation is expected to be completed within 5 years)

Localized Intersection Capacity/ Safety Improvements (immediate-term

recommendations would be derived from the RSAs)

West Main Road Left-turn Lanes (Raytheon and Union design)

Burma Road Improvements (Navy coordination; project implementation is

expected to completed in over 10 years)

East Main Road Roundabouts (advance design; project implementation is expected

to be completed within 10 years)

Broadway Streetscape & Traffic Calming Improvements (design; project

implementation is expected to be completed within 5 years)

5.3 Short-Term (1 to 5 years) Recommendations

Short-term recommendations include those actions that address existing safety and

transportation infrastructure deficiencies within the study area. For the most part, these

improvements include low-cost options that can be substantially completed in a short

time-frame (1-5 years), with limited design and permitting efforts, and little to no

environmental impact. These recommendations also include early phases of longer-

term alternatives.

The recommended short-term actions described in detail in Chapter 4, along with the

mid-term and long-term actions that require permitting and design efforts to be initiated

in the short-term, listed in order of performance (based on the evaluation criteria),

include:

Transit







Maintain Active Newport Secondary Rail Corridor (phased action that begins in

the immediate-term)


Encourage Island Employers to Institute Transit Programs for Employees (phased

action that begins in the immediate-term)

Create Park & Ride Opportunities (phased action that begins in the immediate-

term)


Pedestrian/Bicycle

Shoreline Bikeway (Burma Road) Shared Use Path (action requires a phased

implementation, portions of which would be implemented in the short-term

including permitting, design, and ROW actions; initiation of this project design is

dependent on the U.S. Navy approval as portions of the bikeway would be within

existing Navy right-of-way)

Connect Missing Links Between Suitable Roads for Bicycles (action requires a

phased implementation, portions of which would be implemented in the short-term

such as design, permitting, and ROW actions)

Provide Island-wide Destination Signing for Bicycles (phased action that begins in

the immediate-term)

East Main Road Shared Use Path (action requires a phased implementation,

portions of which would be implemented in the short-term such as design,

permitting, and ROW actions)

West Main Road Shared Use Path (action requires a phased implementation,



General Upgrades of Pedestrian Accommodations (phased action that begins in the

immediate-term)


Roadway

Pell Bridge Access Improvements (action requires a phased implementation,



Traffic Signal Optimization (phased action that begins in the immediate-term)

Two Mile Corner Improvements (phased action that begins in the immediate-term)

Localized Intersection Capacity/ Safety Improvements (action requires a phased

implementation, portions of which would be implemented in the short-term such as

design, permitting, and construction of short-term improvements)


West Main Road Left-turn Lanes (design and construction)

Burma Road Improvements (short-term actions would include initiation of the

engineering design and environmental review process where the final alignment of

the north and south extensions would be determined; depending on alignments,

southern and northern extensions may require cooperation and approval from the

U.S. Navy)

East Main Road Roundabouts (action requires a phased implementation, portions

of which would be implemented in the short-term such as design, permitting, and

ROW actions)

Broadway Streetscape & Traffic Calming Improvements (complete design and

construction)

5.4 Mid-Term (5-10 years) Recommendations

Mid-term recommendations include improvements that focus on future transportation

needs, have longer permitting and design efforts, and can be more costly than the

previously presented immediate and short-term actions. It is anticipated that these

would be substantially completed in a 5 to 10 year timeframe.

The recommended mid-term actions (all part of phased actions that begin in either

immediate-term or short-term) described in detail in Chapter 4, listed in order of

performance (based on the evaluation criteria), include:

Transit





Pedestrian/Bicycle






Roadway


Localized Intersection Capacity/Safety Improvements

Burma Road Improvements


5.5 Long-Term (beyond 10 years) Recommendations

Long-term recommendations are capital intensive and often take longer periods of time

to design, fund, and construct. It is anticipated that these projects would be

implemented beyond the 10 year timeframe. They include those actions that may not be

necessary under existing conditions, but will be needed to handle future traffic demands

if the trends highlighted in this report remain accurate.

The recommended long-term actions (all part of phases actions that begin in immediate-

term, mid-term or short-term) described in detail in Chapter 4, listed in order of

performance (based on the evaluation criteria), include:

Transit


Pedestrian/Bicycle


Roadway




5.6 Policy Recommendations

Policy recommendations that have been carried forward are aimed at refining the

framework for transportation and land use planning on the Island. The policies are

intended to promote the principles of Livable and Sustainable Communities and

enhance the economic and social well-being of all people on Aquidneck Island by

creating and maintaining a safe, reliable, integrated and accessible transportation

network that enhances choices for transportation users, provides easy access to

employment opportunities and other destinations, and promotes positive effects on the

surrounding community. This will be accomplished through collaboration among

federal, state, and municipal partners using the ―HUD-DOT-EPA Partnership for

Sustainable Communities‖ as a strategic resource, to accomplish the planning,

educating, and institution of coordinated, Livable and Sustainable Community

activities.

Implementation of the policy recommendations is expected to vary for each

recommendation. It is envisioned that the policy recommendations would evolve over

time and require refinement as statewide and municipal transportation and land use

policy and zoning regulations change. The Island community Comprehensive Plans and

zoning would evolve to reflect goals, objectives, and policies consistent with the AITS

policies and vision.

External factors such as the region‘s economy, tolling on the Island‘s bridges, the price

of fuel, and the advancement of alternative fuels and sustainable transportation options

will heavily influence these policies and could have a much more significant impact on

future transportation on the Island.

Recommended transportation and land use policies described in detail in Chapter 4

include:

Promote safety as a top priority

within transportation planning and

in the delivery of all infrastructure

projects (including requiring Road

Safety Assessments where

appropriate), and target educational

activities to current and future

travelers to improve safety for all

transportation modes.

Continue to develop land use

policies/Zoning Ordinances that support transit-oriented development with

housing, retail, and jobs collocated with each other near transit.


Ensure that the Island community Comprehensive Land Use Plans and Zoning

Ordinances reflect goals, objectives, and policies that support safety and access

management where appropriate and incorporate the AITS policies.

Establish TDM program requirements in Zoning Ordinance for new, large projects;

for projects over certain thresholds, consider traffic monitoring requirements and

potential enforcement strategies for exceeding traffic thresholds.

Develop Newport city-wide strategic parking plan.

Develop a bicycle parking/sidewalk Zoning Ordinance that includes bicycle

parking and sidewalk requirements into site plan review.

Develop a motorcoach parking plan that regulates where tourist buses can drop-off,

pick-up, park, and stage when idle.

Promote the ―park once‖ concept in Newport with alternate transportation modes

(i.e. car sharing, bike sharing, pedicabs, etc.).

Establish better communication and coordination between state and local agencies

during development site plan reviews.

Promote a Complete Streets approach to design and renovation of infrastructure

that ensures safety and mobility for all travelers are considered.

Reduce GHG emissions through comprehensive actions that lower VMT and allow

safe non-motorized travel, reduce vehicle idling time, enable the use of lower GHG

fuels, and encourages fuel efficient vehicles.

Plan, design, build, and standardize the delivery, preservation, and maintenance

solutions necessary to achieve green infrastructure. Comprehensive solutions

include materials, elements, systems, activities, and performance connected to the

infrastructure.

Expand the Island-wide bicycle network through bicycle suitability studies for local

roads and the development of bicycle plans for each Island municipality to increase

the number of suitable roads for bicycles linking key destinations to improve

mobility.

Establish an Island-wide strategic transportation committee that would oversee the

implementation of the recommended actions and policies from this study and

discuss important policy issues mentioned in the plan but beyond the scope of the

study. Potential members could include representation from municipal town

councils, planning and zoning boards, planning departments, chamber of

commerce, tourism, RIDOT, RIPTA or other citizen, social, or civic groups.


5.7 Summary

This chapter established the phasing of recommendations for the study, which includes

projects and policies. Table 5-1 summarizes the suggested implementation timeframes

for the study recommendations. This phasing plan, coupled with the policy

recommendations in section 5.6, comprises the Transportation Improvement Plan, or

blueprint, for enhancements to the Island‘s transportation system. Chapter 6 will build

on these phasing recommendations by identifying ―next steps‖ and calling out the

organizations responsible for the implementation of each phased action. Chapter 6 is

the final chapter which will provide an overview of the resulting ―blueprint‖ that has

been presented in previous chapters. This blueprint will serve as a coordinated and

sustainable development plan for the Island‘s transportation system.


Table 5-1 Suggested Implementation Timeframes

Implementation Timeframe

(multiple timeframes indicate

phased implementation)

Imm

edia

te

(les

s th

an 1

yea

r)

Sh

ort

-ter

m

(1-5

yea

rs)

Mid

-ter

m

(5-1

0 ye

ars)

Lo

ng

-ter

m

(10+

yea

rs)

TR

AN

SIT

IM

PR

OV

EM

EN

TS









Create Park & Ride Opportunities


PE

DE

ST

RIA

N/B

ICY

CL

E

IMP

RO

VE

ME

NT

S







RO

AD

WA

Y IM

PR

OV

EM

EN

TS



Two Mile Corner Improvements

Localized Intersection Capacity/ Safety Improvements


West Main Road Left-turn Lanes



Broadway Streetscape & Traffic Calming Improvements


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