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Home My WebLink AboutSPRING CREEK CENTER PUD PRELIMINARY - 17 90C - SUBMITTAL DOCUMENTS - ROUND 1 - TRAFFIC STUDY,. ' 1. SPRING CREEK CENTER SITE ACCESS STUDY FORT COLLINS, COLORADO NOVEMBER 1996 Prepared for: W. W. Reynolds Companies 1600 Specht Point Drive Fort Collins, CO 80525 Prepared by: MATTHEW J. DELICH; P.E. 2272 Glen Haven Drive Loveland, CO 80536 Phone: 970-669-2061 FAX: 970-669-50.34 TRIP DISTRIBUTION FOR NON-PASSBY TRIPS N NO SCALE Figure 4 counted in the adjacent street traffic. Pass -by assumptions' were 45% for the fast food restaurants, and 60% for convenience/gas stores. The directional split was based upon the current counts. The procedure used to account for both pass -by traffic and primary destination traffic is as follows: Estimate the trip generation rate as is currently done and determine the total number of trips forecast to occur, based on the size of the development. Estimate the percentage of pass -by trips, and split the total number of trips into two components, one for pass -by trips and one for new trips, Estimate the trip distributions for the two individual components. The distribution of pass -by trips must reflect the predominant commuting directions on adjacent and nearby roadway facilities. Most peak period pass -by trips are an intermediate link in a work trip. - Conduct two separate trip assignments, one for pass -by trips and one for new trips. The distribution for pass -by trips will require that trips be subtracted from some intersection approaches and added back to others. Typically, this will involve reducing through -roadway volumes and increasing certain turning movements. Combine the assigned trips to yield the total link loadings, and proceed with capacity analysis as normally done. Background Traffic Projections Background traffic projections for the short range and long range future horizons were obtained by reviewing the NFRRTP and various traffic studies prepared for other developments in this area of Fort Collins. Background traffic projections reflect the Timberline Road extension to the north. 'This pass -by factor was obtained by averaging pass -by factors from the following sources: 1. Transportation Engineering Design Standards, City of Lakewood, June 1985. 2. Development _.and Application of Trip USDOT, January 1985. 3. "'A Methodology for Consideration of Impact Analyses for Shopping Centers, August 1986, Pg.37. tion Rates, FHWA/ Pass -by Trips in Traffic " Smith, S., ITE Journal, 4. TripGeneration, 5th Edition, ITE and 1995 Update. 4 Trip Assignment Trip assignment is how the generated and distributed trips are expected to be loaded on the street system. The assigned trips are the resultant of the trip distribution process. The City of Fort Collins desired that the Timberline/Midpoint intersection become a right-in/right-out intersection. This will definitely happen by the long rang future; however, it is not certain if it will happen by the short range future. Therefore, it was evaluated under two access scenarios in the short range future. Figure 5 shows the morning and afternoon peak hour site generated traffic with full . build -out of Spring Creek Center, assuming full movement at the Timberline/Midpoint intersection. Figure 6 shows the morning and afternoon peak hour site generated traffic, assuming right -in/ right -out access at the Timberline/Midpoint intersection. Figure 7 shows the total (site plus background traffic) short range peak hour traffic, assuming full movement at the Timberline/Midpoint intersection. Figure 8 shows the total short range peak hour traffic, assuming right-in/right-out access at the Timberline/ Midpoint intersection. Figure 9 shows the total long range peak hour traffic, assuming right-in/right-out access at the Timberline/ Midpoint intersection. Signal Warrants As a matter of policy, traffic signals are not installed at ( any location unless warrants are met according to the Manual on j Uniform Traffic Control Devices. However, it is possible to determine whether traffic signal warrants are likely to be met I based upon estimated peak hour traffic forecasted in this study. Using the peak hour traffic volumes shown in Figure 8, it is likely that traffic signal warrants will be met at the Timberline/ Midpoint intersection. However, since the City of Fort Collins wants this intersection modified to provide right-in/right-out access in the future, signalization of this intersection is not recommended. A signal is also warranted at the Prospect/Specht I Point intersection. However, since a signal will be installed at ,+ the Prospect/Prospect Parkway intersection shortly, the Specht Point Drive signal was.not given further consideration. Operation Analysis Capacity analyses were performed on key intersections adjacent to Spring Creek Center. The operations analyses were conducted for the short range future and the long range future.. Using the traffic volumes shown in Figure 7, the affected intersections operate in the short range condition as indicated in Table 3. Calculation forms for these analyses are provided in Appendix D. Using the traffic volumes shown in Figure 8, the key W o AI i SITE GENERATED TRAFFIC WITH FULL MOVEMENT AT THE TIMBERLINE / MIDPOINT INTERSECTION 1 I Figure 5 gR id ,pV, SITE GENERATED TRAFFIC WITH RIGHT -IN / RIGHT -OUT AT THE j TIMBERLINE / MIDPOINT INTERSECTION i Figure 6 N �— 270/310 —�— 705/920 5. 580 50 35 M v 110/ PROSPECT ROAD /� �1to/210 610/620-- r 135/65 4 I 225/220 — 470/440 —" 'Coll ^ M 360/435 0 M r7N Z Site a w 125/170IL /- 80/185 a f r. a oa; Q to M coo W Z J Q W m ►- AM / PM Rounded to the Nearest 5 Vehicles. SHORT RANGE TOTAL PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC WITH FULL MOVEMENT AT THE TIMBERLINE / MIDPOINT INTERSECTION Figure 7 IAL o 4- 270/310 a 72�985 M PROSPECT ROAD 50 35 ;_:144()�58() 385 mmmummmimm t 610/620 310/155 I 225/220 � � 4 530/470 0 �n o 290/405 -� c.- Mrn�N z Site a o F. z U LO W a �r125/170 MIDPp�NT o Q o�0 8 AM / PM Rounded to the Nearest 5 Vehicles. SHORT RANGE TOTAL PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC WITH RIGHT -IN / RIGHT -OUT AT THE TIMBERLINE / MIDPOINT INTERSECTION Figure 8 I Lo 0 455/510 CD "� � cv /Nl1 `5965 /�573/ 275 380/370 --)e � I I 815/755 — " � Ln 455/675 �i Site 0 co co 130/185 vv a 1055/1080 400/245 1370/1810 r-- 55/40 �o oa e AM / PM Rounded to the Nearest 6 Vehicles. LONG RANGE TOTAL PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 9 ® 9 Table 3 Short Range Peak Hour Operation (Full Movement at Timberline/Midpoint) Level of Service Intersection AM PM Prospect/Timberline (signal) D D Prospect/Specht Point (stop sign) NB LT D F NB RT A A WB LT A A Timberline/Midpoint (stop sign) WB LT F F WB RT C C SB, LT D B Table 4 Short Range Peak Hour Operation (Right-in/Right-out at Timberline/Midpoint) Level of Service Intersection AM PM Prospect/Timberline (signal) D D Prospect/Specht Point (stop sign) NB LT E F NB RT A A WB LT B A Timberline/Midpoint (stop sign) WB RT C C intersections operate in the short range condition as indicated in Table 4. Calculation forms for these analyses are provided in Appendix E. All movements at these intersections operate acceptably, with the exception of the westbound left turn at the Timberline/Midpoint intersection, as shown in Table 3. The analysis indicated poor operation at the Prospect/Specht Point and Timberline/Midpoint intersections. A queuing analysis indicated that the northbound left turns approaching Prospect Road would conflict with the southbound left turns approaching Midpoint Drive. It is recommended that this intersection be modified to a right- in/right-out during the course of the development of Spring Creek Center. The City of Fort Collins plans to install a traffic signal at the Prospect/Prospect Parkway intersection, which provides access to the commercial uses mentioned earlier. This signalized i intersection, located approximately 0.3 miles east of Prospect/Timberline, will provide motorists with a safe alternative to leaving this area. It was also assumed that this signal would attract a significant number of the northbound left turns from Specht Point Drive to Prospect Road. The Prospect/Timberline intersection will operate acceptably during the peak hours with the geometry indicated in Figure 10. Based upon forecasted traffic volumes, an eastbound right -turn lane is shown on Prospect Road approaching Specht Point Drive. Due to the existing bridge, a full lane may not be possible. An alternative to a full lane is a taper and increased radius. With good signal progression on Prospect Road, there will be gaps in the eastbound traffic that are not accounted for in the analysis technique. The actual operation will be better than indicated in Table 4. Using the traffic volumes shown in Figure 9 and recommended geometries, the intersections operate in the long range condition as indicated in Table 5. Calculation forms for these analyses are provided in Appendix F. All movements at these intersections operate acceptably, with the exception of the northbound left turn at the Prospect/Specht Point intersection. This is normal for minor street left -turning movements along arterials during peak hour conditions. The long range geometry is shown in Figure 11. At the Prospect/Timberline intersection, Timberline is changed to a four lane facility, plus turn lanes. The Fort Collins Master Street Plan indicates Timberline Road as a six lane facility. However, analysis shows that Timberline operates acceptably as a four lane facility. Timberline may, however, require widening to six lanes after the year 2015. Traffic volumes should be monitored along Timberline Road and Prospect Road to determine when the widening to six lanes should occur. Provision of dual left -turn lanes .for Prospect at Timberline, as indicated in Figure 11, is necessary to achieve acceptable operation at this location. The overall Prospect Business Park extends to the southeast to within 0.5 miles of Drake Road. Consideration should be given to providing a local street or collector street connection in this area. This will require crossing City owned land. A connection R I. INTRODUCTION This site access study addresses the capacity, geometric, and control requirements at and near a proposed commercial development known hereinafter as Spring Creek Center. It is located near the intersection of Prospect Road'and Timberline Road in Fort Collins, Colorado. During the course of the analysis, numerous contacts were made with the project planning consultant (Cityscape Urban Design) and the Fort Collins Traffic Engineering Division. This study generally conforms to the format set forth in typical traffic impact study guidelines. The study involved the following steps: Collect physical, traffic and development data; Perform trip generation, -trip distribution, and trip assignment; Determine peak hour- traffic volumes; Conduct capacity and operational level of service analyses on key intersections; Analyze signal warrants. II. EXISTING CONDITIONS The location of Spring Creek Center is shown in Figure 1.. It is important that a thorough understanding of the existing conditions be presented. Land Use Land uses in the area are primarily commercial. Commercial development exists all around the site. There are office buildings located to the north (across Prospect Road) and to the east (across Specht. Point Drive). There is a beverage distribution center to the south (across Midpoint Drive). The lot to the west (across Timberline Road) contains four silos and an "agricultural truck" scale. There is a "proposed development" sign on this site. The Spring Creek Center site itself is vacant. Land in the immediate area is flat.. There is an increase in elevation to the south and west, away from the key intersections. The center of Fort Collins lies to the northwest of Spring Creek Center. There are sidewalks around the site along Prospect Rand and part of Timberline Road. There are bicycle lanes located along the shoulder of Timberline Road. 1 ® ® _. SHORT RANGE GEOMETRY Figure 10 LONG RANGE GEOMETRY Figure 11 Table 5 Long Range Peak Hour Operation Level of Service Intersect -ion AM PM Prospect/Timberline (signal) D D Prospect/Specht Point (stop sign) NB LT F F NB RT A A WB LT C B Timberline/Midpoint (stop sign) WB RT C B of this type will provide an additional outlet from the business park to the south. It has the potential of reducing selected movements shown in Figure 9, thereby improving the operation at key intersections. This suggestion is a system -wide improvement and should be pursued as part of a capital improvement program. IV. CONCLUSIONS This study assessed the impacts of the Spring Creek Center commercial development on the short range and long range street system in the vicinity of the proposed development. As a result of this analysis, the following is concluded: - The development of Spring Creek Center is feasible from a traffic engineering standpoint. At full development, as proposed, approximately 6200 trip ends will be generated at this site daily. Some of these trip ends will be from background traffic already on the adjacent streets. There may also be some multi -purpose trip ends not reflected in the daily trip end estimate. Cur -rent operation at the Prospect/Timberline signalized intersection is acceptable. The stop sign controlled intersections along the arterial streets operate normally. - In the short range future, all key intersections will operate acceptably, provided that the Timberline/Midpoint intersection is modified to a right-in/right-out access. The short range geometry is shown in Figure 10. - In the long range future, key intersections will operate acceptably during the peak hours, with the exception of the northbound left -turn movement at the Prospect/Specht Point intersection. If Midpoint Drive is extended south to meet Drake Road, a system wide improvement will be made. the long range geometry is shown in Figure 11. Sidewalks and bicycle lanes should be built and linked to the existing system, per City of Fort Collins standard. - With the recommended control geometrics, the accident rate should be at an acceptable level for typical urban conditions. 7 9 TI*;X 4"s SZ2 Substa L r -- --------- It r orth Yards -&bhotbo.-- --Black Hollcw Junition a "Zo, I tE 7., I oi 41 7 C lk )Wnto)Nn 8 9 !Sinnard ill— 10 01 "! F I A Collins Airpark Gravel Pit j1COLORADIO ",fb SDf WE l L R Dms e I jR Cem owhead L sea i TE 14 �v. Y 1310 BM4954 J111 3 Ifliti 493 %0 150 .i C4 V IT N I I Irv, 7. 16 15 Te p, GTOW81 Pit PR ; PROSPECT ROAD V. e.. R adi n r ,;w j J2 . I SPRING CREEK 23# �-irheal 19 0 % CENTER i a w 20 21 •Y NN LU z bi-Aes DRAKE ROAD A r BM,1874 1486 L D. 2 b Ip'. 29 F 7 7 7� Ornev1 1J. pp r 9 F It V se 32 hie Clelland1b TA68 Harmony CeIrn 4930 It I WW 0ho NO SCALE SITE LOCATION Figure 1 Roads The primary streets near Spring Creek Center are Prospect Road, Timberline Road, Midpoint Drive, and Specht Point Drive. Prospect Road borders Spring Creek Center on the north. It is an east -west street designated as an arterial in the "North Front Range Regional Transportation Plan," (NFRRTP) 10/94 and the Fort Collins Master Street Plan. Prospect Road has a four lane cross section with a concrete median west of Timberline and a painted median east of Timberline. The existing speed limit in this area is 35 mph. Timberline Road is west of Spring Creek Center. It is a north -south street designated as a major arterial on the Fort Collins Master Street Plan. It is a two lane road that terminates several hundred feet north of Prospect. The Prospect/Timberline intersection has signal control. Midpoint Drive and,.Specht Point Drive are local streets that provide access to the Spring Creek Center site and the other commercial uses located south and east of the Prospect/Timberline intersection. Existing Traffic Recent peak hour turning movements at the Prospect/Timberline, Prospect/Specht Point, and Timberline/Midpoint intersections are shown in Figure 2. Raw traffic count data is provided in Appendix A. These counts were obtained in September, 1996.. Existing Operation The Prospect/Timberline, Prospect/Specht Point, and Timberline/Midpoint intersections were evaluated. The peak hour operation is shown in Table 1. The calculation forms are provided in Appendix B. Appendix C describes level of service for signalized and unsignalized intersections from the 1994 Highway Capacity Manual. All movements at these intersections operate acceptably, with the exception of the westbound left turns at the Timberline/Midpoint intersection and the northbound left turns at the Prospect/Specht Point intersection. These operate at level of service F. This is normal for minor street left -turn movements along arterials during the peak hours. Acceptable operation during the peak hours is defined as level of service D or better. Experience indicates that if level of service D can be achieved during the peak hours, operation will be at level of service C or better for 20-22 hours of an average weekday. 2 1996 PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC Figure 2 ® 0 Table 1 1996 Peak Hour Operation Level of Service Intersection AM PM Prospect/Timberline (signal) C D Prospect/Specht Point (stop sign) NB LT D F NB RT A A WB LT A A Timberline/Midpoint (stop sign) WB LT F F WB RT B B SB LT B A III. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT Spring Creek Center is a proposed mixed use commercial development, located at the intersection of Prospect Road and Timberline Road in Fort Collins. Figure 3 shows a schematic of the site plan of Spring Creek Center. At the present time, definitive users have not been determined. Lots 1 and 6 are shown to have convenience/gas stores. Lot 2 is shown as a fast food restaurant. The remaining uses will be a mix of retail and office. Since Spring Creek Center is in a business park, land use code 710 (Business Park) was used to estimate the trip generation. The short range future is assumed to be the year 1999. For analysis purposes, full build -out of the site was assumed to be completed by the short range future. The long range future analysis is for the year 2015. The site plan shows two accesses from Midpoint Drive and two accesses from Specht Point Drive. All four are full movement accesses. Driveway accesses to/from local streets are generally not analyzed. The key intersections that were analyzed were those listed earlier. Trip Generation Trip generation is important in considering the impact of a development such as this upon the existing and proposed street system. A compilation of trip generation information contained in Trip Generation, 5th.Edition, ITE and the 1995 Update was used to estimate trips that would be generated by the proposed/expected uses at this site. Table 2 shows the expected trip generation on a daily and peak hour basis. Trip Distribution Directional distribution of the generated trips was determined for Spring Creek Center. Future year data was obtained from the NFRRTP and other traffic studies. This data accounts for the proposed extension of Timberline Road from Prospect Road, north to SH14. Figure 4 shows the trip distributions used. Several land use generators, such as shopping centers, drive- in (fast food) restaurants, high turn -over restaurant, service stations, convenience markets, and other support services (banks, etc.), capture trips from the normal traffic passing by the site. For many of these trips, the stop at the site is a secondary part. of a linked trip such as from work to shopping center to home. In all of these cases, the driveway volumes at the site are higher than the actual amount of traffic added to the adjacent street system, since, some of the site generated traffic was already 3 1 NO SCALE SITE PLAN Figure 3 Table 2. Trip Generation Daily A.M. Peak P.M. Peak Land Use Trips Trips Trips Trips Trips in out in out Lot 1 Gas/C-store with 8 pumps 1170 44 43 50 50 Lot 2 Fast Food Restaurant - 2130 85 82 57 53 3.0 KSF Lot 3 Business Park - 6.0 KSF 90 Lot 4 Business Park - 7.2 KSF 100 Lot 5 Business Park - 7.2 KSF 100 Lot 6 Gas/C-store with 12 pumps 1750 Lot 7 Business Park - 31.2 KSF 450 Lot 8 Business Park - 31.2 KSF 450 TOTAL 6240 8 1 2 7 10 2 2. 8 10 2 2 8 66 64 74 74 43 7 10 36 43 7 10 36 309 208 207 272