Route 73 Transportation/Land Use Corridor Study

Introduction

This study will be undertaken by the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC), as part of its FY 2010 Planning Work Program.

Route 73 is a 35 mile long, north-south oriented Urban Principal Arterial that stretches from US 322 in Atlantic County to the Delaware River in Burlington County. The area under study is an approximately six mile segment of Route 73 that traverses through four townships in western Burlington County: Evesham Township, Maple Shade Township, Moorestown Township, and Mount Laurel Township. Within this segment, Route 73 intersects with several regionally-significant roadways, including the New Jersey Turnpike, Interstate 295, Route 38, and several county highways.

The study will evaluate the current state of congestion and mobility as well as land-use patterns within the study area. Emphasis will be on Route 73 as well as major parallel and perpendicular routes. The study will be multi-modal in scope, integrate transportation and land-use, and be responsive to emerging lifestyle patterns. Existing and future problem areas will be identified. Short, medium, and long-term recommendations will be developed. This effort will be documented in a report that will include the baseline data, the utilized methodologies, the alternatives explored, and the final recommendations. An implementation plan, highlighting potential breakout projects will be developed.

Study Tasks

The following tasks are proposed to accomplish the defined study.

Task 1 - Define Study Area

The study area will focus on the 6.4 mile segment of Route 73 (mile post 24.87-31.25) in Evesham, Mount Laurel, Moorestown, and Maple Shade Townships in western Burlington County. The study area is generally bounded to the north by the North Branch of the Pennsauken Creek. In the east by Church Street (County Route 607) in Moorestown and Mount Laurel townships, in the south by Lincoln Drive and in the west by the South Branch of the Pennsauken Creek.

Task 2 - Establish Study Advisory Committee

DVRPC will work with the Study Advisory Committee (SAC) to define and prioritize the project's overall objectives, issue areas, and recommendations. The SAC will be comprised of municipal, county and state representatives. This includes, but is not limited to, representatives from all four study area municipalities (Evesham Township, Maple Shade Township, Moorestown Township, and Mount Laurel Township), Burlington County Planning and Engineering, NJDOT, Cross County Connection TMA, NJ Transit, and DVRPC.

Task 3 - Conduct a Literature Review

Project staff will review recent studies and plans to assess their relevancy and applicability, as well as to identify the efforts already underway in the study area.

Task 4 - Conduct a Transportation Infrastructure and Land Use Inventory

Project staff will utilize field surveys and GIS to inventory the study area's existing transportation infrastructure and land-use environment. This inventory will provide a baseline of current conditions, from which issue areas may be identified and evaluated. Transportation items to be documented include: the road network, the location of interchanges and lane merges/drops, key intersections, major unsignalized driveways, the sidewalk network, pedestrian amenities at intersections, presence of overhead lighting at critical locations, transit stops, multi-use paths, and on-street bicycle routes. The land-use inventory will include: major shopping centers and office parks, residential developments, civic institutions (schools, libraries, etc.), traditional "Main Street" districts, parks and open space, and bodies of water. Particular attention will be given to areas where a particular land-use heavily influences the immediate transportation network, and vice-versa. For example, the high concentration of hotels and restaurants throughout the study area attracts many visitors unfamiliar with the area.

Task 5 - Environmental Screening within the Study Area

Identify environmentally sensitive or constrained locations as well as identify priorities and opportunities to protect, conserve, and enhance the natural resources in the study area.

Proposed environmental concerns to be investigated include:

Wetlands, Surface Waters, and Floodplains
Endangered and Threatened Species Habitat
Parks, Recreational Land, and Open Space
Archaeological and Historic Resources
Known Contaminated Sites

Sources to be consulted include:

New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) Wetland Mapping
U.S. Geological Survey Mapping
Floodplain Mapping (FEMA, NJDEP)
Aerial Photography
NJDEP Water Quality Classification
Soil Surveys
NJ Natural Heritage Program Database
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Records
NJDEP Landscape Project Mapping
State and National Registers of Historic Places
USEPA National Priority List Database
NJDEP Known Contaminated Sites Reports

The environmental screening will outline the environmental constraints, priorities, and opportunities within the study area. Existing regulations will be identified regarding wetlands; streams and other water bodies; floodplains; stormwater management; historic resources; parklands; and other important environmental resources. In addition, best management practices will be recommended for controlling stormwater runoff from office parks, major retail complexes, transportation infrastructure, and other developments in order to improve water quality. Land use recommendations will be coordinated with environmental objectives concerning stormwater management, brownfields remediation, and natural resource protection. Environmental enhancement and remediation measures will be developed in the context of promoting healthier lifestyles and improving the overall quality of life within the study area.

Task 6 - Land-Use Analysis

The study team will conduct an inventory of the physical landscape of the study area in order to develop an understanding of the existing land use patterns and arrangements within the study area. Potential data sources include township zoning plans, GIS, and field visits. Improvements to land use patterns within the corridor that will enhance the long term quality of life will be identified. These improvements will reflect the vision and goals of local stakeholders, while incorporating a smart growth perspective. Where applicable, recommendations will include specific zoning and site plan guideline language for each identified issue area. Specific areas of concentration may include identifying ways to promote mixed use development to reduce the number and length of vehicle trips, access management best practices that encourage safety and mobility while retaining accessibility, and parking guidelines that reduce impervious surface coverage without negatively affecting land owners.

Task 7 - Crash Data Analysis

Utilizing the NJDOT crash database, the study team will identify crash clusters and overall crash trends along Route 73 and other significant non-interstate roadways. Patterns of contributing factors will be identified and analyzed, in order to design potential mitigation measures. Recommendations will address balancing Route 73 regional mobility needs while accommodating its local function while, at the same time, maintaining user safety.

Task 8 - Bicycle and Pedestrian Mobility and Safety Analysis

The study team will identify and evaluate existing bicycling and pedestrian facilities. Particular attention will be given to major trip generators, crossings at major intersections, recreational facilities, and missing links in the network. Given the high concentration of hotels in the corridor, there is a need for wayfinding signage to direct visitors to services and points of interest. In addition, adequate sidewalks and crosswalks are essential to accommodate pedestrian traffic. Additional improvements include, but are not limited to:

expansion of the bicycle lane/sidewalk network
intersection-crossing treatments (continental-style crosswalks, countdown timers pedestrian refuges, etc.)
multi-use trails
pedestrian-scale lighting
landscaped buffers
sheltered bicycle parking

Overall, recommendations would strive to improve pedestrian and bicyclist mobility and safety, while recognizing the importance of active transportation and its strong impact upon the health of a community.

Task 9 - Transit Service Analysis

The study team will identify and evaluate the existing transit services and facilities within the study area. Bus routing, hours of service, and headways will be documented. The adequacy of peak load points for local and regional carriers will be examined and improvements identified. Intermodal connections, especially at large residential complexes, office parks and shopping centers will be analyzed. Opportunities for increased passenger comfort and information will be explored. Coordination with Cross County Connection TMA services will also be explored. Recommendations to improve transit service and the passenger experience will be documented.

Task 10 - Traffic Operations Analysis

The study team will identify and prioritize those intersections and segments along Route 73 and other significant non-interstate roadways that experience severe congestion, poor travel times, or unsafe conditions, due to physical and/or operational constraints. Specific locations include the segment of Route 73 in the vicinity of the NJ Turnpike Interchange 4, and the missing Fellowship Road link over the NJ Turnpike. The extent of vehicular delay will be quantified for the critical issue areas via Synchro/SimTraffic software or other traffic micro-simulation tools. To that end, manual turning movement counts, automatic volume/class/speed counts, and travel time runs will be conducted. This data may be gathered during weekday peak and off-peak travel time periods, as well as from recent traffic studies such as a developer's Traffic Impact Study. Geometric and signal timing data will be gathered from various sources including field visits. Such types of data include, but are not limited to:

roadway widths
lane configurations
number of lanes
highway ramp and interchange volumes
traffic and parking regulations
turn prohibitions
sight distances
pedestrian crossing treatments
queue storage lengths
locations, type and condition of traffic control signs
location and configuration of traffic signals, including split, phase, and cycle timing, and where applicable coordinated offsets

Various alternatives, each quantified to provide an opportunity for comparison, will be developed for each issue area. Alternatives will seek to anticipate future changes in travel and land-use patterns, as well as be developed from a Context Sensitive Solution (CSS) perspective, thus ensuring that an issue area's transportation facilities are visually consistent and physically appropriate for that community's current and future setting. Special consideration will be given to inform motorists, many of whom are visitors, of how to best and most efficiently reach points of interest throughout the study area via signage and other means. Furthermore, alternatives will be cognizant of environmental and environmental justice issues. Alternatives may be demonstrated by conceptual sketches and photo renderings where applicable.

Task 11 - Environmental Justice Screening and Evaluation

An environmental justice screening and evaluation will be conducted for communities within the study area. This will include using census tract data to analyze categories of disadvantaged groups within the corridor.

Task 12 - Public Involvement

This task will identify the public agencies/entities, determine and develop a plan for their involvement in this study project. Meetings will be held as needed with the Townships within the corridor to identify problem locations in the corridor via field visits of each municipality. Meetings will be held when appropriate, to give presentations of the study concepts and receive input from the public. These meetings will generate feedback with respect to the various proposed improvement scenarios that will be evaluated.

Task 13 - Final Report

DVRPC will prepare a Draft Report for the SAC to review and comment. DVRPC will revise the draft based on review comments. A final report will be prepared within three weeks of receiving draft report comments.

Schedule

DVRPC will complete these task assignments by June 30, 2010.