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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004 04 12 Regular 505 COMMISSION AGENDA ITEM 505 CONSENT INFORMATIONAL PUBLIC HEARING REGULAR X April 12,2004 Meeting MGR f2/ IDEPT Authorization REQUEST: Public Works Department Requesting the City Commission Consider the Final Right Turn Deceleration Lanes Study PURPOSE: The purpose of this Board item is to present the Final Right Turn Deceleration Lane Study for Consideration. CONSIDERA TIONS: The City Commission directed staff to review the need for right turn deceleration lanes along S.R. 434 due to development that was occurring in this corridor. Professional Engineering Consultants (PEC) was retained to perform the study. Fursan Munjed ofPEC provided a preliminary report on January 12, 2004. The City Commission requested additional information on the S.R. 434 intersections on the west side of town. This information is summarized in Section 5.0. The Moss Road and Hayes Road eastbound intersections were found to warrant the deceleration lane. The changes to the Land Development Code have been forwarded to the City Attorney for development of an ordinance effectuating the changes. A copy of the study without the technical data and the presentation are attached. The full final report with the supporting technical data will be provided at the Commission meeting. FUNDING: No funding is required at this time. Regular Agenda Item 505 April 12, 2004 Page 2 RECOMMENDATION: It is recommended that the City Commission approve the Right Turn Deceleration Lane Study. IMPLEMENTA TION SCHEDULE: The ordinance with the changes to the Land Development Code will be brought forward for Commission consideration when completed by the City Attorney. ATTACHMENTS: 1. Right Turn Deceleration Lane Study w/o technical appendices COMMISSION ACTION: Right Turn Deceleration Lanes Study City of Winter Springs, Florida December 31, 2003 - Draft February 20, 2004 - Final Prepared for: The City of Winter Springs 1126 E. State Road 434 Winter Springs, Florida 32708 Prepared by: PEe Professional Engineering Consultants, Inc. 200 East Robinson Street, Suite 1560 Orlando, Florida 32801 Attachment NO.1 PROFESSIONAL ENGINEER CERTIFICATE I hereby certify that I am a registered professional engineer in the State of Florida practicing with Professional Engineering Consultants, Inc., a Florida corporation, authorized to operate as an engineering business, EB# 0003556, by the State of Florida Department of Professional Regulation, Board of Professional Engineers, and that I have prepared or approved the evaluation, findings, opinions, conclusions, or technical advice hereby reported for: PROJECT: LOCATION: CLIENT: Right Turn Deceleration Lanes Study Winter Springs, Seminole County City of Winter Springs I acknowledge that the procedures and references used to develop the results contained in this study are standard to the professional practice of transportation engineering as applied through professional judgement and experience. SIGNATURE: NAME: P.E. NO: DATE: Fursan Munied 51446 February 20. 2004 Table of Contents Section PaQe 1.0 Introduction.......... ......................................... .,.................. ......................... 4 2.0 Research of Guidelines and Criteria ..........................................................6 3.0 Recommendations........................................ ................... ......... ........... .... 10 4.0 Case Study: State Road 434 Right Turn Deceleration Lane Analysis.... 12 5.0 City Commission Meeting... .......................... ... .........:....... ........ ............... 14 6.0 Code of Ordinances ................................................................................. 16 8Ppendix A. Seminole County Applicable Codes B. Orange County Applicable Codes C. Volusia County Applicable Codes D. City of Orlando Applicable Codes E. Florida Department of Transportation Applicable Codes F. Technical Manuals G. Traffic Count Locations H. Traffic Counts I. Accident Reports J. Average Daily Traffic Data K. Presentation to City Commission on January 12, 2004 SECTION 1.0: INTRODUCTION This Right Turn Deceleration Lane Study was conducted to evaluate the need and establish the thresholds for providing right-turn deceleration lanes at access locations to existing and proposed developments, within the limits of the City of Winter Springs. As part of this analysis, a review of guidelines and criteria for several Counties, Cities and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) was conducted. Permitting officials from these various agencies were contacted in order to get an understanding of their approach in evaluating the need for deceleration lanes. Technical manuals were also reviewed with respect to deceleration lane thresholds. The appendix of this report includes copies of the guidelines, criteria and technical documentation. Based on this research, a recommendation is made to the City of Winter Springs for adoption of the preferred guidelines and incorporation of these guidelines into the City's Land Development Codes. The study scope also included developing a matrix for right-turn deceleration lanes for residential streets along State Road 434 from State Road 419 to State Road 417. P.M. peak hour traffic counts were collected at all the residential streets along State Road 434 within the study limits and this data was analyzed in order to develop the State Road 434 matrix, which identifies locations where right-turn deceleration lanes are warranted. Additionally, accident history records were obtained from the Florida Department of Transportation database for the past three (3) years. Average annual daily traffic volumes, directional distribution and truck traffic percentages were also obtained from the existing traffic count stations along SR434. The accident report summary and the traffic count information are included in the appendix of this report. The findings and conclusions of this study are summarized in Section 3.0 Recommendations. SECTION 2.0: RESEARCH OF EXISTING GUIDELINES AND CRITERIA This section documents the research conducted for determining the specific requirements and thresholds warranting the need for right-turn deceleration lanes at development entrances within the limits of the City of Winter Springs. Based on a review of guidelines for different Cities, Counties, and FDOT, and based on our conversations with permitting officials, it became apparent that the criteria included in the Land Development Codes and Technical Memoranda are strictly "Guidelines" for consideration when reviewing the construction plans and permit applications for different developments. The permitting officials indicated that final determination of the need for these lanes is typically made on a case-by-case basis depending on site-specific conditions. In the case ofFDOT permitting for developments along State Road 434 within the City of Winter Springs, the permitting officials explained that they have typically requested left-turn deceleration lanes be constructed, but have not required the addition of right-turn deceleration lanes. The City could require the addition of right-turn deceleration lanes, as part of the development review process, at proposed development locations whether on a City, County or State roads where these lanes are warranted, independent of other jurisdictional permitting requirements. It is worth noting that part of the FDOT driveway connection permit process requires that the developer have their local government approvals prior to issuance of this permit. Several factors playa role in determining when right-turn deceleration lanes are warranted. These factors include: 1. The posted speed limit. 2. The average daily traffic volume and the peak hour traffic volume on the major roadway. 3. The average daily traffic volume and the peak hour traffic volume turning into the development. 4. The number oflanes on the major roadway. S. The number of large trucks, buses, and recreational vehicles turning movements. 6. Gated subdivision entrances. 7. Crash history. 8. Skew angle of intersection. 9. Sight distance issues. 10. Right-of-way, utility relocation and construction costs. Following are the published guideline for various Cities, Counties and FDOT: 1. Seminole County: Seminole County's Land Development Code requires the addition of a right-turn deceleration lanes for developments on roadway of 40 mph posted speeds and/or developments with a daily trip end rate of 500 ADT or greater. A copy of this code is included in appendix A of this report. 2. Orange County: Orange County's Land Development Codes require the addition of right-turn deceleration lanes when the projected right turn volume into the access driveway exceeds 50 peak hour trips. A copy of this code is included in appendix B of this report. 3. Volusia County: Volusia County's Land Development Codes require the addition of right-turn deceleration lanes when the speed limit equals or exceeds 35 mph or if the development will generate 100 or more right-turn movements during the peak hour. A copy of this code is included in appendix C of this report. 4. City of Orlando: City of Orlando's Land Development Codes require the addition of right-turn deceleration lanes when the major street design speed is 35 mph or greater, or the development is projected to generate 500 or more trips per day or 50 or more trip per hour. A copy of this code is included in appendix D of this report. 5. Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT): FDOT published a guideline for the requirement of right-turn deceleration lanes entitled "Exclusive Right Turn Lanes at Unsignalized Intersections, When Should We Require Them?" in March 2000. The recommendations within this document are based on research done in NCHRP 420. Right-turn deceleration lanes are recommended: (1) For highways with posted speed limits over 45 mph, when the right turns per hour are 30-40 or greater, and (2) For highways with posted speeds of 45 mph or less, when the right turns per hour are 80-110 per hour or greater. This criteria is discussed in more detail in section 4.0 of this report and is included in is entirety in appendix E. 6. Technical Manuals: Transportation Research Board NCHRP Report 279 establishes criteria for requiring right turn deceleration lanes or tapers based on approach volumes, turning volumes and speed. The Institute of Transportation Engineers, Transportation and Land Development Manual recommends the addition of right-turn deceleration lanes when the major street posted speed is greater than 35 mph, and the right turn volume is greater than 1000 vehicles per day and greater than 40 vehicle during the peak hour. A copy of these technical documents is included in Appendix F. The current City of Winter Springs code shown in Sec. 9-386.4 under Definitions shows the following: "For the purpose of this division, the following words and terms shall have the meaning ascribed thereto: Access improvement: Road improvements necessary to provide safe and adequate ingress and egress and for efficient traffic operations. Access improvements include but are not limited to the following: (1) Right-of-way and easements; (2) Left and right turn lanes; (3) Acceleration and deceleration lanes; (4) Traffic control devices, signage, and markings; and (5) Drainage and utilities." Although this criteria is inclusive of the factors that affect the design issues such as turn lanes, it is very general and not specific enough to set requirements based on certain parameters such as traffic volumes. Therefore, we are recommending modification to this code, which is outlined in Section 3.0 Recommendations. The main benefits associated with providing right-turn deceleration lanes are: 1. Minimize rear end collision potential at intersections. 2. Improve the Level of service (LOS), capacity, and operation of the intersection. 3. Improve the Level of Service (LOS) of the main thoroughfare, as it removes the slower moving vehicles from the main traffic stream. 4. Improved pedestrian safety for pedestrians crossmg the side street, as it mcreases driver and pedestrian expectancy. SECTION 3.0: RECOMMENDATIONS Based on our research and analysis of various agencies requirements for right-turn deceleration lanes and based on a review of technical manuals, we recommend the following: 1. Due to the complexity of issues, advantages and disadvantages, competing objectives, trade-offs, and uniqueness of each case, the need for a right turn deceleration lane should be evaluated by the City engineering staff on a case-by-case basis, under set guidelines and procedures, listed below. 2. After thorough review of similar City, County, and State codes, it is recommended that the guideline published by the Florida Department of Transportation, be the minimum standard used by the City of Winter Springs. 3. Right-turn deceleration lane warrants include, but are not limited, to the following criteria: a) For two lane roadways with posted speed limits greater than 45 mph, set threshold at 30 right turns per hour. b) For two lane roadways with posted speed limits of 45 mph or less, set threshold at 80 right turns per hour. c) For four lane roadways with posted speed limits greater than 45 mph, set threshold at 40 right turns per hour. d) For four lane roadways with posted speed limits of 45 mph or less, set threshold at 110 right turns per hour. e) For all six-lane facilities, right turn deceleration lanes are only warranted at locations with a very high number of right turning vehicles. 4. Other factors which must be considered in the warrant evaluation process include: a) Percentage of trucks, recreational vehicles, and buses turning right at a specific location. b) Gated entrances where there is limited queue distance between the gate and the edge of the outside through lane. c) Accident history including vehicular, pedestrian, and bicyclist traffic. d) Sight distance. e) Right-of-Way requirements. SECTION 4.0: CASE STUDY: STATE ROAD 434 RIGHT-TURN DECELERATION LANE ANALYSIS A right-turn deceleration lane analysis was conducted for the State Road 434 corridor from State Road 419 to State Road 417 within City limits. The analysis included evaluating the need for right-turn deceleration lanes at existing access points to residential developments. Typically, signalized intersections have different thresholds than unsignalized intersections due to several factors, however, at locations where traffic signals serve exclusively residential developments, the same threshold would apply. Commercial developments along this segment were excluded from the analysis for two reasons: First, the right-of-way and physical constraints would likely make it difficult to install these lanes, and second, the peak hour volumes would likely exceed the minimum thresholds recommended. Traffic counts were collected at the following locations: 1. Stone Gable Circle. 2. Winding Hollow Boulevard. 3. Apache Trail (Tuskawilla Trails). 4. Tuscora Drive (Tuskawilla Subdivision). 5. Creeks Run Way. 6. Courtney Springs Apartments. 7. Vistawilla Drive. 8. Spring Avenue. Traffic counts were collected at all eight locations during the p.m. peak hour, which is the highest period for entering traffic in residential developments. This data was analyzed based on the recommended guideline in section 3.0 of this report. The following matrix summarizes the results of the analysis: STATE ROAD 434 RIGHT-TURN DECELERATION LANE MATRIX STATE ROAD 419 TO STATE ROAD 417 Location P.M. Peak-Hour Right-Turn Warranted Priority Volume Stone Gable Circle 11 No Winding Hollow Blvd. 88 Yes 2 Apache Trail 9 No Tuscora Drive 53 Yes 3 Creeks Run Way 20 No Courtney Springs Apts 41 Yes 4 Vistawilla Drive 121 Yes 1 Spring A venue 14 No Locations where the turn lanes are not currently warranted should be monitored periodically in the future and once the thresholds for providing right-turn deceleration lanes are met, these locations would be added to the list of improvements. SECTION 5.0: CITY COMMISSION MEETING A presentation to the City of Winter Springs Commission was made on January 12, 2004 in order to discuss the report findings and recommendations. A copy of the entire presentation is included in Appendix K of this report. The recommendations included moditying the current City Codes for inclusion of the new criteria for right-turn deceleration lanes for all new developments. The City Commission concurred with the findings and directed City staff to prepare an ordinance for inclusion in the City Codes. Additionally, the presentation included a discussion of the State Road 434 right-turn deceleration lane matrix that was prepared as part of this study. This matrix evaluated the need for right-turn deceleration lanes at existing residential driveways along State Road 434 from State Road 419 to State Road 417. The City Commission concurred with the results of this analysis and directed City staff to consider these improvements in the future Capital Improvement Projects. The City Commission requested that a similar analysis be conducted along State Road 434 from the westerly City limit to State Road 419. Staff pointed out that this segment of State Road 434 is posted at 45 miles per hour and based on the recommended criteria, the threshold for right-turn deceleration lanes is higher than the previous segment of State Road 434. This threshold is 110 vehicles per hour compared to 40 vehicles per hour for the previous segment. Based on this request, traffic counts were conducted at the following locations: 1. Fountaintree Drive - Westbound. 2. Shoeah Boulevard - Westbound. 3. Edgemon Avenue - Eastbound and Westbound. 4. Moss Road - Eastbound and Westbound. 5. Costa Rica Drive - Eastbound. 6. Hacienda Drive - Eastbound. 7. Hayes Road - Eastbound. The following matrix summarizes the results of this analysis: STATE ROAD 434 RIGHT-TURN DECELERATION LANE MATRIX FROM WESTERLY CITY LIMIT TO STATE ROAD 419 Location P.M. Peak-Hour WaITanted Priority Right-Turn Volume Fountaintree Drive Westbound 57 No Shoeah Blvd Westbound 68 No Edgemon Avenue Eastbound 80 No Edgemon Avenue Westbound 29 No Moss Road Eastbound 113 Yes 2 Moss Road Westbound 23 No Costa Rica Drive Eastbound 7 No Hacienda Drive Eastbound 23 No Hayes Road Eastbound 245 Yes 1 Locations where the turn lanes are not currently warranted should be monitored periodically in the future and once the thresholds for providing right-turn deceleration lanes are met, these locations would be added to the list of improvements. 6.0 CODE OF ORDINANCES We recommend adding the following ordinance to the City's Code of Ordinances under Chapter 9 "Land Development", Article IV "Required Improvements", Division 2 "Streets and Bridges": Sec. 9-206. Right-turn deceleration lanes. Right-turn deceleration lanes at proposed development access points shall be provided if they are warranted and feasible as determined from the Traffic Study. The warrants include, but are not limited to the following criteria: a) For two lane roadways with posted speed limits greater than 45 mph, the projected right turning volume is equal to or greater than 30 right turns per hour. b) For two lane roadways with posted speed limits of 45 mph or less, the projected right turning volume is equal to or greater than 80 right turns per hour. c) For two lane roadways with posted speed limits greater than 45 mph, lane, the projected right turning volume is equal to or greater than 40 right turns per hour. d) For four lane roadways with posted speed limits of 45 mph or less, the projected right turning volume is equal to or greater than 110 right turns per hour. e) For all six-lane facilities, right turn deceleration lanes are only warranted at locations with a very high number of right turning vehicles. f) Other factors which must be considered in the warrant evaluation process include: 1) Percentage of trucks, recreational vehicles, and buses turning right at a specific location. 2) Gated entrances where there is limited queue distance between the gate and the edge of the outside through lane. 3) Accident history including vehicular, pedestrian, and bicyclist traffic. 4) Sight distance. 5) Right-of-Way requirements.