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EXISTING AND ANTICIPATED FUTURE CONDITIONS
Project Area and Existing Conditions
The overall project area map shows the project area with roadways on high resolution aerial photography. Roadway names (numbers) are noted. Additional information on the map includes roadway surface type (gravel, chip seal, or asphalt), and the locations of major structures (bridges more than 20 ft in length).
Roadway Surface
The existing conditions map, as well as the project area map, includes information related to roadway surface type.- Paved (asphalt) roadways in the project area include CR 9, CR 15, and CR 70 east of CR 15.
- Chip seal roadways include CR 70 between CR 19 and CR 21
- All other roadways in the project area are non-paved (gravel) roadways.
Roadway Geometrics and Speed Limits
All of the roadways in the proejct area are two-lane roads (one lane in each direction). Roadway width is generally 24 feet for travel lanes and shoulder width varies from between 1 and 6 feet. Speed limits in the project area range from 40 mph to 55 mph.
Traffic Volumes
The existing daily traffic volumes are shown on the traffic volumes map. Volumes are as high as 2,100 vehicles per day along CR 70 just west of I-25 and as low as 120 vehicles per day along CR 72 west of CR 11. CR 72 between US 287 and CR 21 sees more than 1,000 vehicles per day (on a gravel surface).
Traffic volume growth in the corridor has typically increased 3-4 fold in the past ten years but growth has leveled off in the past few years and is now averaging approximately 3% per year (average when compared to other county roads).
Truck Percentages
A typical county road carries between 2 and 4% trucks. In the Owl Canyon project area, truck percentages average about 10% large trucks. Along CR 70, this equates to about 100 semis per day west of CR 15 and 150 semis per day east of CR 15. Many of these trucks have local or area origins/destinations, while some are using the roadways as a connection between US 287 and I-25.
Safety
The Accident History Map graphically shows all vehicular crashes within the project area for the past five years. Both location and severity is indicated. As alternative alignments are developed, the entire corridor will be reviewed for safety improvements, but initially, areas of concern include the intersection of CR 70 and CR 15, and in general the section of CR 72 between US 287 and CR 21. There have been no fatal accidents in the project area within the past five years.
Roadway Function
The adequacy of roadway function is related to all of the above items. While there are no specific congestion issues such as those seen in more urban areas, concerns for this corridor include the following:
- Gravel roads carrying traffic volumes in excess of 1,000 vehicles per day when the county standard threshold for paving is 400 vehicles per day. This creates maintenance, air quality and potential safety issues.
- Higher speed, higher volumes, higher truck percentage roadways with limited shoulder widths or other geometric characteristics that do not meet current standards.
- A lack of auxiliary turn lanes or other improvements at major intersections.
Anticipated Future Conditions
Traffic VolumesIn order to determine what an improved roadway would look like in this area, anticipated future traffic volumes need to be determined. Predicting future traffic volumes is an inexact science; approaches for estimating future volumes include:
- a review of existing and potential area land use and its related traffic generation,
- review of travel demand modeling computer programs maintained by the area planning organizations,
- application of standard industry accepted growth rates, and/or
- extrapolation from past growth.
- In addition, it also important to estimate any additional traffic likely to utilize an improved road.
The existing traffic is as high as 2,100 vehicles per day in the corridor (just west of I-25 along CR 70). Application of either standard or historic growth rates to this figure both provide results of a 20-year long term volume as high as 4,200 vehicles per day (closest to I-25). The travel demand model shows 20 year volumes close to I-25 at 3,500 vehicles per day. Additional traffic due to an improved roadway could be several hundred vehicles per day. Therefore, as the County plans for an eventual improved roadway in the corridor, using a conservative estimate, it should be able to accommodate a potential long term volume as high as 5,000 vehicles per day.
Future Roadway Components
A typical threshold between a two lane and four-lane facility is between 15,000 and 20,000 vehicles per day. The estimated future traffic in the corridor above does NOT necessitate a four lane facility. The roadway cross section shows the ultimate cross section being used for the project.
