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Town of Monument Traffic Impact Analysis Criteria 1. Introduction The purpose of this document is to outline a standard format for preparing a traffic impact analysis for development proposals in the Town of Monument. The applicant is responsible for assessing the impacts of development. The traffic impact analysis shall be prepared by a qualified transportation professional. The standards for access and roadway geometry shall apply to the appropriate agency, including Colorado Department of Transportation, Town of Monument, El Paso County, or Triview Metropolitan District. The consultant is responsible for knowing the applicable criteria. Town staff and/or their designated consultant will review the traffic impact analysis for accurate completion and compliance with these criteria. 2. When is a Traffic Impact Analysis Required? A traffic impact analysis is required for any new development proposal or redevelopment where one of the following conditions is met: Daily trip generation is 100 trips or more; or Peak hour trip generation is 25 trips or more In some cases if a site has projected traffic volumes below the above thresholds, the Town may still require a traffic analysis to address operational or other issues. 3. Level of Analysis Prior to initiating a traffic study, the applicant must contact the Town’s traffic engineer to discuss the scope of the project and to agree upon the level of analysis that is necessary. To facilitate the discussion, the applicant must provide, at a minimum, a site plan showing the project location, proposed access points, and proposed land use (size and type). 4. Type of Traffic Impact Analysis During the scoping process, the type of traffic analysis (traffic letter or traffic study) will be identified. A site may qualify for the shorter traffic impact letter if all of the following are met: Peak hour trip generation is 50 trips or less; and/or Access is to local or collector roadways. Sites exceeding the above thresholds or proposing access to arterial roadways will typically be required to provide a traffic impact study. Redevelopment sites may qualify for a traffic impact letter if traffic increases by less than 10% and no existing transportation issues are identified. The Town’s Planning Director will determine if a letter or study will be required. ---PAGE BREAK--- 5. Traffic Analysis Format 5.1 Traffic Impact Study. The minimum requirements include: A. Project Description – Include a description of the project location, access locations, adjacent roads including classification, existing intersection traffic control, proposed land use and size of project, any phasing, ped and bike facilities, and study area boundaries. The name of the study preparer and contact information shall be provided. Describe adjacent land uses and note short term and long term site access and roadway network information. B. Existing Conditions – Evaluate existing conditions based on traffic counts collected within one year of the study submittal. At a minimum, AM and PM weekday peak hour turning movement counts shall be collected over a two hour period (per peak) on an average weekday. This is typically a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday when there are no holidays, road closures, or weather events that would affect traffic patterns. C. Site Generated Traffic – Project site traffic based on the average rates or equations contained in the current version of the Institute or Transportation Engineers’ Trip Generation Manual. For sites where information is not available in the ITE guide, other industry sources or counts of similar sites may be utilized as approved in the scoping meeting. Discounts for pass-by, diverted, alternate mode, or multi-use trips may be considered as appropriate. Cite the source of the proposed reduction. Establish distribution and assign traffic to road network. Describe methodology used in estimating distribution. D. Trip Distribution. The applicant shall propose a trip distribution to the Town’s Planning Director for review and approval prior to completing the study. E. Background Conditions Project background traffic based on growth rates identified in the scoping document for short-term and long-term conditions. The short-term horizon shall be the estimated year of site build-out. The long-term horizon shall be a 20-year projection based on the Tri Lakes Transportation Plan or other approved reference. Identify planned or needed background improvements. F. Total Conditions (Short and long-term) – Add the site-generated traffic to background traffic. Identify planned or needed improvements. G. Level of Service Analysis – For existing, background, and total conditions evaluate the Level of Service at the study area intersections for identified horizons and time periods. The analysis shall be completed according to the current procedures of the Highway Capacity Manual. The study shall document instances where the standard HCM parameters have been adjusted. Level of Service A - D is considered acceptable. Where Level of Service E or F occurs mitigation will be required. Identify any improvements (lanes, phasing, split changes, etc) needed to maintain adequate intersection operations. H. Other Analysis - If required as a result of recommended improvements, describe the methodology, standards used, and results of additional analysis. For auxiliary lane evaluation also include figure showing existing and proposed lane geometry as well as the taper, storage, and deceleration for new lanes. Turn lane requirements shall be based on those for the applicable agency or Triview Metro District. In the absence of criteria for turn lanes, 279 shall be used as a reference. Traffic signal warrants shall be analyzed ---PAGE BREAK--- based on the current version of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. The peak hour warrant may be used for planning evaluations. I. Alternate Mode Facilities – Identify existing pedestrian, bicycle, and trail systems within the vicinity of the site. Describe pedestrian and bicycle systems proposed with the site and indicate how the site will connect to regional or local systems. Discuss any other alternate mode facilities, such as bus connections, bus stops, trip reduction programs, etc. that will be implemented with the site. J. Recommendations – Identify required improvements, who is responsible for construction each improvement, and when they will be implemented (short or long-term). A bullet list is recommended. K. Tables 1) Level of Service Summary Table. Include the LOS for the overall intersection and for all individual movements. Include v/c ratio information either on this table or in the appendix. 2) Trip Generation Summary Table. The table shall include source (ITE code or other), daily trip total, AM and PM peak hour trip total and AM and PM peak hour splits (inbound and outbound). Itemize trip discounts in the table. L. Figures 1) Vicinity map 2) Site Plan – scaled map showing all proposed accesses 3) Existing Conditions* 4) Trip Distribution 5) Site Traffic Volumes * 6) Short-Term Background * 7) Short-Term Total (background plus site)* 8) Long-term Background * 9) Long-term Total (background plus site)* 10) Recommended Improvements (short and long-term), if applicable. *Note: Include traffic volumes (AM/PM peak hour), intersection geometry and traffic control. M. Appendix 1) Traffic Count Data 2) Highway Capacity Worksheets 3) Warrant Analysis 4) Site Generated Pass-by Traffic Volumes and Primary Traffic Volumes Figure (Show AM/PM peak hour volumes at study area intersections) 5.2 Traffic Impact Letter. A traffic letter will generally include the following components and the corresponding tables and figures: A. Project Description B. Existing Conditions C. Site Generated Traffic ---PAGE BREAK--- D. Existing plus Site Generated Traffic E. Level of Service Analysis F. Alternate Mode Facilities G. Recommendations 6. Study Submittal Three copies of the draft study shall be submitted with the development application. The Town Staff will provide comments in conjunction with the development application review. Comments to the draft traffic impact analysis shall be incorporated and three copies of the final study submitted at least three weeks prior to the Town staff administrative review deadline.