Lee Highway Corridor Analysis - Arlingtonva
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, Virginia
Prepared for: Arlington County Government Transportation Engineering and Operations Division
April 6, 2004
Gorove/Slade Associates, Inc. 1140 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202)-785-1276
1175 Herndon Parkway, Suite 600 Herndon, Virginia 20170 (703)-787-9595
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables........................................................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary................................................................................................................................................ iii Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................................1 Project Scope ............................................................................................................................................................1 Existing Conditions ..................................................................................................................................................1 Traffic Data .........................................................................................................................................................1 Crash Data ...........................................................................................................................................................2 Meetings with Neighborhood Associations ........................................................................................................4 Existing Traffic Simulation .................................................................................................................................5 Focus Areas .........................................................................................................................................................6 Possible Improvement Strategies..............................................................................................................................7 Signal Timing Updates........................................................................................................................................7 Signing & Striping Improvements ......................................................................................................................7 Intersection Traffic Control Changes ..................................................................................................................7 Roadway Directionality Changes........................................................................................................................8 Geometric Changes to Restrict Turning Movements ..........................................................................................8 Roadway Improvements within the Existing Right-Of-Way ..............................................................................8 Roadway Improvements Outside of the Existing Right-Of-Way........................................................................9 Improvements to Pedestrian and Transit Facilities ...........................................................................................10 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................................11 Short-Term Recommendations..........................................................................................................................11 Mid-Term Recommendations............................................................................................................................12 Long-Term Recommendations..........................................................................................................................13
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
LIST OF TABLES Table 1 – Summary of Crash Data ...........................................................................................................................3 Table 2 – Traffic Simulation Results........................................................................................................................6
LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 – Annotated Map of Study Area ..............................................................................................................14 Figure 2 – Peak Hour Turning Movement Traffic Volumes ..................................................................................15 Figure 3 – Chart of Daily Corridor Traffic Volumes .............................................................................................16 Figure 4 – Summary of Crash Data ........................................................................................................................17 Figure 5 – Areas of Concern Figure 6 – Typical Study Area Cross-Section .........................................................18 Figure 6 – Typical Study Area Cross-Section ........................................................................................................19 Figure 7 – Short-Term Recommendations .............................................................................................................20 Figure 8 – Mid-Term Recommendations ...............................................................................................................21 Figure 9 – Left Turn Lane Recommendations........................................................................................................22 Figure 10 – Long-Term Recommendations............................................................................................................23
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the results of a Lee Highway Corridor Analysis prepared by Gorove/Slade Associates, Inc. at the request of Arlington County, Virginia. This Corridor Analysis identifies specific traffic and pedestrian related areas of concern along the portion of Lee Highway from N. Buchanan to N. Edison Streets, and contains a list of recommended actions. Gorove/Slade collected corridor traffic data, including turning movement counts at intersections and median breaks, analyzed corridor-wide crash data, and met with several neighborhood associations to hear their concerns. In addition, Gorove/Slade simulated the corridor in a traffic model that identified the areas of the corridor in which significant peak period delays occur. As a result of the analyses of these data, Gorove/Slade identified the following as the ‘areas of concern’ that form the basis for the list of recommended alternatives. Excessive delays during peak periods occur at many locations within the corridor, most notably at the intersections of Lee Highway with N. Edison Street and N. Columbus Street. Travel speeds exceeding the speed limit throughout the corridor. Truck loading and unloading activity occurs on Lee Highway during peak periods. A large amount of unsignalized median breaks occur in the study area, with a corresponding lack of right and left turning lanes to facilitate movement in and out of commercial parcels. A relatively high number of crashes occur at N. Edison Street and N. Cameron Street compared to other locations in the study area. Difficult pedestrian crossings of Lee Highway are located at its intersections with N. Edison Street and N. Buchanan Street. A high amount of cut-through traffic uses N. Edison Street, N. Buchanan Street, and N. Columbus Street to avoid traffic congestion at the intersections of Lee Highway with George Mason Drive and Glebe Road. The crest of a hill located on Lee Highway between its intersections with N. Cameron Street and N. Culpeper Street creates sight distance issues for turning movements at these intersections. The fire station signal on Lee Highway between N. Culpeper Street and N. Columbus Street negatively impacts the turning movements at N. Columbus Street. The intersection of Lee Highway and N. Columbus Street experiences a large amount of unsignalized turning movements and conflicts, including motorists turning into the McDonald’s exit drive, and a large amount of U-turns.
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Gorove/Slade compared these problem areas to the various alternatives available to improve the efficiency and safety of the corridor, and developed a list of recommended actions sorted into three categories based on cost and ease of implementation. Short-Term Recommendations Add signs discouraging cut-through traffic to N. Edison, N. Columbus, and N. Buchanan Streets Enhance signs near interaction of Lee Highway at N. Columbus Street Alter signal timings at N. Culpeper Street Re-align crosswalks at N. Culpeper Street Improve pedestrian crossing at N. Buchanan Street Mid-Term Recommendations Construct traffic signal at N. Edison Street (a traffic signal is already designated and under design for this intersection). Close median break at N. Cameron Street Close median break at N. Columbus Street or further study the option of signalization Add left turn bay for McDonald’s entrance Long-Term Recommendations Construct two roundabouts within the corridor Widen roadway to accommodate a 5 or 6 lane cross section
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
INTRODUCTION This report presents the results of a corridor analysis for Lee Highway in Arlington County, Virginia. Gorove/Slade Associates, Inc. was asked to examine this corridor due to various areas of concern, including delays experienced by commuters, cut-though traffic, and access issues to the commercial sites that line Lee Highway. Steps in this analysis included collecting data and observing conditions throughout the study corridor, analyzing existing conditions, and making recommendations for improvements to the corridor.
PROJECT SCOPE Gorove/Slade met with Arlington County staff in January to discuss details of this project. At this meeting, the formal project study area and scope were established. The study area is the section of Lee Highway in North Arlington between the intersections of N. Buchanan Street to the east and N. Edison Street to the west. Intersections included in the study are: Lee Highway at N. Buchanan Street Lee Highway at N. Columbus Street Lee Highway at N. Culpeper Street Lee Highway at N. Cameron Street Lee Highway at N. Dinwiddie Street Lee Highway at N. Edison Street N. Buchanan Street was not originally included in the project scope, and was added at the request of Arlington County at a later date. In addition to these intersections, several commercial site driveways were included in the analyses, most notably the McDonald’s entrance and exit drive, the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell driveway, the 7-11 driveway, and the driveway leading to Dominion Electric Supply Company/Banker’s Building. Figure 1, attached to this document, displays an annotated map of the study area.
EXISTING CONDITIONS Existing conditions within the corridor were examined to help determine the problem areas within the corridor and to establish a point of comparison for possible recommendations. This included collecting traffic data, researching the study area crash history, meeting with citizens, and assembling a traffic model of the existing Lee Highway corridor. Traffic Data Turning movement counts were conducted for the study intersections from Tuesday February 10 to Thurdsay, February 12, for the AM, lunchtime, and PM peak periods. The turning movement counts for N. Buchanan Street were performed by Arlington County after this intersection was added to the project 1
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
scope. Based on the counts, the peak hours for these periods were found to be 7:15 to 8:15 AM for the morning commuter peak, 12:15 to 1:15 PM for the lunchtime peak, and 5:15 to 6:15 PM for the evening commuter peak. Figure 2 displays the peak hour turning movement counts. In addition to the turning movement counts, automatic ‘tube’ counts were performed at two spots along Lee Highway in the study corridor, between N. Columbus and N. Buchanan Streets, and a short distance west of N. Edison Street. These counts were used to determine daily and weekly patterns in overall Lee Highway traffic. Figure 3 contains a chart of the daily counts performed between N. Columbus and N. Buchanan Streets. Crash Data Gorove/Slade also collected police crash reports for the study area from the last five years. These crash reports, summarized in Table 1 and Figure 4, were used to help determine safety problems within the study area. Areas of concentration within the study area include the intersection of Lee Highway and N. Edison Street, and the driveway leading to the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell, across from N. Cameron Street.
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Table 1 – Summary of Crash Data Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55
Date 10/29/2003 9/19/2003 9/15/2003 12/4/2002 10/11/2002 9/30/2002 8/8/2002 7/3/2002 6/18/2002 4/4/2002 7/31/2001 2/6/2001 6/7/2001 4/29/2001 4/20/2001 7/31/2001 10/25/2000 9/23/2000 7/31/2000 1/4/2000 7/30/2000 12/23/1999 10/25/1999 11/4/1999 8/24/1999 7/2/1999 4/12/1999 9/27/2002 9/6/2001 11/11/2000 9/21/2003 5/14/2002 11/23/2002 9/16/2001 5/21/2001 2/7/2001 10/13/2000 7/19/2000 6/2/2003 10/28/2002 9/15/2002 4/15/2002 2/1/2002 5/3/2001 5/24/2001 4/6/2001 9/4/2000 5/27/2000 5/9/2000 11/17/1999 7/3/1999 10/23/2003 9/18/2002 1/17/2002 3/2/2000
Time 2:06 PM 10:35 AM 2:27 PM 1:55 PM 12:00 PM 6:56 PM 9:00 AM 7:51 AM 8:25 AM 2:50 PM 5:15 PM 2:06 PM 11:40 AM 5:30 PM 11:10 AM 7:42 AM 8:00 AM 9:27 AM 3:15 PM 6:54 PM 11:51 AM 5:08 PM 4:04 PM 7:28 PM 9:50 AM 7:07 AM 8:21 AM 12:21 PM 7:03 PM 7:03 PM 1:19 PM 5:00 PM 12:23 PM 2:15 AM 4:06 PM 5:28 PM 3:49 PM 1:24 PM 4:36 PM 12:04 PM 1:58 PM 4:24 PM 9:30 AM 8:29 AM 5:50 PM 2:00 PM 2:48 PM 12:48 AM 11:45 AM 3:44 PM 11:07 PM 8:00 AM 8:55 AM 5:27 PM 4:28 PM
Day of Week Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Thursday Wednesday Tuesday Thursday Friday Friday Thursday Sunday Friday Tuesday Wednesday Monday Monday Tuesday Sunday Thursday Monday Thursday Tuesday Friday Monday Friday Thursday Sunday Sunday Tuesday Saturday Sunday Monday Wednesday Friday Wednesday Thursday Monday Sunday Monday Friday Wednesday Thursday Friday Monday Saturday Tuesday Wednesday Saturday Thursday Wednesday Thursday Thursday
Road Condition Wet Dry Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Fog Wet Wet Dry Wet Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Dry Dry Wet Wet Dry Wet Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry
Vehicles Involved 2 2 5 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 3 2 2 4 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 2
Driver Action Follow Too Close Driver Inattention None ( Medical) Did not have right of way Did not have right of way Improper Passing Did not have right of way Driver Inattention Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Did not have right of way Hit & Run Follow Too Close None Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Changing Lanes Follow Too Close Improer Turn Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Did not have right of way None Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Disregard Traffic Light Driver Inattention Follow Too Close Improper Passing Other ( Asleep at Wheel) Improper Lane Change Other Exceeded Speed Limit Driver Inattention Other Did not have right of way Follow Too Close
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Collision Type Rear-End Rear-End Angle Angle Angle Angle Angle Angle Rear-End Angle Angle Angle Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Angle Rear-End Rear-End Angle Rear-End Rear-End Head-On Rear-End Rear-End Head-On Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Angle Rear-End Fixed Object Rear-End Angle Angle Rear-End Fixed Object Angle Pedestrian Rear-End Rear-End Angle Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Fixed Object Fixed Object Fixed Object Fixed Object Rear-End Bicyle Angle Rear-End
Injury None Yes Yes None None None None Yes Yes Yes Yes None Yes None Yes None None Yes None Yes Yes None Yes Yes None None None None None None None None Yes Yes None None None Yes None None Yes Yes Yes Yes None None None None None None None None Yes Yes None
Fatality None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None
Property Damage Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
Direction EB EB NB EB WB EB NB EB EB EB WB WB NB WB WB NB EB WB NB WB WB NB EB WB WB WB WB EB EB EB EB EB WB EB EB EB EB EB WB EB EB EB WB EB WB WB WB EB WB WB WB EB EB WB WB
Minor N. Edison 7-11 Driveway N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison Driveway N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Dinwiddie St. N. Dinwiddie St. N. Dinwiddie St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Culpeper St. KFC Driveway N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. Fire Driveway N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Buchanon St. N. Buchanon St. N. Buchanon St. N. Buchanon St.
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Meetings with Neighborhood Associations Gorove/Slade, in coordination with Arlington County staff, met with three neighborhood associations that border the study area; the Langston, Old Dominion, and Yorktown Neighborhood Associations. The purpose of these meetings, which took place on February 18, was to gather concerns and thoughts from the community as to the problem areas and possible solutions in the study area. The following is a list of concerns expressed by community members during the meetings: Corridor-Wide o The amount of truck loading and unloading on Lee Highway during rush hours. o The overall high speeds of through traffic on Lee Highway. North Buchanan o Cut-through traffic avoiding Lee Highway and Glebe Road intersection traveling on N. Buchanan Street. o Pedestrian crossing of Lee Highway is difficult. Traffic Patterns do not provide many gaps for pedestrians (too much turning traffic at intersection of Glebe Road and Lee Highway). North Columbus o Subway parking lot is too small for demand. Patrons park illegally on and off street, and on sidewalk, creating a sight distance problem for vehicles from southbound N. Glebe Rd. accessing Lee Highway. o Cut-through traffic avoiding Lee Highway at N. Glebe Rd. intersection travels on N. Columbus Street. o Bar and restaurant patrons are parking on Columbus Street and crossing Lee Highway, due to lack of parking at these establishments. o There are a high number of U-turns at this intersection from westbound Lee Highway because of the median on Lee Highway eliminating left turn access to many of the bars/restaurants/shops on Lee Highway, such as Domino’s. o Drivers turn into the McDonald’s exit. o The on-street parking on Columbus can restrict the roadway width, thus limiting capacity on the street. (This was brought up by Yorktown as a problem and Old Dominion/Langston as a possible solution to the cut-through problem). o The fire station signal is close enough to Columbus to create queuing problems in the WB direction. Drivers turning left from McDonald’s to Lee Highway often cannot because of WB queues generated by the signal in front of the fire station. North Culpeper o The green times for the northbound and southbound approaches are not sufficient to accommodate the demand, especially when opposing left turns are present. The Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe and the County Re-Fueling Station generate most of this traffic. Also attributing to this problem is community center activity, especially that of the senior center, departing the Langston School and attempting to access Lee Highway. o The skew at this intersection creates long crosswalks. 4
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
o This intersection is located at the crest of a hill, which creates sight distance limitations, including westbound left turns due to the inability to see oncoming traffic. North Cameron o The hill on Lee Highway creates sight distance limitations, leading to difficulty entering and exiting the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell driveway. Citizens also commented that the driveway and parking lot layout of the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell is confusing. North Edison o There is a prevalence of cut-through traffic at this intersection generated by drivers avoiding the intersection of Lee Highway and George Mason. It is unclear how the addition of a left turn lane at George Mason and a traffic signal at Edison will affect the amount of cut-through traffic. o Pedestrian crossings here, related to the retail activity and the bus stops, are dangerous. The installation of a traffic signal will help increase the safety of this pedestrian crossing. Existing Traffic Simulation Gorove/Slade assembled an existing analysis of the study corridor using the turning movement counts, observations from the field including existing lane configurations, and information provided by Arlington County staff. The analysis was performed using the Synchro/SimTraffic 6 software package. The results of the analysis included average delay per vehicle at each intersection and the travel times from one end of the study area to the other. Table 2 contains these results.
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Table 2 – Traffic Simulation Results
Cross Street North Edison
Approach Eastbound
Westbound
Northbound
Southbound
7-11 Driveway
Eastbound Westbound Northbound
Dominion Electric Eastbound and Bankers Building Driveway Westbound Southbound North Dinwiddie
Eastbound Westbound Southbound
North Cameron & KFC/Taco Bell
Eastbound
Westbound
Northbound Southbound
Peak Hour* AM Lunch PM Movement Delay Delay Delay Left 17.6 184.6 8.3 Through 3.3 55.1 1.5 Right 1.9 68.7 0.5 Left 23.5 6.0 11.6 Through 1.7 0.9 1.5 Right 0.1 1.0 0.1 Left 439.7 77.1 175.2 Through 370.2 84.9 271.0 Right 13.3 117.2 7.4 Left 676.4 122.2 297.6 Through 494.9 90.1 304.1 Right 407.2 45.8 219.2 Through 4.2 0.5 2.1 Right 1.6 0.1 0.3 Left 34.6 4.5 13.2 Through 0.5 0.3 0.6 Left 387.0 21.1 63.6 Right 12.0 118.7 3.4 Left 13.2 4.8 19.8 Through 1.8 0.2 0.5 Through 4.9 0.7 2.5 Right 0.4 0.1 0.2 Left 0.0 24.3 26.4 Right 6.3 8.2 1.9 Left 10.9 5.7 18.6 Through 5.0 0.8 2.9 Through 2.5 0.6 1.2 Right 0.2 0.1 0.2 Left 43.1 147.3 23.1 Right 24.6 7.3 14.4 Left 14.9 11.6 24.7 Through 6.5 2.5 4.7 Right 3.5 0.2 0.2 Left 24.2 8.1 8.7 Through 3.0 1.3 1.8 Right 0.0 0.4 0.4 Left 89.9 47.2 70.2 Right 33.6 76.6 32.4 Left 0.0 67.0 273.1 12.7 6.3 12.6 Right
Cross Street North Culpeper
Approach Eastbound
Westbound
Northbound
Southbound
North Columbus and McDonald's
Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound
North Buchanan
Eastbound Westbound Southbound
TRAVEL TIMES Eastbound Westbound
Peak Hour* AM Lunch PM Movement Delay Delay Delay Left 33.3 19.8 47.7 Through 7.1 5.6 6.4 Right 4.0 1.9 2.6 Left 18.9 75.8 18.8 Through 13.8 3.5 4.6 Right 6.7 0.4 0.3 Left 43.1 44.9 46.2 Through 44.4 30.7 44.7 Right 15.6 8.4 8.7 Left 38.1 39.2 50.9 Through 36.4 40.1 49.2 Right 14.7 8.4 9.5 Left 21.4 9.5 36.3 Through 1.0 1.5 0.9 Through 32.6 7.5 18.3 Right 18.3 1.1 9.9 Left 942.6 304.4 488.2 Right 29.5 71.4 24.7 Left 189.3 86.4 200.9 Right 228.7 65.6 189.8 Left 14.1 10.3 40.1 Through 2.2 1.5 3.3 Through 3.0 0.4 2.3 Right 11.2 0.3 1.8 Left 51.2 18.8 96.7 Right 17.7 4.9 19.3 131.0 59.8 120.3 63.0
71.5 81.0
* - Average Delay in Seconds
Focus Areas Based on the results of the meetings with the neighborhood associations, the simulation analysis, and observations within the field, a list of problem areas within the corridor was assembled. Figure 5 displays these areas of concern. These areas of concern form the basis of generating and comparing the various improvement alternatives.
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES There are many alternatives to improving the corridor’s efficiency and safety. This section lists these alternatives by group and discusses their applications to the study corridor. The following section discusses specific recommended strategies, including figures, based on this group of alternatives. Signal Timing Updates Updating or changing signal timings can help increase intersection capacity and overall corridor throughput. Advanced timing strategies, such as signal coordination, preemption or priority, although sometimes requiring infrastructure improvements, are also viable strategies to increase corridor efficiency. There is only one existing traffic signal within the study area, at the intersection of Lee Highway with N. Culpeper Street. Existing analyses show that altering signal timings at this intersection will not significantly increase capacity in the corridor. Citizens have expressed difficulty on the northbound and southbound approaches due to short green-times. Improved signal coordination between the signal at N. Culpeper and adjacent signals at George Mason Drive and Glebe Road would generate a slight increase in capacity, although increased efficiently along the Lee Highway corridor might negatively impact other corridors. A signal optimization study is presently underway for the Lee Highway corridor. The new traffic signal planned for the intersection of Lee Highway with N. Edison Street is being incorporated into the signal optimization study for the Lee Highway corridor. Signing & Striping Improvements Changing, removing or adding signs and lane markings can help organize or control traffic throughout a corridor. Within the study area, signs could be used to reinforce existing traffic controls, or implement turning restrictions. For example, ‘No Left Turn’ or ‘No U-Turn’ signs can be placed at median breaks to limit turn movements. A good location for this improvement could be at the McDonald’s exit, across from N. Culpeper Street, where drivers attempt to turn into the exit drive. Signs can also be used at points on side streets to discourage cut-though traffic. Placed after access to commercial sites, signs such as ‘Residential Access Only’ or similar, can discourage cut-through traffic generated from drivers avoiding delays at nearby signalized intersections. Signing and striping improvements are generally easy to implement, with low cost. Intersection Traffic Control Changes Traffic controls at intersections can sometimes be altered to beneficially change traffic patterns. This includes examining what the best controls are for an intersection, such as a two-way stop sign, an allway stop sign or a traffic signal, and if any changes would help increase efficiency or safety within the corridor. An improvement using this strategy is already in planning with a traffic signal under design for the N. Edison Street intersection. The signal will replace the two-way stop sign control. Four-way stop control intersections would be inappropriate for Lee Highway; they would reduce capacity and possibly increase the number of accidents. 7
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
The installation of a traffic signal has been considered at N. Columbus Street to control traffic movements although it does not appear the traffic volumes will meet the minimum MUTCD warrant criteria. A traffic signal can be warranted due to a high amount of accidents. Although the crash data examined by Gorove/Slade did not show a relatively high number of accidents at this location, citizens expressed concerns about safety at this intersection. A signal at this location appears to have merit. However, further study would be required to fully understand the implications of a signal at this location for fire station emergency access, the impact on the side street traffic patterns and a better understanding of the interaction with the signal at N. Glebe Street. Roadway Directionality Changes Changing a roadway from two-way to one way, or vice-versa, is sometimes a good method to alter traffic patterns in a corridor. Mostly the addition of one-way streets is beneficial due to the creation of one-way pairs or from the desire to eliminate cut-through traffic. In the study area, changing roadways from two-way to one-way is an option for eliminating cut-through traffic. For example, the N. Buchanan and N. Columbus Streets can be changed to one-way northbound for the section of roadway immediately north of Lee Highway. This would eliminate some cut-through on these roadways and reduce conflicts at their intersections with Lee Highway. At the same time, these changes would increase the amount of traffic at the intersection of Glebe Road and Lee Highway and would limit access from residents to Lee Highway. Changing the directionality of a roadway would require further study, although the physical changes needed are easy to implement, and generally low in cost. Geometric Changes to Restrict Turning Movements Restricting turning movements within the study corridor would increase safety by reducing conflicting movements. Signing and lane markings can sometimes be used to restrict turns, but in many cases infrastructure changes to a roadway are necessary, whether through the addition of barriers or the extension of a median. In the study area, there are many median breaks along Lee Highway that are good candidates for closing. Citizens expressed concerns about the left turns into and out of driveways along the corridor, and closing median breaks on Lee Highway would be an easy way to restrict these turning movements. Disadvantages to this approach include fewer paths for drivers to reach their destinations, creating longer trips, more U-turn movements at full access intersections, and encouragement of cut-through traffic along with increased corridor speed. Extending median breaks would require further study and has a moderate cost and implementation time. Roadway Improvements within the Existing Right-Of-Way Most roadway improvements involve widening or adding turn lanes. Capacity on a corridor can often be increased through altering roadway geometry within the existing right-of-way. Within the study area, Lee Highway has no shoulders, a small median (3.5 feet wide), and its paved roadway width of 53 feet is relatively narrow for a four-lane highway. This is due to the history of the roadway and prior widening within the right-of-way. Thus, there are limited options for changing the existing layout of the road. 8
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
One suggestion made by a community member was to change Lee Highway from a four-lane road without turning lanes, to a two-lane roadway with turn lanes. This would eliminate many conflicts that exist within the study area and could increase the efficiency of through traffic. Examining this idea in detail, using simulation software shows that during off peak periods through traffic efficiency is improved. However, this alternative does not work during peak periods as the existing volume of through traffic is above the capacity for one through lane. The lack of a second through lane for the peak hour traffic would cause major delay. Unless peak hour demand can be accommodated elsewhere, this option cannot be recommended. Another option could be to modify the roadway to accommodate a fifth-lane, used for a left turn lane at the major points of congestion. Figure 6 shows the typical cross-section of Lee Highway. The existing curb-to-curb width could accommodate five 10-foot travel lanes not including the 18-inch gutter pans on either side of the roadway. Removing the median and using this fifth lane for left turn storage would help alleviate the impact of left turn queues. Further study would be required to determine if 10-foot lanes are acceptable, but such lane widths are commonly employed in urban areas. Roadway Improvements Outside of the Existing Right-Of-Way Improvements outside of the existing right-of-way include such options as the addition of turn lanes, or widening the road to accommodate more traffic. Though often the most expensive option, these strategies usually provide the largest increase in capacity and safety. In the study area, there are several ways to add transportation infrastructure to increase capacity: 1. Widening Lee Highway to six lanes Increasing the number of through lanes on Lee Highway would require an extensive amount of resources. It would displace many commercial properties and would create a major transportation facility adjacent to residential properties. In addition, higher speeds and longer pedestrian crossing times and distances would likely create greater safety issues. 2. Adding turn lanes at intersections and median breaks Widening Lee Highway at points within the corridor to create left and right turn lanes would be beneficial for several reasons. First, it would help reduce left turning conflicts at intersections or median breaks. Second, it would reduce lane changes required for motorists avoiding queued turning vehicles. Adding left and right turn lanes though would require acquiring property adjacent to Lee Highway. 3. Widening Lee Highway to accommodate two-way left turn lane Accommodating a two-way left turn lane can be accomplished through widening. It was previously mentioned that it is possible to fit five 10-foot lanes through most of the study area, however 10-feet is typically not considered sufficient width for a two-way left turn lane. The benefit to having a multi-purpose turn lane is that through drivers will not be slowed down by left turning vehicles, and there could be a reduction in rear-end collisions due to left turns. Disadvantages to this option include the loss of the median for controlling traffic movements and as a pedestrian refuge, and the large percentage of left turning vehicles and the closely spaced driveways along Lee Highway make this configuration undesirable because there is a strong likelihood for opposing left turns to compete for the turn lane. 9
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
4. Closing all median breaks and adding ‘jug-handles’ Another method to eliminate turning movements from Lee Highway is to eliminate all median breaks and install ‘jug-handle’ movements for motorists desiring to turn left. Installing jughandles would involve extending the median to cover all breaks, and creating turn around roadways on either end of the corridor to allow vehicles to make u-turns via side streets to access driveways on the opposite side of the roadway. The main benefit of this option is the elimination of left turns from Lee Highway. Due to the amount of land and construction required, this option would be difficult and costly to implement. 5. Enlarging intersections to accommodate roundabouts Installing roundabouts at intersections is a similar idea to two previously mentioned options: creating ‘jug-handles’ and installing turn lanes at intersections. Roundabouts would lessen queuing due to turning movements at intersections and slow through traffic on Lee Highway. Another major benefit of roundabouts is their ability to facilitate u-turns, which would allow for the elimination of median breaks, if two roundabouts were provided, one on either end of the corridor. The speed limit of Lee Highway and the number of turning movements on the corridor is ideal for roundabouts, making them a feasible alternative. One disadvantage to this approach is the amount of land required at the intersections. The intersections would need to be enlarged, similar to adding left and or right turn lanes, thus increasing the complexity and cost of this option. Roundabouts can accommodate pedestrians with crosswalks located at approaches, similar to traffic signals. Roundabouts can decrease pedestrian level of service if vehicles fail to give the right of way, and through longer walking distances due to the radius of the roundabout. If all signalized intersections were removed it might be desirable to install a mid-block crossing, including a sensor and lights between the roundabouts, to ease pedestrian crossing of Lee Highway. Improvements to Pedestrian and Transit Facilities Improvements along a corridor to improve pedestrian access include better signing of pedestrian uses, altering or re-locating crosswalks, and installing crosswalks with sensors, lights and/or warning beacons. In a corridor with bus service, improvements include adding bus shelters and pull-outs. Due to the nature of the study corridor with several bus stops, a school and various commercial uses many pedestrians attempt to cross Lee Highway at all times. There are several crossings, two unsignalized at N. Buchanan Street and N. Edison Street, and one signalized at the crosswalks on N. Culpeper Street. The planned traffic signal at N. Edison Street will include pedestrian signal heads and will significantly improve pedestrian access. At N. Buchanan Street many pedestrians cross from on-street parking north of Lee Highway to the commercial establishment on the south side. Many times, there are few gaps in traffic from the nearby Glebe Road traffic signal due to a heavy number of turning vehicles. Improvements to this crossing could include a lighted pathway or a separate pedestrian traffic signal. The crosswalks located at the traffic signal at N. Culpeper Street cross Lee Highway diagonally. Further study and examination of sight distances and traffic signal design should be performed to determine if these crosswalks can be re-aligned perpendicular to the roadway to shorten the crossing distance and pedestrian crossing times. 10
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Enhancing pedestrian crossing indirectly aids transit in the corridor through improved access to bus stop locations. Further improvements can come in the form of better facilities, either through adding bus shelters or bus pull-outs. Shelters should be placed at stops with a high amount of ridership, or key locations in the corridor. Bus pull-outs will be difficult to implement due to the lack of space throughout the study area. Another option is to implement technological improvements such as signal preemption or signal priority throughout the Lee Highway corridor. Data collected for this analyses is not detailed enough to determine the effectiveness of these technologies on the study area. Further study and construction of pedestrian and transit improvements has a generally low cost timeline. The planned N. Edition traffic signal will incorporate pedestrian movements in its design.
RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the areas of concern presented in Figure 5, the strategies listed above, and analyses built upon the existing simulation, Gorove/Slade assembled a list of possible recommendations for the study corridor. These recommendations are split into three sets, based on their cost and ease of implementation. Short-Term Recommendations Illustrated on Figure 7, the short-term recommendations represent ideas that can be implemented with little further study, low cost, and in a short time span. They are as follows: 1. Add signs discouraging cut-through traffic Signs with messages such as “Resident Parking Only” or “No Through Traffic” can be placed at strategic spots on cut-through routes to discourage traffic from using these streets. Good candidates for these signs are N. Edison, N. Columbus and N. Buchanan Streets. 2. Enhance signs near intersection of Lee Highway at N. Columbus Street The illegal parking situation on the Subway lot can be mitigated through a combination of improved signing and enforcement. Signing can be improved by adding short term parking signs to N. Columbus Street to encourage parkers to park off-street when parking lots are full. In conjunction with these signs, “No Parking” signs can be enhanced to discourage people from overflowing into parking spots that decrease sight distance for drivers at this intersection. In addition to these signs, a “No Left Turns” sign on the median facing westbound traffic can be added to remind motorists that the McDonald’s driveway at this location is an exit. 3. Alter signal timings at N. Culpeper Street The traffic signal at N. Culpeper Street will be evaluated during the traffic signal coordination project. This project should incorporate longer northbound and southbound green times to address citizens’ concerns. 4. Re-align crosswalks at N. Culpeper Street The crosswalks on N. Culpeper Street should be re-aligned perpendicular to Lee Highway, if possible. This will shorten the pedestrian crossing distance and crossing times. 5. Improve pedestrian crossing at N. Buchanan Street The pedestrian crosswalk at N. Buchanan Street can be improved though the addition of sensors, 11
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
blinking pedestrian lights, and/or overhead beacons. Further study and coordination with VDOT would be necessary to approve this recommendation. Mid-Term Recommendations Illustrated on Figure 8, the mid-term recommendations represent ideas that can be implemented with further study, and with a moderate cost and implementation time. They are as follows: 1. Construct traffic signal at N. Edison Street A traffic signal at this location is already under design. Based on the results of this analysis and observations in the field, this report concludes that this signal would be a beneficial addition to the corridor. It will help side street traffic access Lee Highway, help slow through traffic, aid pedestrian crossings, and reduce right-angle crashes. 2. Close median break at N. Cameron Street The median break at N. Cameron Street serves residential areas to the south of Lee Highway and the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell parcel to the north. Closing the median break accomplishes several goals, (1) it lowers the number of left turns made onto and off of Lee Highway, (2) it eliminates some hazardous turning movements due to the intersection’s proximity to the crest of a hill on Lee Highway, and (3) it addresses the high number of crashes at this location by eliminating the conflicts. The residential traffic from the south will experience more difficulty accessing Lee Highway, but they will also be able to use the new traffic signal at N. Edison Street to access Lee Highway westbound. This report recommends that the County discuss with the owner of the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell property the possibility of altering their N. Culpeper Street driveway configuration to allow exit movements onto N. Culpeper Street, and accessing Lee Highway using the traffic signal located there. 3. Close median break or install traffic signal at N. Columbus Street Closing the median break at N. Columbus Street results in a reduction of conflicting movements at the intersection, mainly left turns. The high number of left turns and U-turns creates an unsafe and confusing intersection. A disadvantage to this recommendation is that drivers making these turns will use nearby intersections instead, most notably N. Buchanan and N. Culpeper Streets. The community does not favor this alternative because although it reduces conflicting movements, it limits access to the community and encourages cut-through traffic. An alternative to closing the median break is to place a traffic signal at this intersection. Closing the median break reduces the number of conflicts at this location, while a traffic signal would permit the same movements as today but would control the timing of conflicting movements. It should be noted that traffic signals do not always increase overall intersection safety. Often there is an increase in the number of rear end collisions with the installation of a new signal. A drawback of a signal is that it is much costlier to implement and maintain when compared to closing the median break. Lastly, given that the Lee Highway corridor is heavily utilized by through commuter traffic, the consideration of a new traffic signal should be approached carefully. The analysis performed for this study regarding a signal at this intersection is not conclusive and further study is necessary to determine the best alternative for the treatment of this intersection. 4. Add left turn bay for McDonald’s entrance, and if possible extend to N. Culpeper Street There is limited flexibility due to the lack of right of way and the location of structures near the 12
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
edge of the roadway. However, it appears that the face of curb to face of curb measurement of 53, feet subtracting 3 feet (18 inches x 2) for gutter, would allow for five 10-foot lanes. The center lane could be used to provide a left turn lane for westbound traffic entering McDonald’s. This would require removal of a portion of existing median and restriping of traffic lanes. Simulation runs from the traffic model indicate that this would greatly benefit the westbound traffic flows, due to the amount of vehicles entering McDonald’s during peak periods. Upon further examination, if it is determined that 10-foot lanes are acceptable, it would be beneficial to extend similar accommodations to include the intersection at N. Culpeper Street. Figure 9 shows this alternative conceptually. Long-Term Recommendations Illustrated on Figure 10, the long-term recommendations represent ideas that cannot be implemented without significant cost and effort. They are as follows: 1. Construct two roundabouts within the corridor Based on the advantages and disadvantages listed in the previous section, combined with the nature of the corridor and the simulation results, a possible long-term option would be to install roundabouts at locations within the corridor to facilitate turning movements, including u-turns. The roundabouts would be located at either end of the corridor, for example N. Edison Street, and possibly N. Columbus Street, although the ideal places for the roundabouts might be outside the study area. This option is preferred due to the low speed limit of Lee Highway, and the primary function of Lee Highway as access for commercial and residential properties compared to its secondary function of serving as an east-west commuter route. As part of this long-term plan, all median breaks could be closed, and the traffic signal at N. Culpeper Street removed. Further studies would be required to determine a preferred way to handle pedestrian and transit activity throughout the corridor, and ingress and egress of emergency vehicles from the Fire Station. 2. Widen roadway to accommodate a 5 or 6 lane cross section If approximately six to twelve feet were added to Lee Highway on either side, turning lanes could be added within the corridor to reduce conflicts and increase capacity. Widening of Lee Highway would be difficult due to the amount of commercial development along the corridor. It is possible that acquiring land for roundabouts at selected locations could be easier than widening the roadway throughout the entire corridor. The first goal of widening the roadway would be to add left turn lanes at signalized intersections and major median breaks, followed by right turning lanes where heavy right turn movements exist.
13
N
ice e Retail/Off Retail/Offic
Subway
Auto Repair
KFC
Fire Station P O ST
Pizza Hut/ Taco Bell
Medical Bankers Building
et re St on an ch Bu N.
et re St
B STOP
Dominion Electric Supply Company
eet Strre St
Pharmacy
s bu m lu Co N.
N. Dinwiddie Retail Office
OP ST
Figure 1 Annotated Map of Study Area
B
STOP
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et re St er ep lp Cu N.
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7-11 on er m Ca N.
et tre nS iso Ed N.
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STOP
OP ST
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McDonald's
e (Le 9 .2 Rte
ay) hw g i H
et re St
Figure 2 Peak Hour Traffic Volumes
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/34 5 /41 20 /7/1 1
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13 7/9/ /844
/879 1596
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2 30/21/1 1/3/3 8/22/8
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29/27/29 785/790/1304 32/41/52
51/95
8/28/15 8/1411 729/82 4 59/41/5
/58 1359 / /21 12 /866 5 89
AM/Mid-Day/PM Peak Hour Volumes Peak Hours: AM — 7:15 to 8:15 AM Mid-Day — 12:15 to 1:15 PM PM — 5:15 to 6:15 PM
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Figure 4 Area SummaryStudy of Crash Data
N
LEGEND Angle Collision Rear-End Collision Head-On Collision Collision with Pedestrian Collision with Object Not in Roadway
Figure 5 Study Area Areas of Concern
N
Cut-through Traffic Cut-through Traffic
Insufficient Parking Lot Size Generates Illegal Parking Problem
Crest of Hill-Sight Distance Issues
Small green time on NB & SB Approaches
Difficult Pedestrian Crossing
Difficult Pedestrian Crossing
High Amount of U-Turns Skewed Intersection Relatively High Number of Crashes Cut-through Traffic
Queues from Fire Station Signal Block N. Columbus
Corridor-Wide Concerns Truck loading and unloading on Lee Highway (during peak hours) Speed of through traffic Large amount of unsignalized median breaks Movements that experience excessive delay noted as:
Figure 7 Study Area Short-Term Recommendations
N
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Add no parking signs to discourage illegal parking Increase green time to NB & SB approaches Add pedestrian sensors and lights to crosswalk at N. Buchanan
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Add no left turn signs, and exit only signs to discourage traffic from entering into McDonald’s Exit Re-align crosswalks perpendicular to Lee Highway
Figure 8 Area Mid-TermStudy Recommendations
N
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Encourage owner to reconstruct entrance to allow exiting onto N. Culpeper St
Close median break in front of KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut Driveway
Add no parking signs to discourage illegal parking Increase green time to NB & SB approaches Add pedestrian sensors and lights to crosswalk at N. Buchanan
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Add no left turn signs, and exit only signs to discourage traffic from entering into McDonald’s Exit Install traffic signal at N. Edison
Re-align crosswalks perpendicular to Lee Highway Build left turn lane for McDonald’s Entrance, and possibly to N. Culpeper St
Close Median Break at N. Columbus, or Install traffic signal
Figure 10 Mid-Term Improvements Study Area Long-Term Recommendations
N
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Install roundabout at eastern edge of corridor Encourage owner to reconstruct entrance to allow exiting onto N. Culpeper St
Close median break in front of KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut Driveway Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Add no parking signs to discourage illegal parking Increase green time to NB & SB approaches Add pedestrian sensors and lights to crosswalk at N. Buchanan
Consider removing traffic signal Close Median Break at N. Columbus Add no left turn signs, and exit only signs to discourage traffic from entering into McDonald’s Exit Re-align crosswalks perpendicular to Lee Highway
Install traffic signal at N. Edison
Build left turn lane for McDonald’s Entrance
Install roundabout at western edge of corridor Close all unsignalized median breaks within corridor
Prepared for: Arlington County Government Transportation Engineering and Operations Division
April 6, 2004
Gorove/Slade Associates, Inc. 1140 Connecticut Avenue, Suite 700 Washington, D.C. 20036 (202)-785-1276
1175 Herndon Parkway, Suite 600 Herndon, Virginia 20170 (703)-787-9595
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
TABLE OF CONTENTS List of Tables........................................................................................................................................................... ii List of Figures ......................................................................................................................................................... ii Executive Summary................................................................................................................................................ iii Introduction ..............................................................................................................................................................1 Project Scope ............................................................................................................................................................1 Existing Conditions ..................................................................................................................................................1 Traffic Data .........................................................................................................................................................1 Crash Data ...........................................................................................................................................................2 Meetings with Neighborhood Associations ........................................................................................................4 Existing Traffic Simulation .................................................................................................................................5 Focus Areas .........................................................................................................................................................6 Possible Improvement Strategies..............................................................................................................................7 Signal Timing Updates........................................................................................................................................7 Signing & Striping Improvements ......................................................................................................................7 Intersection Traffic Control Changes ..................................................................................................................7 Roadway Directionality Changes........................................................................................................................8 Geometric Changes to Restrict Turning Movements ..........................................................................................8 Roadway Improvements within the Existing Right-Of-Way ..............................................................................8 Roadway Improvements Outside of the Existing Right-Of-Way........................................................................9 Improvements to Pedestrian and Transit Facilities ...........................................................................................10 Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................................11 Short-Term Recommendations..........................................................................................................................11 Mid-Term Recommendations............................................................................................................................12 Long-Term Recommendations..........................................................................................................................13
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
LIST OF TABLES Table 1 – Summary of Crash Data ...........................................................................................................................3 Table 2 – Traffic Simulation Results........................................................................................................................6
LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 – Annotated Map of Study Area ..............................................................................................................14 Figure 2 – Peak Hour Turning Movement Traffic Volumes ..................................................................................15 Figure 3 – Chart of Daily Corridor Traffic Volumes .............................................................................................16 Figure 4 – Summary of Crash Data ........................................................................................................................17 Figure 5 – Areas of Concern Figure 6 – Typical Study Area Cross-Section .........................................................18 Figure 6 – Typical Study Area Cross-Section ........................................................................................................19 Figure 7 – Short-Term Recommendations .............................................................................................................20 Figure 8 – Mid-Term Recommendations ...............................................................................................................21 Figure 9 – Left Turn Lane Recommendations........................................................................................................22 Figure 10 – Long-Term Recommendations............................................................................................................23
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report presents the results of a Lee Highway Corridor Analysis prepared by Gorove/Slade Associates, Inc. at the request of Arlington County, Virginia. This Corridor Analysis identifies specific traffic and pedestrian related areas of concern along the portion of Lee Highway from N. Buchanan to N. Edison Streets, and contains a list of recommended actions. Gorove/Slade collected corridor traffic data, including turning movement counts at intersections and median breaks, analyzed corridor-wide crash data, and met with several neighborhood associations to hear their concerns. In addition, Gorove/Slade simulated the corridor in a traffic model that identified the areas of the corridor in which significant peak period delays occur. As a result of the analyses of these data, Gorove/Slade identified the following as the ‘areas of concern’ that form the basis for the list of recommended alternatives. Excessive delays during peak periods occur at many locations within the corridor, most notably at the intersections of Lee Highway with N. Edison Street and N. Columbus Street. Travel speeds exceeding the speed limit throughout the corridor. Truck loading and unloading activity occurs on Lee Highway during peak periods. A large amount of unsignalized median breaks occur in the study area, with a corresponding lack of right and left turning lanes to facilitate movement in and out of commercial parcels. A relatively high number of crashes occur at N. Edison Street and N. Cameron Street compared to other locations in the study area. Difficult pedestrian crossings of Lee Highway are located at its intersections with N. Edison Street and N. Buchanan Street. A high amount of cut-through traffic uses N. Edison Street, N. Buchanan Street, and N. Columbus Street to avoid traffic congestion at the intersections of Lee Highway with George Mason Drive and Glebe Road. The crest of a hill located on Lee Highway between its intersections with N. Cameron Street and N. Culpeper Street creates sight distance issues for turning movements at these intersections. The fire station signal on Lee Highway between N. Culpeper Street and N. Columbus Street negatively impacts the turning movements at N. Columbus Street. The intersection of Lee Highway and N. Columbus Street experiences a large amount of unsignalized turning movements and conflicts, including motorists turning into the McDonald’s exit drive, and a large amount of U-turns.
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Gorove/Slade compared these problem areas to the various alternatives available to improve the efficiency and safety of the corridor, and developed a list of recommended actions sorted into three categories based on cost and ease of implementation. Short-Term Recommendations Add signs discouraging cut-through traffic to N. Edison, N. Columbus, and N. Buchanan Streets Enhance signs near interaction of Lee Highway at N. Columbus Street Alter signal timings at N. Culpeper Street Re-align crosswalks at N. Culpeper Street Improve pedestrian crossing at N. Buchanan Street Mid-Term Recommendations Construct traffic signal at N. Edison Street (a traffic signal is already designated and under design for this intersection). Close median break at N. Cameron Street Close median break at N. Columbus Street or further study the option of signalization Add left turn bay for McDonald’s entrance Long-Term Recommendations Construct two roundabouts within the corridor Widen roadway to accommodate a 5 or 6 lane cross section
iv
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
INTRODUCTION This report presents the results of a corridor analysis for Lee Highway in Arlington County, Virginia. Gorove/Slade Associates, Inc. was asked to examine this corridor due to various areas of concern, including delays experienced by commuters, cut-though traffic, and access issues to the commercial sites that line Lee Highway. Steps in this analysis included collecting data and observing conditions throughout the study corridor, analyzing existing conditions, and making recommendations for improvements to the corridor.
PROJECT SCOPE Gorove/Slade met with Arlington County staff in January to discuss details of this project. At this meeting, the formal project study area and scope were established. The study area is the section of Lee Highway in North Arlington between the intersections of N. Buchanan Street to the east and N. Edison Street to the west. Intersections included in the study are: Lee Highway at N. Buchanan Street Lee Highway at N. Columbus Street Lee Highway at N. Culpeper Street Lee Highway at N. Cameron Street Lee Highway at N. Dinwiddie Street Lee Highway at N. Edison Street N. Buchanan Street was not originally included in the project scope, and was added at the request of Arlington County at a later date. In addition to these intersections, several commercial site driveways were included in the analyses, most notably the McDonald’s entrance and exit drive, the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell driveway, the 7-11 driveway, and the driveway leading to Dominion Electric Supply Company/Banker’s Building. Figure 1, attached to this document, displays an annotated map of the study area.
EXISTING CONDITIONS Existing conditions within the corridor were examined to help determine the problem areas within the corridor and to establish a point of comparison for possible recommendations. This included collecting traffic data, researching the study area crash history, meeting with citizens, and assembling a traffic model of the existing Lee Highway corridor. Traffic Data Turning movement counts were conducted for the study intersections from Tuesday February 10 to Thurdsay, February 12, for the AM, lunchtime, and PM peak periods. The turning movement counts for N. Buchanan Street were performed by Arlington County after this intersection was added to the project 1
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
scope. Based on the counts, the peak hours for these periods were found to be 7:15 to 8:15 AM for the morning commuter peak, 12:15 to 1:15 PM for the lunchtime peak, and 5:15 to 6:15 PM for the evening commuter peak. Figure 2 displays the peak hour turning movement counts. In addition to the turning movement counts, automatic ‘tube’ counts were performed at two spots along Lee Highway in the study corridor, between N. Columbus and N. Buchanan Streets, and a short distance west of N. Edison Street. These counts were used to determine daily and weekly patterns in overall Lee Highway traffic. Figure 3 contains a chart of the daily counts performed between N. Columbus and N. Buchanan Streets. Crash Data Gorove/Slade also collected police crash reports for the study area from the last five years. These crash reports, summarized in Table 1 and Figure 4, were used to help determine safety problems within the study area. Areas of concentration within the study area include the intersection of Lee Highway and N. Edison Street, and the driveway leading to the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell, across from N. Cameron Street.
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Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Table 1 – Summary of Crash Data Number 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55
Date 10/29/2003 9/19/2003 9/15/2003 12/4/2002 10/11/2002 9/30/2002 8/8/2002 7/3/2002 6/18/2002 4/4/2002 7/31/2001 2/6/2001 6/7/2001 4/29/2001 4/20/2001 7/31/2001 10/25/2000 9/23/2000 7/31/2000 1/4/2000 7/30/2000 12/23/1999 10/25/1999 11/4/1999 8/24/1999 7/2/1999 4/12/1999 9/27/2002 9/6/2001 11/11/2000 9/21/2003 5/14/2002 11/23/2002 9/16/2001 5/21/2001 2/7/2001 10/13/2000 7/19/2000 6/2/2003 10/28/2002 9/15/2002 4/15/2002 2/1/2002 5/3/2001 5/24/2001 4/6/2001 9/4/2000 5/27/2000 5/9/2000 11/17/1999 7/3/1999 10/23/2003 9/18/2002 1/17/2002 3/2/2000
Time 2:06 PM 10:35 AM 2:27 PM 1:55 PM 12:00 PM 6:56 PM 9:00 AM 7:51 AM 8:25 AM 2:50 PM 5:15 PM 2:06 PM 11:40 AM 5:30 PM 11:10 AM 7:42 AM 8:00 AM 9:27 AM 3:15 PM 6:54 PM 11:51 AM 5:08 PM 4:04 PM 7:28 PM 9:50 AM 7:07 AM 8:21 AM 12:21 PM 7:03 PM 7:03 PM 1:19 PM 5:00 PM 12:23 PM 2:15 AM 4:06 PM 5:28 PM 3:49 PM 1:24 PM 4:36 PM 12:04 PM 1:58 PM 4:24 PM 9:30 AM 8:29 AM 5:50 PM 2:00 PM 2:48 PM 12:48 AM 11:45 AM 3:44 PM 11:07 PM 8:00 AM 8:55 AM 5:27 PM 4:28 PM
Day of Week Wednesday Friday Monday Wednesday Friday Monday Thursday Wednesday Tuesday Thursday Friday Friday Thursday Sunday Friday Tuesday Wednesday Monday Monday Tuesday Sunday Thursday Monday Thursday Tuesday Friday Monday Friday Thursday Sunday Sunday Tuesday Saturday Sunday Monday Wednesday Friday Wednesday Thursday Monday Sunday Monday Friday Wednesday Thursday Friday Monday Saturday Tuesday Wednesday Saturday Thursday Wednesday Thursday Thursday
Road Condition Wet Dry Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Fog Wet Wet Dry Wet Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Dry Dry Wet Wet Dry Wet Dry Dry Wet Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry Dry
Vehicles Involved 2 2 5 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 3 1 3 2 2 4 1 2 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 1 2 2 2 2
Driver Action Follow Too Close Driver Inattention None ( Medical) Did not have right of way Did not have right of way Improper Passing Did not have right of way Driver Inattention Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Did not have right of way Hit & Run Follow Too Close None Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Changing Lanes Follow Too Close Improer Turn Follow Too Close Did not have right of way Did not have right of way Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Did not have right of way None Follow Too Close Follow Too Close Disregard Traffic Light Driver Inattention Follow Too Close Improper Passing Other ( Asleep at Wheel) Improper Lane Change Other Exceeded Speed Limit Driver Inattention Other Did not have right of way Follow Too Close
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Collision Type Rear-End Rear-End Angle Angle Angle Angle Angle Angle Rear-End Angle Angle Angle Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Angle Rear-End Rear-End Angle Rear-End Rear-End Head-On Rear-End Rear-End Head-On Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Angle Rear-End Fixed Object Rear-End Angle Angle Rear-End Fixed Object Angle Pedestrian Rear-End Rear-End Angle Rear-End Rear-End Rear-End Fixed Object Fixed Object Fixed Object Fixed Object Rear-End Bicyle Angle Rear-End
Injury None Yes Yes None None None None Yes Yes Yes Yes None Yes None Yes None None Yes None Yes Yes None Yes Yes None None None None None None None None Yes Yes None None None Yes None None Yes Yes Yes Yes None None None None None None None None Yes Yes None
Fatality None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None None
Property Damage Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes No No No No Yes No Yes No Yes Yes No Yes No No Yes No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes Yes Yes No Yes Yes No No No No Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes No No Yes
Direction EB EB NB EB WB EB NB EB EB EB WB WB NB WB WB NB EB WB NB WB WB NB EB WB WB WB WB EB EB EB EB EB WB EB EB EB EB EB WB EB EB EB WB EB WB WB WB EB WB WB WB EB EB WB WB
Minor N. Edison 7-11 Driveway N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison Driveway N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Edison N. Dinwiddie St. N. Dinwiddie St. N. Dinwiddie St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Cameron St. N. Culpeper St. KFC Driveway N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. Fire Driveway N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Culpeper St. N. Buchanon St. N. Buchanon St. N. Buchanon St. N. Buchanon St.
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Meetings with Neighborhood Associations Gorove/Slade, in coordination with Arlington County staff, met with three neighborhood associations that border the study area; the Langston, Old Dominion, and Yorktown Neighborhood Associations. The purpose of these meetings, which took place on February 18, was to gather concerns and thoughts from the community as to the problem areas and possible solutions in the study area. The following is a list of concerns expressed by community members during the meetings: Corridor-Wide o The amount of truck loading and unloading on Lee Highway during rush hours. o The overall high speeds of through traffic on Lee Highway. North Buchanan o Cut-through traffic avoiding Lee Highway and Glebe Road intersection traveling on N. Buchanan Street. o Pedestrian crossing of Lee Highway is difficult. Traffic Patterns do not provide many gaps for pedestrians (too much turning traffic at intersection of Glebe Road and Lee Highway). North Columbus o Subway parking lot is too small for demand. Patrons park illegally on and off street, and on sidewalk, creating a sight distance problem for vehicles from southbound N. Glebe Rd. accessing Lee Highway. o Cut-through traffic avoiding Lee Highway at N. Glebe Rd. intersection travels on N. Columbus Street. o Bar and restaurant patrons are parking on Columbus Street and crossing Lee Highway, due to lack of parking at these establishments. o There are a high number of U-turns at this intersection from westbound Lee Highway because of the median on Lee Highway eliminating left turn access to many of the bars/restaurants/shops on Lee Highway, such as Domino’s. o Drivers turn into the McDonald’s exit. o The on-street parking on Columbus can restrict the roadway width, thus limiting capacity on the street. (This was brought up by Yorktown as a problem and Old Dominion/Langston as a possible solution to the cut-through problem). o The fire station signal is close enough to Columbus to create queuing problems in the WB direction. Drivers turning left from McDonald’s to Lee Highway often cannot because of WB queues generated by the signal in front of the fire station. North Culpeper o The green times for the northbound and southbound approaches are not sufficient to accommodate the demand, especially when opposing left turns are present. The Heidelberg Pastry Shoppe and the County Re-Fueling Station generate most of this traffic. Also attributing to this problem is community center activity, especially that of the senior center, departing the Langston School and attempting to access Lee Highway. o The skew at this intersection creates long crosswalks. 4
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
o This intersection is located at the crest of a hill, which creates sight distance limitations, including westbound left turns due to the inability to see oncoming traffic. North Cameron o The hill on Lee Highway creates sight distance limitations, leading to difficulty entering and exiting the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell driveway. Citizens also commented that the driveway and parking lot layout of the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell is confusing. North Edison o There is a prevalence of cut-through traffic at this intersection generated by drivers avoiding the intersection of Lee Highway and George Mason. It is unclear how the addition of a left turn lane at George Mason and a traffic signal at Edison will affect the amount of cut-through traffic. o Pedestrian crossings here, related to the retail activity and the bus stops, are dangerous. The installation of a traffic signal will help increase the safety of this pedestrian crossing. Existing Traffic Simulation Gorove/Slade assembled an existing analysis of the study corridor using the turning movement counts, observations from the field including existing lane configurations, and information provided by Arlington County staff. The analysis was performed using the Synchro/SimTraffic 6 software package. The results of the analysis included average delay per vehicle at each intersection and the travel times from one end of the study area to the other. Table 2 contains these results.
5
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Table 2 – Traffic Simulation Results
Cross Street North Edison
Approach Eastbound
Westbound
Northbound
Southbound
7-11 Driveway
Eastbound Westbound Northbound
Dominion Electric Eastbound and Bankers Building Driveway Westbound Southbound North Dinwiddie
Eastbound Westbound Southbound
North Cameron & KFC/Taco Bell
Eastbound
Westbound
Northbound Southbound
Peak Hour* AM Lunch PM Movement Delay Delay Delay Left 17.6 184.6 8.3 Through 3.3 55.1 1.5 Right 1.9 68.7 0.5 Left 23.5 6.0 11.6 Through 1.7 0.9 1.5 Right 0.1 1.0 0.1 Left 439.7 77.1 175.2 Through 370.2 84.9 271.0 Right 13.3 117.2 7.4 Left 676.4 122.2 297.6 Through 494.9 90.1 304.1 Right 407.2 45.8 219.2 Through 4.2 0.5 2.1 Right 1.6 0.1 0.3 Left 34.6 4.5 13.2 Through 0.5 0.3 0.6 Left 387.0 21.1 63.6 Right 12.0 118.7 3.4 Left 13.2 4.8 19.8 Through 1.8 0.2 0.5 Through 4.9 0.7 2.5 Right 0.4 0.1 0.2 Left 0.0 24.3 26.4 Right 6.3 8.2 1.9 Left 10.9 5.7 18.6 Through 5.0 0.8 2.9 Through 2.5 0.6 1.2 Right 0.2 0.1 0.2 Left 43.1 147.3 23.1 Right 24.6 7.3 14.4 Left 14.9 11.6 24.7 Through 6.5 2.5 4.7 Right 3.5 0.2 0.2 Left 24.2 8.1 8.7 Through 3.0 1.3 1.8 Right 0.0 0.4 0.4 Left 89.9 47.2 70.2 Right 33.6 76.6 32.4 Left 0.0 67.0 273.1 12.7 6.3 12.6 Right
Cross Street North Culpeper
Approach Eastbound
Westbound
Northbound
Southbound
North Columbus and McDonald's
Eastbound Westbound Northbound Southbound
North Buchanan
Eastbound Westbound Southbound
TRAVEL TIMES Eastbound Westbound
Peak Hour* AM Lunch PM Movement Delay Delay Delay Left 33.3 19.8 47.7 Through 7.1 5.6 6.4 Right 4.0 1.9 2.6 Left 18.9 75.8 18.8 Through 13.8 3.5 4.6 Right 6.7 0.4 0.3 Left 43.1 44.9 46.2 Through 44.4 30.7 44.7 Right 15.6 8.4 8.7 Left 38.1 39.2 50.9 Through 36.4 40.1 49.2 Right 14.7 8.4 9.5 Left 21.4 9.5 36.3 Through 1.0 1.5 0.9 Through 32.6 7.5 18.3 Right 18.3 1.1 9.9 Left 942.6 304.4 488.2 Right 29.5 71.4 24.7 Left 189.3 86.4 200.9 Right 228.7 65.6 189.8 Left 14.1 10.3 40.1 Through 2.2 1.5 3.3 Through 3.0 0.4 2.3 Right 11.2 0.3 1.8 Left 51.2 18.8 96.7 Right 17.7 4.9 19.3 131.0 59.8 120.3 63.0
71.5 81.0
* - Average Delay in Seconds
Focus Areas Based on the results of the meetings with the neighborhood associations, the simulation analysis, and observations within the field, a list of problem areas within the corridor was assembled. Figure 5 displays these areas of concern. These areas of concern form the basis of generating and comparing the various improvement alternatives.
6
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
POSSIBLE IMPROVEMENT STRATEGIES There are many alternatives to improving the corridor’s efficiency and safety. This section lists these alternatives by group and discusses their applications to the study corridor. The following section discusses specific recommended strategies, including figures, based on this group of alternatives. Signal Timing Updates Updating or changing signal timings can help increase intersection capacity and overall corridor throughput. Advanced timing strategies, such as signal coordination, preemption or priority, although sometimes requiring infrastructure improvements, are also viable strategies to increase corridor efficiency. There is only one existing traffic signal within the study area, at the intersection of Lee Highway with N. Culpeper Street. Existing analyses show that altering signal timings at this intersection will not significantly increase capacity in the corridor. Citizens have expressed difficulty on the northbound and southbound approaches due to short green-times. Improved signal coordination between the signal at N. Culpeper and adjacent signals at George Mason Drive and Glebe Road would generate a slight increase in capacity, although increased efficiently along the Lee Highway corridor might negatively impact other corridors. A signal optimization study is presently underway for the Lee Highway corridor. The new traffic signal planned for the intersection of Lee Highway with N. Edison Street is being incorporated into the signal optimization study for the Lee Highway corridor. Signing & Striping Improvements Changing, removing or adding signs and lane markings can help organize or control traffic throughout a corridor. Within the study area, signs could be used to reinforce existing traffic controls, or implement turning restrictions. For example, ‘No Left Turn’ or ‘No U-Turn’ signs can be placed at median breaks to limit turn movements. A good location for this improvement could be at the McDonald’s exit, across from N. Culpeper Street, where drivers attempt to turn into the exit drive. Signs can also be used at points on side streets to discourage cut-though traffic. Placed after access to commercial sites, signs such as ‘Residential Access Only’ or similar, can discourage cut-through traffic generated from drivers avoiding delays at nearby signalized intersections. Signing and striping improvements are generally easy to implement, with low cost. Intersection Traffic Control Changes Traffic controls at intersections can sometimes be altered to beneficially change traffic patterns. This includes examining what the best controls are for an intersection, such as a two-way stop sign, an allway stop sign or a traffic signal, and if any changes would help increase efficiency or safety within the corridor. An improvement using this strategy is already in planning with a traffic signal under design for the N. Edison Street intersection. The signal will replace the two-way stop sign control. Four-way stop control intersections would be inappropriate for Lee Highway; they would reduce capacity and possibly increase the number of accidents. 7
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
The installation of a traffic signal has been considered at N. Columbus Street to control traffic movements although it does not appear the traffic volumes will meet the minimum MUTCD warrant criteria. A traffic signal can be warranted due to a high amount of accidents. Although the crash data examined by Gorove/Slade did not show a relatively high number of accidents at this location, citizens expressed concerns about safety at this intersection. A signal at this location appears to have merit. However, further study would be required to fully understand the implications of a signal at this location for fire station emergency access, the impact on the side street traffic patterns and a better understanding of the interaction with the signal at N. Glebe Street. Roadway Directionality Changes Changing a roadway from two-way to one way, or vice-versa, is sometimes a good method to alter traffic patterns in a corridor. Mostly the addition of one-way streets is beneficial due to the creation of one-way pairs or from the desire to eliminate cut-through traffic. In the study area, changing roadways from two-way to one-way is an option for eliminating cut-through traffic. For example, the N. Buchanan and N. Columbus Streets can be changed to one-way northbound for the section of roadway immediately north of Lee Highway. This would eliminate some cut-through on these roadways and reduce conflicts at their intersections with Lee Highway. At the same time, these changes would increase the amount of traffic at the intersection of Glebe Road and Lee Highway and would limit access from residents to Lee Highway. Changing the directionality of a roadway would require further study, although the physical changes needed are easy to implement, and generally low in cost. Geometric Changes to Restrict Turning Movements Restricting turning movements within the study corridor would increase safety by reducing conflicting movements. Signing and lane markings can sometimes be used to restrict turns, but in many cases infrastructure changes to a roadway are necessary, whether through the addition of barriers or the extension of a median. In the study area, there are many median breaks along Lee Highway that are good candidates for closing. Citizens expressed concerns about the left turns into and out of driveways along the corridor, and closing median breaks on Lee Highway would be an easy way to restrict these turning movements. Disadvantages to this approach include fewer paths for drivers to reach their destinations, creating longer trips, more U-turn movements at full access intersections, and encouragement of cut-through traffic along with increased corridor speed. Extending median breaks would require further study and has a moderate cost and implementation time. Roadway Improvements within the Existing Right-Of-Way Most roadway improvements involve widening or adding turn lanes. Capacity on a corridor can often be increased through altering roadway geometry within the existing right-of-way. Within the study area, Lee Highway has no shoulders, a small median (3.5 feet wide), and its paved roadway width of 53 feet is relatively narrow for a four-lane highway. This is due to the history of the roadway and prior widening within the right-of-way. Thus, there are limited options for changing the existing layout of the road. 8
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
One suggestion made by a community member was to change Lee Highway from a four-lane road without turning lanes, to a two-lane roadway with turn lanes. This would eliminate many conflicts that exist within the study area and could increase the efficiency of through traffic. Examining this idea in detail, using simulation software shows that during off peak periods through traffic efficiency is improved. However, this alternative does not work during peak periods as the existing volume of through traffic is above the capacity for one through lane. The lack of a second through lane for the peak hour traffic would cause major delay. Unless peak hour demand can be accommodated elsewhere, this option cannot be recommended. Another option could be to modify the roadway to accommodate a fifth-lane, used for a left turn lane at the major points of congestion. Figure 6 shows the typical cross-section of Lee Highway. The existing curb-to-curb width could accommodate five 10-foot travel lanes not including the 18-inch gutter pans on either side of the roadway. Removing the median and using this fifth lane for left turn storage would help alleviate the impact of left turn queues. Further study would be required to determine if 10-foot lanes are acceptable, but such lane widths are commonly employed in urban areas. Roadway Improvements Outside of the Existing Right-Of-Way Improvements outside of the existing right-of-way include such options as the addition of turn lanes, or widening the road to accommodate more traffic. Though often the most expensive option, these strategies usually provide the largest increase in capacity and safety. In the study area, there are several ways to add transportation infrastructure to increase capacity: 1. Widening Lee Highway to six lanes Increasing the number of through lanes on Lee Highway would require an extensive amount of resources. It would displace many commercial properties and would create a major transportation facility adjacent to residential properties. In addition, higher speeds and longer pedestrian crossing times and distances would likely create greater safety issues. 2. Adding turn lanes at intersections and median breaks Widening Lee Highway at points within the corridor to create left and right turn lanes would be beneficial for several reasons. First, it would help reduce left turning conflicts at intersections or median breaks. Second, it would reduce lane changes required for motorists avoiding queued turning vehicles. Adding left and right turn lanes though would require acquiring property adjacent to Lee Highway. 3. Widening Lee Highway to accommodate two-way left turn lane Accommodating a two-way left turn lane can be accomplished through widening. It was previously mentioned that it is possible to fit five 10-foot lanes through most of the study area, however 10-feet is typically not considered sufficient width for a two-way left turn lane. The benefit to having a multi-purpose turn lane is that through drivers will not be slowed down by left turning vehicles, and there could be a reduction in rear-end collisions due to left turns. Disadvantages to this option include the loss of the median for controlling traffic movements and as a pedestrian refuge, and the large percentage of left turning vehicles and the closely spaced driveways along Lee Highway make this configuration undesirable because there is a strong likelihood for opposing left turns to compete for the turn lane. 9
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
4. Closing all median breaks and adding ‘jug-handles’ Another method to eliminate turning movements from Lee Highway is to eliminate all median breaks and install ‘jug-handle’ movements for motorists desiring to turn left. Installing jughandles would involve extending the median to cover all breaks, and creating turn around roadways on either end of the corridor to allow vehicles to make u-turns via side streets to access driveways on the opposite side of the roadway. The main benefit of this option is the elimination of left turns from Lee Highway. Due to the amount of land and construction required, this option would be difficult and costly to implement. 5. Enlarging intersections to accommodate roundabouts Installing roundabouts at intersections is a similar idea to two previously mentioned options: creating ‘jug-handles’ and installing turn lanes at intersections. Roundabouts would lessen queuing due to turning movements at intersections and slow through traffic on Lee Highway. Another major benefit of roundabouts is their ability to facilitate u-turns, which would allow for the elimination of median breaks, if two roundabouts were provided, one on either end of the corridor. The speed limit of Lee Highway and the number of turning movements on the corridor is ideal for roundabouts, making them a feasible alternative. One disadvantage to this approach is the amount of land required at the intersections. The intersections would need to be enlarged, similar to adding left and or right turn lanes, thus increasing the complexity and cost of this option. Roundabouts can accommodate pedestrians with crosswalks located at approaches, similar to traffic signals. Roundabouts can decrease pedestrian level of service if vehicles fail to give the right of way, and through longer walking distances due to the radius of the roundabout. If all signalized intersections were removed it might be desirable to install a mid-block crossing, including a sensor and lights between the roundabouts, to ease pedestrian crossing of Lee Highway. Improvements to Pedestrian and Transit Facilities Improvements along a corridor to improve pedestrian access include better signing of pedestrian uses, altering or re-locating crosswalks, and installing crosswalks with sensors, lights and/or warning beacons. In a corridor with bus service, improvements include adding bus shelters and pull-outs. Due to the nature of the study corridor with several bus stops, a school and various commercial uses many pedestrians attempt to cross Lee Highway at all times. There are several crossings, two unsignalized at N. Buchanan Street and N. Edison Street, and one signalized at the crosswalks on N. Culpeper Street. The planned traffic signal at N. Edison Street will include pedestrian signal heads and will significantly improve pedestrian access. At N. Buchanan Street many pedestrians cross from on-street parking north of Lee Highway to the commercial establishment on the south side. Many times, there are few gaps in traffic from the nearby Glebe Road traffic signal due to a heavy number of turning vehicles. Improvements to this crossing could include a lighted pathway or a separate pedestrian traffic signal. The crosswalks located at the traffic signal at N. Culpeper Street cross Lee Highway diagonally. Further study and examination of sight distances and traffic signal design should be performed to determine if these crosswalks can be re-aligned perpendicular to the roadway to shorten the crossing distance and pedestrian crossing times. 10
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
Enhancing pedestrian crossing indirectly aids transit in the corridor through improved access to bus stop locations. Further improvements can come in the form of better facilities, either through adding bus shelters or bus pull-outs. Shelters should be placed at stops with a high amount of ridership, or key locations in the corridor. Bus pull-outs will be difficult to implement due to the lack of space throughout the study area. Another option is to implement technological improvements such as signal preemption or signal priority throughout the Lee Highway corridor. Data collected for this analyses is not detailed enough to determine the effectiveness of these technologies on the study area. Further study and construction of pedestrian and transit improvements has a generally low cost timeline. The planned N. Edition traffic signal will incorporate pedestrian movements in its design.
RECOMMENDATIONS Based on the areas of concern presented in Figure 5, the strategies listed above, and analyses built upon the existing simulation, Gorove/Slade assembled a list of possible recommendations for the study corridor. These recommendations are split into three sets, based on their cost and ease of implementation. Short-Term Recommendations Illustrated on Figure 7, the short-term recommendations represent ideas that can be implemented with little further study, low cost, and in a short time span. They are as follows: 1. Add signs discouraging cut-through traffic Signs with messages such as “Resident Parking Only” or “No Through Traffic” can be placed at strategic spots on cut-through routes to discourage traffic from using these streets. Good candidates for these signs are N. Edison, N. Columbus and N. Buchanan Streets. 2. Enhance signs near intersection of Lee Highway at N. Columbus Street The illegal parking situation on the Subway lot can be mitigated through a combination of improved signing and enforcement. Signing can be improved by adding short term parking signs to N. Columbus Street to encourage parkers to park off-street when parking lots are full. In conjunction with these signs, “No Parking” signs can be enhanced to discourage people from overflowing into parking spots that decrease sight distance for drivers at this intersection. In addition to these signs, a “No Left Turns” sign on the median facing westbound traffic can be added to remind motorists that the McDonald’s driveway at this location is an exit. 3. Alter signal timings at N. Culpeper Street The traffic signal at N. Culpeper Street will be evaluated during the traffic signal coordination project. This project should incorporate longer northbound and southbound green times to address citizens’ concerns. 4. Re-align crosswalks at N. Culpeper Street The crosswalks on N. Culpeper Street should be re-aligned perpendicular to Lee Highway, if possible. This will shorten the pedestrian crossing distance and crossing times. 5. Improve pedestrian crossing at N. Buchanan Street The pedestrian crosswalk at N. Buchanan Street can be improved though the addition of sensors, 11
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
blinking pedestrian lights, and/or overhead beacons. Further study and coordination with VDOT would be necessary to approve this recommendation. Mid-Term Recommendations Illustrated on Figure 8, the mid-term recommendations represent ideas that can be implemented with further study, and with a moderate cost and implementation time. They are as follows: 1. Construct traffic signal at N. Edison Street A traffic signal at this location is already under design. Based on the results of this analysis and observations in the field, this report concludes that this signal would be a beneficial addition to the corridor. It will help side street traffic access Lee Highway, help slow through traffic, aid pedestrian crossings, and reduce right-angle crashes. 2. Close median break at N. Cameron Street The median break at N. Cameron Street serves residential areas to the south of Lee Highway and the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell parcel to the north. Closing the median break accomplishes several goals, (1) it lowers the number of left turns made onto and off of Lee Highway, (2) it eliminates some hazardous turning movements due to the intersection’s proximity to the crest of a hill on Lee Highway, and (3) it addresses the high number of crashes at this location by eliminating the conflicts. The residential traffic from the south will experience more difficulty accessing Lee Highway, but they will also be able to use the new traffic signal at N. Edison Street to access Lee Highway westbound. This report recommends that the County discuss with the owner of the KFC/Pizza Hut/Taco Bell property the possibility of altering their N. Culpeper Street driveway configuration to allow exit movements onto N. Culpeper Street, and accessing Lee Highway using the traffic signal located there. 3. Close median break or install traffic signal at N. Columbus Street Closing the median break at N. Columbus Street results in a reduction of conflicting movements at the intersection, mainly left turns. The high number of left turns and U-turns creates an unsafe and confusing intersection. A disadvantage to this recommendation is that drivers making these turns will use nearby intersections instead, most notably N. Buchanan and N. Culpeper Streets. The community does not favor this alternative because although it reduces conflicting movements, it limits access to the community and encourages cut-through traffic. An alternative to closing the median break is to place a traffic signal at this intersection. Closing the median break reduces the number of conflicts at this location, while a traffic signal would permit the same movements as today but would control the timing of conflicting movements. It should be noted that traffic signals do not always increase overall intersection safety. Often there is an increase in the number of rear end collisions with the installation of a new signal. A drawback of a signal is that it is much costlier to implement and maintain when compared to closing the median break. Lastly, given that the Lee Highway corridor is heavily utilized by through commuter traffic, the consideration of a new traffic signal should be approached carefully. The analysis performed for this study regarding a signal at this intersection is not conclusive and further study is necessary to determine the best alternative for the treatment of this intersection. 4. Add left turn bay for McDonald’s entrance, and if possible extend to N. Culpeper Street There is limited flexibility due to the lack of right of way and the location of structures near the 12
Lee Highway Corridor Analysis Arlington County, VA
April 6, 2004
edge of the roadway. However, it appears that the face of curb to face of curb measurement of 53, feet subtracting 3 feet (18 inches x 2) for gutter, would allow for five 10-foot lanes. The center lane could be used to provide a left turn lane for westbound traffic entering McDonald’s. This would require removal of a portion of existing median and restriping of traffic lanes. Simulation runs from the traffic model indicate that this would greatly benefit the westbound traffic flows, due to the amount of vehicles entering McDonald’s during peak periods. Upon further examination, if it is determined that 10-foot lanes are acceptable, it would be beneficial to extend similar accommodations to include the intersection at N. Culpeper Street. Figure 9 shows this alternative conceptually. Long-Term Recommendations Illustrated on Figure 10, the long-term recommendations represent ideas that cannot be implemented without significant cost and effort. They are as follows: 1. Construct two roundabouts within the corridor Based on the advantages and disadvantages listed in the previous section, combined with the nature of the corridor and the simulation results, a possible long-term option would be to install roundabouts at locations within the corridor to facilitate turning movements, including u-turns. The roundabouts would be located at either end of the corridor, for example N. Edison Street, and possibly N. Columbus Street, although the ideal places for the roundabouts might be outside the study area. This option is preferred due to the low speed limit of Lee Highway, and the primary function of Lee Highway as access for commercial and residential properties compared to its secondary function of serving as an east-west commuter route. As part of this long-term plan, all median breaks could be closed, and the traffic signal at N. Culpeper Street removed. Further studies would be required to determine a preferred way to handle pedestrian and transit activity throughout the corridor, and ingress and egress of emergency vehicles from the Fire Station. 2. Widen roadway to accommodate a 5 or 6 lane cross section If approximately six to twelve feet were added to Lee Highway on either side, turning lanes could be added within the corridor to reduce conflicts and increase capacity. Widening of Lee Highway would be difficult due to the amount of commercial development along the corridor. It is possible that acquiring land for roundabouts at selected locations could be easier than widening the roadway throughout the entire corridor. The first goal of widening the roadway would be to add left turn lanes at signalized intersections and major median breaks, followed by right turning lanes where heavy right turn movements exist.
13
N
ice e Retail/Off Retail/Offic
Subway
Auto Repair
KFC
Fire Station P O ST
Pizza Hut/ Taco Bell
Medical Bankers Building
et re St on an ch Bu N.
et re St
B STOP
Dominion Electric Supply Company
eet Strre St
Pharmacy
s bu m lu Co N.
N. Dinwiddie Retail Office
OP ST
Figure 1 Annotated Map of Study Area
B
STOP
Tatoo Parlor In Planning BS
et re St er ep lp Cu N.
Office
B
Church
7-11 on er m Ca N.
et tre nS iso Ed N.
Retail
STOP
OP ST
Pastry Shoppe
McDonald's
e (Le 9 .2 Rte
ay) hw g i H
et re St
Figure 2 Peak Hour Traffic Volumes
N
/34 5 /41 20 /7/1 1
1
13 7/9/ /844
/879 1596
1 75/5 102/
42 417 17/ 1 10/ /903/ 4 79
33 26/ 36/ 4/5/4 72 63/ 77/
2/2/2 1451/961/1003
2/51/28 1447/906/963 5/6/16 12/5/4 0/1/0 36/32/36
2/8/12 39/24/20
8 16/ 15/ 4/2 0/ 83 97/ 51/
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0/64/35 761/790/1397 9/9/17 3/21/7 50 1516/914/9 70/49/64
6/3/3 764/887/1446
/36
/37 48 22/ 1018 / 7 5 6/9 57
26 28/ 19/ 9/42 8 / 66
/10 4/9 /44 /3 5 36
24/10/25
/12 6/34 3 3/4/ 5 5/9/
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6/12/15
0/46/14 0/0/0 1/74/47
3/2/4 11/2/9
0/20/35 15/20/25
2 30/21/1 1/3/3 8/22/8
13/45/22 1435/833/856 28/47/45
29/27/29 785/790/1304 32/41/52
51/95
8/28/15 8/1411 729/82 4 59/41/5
/58 1359 / /21 12 /866 5 89
AM/Mid-Day/PM Peak Hour Volumes Peak Hours: AM — 7:15 to 8:15 AM Mid-Day — 12:15 to 1:15 PM PM — 5:15 to 6:15 PM
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Figure 3 – Chart of Daily Corridor Traffic Volumes
3,000
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Figure 4 Area SummaryStudy of Crash Data
N
LEGEND Angle Collision Rear-End Collision Head-On Collision Collision with Pedestrian Collision with Object Not in Roadway
Figure 5 Study Area Areas of Concern
N
Cut-through Traffic Cut-through Traffic
Insufficient Parking Lot Size Generates Illegal Parking Problem
Crest of Hill-Sight Distance Issues
Small green time on NB & SB Approaches
Difficult Pedestrian Crossing
Difficult Pedestrian Crossing
High Amount of U-Turns Skewed Intersection Relatively High Number of Crashes Cut-through Traffic
Queues from Fire Station Signal Block N. Columbus
Corridor-Wide Concerns Truck loading and unloading on Lee Highway (during peak hours) Speed of through traffic Large amount of unsignalized median breaks Movements that experience excessive delay noted as:
Figure 7 Study Area Short-Term Recommendations
N
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Add no parking signs to discourage illegal parking Increase green time to NB & SB approaches Add pedestrian sensors and lights to crosswalk at N. Buchanan
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Add no left turn signs, and exit only signs to discourage traffic from entering into McDonald’s Exit Re-align crosswalks perpendicular to Lee Highway
Figure 8 Area Mid-TermStudy Recommendations
N
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Encourage owner to reconstruct entrance to allow exiting onto N. Culpeper St
Close median break in front of KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut Driveway
Add no parking signs to discourage illegal parking Increase green time to NB & SB approaches Add pedestrian sensors and lights to crosswalk at N. Buchanan
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Add no left turn signs, and exit only signs to discourage traffic from entering into McDonald’s Exit Install traffic signal at N. Edison
Re-align crosswalks perpendicular to Lee Highway Build left turn lane for McDonald’s Entrance, and possibly to N. Culpeper St
Close Median Break at N. Columbus, or Install traffic signal
Figure 10 Mid-Term Improvements Study Area Long-Term Recommendations
N
Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Install roundabout at eastern edge of corridor Encourage owner to reconstruct entrance to allow exiting onto N. Culpeper St
Close median break in front of KFC/Taco Bell/Pizza Hut Driveway Add signs discouraging cutthrough traffic
Add no parking signs to discourage illegal parking Increase green time to NB & SB approaches Add pedestrian sensors and lights to crosswalk at N. Buchanan
Consider removing traffic signal Close Median Break at N. Columbus Add no left turn signs, and exit only signs to discourage traffic from entering into McDonald’s Exit Re-align crosswalks perpendicular to Lee Highway
Install traffic signal at N. Edison
Build left turn lane for McDonald’s Entrance
Install roundabout at western edge of corridor Close all unsignalized median breaks within corridor
