Queen Creek Small Area Transportation Study
executive summary
prepared for
Town of Queen Creek
prepared by
Cambridge Systematics, Inc.
with
PSM2
May 2007
www.camsys.com
executive summary
Queen Creek Small Area Transportation Study
prepared for
Town of Queen Creek
prepared by
Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 555 12th Street, Suite 1600 Oakland, California 94607
with
PSM2
date
May 2007
Queen Creek Small Area Transportation Study
Table of Contents
Executive Summary .................................................................................................. ES-1 Current and Future Conditions ...................................................................... ES-1 Evaluation Methodology ................................................................................. ES-5 Roadway Project Phasing ................................................................................ ES-6 Public Transportation Priorities...................................................................... ES-9 New High Capacity Facilities.......................................................................... ES-9
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List of Tables
Table ES.1 Queen Creek Socioeconomic Estimates and Forecasts ................... ES-2
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List of Figures
Figure ES.1 Future (2026) Volumes and Intersection LOS DES Model Run ...... ES-3 Figure ES.2 Future (2026) Volumes and Intersection LOS SATS Model Run .... ES-4 Figure ES.3 Queen Creek Roadway Priorities....................................................... ES-8
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Executive Summary
Queen Creek is a town of about 20,000 inhabitants located on the eastern fringe of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. Originally developed as a rural residential community, Queen Creek is increasingly sandwiched between the rapid growth of the metropolitan area, including the nearby Mesa and Gilbert, and the growth of unincorporated communities to the south in Pinal County. Queen Creek itself has started to grow quickly, more than tripling in size since the 2000 Census. Growth of these areas has meant rapidly increasing traffic on Queen Creek's roadway system, both from local and through traffic. And, with the likely future development of over 275 square miles of State Trust Lands to the east and the continued growth of Pinal County, congestion and related transportation problems in Queen Creek are expected to get worse. The Queen Creek Small Area Transportation Study (SATS) is intended to help address these long-term transportation planning issues for the Town of Queen Creek. The study addressed both roadway and transit improvements that can help alleviate congestion in the Town, provide mobility for residents, and create connections to major regional transportation facilities. Funded primarily by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT), the SATS provides long-range planning assistance to communities throughout Arizona. This report summarizes the results of the SATS across four phases: 1. Current and future conditions analysis, described in Section 2.0 2. Identification and analysis of future transportation projects, described in Section 3.0; 3. Public involvement, described in Section 4.0; and 4. Development of a final prioritized list of transportation improvements for Queen Creek based on the information generated in the three preceding phases, described in Section 5.0.
CURRENT AND FUTURE CONDITIONS
The basis for the Queen Creek SATS was an analysis of current and future conditions in the study area, defined as the Town of Queen Creek and surrounding areas in Maricopa and Pinal Counties. The entire area has recently been experiencing rapid growth, which is expected to continue in the future. Table ES.1 presents the future population and employment forecasts for Queen Creek, the remainder of Maricopa County, and most of Pinal County. For Pinal County, the study examined two different levels of future growth � 800,000 (from the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES)) and 1.9 million (from the Pinal County SATS). Pinal County has experienced rapid growth recently, but it
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remains an open question how much growth will be expected in the future, especially if transportation issues are not addressed.
Table ES.1 Queen Creek Socioeconomic Estimates and Forecasts
Queen Creek 2005 Population Employment Jobs-topopulation ratio Note: 15,990 6,250 0.39 2026 93,386 46,835 0.5 2005 3,633,145 1,736,850 0.48 Maricopa County 2026 5,641,489 3,052,056 0.54 2005 205,188 67,984 0.33 Pinal County 2026 (SATS) 1,757,186 492,269 0.28 2026 (DES) 604,593 165,786 0.28
The job-to-population ratio is the ratio of total people living in an area to the number of people working in that the same area.
Current transportation system conditions were identified for roadway, transit, and non-motorized modes. The current roadway system in Queen Creek is mostly two lanes with relatively few four-lane segments. Recent analysis of the current system shows limited congestion, though this analysis was completed using data from 2004 and had limited information available from Pinal County. Recent growth in both Queen Creek and Pinal County has increased congestion, which the Town has been addressing through its Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). Transit service was implemented in Queen Creek only in 2007, so limited data were available to discuss current conditions of this mode. For the roadway system, traffic volumes and intersection level of service (LOS) were evaluated. Level of Service (LOS) is graded on an A to F scale, where A represents no congestion and F represents extreme gridlock. LOS C is generally considered acceptable in rural areas; LOS D in urban areas. Figures ES.1 and ES.2 present the future volumes and intersection LOS for Queen Creek assuming two different levels of population growth for Pinal County. Planned investments in Queen Creek will be able to handle expected traffic growth if Pinal County grows to around 800,000 (DES scenario). If the entire county grows to a population of 1.9 million (SATS scenario), however, over one-half of the intersections is expected to be at LOS E or F, representing substantial congestion within Queen Creek. If Pinal County grows as expected in the Pinal County SATS, through traffic will cause extreme congestion in Queen Creek by 2026.
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Figure ES.1 Future (2026) Volumes and Intersection LOS DES Model Run
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Figure ES.2 Future (2026) Volumes and Intersection LOS SATS Model Run
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EVALUATION METHODOLOGY
An iterative evaluation methodology was used for the Queen Creek SATS to identify potential solutions, conduct analysis, and then review the results. Three key factors were considered in the analysis: 1. Commercial development. One of the top priorities to support the Town's General Plan and Town Center Plan is to support commercial development in designated areas of the Town. Investments that support this development will ensure that Queen Creek achieves a degree of sustainability, and will also help generate future funding for additional investments. 2. Connectivity. A second consideration is for local investments. Do new investments help complete key gaps in the arterial system and allow Queen Creek residents to access destinations across the metropolitan area? 3. Through traffic. A third consideration is for through traffic. As identified in the SATS, many of the issues facing Queen Creek relate to the massive residential growth expected in Pinal County. Addressing through traffic is important for Queen Creek, because growing congestion will ultimately degrade the Town's quality of life and long-term economic vitality. In addition, safety and cost effectiveness were considered in the analysis.
Roadway Projects
Several model runs were conducted to evaluate potential new roadway investments. These model runs evaluated the following types of roadway projects: � � Filling in gaps and scalloped streets in the local roadway network to ensure a consistent number of lanes in both east-west and north-south directions. A new limited access corridor connecting the Williams Gateway Freeway to residential developments in northern Pinal County. This corridor could be constructed as an expressway, freeway, or potential toll road. Widening of some east-west and/or north-south roads to eight lanes and providing improved access control (i.e., shifting property access to cross streets) in the future to enable both through and local traffic movements.
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Transit Projects
Several transit projects were also evaluated, including the following: � � � Potential commuter rail with a stop in Queen Creek; Extensions of existing fixed-route service (either Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) or regular bus) into Queen Creek; and Implementation of a Queen Creek circulator system.
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Transit projects were evaluated using a combination of results from the MAG model and sketch planning analyses. MAG is conducting a Commuter Rail Strategic Plan jointly with ADOT. This study will provide much more detailed information about the feasibility of commuter rail, but it is not expected to be completed until the fall of 2007.
ROADWAY PROJECT PHASING
Short Term Primary Routes
These are key routes that serve a combination of local, commercial, and through traffic. Advancing capacity expansion projects (new lanes and signals) on these routes is the Town's top priority. These projects will help promote orderly development, attract businesses and customers to commercial centers, and allow for the through movement of people. The following are the top three roadway segments: 1. Ellsworth from the Pinal County border to Mesa. This is the primary northsouth route through Queen Creek and provides access to the core business area of Queen Creek. The project includes completing the Ellsworth Loop Road, redeveloping Ellsworth downtown to support the Town Center Plan, and widening the segments of Ellsworth to the north and south of the Loop Road to four through lanes with a long-term plan for six through lanes. 2. Rittenhouse from the Mesa/Gilbert border to Ocotillo, just southeast of downtown. Rittenhouse is another key route for through movements and also provide access to downtown Queen Creek. The project includes completing planned rerouting of Rittenhouse at Germann and Ocotillo Roads and widening Rittenhouse to four lanes, with some six-lane segments. Due to limited access, the portion of Rittenhouse southeast of Ocotillo is not included as a primary route, but there are some interim fixes for Rittenhouse (see below). 3. Ocotillo from Power to Meridian. Ocotillo is one of the only east-west routes crossing the width of Queen Creek. With development occurring in Pinal County, Ocotillo Road provides access to shopping in downtown Queen Creek. A connection through to Power helps ensure that this facility connects to a primary north-south road.
Localized Improvements
A second set of arterials was identified as needing localized improvements in the short term that can delay the expenditure of funds on more significant improvements. The localized improvements include spot widening, new signals, protected left-turn lanes and signals, and other similar fixes that can be implemented
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at relatively low cost. All of the routes in this category will have additional improvements made in the long term. The specific segments for short-term localized improvements include: � Rittenhouse from Ocotillo to Riggs/Combs. There are limited access points to Rittenhouse Road because of the railroad tracks on one side and development on the other. As a result, localized improvements including turn lanes can provide enough capacity in the short term for this segment of Rittenhouse. Long term, this road will be widened to four lanes, consistent with the ultimate goal of providing connections to downtown Queen Creek. Chandler Heights from Ellsworth to Power. The Maricopa County DOT has identified Riggs as an east-west road of regional significance, connecting all the way from I-10 to Pinal County, where it becomes Riggs Road. However, in Queen Creek, there are significant issues with right-of-way acquisition that will push development of Riggs out for several years. Chandler Heights provides a short-term alternative to support some east-west movement, especially for through movements from Pinal County to the south. Sossaman from Chandler Heights to Germann. Localized improvements on Sossaman will help to open up another north-south route for connection to the growing employment area around the Williams Gateway airport and the larger metropolitan area.
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Medium Term to Long Term Secondary Roads
In addition to the primary roads and interim fixes identified for the short term, there are a set of planned projects to complete the existing arterial network and expand it using information from the Queen Creek SATS. Many of these are existing projects within the Queen Creek Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) that will likely have to be postponed due to increasing construction and right-of-way costs. These projects will have to compete with additional needs identified as part of the SATS, and will likely come up for consideration starting in 2010 and beyond.
Perimeter Roads
In addition to the completion of the arterial system, there are several roads with regional significance that have to be addressed separately. Queen Creek's location between Maricopa and Pinal Counties creates significant through movements within the Town. One of the key strategies to accommodate this travel is through improved perimeter routes. Many pieces of the arterial system are currently missing. The roads identified in this section have a primary focus of carrying through traffic, though they would naturally also carry local traffic. These roads require development over the long term, in conjunction with residential development in Pinal County. Complete development of these routes will fall at
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least partly under the purview of other agencies, especially the Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT). The key perimeter projects include Meridian, Germann, and Riggs. Figure ES.3 identifies the priorities for roadway projects in Queen Creek.
Figure ES.3 Queen Creek Roadway Priorities
Note:
The extension of Meridian to the southeast into Pinal County is shown only as a general concept and is not intended to indicate an alignment, or even necessarily a future road.
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PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PRIORITIES
The short-term priorities for public transportation include: � � � Express service to Tempe/ASU/Sky Harbor, begun in 2007 (Line 534); Fixed-route service to Chandler, expected in later 2007; and Future service to major destinations in Mesa along the U.S. 60 corridor, most notably the Superstition Mall area, which alone receives 250 daily commuters.
Other destinations currently have fewer than 200 commuters per day (except Queen Creek itself), which is not significant enough to warrant transit service at this time. As the Williams Gateway area continues to grow, this will become a potential future destination. Notably, there are relatively few commuters to downtown Phoenix, despite being the largest employment hub of the region. This is likely due to the distance from Queen Creek to downtown Phoenix, but future residential growth may change the commute patterns of Queen Creek's residents. Queen Creek and Valley Metro should continue to monitor commuting patterns to determine the most appropriate services to implement. In the timeframe of the SATS, the continued development of expressed and fixed bus routes is the most appropriate investment. Commuter rail has potential to carry a substantial number of passengers per year at the proposed Queen Creek station, as well as at the potential stations identified in Pinal County. However, the cost of implementation for this service is high and the benefits are unclear. Unlike local bus service, which will primarily serve Queen Creek residents, commuter rail may well attract more drivers into Queen Creek from outside the city boundaries to use the service. A local circulator may also become appropriate in the future, but current demographics in Queen Creek make this service unlikely to succeed. However, a circulator service may become appropriate as Queen Creek grows and more families move into the area.
NEW HIGH CAPACITY FACILITIES
The Queen Creek SATS grew out of ADOT's corridor definition studies, which were initiated to help determine the need for and feasibility of new high capacity facilities in Pinal County. The recommendations of those studies noted the lack of a mature arterial system in Queen Creek as a contributor to future expected congestion. The Arizona Department of Economic Security currently projects around 800,000 residents in Pinal County by 2030. The Pinal County SATS, completed in 2006, identified a 2030 population of 1.9 million residents. At 800,000 residents, improving the arterial system in Queen Creek is sufficient to address future congestion concerns. At 1.9 million, it is not.
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In addition, it is not possible to develop a mile-spaced arterial system within Queen Creek. Several north-south roads (Signal Butte, Crismon, and Hawes) cannot be completed due to development or, in the case of Hawes, the Williams Gateway Airport. Development also precludes completion of a couple east-west roads, including Queen Creek and Chandler Heights. Finally, the Union Pacific (UP) Southeast railroad presents a major barrier cutting from the northwest to southeast corner of the town � capacity improvements across or along the railroad will be significantly more expensive and difficult to implement. Because of these constraints, the only potential solution to Queen Creek's transportation issues, if Pinal County develops as expected, is a substantial increase in high capacity roadways. However, there are also non-transportation solutions to these issues. Pinal County is expecting massive residential growth without much employment growth. An economic development program could provide substantial benefits to Pinal County and to congestion in Queen Creek and much of Maricopa County.
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