Jones Boulevard Corridor Study

JONES BOULEVARD CORRIDOR STUDY FINAL REPORT Booz Allen Hamilton with JPL Engineering Las Vegas, Nevada November 19, 2009 This report is confidential and intended solely for the use and information of the company to whom it is addressed. Table of Contents Jones Boulevard Corridor Study TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ............................................................................................ 1 ES.1 Data Collection ...................................................................................... 1 ES.2 Corridor Improvement Plan ..................................................................... 3 ES.3 Cost Estimation ...................................................................................... 6 1.0 DATA COLLECTION .................................................................................... 9 1.1 Overview............................................................................................... 9 1.2 Collection of Corridor Geometrics ........................................................... 11 1.3 Land Use ............................................................................................. 12 1.4 Population and Employment .................................................................. 21 1.5 Traffic Demand and Forecasts ................................................................ 22 1.6 Transit Supply & Demand ...................................................................... 26 1.7 Safety ................................................................................................. 28 1.8 Previous Studies .................................................................................. 30 2.0 ROAD GEOMETRICS ................................................................................. 33 2.1 Overview............................................................................................. 33 2.2 Desert Inn to Edna Avenue .................................................................... 34 2.3 Edna Avenue to Sahara Avenue ............................................................. 37 2.4 Sahara Avenue to Oakey Boulevard ........................................................ 40 2.5 Oakey Boulevard to Charleston Road ...................................................... 44 2.6 Charleston Road to Alta Drive ................................................................ 47 2.7 Alta Drive to US 95 ............................................................................... 50 3.0 TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AND ACCESS ...................................................... 57 3.1 Overview............................................................................................. 57 3.2 Signal Timing....................................................................................... 58 3.3 Access Control to Sections of Jones Boulevard ......................................... 64 3.4 Emergency Response ............................................................................ 67 3.5 One-Way Preference Couplets ................................................................ 68 3.6 Analysis of Corridor Safety .................................................................... 76 4.0 ROLE OF TRANSIT ................................................................................... 79 4.1 Overview............................................................................................. 79 4.2 Current Transit Provision ....................................................................... 80 4.3 Transit Demand and Forecasts ............................................................... 87 4.4 Neighborhood/Business Concerns ........................................................... 91 4.5 Capital and Operational Improvements ................................................... 92 5.0 ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS ...................................................................... 99 5.1 Overview............................................................................................. 99 5.2 Generation of Alternatives ................................................................... 100 5.3 Screening Methodology ....................................................................... 103 i Table of Contents Jones Boulevard Corridor Study 5.4 Evaluation of Alternatives .................................................................... 104 5.5 Conclusions of Alternatives Analysis ..................................................... 113 6.0 CONCEPTUAL DESIGN LAYOUTS & PLANS ............................................. 117 6.1 Overview........................................................................................... 117 6.2 Jones Corridor Plan Views.................................................................... 118 6.3 Presentation of Conceptual Design Layouts and Plans ............................. 122 6.4 Conclusion......................................................................................... 160 7.0 COST ESTIMATE .................................................................................... 163 7.1 Overview........................................................................................... 163 7.2 Cost Data and Cost Model ................................................................... 164 7.3 General Model Assumptions ................................................................. 166 7.4 Corridor Improvement Cost Estimates .................................................. 168 7.5 Total Cost of Improvements ................................................................ 177 7.6 Operating Costs ................................................................................. 178 8.0 CONCLUSION ........................................................................................ 181 8.1 Implementation Context ..................................................................... 181 8.2 Implementation Strategy .................................................................... 182 8.3 Proposed Improvements’ Benefits & Remaining Challenges...................... 183 8.4 Final Remarks .................................................................................... 185 APPENDIX A – TURN COUNT DATA ..................................................................... 187 APPENDIX B – INDEX OF ABBREVIATIONS......................................................... 188 APPENDIX C – COMPLETE CORRIDOR PLAN VIEWS ............................................ 189 ii Jones Boulevard Corridor Study THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK Executive Summary Jones Boulevard Corridor Study EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Jones Boulevard Corridor Study has been a part of an ongoing effort by the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada (RTC) to evaluate major arterials in metropolitan Las Vegas. The purpose of the Jones Boulevard Corridor Study and of this final report is to propose a select set of improvements which would best enhance the transportation system’s performance in the Study Area over the next 20 years and beyond, while taking into account probable project constraints. This report is the final product of a yearlong study by the Consultant Team – Booz Allen Hamilton with JPL Engineering – in collaboration with the Technical Working Group (TWG) which included representatives from the RTC, Clark County Public Works, the City of Las Vegas Public Works, and the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT). Exhibit ES.1 – Jones Boulevard Corridor Study Area Jones Blvd Corridor ES.1 DATA COLLECTION An extensive data collection formed the basis of the study analysis, the development of a set of alternatives, and the selection of a final alternative. The data collection process included the review of corridor geometrics, city and county planning maps and data, traffic data from NDOT and the City of Las Vegas, public services along the corridor including 1 Executive Summary Jones Boulevard Corridor Study health and education, area transit service, stakeholder outreach, and consultation with engineers and planners in the TWG and their agencies. The TWG met five times between January and September 2009 to guide the process at key points and to review and to comment on deliverables. Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 detail the data collection process. ES.1.1 Key Findings Some of the most important findings of the data analysis focused on high congestion and on the concern and the desire of stakeholders to improve safety along the corridor. The following points highlight the most acute problems facing the Study Area. Chapter 3 provides the full data analysis. FAST Operations data show the lowest average speeds and the highest traffic volumes between Charleston Boulevard and Desert Inn Road. Southbound on Jones between Oakey and Sahara, the average afternoon rush hour speed drops to 20 miles per hour on the two lanes. Northbound, the average afternoon rush hour speed drops to under 15 miles per hour between Edna and Sahara because of queuing at the Sahara intersection. The corridor experiences the heaviest traffic between 3 PM and 6 PM. Although data indicate northbound traffic is slightly heavier, the difference is not sufficient to conclude drivers favor any one direction. Also, most traffic flows southbound in the morning and northbound in the evening, an effect amplified in the corridor’s northern segment. Intersections are key bottlenecks. Members of all agencies cited queuing problems on Jones at the Charleston Boulevard and Sahara Avenue intersections. Furthermore, turn count data reveals that a high percentage

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