Transportation, Utilities, and Public Services This Chapter Begins by Examining All Modes of Surface Transportation That Are Currently Provided in Shawnee County
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CHAPTER THREE Transportation, Utilities, and Public Services This chapter begins by examining all modes of surface transportation that are currently provided in Shawnee County. Next, it investigates individual utilities, including: water, wastewater, storm water management, solid waste, and information technology. The chapter concludes by looking into other public services as well, such as fire protection and public schools. DRAFT 09-01-2017 INTRODUCTION growth and development in the ETJ. This includes Focus groups and public meetings reinforced alignment in utilities provided in whole or in part by resident’s positive attitudes towards most county the City of Topeka such as water and wastewater. services, especially roads and the new work being • There is a lack of pedestrian and bicycle done on bridges. However, attendees noted that Transportation facilities in the unincorporated area. However, service providers needed better communication, A balanced transportation network that Shawnee County recently adopted a complete transparency, and coordination. Planning accommodates the needs of all users is key to a streets policy for county roads. Plus, a portion infrastructure like roads, sewer, gas, water, and high quality of life, economic development, and of the countywide half cent sales tax has been internet; encouraging discussions between service social equity within any community. A balanced dedicated to complete street projects and the trail providers; and adequate site planning were mentioned system. transportation network includes trails, pedestrian and as ways to provide certainty to developers, to allow bicycle facilities, public transit, and roadways that are • Topeka Metro Transit Authority bus routes do not more cost-effective service provision, and to improve designed for the safety and comfort of the people extend into unincorporated Shawnee County. service quality. Ensuring quality through building using those facilities. County residents could benefit from specific codes was also noted for preventing issues such as routes being extended to connect with major incorrectly installed sewer systems or water retention employers. Utilities and drainage issues as are seen at South Point Bay. Similarly, school districts were discussed as potential The provision of basic services, such as water, county partners by working to identify expected wastewater, storm water, solid waste and PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS development and growth areas and how that may telecommunications, are necessary for land impact districts. On the consumer side, educating new development at urban densities or near urban Survey participants completed a “report card” rural residents on what services they could expect was densities. The need to plan for the extension of these questionnaire in which they were asked to rank also mentioned as important to create expectation for services to new growth areas is one of the primary various transportation and infrastructure issues services, development, costs. reasons for comprehensive planning. and opportunities on a one-to-five scale, with five representing “excellent” and one representing “poor.” Other Public Facilities Attributes with average scores of 3.0 or above are High quality public schools and fire protection are perceived strengths and those with scores below needed to support any community. The location 2.5 represent areas of perceived weaknesses. These of the facilities that provide these services in the results were then explored through stakeholder unincorporated area can significantly impact land use meetings. The following highlights important strengths decisions. and weaknesses regarding transportation and infrastructure. Key Challenges Most services in the county are viewed as strengths. • There are 51 taxing jurisdictions that provide These include rural water and electric distribution, transportation, utilities and public facilities in public safety systems, access to highways, and the Shawnee County. Coordination of services offered condition of state, county, and township maintained by these jurisdictions is critical for Shawnee roads. Mobile phone service also received a positive County to accomplish its long-range goals. rating. Only two types of transportation scored below • Topeka and Shawnee County share a 2.5 rating: bicycle and pedestrian facilities and responsibilities for development inside the 3-mile mobility in the county. Residents also saw services extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) surrounding the for seniors, high speed internet services, and general City of Topeka. It is important for there to be road maintenance to be relatively weaker, though not political alignment in how best to approach future necessarily as negative. 44 SHAWNEE COUNTY | 2037 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Transportation and Infrastructure (1 being poor and 5 being excellent) FIGURE 3.1: Questionnaire Responses: Transportation Figure 3.2: and Infrastructure (1 being Poor and 5 being Excellent) AVERAGE SURVEY RESPONSE RATINGS RATING Rural Water Distribution 3.64 Rural Electric Distribution 3.64 Public Safety Systems (Sheriff and Fire) 3.63 Access to Interstate 70 3.46 Medical Services 3.35 Condition of State Highways 3.27 Mobile Phone Services 3.23 Access to Interstate 335 (The Turnpike) 3.15 Condition of Township Roads 3.11 Regional Road and Transportation Networks 3.10 Conditions of County Roads 3.09 Services for Seniors 2.83 High Speed Internet Services 2.73 Road Maintenance 2.62 Sidewalks and Pedestrian Mobility 2.35 Bicycle Facilities on County Roads And Non- 2.28 Interstate Highways Source: RDG Community Questionnaire Source: RDG Community Questionnaire 45 DRAFT 09-01-2017 ROADWAYS County north-south. US Highway 40 crosses east- EXISTING CONDITIONS west, following Kansas Highway 4 (K-4), formerly Roads in Shawnee County are grouped by federal the Oregon Trail, south to I-70 on the eastern Shawnee County maintains the major roads functional classification for system design and edge of Topeka (K-4 continues east-west across throughout the county that are not state highways. planning, as characterized by speed of travel and the county). Topeka Boulevard, the only non- Typically, these roads cross through more than one access to adjacent properties as depicted in Figure 3.4: highway principal arterial, is north-south through township and connect to facilities owned by other • Interstates and Freeways. These roads connect Topeka. jurisdictions including the City of Topeka. Because cities and allow travel at high speeds with • Collectors. These roads connect major arterials Shawnee County cooperates with all 12 townships and limited access and separated lanes. In Shawnee to allow travel between parts the county for trips the five cities in the County, it plays a central role in County, I-70 travels east-west with I-470 forming of moderate length. They include frequently planning for transportation. a southern beltway around Topeka. I-335 cuts travelled roads linking rural communities southwest from I-470 as part of the Kansas and residential subdivisions to arterials and In addition to transportation facilities, Shawnee Turnpike, a self-supporting toll road owned and Topeka, though they have lower traffic volumes. County oversees construction and regulates on- maintained by the Kansas Turnpike Authority Sometimes, they provide access to agricultural (KTA). I-70 has 18 exits in Shawnee County (6 in site wastewater systems. The County also owns areas, farmsteads, and individual developed unincorporated areas and 12 in Topeka). I-470 has the Sherwood wastewater treatment plant and its areas. They frequently aggregate traffic along 10 exits (all in Topeka). I-335 has two toll plazas section lines, topography permitting, and route it collection system, though it is managed by the City at I-70/I-470 and I-470/US-75 (in east and south toward centers of activity and circulation. of Topeka. In both cases, wastewater collection and Topeka). treatment have a major cost and affect the density • Local Roads. These roads provide access to • Arterials. These roads connect major activity of development. Also, environmental effects from individual properties and sites in the county and centers and allow long distance travel at high typically experience the lowest traffic volumes. wastewater treatment are countywide, extending speeds with minimal interference. US Highway 24 Two townships, Soldier and Mission, have beyond property lines or the nearest stream. Though crosses east-west across Shawnee County north predominantly paved roads while most others are the County doesn’t provide water service, water of the river. US Highway 75 crosses Shawnee gravel. supply impacts the county, including fire service. This section explores these aspects of Shawnee County and evaluates its transportation facilities along with other existing conditions for infrastructure and public services. Roads and Bridges FIGURE 3.3: Mileage and Daily Vehicle Miles Traveled by Functional Classification RURAL URBAN TOTAL Shawnee County has a well-connected network of primary roads encompassing 556 square miles. For MILEAGE DVMT MILEAGE DVMT MILEAGE DVMT the most part, the road network is laid out on the original surveyor’s grid, with roads spaced at 1-mile Interstates & Freeways 24.8 449,342 58.6 1,451,611 83.4 1,900,953 intervals, though there are gaps in the network due Arterials 25.4 114,241 176.3 1,495,190 201.7 1,609,431 to the county’s topography and hydrology. Roads on Collectors 203.5 156,014 156.4 335,999 359.9 492,013 the grid are named with numbers