2045 Rural Long-Range Transportation Plan
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2045 Rural Long-Range Transportation Plan Southside Planning District Commission Adopted | January 23, 2020 Table of Contents Contributors Introduction and Purpose ................................................................................................................... 1 Overview of the Region ........................................................................................................................ 2 Description of the Southside Planning District – 2 Summary of Transportation Network – 3 Regional Transportation Goals – 4 Prioritization Matrix ............................................................................................................................. 5 Recommendations Based on Prioritization ....................................................................................... 6 SPDC Region – 6 Brunswick County – 7 Halifax County – 12 Mecklenburg County – 20 Vision Projects ....................................................................................................................................... 31 Town of Boydton – 31 Town of Brodnax – 32 Brunswick County – 33 Town of Chase City – 34 Town of Clarksville – 35 Town of Halifax – 36 Halifax County – 38 Town of La Crosse – 39 Town of Lawrenceville – 40 Mecklenburg County – 41 South Boston – 42 South Hill – 43 Demographics and Land Use Trends ................................................................................................... 44 Relationship of Land Use and Development to Transportation – 44 Population Trends – 48 Demographic Trends – 49 Regional Transportation System ........................................................................................................ 51 Roadways – 51 Public Transportation – 72 Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities – 75 Airports – 82 Rail – 84 Funding Opportunities ........................................................................................................................... 86 Smart Scale – 86 Highway Safety Improvements Program – 86 Transportation Alternatives Program – 87 Revenue Sharing Program – 87 Recreational Access Program – 87 Economic Development Access Program – 88 State of Good Repair – 88 Recreational Trails Program – 88 BUILD Transportation Discretionary Grant – 89 Land Use Regulations – 89 Appendix A – Inventory of Urban Development Areas (UDAs) .............................................................................. 90 Appendix B – Inventory of Bridges and Culverts ................................................................................................ 93 Appendix C – Inventory of Primary Roads ........................................................................................................ 102 Appendix D – Innovative Intersections and Interchanges .................................................................................... 107 Appendix E – Weight Schema for Prioritization Matrix ........................................................................................ 115 Appendix F – Attribute Data in Prioritization Matrix ........................................................................................... 116 Appendix G – Glossary of Acronyms/Key Terms ................................................................................................. 123 Contributors Town of Boydton Mecklenburg County John M. Kirkland H. Wayne Carter, III R. H. Park, III Robert Hendrick Town of Brodnax Town of South Boston Ben Spence Hope Cole C. W. Crowder Brunswick County Danny McCormick George Morrison, III Tom Raab Town of Chase City Town of South Hill Charles Forbes Kim Callis Angela Lawrence Bill Wilson Town of Clarksville Town of Virgilina Jeff Jones Ralph Murray Town of Halifax Southside Planning District Commission Carl Espy, IV Deborah Gosney Gail Moody Halifax County Chad Neese James Halasz Andy Wells Scott Simpson Dan Sleeper Virginia Department of Transportation David Cook Town of La Crosse Tommy Johnson F. A. Hendrick Ron Svejkovsky Rick Youngblood Town of Lawrenceville C. J. Dean Introduction and Purpose Like transportation plans within more metropolitan areas, the Rural Long-Range Transportation Plan (RLRTP) is a goal driven plan that evaluates the transportation network and includes recommendations to address current and future needs with a horizon year of 2045. While the region includes such transportation modes as roadways, rail, transit, airports, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities, most of the time spent on this plan focused on roadways and bicycle and pedestrian facilities. This plan is also the result of a cooperative effort between the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Southside Planning District Commission (SPDC), the local governments throughout the region, and the public. The plan should be reviewed and updated as necessary to better reflect changes in local demographics and needs. Like previous versions, this plan was developed as a vision plan, addressing all needs of the transportation system studied regardless of anticipated funding availability. The 2045 RLRTP identifies transportation funding priorities, both for the region as a whole and for each county. It is anticipated that the methodology of the prioritization matrix will be useful to local jurisdictions when applying for transportation funds through various grant programs. VDOT will also utilize the recommendations from the plan when identifying priorities for the Six-Year Improvement Plan and to help quantify transportation needs from around the Commonwealth on future planning projects. 2045 | Regional Long-Range Transportation Plan 1 Overview of the Region Description of the Southside Planning District The Southside Planning District is located in south central Virginia, situated just above the North Carolina border. The SPDC serves the counties of Brunswick, Halifax, and Mecklenburg, and the twelve towns located within those counties. The region is approximately 2,078 square miles with an estimated population of 83,087 per the US Census Bureau’s 2012-2016 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. The Southside region is a predominately rural area with more dense development occurring in and around the towns and along the lakes. The region is characterized as having gently rolling topography along the Roanoke and Dan Rivers. 2 Regional Long-Range Transportation Plan| 2045 Summary of Transportation Network Roads The primary north-south corridor for the region is Interstate 85. It passes through the counties of Brunswick and Mecklenburg and the towns of Alberta and South Hill. The other north-south corridors of note include: US 1, US 15, and US 501. Primary east- west corridors include US 58 and US 360. Transit There are three transit services in the Southside region: The Brunswick Express operated by the Blackstone Area Bus System (BABS) and Halifax Area Regional Transit (HART) and Lake Area Bus (LAB) operated by the Lake Country Area Agency on Aging. Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities There are currently 1,100 miles of existing and proposed bicycle and pedestrian facilities throughout the region with opportunities for both on and off-road biking and hiking. The area is home to the Tobacco Heritage Trail and also includes portions of US Bike Route 1, the East Coast Greenway, and the Beaches to Bluegrass Trail. Airports There are no commercial airports in the region, but there are three general aviation airports (Mecklenburg-Brunswick Regional, William M. Tuck, and Lake Country Regional) and two local airports (Chase City Municipal and Brunswick). Private airports were not included in this plan. Rail Within the Southside Planning District there are several shortlines providing service for the movement of freight. Passenger rail is currently not available in the region, although the Southeast High Speed Rail project may provide access to this mode of transportation in the future. 2045 | Regional Long-Range Transportation Plan 3 Regional Transportation Goals The basic goal for all transportation systems is to provide for the effective, safe, and efficient movement of people and goods. This regional plan was developed with this primary goal in mind, along with consideration for environmental issues and local travel desires. Rural transportation planning in the SPDC is guided by the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee (TTAC). The TTAC reviewed the regional transportation goals from 2011 and assessed the current needs of the region to formulate the following goals: Goal 1 Plan and provide a transportation system that facilitates the safe and efficient movement of people and goods on all transportation modes. Goal 2 Improve economic vitality in Virginia and the region by increasing access to economic opportunities for all. Goal 3 Enhance quality of life and minimize impacts to the environment. Goal 4 Promote efficient transportation system management through well-defined maintenance and construction programs. H B M 4 Regional Long-Range Transportation Plan| 2045 Prioritization Matrix As part of the RLRTP 2045 review and update process, transportation projects were scored using a prioritization matrix. The purpose for utilizing the prioritization matrix is to identify projects that are better positioned to receive support and funding from the Commonwealth Transportation Board. SPDC staff worked with state transportation planning officials to learn how to use the prioritization matrix, while members of the Transportation Technical Advisory Committee, local officials, and VDOT provided input on numerous transportation projects