National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Petersburg National Battlefield Petersburg, VA Petersburg National Battlefield Alternative Transportation Feasibility Study Clockwise from top left: Grant’s cabin (Grant’s Headquarters at City Point); earthworks replica (Eastern Front); Five Forks intersection (Five Forks); Fort Wadsworth (Western Front) Source: Volpe Center photographs (December 2010) PMIS No. 91324A November 13, 2012 Volpe Center Petersburg NB Alternative Transportation Study, Final Report, October 2012 1 Table of Contents Report Notes ....................................................................................................... v Acknowledgments ........................................................................................... vii Acronyms ........................................................................................................... ix Executive Summary ........................................................................................... xi Introduction ........................................................................................................ 1 1 Existing Conditions ...................................................................................... 2 1.1 Location and Context .............................................................................................. 2 1.2 Demographics, Land Use, and Development .......................................................... 17 1.3 Transportation ...................................................................................................... 19 1.4 Signage and Wayfinding ....................................................................................... 29 1.5 Chapter Summary ................................................................................................. 34 2 Shuttle Services ......................................................................................... 35 2.1 Service Considerations .......................................................................................... 35 2.2 Potential Routes .................................................................................................... 39 2.3 Recommended Option .......................................................................................... 44 3 Directional Signage and Wayfinding ....................................................... 47 3.1 Supplemental guide signs, wayfinding signs, and driving tour signs ........................ 47 3.2 National Park Service Signage ................................................................................ 49 3.3 VDOT Signage ...................................................................................................... 50 3.4 Existing PETE sign plan and sign designs ................................................................ 51 3.5 Near Term Actions ................................................................................................ 52 3.6 Long-term Solutions .............................................................................................. 53 3.7 Conclusion ........................................................................................................... 55 4 Traveler Information Strategies ............................................................... 56 4.1 PETE website revisions ........................................................................................... 56 4.2 Mobile device applications and Quick Response codes ........................................... 59 Volpe Center Petersburg NB Alternative Transportation Study, Final Report, October 2012 i 4.3 Regional Trip Planner ............................................................................................ 66 5 Bicycle Access to PETE ............................................................................... 68 5.1 Bicycle Access Strategies ....................................................................................... 69 5.2 Coordination with local, regional, and state governments ...................................... 75 6 PETE Boundary Expansion ........................................................................ 77 6.1 Boundary assessment criteria ................................................................................. 77 6.2 Traveler information, signage, and wayfinding ....................................................... 77 6.3 Parking and site access .......................................................................................... 78 7 Funding Opportunities .............................................................................. 80 7.1 Federal Lands Transportation Program .................................................................. 80 7.2 The Federal Lands Access Program ........................................................................ 80 7.3 Transportation Alternatives ................................................................................... 81 7.4 Recreational Trails Program ................................................................................... 81 7.5 Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality ................................................................... 82 7.6 Wallop-Breaux Sport Fishing Program .................................................................... 82 8 Partnerships ............................................................................................... 83 Appendix 1 Sign Plan Analysis .................................................................... 85 Appendix 2 Types of Formal Partnership Agreements ................................ 1 Table of Figures General location and context ................................................................................................................ 2 Grant’s Headquarters at City Point ....................................................................................................... 3 Grant’s Headquarters; Appomattox Manor; James River public dock (left to right) ................................ 4 Eastern Front location and context ....................................................................................................... 5 Visitor center; park tour road; “Iron ranger” ......................................................................................... 6 Western Front ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Clockwise from top left: Fort Wadsworth; Poplar Grove National Cemetery; Fort Fisher; Fort Gregg ..... 8 Five Forks Battlefield ............................................................................................................................. 9 Five Forks junction; Five Forks visitor center and parking area; East Trail parking area .........................10 Western Front NPS and other protected sites ......................................................................................11 PETE recreational visitation, 2000-2009 ..............................................................................................12 PETE traffic counts, 2009 ....................................................................................................................13 Eastern Front trail map .......................................................................................................................24 VA-672 / Church Road in the Western Front .......................................................................................25 Multiple signs on Crater Road.............................................................................................................30 Volpe Center Petersburg NB Alternative Transportation Study, Final Report, October 2012 ii Town of Petersburg tour sign .............................................................................................................31 Five Forks East and West parking areas ...............................................................................................33 Example of a diesel-fueled, wheelchair-accessible 15 passenger cutaway bus .....................................37 Proposed Eastern Front Shuttle Tour Route .........................................................................................40 Proposed Western Front Shuttle Tour Route .......................................................................................42 Example of supplemental guide sign on Interstate 95 in Petersburg, VA .............................................48 Wayfinding sign in Leesburg, Virginia .................................................................................................48 Civil War Trails driving tour sign..........................................................................................................49 Hypothetical examples of wayfinding signs that incorporates the driving tour ....................................55 Bicycle/walking directions - downtown Hopewell to City Point ...........................................................57 Bicycle/walking directions - Fort Lee to Eastern Front ..........................................................................58 Driving directions - Old Towne Petersburg to PETE visitors center .......................................................59 Explore Louisiana Crossroads Visitor Guide app screenshots ...............................................................60 Gettysburg Battle app screenshot .......................................................................................................61