City of Aurora 2009 Comprehensive Plan H. Creating Aurora’s Future Transportation System VISION When the goals of the city are achieved… ▪ Aurora will have a safe, integrated and efficient transportation system that includes multiple travel options ranging from the automobile to light and commuter rail transit. An integrated and interconnected air, rail, highway, and commuter transportation system will link Aurora to the region, nation and world. ▪ Jobs and housing will be located in proximity to each other allowing people to live near their work locations. ▪ Vibrant and mixed-use areas, attractive to residents, employees, and visitors, will be developed around rail transit stations. ▪ Adequate bus and rail service and other non-automobile modes will be available and convenient for residents, employees and others. An integrated roadway, bicycle and pedestrian network will provide mobility, accessibility and safety. ▪ Aurora and other metro area jurisdictions will secure a fair share of available state and federal transportation funding. ▪ The city will establish a funding mechanism for a predictable and adequate flow of revenue from new developments and current users for transportation infrastructure improvements. ▪ Noise, air quality and carbon footprint impacts from the transportation system are mitigated. DISCUSSION Existing Conditions. Aurora has a street transit services in the city. The existing bus system that encompasses approximately 964 services include one regional, one express, center line miles of roadways, including 171 four limited, 20 local, two Denver miles of arterials, and 794 miles of collector International Airport (DIA) and one special and local streets. It also includes nearly 27 service bus routes. LRT services are miles of state highways, 14 miles of currently available at the Nine Mile and interstate highway and approximately 19 Dayton stations. The LRT line will be miles of the E-470 Tollway. The city is extended serving the Aurora area throughout responsible for maintaining the pavement of the I-225 corridor by the RTD FasTracks approximately 930 miles of city streets. program. The East Corridor, also part of the Additionally, a variety of developments FasTracks program, will host a commuter have private streets that are maintained by rail transit line and stations in the future with homeowner or business park associations. the Airport Boulevard/40th Avenue and The Colorado Department of Transportation Peoria Street/Smith Road stations in Aurora. (CDOT) and the E-470 Public Highway Authority maintain designated state facilities In addition, Aurora has approximately 58 and the E-470 Tollway respectively. miles of off-street bike/pedestrian trails and The Regional Transportation District (RTD) 26 miles of on-street bicycle paths. Average is the public agency that provides public commuting time for Aurora residents has transportation services throughout the remained relatively constant over the past region. Bus and light rail transit (LRT) eight years and driving alone remains the services are the primary form of public predominant form of commuting. Chapter IV. H. Transportation Page 1 of 14 City of Aurora 2009 Comprehensive Plan Plans and Programs. Aurora adopted a Mean Travel Time to Work for Aurora Commuters new set of street standards in 1998. These 30 27.2 28.1 include revised street cross-sections 25 22.45 22.65 mandating detached sidewalks and tree 20 lawns. They also established requirements 15 10 for developing a continuous system of Minutes 5 collector streets for newly developing areas. 0 These standards provide a more 1980 1990 2000 2008 interconnected and pedestrian friendly Average Average Commute Timein Year transportation network than is found in the U.S. Census 2008, American Community Survey existing city. The standards require that Fig. IV.H-1 collector and local streets be connected and that some extend across arterial streets There are an insufficient number of east- thereby offering continuous routes. On- west streets in the city causing congestion street bike lanes are required for collector for motorists travelling those directions. streets and 4-lane arterials. Aurora also Traffic volumes on the east-west streets adopted a new set of urban street standards immediately east of I-225 have increased for urban centers and transit-oriented significantly in the past ten years and have developments (TODs) in 2007. These surpassed the existing capacities on facilities standards were developed to encourage such as Iliff Avenue and Mississippi Avenue dense, walkable mixed-use areas near transit during peak commuting times. New stations. roadway improvements provided by projects th like the proposed I-225/Colfax Avenue/17 The urban street standards require a Place interchange will help relieve the minimum of 16-foot hardscape area, on- growth in congestion to some extent. street parking and bike lanes for most of the street cross-sections as well as curb extensions, median refuge islands and enhanced pedestrian crossing treatments for intersection designs. Source: Urban Streets Standards Fig. IV.H-2 Chapter IV. H. Transportation Page 2 of 14 City of Aurora 2009 Comprehensive Plan Projects Completed or Underway. Aurora Strategic Parking Plan and The Aurora Southeast Area Transportation Program Study. Under the direction of Study (SEATS) and Aurora Northeast Area City Council, staff initiated this project in Transportation Study (NEATS) were revised early 2008 to develop a corridor-wide in 2007. These two documents provide the strategic parking plan and program to blueprint for the extension of streets, bridges comprehensively address current and and other transportation infrastructure along anticipated parking demand and the growing eastern tier of the city. management needs generated by light rail and commuter rail transit. This study covers Travel Framework. The Travel Framework the FasTracks I-225 and East Rail Corridors, Map (see Map IV.H-1) portrays a multi-modal but has city-wide applicability in regards to transportation system. The goal of this travel options such as financing, management and framework is to improve accessibility and regulatory approach. mobility by providing a more balanced transportation system. This travel At the time of this writing the study was just framework reflects the adopted SEATS and entering the final phase with a significant NEATS recommendations as well as those number of tasks having been completed from the FasTracks I-225 LRT including parking demand estimation, best Environmental Evaluation/Preliminary practice analysis, parking management plan Engineering Study, the FasTracks East development, and funding and financing Corridor Commuter Rail Environmental analyses. A list of potential strategies for Impact Statement, the I-225/Colfax/17th implementing the study has been identified Place Interchange Project and the Parker by the study and received initial support by Road Corridor Study. City Council. Some of the key strategies being considered by City Council include Specifically, the travel framework consists the following: of a hierarchical network of roadways, including freeways, arterials, and a develop a policy and regulatory completely interconnected collector street framework to enable and encourage the system. It also includes a family of public implementation of a fee-based program transit services, including rail transit lines for all commuter parking facilities in and stations, enhanced regional, sub-area Aurora and local bus services, as well as neighborhood bus services serving special develop and implement a trip purposes and neighborhood destinations. comprehensive parking management An extensive bicycle and pedestrian trail program on the opening day of the rail system is also an important component of transit services to ensure the priority the travel framework. usage of on-street parking for station area customers, business and local Emphasis is being placed on the residents interconnections between and among different modes of transportation, such as develop an intelligent parking pedestrian and bike access to bus and rail management system to provide real-time transit lines and bike-on-bus arrangements. parking availability information to In addition, in 2008, the city adopted bicycle increase efficiency of commuter parking facility design guidelines to ensure spaces in all park-n-Ride lots uniformity in the design and construction of bicycle facilities throughout the city. Chapter IV. H. Transportation Page 3 of 14 City of Aurora 2009 Comprehensive Plan establish a centralized parking supply pedestrian and bicycle access to the and management system, e.g., a parking Fitzsimons Campus, especially the safe district or authority, to perform crossings of Colfax Avenue and Peoria functions of revenue collection, parking Street, needs to be enhanced. supply and management for both commuter and general public parking it is anticipated that employment will grow approximately 166 percent by encourage structured parking and 2035 from the 2008 level within the develop a contingency plan for staging study area. The total employment is and transitioning from surface parking expected to be approximately 44,000 for to structured parking over time the Fitzsimons campus in 2035. city land purchase for parking in the Colfax Avenue between I-225 and station area through urban renewal or Fitzsimons Parkway continues to be the other funding mechanism most congested roadway segment in the study area even with the I-225/17th Place As the FasTracks