To: Members of the Public Works Commission
From: Thomas Reiff, Transportation Planner
Title
Recommendation: Transportation Master Plan Update
Body
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Executive Summary
This project updated the traffic volume forecast in the Town’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP) in order to update identified project priorities, and understand any new project needs since the last update. The TMP is the guiding transportation document for the Town and is part of the Town’s overall Comprehensive Master Plan. The goal of the update is to identify transportation projects that will reduce congestion, improve mobility, and access throughout the Town as growth continues as envisioned in the Town’s Comprehensive Master Plan.
This update allowed the Town to confirm and amend the current roadway project priority list, and analyze eight specific intersections. Improvement projects have been tiered based on priority and what projects are needed within the short range (by 2030), mid-range (by 2040), and long range (by full build out, or 2040-2050+). Short term and mid-term needs can aid staff and Town Council in identifying future Capital Improvement Program (CIP) projects that will accommodate future transportation needs. The long-range tiered projects assume full build out of the Town by 2050 or beyond.
The traffic forecast update accounted for future developments, such as Dawson Trails, Brickyard, and Pine Canyon, as well developments in surrounding jurisdictions. The last time the TMP was updated was in 2017. Since the update there has been land use changes within Town and surrounding communities, and the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) has released a new regional travel demand model. This new regional traffic forecasting model was used for the study.
Notification and Outreach Efforts
The Castle Rock Transportation Master Plan Update was a technical study to determine the new traffic forecasts for the Town and surrounding area. It did not include a public outreach element. However, the City of Castle Pines, Town of Parker, and Douglas County were all contacted to collect their growth projections and land uses for communities surrounding Castle Rock.
History of Past Town Council, Boards & Commissions, or Other Discussions
Town Council approved the budget for the Transportation Master Plan Update in the 2023 budget. Since this was a technical study no public outreach was included in the scope of work.
Discussion
The last major update of the Town’s TMP was completed in 2017. Since 2017, the Town has seen a tremendous growth in population and in the number of residences. While not as pronounced, there has also been a significant growth in commercial, retail, and industrial developments. For example, the Promenade development and the Meadows retail areas have mostly built out and new developments have been built in Downtown since 2017. All of this has led to an increase in daily traffic volumes on the Town’s Street network.
Felsburg, Holt, and Ullevig (FHU) was chosen from the Town’s On-call list of consultants to conduct the evaluation and update. FHU was chosen because they performed the last TMP update and can cost effectively update their analysis. They are also approved by DRCOG to utilize the new regional travel demand model and are very familiar with Castle Rock’s transportation system.
Since 2017, the Town has completed significant transportation projects that were identified in the 2017 Transportation Master Plan. These projects have been removed from the updated TMP project list. Among these improvements are:
1. Ridge Road widening
2. Plum Creek Parkway widening
3. 4 Corners intersection (Founders Pkwy/Ridge Rd/5th Street/SH-86) improvements
4. Founders Parkway widening
5. Founders Parkway and Crowfoot Valley Road intersection improvements
The Transportation Master Plan Update focused on reevaluating the street network needs and priorities. The update identified short, mid, and long range transportation projects, and prioritized them based on the projected growth, and land use changes in Town and the surrounding communities. Future land uses were verified with the Town’s Development Services Department and staff from the County, Castle Pines, and Parker. This included updating the proposed development in Pine Canyon with more housing than the 2017.
TMP. Dawson Trails land uses were also updated for less housing, but more jobs than shown in the 2017 TMP. Another development that was added to the new model was the Brickyard development. The growth projections assumed full build out of the Town by 2050 in order to identify all transportation projects that may be needed to accommodate the growth.
While many of the projects identified in the 2017 TMP remain, there are new and updated projects to account for the projected growth. Some of the new and updated projects identified include the following;
1. Plum Creek Parkway corridor improvements between Perry Street and the new Dawson Trails Boulevard intersection, including improvements at the I-25 interchange
2. Blackfeather Trail widening to four lanes
3. Intersection improvements at Front Street and Blackfeather Trail/ Hwy 85 intersection
4. Removed the I-25 interchange in the vicinity of the Blackfeather Trail/ Hwy 85 overpass
5. Addition of several new development driven collector streets
There are also four transportation studies recommended in the Transportation Master Plan Update. These studies include a feasibility study to extend S. Perry Street from S. Wilcox Street under I-25 to Dawson Trails Boulevard, and a long-term interchange study for reconfiguration of the I-25 and Plum Creek Parkway interchange.
Town staff will utilize this update to assist with recommending budget priorities each year. While the priorities developed within this updated plan are focused on operations and capacity, staff will also base recommendations on impact to the community and revenue forecasts.
Schedule
Council is scheduled to hear the item at the May 20 Town Council meeting.
Budget Impact
The Plan project was budgeted for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) with account number 120-3120-431.30-70. The overall amount to complete the task order was $158,225. Project completion was in October 2024.
In coordination with the Public Works Engineering Division, updated project planning cost estimates were developed. Public Works staff will continue to update these program estimates based on inflationary changes.
Staff Recommendation
Staff recommends that the Public Works Commission recommends Town Council approve the Transportation Master Plan Update.
Proposed Motion
“I move that the Public Works Commission recommend that Town Council approve the attached Resolution as introduced by title.”
Alternative motions:
“I move to recommend that Town Council approve the attached Resolution as introduced by title, with the following conditions: (list conditions)”
“I move to continue this item to the Public Works Commission meeting on (date) to allow additional time to (list information needed)”
Attachments
Attachment A: TMP Traffic Forecast Update
Attachment B: TMP Traffic Forecast Update Project List