|
Problem 5 - Page 2 of 3 |
ID# C105002 |
Problem 5: U.S. 95 south of Moscow
Problem Definition
The state highway agency would like to evaluate the performance
characteristics of U.S. 95 within the 10-mile stretch of
the highway from Moscow south. Currently, this section of highway operates
at a uniform posted speed of 55 mph (even through the hamlet) and has other
characteristics that suggest it should be classified as a Class I facility.
The analysis methodology described in Chapter 20 of the HCM is therefore
applicable to these existing conditions.
The analysis of
future conditions is not so clear-cut: it is anticipated that the speed
limit within the 1-mile segment that defines the hamlet may be reduced to 35
mph as the hamlet grows and becomes a significant traffic generator.
When this happens, the Chapter 20 methodology of the HCM will no longer be
applicable to the evaluation of overall facility performance
characteristics. Neither are there any other standard and readily-applied
planning-level methods that can be used to estimate the performance
characteristics of the 10-mile section of U.S. 95 in this situation.
Notwithstanding the absence of a standard planning-level analysis procedure,
practical considerations require that the state highway agency have and
employ a defensible procedure for evaluating the performance of this highway
section under both existing and future conditions, allowing it to make plans
and establish capital improvement programs that reasonably rely on the
results of the evaluation process.
