Introduction

Overview, Introduction, and Getting Started Printable Version

Route 146 (Clifton Park Boulevard) is a major multi-lane arterial in Clifton Park, New York. It serves trips to and from three major shopping centers, a local school district campus, and many commercial and residential areas. Route 146 also connects these areas to Interstate 87 (the Northway) for trips toward Albany and Montreal.

Route 146 is the main street for the town. Shopping centers on either side are the downtown. Route 146 is also a major link between Schenectady on the west and Mechanicville on the east. Exhibit 2-1 shows the section of Route 146 that is the focus of this case study. 

Much vacant land south of intersection C (Maxell Road) is still available for development, as is evident in Exhibit 2-2. As development occurs, traffic impacts will result. Geometric and operational changes will be needed to maintain acceptable operations at roadway intersections. At a minimum, the northbound approach will have to be added at intersection C, but there will be other improvements as well.

We have been tasked with determining what those geometric and operational changes should be. We’re going to do a generic traffic impact analysis (TIA) for this corridor. As is common in TIA’s, we are going to focus on three conditions (the AM peak hour, the PM peak hour, and the peak hour of the generator, with the implicit assumption, at least initially, that the last is one of the former two) for existing and future conditions. Moreover, for the future conditions, we’re going to examine the network’s performance with and without the development.

We are not going to present the entire TIA, just portions of it. We’re going to use the TIA setting as a backdrop against which to illustrate use of the HCM analysis procedures. Consequently, we’re going to focus on specific intersections and conditions to illustrate specific types of analyses and issues.