Downtown Truck Traffic Study Stakeholders Group Nee How (hello) and Shi-wu How (good afternoon)

Valdosta, Georgia 3 Hours Valdosta, GA MPO Designated 2000 ~120,000 3 Counties MPO Staff of 1 Founded in 1861, town moved to be on Railroad 1hr. North of Intersection of I-75 & I-10 US 84, US 41, Moody AFB CSX and NS Railroads, 2 short lines Within 8 hr. drive of Ports in Savannah, Charleston, Jacksonville, Miami, Tampa, Mobile, New Orleans, etc.

Freight Planning in Valdosta 2009 Freight Study White Paper Series Industry/Economic Development Analysis Local Economic Impact of Freight Rail Commercial Vehicle Crash Analysis Downtown Truck Traffic Study

The Issue Logistics and Distribution Growth of Port Traffic Inland Port 1 hr north Through Traffic I-75 LOS F Rail Lines LOS D or F Truck Detour for construction

The Issue Map ID Roadway Name Truck AADT AADT Truck Percentage Year 1 U.S. 84/West Hill Avenue 714 8,280 9% 2014 2 U.S. 84/East Central Avenue 647 5,950 11% 2013 3 U.S. 84/East Hill Avenue 627 6,180 10% 4 5,660 5 U.S. 84/West Central Avenue 623 7,970 8% 6 603 7,530 7 577 7,860 7% 8 U.S. 41/Patterson Street 524 9,830 5% 9 U.S. 41/Ashley Street 450 12,000 4% 10 438 6,870 6% 11 416 8,180 12 381 9,060 13 285 11,200 3%

Impacts 3 new corporate headquarters in last year, new residential growth New retail, dining New hotel 125 rooms 90% occupancy Not safe for pedestrians/crossing roads Damage to buildings – crashes and vibrations Noise, ambiance for restaurants on sidewalk Inside buildings, noise

The Alternatives

Freight Intensive Industries

Truck Following

Paths from I-75

Paths from IPR

Truck Destinations – Phase 1 50% are through tucks 25% go south of downtown to industrial area

From West Downtown

From East Downtown

Truck Destinations – Phase 2 83% through 22% south

The Alternatives

The Alternatives

Alternative Evaluation Savannah Ave. Truck Friendly Central/Hill Pedestrian Friendly

Alternative Evaluation

Alternative Costs Alternative Construction ROW Engineering Total Cost Savannah Avenue (2 Lanes) $5,150,000 $3,552,000 $412,000 $9,114,000 Savannah Avenue (4 Lanes) $7,799,000 $4,646,400 $624,000 $13,069,400 South of Savannah Avenue $8,762,500 $16,413,091 $701,000 $25,876,591 South Bypass (James Road Route) $28,128,000 $14,103,273 $2,250,000 $44,481,273 South Bypass (St. Augustine Road Route) $17,894,000 $12,357,818 $1,431,520 $31,683,338 Western Perimeter $28,914,000 $2,792,727 $2,313,000 $34,019,727

Savannah Ave. Alternative Pros Cons Greater reduction of trucks Easier Fed/State Approval Little ROW needs Minimal EJ impacts Fast/Easy to Construct Central/Hill become livable streets Impact to commercial properties Noise/vibrations only 1 block away from downtown core Vehicle/Pedestrian Safety More reliant on local governments to fund construction

South of Savannah Ave. Alternative Pros Cons Increases vehicle and pedestrian safety Likely to have a mix of funding partners US 84 removed from downtown Central/Hill become livable streets Does not address 25% of truck traffic (southbound) Creates “wall” to the Southside/EJ Impacts Fed/State Approval Harder Greater ROW needs (railroad concerns) Long time to construct Central/Hill, become local streets

Alternative Strategy Short-term Strategy Long-term Strategy An alternative that can be implemented relatively quickly, at low cost, and offer immediate relief to downtown businesses and residents Savannah Avenue alternatives Long-term Strategy An alternative that requires a greater investment of time and financial resources, but may complement other regional goals and be more sustainable New alignments (South of Savannah or South Bypass) Hybrid Strategy Implement a short-term fix while pursuing a longer-term solution

The Alternatives

What’s Next Business Involvement and Input Local government input Choose the least dis-liked alternative

Corey Hull, AICP Transportation Director Southern Georgia Regional Commission Valdosta-Lowndes MPO www.sgrc.us