1. Nixon Road Corridor Study: Findings & Options
November 29, 2016

2. Goals
Safety for all users
Minimize impacts
Efficient traffic flow
… a balancing act

3. Data Collection: Vehicle volumes collected Feb. 23, 2016
Pedestrian and bicycle volumes collected May 24, 2016

4. Data Collection: Pedestrians
Locations
Pedestrians
Peak Volume
(Time)
12-Hr. Volume
Nixon at Dhu Varren / Green 22
(6-7 p.m.)
182
Nixon at Traver 32
(6:30-7:30 p.m.)
152
Nixon at Bluett / Meade 75
(9:45-10:45 a.m.)
476
Nixon at Aurora / Sandalwood 71
(3:45-4:45 p.m.)
365
Nixon at Huron 88
674
Nixon at Plymouth 72
(11:30 a.m. –
12:30 p.m.)
524
Huron at Plymouth 70
(12:30-1:30 p.m.)
355

5. Data Collection: Bicycles On Road
Locations
Bicycles On Road
Peak Volume
(Time)
12-Hr. Volume
Nixon at Dhu Varren / Green 7
(4 -5 p.m.) 32
Nixon at Traver 9
(5-6 p.m.) 46
Nixon at Bluett / Meade
(6:30-7:30 p.m.) 40
Nixon at Aurora / Sandalwood 23
Nixon at Huron 12
(4:45-5:45 p.m.) 29
Nixon at Plymouth 5
(4:30-5:30 p.m.) 26
Huron at Plymouth
(1:30-2:30 p.m.) 21

6. Data Collection: Bicycles Using Sidewalks
Locations
Bicycles In Crossings
Peak Volume
(Time)
12-Hr. Volume
Nixon at Dhu Varren / Green 11
(6-7 p.m.) 43
Nixon at Traver 9
(5:45-6:45 p.m.) 36
Nixon at Bluett / Meade 16
(5:30-6:30 p.m.) 67
Nixon at Aurora / Sandalwood 10
(3:15-4:15 p.m.) 47
Nixon at Huron 21
(6:30-7:30 p.m.)
149
Nixon at Plymouth 23
115
Huron at Plymouth 24
154

7. Data Collection: Motor Vehicles
A.M. Peak EB WB NB SB L T R
Nixon at Barclays - 93 7 81 19 2
306
Nixon at Dhu Varren/Green 13
149
148 87 62 26 59 61 47
131
256 12
Nixon at Haverhill 15 3
164 1
491
Nixon at Traver 46
130
125
176
435 83
Nixon at Clague 33 72
221 73
470
Nixon at Meade/Bluett 16
112 23
273 40
477
Nixon at Sandalwood/Aurora 30 22
303 17 10
608
Nixon at Huron Pkwy 6 69 29 24 48
222
119
285
343
Nixon at Plymouth
610
104 44
654 88 9 5 78
157
Huron Pkwy at Plymouth
572
132
359
730
108
145
185
152
118
289 14

8. Data Collection: Motor Vehicles
Vehicle volumes were adjusted to reflect:
Nixon Farms (North & South)
Woodbury Club
North Sky
Barton Green
Brewer
WATS Annual Growth Projections
(Forecast Year 2036)

9. Community Values Ann Arbor Master Plan:
Land Use Element, 2009
Transportation Plan, 2009
Non-motorized Plan, 2013
Ann Arbor Sustainability Framework, 2013
The Connector Alternatives Analysis, February 2016
Previous Public Meetings re: Nixon Rd

10. Evaluation Methodology: Non-Motorized
Used Florida Multimodal Quality/Level of Service (Q/LOS) Handbook
Focuses on the users’ perceptions of the roadway or nearby roadside attributes when determining pedestrian and bicycle LOS.

11. Evaluation Methodology: Non-Motorized
Pedestrian LOS is based on four variables with relative importance ordered in the following list:
Existence of a sidewalk
Lateral separation of pedestrians from motorized vehicles
Motorized vehicle volumes
Motorized vehicle speeds

12. Evaluation Methodology: Non-Motorized
Bicycle LOS is based on seven variables with the following relative importance:
Presence of a bike lane or paved shoulder
Average effective width of the outside through lane
Motorized vehicle volumes
Motorized vehicle speeds
Heavy vehicle (truck) volumes
Pavement condition
Presence and amount of on-street parking

13. Non-Motorist Attributes and Q/LOS
Barclay Dr. to Dhu Varren / Green Rds. SB NB
Peak Directional Volume (vph)
399 (a.m.)
433 (p.m.)
Heavy Vehicle Percent
< 1%
Bike Lane Average Width (ft) 4’ 5’
Sidewalk Average Width (ft)
N/A 8’
Avg. Lateral Separation Sidewalk to Traveled Way
21’
Bicycle LOS & Score
D (3.74)
D (3.71)
Pedestrian LOS & Score
C (3.42)
C (2.99)

14. Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvement Options
Pedestrian Improvements (in ranked order):
Sidewalk on west side between US-23 / M-14 and Traver Blvd (frontage of Nixon Farms to be done by developer).
Add mid-block ped crossings, various locations.
Relocate portions of sidewalk east side between Clague and Westbury to increase separation from roadway.

15. Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvement Options
Bicycle Improvements:
Widen Nixon between Huron and Bluett to add on-street bike lanes (5’ to face of curb).
When more extensive corridor roadway improvements are made, provide buffered bike lanes throughout corridor (5’ lane to face of curb + 4’ flush buffer from vehicle lane).

16. Pedestrian & Bicycle Improvement Options

17. Evaluation Methodology: Motorized
Based on Highway Capacity Manual (HCM), using VISSIM TM microsimulation software.
Focuses on average vehicle delay resulting from intersection controls, traffic volumes and capacity of roadway.

18. Evaluation Methodology: Motorized
Level Of Service Criteria For Unsignalized Intersections
LEVEL OF SERVICE
AVG. DELAY/ VEH. (seconds)
DESCRIPTION A
< = 10
Little or no delay, very low main street traffic B
> 10 to 20
Short traffic delays, many acceptable gaps C
> 20 to 25
Average traffic delays, frequent gaps still occur D
> 25 to 35
Longer traffic delays, limited number of acceptable gaps E
> 35 to 50
Very long traffic delays, very small number of acceptable gaps F
> 50
Extreme traffic delays, virtually no acceptable gaps in traffic
Goal

19. Roadway Improvement Options
Based on 2036 horizon year forecasts, only need one travel lane in each direction.
This eliminates all multi-lane options (i.e. 4-lanes, 5-lanes, 4-lane boulevards) from consideration.

20. Roadway Improvement Options
Initial alternative is Do Nothing!
Preserves 2-lane and 3-lane mix in corridor.
No capital costs.
Does not address safety or mobility for bikes and pedestrians
Does not address safety and access for side streets due to poor sight distance and lack of adequate gaps during a.m. peak period.

21. Roadway Improvement Options
Second alternative is Minor Work
Fill sidewalk gaps and add mid-block pedestrian crossings.
Add on-street bike lanes from Huron to Bluett
Fix intersection sight distance problem for poor crest vertical curve between Westbury and Argonne.
Otherwise preserves 2-lane and 3-lane mix in corridor.
Does not address access for side streets due to lack of adequate gaps during a.m. peak period.

22. Roadway Improvement Options
Next alternative considered is Continuous 3-lane Section
Enough change to add buffered bike lanes.
Requires relocation of portions of existing sidewalk to create / maintain green belt separation from curb.
Improves but does not fully address resident concerns of accessing Nixon Rd in a.m. peak periods for east side local streets.

23. Roadway Improvement Options Continuous 3-Lane

24. Roadway Improvement Options
Fourth alternative considered is String of Roundabouts at Key Intersections
Enough change to add buffered bike lanes.
For segments between roundabouts, same outside curb placement (footprint) as 3-lane.
Only alternative that fully addresses resident access concerns.

25. Roadway Improvement Options String of Roundabouts

26. Roadway Improvement Options String of Roundabouts

27. Nixon Road Corridor Study: Findings & Options
Any ?