Downtown Traffic Circulation Study Background
In mid 2009, the City of Casa Grande hired a team of consultants led by Wilson & Company to examine traffic issues in Downtown Casa Grande. The Downtown Traffic Circulation Study builds upon the values expressed in the recently adopted Casa Grande General Plan 2020 Update and focuses on improving circulation within and through Downtown Casa Grande. Land use and the associated transportation system help shape the character of a community, particularly within Downtown Casa Grande. Therefore, both must reflect the attributes important to residents. Downtown Casa Grande is an asset that must be maintained as the heart of the community. Creating a circulation system that allows for pedestrian- and transit-oriented development, as well as the ability to efficiently move people and goods to and through Downtown, is critical to ensuring that Downtown Casa Grande is economically
sustainable and a place that attracts residents, visitors and business investment.
The Downtown Traffic Circulation Study will be closely coordinated with current, ongoing redevelopment activities. Working with staff, redevelopment consultants, stakeholders and Downtown business interests, a Downtown Development Vision will be established that links transportation and land use alternatives. Attributes of this concept will be integrated into a travel demand model to produce forecast travel on the Downtown street network for Years 2020 and 2030. The model will assist in developing potential enhancements to the Downtown Vision concept.
Some of the issues that the Study will address include:
• Resolution of the “Five Points” configuration to allow it to operate more effectively;
• Determination of how to accommodate truck traffic to ensure a positive impact on economic development
of the Downtown area, including evaluation of the potential of a Downtown bypass for trucks; - Exploration of improvements to pedestrian movements
- Exploration of parking needs
- Exploration of transit opportunities
- Analysis of safety issues related to the Downtown transportation system, including rail crossings
- Identification of potential opportunities to enhance Downtown travel though construction of gradeseparated rail crossings
- Improvement of street cross-sections and operations
- Analysis of street character from the standpoint of engineering efficiency, Downtown economic sustainability, and aesthetic viewpoint.
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