Comprehensive access planning is key to economic sustainability

Abstract

Paper presented at the 31st Annual Southern African Transport Conference 9-12 July 2012 "Getting Southern Africa to Work", CSIR International Convention Centre, Pretoria, South Africa.

In developing an access management plan it is necessary to investigate the balance between current and future land uses, and existing and planned transportation capacity. Land-uses and transportation networks exist in a demand/supply relationship just like any economic system. The market penetration of the land uses in the area will degrade over time if inappropriate access connections are allowed to undermine the safety and efficiency of the transportation network. An area-wide access management plan was developed by a thorough analysis of future traffic generation and distribution characteristics. A retrofit of the existing arterial highway to a freeway class facility, with one way pair frontage roads, was analyzed and points of interchange and access to this freeway system were identified. Once interchanging and intersecting roadways were identified, queuing analyses were conducted to quantify the required access control “offsets”. Intersection nodes at these offsets were then established to identify where “access” roads could intersect. With a transportation system framework in place, a land use plan was developed. The foundation of an implementation plan was developed to allow for cooperation and coordination between State, Regional, and Local governments. Execution of this plan will provide for improved economic sustainability and public safety.