2. Resolut/MetroCog Trans Plan - Laserfiche WebLink

FUTURE CORRIDOR EXTENSIONS Based on local land use and growth plans, future traffic modeling results and the future functional classification system, a network of future arterial and collector corridors was identified and many were incorporated into the short and long-range lists. The majority of the new roadway corridors will serve growth areas to the south of the metropolitan area. Great effort was made to assure corridor continuity between jurisdictions, Further, the technical analysis completed in Chapter 6 of the Plan was carefully performed to insure that future interjurisdictional corridors had consistent right-of-way, 1anage and programming periods to facilitate implementation. Moreover, a number of valuable corridor preservation techniques, as well as non-traditional methods were presented in Chapter 6 to preserve these key future growth corridors in the interim periods between planning and construction. LOCAL LAND USE PLANNING AND TRANSPORTATION FACILITY COORDINATION A substantial effort was dedicated to the coordination of these two critical and interrelated planning components. Metro COG staff, with the assistance of AT AC, worked directly with each City and County planner to understand and plot planned future growth by land use type, These decisions are clearly reflected in the allocation of future households and jobs by traffic analysis zone. This data, in turn, was incorporated into the calibrated metropolitan traffic forecast model which provided critical traffic volume and flow data for analysis (see Chapter 4 of the Plan). The selection of projects programmed by the Plan was in large measure dependent upon this future forecast information, thus future land use patterns played a fundamental role in the overall Plan's recommendation. FREIGHT MOVEMENT Chapter 3 of the Plan provided a detailed inventory of freight modes, generators and ancillary facilities. In the Fargo-Moorhead area, the dominant freight movement modes are railroads and interstate highways. The program of projects presented in the Plan puts substantial emphasis on interstate improvements, as well as to connecting arterial roadways. Since virtually all major freight generation locations (truck stops, industrial parks, intermodal rail facilities) are served by interstate highway. Additionally, all of the five fright problem areas identified in Chapter 3 will be served by the projects proposed in this Plan. Further, the Plan's projects reflect a number of innovative methods to address major safety and continuity issues arising from the substantial rail network that bisects the metropolitan area. These methods range from rail consolidation to ITS, to quiet zones, to additional grade separations. SAFETY Vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle safety issues were a predominant factor used in evaluation the technical soundness of projects. Seven major high crash corridors were identified as part of the safety analysis completed in Chapter 3. Five of these were in Fargo and two were in Moorhead. Projects programmed in the short-range elements of the Plan, address all or portions of five of Executive Summary - Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Area Transportation Plan Update Fargo-Moorhead Metropolitan Council of Governments June 2004 Page 20