Commuter Assistance Program Strategic Plan
The WPPDC has begun developing a commuter assistance program strategic plan (CAPSP), which will serve as the basis for administering the RIDE Solutions commuter assistance program throughout the West Piedmont Region. Major components of this plan will involve the identification of population segments that would most benefit from the program, areas of the region where service should be targeted, and funding strategies, among others. The main purpose of developing the plan is to allocate limited resources, such as funding, most effectively. Most recently, a steering committee has been formed to assist with the development of this plan, and its first meeting has taken place. The Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), which funds the RIDE Solutions program, has set a due date at the end of 2024 for completion of the CAPSP.
Transportation Analysis Zone (TAZ) Update
The staff of the Danville Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), which the WPPDC staffs, is working with VDOT’s transportation modeling division to update transportation analysis zones (TAZs) within the Danville MPO area – a process that is normally done about every five years. A TAZ is a small geographic unit typically consisting of several “blocks,” as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. TAZs form the basis of the transportation modeling process, which is an analytical process that forecasts the most likely traffic scenarios at given points in the future. Elements of each TAZ that staff must update include population, household data, vehicle estimates, and employment data. New developments in the MPO such as the Caesars casino, the Dan River Falls development (formerly the White Mill), the Southern Virginia Mega Site at Berry Hill, and several new residential developments across the MPO, must all be incorporated into the TAZ update to develop an accurate model. The Danville MPO comprises 164 TAZs in both the City of Danville as well as the adjoining portions of Pittsylvania County. This process is anticipated to be completed in early 2024.
Project Pipeline Studies
There are three “Project Pipeline” studies, initiated by VDOT, that the WPPDC and Danville MPO will be collaborating on, although the WPPDC/MPO partnership role will be primarily advisory. According to VDOT’s Project Pipeline site, “Project Pipeline is a performance-based planning program to identify cost-effective solutions to multimodal transportation needs in Virginia” (Source: https://vaprojectpipeline.org/). Once a study is complete, it can be used as a basis by which to apply for transportation funding. The three project pipeline projects in our region include:
- Tanyard Road (Route 40) from Pell Avenue to School Board Road (Town of Rocky Mount)
The purpose of this study is to identify safety deficiencies and formulate recommendations to improve safety along the 0.75-mile segment of the Route 40 corridor that encompasses a U.S. Route 220 interchange (Source: https://vaprojectpipeline.org/studies/salem/sa-23-09.asp). The study, conducted on behalf of VDOT by Whitman, Requardt, and Associates, is scheduled to be completed in July 2024, in time for Round 6 Smart Scale project grant submissions.
- Central Boulevard (Route 86) from Industrial Avenue to south of Memorial Drive (City of Danville)
The purpose of this study is to identify deficiencies along this corridor and formulate recommendations, particularly in response to needs identified in VTrans – Virginia’s Transportation Plan, which include those pertaining to safety enhancements, bicycle and pedestrian access, transit access, and improvements to pedestrian safety. Additional priorities that have been selected for analysis include Transportation Demand Management (TDM) and on-time rail performance (Amtrak). The study, conducted on behalf of VDOT by Michael Baker International, is anticipated to be completed in time for Round 6 of the Smart Scale grant-funding submission period in August 2024.
- Franklin Turnpike (Route 41) from Orphanage Road to 0.13 miles north of Hunting Hills Road (the City of Danville and Pittsylvania County).
The purpose of this study is to analyze the identified deficiencies along the corridor, the focus of which are safety, public transit access, and bicycle and pedestrian access. The study, conducted on behalf of VDOT by EPR, PC, is anticipated to be completed in time for Round 6 of the Smart Scale grant funding submission period in August 2024. The area of Pittsylvania County in the vicinity of this corridor has a significant potential for future growth, given the available nearby land in conjunction with the present and planned growth in and around Danville.
Safe Streets and Roads for All Action Plan
The Danville Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) successfully competed for a federal grant to fund the development of a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Action Plan.
The purpose of SS4A is to prevent the occurrence of serious injuries and deaths on the nation’s transportation network, employing the Safe Systems Approach. The premise of this approach is safety redundancy, which seeks to prevent crashes, but to minimize impacts when they do occur. (Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A Grant Program). EPR, PC will work with the Danville MPO to develop the Action Plan, which is anticipated to be completed by late summer or early fall of 2024. Following development of the Action Plan, the MPO will be able to apply for a SS4A Implementation grant, which will implement the recommendations advanced in the Action Plan.