Page 49 - Florence County, SC Florence County 2032: Connecting Our Past, Defining Our Future

TRANSPORTATION AND engineering and analyses.
MOBILITY FRAMEWORK
FOR ACTION
Key Issues and Considerations
Key issues and considerations related to
transportation were identified through the
Comprehensive Planning process. These essential
items should be addressed as the County’s guiding
principles, goals and strategic action priorities for
the coming years are pursued.
Connections to Manhattan
Currently the US-24 corridor is the primary route
linking Pottawatomie County and the City of
Manhattan. During early engagement discussions
the desire for an additional road connection to
Manhattan from Pottawatomie County (in addition
to US-24, the primary route) came up frequently.
Concerns over existing single route range from
emergency service access and flooding concerns
to traffic congestion alleviation. The US-24 corridor
between Manhattan and Wamego experiences the
highest traffic volumes in the County, with an Annual
Average Daily Traffic count of approximately 26,000
at Heritage Square just before the Blue River (as of
July 2017 KDOT traffic counts).
In 2009, the US-24 Corridor Study contained a series
of potential long-term projects, one of which was
a second connection to Manhattan connecting
Marlatt Road in Manhattan with Junietta Road in
Pottawatomie County. The Study indicated that
the connection would be expected to serve 6,000
vehicles per day (vpd) at its eastern terminus with
US-24 and 12,000 vpd at the western terminus of
Tuttle Creek Blvd.
In 2012, Pottawatomie County completed a
conceptual route study examining six different
options. The study provided conceptual route
layouts, cost estimates for each route, and traffic
42 | Plan Pottawatomie County 2040
The FHMPO developed the region’s first traffic
demand model (TDM) in 2015. The TDM modeled
four scenarios out to 2040: “do-nothing”, Blue River
crossing at Barnes/Dyer Rd, Blue River Crossing at
Marlatt/Junietta Rd, and expansion of US-24 to six
lanes. Of these scenarios, only expansion of US-24
to six lanes was shown to alleviate capacity issues.
Finally, the FHMPO received funding from KDOT
for a Bluetooth Origin and Destination Study to
collect traffic information primarily along US-24
in Pottawatomie County and Tuttle Creek Blvd in
Manhattan. The study found that nine percent of trips
originating at Green Valley Rd and US-24 Highway
are seen at the intersection of Tuttle Creek Blvd and
Marlatt Rd.
Discussions about a potential second route have
been ongoing. Questions regarding cost, final
location, economic impact, and traffic congestion
relief have yet to be fully answered.
Lack of Recreational Transportation Facilities:
Currently there are no official trails or bicycle
connections within the County, with the exception
of trails within existing state recreation areas. The
desire for increasing access to the natural resources
within the County (including existing state recreation
areas and the Big Blue and Kansas Rivers), came
up as a priority for some within the county during
the engagement process. The Green Valley Road
Multi-Use Trail has been awarded federal funding to
provide a safe pedestrian and bicyclist path within
the growing Green Valley area. Other recreational
trail facilities, such as the proposed Wam-Sag-Man
recreational trail, have not come to fruition. Despite
the lack of formal active recreation facilities, the
desire to maintain the natural resources and rural
character of the County is high.
Adopted - August 19, 2019