Studies
City of Harrisonburg - South Main Street (Route 11) Corridor and Intersection of Erickson Avenue & Pear Street
Spring 2019
Est Completion Date
Spring 2020
Locality
Harrisonburg
District
Staunton
Contact
Brad Reed, AICP
540-332-2266
Overview of Study
This study within the City of Harrisonburg will evaluate the operation and safety of South Main Street (Route 11) from Stone Spring Road/Erickson Avenue to Mosby Road, as well as the intersection of Erickson Avenue and Pear Street. South Main Street and Stone Spring Road/Erickson Avenue (aka the Southern Connector) are both important arterial routes that serve as gateways into the City of Harrisonburg.
Traffic demand on Stone Spring Road/Erickson Ave has increased rapidly from about 9,000 vehicles/day before Stone Spring Road was relocated and widened in 2013, to roughly 19,000 vehicles/day in 2018 east of South Main Street and 15,000 vehicles/day west of South Main Street. By comparison, South Main Street carries 23,000 vehicles/day.
Increased traffic has led to observed operational issues at the intersection of South Main Street & Erickson Avenue/Stone Spring Road, which has several major left turning movements, while heightening existing safety concerns on the South Main Street corridor extending to the south. The City of Harrisonburg has also established through a land development traffic study that there may be future operational and safety issues at the intersection of Erickson Avenue and Pear Street as growth continues.
The purpose of this Strategically Targeted and Affordable Roadway Solutions (STARS) project is twofold. First, it will evaluate operational and safety conditions and identify potential short- and long-term improvements for a critical segment of South Main Street from Mosby Road to Stone Spring Road/Erickson Avenue. Second, the study will evaluate and develop a solution to handle anticipated traffic growth at the intersection of Erickson Avenue and Pear Street.
Recommendations to address existing and future issues might include changes such as geometric redesign, access management, lane utilization/repurposing, innovative intersection configurations or enhancement of bus, pedestrian, and bicycle accommodations.
VDOT is serving as the project manager for the study, with ATCS as its consulting partner. The study team is also composed of staff from the City of Harrisonburg, Rockingham County, and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO). Final study recommendations will be considered by the City for advancement through state transportation funding programs.
Study Documents and Displays
Final Study Report & Survey Results (April 2020)
Project Recommendation Summary Sheets (April 2020)
Public Meeting Presentation (February 2020)
Public Meeting Display Boards (February 2020)
Survey Results & Existing Conditions Assessment (from September 2019 study team meeting)
Study Timeline
- The Study kickoff meeting was held June 2019 with supporting traffic data collected in April 2019.
- Public survey released August-September 2019 had over 200 responses and helped study team understand public perspective of existing conditions.
- Study team meeting to discuss public survey results, existing corridor conditions, including a crash analysis, was held September 2019. (see Study Documents above for presentation slides)
- Future conditions and draft corridor improvement alternatives discussed at study team meeting in December 2019. Preferred alternatives selected to carry forward to public input. (see Study Documents above for presentation slides)
- A public open house meeting was held on February 5, 2020 at the Harrisonburg Public Works Department. A online survey was available through February 14, 2020. (see Study Documents above for presentation and display boards shown at meeting)
- The study was completed in April 2020 with a final report that incorporates public survey feedback and offers recommendations to the City for future capital projects to address identified safety and congestion issues.