Studies
Rockingham County – Route 33 Arterial Management Plan Between City of Harrisonburg and Town of Elkton
September 2020
Est Completion Date
June 2022
Contractor
Kimley-Horn
Locality
Rockingham
District
Staunton
Contact
Brad Reed, AICP
540-332-2266
Overview
US-33 serves as the primary east-west corridor in Rockingham County, passing through several designated urban growth areas. With over 550 crashes in the 5-year period from 2015-2019 and carrying up to 26,000 vehicles per day, the ~13-mile section of US-33 between the City of Harrisonburg and the Town of Elkton has been identified by local leaders and VDOT Staunton District as a corridor in need of solutions to improve safety and maintain capacity amid anticipated growth.
The purpose of an Arterial Management Plan is to develop a holistic approach that identifies ways to maintain safe travel conditions and preserve the capacity of the Commonwealth’s arterial highway network without cost-prohibitive large-scale roadway widening and additional traffic signals. This plan will provide local leaders and VDOT with a set of short- to long-term policy and infrastructure recommendations to meet these goals by reimagining the existing corridor and its intersections, and more effectively controlling future access.
Localities involved in the study include Rockingham County, the Town of Elkton, and the City of Harrisonburg. The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO) is also a key stakeholder. VDOT operates and maintains US 33, and has a multidisciplinary team involved in the study effort.
Learn more about VDOT's Arterial Management Plans here.
Study Documents and Resources
Appendix I - Corridor Recommendations
(Appendices A through K will be provided upon request)
Public Input
The first online survey was conducted from February 15, 2021 through March 15, 2021 and received over 2,400 responses. The focus of this survey was to gather opinions on travel experiences within the study area between The City of Harrisonburg and the Town of Elkton. Responses were used to supplement a data-driven analysis of existing conditions and inform recommendations to address identified issues. A summary of responses can be downloaded from the Study Documents and Resources section above.
A second public survey ran through October 22, 2021. This survey gathered feedback on recommendations to improve travel conditions on Route 33 in Rockingham County between Harrisonburg and Elkton. We focused on the 9 intersections with the largest share of public comments from the previous survey and asked you to rate and prioritize the study team's proposed improvements.
A short video summarizing the survey, the study background, and project recommendations is available here. The Draft Corridor Recommendations document linked above provides the full set of recommendations along the corridor. A summary of responses can be downloaded from the Study Documents and Resources section above.
The study team conducted focus group sessions with key stakeholders in November 2021, including: elected officials, county Parks & Recreation staff, school officials, First Responders, the business community, residential development managers, and community advocates.
A public meeting was held on Thursday, February 3, 2022, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Spotswood High School to gather public opinion. The public commented on issues and recommendations identified through study team review and public outreach conducted in 2021. Responses helped inform the final study recommendations that were provided to local government stakeholders.
Study Timeline
- A study kickoff meeting was held with localities, VDOT, and the HRMPO in September 2020
- Traffic and crash data collection and field investigation was performed November-December 2020. Traffic data collected during the COVID-19 pandemic was adjusted based on reference data from before the pandemic.
- An online public survey was conducted from February 15, 2021 through March 15, 2021.
- The study team developed a forecast of future traffic conditions for the year 2040 based on anticipated growth patterns.
- Potential solutions to issues defined through the existing conditions analysis and survey were tested and discussed by the study team. These concepts can be viewed in the ‘Concept Development Meeting’ documents section above.
- The preferred recommendations for the corridor were further developed with sketches, cost estimates, and anticipated benefits to share with the public in a second survey released in Fall 2021. Draft corridor recommendations are shared in the documents section above.
- The study team conducted focus group sessions with key stakeholders in November 2021.
- Next steps: Host public meeting February 3, 2022, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Spotswood High School. Incorporate public comments into the final report, which is expected to be completed in March 2022.
- A public meeting was held on February 3, 2022 at Spotswood High School. Public comments were incorporated into the final report.
- Final report completed June 2022.