1. OVERVIEW
2040 in the Gibsonton area is anticipated to result in moderate changes in population and employment density. The increased residential growth will occur along the US 301 corridor, generally within the area between I-75, Gibsonton Drive, Symmes Road, and Balm Riverview Road. Increased residential growth is also expected in the area between Symmes Road and Nundy Avenue and I-75 and US 41. However, the population density is expected to remain low, as the entire study area remains under 10 persons per acre. Increased employment density is anticipated to be limited, primarily occurring north of Riverview Drive along the western side of US 301. The major north-south arterials within the study area are US 41 and US 301, while the only major east-west arterial is Gibsonton Drive. These three roadways carry the majority of traffic within and through the study area, and the majority of crashes and congestion are concentrated at intersections along these corridors. Due to the limited secondary roadway network, vehicles are unable to adequately disperse through the network, favoring the high capacity major arterials over low capacity collectors and local roads. 1.3 Modeling Methods & Results Using Aimsun traffic analysis software, the project team developed a series of traffic models for the study area. An initial model, called the Existing plus Committed (E+C) Model was developed to show roadway conditions and operations adjusted to account for committed and funded projects. This model provided a starting point for understanding network performance characteristics, defining potential improvement alternatives, and completing comparisons between the various sets of improvement alternatives. The E+C Model run resulted in the identification of several important issues and deficiencies, including bottleneck locations with particularly high volume-to-capacity ratios and high intersection delays. During the AM peak period, high volumes of vehicles attempt to traverse the
1.1 Purpose of Study The Gibsonton Area Network Analysis Study is a high-level transportation network analysis undertaken by Hillsborough County to identify and assess potential improvements within the Gibsonton area. The study team tested various combinations of roadway capacity and intersection improvements to see which has the potential to improve transportation network deficiencies in the greater Gibsonton area. The network approach to this study is different from other corridor or intersection specific studies, in that the performance of improvements or alternative sets was evaluated for a larger study area. Some longer term projects were also considered, but the focus of this study is on evaluating the network-wide impacts or benefits of shorter-term projects. As shown in Figure 1, the study area included corridors and intersections extending from the area around US 41 to the west, Riverview Drive to the north, US 301 to the east, and Symmes Road to the south. As shown in Figure 2, the model developed for this study builds upon the model that was created for the Alternatives to Lithia-Pinecrest RoadWidening Traffic Analysis Study that was completed in early 2020. During the study, the effectiveness of potential combinations of improvements within the study area to address deficiencies was compared against each other and the existing conditions. The comparative analysis resulted in the identification of improvement projects that could advance into more detailed phases of engineering and design. 1.2 Context Summary Existing population and employment densities within the study area are low, with the majority of the TAZs having less than five residents or employees per acre. Based on the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Model (TBRPM v8.2) socio-economic data projections, growth between 2020 and
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