Light Rail in Research Park

Huntsville, Decatur, Athens, and the surrounding area is a spread-out area. Having a car is a must to get around. I believe that transit is certainly an option for the Tennessee Valley, but it will take a lot of careful planning as well as a willingness of people to use it for it to take off.

While the perfect transit system would encompass our entire area from Decatur in the west to Chase in the east and all points in between, we have to start small. It would also use different modes of transit: light rail, buses, bike lanes, and multi-use paths.

The starting point for a transit system could come in the form of a light rail system in Research Park. A lot of people frequent the areas surrounding research park for lunch and for other errands:

Figure 1: Research Park in Huntsville and proximity of restaurants and other commercial areas

The Redstone Gateway development is also being constructed south of I-565 around Gate 9 which will contain both offices and restaurants.

As you can see, a lot of the restaurants are concentrated along University Drive (US 72) and there are some along Old Madison Pike east and west of Research Park Blvd. Most of the offices are in between those  concentrations of commercial areas. There are also people coming from the south via Research Park Blvd (which becomes Rideout Rd south of I-565) from Redstone Arsenal to go to these same restaurants as well.

The major routes coming into Research Park are Old Madison Pike which serves the southern end of the park, Bradford Blvd from the east, Enterprise way from the north, Farrow Rd from the west, and Research Park Blvd from the north and south. Wynn Drive serves the eastern edge of the park, and University Drive skirts the north side of Research Park but doesn’t actually enter it.

The roads inside research park lend themselves quite well to light rail due to the fact that there is a median:

Figure 2: Explorer Blvd in Research Park, courtesy of Google Street View

It would be easy to establish a light rail line in the median of the roads in research park. My proposal for light rail routes utilizing the median of the roads would look like this:

Figure 3: Light rail routes utilizing existing median space

Note that the western end of Old Madison Pike is in the planning phase of widening. It will probably include a median. It should be built wide enough to accommodate light rail when the system is built out.

This would be the core of the light rail system in Research Park. Stops can be in the median with pedestrian access from either side. The stops may require the median to be widened so that the station can be fit completely within the median. Intersections of light rail lines would take up room within the intersection of the roadways (such as at Bradford and Explorer Blvd). Light rail train signaling would have to be coordinated with the traffic signals in place for vehicles.

Another option could be to have two light rail lines (one in each direction) built in the car lanes themselves. However, I could see this working less efficiently due to the mixing of cars and trains in the same space.

The light rail line along Old Madison Pike can be extended east inside the center turn lane from Bridge Street east, but this would require the Old Madison Pike bridge over Research Park Blvd to be widened. Even though the light rail line would run in the center turn lane, cars can still use the lane when a train is not coming. Here is an example from Memphis:

Figure 4: Light rail/trolley in center of road in Memphis

Another solution would be to simply close off the center lane and only allow turns from the inside lane from either direction. Putting a station along here would be accomplished by putting the station on the side of the road like a bus stop. When the train stops, people cross the road to get on the train, and a traffic signal could be put at the station to stop traffic in either direction.

This system works well and good, but we need a way to build a light rail line along University Drive. Putting a light rail line in the median would be impractical because it would require pedestrians to cross busy University Drive, and there is also less room to put in a line in the median of University Drive since there is less of a median in which to put it. One option is to put a line directly south of University Drive on dedicated right of way. This may eat up some parking areas along University. Taking the light rail line under Research Park Blvd would be an expensive proposition. It would be best to curve it away from University at the interchange with Research Park Blvd and take it below grade to pass under Research Park Blvd. The light rail line would extend east to Wynn Drive.

Figure 5: Light rail along University Drive west of Research Park Blvd

Note that this system isn’t all of the ideas I have for a transit system for Huntsville. It can be, and should be, built out farther. I have ideas to build light rail or commuter rail along the Norfolk Southern rail line between Decatur and Huntsville as well as the Huntsville-Madison County Rail Authority track that runs parallel to Memorial Pkwy. A better bus system and park and ride lots will also be needed in order to make this successful. I think that this would be a good start, and it is a system that can be used during the day to get from work to lunch.

What's wrong with Cecil Ashburn Drive?

Cecil Ashburn Drive in Huntsville, AL is a major collector road that connects Big Cove, Hampton Cove, and southeastern Madison County with south Huntsville and Redstone Arsenal. It is a heavily travelled artery with an average daily traffic count of 15,700 vehicles per day. This is almost as much traffic as Highway 53 outside of Huntsville city limits handles in northwest Madison County (highest is 18,700 just northwest of Research Park Blvd).

Figure 1: Cecil Ashburn Drive in Huntsville, AL.

This road passes through a gap in Green Mountain. It is one of only four roads that one can use to cross the mountains east of Huntsville. Cecil Ashburn Drive was built in the 1990’s. For a two-lane road, it is not a bad road. It has wide 10 foot paved shoulders that double as bike lanes. Also, between Old Big Cove Rd on the east side of the mountain and Avalon Drive on the west end of the mountain there is basically no roads or driveways along the route, so it is somewhat like a limited-access facility.

Figure 2: Typical section of Cecil Ashburn Drive, courtesy of Google Street View

However, a week ago we were reminded of how dangerous this road can be. Two young women were killed from a head-on collision on this road near Avalon Drive.  The collision was due to one of the vehicles losing control as it came around the curve. This is also a road that is among the first to close in Huntsville when icy or snowy conditions are present. What can be done to make this road safer?

Without looking into extensive accident data for this stretch of road, there are some things that could be done to improve safety. One idea would be to put rumble strips along the road. Usually rumble strips are placed along the shoulder of a freeway so that it makes a very audible noise when you cross over them. It is meant to get your attention if you swerve out of your lane and off the road. Recently, rumble strips have also been placed along two-lane roads and four-lane boulevards for the same reason. In other states, rumble strips have also been placed along the center line of two-lane highways.

For Cecil Ashburn Drive, placing rumble strips along both the shoulder and center line of the road would be a good way to increase safety. This could be done when the road is resurfaced.Rumble strips may interfere with bikes using the road, but this can be mitigated by painting a dedicated bike lane on the right side of the shoulder rumble strip. This has been done along Hal Rogers Parkway in eastern Kentucky, which is a limited-access two-lane road that connects the cities in the mountains of Eastern Kentucky with London, KY and Interstate 75.

Figure 3: Hal Rogers Parkway in Eastern Kentucky, courtesy of Google Street View.

It would help in those cases when the driver accidentally swerves into the opposing lane, but in the case of rainy weather, as was the case last week, a rumble strip may not have prevented this tragedy from occurring.

A more drastic solution would be to place a center divider along the length of the road. Either a double-faced guardrail or even a jersey barrier could be used to deflect oncoming traffic back into their lane if one swerves out of their lane. This would be expensive to do for two reasons. Firstly, a lot of steel and concrete would be required for the barrier itself. Also, since the addition of a solid barrier such as a jersey barrier would require a drainage system to be placed in the centerline to catch water. This would not be a problem if a double-sided guardrail was used since water could just pass underneath the rail.  Another issue with the barrier is that it may also make drivers more nervous about driving on this road. However, the extra nervousness may mean that the driver may be more careful, which may prevent accidents as well.

About six to eight feet in the center of the road would be needed for the jersey barrier and a buffer zone where rumble strips and a yellow line could be placed on either side of the barrier. The existing double yellow line takes up around three feet, so at the most five additional feet would be needed from the shoulders (2.5 feet from each shoulder). This is doable since the road is already has paved shoulders. Also, there won’t be a need for breaks in the barrier except for the parking area for the Certain Tract south of Cecil Ashburn Drive at the top of the mountain. The barrier could start at Donegal Drive on the west side and go east over the mountain to Old Big Cove Rd.

Another proposal would be to widen the road to two lanes in each direction. If this is done, then a center jersey barrier would be needed much more. Maybe the addition of a barrier could happen when the road is widened, but for now rumble strips may do the trick.

Do you have any ideas? What do you think of this proposal? Let me know in the comments!

Everyone have a safe holiday and Merry Christmas!

US 72 East from Epworth Drive to Shields Rd

Introduction

US 72 going east out of Huntsville is a major inlet to the city from the eastern and northeastern parts of Madison County, AL; Jackson County, AL; Lincoln County, TN; and Franklin County, TN and points beyond. It is one of only two four-lane routes that connects the northeastern part of Madison County with downtown Huntsville (the other is Winchester Rd which was recently widened). There has been lots of growth in the northeastern part of Madison County along Winchester Rd, Ryland Pike, and Moores Mill Rd, and a lot of the traffc from that grown eventually uses this segment of US 72 to reach Huntsville.

In addition, US 72, along with I-565 and Alternate US 72, forms a four-lane travel corridor between Memphis and Chattanooga. Some trucks use this route in lieu of using Interstates 24 and 40 through Nashville. Also, many industrial operations are located along Alternate US 72 in Decatur along the Tennessee River. This route also parallels Norfolk Southern’s Memphis to Chattanooga rail line.

A lot of traffic that uses US 72 to cross Chapman Mountain then uses either Moores Mill Rd or Shields Rd to reach the fast-growing northeastern part of Madison County. Combine the commuter traffic from this part of the county with the truck traffic and the mountainous upgrade going westbound on US 72, and there is a lot of congestion along this corridor.

Current Design Concept

Plans are underway by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to construct an interchange at US 72 and Moores Mill Rd and Shields Rd. The basic concept looks very similar to what you would find along Research Park Blvd north of University Drive (US 72) (http://g.co/maps/edmcj) as well as I-565’s interchange with Sparkman Drive and Old Madison Pike (http://g.co/maps/cvjmu):

Figure 1: Research Park Blvd (AL Highway 255) north of University Drive (US 72)

Figure 2: I-565 interchange with Sparkman Drive and Old Madison Pike

Think of it as a hybrid of these two concepts. The ramps will also serve as frontage roads for businesses along the roadway like Research Park Blvd and Memorial Pkwy but the interchange will not be as tight, similar to I-565 and Sparkman Dr/Old Madison Pike.

The interchange with US 72 will start a half mile west of Moores Mill Rd. This is where the ramps will begin. The through portion of US 72 will utilize a bridge to cross over Moores Mill Rd. East of Moores Mill Rd, there will be an additional set of ramps to provide access to and from Shields Rd (a ramp will connect Eastbound US 72 just east of the Moores Mill Rd bridge with the eastbound service road to access Shields Rd, and another ramp will connect the westbound service road with US 72 west just before the Moores Mill Rd bridge). These ramps will provide a “bypass” for traffic originating from Shields Rd to go past the ramps for Moores Mill Rd.

The through portion of US 72 will then pass underneath Shields Rd. The service roads will maintain a similar grade to existing US 72 except for on the westernmost portion. Two U-turn ramps will be provided for service road traffic and businesses at Moores Mill Rd and Shields Rd (westbound to eastbound at Moores Mill Rd; eastbound to westbound at Shields Rd). The mainline portion of US 72 will be located slightly north of the current US 72 alignment. The service roads will be located on either side of the mainline portion of US 72.

Figure 3: Plan for US 72 at Shields Rd from previous Public Meeting in August 2010

Figure 4: Typical cross section of US 72 near Shields Rd from previous Public Meeting in August 2010

My Idea for US 72

Last night was another public meeting on this interchange concept. I had some comments about the design. Most of my comments have to do with the portion of US 72 west of Moores Mill Rd. An added scope item from the past public meeting was the elimination of the at-grade intersection at the top of Chapman Mountain on US 72.

Epworth Drive, if left unaltered, would be an at-grade intersection located between two interchanges along what would otherwise be classified a freeway. That would be a recipe for disaster; however, access to the neighborhoods needs to be maintained that are south of US 72. There are plans by the Huntsville Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) to construct an interchange near the location of where Epworth Drive intersects US 72. It will be a northern extension of High Mountain Rd which will also go north over the mountain to intersect with Chase Rd at Higdon Rd east of Alabama A&M University. However, the design of that interchange is not in the scope of the current design effort.

Figure 5: US 72 at Epworth Drive as of today

Figure 6: Route residents have to take in order to access US 72 west and I-565 west

Below are my ideas for the road that I submitted to the ALDOT. Commentary on these ideas can be found after.

1. Consider the addition of a Type A weaving section between Exit 21 at US 72 West and the new interchange at Moores Mill Rd for both eastbound and westbound traffic on US 72. This will effectively add a third lane going up hill westbound on US 72 which will be helpful for trucks that are using the onramp from Moores Mill Rd. It will also be helpful for trucks that are going uphill on the mainline of US 72.

2. I understand that the design of the mainline of US 72 will provide enough room for an additional third lane through the interchange in case it is needed in the future. In conjunction with comment #1, consider starting a third lane westbound immediately after the bridge over Moores Mill Rd. If this is done, then there may not be as much of a need for the weaving section discussed in comment #1 for westbound traffic. However, a weaving section would be nice going eastbound since a big portion of traffic exits US 72 at Moores Mill Rd currently. The third lane/auxiliary lane could start from the lane that comes from the EB ramp to US 72 from Exit 21, and since it will no longer be used as a right turn onto Epworth Drive, it could simply be extended to where the ramp to Moores Mill Road begins.

3. I like the idea of eliminating the at-grade intersection at Epworth Drive and extending Harris Hill Blvd west to essentially be the south Frontage Road for US 72. However, the access options for the residents that live on High Mountain Road and in the surrounding neighborhoods become limited with the elimination of the at-grade intersection. Residents could either use Harris Hill Blvd east to reach Moores Mill Rd and US 72, or they would have to Epworth Drive south to Isabelle Circle to Roaslie Ridge Drive SE to reach Maysville Rd and US 72. The former option is more direct for High Mountain Rd residents, but for those living along Epworth Drive going into the neighborhood, this creates two problems: having to go through the neighborhood to reach US 72, and increased traffic along neighborhood streets from people trying to access US 72. Something also to keep in mind is that there is a proposed development along Harris Hill Blvd due south of Moores Mill Rd which will generate additional traffic not only at the US 72/Moores Mill Rd intersection, but also along Harris Hill Blvd. A proposed solution to this access problem can be found below. I don't know if this solution would hurt the level of service of the existing interchange at Exit 21, but it is something to consider.

Figure 7: A possible solution to maintain access to US 72 and I-565 west for neighborhoods south of US 72

Commentary:

A weaving section, in the simplest terms, is simply an auxiliary lane that doesn’t end when it merges onto a freeway. It continues to the next exit where it then follows the off-ramp. Examples of weaving sections in Huntsville can be found along I-565 between Jordan Lane and Sparkman Drive and between Old Madison Pike and Research Park Blvd. Usually weaving sections are provided when the distance between two interchanges isn’t that long or if there is a lot of people getting onto the freeway at the first interchange and then exiting at the second interchange. For example, you would use weaving section to get from Research Park Blvd to get to Sparkman Drive. You would stay in the lane that is formed when the ramp merges with I-565, and that lane takes you to the exit for Sparkman Drive without the need to change lanes. A type A weaving section is the simplest one because the lane that is formed from the entrance ramp becomes the lane that drops off at the next exit ramp.

I suggest that weaving sections be placed here for two reasons. The first is that the spacing between the two interchanges is about a mile. Although this is a bit longer than other examples I have seen, the added wrinkle of a hill could make a weaving section more feasible. The second reason is that the added traffic from the proposed Harris Hills development south of US 72 at Moores Mill Rd along with the hill going westbound for trucks going to US 72 west from Moores Mill Rd may justify a weaving section.

I proposed an additional lane going up the hill westbound to accommodate trucks. Even with the improvements trucks are going to be moving slower than usual along mainline US 72. It would also be good to see a truck-climbing lane going east on I-565 before Exit 21, but that is out of the scope of this project.

Even though it will be an added safety benefit to eliminate the at-grade intersection with Epworth Drive, it will make access to US 72 for those residents south of US 72 and east of Maysville Road more difficult. I envision Harris Hills Blvd as a southern frontage road for US 72 on the top of Chapman Mountain, and my proposal agrees with that. It would be a fix until the interchange with High Mountain Road is constructed.

Let me know what you think! If you have any ideas of your own, feel free to submit them!

What I am going to be sharing with you

I figure my first post should be an introductory posts of sorts. I believe that my background and educational experience can help to shed light on some of the transportation issues facing the Tennessee Valley.

My name is Cody Goodman, and I have always had a passion for transportation of all sorts. I loved seeing trains as a kid, and roads just sparked some sort of interest in me from an early age. I wrote for the school newspaper in high school, and many of my articles pertained to roads in Walker County, Alabama. At the time, Appalachian Corridor X, a limited-access highway between Birmingham, AL, and Memphis, TN, was under construction through Walker County. This road is now US 78 and will be designated Interstate 22 once the interchange with I-65 is completed in 2014. I often wrote about the status of the road and what it would take in order to bring it to "interstate standards" in Mississippi (since that is one of the things that has to happen before you see those red, white, and blue signs appear along the highway). Mississippi built their portion of Corridor X earlier than Alabama did, not anticipating that it would be designated an interstate later.

I attended college at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, and I graduated from there with a degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in transportation. As a result, a lot of my coursework involved the planning and design of highways. There wasn't much discussion of transit in these classes, which I think is a shame, but in this region highways are, like it or not, the king of the roost. I also had other general civil engineering courses such as Soil Mechanics, Foundations, Reinforced Concrete Design, and computer-aided design (CAD).

Today I work for Marshall Space Flight Center Facilities Engineering Office in Huntsville, AL. My work there involves managing the construction and renovation of facilities at the center. A lot of my technical focus at this job has more to do with structural and geotechnical disciplines than transportation, but this knowledge can help shed some light into constructability of improvements and upgrades of infrastructure in the Tennessee Valley

As I drive around Huntsville, I notice some areas where the roads could be redesigned and improvements can be made. I know that there plans, both big and small, to address some of these issues. Regardless, I am going to be sharing with you some of my ideas on how to improve transportation on all scales across Huntsville and Northern Alabama. A lot of my ideas have to do with roads; however, I am of the opinion that transit needs to also be considered for Huntsville and the surrounding area. I also have several transit ideas to share with you.

I encourage everyone to share with me ideas that you may have on how to improve transportation in Huntsville. I intend for this blog to start a dialog as to what transportation issues need addressing, how they can be fixed, and how they can be funded. Transportation is vital to all of us, no matter what walk of life you come from. Whether you drive, ride a bike, ride a bus, or take a train, we all need to get from point A to point B.  The infrastructure in place is the fabric that connects all of us, and I hope to have a small part in improving that fabric.

Firstly, when I say Tennessee Valley, I am referring to Northern Alabama and Southern Middle Tennessee.