INDEX
Page
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
2
EXISTING CONDITIONS
...........
4
Existing Right-of-Way/Easements
4
Geotechnical
Investigation
5
Utilities
..
6
PRELIMINARY DESIGN
9
Traffic
Analysis
..
9
Pavement
Design
12
Typical
Sections
..
14
Traffic
Signal Analysis
. 17
Storm
Sewer Analysis
..
18
OPTION 1 REMOVE & REPLACE EXISTING
PAVEMENT
20
OPTION 2 PREFERRED PROFILE ALIGNMENT (10%
GRADE)
22
OPTION 3 PREFERRED PROFILE ALIGNMENT (8%
GRADE)
..
25
OPTION 4 PARTIAL PREFERRED PROFILE (10%
GRADE)
28
CONSTRUCTION ISSUES
.
31
Construction
Sequencing
..
31
Construction
Schedule Issues
.. 33
RECOMMENDATION
34
FIGURES
Figure
A Existing Conditions Plan View
Figure
B Proposed Lane Configurations
Figure C
Typical Sections
Figure
D Proposed
Plan Sheets
Figure
E Option 1 Plan & Profile
Figure
F Option 2 Plan & Profile
Figure
F-1 Option 2
Cross Sections
Figure
G Option
3 Plan & Profile
Figure
G-1 Option 3 Cross
Sections
Figure
H Option
4 Plan & Profile
Figure
J Construction Sequencing Plan
APPENDICES
Pavement Design Memorandum
Geotechnical Report
Public Information Meeting
Utilities Contact
Information
Project Pictures
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Bartlett
& West Engineers was selected in May 2004 by the City of Lawrence to provide surveying and engineering
services for the design of Kasold Drive from 15th Street to Clinton Parkway. As a part of these
services, a preliminary study report was completed to review several options
for completing the project. This report highlights four of the many options
that were considered.
Kasold Drive is an arterial street in west Lawrence that carries approximately
20,000 vehicles per day. The future traffic projections indicate that
there will be 31,000 vehicles per day in 2025. The existing roadway is
generally a four lane divided section, which includes a grass median. The
right-of-way along the route is minimal in most areas for an arterial
classification. In addition, sidewalks do no exist on either side of the
road for most of the route. The route is surrounded by mostly residential
properties, except for the commercial areas that exist at both ends of the
project near 15th Street and Clinton Parkway.
This
stretch of Kasold Drive is characterized by several
hilly areas where the vertical curves along the road are short and
choppy. The vertical curves are substandard to todays engineering
criteria, and they create sight distance hazards in most locations along the
route. In addition, an 11.2% street profile exists along Kasold Drive just north of Augusta Drive, which exceeds generally
accepted criteria for arterial streets. The existing pavement is
seriously deteriorating, and the City maintenance crews are constantly working to
patch pavement areas in most locations along this stretch of Kasold Drive. Furthermore, the openings
in the grass median to provide left turn movements do not provide refuge areas
wide enough to protect vehicles trying to turn and get out of the way of
through traffic. It is also common to see traffic stacking up beyond the
provided turn lanes at the signalized intersections, especially for southbound
vehicles turning from Kasold Drive onto eastbound Clinton Parkway. The bottom line is that
there are a lot of obstacles along this roadway that create frequent
opportunities for accidents, and this condition will only get worse as the
traffic volumes continue to grow.
This
stretch of Kasold Drive is surrounded by
utilities. Westar Energy has an overhead main transmission and
distribution line adjacent to the roadway from the south end to the north
end. Aquila, SBC, and Sunflower Broadband all
have facilities along the road, mostly on the west side to serve the Alvamar
Estates area. Finally, the City of Lawrence has an above ground water tank
at approximately 19th Street and Kasold Drive. In addition, the City has a 12 water main from 15th Street to Clinton Parkway, mostly under the existing
pavement and median. The City also has a 6 line in the median from the
water tower sight south to Augusta Drive. The relocation of the
utilities will be an important part to the overall success of this
project. The utilities will need to be coordinated early in the design
process to ensure that their facilities are appropriately relocated prior to
the commencement of the road construction.
The
preliminary design elements of this study have led to several
conclusions. First, vehicles turning left along Kasold should have a
dedicated left turn lane allowing the driver to move their vehicle out of the
flow of traffic. Therefore, the grass medians should be removed in favor
of left turn lanes for even the residential street locations.
Furthermore, the traffic analysis indicates that geometric improvements need to
be made at Kasolds intersections with 15th Street and Clinton Parkway. A right turn only lane
needs to be added for northbound traffic approaching 15th Street, and dual left turn lanes and a
right turn only lane are necessary for southbound traffic approaching Clinton Parkway. Second, one of the
biggest issues with Kasold Drive today is the condition of the
pavement. The City of Lawrence has changed its standard
pavement section dramatically since Kasold was originally constructed.
The existing pavement was placed on compacted soil. The proposed pavement
section will consist of either 12 of asphaltic or 10 of concrete pavement,
both laid on a 4 drainable base, which is placed on 9 of treated
subgrade. To further protect the section from deterioration due to
moisture, edge drains will be used along each edge of the pavement. If
the asphaltic pavement option is selected, then Bartlett & West recommends
using concrete pavement between 15th Street and Seminole Drive and between Augusta Drive and Clinton Parkway to protect the project from
pavement issues that are common around Lawrence at intersection locations with
significant stopping and starting and turning movements. Finally,
pedestrian access is a key element of this project. The City of Lawrence prides itself on its facilities for
pedestrians and cyclists. However, this section of Kasold presently does
not have a sidewalk on either side along most of the route. All but one
of the options presented in this study provide for a 10 wide recreation path
along the west side of the new roadway. This recreation path will connect
the recreation paths along Clinton Parkway and Kasold Drive south of Clinton Parkway to the sidewalks along 15th Street and Kasold Drive north of 15th Street. These connections will
help the City of Lawrence to continue to upgrade the
access it provides its citizens and visitors.
Four
options are presented in this study. The first option is to remove and
replace the existing pavement, which will minimize the overall construction
costs while still improving the driving surface. The disadvantages
heavily outweigh the benefits to this option. The second, third, and
fourth options are all based on a new street profile that will improve the road
for the traveling public and pedestrians. The second option is a complete
road reconstruction with a new recreation path on the west side. The
grades are largely improved and the benefits of this option certainly outweigh
the disadvantages. The third option is almost identical to the second
option except for that the street profile north of Augusta Drive is slightly flatter.
Generally, a flatter slope would be attractive, however this leads to many
problems in this area of the project. Significantly more retaining wall
will be required due to the flatter profile. These additional retaining
walls will have a negative affect on sight distances for residents trying to
get out of their homes on the east side of Kasold Drive. The benefits
still outweigh the negatives on this third option. Finally, the fourth
option considers using the second options profile, but reducing the project
limits to 15th Street to West 22nd Street. Like the first option,
this is being considered to reduce construction costs. This option has
all the benefits of the second option, except that the intersection and street
grade improvements near the Clinton Parkway intersection are not
completed. These intersection improvements are critical to the overall
success of the project. Therefore, the fourth option is less desirable
than the second or third option.
A key
element to this study is the construction sequencing and schedule. It is
desirable to have the project complete by the end of 2005 and our sequencing
plan is based on this premise. The proposed sequencing plan will close Kasold Drive for a 10-14 week timeframe to
reconstruct the north leg of the intersection of Kasold Drive and Clinton Parkway and the south leg of the
intersection of Kasold Drive and 15th Street. After these intersections
are reconstructed, the remaining portion of the project will be constructed one
half at a time. This will allow traffic to be carried through
construction for the majority of the project. The schedule of the project
will be largely impacted by the relocation of utilities. The utility
companies will have to be a part of the planning process from the very
beginning of the final design phase. The more time they have to react and
relocate the better the likelihood is that the project will be complete by the
end of 2005. Overall, the completion date is a very aggressive timeframe,
but can be accomplished if the utilities are allowed to get started soon and
the weather cooperates throughout the year. Any delay in the relocation
of the utilities may result in the inability to complete the project in 2005.
Finally,
the recommendation portion of the study provides a couple tools to manage all
the pieces of this complex project. There are several individual
questions that have been asked along the way, including which pavement type to
use, the number of lanes necessary, etc. The matrix provided in the
recommendation section assists with trying to consider all factors of the
project and weighting them to provide an overall score. The
recommendation section concludes with the recommendation to proceed with the
second option presented in the study. While the second option is not the
cheapest option, it is also not the most expensive. In addition, the
second option provides the most common sense approach to balancing all the
wants and needs of the project into a manageable and sensible solution.
EXISTING CONDITIONS
Kasold Drive between 15th Street and Clinton Parkway is a four lane arterial roadway
that presently carries about 20,000 vehicles per day. Traffic projections
indicate that there will be 30,000 vehicles per day in the year 2025.
This portion of Kasold Drive was constructed in the early
1970s.
The
existing roadway can be characterized as a four lane road section with a
divided grass median throughout most of the project. There are median
openings at all of the side roads to allow for access into local residential
and commercial areas. Left turn only lanes are provided only at the
signalized intersections, but not at any of the unsignalized intersections, other
than West 22nd Street.
This
section of Kasold Drive is surrounded by three types of
land uses. First, there are residential properties along both sides of
the route. More specifically, residential uses are prevalent between West
22nd Street and Seminole Drive on the west side and between West 22nd
Terrace and just north of Scioto Drive on the east side. For the most
part, this is mostly single family housing, other than a few duplex units on
the west side near Seminole Drive and the Quail Creek Apartment complex between
Augusta and West 22nd Street on the west side. Second,
commercial areas exist at each end of the project. At Clinton Parkway, the Hy-Vee Shopping Center exists at the northwest corner
of Clinton Parkway and Kasold Drive. The Hy-Vee shopping
extends from Clinton Parkway to West 22nd Street. The shopping center
includes the grocery store, a bank, a restaurant, and an associated strip
center with a variety of retail stores. At the southwest corner of 15th Street and Kasold Drive, there are offices in place,
included a Coldwell Banker Real Estate Office and another office building.
Finally, the third entity is the ground owned by the KU Endowment
Association. Presently, this is undeveloped ground that is located on the
east side of Kasold Drive between 15th Street to a point just north of Scioto Drive.
This
stretch of roadway is one mile in length and there are six side roads and
twelve individual properties that have direct access to Kasold. The
following table shows the details for each of the side roads that intersect
Kasold throughout the project length.

Existing
Right-of-Way/Easements
The
original Kasold Drive road record was dedicated in
1904. Since that time, additional right-of-way has been acquired at
different times throughout the life of Kasold Drive. Presently, the existing
right-of-way varies throughout the project limits.
Beginning at the south end of the
project, the right-of-way varies drastically between Clinton Parkway and West 22nd Street. At Clinton Parkway, the right-of-way is approximately
192.5 in width. The right-of-way varies to a point just north of West 22nd Street, where the right-of-way becomes
50 each side of the section line, which is coincidental with the centerline of
the roadway.
The
right-of-way line on the west side remains at 50 from the section line
(centerline) from West 22nd Street to Scioto Drive. On the east side of
Kasold Drive, the right-of-way line is 50 in width between West 22nd
Street and a point approximately 300 north of West 22nd Street, at
which point the right-of-way line becomes 35 on the east side. The
right-of-way line on the east side remains 35 to a point about 100 south of Scioto Drive, except for one location.
The right-of-way in front of the Kincaid Addition is actually 60 from the section
line (centerline) due to a more recent plat.
The
right-of-way on the east side remains at 50 from a point about 100 south of
Scioto Drive to the intersection of 15th Street & Kasold Drive,
except in one area. The right-of-way on the east side of the Stoneland Court Subdivision, just north of
the City water tower, is 35. On
the west side of Kasold Drive, the right-of-way line is 90
feet from the section line (centerline) from Scioto Drive to Seminole Drive. The extra right-of-way
width to the west is there to accommodate the frontage road that exists along Kasold Drive from Scioto Drive to Seminole Drive.
As
mentioned in the previous paragraph, the right-of-way on the east side remains
at 50 from Seminole Drive to the intersection of 15th Street &
Kasold Drive. In addition, the same 50 wide right-of-way exists on the
west side of Kasold from Seminole Drive to 15th Street.
Utility easements exist along
certain portions of the route, many of which are aligned in an east-west
orientation, so they intersect the existing right-of-way at one location.
There are a few easements that parallel the existing right-of-way. First,
a 15 utility/pedestrian easement exists on the west side of the Kasold Drive right-of-way between West 22nd Street and Augusta Drive. Second, a 7.5 utility
easement parallels the west edge of the Kasold Drive right-of-way between Augusta Drive and Scioto Drive.
Further
detail showing the existing right-of-way and easements is shown on Figure A,
which shows the existing plan view of the project.
Geotechnical Investigation
GeoSystems/Kleinfelder,
Inc. was hired to drill borings at 14 different locations along the existing
route. The borings were drilled to a maximum of 11 in depth or auger
refusal, whichever occurred first. Auger refusal generally indicates that
unweathered rock is present.
Generally
speaking, the project can be broken into two parts when considering the
findings of the borings. First, the north half of the project, north of
Scioto Drive, contained rock at elevations approximately 5.5 to 6 deep in all
locations. The materials found were pavement on top of red-brown fat
clays, which all lies on top of limestone rock formations. The limestone
prevented the borings from reaching the maximum depth of 11. Second, all
borings taken on the portion of the project south of Scioto Drive were taken to the 11 maximum
depth. Much of the material found along the south half of the project
included highly weathered shale that is characterized as soft to moderately
hard. GeoSystems indicated that this material should be able to be
excavated using traditional excavation techniques without the need for
hammering or blasting. In addition, some areas of the south portion of
the project were described as fat clays.
Somewhat
surprisingly, no ground water was found in any of the borings during a time of
2004 that was pretty wet. The City of Lawrence and adjacent residents both have
witnessed ground water in this area. Some residents have even indicated
that springs exist in the area of the project. While no ground water was
found at the boring locations, the project pavement section will provide a
subsurface drainage system to handle seasonal ground water.
The 14
borings are shown on the plan and profile sheets. In addition, a full
copy of the geotechnical report can be found in the appendices.
Utilities
Power, telephone, cable
television, gas, and water lines exist along much of Kasold Drive between 15th Street and Clinton Parkway. The one main utility that
is not located next to this stretch of the roadway is sanitary sewer.
Bartlett & West Engineers located the utilities as marked by Kansas One Call and the City of Lawrence Department of
Utilities locator services and this information is provided on the plan and
profile sheets presented in this report.
Each
utility company was sent a set of drawings that showed the existing surveyed location
for their surface and underground infrastructure. Bartlett & West
asked each utility to review the drawings and provide feedback concerning their
present locations. A list of utility contacts is included in the
appendices. Pertinent information regarding each individual utility is
discussed in more detail below.
Westar
Energy
Westar
Energy is prominent along Kasold Drive. There are main
transmission and distribution lines located on overhead power poles and
distribution lines located underground along parts of the route. Westar
also provides street lighting on overhead power lines located in the grass
median throughout much of the route.
The
power poles and overhead power lines that carry transmission and distribution
lines exist along the east side of the project from Clinton Parkway to a point just north of Tam OShanter Drive. The poles and lines then
cross over the roadway and remain on the west side of Kasold Drive from north of Tam OShanter Drive to 15th Street. This facility is of utmost
concern due to the costs involved to relocate the poles and lines.
Bartlett
& West, Westar Energy, and the City of Lawrence have met regarding the existing
power facilities. The intent of the proposed project is to allow the
overhead power lines to remain as they exist for as much of the route as
possible. Westar has agreed that they will provide clearances from the
existing ground line to the sag points of the overhead lines for any areas of
concern once the final profile is accepted. There will most likely be
between two and four poles that will have to be relocated to accommodate the
new road section.
The
overhead transmission and distribution lines were in place prior to the road right-of-way
being expanded. Therefore, any costs required to rise, lower, or relocate
those facilities will have to be borne by the City of Lawrence as a part of this project.
Aquila
Inc.
Aquila has a 4 gas main that exists
along the entire route. The gas line is a steel line that is well east of
the project limits from Clinton Parkway to West 22nd
Terrace. Just north of west 22nd Terrace, the gas line heads
to the east for 60 +/- and then turns north under the existing Kasold
Drive. The section of gas line between West 22nd Street and Augusta Drive was relocated a few years ago
due to a local development project. This portion of the gas line is PVC. Around Augusta Drive, the gas line becomes steel
again. On the west side of Kasold Drive, the gas line north of Augusta Drive to 15th Street is then located west of the
existing curb and gutter for the remainder of the project.
Bartlett
& West visited with Chuck Hoag of Aquila about the potential relocation of their
facility. Aquila indicated that they need 60 to 90 days to relocate the
facility. Bartlett & West will need to submit the final profile to
them before their engineer can begin design of the new facility.
Sunflower
Broadband
Sunflower
Broadband provides cable television, internet, and telephone service to
customers along this route. Bartlett & West has discussed this
project with Jim Day of Sunflower Broadband. Jim indicated that
Sunflowers facilities are aging in this area, and much of the existing coaxial
cable is buried without a conduit. Therefore, they are welcoming the
opportunity to replace their aging infrastructure with conduit encased cable
lines.
Sunflower has fiber optic lines
in two locations along the project. First, a fiber optic cable exists
along the south side of 15th Street and crosses Kasold Drive. Due to 15th Street being the tie-in location for
the north end of the project, it is considered unlikely that this line would be
negatively impacted. Second, a fiber optic line exists on the east side
of Kasold Drive between West 22nd Terrace and a point about 150
north of West 22nd Street. While it does not appear likely
that this line would need to be relocated, it is too early to determine for
sure if that is the case. Jim indicated that if either of these fiber
optic lines needed to be relocated then additional time would be necessary for
their relocation.
Jim
indicated that the main issue is actual location of their new fiber
lines. Sunflower would entertain the notion of being located in the same
trench as telephone and power. However, they do not want to be near the
gas company. In addition, Jim expressed concern about where they might
need to relocate. Significant grade changes create challenges with
providing a new facility while keeping the existing service available.
Interruption of service is not an option.
Jim felt
that it would take 60 to 90 days to complete the relocation of their
facility. This time frame is dependent on two main items. First,
the weather would add delays to the relocation. In addition, if rock
excavation is encountered then they would experience delays.
Finally,
Sunflower Broadband will be responsible for all relocation costs associated
with this project.
SBC
SBC has facilities along much of the
route, including a fiber optic cable that runs down the middle of the existing
median. Most of their facilities are buried cables along the west side of
Kasold
Drive. SBC has indicated that the fiber optic line that
exists in the median could be taken out of service and rerouted temporarily
during relocation of the existing line.
Bartlett
& West met with Janice Bowers and Fred Laubach to discuss their
facility. Janice and Fred verified the location of their utilities as
shown on the drawings sent to them. In addition, SBC noted a few minor areas that
needed to be updated, which have since been completed by Bartlett & West.
SBC indicated that they will need 6
months from the time that they receive final plans to relocate their facility.
SBC will be responsible for all
relocation costs associated with this project.
City of Lawrence Water
There
are two City of Lawrence waterlines that exist along Kasold Drive between Clinton Parkway and 15th Street. Both lines are
approaching 40 years old.
First,
there is a 12 low pressure line that extends from the north end of the project
to the south end of the project. This line is located under the
northbound lanes from 15th Street to Tam OShanter. The 12
line jogs to the west at Tam OShanter and is located in the existing median
from Tam OShanter to West 22nd. At West 22nd, the
roadway enters two reverse curves, which moves the centerline of the road to
the west.
The 12 waterline continues
directly south, which results in the waterline crossing under the northbound
lanes. Just southeast of the intersection of Kasold Drive and West 22nd
Terrace, the waterline is located east of the existing curb line.
Second, a
6 high pressure line exists in the median from the water tower site, which is
between Scioto Drive and Tam OShanter Drive, to Augusta Drive. The 6 waterline turns to
the west at Augusta Drive to provide service for the
existing residential area west of Kasold Drive.
The City of Lawrence Department of
Utilities has indicated that they would prefer to relocate both of these lines
outside of the new pavement limits. The early indications are that both
lines would be located on the east side of the proposed Kasold Drive section. There will be
limited locations where the waterline will need to remain under pavement for
very short stretches. Both water lines provide services to adjacent
houses. Therefore, the Utilities Department will determine how future
water service will be provided to these homes.
Each
utility agreed that it would be helpful to get all interested parties at a
meeting soon after the final profile is adopted so that discussions can begin
regarding relocation. Bartlett & West would propose holding this
meeting as one of the first items to be taken care of in the final design
phase. Relocating the utilities needs to be completed prior to the
bidding of the project. There is some time available in Phase 1 of the
construction project to allow for final work associated with the utility
relocations.
PRELIMINARY DESIGN
Bartlett
& West provided a traffic analysis for the existing and future traffic
projects. In addition, to the traffic volume analysis, Bartlett &
West reviewed accident data relating to this stretch of Kasold Drive. Based on the traffic
analysis, a proposed lane configuration layout was developed. Finally,
the traffic signals were analyzed to determine present and future needs.
Perhaps
the most critical result of the traffic analysis is the recommendation to close
the access to Kasold Drive at Scioto Drive. This analysis is
discussed with the Traffic Analysis portion of the report below.
Traffic Analysis
The
existing four lane section on Kasold has two through lanes in each direction,
separated by a grass median. The intersections of Kasold with: West 22nd Street, Augusta Drive, Scioto Drive, Tam OShanter Drive, and Seminole Drive are all stop-controlled
intersections. Currently there are median breaks on Kasold at each
intersection. These median breaks do not provide any left turn storage
for vehicles turning off Kasold. The absence of left turn storage increases
accident potential and also slows the through traffic on Kasold, thus reducing
capacity as well.
The City of Lawrence provided A.M. and P.M. peak hour
turning movement counts for each of the side street intersections. These counts
were used to evaluate the need for left-turn storage on Kasold. By
eliminating the existing median, there is an opportunity to provide an
additional turning lane at these intersections and not increase the width of
the roadway. There have been engineering studies by the Federal Highway
Administration, ITE and others on the use of left-turn lanes at unsignalized
intersections. All studies come to the same conclusion; the addition of
the left-turn reduces accidents 30% to 60%. In looking at each of the
side street locations, it is necessary to provide left-turn storage on Kasold.
When
considering the existing geometrics of each side road, the intersection of Scioto Drive and Kasold immediately raises
safety concerns. Scioto Drive currently intersects Kasold at
about a 17% grade. There is also a connecting frontage road very close to
the intersection with Kasold. The existing traffic counts show that there
are a total of four vehicles exiting Scioto Dr. in the morning and evening peak
hours. Augusta Dr. to the south and Tam OShanter
to the north still provide close access points to the neighborhood, so the
closing of Scioto Drive would not provide any major
negative influence on the local traffic using the roadway. Fire
protection and emergency access would still have adequate routes to the
neighborhood. In addition, both the Fire and Police Departments raised no
concerns about the potential closing of Scioto Drive. The combination of low
traffic volumes, poor geometrics, proximity to the adjacent frontage road, and
adequate access by other routes, led us to the recommendation of closing the
direct access between Scioto Drive and Kasold Drive.
If the
direct access from Scioto Drive to Kasold is eliminated, there
would be an opportunity to narrow the roadway section to four lanes between Augusta Dr. and Tam OShanter. This
roadway section would be narrower than existing and provide an opportunity to
minimize impacts to adjacent landowners, while trying to provide the recreation
path adjacent to the proposed roadway. In narrowing the roadway to a four
lane section, left-turn access would not be allowed through the southbound
lanes on Kasold to the homes on the east side of the road. This access will
be blocked by constructing a narrow center island to eliminate left turns in an
area where no center turn lane will be available. Currently, these homes do not have
left turn access due to the existing grass median. This would force a
southbound vehicle to go further south, make a U-turn at the signalized
intersection of West 22nd Terrace & Kasold Drive and then back
north to their residence.
Right
turn lanes for southbound traffic on Kasold at W 22nd Street and W 22nd Terrace
have been added to help maintain through traffic movement on Kasold.
These lanes will be replaced as a part of the project.
Traffic
Signal Analysis
Bartlett
& West received both A.M. and P.M. existing peak hour turning movement
counts from the City for the three signalized intersections along this
project (Clinton Parkway, West 22nd Terrace, and 15th Street). Existing AADT (19,780
vehicles per day) and year 2025 AADT (31,000 vehicles per day) were provided be
the City of Lawrence. A growth factor using the
existing and future traffic volumes was determined to be 2.1%. This
factor was then used to adjust all of the turning movements at the three
intersections to the year 2025. This includes increasing traffic volumes
on Clinton Parkway and 15th Street at the same growth factor.
The existing and future year turning movement volumes are shown below.

Trafficware
Synchro 5, Traffic Signal Coordination Software was used to analyze the signalized
intersections at Clinton Parkway & Kasold Drive, West 22nd
Terrace & Kasold Drive, and 15th Street & Kasold Drive.
Synchro 5 computes the capacity and Level of Service for signalized
intersections in accordance with the procedures of the 2000 Highway Capacity Manual, Chapter 16. Synchro provides
intersection capacity analysis and timing optimization. Synchro
incorporates the SimTraffic traffic simulation model to provide traffic
performance Measures of Effectiveness (MoE) beyond those provided by the HCM. These include average
and maximum queue lengths, which are useful to evaluate turn lane storage
requirements.
A
current Level of Service was determined for each of the signalized
intersections after evaluating the current intersection geometrics and traffic
volumes. Year 2025 traffic projections were then inserted into the model
to obtain a Level of Service of each of the intersections while maintaining the
current roadway geometrics.
The two
main intersections at Clinton Parkway & Kasold and 15th Street & Kasold both currently
operate in the PM peak hour at a Level of Service (LOS) C. In looking at the future
year 2025 scenario, both intersections will have significant delay due to the
increased traffic volume. It was our assumption that this study will look
at improvements to the north leg of Kasold at Clinton and the south leg of
Kasold at 15th Street to help reduce the overall delay. The
improvements identified will be a part of, and planned to work with, several
improvements necessary to improve the operation of the intersections in the
future.
There
were several different intersection improvements that were considered along Kasold Drive.
- At 15th Street, it is necessary to add a
northbound right turn lane on Kasold, as well as lengthening the existing
northbound left turn bay. In order to fully separate northbound
right turn vehicles, a 500 storage length is required, or maximize the
storage available prior to the Seminole Drive intersection.
- At the intersection of Kasold Drive and Clinton Parkway, a southbound right turn
lane was added. Dual left turn lanes were also added.
The
results of the analysis of the existing, future and future with improvements
are shown below. Additional Synchro model output and summaries are
available upon request.

Accident
Analysis
Accident
history was provided by the City for the years 2001-2003. Intersection Collision Diagrams were developed
for each intersection and can be provided upon request.
The un-signalized
T-intersections between 15th Street and Clinton Parkway showed an accident pattern due
to the lack of left turn lanes from Kasold Drive to the side streets.
Bartlett & West is proposing to provide the left turn lanes at all side
roads. This should greatly reduce that accident pattern.
The
intersection at 15th Street and Kasold Drive had a total of 38 accidents in
the three year period. Twenty-six of the 38 accidents were left turning vehicles
colliding with opposing through vehicles. The intersection currently has
protected/permissive left turns in all four directions. The
northbound/southbound left turning movements meet KDOTs warrants for protected
left turn phasing. The intersection also meets the criteria for four or
more accidents in one year, six or more in two years occurring on one
approach. In addition, the intersection also meets the criteria for six
or more accidents in one year and ten or more in two years occurring on both
approaches. The collision diagram for the intersection can be provided
upon request. Eliminating the permissive left turn movements from the
intersection should reduce the number of accidents, but might cause increased
overall delay at the intersection.
The
intersection at Clinton Parkway and Kasold Drive had a total of 42 accidents in
the three year period. Fourteen of these accidents were vehicles turning
left off Kasold Drive to Clinton Parkway colliding with opposing
vehicles. Currently this movement is protected/permissive from Kasold Drive. The installation of dual
left turn lanes on the north leg of Kasold will require the north/south turning
movements to be protected only. East/west left turns off Clinton Parkway are already protected. This
phasing change will reduce the number of accidents at the
intersection.
Although
the improvements to Kasold at 15th Street & Clinton Parkway dont solve the overall
operation problems of the intersections, they should be a part of the overall
solution. The overall solution will need to include intersection
improvements at the other legs of the intersection before the intersection will
be considered to operate at an efficient level.
Traffic
Analysis Recommendations
This
project will take significant steps to increase safety along the Kasold
corridor. Below is a summary of the recommendations based upon the
traffic analysis, accident analysis, and signal analysis.
- Close direct access from Scioto Dr. to Kasold.
- Provide left turn storage on
Kasold to all side roads
- Provide a four lane section
with a narrow median from Augusta to Tam OShanter
- Replace southbound right
turn lanes at W 22nd Street & W 22nd
Terrace.
- Provide a right turn lane
and dual left turn lanes for southbound traffic on Kasold at Clinton Parkway
- Provide a right turn lane
for northbound traffic on Kasold at 15th Street. Left turning phasing
for northbound/southbound left turn movements on Kasold Drive at 15th Street should be changed to
protect only and the signals modified accordingly.
Finally,
Figure B graphically shows the recommendations for the number of lanes at all
locations along Kasold Drive between 15th Street and Clinton Parkway. Specific transitions and
lane limits will be determined during the final design phase of the project.
Pavement Design
As a
part of the study Bartlett & West was responsible for examining rigid and
flexible pavement systems. The purpose of examining the two pavement
systems is for the design and comparison of pavement systems for the
project. The pavement systems are designed for the street in accordance
with the methods described in the American Association of State Highway and
Transportation Officials Guide for Design of Pavement Structures, 1993 edition
(AASHTO Guide). Several issues are involved in the pavement analysis,
most of which are summarized in the following discussion. The pavement
analysis report can be found in its entirety in the Appendices.
Design
Parameters
The AASHTO
Guide pavement design method requires input parameters relative to the pavement
system which describe the traffic loadings that will be imposed on the system,
soil conditions, concrete parameters, pavement design reliability, and pavement
serviceability. The pavement design criteria were taken from the Kansas
Department of Transportation and AASHTO. The analysis period for
the pavement design is 30 years. Listed below are the values used for
these design parameters in this report.
Traffic
Traffic
loadings over the design life of the pavement are expressed as equivalent
18-kip single axle loads (ESAL). This expression is used as a
common unit of measure which allows summation of different axle loads and
configurations from a mixed traffic stream. This means that cars and
trucks can be accounted for based on axles and then summed together.
2025
future traffic volumes, provided by the City of Lawrence, were used in the
analysis. These traffic volumes and distribution are shown in the
pavement analysis report in the Appendices. Assuming a linear
relationship, the traffic volumes are averaged to calculate the daily two-way
traffic volume for the 30 year analysis period. A directional
distribution factor of 60% and a lane distribution factor of 100% are applied
to the daily traffic volume.
Once the
traffic volume is established, the traffic mix must be determined to assess the
weights and axle loadings which will be applied to the pavement system over the
analysis period. Due to the lack of statistical information in the
immediate area of the proposed improvements, average distribution values were
used. These values are based upon similar traffic mixes, as stated in the
Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) study Kansas Truck Weight Survey 1994 and
1992-1994 Combined. Refer to the report in the Appendix for a
complete listing of the traffic distribution. Average axle load
equivalency factors that are also taken from the study to convert the loadings
into ESALS.
Soil Conditions
Site
geotechnical investigations were performed by GeoSystems/Kleinfelder in June
2004. Soil samples were taken from 14 borings extending six to ten feet
below the existing ground surface drilled on the proposed project site.
The
borings were monitored while drilling and after completion for the presence and
level of groundwater. Groundwater was not observed in the borings.
This may have been influenced by the time of year and the low permeability of
the cohesive soils encountered in the borings.
Typically, the subgrade material
is a fat clay material. Most of the soils encountered in the borings will
have a high shrink-swell potential. Based on this typical classification,
we estimate the soil design characteristics to be:
Subgrade Modulus,
k,
= 165 p.c.i.
Modulus of
Elasticity
= 4000 p.s.i.
The
subgrade modulus was adjusted to account for loss of support using AASHTO Guide
methods. A loss of support factor of 0.80 was used for a fly-ash treated
subgrade. The resulting effective modulus of subgrade reaction is 100
p.c.i.
Fly-ash
treatment of the clay subgrade soils will significantly reduce the shrink-swell
potential. The City has had success on recent projects using fly-ash
treated subgrades. Therefore, only fly-ash treated subgrades were looked
at in this report.
Other
Design Parameters
The
characteristics and joint transfer information pertaining to the rigid pavement
system and statistical standard deviation estimates were generally obtained
from recommendations listed in the AASHTO Guide. A reliability factor of
90%, design period of 30 years, and serviceability loss of 2.5 also reflect
values recommended by AASHTO Guide for urban arterials.
Pavement
Systems
As a
part of the pavement design, both rigid and flexible pavement systems were
analyzed. The flexible system is a 2 asphaltic concrete surface course,
10 asphaltic concrete base course, a 4 bound drainable base course on a 9
fly-ash treated subgrade. All told, the flexible pavement system will be
25 thick. The rigid system analyzed includes a full-depth 10 concrete
pavement with a 4 bound drainable base on a 9 fly-ash treated subgrade.
Therefore, the rigid pavement system will be 23 thick.
In
addition to the pavement section, edge drains will be used on both sides of the
roadway to accommodate the proper drainage of subsurface ground water away from
the pavement section.
Regardless
of the pavement system used, the pavement will be