{"id":6127,"date":"2019-05-06t14:22:32","date_gmt":"2019-05-06t19:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"\/\/www.dicovercards.com\/?post_type=snyder-projects&p=6127"},"modified":"2022-05-04t11:16:32","modified_gmt":"2022-05-04t16:16:32","slug":"highway-expansion-drives-development-corridor-study","status":"publish","type":"snyder-projects","link":"\/\/www.dicovercards.com\/projects\/highway-expansion-drives-development-corridor-study\/","title":{"rendered":"highway expansion drives development: a quarter century of progress"},"content":{"rendered":"

highway widening project for the iowa dot: corridor study leads to improved mobility & reduced traffic congestion<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

beginning in the mid-1990\u2019s, the 12-mile section of us highway 6 extending from interstate 35\/80 to adel was reconstructed from a two-lane highway to a four-lane divided highway. the plan included an urban section from i-35\/80 through the city limits of waukee<\/a>, transitioning to a rural expressway from waukee to adel. a team of snyder & associates transportation engineers designed the new highway which represented our firm\u2019s first major roadway design project<\/a> for the iowa department of transportation (dot).<\/p>\n

construction<\/a> on the widening project was done in several phases and spanned many years, wrapping up in the early 2000s. policymakers were hoping the expanded corridor would help reduce the congested roadway and spur development<\/a> in rural dallas county through improved access and mobility. the project performed beyond all expectations. dallas county quickly became the fastest growing county in iowa and the 5th<\/sup>\u00a0fastest growing county in the nation with a growth rate exceeding 30%.<\/p>\n

\"cars<\/a>

asct systems allow individual signals to communicate with each other to smooth out traffic flow.<\/p><\/div>\n

the initial traffic study<\/a>, which led to the highway widening recommendation, predicted 31,000 vehicles per day would be using the corridor by 2029 based on the trend at the time. however, after the reconstruction project was completed, the residential and commercial growth along the corridor accelerated. a subsequent traffic study conducted by snyder & associates in 2000 determined the original usage prediction would be realized a full decade sooner than expected.<\/p>\n

the initial highway 6 widening project would eventually lead to over 50 additional projects during the next 20 years to help maintain an acceptable level of service (los) benchmark along the corridor. these projects included turn lane additions, traffic signal timing upgrades, traffic studies, and multiple other projects.<\/p>\n

idot \u201ccorridor master plan\u201d adopted by community stakeholders<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n

to help manage access to the highway 6 corridor, in 2003 a corridor master plan<\/a> was agreed to by the iowa dot and the cities of urbandale, clive, and waukee. the goal of this master plan was to provide guidelines that promote safe and efficient traffic flow<\/a> to support economic development. the four main guidelines established in the plan include:<\/p>\n