Transportation

Dewkett Engineering maintains a staff devoted in the various areas for transportation engineering. Transportation engineering involves the specialized aspects of transportation planning, traffic impact studies, and traffic engineering - all of which are dependant on the project location, access considerations, the particular issues surrounding area, and the size of the area. Our services have included the planning, study and evaluation of highways and roadways and their relationship to the roadway systems, terminals, and adjacent land to provide safe and efficient movement of vehicles and pedestrians. This can also involve the design, upgrade, and implementation of traffic control devices, such as traffic signals, signs, and pavement markings, and the provision of transportation alternatives and traffic calming solutions.

Traffic Calming is the combination of mainly physical measures that reduce the negative effects of motor vehicle use, alter driver behavior and improve conditions for non-motorized street users.

Traffic calming goals include:

	increasing the quality of life;
	incorporating the preferences and requirements of the people using the area (e.g., working, playing, residing) along the street(s), or at intersection(s);
	creating safe and attractive streets;
	helping to reduce the negative effects of motor vehicles on the environment (e.g., pollution, sprawl); and
	promoting pedestrian, cycle and transit use.1

Traffic calming objectives include:

	achieving slow speeds for motor vehicles,
	reducing collision frequency and severity,
	increasing the safety and the perception of safety for non-motorized users of the street(s),
	reducing the need for police enforcement,
	enhancing the street environment (e.g., street scaping),
	encouraging water infiltration into the ground,
	increasing access for all modes of transportation, and
	reducing cut-through motor vehicle traffic.

Traffic/Transportation assessments as part of multi-disciplinary teams investigating and reporting for Traffic Impact Assessments, Environmental Impact Statements, Social Impact Statements, and Economic Evaluations required for network hierarchy changes, new route studies, and bypass option studies.

Evaluation and design of parking and traffic management schemes associated with new subdivisions, existing residential precincts, hospitals, educational institutions, transport terminals, etc.

Detailed geometric design of off-street parking facilities including parking layouts, ramp designs, parking management systems, signs and markings, etc.

Transportation Planning

Transportation planning involves the initial review of existing plans and analyze the short term and long term needs of the client and develop a course of action tailored to the transportation planning goals relating to private and public, residential, commercial, industrial, and community development projects. We will integrate any federal, state, and local agency requirements into a clients projects, and also provide the client with alternative transportation plans incorporating accessibility, environmental, and budgetary issues - while meeting the goals and objectives of those involved in the project.

Traffic Impact Studies

Traffic studies involve the review of existing data and traffic counts if needed, additional data is collected. A trip generation analysis estimates the project-related traffic volume on the basis of project size and type, and provides daily and peak-hour estimates of traffic impacts.

The level of service analysis identifies the impact of the proposed project on congestion. Dependent on the type of facility and whether an intersection is unsignalized or signalized, a rural road level of service analysis may be performed. The safety analysis, which consists of a statistical accident analysis, sight distance measurements, and an examination of potential safety hazards, is also normally conducted.

These services involve:

	Review of urban development impacts
	Review of other existing conditions
	Trip generation and distribution analysis
	Safety analysis

Traffic Engineering

These studies involve volume, turning movement, and classification counts; parking duration and turnover (both on- and off-street); pedestrian counts; speed distribution; and travel time and delay. Analyses for unsignalized and signalized intersections include signal warrants, timing, and coordination. Detailed designs indicating geometric intersection design and street improvements (including widening, signalization, pavement marking, and traffic signs) are provided.

Send mail to kdewkett@dewkett.com with questions or comments about this web site.

Last modified: December 22, 2006