Connectivity Feasibility Studies
In 2006, the City of Charlotte, North Carolina, created a street connectivity program to run the inventory and implementation of needed street connections within and between neighborhoods as well as the construction of new connectors and local streets to provide improved access and connectivity for future development. The program is funded primarily through federal Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) grant money. The CDOT Street Connectivity Program filters existing street connections that fail to meet its new subdivision-ordinance standards through an engineering analysis and prioritization process.
DRMP provided services for four feasibility studies including the McCullough Drive connector, Arrowood Road/Shopton Road/Sandy Porter Road connector, Odell School Road/Beard Road connector and Doncaster Drive/Shady Bluff Drive connector. The intent of these projects is to increase the density of Charlotte’s street network by creating more streets, linking land uses and providing more transportation choices. The services to perform feasibility studies for local street connections included:
- Evaluation of possible alignment alternatives
- Development of recommended horizontal and vertical alignments
- Development of cost estimates
- Hydraulic/hydrologic analyses sufficient to determine necessary culvert sizes and/or bridge elevations for stream crossings
- Pavement coring with subsequent analysis and design
- Application of the local streets component of the Urban Street Design Guidelines and development of concept plans for possible new streets adjacent to connections
DRMP reviewed high-ranking potential street-connection candidates for construction feasibility to filter out any that contain fatal flaws or significant environmental or cost prohibitions.
The study gives the City of Charlotte information needed to make informed decisions regarding transportation capital investments. Projects that have local community and political support are then prioritized.
