Shift happens, especially when a community’s economic resurgence brings industrial shift changes, commuter traffic and freight demands onto the same roads.
DRMP’s John Schick, PTP, traffic analysis group leader, and Cameron Seger, PE, traffic analysis project engineer, will discuss how they helped Canton, Mississippi, plan for those competing needs during the NCSITE Annual Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 19, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Their presentation, “Shift Happens: Addressing Peak-Hour Commuter and Freight Demands in Canton, MS,” will offer insights for communities managing the transportation pressures that accompany economic development.
Located along Interstate 55 in central Mississippi, Canton has attracted major employers, including Nissan and Amazon. Their presence brings economic opportunity while adding complexity to a roadway network serving residents, workers and commercial vehicles.
“Economic development has breathed some new life into the region,” Schick said. “It’s also brought new challenges with shipping and truck traffic.”
Understanding how development affects surrounding roads is a central purpose of traffic impact analysis, which evaluates the traffic a proposed development would generate and identifies improvements needed to support safe, efficient travel.
In Canton, the team took a citywide view. In partnership with its Trilon Group sister firm, Waggoner Engineering, DRMP evaluated transportation needs to help inform the city’s comprehensive transportation plan. DRMP contributed the technical traffic analysis, while Waggoner brought planning expertise, community outreach and stakeholder input.
“We help cities understand how future development and growth could affect their transportation needs,” Seger said. “That gives them a basis for addressing immediate concerns and planning improvements for the years ahead.”
At NCSITE, Schick and Seger will explore how industrial shift changes and commuter peak periods interact, and how their analysis helped translate Canton’s transportation challenges into priorities for improvements.
For municipalities facing similar pressures, the presentation offers an opportunity to learn how traffic analysis can help communities prepare for the demands of economic growth.
Hear from Schick and Seger at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19 in the Green Room (Dogwood) at the Friday Center for Continuing Education.
About DRMP
Since 1977, DRMP has earned a reputation as a trusted multidisciplinary civil engineering and surveying firm delivering innovative infrastructure solutions that strengthen communities. What began as a Florida-based surveying practice has grown into a leading Southeastern engineering consulting firm with more than 1,000 professionals across 32 offices.
Today, DRMP’s engineers, planners, surveyors, and scientists partner with state transportation agencies, municipalities, federal clients, and private developers to plan, design, and deliver critical infrastructure. Our integrated services span surveying and geospatial services, civil engineering, land development, and community planning by supporting projects that improve transportation infrastructure and mobility, resilience, and quality of life across the Southeastern United States.
