Overview
Completed June 2005
The Dixie Highway Corridor Study presents recommendations for improving traffic flow and safety for a congested corridor where a lane addition is not an option. This segment of Dixie Highway in Kenton County typifies other built-up and congested roadways, and the study’s recommendations are applicable to other urban corridors.
The focus of the recommendations is on improving traffic operations through a combination of relatively low-cost improvements, particularly for the traffic signal system.
- A first round of signal improvements would address maintenance issues and optimize timing — most of this work has already been completed, resulting in a 10% improvement in travel time and traffic capacity.
- A second round of signal improvements would involve upgrading to a closed-loop system that would operate in response to traffic flow rather than time of day.
- The recommended signal upgrade would also enable additional improvements, such as a signal inter-connect to ARTIMIS and signal pre-emption for emergency vehicles. It would cost less than a half million dollars to improve traffic flow an additional 10-30%.
Other measures for squeezing more capacity from the existing system and improving safety are represented by recommendations for:
- Adding turn lanes and re-aligning offset intersections
- Improving access management
- Improvements related to pedestrian crossings, on-street parking, bus operations, and traffic bottlenecks
The study’s recommendations are accompanied by estimates of costs and benefits.
