Introduction
This
chapter describes the recommended improvements to the transportation system
in Marion County that make up this Plan. Recommendations regarding each
mode of transportation are dealt with individually.
It should be emphasized
that the recommendations made here are designed to work together as a
system. Piecemeal implementation will mean that problem areas will remain
unresolved, or that new problems will be created. For example, construction
of a new connection from I-79 to downtown Fairmont without improvement
of access to the Locust Avenue area would almost certainly result in a
deterioration of conditions in downtown and would fail to resolve pressing
traffic congestion problems elsewhere.
The basic tool used
to evaluate the effectiveness of the various proposals for transportation
improvements in Marion County was the QRS-II computerized travel demand
model. The QRS-II model, which has been used by WVDOT on transportation
planning projects throughout the State of West Virginia, allows transportation
planners to test the consequences of adding new components to the transportation
system or making improvements to existing components.
The model development
and testing process for Marion County has been summarized in a separate
Technical Report provided to the WVDOT. It should be emphasized that the
use of a travel demand model does not always provide clear-cut answers
to thorny transportation planning issues. Rather, the results of the modeling
process must be interpreted and tempered with knowledge of on-site conditions
and the context within which the transportation planning process occurs.
The model is primarily useful in understanding how new or improved facilities
will interact with the already complex transportation system now in place.
Issues related to
the phasing and funding of these recommended projects are discussed in
the following section of this report. However, it is worth stating that
there are recommendations included in this Plan that are relatively inexpensive
and easily implemented. There are also very costly recommendations. As
a general rule, it is advisable to begin by implementing the less challenging
improvements while also commencing work on the larger projects.
A large roadway construction
project is a time-consuming and complex undertaking. The time span required
to move from initial planning through preliminary engineering, environmental
studies, preparation of final construction plans, right-of-way acquisition,
and actual construction is measured in years. To complete such a project
can easily take five to ten years.
Roadway Element
Prior to discussing
the recommendations growing from this study, it is important to first
state the assumptions that have been made regarding projects to which
commitments have already been made and which have been programmed for
completion in the near future. The projects in Marion County that fit
within this description are:
- Reconstruction
of the Jefferson Street Bridge in Fairmont (now underway);
- Replacement of
the Blackshere Bridge on US 250 near Mannington (now underway);
- Replacement of
the US 19 Bridge at the Harrison County Line (now underway);
- Widening of CR
73/73 from US 250 to the I-79 overpass in White Hall (now underway);
- Replacement of
the Bellview Bridge on US 19 crossing Buffalo Creek in Fairmont;
- Replacement of
the Benton’s Ferry Bridge in Pleasant Valley;
- A new interchange
on I-79 at Eldora; and
- Replacement of
the Hough Street Bridge in Mannington.
Recommended Roadway Improvements
Figure 7 illustrates
the roadway improvements called for in this Plan. The supporting logic
behind the improvements is explained and illustrated in more detail in
the section that follows. Figure 8 illustrates the projected traffic
volumes expected to use the various components of the recommended system
in the year 2020. The volumes were established using QRS-II travel demand
model developed as part of this study. Table 4 lists the measures
of performance for the recommended plan network. Performance is measured
in comparison to the Base + Committed network, which includes the existing
roadway network and the added components listed above.
The measures of performance,
which are calculated for a typical 24-hour period, include:
- Vehicle miles traveled
(VMT) is the total number of miles traveled by all vehicles on the roadway
network over a 24-hour period;
- Percent of congested
travel is the percentage of all vehicle miles traveled which occur on
roads which are congested as calculated based on V/C ratios, and
- Percent of congested
route miles is the percentage of route miles on which congested conditions
at some time during the typical day.
Table 5 indicates
the existing traffic volumes and the projected future traffic volumes
at various key points on the recommended plan network for the year 2020.
The volumes shown in Table 5 are basically derived from the QRS-II
modeling process. The WVDOT also makes traffic projections based on formulas
developed at West Virginia University Engineering Department. While these
formulas are useful in developing traffic projections in
|
Table
4
- Fairmont/Marion County Multi-Modal Transportation Plan
Measures of Network Performance
Based on Forecast 2020 Traffic Volumes
|
|
|
Base
Plus Committed
|
Recommended
Plan
|
Percent
Change
|
|
VMT
|
5,544,038
|
5,674,920
|
2.4%
|
|
% Congested
Travel Miles
|
31.7%
|
27.1%
|
-14.6%
|
|
% Congested
Route Miles
|
18.7%
|
17.4%
|
-6.8%
|
the absence of more
detailed travel demand modeling, they do not incorporate a recognition
of the complex interaction of changes in the overall transportation system
made possible by travel demand modeling. On the other hand, a weakness
of the travel demand modeling process is that it does not incorporate
outside influences very well. For example, travel demand modeling may
not be the best approach to projecting through traffic on I-79. Thus,
the WVDOT projection formula was utilized to forecast future volumes on
I-79 passing through Marion County.
Figure
7 - County Improvements
Figure
8 – Future Traffic
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Table
5 - Fairmont/Marion County Multi-Modal Transportation Plan
Projected Future Traffic Volumes (2020)
Base + Committed Network vs. Recommended Plan Network
|
|
Facility
|
Approximate
Location
|
1997
Volume
|
Base
+
Committed
|
Rec.
Plan
|
|
I-79
|
Marion County/Monongalia
County line
|
28,000
|
61,900
|
61,900
|
|
Between CR 33
and WV 310
|
31,000
|
60,900
|
60,900
|
|
Between WV 310
and I-79/Downtown Con.
|
31,000
|
NA
|
68,600
|
|
Between I-79/Downtown
Con. and CR 64
|
31,000
|
NA
|
72,100
|
|
Between WV 310
and CR 64
|
31,000
|
60,800
|
NA
|
|
Between CR 64
and CR 64/1
|
33,000
|
65,700
|
66,700
|
|
Between CR 64/1and
US 250
|
33,000
|
66,800
|
68,600
|
|
Marion County/Harrison
County line
|
31,000
|
59,600
|
59,600
|
|
|
|
US
250
|
Between CR 250/4
and CR 2
|
1,500
|
1,800
|
1,800
|
|
Between CR 6/1and
CR 250/5
|
1,900
|
2,000
|
2,000
|
|
Between CR 250/6
and CR 1
|
3,100
|
3,100
|
3,100
|
|
Between CR 1
and CR 11
|
9,000
|
9,200
|
9,300
|
|
Between CR 11
and CR 91
|
9,400
|
9,500
|
9,600
|
|
Between CR 50
and WV 218
|
8,900
|
9,000
|
9,000
|
|
Between CR 23
and CR 250/32
|
5,200
|
5,600
|
6,800
|
|
Between CR 250/32
and CR 250/19
|
8,700
|
9,600
|
10,200
|
|
Between CR 250/19
and US 19
|
9,500
|
9,600
|
8,300
|
|
Between US 19
and CR 56
|
19,700
|
22,800
|
18,800
|
|
Between CR 56
and CR 250/20
|
19,800
|
22,800
|
18,800
|
|
Between CR 250/20
and CR 64
|
19,800
|
26,000
|
19,600
|
|
Between I-79
and CR 73/73
|
21,000
|
24,200
|
19,600
|
|
Between CR 35
and CR 250/29
|
4,000
|
8,600
|
8,600
|
|
|
|
US
19
|
Northern County
Line on US 19
|
2,200
|
2,600
|
2,400
|
|
Between CR 19/19
and CR 19/6
|
2,800
|
3,000
|
3,500
|
|
Between CR 19/6
and CR 17
|
5,400
|
5,600
|
5,800
|
|
Between CR 19/7
and CR 250/19
|
6,100
|
6,500
|
9,000
|
|
Between CR 250/19
and CR 19/8
|
12,000
|
13,000
|
12,000
|
|
Between CR 54
and CR 56
|
6,100
|
6,500
|
5,600
|
|
Southern County
Line on US19
|
5,000
|
6,000
|
3,600
|
|
|
|
US 19 Spur
|
Between US 19
and US 250
|
14,600
|
17,100
|
11,700
|
|
|
|
WV
310
|
Between US 250
and Jefferson St. Bridge
|
10,000
|
12,500
|
8,500
|
|
Between I-79
and CR 66
|
5,000
|
6,500
|
6,500
|
|
Between CR 31/4
and CR 31/5
|
2,500
|
3,400
|
3,500
|
|
Southern County
Line on WV 310
|
950
|
1,800
|
1,800
|
|
David Morgan
Bridge
|
10,000
|
10,700
|
12,600
|
Table 5
- Fairmont/Marion County Multi-Modal Transportation Plan
Projected Future Traffic
Volumes (2020)
Base + Committed
Network vs. Recommended Plan Network
|
|
Facility
|
Approximate
Location
|
1997
Volume
|
Base
+
Committed
|
Rec.
Plan
|
|
Jefferson St Br
|
Jefferson Street Bridge
|
10,600
|
13,000
|
9,900
|
|
|
|
WV 218
|
Northern County Line on WV 218
|
1,600
|
1,900
|
1,800
|
|
Between CR 15/16 and CR 15/1
|
2,400
|
1,100
|
1,200
|
|
Between CR 15/1 and CR 20
|
2,800
|
3,900
|
3,400
|
|
Between CR 20 and US 250
|
3,200
|
3,600
|
3,900
|
|
Between CR 15/11 and CR 15/4
|
5,100
|
5,400
|
5,800
|
|
Between CR 15/5 and CR 52
|
5,400
|
6,800
|
6,100
|
|
Between CR 15/7 and US 19
|
6,100
|
6,400
|
7,000
|
|
|
|
CR 17
|
Between WV 218 and CR 18
|
1,600
|
700
|
700
|
|
Between CR 18 and WV 218
|
4,200
|
4,400
|
4,400
|
|
Between CR 17/2 and CR 17/4
|
2,200
|
2,400
|
2,400
|
|
Between CR 28 and CR 25
|
2,000
|
2,800
|
2,800
|
|
Between CR 17/11 and US 19
|
3,400
|
3,600
|
3,800
|
|
|
|
CR 1
|
Between CR 1/2 and CR 1/3
|
200
|
300
|
300
|
|
Between CR 1/3 and CR 3
|
550
|
600
|
600
|
|
Between CR 3 and CR 7
|
650
|
700
|
700
|
|
Between CR 1/10 and CR 9
|
1,600
|
1,700
|
1,700
|
|
Between CR 5 and US 250
|
2,500
|
2,800
|
2,800
|
|
|
|
CR 7
|
Western County Line on CR 7
|
400
|
300
|
300
|
|
Between CR 34 and CR 1
|
600
|
700
|
700
|
|
|
|
CR 64
|
Between WV 310 and CR 64/13
|
6,200
|
4,400
|
N/A
|
|
Between CR 64/13 and CR 64/5
|
4,900
|
3,400
|
N/A
|
|
Between CR 64/5 and CR 64/7
|
3,500
|
4,100
|
3,900
|
|
|
|
CR 11
|
Between US 250 and CR 11/1
|
1,500
|
1,900
|
1,900
|
|
Between CR 11/2 and CR 11/4
|
650
|
700
|
700
|
|
Southern County Line on CR 11
|
600
|
650
|
650
|
|
|
|
CR 58
|
Between CR 58/1 and CR 73/73
|
5,000
|
5,900
|
4,900
|
|
|
|
CR 58/1
|
Between CR 58 and CR 27
|
4,600
|
5000
|
2,800
|
|
|
|
CR 27
|
Between US 19 and CR 58/1
|
3,600
|
4,200
|
5,000
|
|
Table
5 - Fairmont/Marion County Multi-Modal Transportation Plan
Projected Future Traffic
Volumes (2020)
Base + Committed Network
vs. Recommended Plan Network
|
|
New
Facility
|
Approximate
Location
|
Rec.
Plan
|
|
Rivesville Connector
|
Alignment A
|
7,000
|
|
Alignment B
|
7,500
|
|
Alignment C
|
10,000
|
|
|
|
1-79/Downtown Connector
|
All Alignments
|
15,000*
|
|
|
|
Eldora/Enterprise Connector
|
Between Eldora and CR 27
|
8,500
|
|
Between CR 27 and County Line
|
5,500
|
|
|
|
Coal Run Hollow Parkway
|
Jefferson Street Bridge to Locust Avenue Fairmont State College
|
5,900
|
|
|
|
US 250/US 19 Connector
|
US 250 to US 19
|
5,000
|
|
|
|
Third St. Br. (WV 310 Extension)
|
Third Street to Locust Avenue
|
8,500
|
* All alignments produce approximately the same future volumes.
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