TRAFFIC CONDITIONS ON I-71 Since time is the major concern of the commuter, the operation of the transportation facility, i.e. I-71, should be reviewed to determine whether its operation is affecting the time it takes for a commuter to reach their destination. According to AASHTO'S A Policy on Geometric Design of Highway and Streets, density is the critical parameter for describing traffic operations because "it describes the proximity of vehicles to one another, and reflects the freedom to maneuver within the traffic stream."1 As traffic density increases, the rate of flow increases and speed decreases. When the density of vehicles has increased and traffic speeds have decreased on the freeway to a point where the flow of traffic is impeded or reduced, travel time is affected. NOACA, as part of its ongoing long range planning for the region's transportation system, has performed analyses of traffic operations on the I-71 corridor. The relevant analyses and conclusions of these studies are summarized below. Generally, peak hour traffic has been the focus of the studies. Average daily traffic (ADT) is also used, as noted. In the Cleveland area, a 20 to 30 minute commute from the Cleveland Central Business District (CBD) allows a person to live in the outlying areas of the NOACA region (Map 3-7). Map 3-7 Directional Travel Times From and To the CBD Area Further illustration of the highway system influence on travel time is shown in Map 3-8. A person living in Granger Township can travel as far north as Downtown Cleveland and as far east as Highland Heights/Mayfield Village in eastern Cuyahoga County in 40 minutes during peak hour travel times. Map 3-8 Travel Time Contours For Granger Township Traffic Distribution Table 3-5 summarizes NOACA's partial select link analysis which estimated ADT on I-71 for the MIS analysis years of 1995 and 2015, for traffic travelling northbound entering from ramps at SR 18, SR 3 and SR 303. Table 3-5 Selected Link Analysis of I-71 Northbound Freeway Segment Year Total Traffic To SR 82 To I-480 E To I-480 W To I-71 N of I-480 SR 18 1995 10,930 985 980 765 4,590 2015 15,310 1,990 1,684 770 5,360 SR 3 1995 7,460 671 66 522 3,133 2015 10,450 1,360 1,150 525 3,660 SR 303 1995 10,920 978 978 765 4,586 2015 12,290 1,680 1,420 646 4,522 Total 1995 29,310 2,641 2,624 2,520 12,309 2015 38,680 5,030 4,254 1,941 13,542 SOURCE: NOACA, October 2, 1997. Approximately twenty-five percent (25%) of the traffic that enters from the three major interchanges in Medina County exits the freeway at SR 82 and I-480. Almost half of the traffic, forty-two percent (42%), continues to travel north to other destinations in northern Cuyahoga County. Analysis of Traffic Operations An operational analysis of I-71 between SR 18 and in Medina County to West 150th Street in Cuyahoga County evaluated the existing and future traffic operations with and without a third lane to determine which segments of I-71 would be operating at LOS D/E. For urban areas, NOACA considers LOS D as the threshold for acceptable operating conditions. At LOS D, traffic flow is stable and the minimum speed is at least 57 miles per hour (mph). LOS E represents operating conditions at or near the capacity level with speeds reduced to approximately 50 mph. Table 3-6 indicates, for each segment of the I-71 project area, the number of vehicles that the segment is over or under capacity. A plus (+) sign indicates that Average Daily Traffic (ADT) demand is exceeding capacity; i.e., there are too many vehicles on that segment. A negative (-) sign indicates that the segment could handle additional vehicles before it would reach capacity. Table 3-6 Existing (1995) I-71 Operations at LOS D/E Segment I-71 at 2 Lanes I-71 at 3 Lanes 1 = SR 18 to I-271 interchange -975 -2,655 2 = I-271 interchange to SR 3 -1,810 -3,490 3 = SR3 to SR 303 -1,075 -2,755 4 = SR 303 to the Cuyahoga/Medina Line +120 -1,450 5 = Cuyahoga/Medina Line to SR 82 +735 -855 6 = SR82 to I-80 +1,845 +255 7 = Snow to I-480 interchange +2,335 NA 8 = I-480 interchange to W. 150th +1170 NA SOURCE: NOACA, June 1997. For example, Segment 2, the freeway section between the I-271 interchange and SR 3, is operating under capacity with two lanes and could handle 1,810 additional vehicles before it would begin to operate at LOS D. An additional lane would allow another 1,680 vehicles to travel unrestricted on I-71. Table 3-7 shows the future (2015) operational analysis for I-71 at LOS D/E. Table 3-7 Future (2015) I-71 Operations at LOS D/E Segment I-71 at 2 Lanes I-71 at 3 Lanes 1 = SR 18 to I-271 interchange -185 -1,865 2 = I-271 interchange to SR 3 -1,355 -3,035 3 = SR3 to SR 303 -355 -2,015 4 = SR 303 to the Cuyahoga/Medina Line +1,040 -530 5 = Cuyahoga/Medina Line to SR 82 +2,025 +435 6 = SR82 to I-80 +3,500 +1,910 7 = Snow to I-480 interchange +2,420 NA 8 = I-480 interchange to W. 150th +1,315 NA SOURCE: NOACA, June 1997. Conclusions of Operational Analysis Based on 1995 traffic counts at two lanes, I-71 in Medina County is operating under capacity except for the segment between SR 303 and the County Line, although this segment is "over capacity" by only 120 vehicles. From the county line north into Cuyahoga County, I-71 is significantly over capacity. Existing traffic with a third lane would improve the two segments between SR 303 and SR 82, but the SR 82 to Ohio Turnpike (I-80) segment would still operate over capacity. For the next 20 years, at the present two lanes, all segments of I-71, except for the SR 303/County Line segment, would be under capacity. The Cuyahoga County segments would remain over capacity even with three lanes. Travel Time Travel time is defined as the amount of time it takes to traverse a route segment. In travel time analysis, the following elements are considered: Average Travel Time: the average number of minutes needed to travel between two points; Average Travel Speed: the average speed of travel between two control points, including delays. Average Number of Stops: all stops and delays encountered between two points. Average Delay Time: average number of minutes of delay caused by any obstruction to the traffic flow. In May 1997, NOACA completed a Freeway Travel Time Study which evaluated the existing operating characteristics of identified interstate corridors in the NOACA five-county region. This study determined the locations and extent of delays in the freeway system. Interstate 71 was evaluated between the I-76 interchange in Westfield Township in Medina County to Ontario Street in Downtown Cleveland. For the evaluation, I-71 was divided into 17 segments between the two points. Table 3-8 and Map 3-9 illustrate the findings of the travel time evaluation of traffic travelling I-71 northbound in the a.m. peak. The finding were : Average travel speeds vary from 70 miles per hour (mph) in Medina County to 21 mph in Cuyahoga County. The worst operating conditions were observed between the West 25th and Ontario Street segments, where travel speed is reduced to between 21 and 34 mph, the headway is short, driving comfort is low and accident potential is high. NOACA has determined that the cause of this congestion is the heavy commuting traffic volume on the existing bottleneck north of the I-90/I-490 split where I-71 northbound is reduced from four to two lanes. Table 3-8 I-71 Travel Characteristics - Northbound (A.M. Peak) Freeway Segment (Miles) Average Travel Time Average Delay Time Total # of Stops Average Travel Speed (MPH) I-76 to SR 18 (8.91) 7.9 0.0 0 68 SR 18 to SR 303 (7.17) 6.2 0.0 0 70 SR 303 to SR 82 (5.23) 4.8 0.0 0 66 SR 82 to Whitney (2.10) 2.4 0.4 6 52 Whitney. to Bagley (2.01) 2.0 0.0 0 62 Bagley to Snow (2.16) 2.0 0.0 0 64 Snow to I-480/I-71 Split (0.78) 0.8 0.0 0 59 I-80/I-71 Split to Ramps to/from I-480 (0.70) 1.1 0.1 0 37 Ramps from/to I-480 to W. 150th (1.00) 1.0 0.0 0 59 W. 150th to W. 130th (1.28) 1.2 0.0 0 66 W. 130th to Ridge (2.40) 2.3 0.0 0 63 Ridge to Fulton (1.20) 1.1 0.0 0 65 Fulton to W. 25th (0.72) 0.7 0.0 0 62 W. 25th to W. 14th (0.78) 2.2 1.5 18 21 W.14th to Clark (0.33) 0.9 0.8 3 22 Clark to Abbey (0.99) 2.0 0.8 12 30 Abbey to Ontario (0.63) 1.1 0.1 8 34 SOURCE: NOACA Freeway Travel Time Study, May 1997. Map 3-9 AM Peak Period Travel Speeds Table 3-9 and Map 3-10 illustrate the findings of the travel time evaluation of traffic travelling I-71 southbound in the p.m. peak. The findings were: Average travel speeds vary from 67 to 26 mph. Bottleneck area over the I-480 interchange where the I-71 mainline is reduced from two lanes in each direction. Cause of this bottleneck will be explained in more detail in the following section. Second constriction is between the Snow and Bagley segments where travel speed is reduced to 45 mph Third constriction is between Bagley and Whitney where the average speed is further reduced to 39 mph. The cause of this slowdown is the I-71 mainline lane reduction from three to two lanes at US 42 (Pearl Road). These slowdowns are located north of the I-71 widening project. Table 3-9 I-71 Travel Characteristics - Southbound (P.M. Peak) Freeway Segment (Miles) Average Travel Time Average Delay Time Total # of Stops Average Travel Speed (MPH) Ontario to Abbey (0.63) 0.9 0.1 0 42 Abbey to Clark (0.99) 1.0 0.0 0 59 Clark to W.14th (0.33) 0.3 0.0 0 58 W.14th to W.25th (0.78) 0.7 0.0 0 64 W.25th to Fulton (0.72) 0.7 0.0 6 62 Fulton to Ridge (1.02) 1.4 0.2 0 52 Ridge to W.130th (2.40) 2.3 0.0 0 63 W.130th to W.150th (1.28) 1.3 0.2 1 58 W.150th to I-480/I-71 Split (1.00) 1.5 0.3 3 41 I-480/I-71 Ramps from/to I-480 (0.70) 1.6 0.9 3 26 Ramps from/to I-480/I-71 to Snow (0.78) 0.9 0.2 1 50 Snow to Bagley (2.16) 2.9 0.9 5 45 Bagley to Whitney (2.01) 2.1 0.0 0 39 Whitney to SR 82 (2.10) 2.1 0.0 0 59 SR 82 to SR 303 (2.10) 4.9 0.0 0 64 SR 303 to SR 18 (7.17) 6.4 0.0 0 67 SR 18 to I-76 (8.91) 8.1 0.0 0 66 SOURCE: NOACA Freeway Travel Time Study, May 1997. Map 3-10 PM Peak Period Travel Speeds Map 3-11 illustrates the off-peak travel speeds for I-71. The off-peak travel characteristics are: West 150th/I-480 ramps had average travel speeds lower than the legal speed limit, operating at 41 to 54 mph in both directions. All other segments had average or above average speed limits. Segments between SR 303 and SR 18 had an average speed from 67-71 mph during all peaks (a.m., p.m. and off) in both directions. Travel speed was at or above the posted speed limit of 65 mph. Map 3-11 Off Peak Period Travel Speeds Table 3-10 shows the accidents observed during the Travel Time Survey. All of the accidents on I-71 occurred in segments located in Cuyahoga County. Table 3-10 Accidents Observed During Travel Time Study Date Accident Location Travel Time (minutes) Delay (minutes) Travel Speed (mph) 7/18/96 SB between W. 150th and I-480 split (p.m. peak) 12.3 12.3 5.0 7/25/96 NB between I-480 split and W. 150th (p.m. peak)** NA NA   7/30/96 NB between SR 82 and Whitney Road (a.m. peak) 4.3 2.8 29.0 9/10/96 NB between Whitney and Bagley Road 3.1 1.6 40.0 **The accident was in the opposite direction of the travel time run. No effect was noticed on the travel direction. SOURCE NOACA Freeway Travel Time Study, May 1997. Safety None of the analyses completed by ODOT or NOACA for the I-71 corridor came to the conclusion that the current operation of I-71 poses a safety problem to motorists. Accident data indicates that safety is an issue north of the study area, but not in Medina County. However, ODOT has stated that for safety reasons the addition of a third lane is needed to maintain traffic during construction. 1American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials, A Policy on Geometric Design of Highways and Streets, Washington, D.C., 1990. p. 76-79.   Page 1: Population Projections Page 2: Employment Projections Page 3: Land Use Controls Page 4: Assessed Valuation Page 5: Tax Rates Page 6: Property Tax Abatement Progams Page 7: Journey to Work Page 8: Traffic Conditions on I-71 Page 9: I-480/I-71 Interchange Page 10: Induced or Generated Traffic

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