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NE Polk US 27 Mobility Study

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Project Status

The Department recently completed Phase III work on the Alternatives and Strategies Summary Report in the spring of 2022. This document identified potential corridors for improvement to be further evaluated by Polk County and FDOT. The study team is currently working to prioritize intersection improvements along US 27. The intersection improvement prioritization effort is expected to be complete by August 2022.

Progress to Date

Project Advisory Group
Input from a diverse group of stakeholders was gathered throughout the course of the study, including from a public survey, freight and economic development stakeholder meetings, the Project Advisory Group, Polk County, and the Polk TPO. Various types of improvements for the US 27 corridor – both short-term and long-term – were identified and continue to be identified. A Project Advisory Group (PAG) was formed in 2018, and the first PAG Meeting was held November 2018; the second in June 2019; and the third in December 2019.

On Time with 27 Survey Results
The On Time with 27 survey closed in September of 2019 to allow for analysis of the survey results. The survey was extremely successful in helping the study team understand transportation issues in northeast Polk County. The survey had over 3,000 participants who provided over 6,000 comments and over 90,000 data points. These results were analyzed and incorporated into the team’s evaluation of existing conditions.

Phase I Existing Conditions Summary Report
Phase I of the study was completed in summer 2019. The work included initial stakeholder outreach, data collection, safety analysis, traffic operational analysis, assessment of bicycle lanes, sidewalk, and transit facilities, and culminating in the completion of an Existing Conditions Report. The report details the existing opportunities and areas needing improvement along the US 27 corridor today. Following the existing conditions assessment, the Study Team started to look at long term strategies that could help address congestion on US 27 expected to worsen over the next 25 years. Types of concepts being considered range from minor intersection turn lane improvements to widening existing roads to add more lanes, making new roadway connections, or developing new parallel roadways. Ideas for improvements to consider and evaluate have come from many sources including previous FDOT plans and studies, current County and TPO plans, Turnpike and CFX plans and studies, and ideas from stakeholders and the study team’s analysis.

Phase II Future Conditions Summary Report
Phase II of the study was completed in fall 2020 with the Future Conditions Summary Report.  In Phase II, the study team established a vision for the corridor, which involved developing guiding principles and forming purpose and need statements.  The study team then developed evaluation criteria and measures of success and evaluated future travel demand and operations characteristics.  Phase II concluded with the identification of long-range needs for the corridor.

Phase III Alternatives and Strategies Summary Report
Phase III of the study was completed in spring 2022 with the Alternatives and Strategies Summary Report.  Phase III was centered on defining viable alternatives to be carried forward into the next phases of project development. This process included documenting the alternatives and determining the most appropriate method for programming them for implementation in governing agencies' work programs.  Phase III is documented in the Alternatives and Strategies Summary Report and the Intersection Control Evaluation (ICE) Technical Memorandum.