Proposal
from LaSalle, Casto, Arshot
Traffic
Plan - Circulation & Parking
An orderly plan, a parking garage and traffic circulation that contributes
to a pedestrian-friendly High Street. This is the goal.
The Essential Infrastructure
Primary Objectives
of the Traffic/Pedestrian Plan
High Street is a major arterial serving the OSU campus and the north side
of Columbus, and as such must accommodate substantial traffic volumes
(on the order of 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles per day in the project area).
The function and capacity of West 11th Avenue are also important: to the
redeveloped area, to traffic operations on High Street, and to the quality
of life in and around the OSU campus. If 11th Avenue is converted from
one-way westbound to two-way, operations at the West 11th Avenue/High
Street intersection will be complicated by the introduction of a new eastbound
approach.
The primary urban design objectives for the redeveloped area are to establish an entrance into the OSU campus district; to mark the intersection, and High Street at South Campus, as an important center of activity along High Street; and to create a pedestrian-friendly zone in which crossing High Street is safe and enjoyable. In this context, the traffic management objectives are as follows:
- To prevent High Street from becoming a barrier to pedestrians, and to establish High Street at South Campus as an urban center of pedestrian activity as opposed to an auto-dominated corridor.
- To allow adequate vehicular access to the OSU campus and the neighborhood immediately to its south, without encouraging through traffic, especially between High Street and the new Route 315 ramps.
- To allow High Street to continue to play its historic role as a north-south arterial.
The tension between these objectives must be mediated by careful calibration of the various elements of traffic design.
Lane Management
On-street parking should be allowed to the extent possible, to provide
a buffer between sidewalk and traffic and to animate the street. As in
the Short North, peak-period parking restrictions on High Street would
facilitate directional flow, preserving two lanes southbound in the AM
and two northbound in the PM rush hours.
Special Design of the 11th Avenue/ High Street Intersection The Illustrative Site Plan's concept indicates a monument in the center of the intersection. The monument will mark High Street at South Campus and the urban activity it will foster, without greatly diminishing the capacity of High Street. It will act to moderate speeds, both by compelling a slight diversion in vehicles' paths (similar to the effect of chicanes or other traffic calming devices) and by announcing High Street at South Campus as an urban location.
Vehicular
Circulation
Figure B shows one way that the monument concept
could be rendered consistent with the principles articulated in the Manual
on Uniform Traffic Control Devices and A Policy on the Geometric Design
of Highways and Streets. In it, all left turns are prohibited, obviating
the need for vehicles to turn around the monument. Turn restrictions will
effectively increase the capacity of the intersection.
Given the turn restrictions, the monument will not obstruct any vehicular movements. As today, the intersection could remain unsignalized if pedestrian crossings were accomplished at the adjacent intersections, Chittenden and East 11th Avenues, each approximately 150 feet away. If, through coordination of signals, the eastbound approach of West 11th Avenue to High Street could be brought under signal control, it may be possible to accommodate both vehicular traffic and a relatively long all-way pedestrian phase at the monument. During this phase, the area around the monument could become a pedestrian zone, allowing crossings in all directions. This would animate both sides of High Street between Chittenden and East 11th Avenues, enhancing the urban design intention of the Illustrative Site Plan.
The intersection is not conceived as a rotary: turn restrictions may be necessary to prevent conflicts and difficult turning movements around the monument. While the Plan shows the monument as circular, and emphasized with decorative pavement treatment, the design team recognizes that the intersection must conform to accepted traffic engineering standards. Upon collection of traffic counts and projection of future volumes, analysis will reveal the optimal location, timing and coordination of signals. In concert with the City of Columbus, the design team will refine the Illustrative Site Plan for the intersection so as to ensure safe and orderly vehicular movement along High Street and at its intersections.
Lanes Widths
and Assignments
Figure B shows a conceptual scheme for the organization
of movements through the project area. It indicates travel lanes of 13
feet in width north of Chittenden and south of East 11th Avenues. In between,
lanes will narrow to 11 feet wide, around a monument approximately 10
feet in radius. A left-turn lane from High Street southbound onto East
11th Avenue will accommodate traffic destined for Summit/Fourth Street,
Cleveland Avenue and Interstate 71.
Though not shown in Figure B, a southbound left-turn lane from High Street to East 9th Avenue may be advisable to accommodate volumes destined for the parking garage. Whether this is necessary depends on the amount of inbound traffic generated by the garage in the peak hours and the directionality of traffic on High Street. If, as is likely, the greatest in-flow to the garage (during the AM) does not coincide with the heaviest northbound traffic on High Street (during the PM); a left-turn lane may not be necessary.
Side Street
Circulation
Restricting left turns at the West 11th Avenue/High Street intersection
may have an added advantage, in that it will mitigate the tendency of
West 11th Avenue to become an arterial connection across the OSU campus.
The concept is therefore consistent with the High Street Plan and the
OSU South Campus District Plan. High Street is perceived today as an arterial
corridor for vehicles passing through the redevelopment area. In the future,
High Street at South Campus will become a commercial, residential and
entertainment center. As a result, the total "throughput" capacity of
High Street in the redeveloped area may be affected to some degree. This
is entirely appropriate, and consistent with Campus Partners' overall
goals. We are confident that High Street at South Campus can become a
pedestrian-oriented urban destination in it own right, without compromising
the function of High Street.
Figure
B 
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