Transportation Plan

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Key Information

What is the Thornton Transportation Plan?

The Transportation Plan is the City�s long-range plan for travel and mobility. This plan includes information about existing conditions, challenges, and opportunities as well as an evaluation of future motorized and non-motorized needs based on the future land use projections and overall vision for the City.

The Transportation Plan will look at the City as a whole to view the broad range of issues that impact travel and mobility including land use, pedestrian, bicycle, and transit issues, rather than merely level of service, traffic counts and future modeling projections.

Why do we need a Transportation Master Plan?

The Transportation Plan guides future development of transportation related infrastructure in Thornton. The plan will recommend what roads should be widened or improved, what new roads should be built, where bike lanes should be provided on City roads and how the new North Metro Transit line will fit into the road system, bus system and trail system.

Why is the new 2008 Transportation Plan different from the existing Thoroughfare Plan?

The City of Thornton initiated the development of the Thornton Transportation Plan to update and replace the existing Thornton Thoroughfare Plan adopted in August 2000.

The current transportation-related plan, the Thornton Thoroughfare Plan, only addressed roadway needs. The Thornton Transportation Plan will be a multi-modal (e.g., roadway, transit, bicycle, and pedestrian trails) transportation plan covering the City limits and future growth areas to the north and east of the City. Its focus is the future horizon year of 2035, although it also includes a conceptual roadway vision plan for the Buildout of the City in order to preserve adequate right-of-way to accommodate long-term transportation needs.

When will the Plan be completed?

It is anticipated that the Plan will be completed in middle of 2009.

How can I become involved?

A Public Open House was held on Thursday, Oct. 9, 2008

View the flyer for the...
Transportation Plan Open House

A number of boards were displayed at the meeting and can be viewed via the following links...

Technical Questions

What is the CIP?

The Capital Improvements Program or CIP is a timetable or schedule of all future capital improvements to be carried out during a specific period, listed in order of priority, together with cost estimates and the anticipated means and sources of financing each project.

The City maintains a five-year plan, which is updated annually. Projects include improvements to transportation, water, storm and sanitary sewer systems.

What are TAZ�s?

TAZ�s or Traffic Analysis Zones are distinct areas of the City identified on a map with the associated population and job numbers for those areas. The population/job numbers can be for today or for future time periods, for instance for 2035. This information is critical for the TRANSCAD model.

What is TRANSCAD?

TRANSCAD is computer modeling that, after the necessary data has been input, provides a modeler the ability to produce maps showing current and projected traffic volumes.