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CMP Part 4A. Transportation Plan <br /> <br /> <br />City of Orono Community Management Plan 2020-2040 Part 4A, Page 8 <br />Roadway Capacity <br />A roadway’s capacity indicates how many vehicles may use a roadway before it experiences <br />congestion. Capacity is largely dependent upon <br />the number of lanes. Table 4A-5 lists planning- <br />level thresholds that indicate a roadway’s <br />capacity. Additional variation (more or less <br />capacity) on an individual segment is influenced <br />by a number of factors including: amount of <br />access, type of access, peak hour percent of <br />traffic, directional split of traffic, truck percent, <br />opportunities to pass, and amount of turning <br />traffic, the availability of dedicated turn lanes, <br />parking availability, intersection spacing, signal <br />timing and a variety of other factors. <br /> <br />Roadway Capacity – Traffic Forecasting <br />The Metropolitan Council uses Transportation Analysis Zones (TAZs) for traffic <br />forecasting. Each forecast study area, in this case the City of Orono, is divided into a series <br />of TAZs (see Map 4A-3). The TAZ data for Orono can be found at Appendix 4A-A. The <br />modeling shows the majority to the projected growth in the city within the TAZs that <br />correspond with City Municipal Utility Service Areas (MUSA) which further corresponds <br />to the cities areas for higher existing and planned densities. <br /> <br />Current and Future Regional / Hennepin County Capacity <br />At the planning level, capacity problems are identified by comparing the existing number <br />of lanes with current traffic volumes. The table below illustrates the existing number of <br />lanes on state and county arterial roadways within the City. To identify the need for <br />potential future capacity improvements, Hennepin County compared 2030 forecasts to <br />planning-level roadway capacities. Nearly all State and County roadways within the City <br />have adequate capacity to handle forecast 2040 traffic volumes with little to minimal <br />congestion. (See Map 4A-4). Based on traffic counts in 2015 the only Hennepin County <br />road currently undersized based on capacity is Shoreline Drive (CSAH 15). The 2015 ADT <br />for CSAH 15 was 17,600. Those roads projected to exceed their design capacity by 2030 <br />are highlighted red below. <br /> <br />Table 4A-5 Design Capacity <br />Roadway Type Daily Capacity <br />Planning Level (ADT) <br />Two-lane undivided <br />urban <br />10,000 <br />Two-lane undivided <br />rural <br />15,000 <br />Three-lane urban <br />(two-lane divided <br />with turn lanes) <br />17,000