New developments may generate new traffic. That’s why most governmental agencies require traffic impact studies for developments that generate significant amounts of new traffic or change existing traffic patterns. 

 In fact, increased traffic is one of the largest concerns of neighbors and city council members when they learn about a proposed development. That’s why developers must be armed with information about how the traffic will be impacted when talking to the surrounding community or council members, long before the project is ready for city review and approval.  

Masterplan often recommends traffic studies in the stages of project planning. These studies evaluate current transportation patterns and, if there’s an opportunity, propose a solution that will yield less traffic and congestion in that particular area. 

What does a traffic study include? 

• Proposed development land uses, sizes and phasing 
• Location of major intersections 
• Existing traffic, time of day/week/year 
• Expected traffic growth without development 
• Expected nearby developments 
• Crash history 
• Existing congestion and queue lengths 
• Forecasted traffic, congestion and queue lengths 
• Solutions to address traffic congestion 

Benefits of traffic studies: 

• Provides insightful information during the planning and design phases of a project
• Determine the need of traffic signals. 
• Ensure that service and emergency vehicles can access the site
• Estimate future traffic based on proposed land use

Our in-house Masterplan experts partner with third-party traffic engineering experts to manage complex traffic engineering studies and transportation planning. Let us put this expertise to work on your next project.