Regional Transportation Planning

REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING

Title 23 of the United States Code (USC) & 134 states that it is in the national interest to encourage and promote the safe and efficient management, operation, and development of surface transportation systems that will serve the mobility needs of people and freight and foster economic growth and development within and through urbanized areas, while minimizing transportation related fuel consumption and air pollution. To accomplish all these objectives, the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), in cooperation with the State and public transit operators, are required to develop transportation plans and programs for urbanized areas of the State.

The plans and programs for each metropolitan area are required to provide for the development and integrated management and operation of transportation systems and facilities (including pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities) that will function as an intermodal transportation system for the metropolitan area and as an integral part of an intermodal transportation system for the State and the country.

Local Impact Fees and Private Roads

ITS Architecture for the SNHPC Region

Regional Transportation Plan
In keeping with the provisions of the Title 23 of USC, SNHPC prepares a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) that provides for consideration of all modes of transportation, including highway, transit, rail, bicycle and pedestrian walkways, freight, and air travel. The plan is continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive, commonly referred to as “3C” process.

I-93 Widening
I-93 is a major transportation corridor for New Hampshire, both for commuters and visitors to the state, linking the greater Boston area with tourism related activities in the northern and central parts of the state. It serves as a vital link to the regional economic activities. Currently, the corridor is a 4-lane (2 lanes in each direction) interstate facility. The capacity of the highway to carry traffic has long been exceeded, due to the high growth the region has experienced. To address these capacity problems, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation is expanding the highway to 8 lanes (4 lanes in each direction). The SNHPC is currently participating in the Community Technical Assistance Program (CTAP), which is being developed through the State of New Hampshire’s Office of Energy and Planning. CTAP is designed to help communities in the I-93 region plan for future growth.

Check the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s I-93 Widening Web Site

Local Trip Generation Rates
As part of its Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), the Commission continued work on the trip generation study for various land use types in the Southern New Hampshire region. Transportation professionals commonly use the ITE Trip Generation Manual to establish trip rates by land use. These rates are national averages and may vary from area to area. In some cases, land use types are represented by trip rates based on only a few samples. In other cases, some land use types are not represented at all. The shortcomings of the ITE trip manual are evident in the wide range of rates it provides for land use types. The SNHPC’s report supplements the ITE trip data with local data that has been collected at similar sites. As a result, the local trip generation study performed for the Southern New Hampshire area (and specifically for the SNHPC region) by the SNHPC provides a more complete and accurate picture of trip rates for the region.

The basic purpose of this study is to determine local trip generation rates for individual land use types in the Southern New Hampshire Region for which the data in the ITE trip generation report is lacking.

This project is ongoing. A report on the results so far can be downloaded by clicking the above heading.

Traffic Counting Program
As part of the Unified Planning Work Program, the Commission conducts traffic counts on regional roadways on an annual basis. A total of approximately 500 locations are counted each year, with about 30 to 35 percent of the counts done at the request of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the remainder is done as per the Commission’s own requirements. If you are a member community and would like to request a traffic count, please contact the Commission for your request to be included in that year’s count list. For a historical traffic count database, please check our Traffic Volume data section.

New Hampshire Transportation Business Plan
To guide the future development of the transportation system of the state, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation has commissioned a study on developing a State Transportation Business Plan that will serve to advance transportation, economic development, land use and environmental goals of the State. The goal of the project is to identify customer issues, develop a transportation vision of the state, identify actions needed to make those visions a reality, and recommend actions needed to make project development and decision process more efficient.

Airport Access Road Project
Over the last decade, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MBRA), has experienced tremendous growth in passenger traffic due to its strategic location in the state, airlines with convenient routes to different parts of the country, relatively un-congested roadways for travel, inexpensive fares, etc. The airport is considered to be vitally important to the regional and state economies both now and in the future. Traffic volumes in the Manchester area are expected to increase as the industrially zoned land surrounding the airport becomes more developed and airport activity increases. Currently, the majority of traffic destined to the airport approaches the area along three main routes: The FEE Turnpike, I-93, and I-293 to Brown Avenue. To relieve existing congestion in the area and to accommodate future traffic, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation is building a 4-lane limited access roadway connecting the FEE Turnpike, near the Bedford Tolls, to the MBRA. Construction of the project has begun and completion is currently scheduled for 2011.

State Bicycle Maps
The State Bicycle Map Steering Committee recently completed revisions to the State Bicycle Maps. SNHPC member communities provided input regarding trails, rail-trails, and pedestrian paths within their municipality as well as suggested safe biking routes to the SNHPC. This information was shared with the State Bicycle Map Steering Committee and incorporated into the updated maps.

Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan

Smart Choices Smart Trips: An Employer’s Guide to Implementing Effective Travel Demand Management Programs
For many New Hampshire residents, employers, and employees, traffic congestion has become a real concern. We complain about traffic and the delays it causes in our commute to work. Yet very few of us carpool, walk or bike to work, or utilize the services and resources available to seek other means of travel besides driving alone The Smart Choices and Smart Trips handbook is designed to address this issue by helping businesses within the Southern New Hampshire Planning Region design and offer effective transportation alternatives and commuter benefits aimed at making it easier and more economical for their employees to get to and from work. How to set up a carpool or vanpool, utilize existing NH Rideshare services, provide parking cash-out programs, utilize existing public and private transit services, set up alternative or staggered work hours, develop guaranteed ride home programs, and implement telecommuting options are all described and evaluated. Additionally, there are numerous implementation guides, references to decision making tools, and techniques designed to help estimate the potential costs and benefits of a transportation demand management program.

There are also several excellent web pages, which can help you determine what types of commuter benefits and TDM options might be most appropriate for your workplace. For more information, visit US EPA Commuter Choice: www.commuterchoice.gov and the Association for Commuter Transportation: www.ACTweb.org

Further information about commuter options available in the Southern New Hampshire Planning Region is also available at the SNHPC Kiosk.




			REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING Title 23 of the United States Code (USC) & 134 states that it is in the national interest to encourage and promote the safe and efficient management, operation, and development of surface transportation systems that will serve the mobility needs of people and freight and foster economic growth and development within and through urbanized areas, while minimizing transportation related fuel consumption and air pollution. To accomplish all these objectives, the Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO), in cooperation with the State and public transit operators, are required to develop transportation plans and programs for urbanized areas of the State. The plans and programs for each metropolitan area are required to provide for the development and integrated management and operation of transportation systems and facilities (including pedestrian walkways and bicycle transportation facilities) that will function as an intermodal transportation system for the metropolitan area and as an integral part of an intermodal transportation system for the State and the country. Local Impact Fees and Private Roads ITS Architecture for the SNHPC Region Regional Transportation Plan In keeping with the provisions of the Title 23 of USC, SNHPC prepares a Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) that provides for consideration of all modes of transportation, including highway, transit, rail, bicycle and pedestrian walkways, freight, and air travel. The plan is continuing, cooperative, and comprehensive, commonly referred to as “3C” process. I-93 Widening I-93 is a major transportation corridor for New Hampshire, both for commuters and visitors to the state, linking the greater Boston area with tourism related activities in the northern and central parts of the state. It serves as a vital link to the regional economic activities. Currently, the corridor is a 4-lane (2 lanes in each direction) interstate facility. The capacity of the highway to carry traffic has long been exceeded, due to the high growth the region has experienced. To address these capacity problems, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation is expanding the highway to 8 lanes (4 lanes in each direction). The SNHPC is currently participating in the Community Technical Assistance Program (CTAP), which is being developed through the State of New Hampshire’s Office of Energy and Planning. CTAP is designed to help communities in the I-93 region plan for future growth. Check the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s I-93 Widening Web Site Local Trip Generation Rates As part of its Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP), the Commission continued work on the trip generation study for various land use types in the Southern New Hampshire region. Transportation professionals commonly use the ITE Trip Generation Manual to establish trip rates by land use. These rates are national averages and may vary from area to area. In some cases, land use types are represented by trip rates based on only a few samples. In other cases, some land use types are not represented at all. The shortcomings of the ITE trip manual are evident in the wide range of rates it provides for land use types. The SNHPC’s report supplements the ITE trip data with local data that has been collected at similar sites. As a result, the local trip generation study performed for the Southern New Hampshire area (and specifically for the SNHPC region) by the SNHPC provides a more complete and accurate picture of trip rates for the region. The basic purpose of this study is to determine local trip generation rates for individual land use types in the Southern New Hampshire Region for which the data in the ITE trip generation report is lacking. This project is ongoing. A report on the results so far can be downloaded by clicking the above heading. Traffic Counting Program As part of the Unified Planning Work Program, the Commission conducts traffic counts on regional roadways on an annual basis. A total of approximately 500 locations are counted each year, with about 30 to 35 percent of the counts done at the request of the New Hampshire Department of Transportation and the remainder is done as per the Commission’s own requirements. If you are a member community and would like to request a traffic count, please contact the Commission for your request to be included in that year’s count list. For a historical traffic count database, please check our Traffic Volume data section. Back to Top New Hampshire Transportation Business Plan To guide the future development of the transportation system of the state, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation has commissioned a study on developing a State Transportation Business Plan that will serve to advance transportation, economic development, land use and environmental goals of the State. The goal of the project is to identify customer issues, develop a transportation vision of the state, identify actions needed to make those visions a reality, and recommend actions needed to make project development and decision process more efficient. Airport Access Road Project Over the last decade, Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MBRA), has experienced tremendous growth in passenger traffic due to its strategic location in the state, airlines with convenient routes to different parts of the country, relatively un-congested roadways for travel, inexpensive fares, etc. The airport is considered to be vitally important to the regional and state economies both now and in the future. Traffic volumes in the Manchester area are expected to increase as the industrially zoned land surrounding the airport becomes more developed and airport activity increases. Currently, the majority of traffic destined to the airport approaches the area along three main routes: The FEE Turnpike, I-93, and I-293 to Brown Avenue. To relieve existing congestion in the area and to accommodate future traffic, the New Hampshire Department of Transportation is building a 4-lane limited access roadway connecting the FEE Turnpike, near the Bedford Tolls, to the MBRA. Construction of the project has begun and completion is currently scheduled for 2011. State Bicycle Maps The State Bicycle Map Steering Committee recently completed revisions to the State Bicycle Maps. SNHPC member communities provided input regarding trails, rail-trails, and pedestrian paths within their municipality as well as suggested safe biking routes to the SNHPC. This information was shared with the State Bicycle Map Steering Committee and incorporated into the updated maps. Coordinated Public Transit-Human Services Transportation Plan Smart Choices Smart Trips: An Employer’s Guide to Implementing Effective Travel Demand Management Programs For many New Hampshire residents, employers, and employees, traffic congestion has become a real concern. We complain about traffic and the delays it causes in our commute to work. Yet very few of us carpool, walk or bike to work, or utilize the services and resources available to seek other means of travel besides driving alone The Smart Choices and Smart Trips handbook is designed to address this issue by helping businesses within the Southern New Hampshire Planning Region design and offer effective transportation alternatives and commuter benefits aimed at making it easier and more economical for their employees to get to and from work. How to set up a carpool or vanpool, utilize existing NH Rideshare services, provide parking cash-out programs, utilize existing public and private transit services, set up alternative or staggered work hours, develop guaranteed ride home programs, and implement telecommuting options are all described and evaluated. Additionally, there are numerous implementation guides, references to decision making tools, and techniques designed to help estimate the potential costs and benefits of a transportation demand management program. There are also several excellent web pages, which can help you determine what types of commuter benefits and TDM options might be most appropriate for your workplace. For more information, visit US EPA Commuter Choice: www.commuterchoice.gov and the Association for Commuter Transportation: www.ACTweb.org Further information about commuter options available in the Southern New Hampshire Planning Region is also available at the SNHPC Kiosk. Back to Top