JACKSON HOLE, WYO – If your first question is “What is a traffic demand model?” this might be the gathering for you.
Transportation needs in this valley can no longer be ignored or pushed down the road (excuse the pun) for future generations. Most arteries in and out of the valley are reaching or over capacity. Secondary roads are becoming clogged as well and redundancy, especially in the case of emergency, is nearly nonexistent.
Tonight, a scheduled open house is a chance to learn more and give feedback. Teton County, the Town of Jackson, and the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) have partnered to build a Traffic Demand Model for the Jackson Hole area. Upon completion, the model will assist the agencies with longer-term planning for transportation needs in the region.
Cambridge Systematics is the consultant that was hired to build the model, and their work began with data gathering in October.
“This open house is an opportunity for the public to learn more about the general process of traffic modeling, and interact directly with the team that is running the project,” said Sean O’Malley, director of public works. “This is a good introductory opportunity for people to understand what traffic models can and can’t do, as well as provide general feedback to the consultant and the Transportation Advisory Committee about the modeling process.”
The open house is Thursday, December 7, from 5-7pm in the Teton County Library Auditorium.
In related traffic news…
Teton County, the Town of Jackson, and the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT) are partnering with multiple local agencies and non-profit organizations to raise public awareness about the danger, frequency, and cost of wildlife-vehicle collisions.
The winter season of December to March is the highest-risk time of year for collisions with wildlife—more than half of all annual collisions take place during this period. Over the course of the last year, over 500 animals were killed due to collisions in Teton County.
The monetary and ecological costs of these collisions are considerable: the Jackson Hole Wildlife Foundation estimates that the cost of wildlife-vehicle collisions from May 2016 to April 2017 was more than $3 million. In addition, the regional ecosystem suffers from the amount of wildlife fatalities that occur every year.
“It is critically important that drivers are aware of the increased risk of wildlife collisions throughout the valley in the winter months,” said Amy Ramage, engineering manager at Teton County. “As we work collaboratively with the community to identify long-term strategies to deal with this issue, the best thing a driver can do is be aware, drive cautiously, and slow down.”
Ramage is helping to coordinate the Wildlife Crossings Master Plan process, a project that has worked to analyze all options for reducing wildlife-vehicle collisions, including speed limit reductions, roadside signage, and permanent wildlife crossing infrastructure. Public input and collaboration with local conservation groups have informed the plan, which is currently in draft form.
The Wildlife Crossings Master Plan process is primarily focused on long-term solutions, but stakeholders are currently working on short-term solutions and increased public awareness.
“It’s very important to identify permanent, long-term solutions for this problem, but in the meantime, there are steps we can take as a community to help the situation right now,” said Carl Pelletier, public information officer for the Town of Jackson. “We’ve been working with WYDOT and local law enforcement on new signage and speed limits on Broadway, and we’ve been collaborating with the County on a public awareness campaign that involves a variety of printed and electronic materials.”
“We really just want to get the message out to drivers to be careful and slow down, especially at night,” Pelletier continued. “Drivers may think that there is less risk when driving in Jackson, but wildlife corridors exist right within the Town limits.”
The speed limit change on Broadway was recently approved by the Jackson Town Council to address the high-risk, collision hotspot zone from the Flat Creek/Pearl/Broadway intersection all the way to the Y (Highway 22 intersection near Albertson’s). The new speed limit on this stretch is 30mph (down from 35mph). Reduced speeds allow drivers to come to a stop faster when wildlife is present in the roadway and significantly reduce the severity of collisions, or avoid them altogether.
