Case Study Application of the Metropolitan Transportation Planning Process to a Small Urban Area: Harrison County, West Virginia

In 1995, the West Virginia Department of Transportation (WVDOT) initiated a series of countywide transportation studies across the state. The intent of these efforts was to prepare long-range, multimodal transportation plans for several of the state's non-metropolitan urban areas where no substantial planning efforts had been undertaken over the previous decade. The general metropolitan transportation planning process as defined in ISTEA and TEA-21 was to be employed on these assignments, but at a scale appropriate for these smaller urban areas. One of these county transportation studies was initiated in early 2000 for Harrison County, West Virginia by a team of consultants led by BRW/URS Corporation. Located at the junction of the state's primary north-south travel corridor (I-79) and the major east-west travel corridor - US Route 50 (Appalachian Corridor "D"), Harrison County has developed into an employment center for a multi-county region in north central West Virginia extending 30-40 miles beyond its borders. From 1969 to 1999 alone, the number of jobs in the county rose by 10,000 to 41,000. Employment is projected to continue to increase to approximately 55,000 jobs by 2025. At the same time, the county's population had experienced the pattern of increases and declines characteristic of the Appalachian Region. From a peak population of 85,296 persons in 1950, the resident population had declined to 68,652 persons by 2000. Yet reflective of continuing employment growth, total population is projected to increase to approximately 77,500 by 2025. With the previous Clarksburg/Harrison County Transportation Plan dating from the mid-1970s, it was apparent that a totally new planning process was required. This included the collection of new external travel surveys and the development and application of a countywide travel demand model using the QRS-II platform. The project has also included a wide-ranging public and agency involvement process (including a project specific web site - www.harrisontrans.org) designed to achieve a consensus within the community for the ultimate recommendations resulting from the planning process.

• Corporate Authors:

  Transportation Research Board

  500 Fifth Street, NW
  Washington, DC  United States  20001
• Authors:
  • Grimm, Lewis G
  • Troe, William L
  • Warner, Richard L
• Conference:
  • Eighth National Conference on Transportation Planning for Small and Medium-Sized Communities
  • Location: Cincinnatti OH, United States
  • Date: 2002-9-18 to 2002-9-20
• Publication Date: 2002

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: CD-ROM
• Pagination: 10p
• Monograph Title: Eighth National Conference on Transportation Planning for Small and Medium-Sized Communities, September 18-20, 2002, Cincinnati, Ohio

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Case studies; Employment; Population; Public participation; Small cities; State departments of transportation; Traffic models; Transportation planning; Travel demand; Travel demand management; Travel surveys; Websites
• Geographic Terms: Harrison County (West Virginia)
• Subject Areas: Highways; Operations and Traffic Management; Planning and Forecasting; Public Transportation; Society; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01045240
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS, TRB
• Created Date: Mar 30 2007 7:02AM