§ 2.9. Level of Service Analysis

2.9.1 Level of Service Used for Review of Comprehensive Plan Future Land Use Map Amendments

For state level transportation planning, the automobile mode level of service standards for the State Highway System during peak travel hours are "D" in urbanized areas and "C" outside urbanized areas. See Procedure No. 525-000-006, Level of Service Standards and Highway Capacity Analysis for the State Highway System for more information. The County utilizes the Congestion Management Process's LOS standards for traffic impact review of developments requesting amendments to the Future Land Use Map. For large scale amendment requests (greater than 10 acres), the applicant is required to provide the traffic impact analysis which include an analysis of impacts to roadways and any necessary improvements. This analysis is utilized by the Zoning Board and Board of County Commissioners in deliberation of the request and mitigation may be required as an option for the proposed amendment to move forward.

2.9.2 Constrained, Backlogged and Congested Roadway Segments

Constrained roadways are those roads that will not be expanded by the addition of two or more lanes due to physical, environmental or policy constraints. Physical constraints primarily occur when intensive land use development is immediately adjacent to roads, thus making expansion costs prohibitive.

Environmental and policy constraints primarily occur when decisions are made not to expand a road based on environmental, historical, archaeological, aesthetic or social impact considerations. There are no constrained roadway segments in Santa Rosa County.

A backlogged roadway is a facility that is operating below the minimum Level of Service standard, but is not programmed for a construction improvement in the first three years of the FDOT work program or in the five-year schedule of the County's capital improvement program. A backlogged facility cannot be a designated constrained facility. There are no backlogged roadway segments in Santa Rosa County.

Congestion is defined by FDOT as a condition in which traffic demand causes the level of services (LOS) to be at or below FDOT's LOS standard. The following roadways/segments ( Table 2-5 ) are designated as congested facilities per the 2040 Florida-Alabama TPO Volume to Capacity Map. As can be seen, the US 90 and 98 corridors are the most congested facilities in Santa Rosa County.

Table 2-5: Congested Roads in Santa Rosa County

Road	Segment	Designation
SR 30 (US 98)	Pensacola Bay Bridge to CR 399 (East Bay Blvd.)	Very Congested
SR 30 (US 98)	CR 399 (East Bay Blvd.) to SR 87S	Congested
SR 30 (US 98)	SR 87S to Okaloosa County Line	Very Congested
SR 10 (US 90)	Escambia Bay Bridge to CR 197 (Chumuckla Hwy.)	Very Congested
SR 10 (US 90)	CR 197 (Chumuckla Hwy.) to SR 281 (Avalon Blvd.)	Congested
SR 10 (US 90)	SR 281 (Avalon Blvd.) to CR 89 (Ward Basin Rd.)	Very Congested
SR 10 (US 90)	CR 89 (Ward Basin Rd.) to SR 87S	Borderline Congested
CR 197 (Woodbine Rd.)	SR10 (US 90) to Cobblestone Drive	Congested
SR 89N	SR10 (US 90) to Hamilton Bridge Rd.	Borderline Congested

 

2.9.3 Current LOS—Roadways

Existing deficiencies (2013) within the Santa Rosa County major roadway network have been assessed with respect to traffic operating conditions. Deficiencies in Table 2-6 are based on the maximum service volumes (MSV) used in the Congestion Management Process Plan (CMPP). Where FDOT traffic counts are available, they have been used. Some County roadways are omitted due to lack of data.

For available counts, the County utilizes those found within in the Florida-Alabama Transportation Planning Organization's (TPO) Congestion Management Process Plan (CMPP). The CMPP updated yearly contains traffic volumes noted for each FDOT count station used to update AADTs on the LOS table. Other information contained in the CMPP tables includes: the functional classification of the roadway, the facility type, the total number of signals on the segment, the number of signals per mile, the segment length, the LOS area, the LOS standard and corresponding maximum allowable volume for the segment, the FDOT count stations for the segment, the current Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) count for each station, the historical counts and corresponding LOS. There are four roadway segments that are not in the CMP which are not eligible.

Map 2-3 on the following page depicts the current (2013) operational LOS for County roadways included within the CMPP.

2.9.4 Analysis of Future Roadway Deficiencies

Future traffic operating conditions have been analyzed to determine where traffic congestion will develop if no improvements are made to the roadway network The TPO's current congestion management plan (CMPP) gives projections for year 2023. There are four roadway segments that are not in the CMP which are not eligible Table 2-6 shows future operating conditions for Santa Rosa County roadways in 2023. Map 2-4 provides the future or 2023 LOS for roadways included within the CMPP.

Roadways that are projected to experience operating deficiencies based on historic traffic growth rates are US90, US98 and Woodbine Road. By the end of the planning horizon, 2023, deficiencies can also be expected on SR89N from US90 to Hamilton Bridge Road, Chumuckla Highway, West and East Spencer Field Roads, Glover Lane, the eastern section of Berryhill Road, and the Navarre Beach Bridge. The discussion below describes planned roadway improvements that will mitigate congestion on the deficient segments of roadway.

Map 2-4 Planning Areas & Future LOS
Santa Rosa County, Florida

TABLE 2-6: AADT MAX VOLUME (TARGET) LOS, 2023 LOS, and 2013 LOS

COUNTY ROADS				2023	2013
			CMPP	AADT	AADT
	Segment (From/To)		AADT LOS	LOS	LOS
CR 89 (Ward Basin Rd.)	I-10	US 90	D	C	C
CR 184 (Hickory Hammock)	CR 89	SR 87	D	B	B
CR 184 (Quintette Rd.)	Escambia Co. Line	Myree Lane	C	B	B
	Myree Lane	Chumuckla Hwy	D	B	B
CR 184 A (Berryhill Rd.)	CR 197	SR 89	D	D	C
CR 197 (Florida Town Rd.)	Diamond Rd.	US 90	D	C	C
Chumuckla Highway	US 90	CR 184 (Quintette Rd.)	D	C	C
	Quintette Rd.	Luther Fowler Rd.	D	C	C
	Luther Fowler Rd.	Ten Mile Rd.	C	C	B
CR 197 A (Bell Lane)	CR 191 B	US 90	D	C	C
Woodbine Rd.	US 90	CR 197 (Chumuckla Hwy)	D	D	C
CR 399 (Pensacola Bch Blvd.)	SR 30 (US 98)	Via Deluna	D	B	B
East Bay Blvd.	US 98	SR 87	D	C	C
Gulf BoulevaRd.	Escambia Co. Line	SR 30 (US 98)	D	C	C
CR 191 Munson Hwy	SR 87N	SR 4	C	C	C
CR 191 Garcon Point Rd.	SR 281 (Avalon)	Milton City Limits	D	B	B
CR 191 Willard Norris Rd.	CR 197 (Chumuckla Hwy.)	SR 89 N (Dogwood Dr.)	D	C	C
CR 191B/281B (Sterling Way/Cyanamid Rd.)	Entire Road		D	C	C
CR 182 (Allentown School Rd.)	Entire Road		C	B	B
East Spencer Field Rd.	Entire Road		D	D	D
CR 197B (West Spencer Field Rd.)	Entire Road		D
Pine Blossom Rd.	Entire Road		D
Glover Lane	Entire Road		D
Hamilton Bridge Rd.	Entire Road		D	C	C
Edgewood Drive	Entire Road		D
STATE ROADS
SR 4	Escambia Co. Line	CR 399 N (Neal Jones Rd.)	C	B	B
	CR 399 N (Neal Jones Rd.)	Okaloosa Co. Line	C	B	B
SR 8 (I-10)	Scenic Hwy	End of 6 Lanes	D	C	B
SIS	End of 6 Lanes	SR 281 (Avalon Blvd.)	D	B	B
	SR 281 (Avalon Blvd.)	SR 87 Urbanized Area Boundary	D	C	B
	SR 87 Urbanized Area Boundary	Okaloosa Co. Line	C	B	B
SR 10 (US 90)	Escambia Co. Line	East Spencer Field Road	D	F	C
	East Spencer Field Rd.	SR 281 (Avalon Blvd.)	D	C	C
	SR 281 (Avalon Blvd.)	SR 87 (Stewart Street)	D	C	C
	SR 87 (Stewart Street)	Airport Road	D	F	C
	Airport Rd.	SR 87S (Milton Road)	D	C	C
	SR 87S (Milton Rd.)	Okaloosa Co. Line	C	B	B
SR 30 (US 98)	Escambia Co. Line	Fairpoint Drive	D	F	F*
	Fairpoint Drive	SR 399 (Pensacola Bch. Blvd.)	D	F	F*
	SR 399 (Pensacola Bch. Blvd.)	East End of Naval Live Oaks (Gulf Breeze City Limits)	D	F	F*
	East End of Naval Live Oaks (Gulf Breeze City Limits)	CR 191 B (Soundside Dr)	D	F	C
	CR 191B (Soundside Dr.)	West of Bergen Rd.	D	C	C
	West of Bergen Rd.	Edgewood Dr.	D	C	B
	Edgewood Drive	Belle Mead Circle	D	F	C
	Belle Mead Circle	Okaloosa Co. Line	D	F	C
SR 87 N	SR 10 (US 90)	SR 89 S	D	C	C
Stewart St.	SR 89 S	SR 89 N	D	B	B
	SR 89 N	Whiting Field (CR 87 A, Langley St.)	D	C	C
	Whiting Field (CR 87 A, Langley St.)	North of Whiting Field Circle	D	C	B
	North of Whiting Field Circle	North of Hopewell Road	C	B	B
	North of Hopewell Road	Alabama State Line	C	B	B
SR 87 S	SR 30 (US 98)	North of Five Forks Rd.	D	C	C
SIS	North of Five Forks Rd.	North of Vonnie Tolbert Rd.	D	C	B
	North of Vonnie Tolbert Road	Barney Broxon Rd.	C	C	B
	Barney Broxon Road	South of Nichols Lake Rd.	C	B	B
	South of Nichols Lake Rd.	I-10 (SR 8)	D	C	C
	I-10 (SR 8)	US 90 (SR 10)	D	C	C
SR 89 N	SR 10 (US 90)	Berryhill Rd. (CR 184A)	D	D	D
	Berryhill Rd. (CR 184A)	SR 87	D	C	C
	SR 87	South of Divot Lane	D	B	B
	South of Divot Lane	South of Pond Creek Rd.	C	B	B
	South of Pond Creek Rd.	Shell Rd. (Jay)	C	B	B
	Shell Rd. (Jay)	Pollard Rd.	C	C	C
	Pollard Rd.	Alabama State Line	C	B	B
SR 281	SR 30 (US 98)	Mid Point of Garcon Point Bridge	C	B	B
Avalon Blvd.	Mid Point of Garcon Point Bridge	CR 191	D	B	B
	CR 191	I-10 (SR 8)	D	C	C
	I-10 (SR 8 Ramp)	US 90 (SR 10)	D	F	D

 

Table Note:

Santa Rosa County utilizes the maximum service volumes found within the Transportation Planning Organization's Congestion Management Program Plan (CPMM) for the review of amendments to the Future Land Use Map. For roadways not included in the CMPP but included within this Table, LOS Standard D is utilized for review of amendments.

2.9.5 Roadway Improvements

The County adopted Transportation Impact Fees effective January 2006 and passed a proportionate fair-share ordinance in 2007 (reference Section 163.3180, F.S. regarding proportionate fair share) both aimed at raising revenues dedicated to transportation improvements. Because of the economic recession, a moratorium is currently in effect for the collection of impact fees. The County has also opted out of transportation concurrency, negating the need for the 2007 proportionate fair share ordinance.

The roadway improvements outlined in this section, and illustrated in the Future Transportation Map Series, reflect the above deficiency analysis, projects from the TPO's Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP), and projects funded by County revenues and grants. Both short-term and long-term capital improvements are outlined. Those in the first five years will appear in the Capital Improvements Element, and are consistent with the TPO's Transportation Improvement Program and FDOT's Work Program.

2.9.5.1 Planned US 98 Projects

The US98 corridor is a major issue for Santa Rosa County and, in fact, for all the counties in northwest Florida from Escambia County east to Gulf County. This facility is a major regional connection, but in Santa Rosa County US 98 is the only corridor for east west travel for local trips as well in the south end of the County due to the peninsular nature of South Santa Rosa County. In 2005, the Florida Legislature created the Northwest Florida Transportation Corridor Authority, established in Section 343.80, Florida Statutes.

The primary purpose of the Authority is to improve mobility on the US 98 corridor in Northwest Florida to enhance traveler safety, identify and develop hurricane evacuation routes, promote economic development along the corridor, and implement transportation projects to alleviate current or anticipated traffic congestion. The Authority is authorized to employ a variety of financial mechanisms including tolls and public-private partnerships. The Authority board consists of one member each from Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Bay, Gulf, Franklin and Wakulla Counties. Members are appointed by the Governor. Its Master Plan, adopted in 2007 and updated in 2008 and 2013 is available at www.nwftca.com. Other projects directly benefiting the US 98 corridor are as follows:

• The South Santa Rosa County Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan was adopted in 2015. This Plan includes a recommendation for a multi-modal loop in the southern portion of the County that can be used as an alternative to the US 98 corridor for alternative modes of travel on the peninsula and beach.

• Right-of-Way for future 6 lane widening of the 4.253-mile segment of US 98 from Bayshore Road to Portside Drive is dispersed in FDOT's five-year work program from FY 2014 through FY 2017. Construction funding for this segment is identified as cost feasible in the 2040 LRTP.

• A PD&E for the 6 lane widening of US 98 from Portside Drive to the Okaloosa County line is scheduled to begin the Fall of 2015.

• A PD&E for the Community Access Road in Navarre has also been funded over two years (2018 and 2019). The County will need to explore grant opportunities and other funding sources such as FDOT's Transportation Regional Incentive Program (TRIP) to implement the design, right of way and construction. Every year the TPO adopts a project priority list and every five years the Long Range Transportation Plan is adopted with the potential for the CAR to be funded completely through this system.

• The replacement of the Pensacola Bay Bridge connecting Santa Rosa and Escambia Counties will begin in 2017. The new 6 lane facility will include bicycle pedestrian features and breakdown lanes. http://pensacolabaybridge.com/

2.9.5.2 Planned US 90 Corridor Projects

• A PD&E for the 6 lane widening of US 90 from the Escambia County Line to Glover Lane is scheduled within the FDOT 5-year work program and will begin the Fall of 2015.

• A PD&E for the 6 lane widening of US 90 from Glover Lane to SR 87 is currently underway.

• As part of the Florida-Alabama TPO prioritized projects, Santa Rosa County receives $1.5 million yearly (FY 2017 to 2021) for the implementation of corridor management projects along US 90 and US 98. Corridor management projects include the addition of turn lanes and median modifications previously identified within the corridor management plans for those roads.

2.9.5.3 Transportation Demand Management

In addition to physical improvements to increase roadway capacity, traffic operation improvements and transportation demand management can be important strategies for alleviating transportation deficiencies. Transportation Demand Management (TDM) are strategies designed to reduce peak-hour demands on the roadway network. Implementation of TDM strategies, such as carpools, vanpools, subscription bus service, parking management, work hour management, telecommuting and innovative legal and legislative approaches can reduce the number of cars on the roadway by increasing occupancy per vehicle and shifting travel hours, thus reducing the need for high cost capacity improvements. The County continues to identify appropriate actions to ease peak hour congestion as part of the concurrency monitoring system.

These actions can include TDM measures.

TDM techniques can be commonly divided into three different categories. The TDM techniques that can be implemented in order to help alleviate capacity problems are:

• Promote alternatives to the automobile, encouraging persons to switch voluntarily to other modes;

• Park-and-ride service;

• Shuttle systems;

• Pedestrian systems;

• Employer transit subsidies;

• Bicycling.

• Encourage more efficient use of automobiles and roads through ridesharing and alternative work hours:

• HOV lanes;

• Ridesharing;

• Alternative work hours;

• Truck traffic restrictions.

• Discourage the use of automobiles by making their use costlier or more difficult:

• Parking management;

• Automobile restrictions.

Since TDM measures are designed to reduce vehicle demand on the system by increasing vehicle occupancy, they are viewed as demand-side strategies. However, supply-side strategies such as Traffic Systems Management (TSM) can also be alternative means to achieving LOS standards. TSM strategies include left- and right-turn lanes, intersection widening, and improved signing and pavement markings. Traffic signal improvements are also a relatively low-cost TSM strategy that can improve the capacity of the County's roadway system. Traffic signal improvement strategies include traffic signal coordination, continuous optimization of timing plans, and implementation of computer-based traffic control systems to incorporate a closed-loop signal system. Operation of the closed-loop system would result in significant benefits in terms of reduced delay and fewer stops at traffic signals. While the cost of TSM measures varies, the benefits generally exceed the costs.

Several TSM strategies have been identified as part of the Corridor Management planning process. Numerous projects identified in the plan have been constructed on US 90 and US 98. Traffic signal timing on US 98 has improved traffic operations. Santa Rosa County and private businesses within the County also continue to work with the West Florida Commuter Services Program, staffed by the West Florida Regional Planning Council. This agency works directly with major employers to institute programs like ridesharing. Agency staff run a GIS-based program that will match employees in the same geographic areas for ridesharing purposes. The program also markets TDM strategies to the public at large.