Due to increased development generating additional demands on the county road system, MEADE Moving Forward 2040 Transportation Plan identifies a need for an additional east/west connection between Erickson Ranch Road and 143rd Avenue. The Southern Meade County Corridor study will aid in identifying a conceptual alignment to enable Meade County to plan for the potential development in the area and secure the corridor's right-of-way.
Goals of the Study
Identify
- Perform environmental scan to determine environmental sensitivities.
- Collect and summarize historical crash data, traffic counts, topography, existing and future land use, and previous studies within the study area.
- Identify up to three build alternatives for a future east-west corridor connection. A no build option will also be analyzed.
Analyze
- Analyze traffic for current and future conditions.
- Evaluate cost of constructing build alternatives.
- Investigate and avoid impacts to environmental concerns such as a floodplain, known historical property, wetlands, existing private land developments etc.
Recommend
- Examine each alternative at the conceptual level to determine the advantages and disadvantages.
- Provide recommended alternatives to Meade County and the MPO.
- Present draft report to the study advisory team and the public.
Approve
- Provide final report incorporating comments from the study advisory team and the public.
Study Area
The study corridor is proposed to be between the Meade County/Pennington County line to the south, Elk Creek Road to the north, Erickson Ranch Road to the west, and 143rd Avenue to the east. The following intersections will be analyzed as part of the study in order to determine any changes in traffic due to this future corridor:
- Elk Creek Rd & Erickson Ranch Rd
- Elk Creek Rd & Haines Ave
- Elk Creek Rd & 143rd Ave
- 143rd Ave & 224th St
- Peaceful Pines Rd & Erickson Ranch Rd
