Integrating the Transportation System with a University Campus Transportation Master Plan

Project Description

The daily traffic associated with the typical university campus can create significant congestion ¿ not only within the confines of the campus itself, but also in the surrounding area. This is particularly true of campuses set in urban areas, making the integration of campus and regional transportation plans essential to overall mobility and safety. Using the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) campus as a case study, researchers reviewed crash locations, surveyed faculty, staff and students, characterized existing and future systems, and identified gaps between the campus transportation system and the surrounding transportation system. The overall analysis took into account the complex nature of university campuses, where traffic involving motor vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians can create unique challenges. Researchers also performed modeling tasks to analyze system integration factors and produced cost estimates for all proposed improvements and recommendations. Those recommendations involved a variety of signs, signals and traffic control strategies, pedestrian crossings, changes in transit routes, and biking and walking paths. Researchers also recommended a series of infrastructure improvements, including pedestrian bridges, sidewalks and the widening of priority streets. The study findings provide UTEP officials and the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) with a systematic approach for integrating the campus and regional transportation systems, helping to ensure the efficiency and safety of each system. In addition, the findings can support both entities with decisions of how to invest limited transportation funding in the most productive way possible ¿ something that will become increasingly important as university enrollment continues to grow.

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