CONTINUED EXPANSION OF REGIONAL AND LOCAL TRANSIT IS ESSENTAIL

As the number of people living and working in Teton County grows, as both are projected to do, demand for travel will increase. While increases in demand are inevitable, choices for how people move are results of how the transportation system is designed. Modeling makes two things clear:

• Transit can play a very meaningful role in carrying people to, from, and around Teton County.

• Adding transit capacity has modest benefit compared to combining transit capacity and demand management programming. There is a need to provide transit capacity and use incentives to increase demand for transit.

• Alternatives that include service expansion + aggressive TDM reach over 10,000 daily transit passengers during the summer peak. When peak winter ridership is considered, this level of transit ridership meets or exceeds ITP targets of 3.6 M annual riders in 2035.

WY-22 TRANSIT IS ESSENTIAL

Modeling shows that with enhanced transit service countywide, over 25% of Teton County transit trips would use the WY-22 corridor between The Y and WY-390 interchange.

This market response, combined with already high occupancy in vehicles traveling in the corridor, supports the need for solutions that provide dedicated space for transit or transit and HOVs.

Vehicle Occupancy Is Already High

A vehicle occupancy survey was conducted on WY-22 and WY-390 in February 2020. Data showed auto occupancy rates higher than national averages. For example, at a point west of Broadway on WY-22 occupancies were approximately (average of both directions):

• Weekday Mornings: 27% vehicles

2+ and 4% 3+

• Weekday Evenings: 23% vehicles

2+ and 5% 3+

• Saturday Morning: 40% vehicles

2+ and 12% 3+

• Saturday Evening: 48% vehicles

2+ and 11% 3+

Saturday data is certainly affected by ski traffic and summer data is likely to vary, but families traveling together and people carpooling to work contribute to HOV use during summer months.

High rates of occupancy on WY-22 show that travelers have already adjusted behaviors to manage congestion and challenging travel conditions. This is a strong indicator that policy and infrastructure rewarding shared-ride travel will improve the roadway operation and system efficiency.

25% 5%

2+ PEOPLE

3+ PEOPLE

MOVING PEOPLE, NOT CARS (TOWN TO WY-390)

A two-lane highway has a saturation point or a level of traffic at which even small disruptions in flow—for example, a vehicle turning—has a cascading impact and leads to congestion. Traffic signals, stop signs, and intersecting roadways or driveways all decrease the amount of traffic a lane can carry. An uninterrupted lane on an interstate freeway can carry upward of 2,200 vehicles per hour and a lane on a rural highway such as WY-22 can carry in the range of 1,700 – 1,900 vehicles per hour before becoming congested. Currently, volumes reach 2,500 vehicles per hour during summer afternoons. Congestion may set in at levels higher or lower depending on the number of intersections, whether turn lanes are provided, and the level of traffic entering or exiting the roadway.

Projected 2035 traffic volumes in the peak direction and peak hour provide a good indicator or expected congestion on WY-22. While both Shoulder Running Transit and HOV+Transit alternatives increase transit travel, Shoulder Running Transit does not increase lane capacity and, therefore, will offer less congestion relief.

MUST HAVES FOR WY-22 DESIGN AND OPERATING SOLUTIONS

WYDOT will commence corridor alternatives analysis and NEPA process starting as early as the fall of 2022. While it is easy to view highway expansion as a logical solution to a congested highway, it is important that community members understand that expansion solutions can and will worsen traffic over time, not just on WY-22 but throughout the valley. More important than advocating for a singular design and operating solution, is coalescence behind a set of outcomes. The following are core principles that should guide WY-22 planning.

• A corridor that moves people, not vehicles

• A corridor designed to optimize safety, both human and wildlife.

• A corridor that can manage seasonal peak demands through system operating solutions—e.g., transit rather than overbuilding.

• A corridor that functions as a balanced, reliable system where driving is one choice among many

• A corridor where pavement is expanded must increase mode share and decrease vehicle miles traveled. These outcomes are often at odds but don't have to be with smart planning, design, and demand management. A one-dimensional solution—adding auto capacity—will induce demand and worsen outcomes for the community over time

• A corridor designed for the average period (spring or fall) where peak demands are managed through pricing, demand management, and quality alternatives to driving.