Sarah Thomas English 3302 Tom Akbari Unit 1 Final Draft 19 September 2013

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The Aquidneck Island Transportation Study

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The Aquidneck Island Transportation Study (AITS), composed by a project team from Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. (VHB), is a comprehensive transportation study focusing on Aquidneck Island, which consists of the towns of Middletown and Portsmouth, and the city of Newport, all in the state of Rhode Island. This transportation study analyzes current and future traffic conditions, performs a full inventory of transportation modes and facilities, and presents and vets potential transportation improvements along with a full plan of implementation. The style of the writing is technical and straightforward, while still telling a story of sorts about the need for extensive research and design for the transportation system of Aquidneck Island. This is evident in the organization of the report, which is discussed in more detail later. I discovered this study during my first cooperative education experience with VHB, as I worked extensively on the future traffic analysis and transportation improvement design, and continued to refine the study during my other two co-ops. This technical type of writing is typical of what was expected of my co-workers and I at VHB throughout my three co-ops. This is especially evident when looking at the thorough background research that was done in order to be able to fully understand the study area, therefore being able to formulate the best possible improvement alternatives, and being able to look at and evaluate the alternatives critically in the

context of the study area. Technical education does not often gives the background knowledge to perform these technical studies, while at the same time provoking critical thought about engineering concepts and being able to present them in a clear manner. As a civil engineering major concentrating in transportation engineering, which is the field this text emerged from, this study is very intriguing to me. Currently, most traffic studies simply analyze car traffic without looking at other modes of transportation, and without presenting potential improvements or traffic mitigations. The entire goal of this study was to look at all modes of transportation on the island, and to complete the study with a set plan to implement transportation improvements to enhance the quality of life on Aquidneck Island for residents and tourists alike. This distinction makes the AITS a very different kind of transportation study. The importance of this study and its distinctions from previous studies are noted in Chapter 1 of the text as follows: This study is critically important to the future economic viability and quality of life on Aquidneck Island. It reaches across all modes of transportation (bus, rail, ferry, bike, pedestrian, auto, etc.) and seeks to make modal connections and improvements consistent with sound land use planning1(pg. 1-2). The study is organized into 3 distinct sections. The first section gives background information about the study area, including current transportation infrastructure, information about the residents and tourists, and explanations of transportation-generating properties on the Island, such as large employers and tourist attractions. The second section analyzes the current and future conditions from an engineering standpoint, using metrics such as time wasted in traffic and travel times from points off the island to points of interest on the island. The final section builds on the alternatives evaluated in Chapter 4 by establishing the phasing of

recommendations into immediate, short, mid, and long-term actions and policies that will comprise the overall transportation improvement plan for the Island 1(pg. 5-1). This strongly states the overall goal of the study, which was to complete the research and development with a usable action plan. The study is very clearly formatted by dividing into chapters where appropriate. Within these chapters, there are headers to separate different sections, which clearly guide the reader through the study in order to advance the authors goal of giving as much background information as possible to support their proposals for improvements. The study also uses figures, tables, and charts where appropriate to visualize the data and ideas presented. These figures include conceptual designs when discussing future construction projects in order for a nontechnical reader to be able to understand facilities such as bike paths and roundabouts. Tables and pie charts are used to communicate data in a way other than writing, which makes the reader able to understand and visualize the data rather than just read a long paragraph listing facts. Overall, this text follows the current theme in transportation engineering which states that our current infrastructure is outdated, unsafe, and does not adequately serve the traveling public. On a smaller scale, Aquidneck Island is difficult to reach using public transportation as demonstrated by this quote: Very few Island workers rely on transit for their commute to and from work. The percentage of transit commuters was similar for each Island community (between 1 and 2 percent) and similar to statewide transit use 1(pg. 2-8). The island is also inconvenient to reach via car (although this is how most people chose to access the island), and impossible to reach via biking or walking. Along with improving our infrastructure for cars, the infrastructure for other modes of transportation also needs to be improved. This study clearly

presents the problems currently faced in the field of traffic engineering as they manifest themselves on Aquidneck Island, and offers ways to fix these problems in both the short-term and long-term. On the whole, this studys purpose is to guide the investment of time and money into the transportation system on Aquidneck Island through the creation of a Multi-Modal Transportation Plan, coming from the Transportation Improvement Plan in this study. It does this by passing on information about the current transportation network, packaged with traffic engineering knowledge, to an average person who would be reading this study. Technical terms that the average reader may not understand are always defined, like in this quote: Opticom, or emergency vehicle preemption system technology, is in place along sections of West Main Road
1(pg. 2-18).

This document is already being used by public works officials and transportation planners on both the local and state levels, as the improvements vetted through this study are being implemented through previously-planned roadway design projects whenever possible. In addition, within VHB, this study is used as an example of the kind of innovative and thorough transportation study that the company wants to be known for. During the study process, VHB also worked hard to meet the demands of the client and to maintain good relations with the public as well, and this behavior is also used as an example of the kind of service that the company wishes to provide to its clients in every project. This excellent client service was provided through an extensive public outreach campaign, which included marketing both the study and multiple design and comment workshops meant for the public to be able to express their concerns and ideas.

Many transportation studies are composed and then sit on a shelf, never to be read again. This study, however, is meant to be used for design ideas in both the short-term and long-term. This commitment to the study actually being used is demonstrated throughout, but especially in the implementation chapter of the study, as demonstrated here: This chapter presents an Action Plan for implementation of the study recommendations. In total, the recommendations presented in this Action Plan present a holistic, coordinated, and sustainable development plan for the Islands transportation system 1(pg. 6-1). The document successfully achieves its goal of clearly presenting background information on Aquidneck Island, analyzing current and future conditions, and most importantly, presenting future design concepts for implementation and construction in order to better guide investment of both time and money into the Aquidneck Island transportation study. The AITS very strongly supports its design concepts by giving sufficient non-technical background information and engineering reasoning to ensure that the design concepts will operate correctly, which is its biggest strength. It is also the only study to wrap up the planning concepts (looking at reasons people would travel to the island and when, such as employers and their sizes/ locations, tourist attractions, et cetera) and the engineering research (done via calculating travel times, traffic volumes, and delay to the traveling public due to the ineffective transportation infrastructure) into one study. The AITS, however, could be improved by being more concise. In many areas, it gives a lot of background information that many readers may find superfluous. Some of the background information is necessary, such as describing the population on the island. On the other hand, a complete analysis of the existing roadway network as presented in Chapter 2 would be better suited for a technical appendix where In addition, considering a major

problem with transportation infrastructure today is lack of funding, the study does not focus much on how to improve the funding mechanisms for the projects that it proposes. Rather, the document states: While funding is always a consideration and was factored into the evaluation criteria, funding availability was not the primary driver for the development of the studys recommendations 1(pg. 6-1). This makes the implementation plan seem less than tangible, and somewhat undermines the credibility of the studys overall focus of being straightforward and designing shovel-ready projects that will actually be constructed. Overall, the AITS is an innovative, holistic transportation study, which it achieves both through extensively examining the background information on Aquidneck Island and by outlining a clear plan of implementing the improvements that it presents in the study. This differs from other traffic studies, as most studies usually just give potential improvements without a reasonable plan for them to be funded or constructed. This study is also clearly organized and explains every concept, allowing a reader with no engineering knowledge to follow along and learn a substantial amount about transportation engineering.!

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Reference 1. Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, Inc. Aquidneck Island Transportation Study [Internet]. 2011. [cited 16 September 2013]. Available from: http://www.vhb.com/aquidneck/finalreport.asp!

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