Ellsworth Air Force Base Transportation Management Plan

The ultimate goals of the strategies outlined in the Transportation Management Plan (TMP) for the Ellsworth Air Force Base are to enhance mobility, reduce traffic congestion, and improve air quality in the regions. The project approach to developing the TMPs relied on data collection and coordination with existing efforts. The project started with establishing a baseline for existing commuter trends within the local areas, then moved on to coordination with local agencies to establish future transportation strategies.

There was a site visit to each installation to perform onsite data collection including traffic signal analysis, turning movement counts, and parking inventories. The analysis of the existing and newly collected data was performed to identify and document deficiencies and shortfalls as well as recommend improvements and land and facility requirements to meet future needs. Interviews with stakeholders were performed with internal and external installation partners to gather relevant information regarding current parking policies, transportation programs, alternative work hours, and transit subsidies.

The project team also interviewed selected external agencies (i.e., DOT, MPO, and local government) to identify and coordinate transportation-related issues at each installation and the surrounding sites. Traffic data was collected to establish existing transportation behaviors. The traffic data collection and analysis included peak hour vehicle trips, travel mode split, average vehicle occupancy, intersection level of service, peak parking utilization, mass transit services available, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, highway access, and gate counts. A written report was developed with an executive summary, current conditions, employee survey results, future conditions, data analysis results, proposed programs, and monitoring and evaluation sections.