Recommendations

This feasibility study concluded that further analysis is warranted to assess opportunities for improvements along the US 27 corridor as well as adjacent communities to support mobility options, minimize ROW impacts, enhance freight movement, ensure efficient emergency evacuation through the region, and safe mobility for all users. Based on the needs outlined in this report, several actions are recommended. The recommendations consist of:

  • A Mobility Analysis with more detailed analysis focused on a larger section of US 27
  • A Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study to connect SR 70 and SR 66
  • A PD&E study to connect SR 66 to US 98

A Mobility Analysis is recommended to ensure the US 27 corridor adequately accommodates the evolving transportation demands of the Heartland region. The District One Regional Planning Model’s (D1RPM) estimated population growth for District 1 is 54% and employment growth is 62%. Highlands County is expected to have population growth of 54% and a 37% growth in employment. Expanding the analysis area to include Polk County will capture the regional impacts of land use and planned developments, freight growth, and new strategic network connections, including improvements on SR 60 and the Central Polk Parkway at the north end and SR 70 at the south end respectively. This approach will continue to evaluate opportunities for improvements along the existing US 27 corridor and the adjacent communities to support meeting the stated purpose. A Speed Harmonization Study could be incorporated into the Mobility Analysis to further improve safety along the corridor.

A PD&E study is recommended between SR 70 and SR 66 due to several critical factors, including:

  • Network Resiliency: Recent detour analyses revealed the vulnerability of Southwest Florida's transportation network with significant detour lengths if portions of SR 70, SR 66 or US 27 are closed. The PD&E study will explore ways to improve network resilience.
  • Emergency Evacuation: During natural disasters or disruptive events, the regional network has been stressed and analysis shows delays at critical chokepoints. The PD&E study will explore ways to ensure smoother emergency evacuation and faster recovery.
  • Freight Mobility and Safety: Detailed freight analysis will help determine the origin and destination points for truck traffic within the Heartland region. Additionally, this study will explore the identification and prioritization of truck routes. Notably, the segment of US 27 experiences a significant presence of truck traffic of nearly 30%. Fourteen out of 56 serious injury crashes and six out of 21 fatal crashes involved trucks. The portions of this study segment displayed 5-year average total crash rate twice the statewide and districtwide average crash rate.

A PD&E study is recommended between SR 66 and US 98 due to several critical factors, including:

  • Land Use Changes: Urbanization and changes in land uses (from agricultural to commercial and residential) around Sebring and in Polk County further supports the need to accommodate both regional and local traffic.
  • Traffic Congestion: The PD&E will explore options to improve future traffic congestion and forecasting. This segment of US 27 has the highest traffic growth in the Highlands County. By the year 2045, segments of US 27 between SR 66 and US 98 will not meet the capacity needs of the corridor even with a capacity expansion alternative.

FDOT

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