within, through, and around the Heartland region. This will enhance network resilience by facilitating quicker recovery and smoother evacuation during emergencies. Given the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, the study should also explore the need for additional capacity and more resilient infrastructure to mitigate disruptions.
- Addressing Capacity and Beyond: The proposed Build Alternative from this study requires further analysis to understand unintended consequences. While it might address capacity issues in specific areas, it could potentially push congestion to other sections of US 27, particularly around Avon Park, or even into Polk County. A comprehensive study encompassing Polk County is necessary to determine if the Build Alternative truly addresses all functional needs of the corridor, including safety, evacuation capabilities, and freight movement.
- Prioritizing Safety: The study should prioritize safety improvements throughout the corridor, as over 40% of crashes resulted in injury over the analysis years. The analysis shows an increase in fatal crashes along the corridor for vulnerable road users. The current crashes involving vulnerable road users, and crashes involving other modes especially trucks, requires significant attention. Diverting freight traffic could be a transformative solution. This would not only reduce crashes but also create opportunities for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure in growing communities like Sebring and Avon Park, fostering a safer and more vibrant environment for residents.
- Redefine Context Zones: As noted in Section2.5, the variability in context zones create sections of the corridor that inadvertently encourage higher speed differentials among vehicles. Coupling higher speed differential with significant truck traffic results in error-prone driver behavior – increasing the likelihood of crashes. This is supported by the crash analysis, wherein careless driving, and failure to yield represented the two highest contributing causes to reported crashes both involving and not involving injury. Redefining the US 27 context zones can help shape the future desired conditions for the corridor. The Rural Towns and Suburban contexts should support local traffic and nonmotorized activity. This will allow FDOT to collaborate with local communities in redefining the context zones along the US 27 mainline. For example, the C2T (Rural Town) context zone in downtown Lake Placid and Avon Park could be re-designed to incorporate Complete Streets elements that emphasize pedestrian and bicycle activity.
- Synergy with regional Improvements: Proposed improvements along SR 70 and the Central Polk Parkway could significantly impact traffic flow on US 27 and within the region. The Mobility Analysis will ensure these projects are coordinated for optimal system linkage and network resilience.
Improvements to the existing US 27 corridor to improve safety could be incorporated into the Mobility Analysis including a Speed Harmonization Study:
- Throughout the study corridor, it was noted that the existing posted speed varies substantially from 65-45 miles per hour. Furthermore, it is noted that the posted speed limits do not align directly with the context zones. This inconsistency may cause motorists to avoid altering their operating speed, as the context clues in the built and natural environments may not dissuade them from maintaining their higher speeds.
- It is recommended that FDOT conduct a speed harmonization analysis within the project limits. If possible, while reconfiguring context zones, consider speed management design strategies that would support more homogenous speeds for this corridor.
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