Page 167 - Michigan City, IN US Highway 421 Corridor Plan

5.5 Implementation Action Plan

Table 5.23 Implementation Action Plan

Goal 3.3.1: Enhance Transportation Efficiency

TIMEFRAME
PRIORITY PRIMARY SECONDARY POTENTIAL POTENTIAL OUTSIDE
# DESCRIPTION (SHORT-MEDIUM-LONG-TERM)
(PRIMARY-SECONDARY) RESPONSIBLE PARTY RESPONSIBLE PARTY OUTSIDE RESOURCE FUNDING RESOURCE
1-2 Yrs 3-10 Yrs 10+ Yrs
3.1.1
(Page 3-04) Strategy: Develop an access management plan to ensure safe and efficient vehicular circulation throughout the 421 Gateway District.
Convenient access can make or break a commercial corridor. The primary benefit of having an access management plan is that it lays the foundation for correcting existing access management problems and preventing others from occurring in the future. Too many
curb cuts are inefficient and dangerous for drivers and pedestrians alike. In order to accommodate access to existing and future development in a safe and efficient manner, INDOT actively implements a series of access management objectives, the intent of which is to
1) manage the location, design, and type of property access in order to reduce traffic congestion and frequency of crashes; 2) preserve the flow of traffic and existing road capacity; 3) support economic growth; 4) improve access to businesses and homes; 5) maintain
or improve property values; and 6) preserve the public investment in the transportation infrastructure. Thoroughfare efficiency and convenience can be ensured through adoption and enforcement of specific access management regulations.
Actions and Initiatives
Consolidate driveways and interconnect parcels through cross access easements Planning and
wherever possible so that automobile and pedestrian circulation is possible without Office of the City Indiana Department of Federal Aid Highway
1. Primary   Redevelopment Inspection
going out onto the arterial highway. Studies indicate that halving the number of access Engineer Department Transportation (INDOT) Program via INDOT
points results in about a 30 percent decrease in the vehicular accident rate.
Regulate the design and spacing of driveways. Locate driveways away from
intersections. Within the Michigan City Appendix C, Joint Zoning Ordinance, amend Planning and
Section 18.04, Driveway Access Management, Part (d) (3) Number of Driveways, to Office of the City Indiana Department of
2. Secondary  Redevelopment Inspection City of Michigan City
prohibit a second driveway onto the same road per property, irrespective of the length Engineer Department Transportation
of roadway frontage. Additional driveway access points to frontage/rearage access
roads and other municipal streets is permitted and encouraged.
Design intersections and access points to simplify and coordinate signal sequences and Planning and
3. to minimize congestion. Secondary  Office of the City Redevelopment Inspection Indiana Department of City of Michigan City
Engineer Transportation
Department
Limit curb cuts to avoid excessive turning motions that snarl traffic; manage this Planning and
4. process through zoning ordinances, design requirements, or comprehensive codes. Secondary  Office of the City Redevelopment Inspection Indiana Department of City of Michigan City
Engineer Transportation
Department
Integrate raised medians and appropriate median breaks to limit potential conflicts. Planning and
6. Secondary  Office of the City Redevelopment Inspection Indiana Department of Federal Aid Highway
Engineer Transportation Program via INDOT
Department
Protect the Interstate 94 interchange. To maintain the functional integrity of the I-94 Planning and
7. interchange, access points should be located as far away from interchange ramps as Secondary  Office of the City Redevelopment Inspection Indiana Department of Federal Aid Highway
Transportation
Engineer
Program via INDOT
possible (INDOT requirement: 1,250 feet from interchange). Department
Within the Michigan City Appendix C, Joint Zoning Ordinance, amend Section 18.04,
Driveway Access Management to require property owners of developed parcels along
US Highway 421 / S. Franklin Street, to comply with recommended access point
closures, based on the following triggers:
— if there is a change in ownership of said property; Planning and
8. — if there is a zoning change or re-platting; Primary    Redevelopment Office of the City Engineer Indiana Department of City of Michigan City
Transportation
— if the property owner applies for a development application or building permit to Inspection Department
expand a building by 30 to 70 percent of the gross floor area, or increase the
parking requirements by 20 percent;
— contingent on there being a minimum of two points of access / egress remaining
after the recommended access point closure.
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5.0 Implementation Adopted: August 16, 2016