The Ames Transportation Master Plan considers the challenges and opportunities facing Ames, Iowa, over the next 20 years, and it recommends goals, objectives, policies and improvements to prepare the city to meet its future transportation needs. The plan identifies a three-phase staging schedule for transportation projects and is intended to provide a framework for decisions on short, mid-, and long-range transportation and related land-use activities. In this way, the city can assess the relative importance of the projects and schedule their planning, engineering, and construction as growth takes place and the need for the facilities and improvements is warranted.
Project goals related to transportation include increased mobility, transportation performance, non-motorized travel, economic development and environmental protection.
The areas of the Transportation Plan affecting active living involve an increased frequency and convenience of public transportation lines as well as a new airport shuttle service and a new downtown transportation center. The plan also provides for bikeway and pedestrian improvements such as longer 'walk' clearance times set in traffic signals, installation of new crosswalks, provision of new islands, improved physical facilities, a series of new off-street paths, greenbelt corridors and educational programs about rideshare options and public transit incentives.
The project expenditures are estimated to be around $99.8 million reflecting a significantly larger investment in transit, bikeway, and pedestrian system improvement than is currently expended. The budget proposes that construction over a 20 year period will be paid for by the City, non-local funds, cost-sharing agreements with Iowa State University, Union Pacific Railroad Corporation and the private development community.
Goal
Increased mobility, transportation performance, non-motorized travel, economic development and environmental protection.