Cafritz Could Increase U.S. Route 1 Traffic by 77 Percent, According to Preliminary Study

A traffic study conducted by the county estimates that the proposed Whole Foods and residential development south of College Park could generate about 19,401 average daily trips on U.S. Route 1.

That could be an increase of 74.6 to 77.2 percent, according to State Highway Administration data for average daily trips on U.S Route 1 near the property in 2010.

According to the data, an average of 25,990 trips were tracked about .14 of a mile north of the property. An average of 25,120 trips were tracked about a quarter of a mile south of the property, just north of the Maryland Route 410 intersection.

The numbers provided by county’s Transportation Planning Section do not take into account pass-by and internal trips, however. Pass-by trips are those who are already traveling on the adjacent roadway and would stop at the development. Internal trips are those generated by the mixed-use development, but generally do not use the external road system, according to the county’s report.

At a , Nancy Randall of Wells + Associates, which conducted a traffic study for Cafritz, said their numbers are also preliminary. It does not include several factors, like public transportation options, and a proposed crossing on the east side of the property, over the CSX railway.

At the Mayor and Council worksession last week, Cafritz representatives said there are other factors like pass-by traffic, that were not considered in the preliminary study.

City Planning Director . She said a revised, more detailed traffic study is necessary.

And, although the , some members of city council might take it into consideration when they vote on the re-zoning application Tuesday night.

Currently, the area is zoned R-55, allowing just for residential units to be built. Developers want to re-zone the property for a Mixed-Use Town Center, which would allow them to build a mix of commercial and residential developments.

At last week’s worksession, some council members said they to reduce the traffic impact on U.S. Route 1.

Cafritz attorney Chip Reed said there just isn’t enough funding to build the crossing in the first phase.

Reed was not immediately available for comment on the SHA data.

Tonight's Mayor and Council meeting will begin at 8 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall, 4500 Knox Road.

Editor's Note: This story has been corrected. A previous version inaccurately described the source of the data for average daily trips predicted from the development. We regret the error.