316 W. Commerce St. | Hernando, Mississippi | 38632 | 662-429-4414 | fax 429-0952 Market Update

Infrastructure: Transportation - The Long-Range Plan

by Dan Callahan III
DeSoto County Planning Commission

Since the first of my many trips to DeSoto County beginning in January 2001, much has changed.    My route would bring me south of Memphis on I-240, where I would either exit onto Getwell Road or I-55 and proceed south to my destination a couple of miles east of Hernando.  Homes and sub-divisions are springing up everywhere you look.  Six new schools opened this past fall.  Businesses and retail stores are following the population growth to DeSoto County.  Some of the most significant changes have occurred in transportation.  Roads are widening, traffic lights are multiplying, congestion is increasing, and last October a new Interstate, I-69, opened.  DeSoto County is now the fastest growing county in the state and one of the fastest growing in the nation.  Most of our friends and neighbors see this progress as inevitable and hope it is a good.  Transportation and how we plan for it will be key to the final outcome.

Growth and progress is a two-edged sword.  In addition to better roads, more retail store selections, higher land values, and improved services, there are challenges to be met.  They involve quality of life, air quality, traffic congestion, road construction, and longer commute times.  Some can and will be dealt with quickly, such as putting up a stop sign or traffic signal.  Others will demand and require a much more detailed and critical look, one that factors in the “vision” for what we want DeSoto County to look like in 20 or 30 years.  It is this detailed, critical look that we in the Planning Commission are focusing on.  It will encompass technology and dreams.  It will incorporate new thinking on how to develop communities and roadways to maximize travel efficiency.  It will evaluate the county’s demographics to determine a sound land use policy.  All of this and more will become the Long Range Transportation Plan for DeSoto County.

In order to develop a Long Range Transportation Plan, we need to acknowledge what we are today.  The Memphis area is one of the most significant and influential transportation and logistical hubs in the United States.  This was illustrated in two nation-wide meetings hosted in Memphis this past winter.  First, in November, the National Surface Transportation Field Hearings were held where leading transportation and logistics leaders where questioned on the current and future transportation needs and challenges facing the nation.  The Secretary of Transportation, The Honorable Mrs. Mary Peters, lead the hearings.  The presentations not only addressed national transportation issues, but highlighted the importance of the Memphis with its location and multi-modal transportation infrastructure as a major component within the national and international transportation system.  Two weeks later, Memphis hosted a second meeting, this time for the River of Trade Corridor Coalition (ROTCC).  This coalition was created to unite cities, counties, transportation authorities, freight movement entities, and businesses along the traditional North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)  trade route to protect, maximize, and expand commerce and the economic vitality of the NAFTA corridor while, at the same time mitigating congestion and facilitating a cleaner environment.  The corridor runs from the ports of Los Angeles through Dallas and Memphis and ending in Detroit.  The meeting was attended by transportation leaders and elected officials from across the nation and also included the Consul General for Panama who made a presentation on the Panama Canal expansion and its impact on freight movement in the United States.  The message that came from both meetings was clear and to the point:  The Memphis area is a key link in our nation’s transportation system and this system is facing some significant challenges with important economic consequences.  DeSoto County will be affected and needs to have a plan.

Also affecting DeSoto County’s transportation system is the rate of growth we are experiencing in all sectors.  Our population has more than doubled in the last 16 years, to over 140,000 people.  Average household incomes have doubled.  Industry is increasing the size of its footprint with over 130 manufacturers and distributors operating in the county.  The $2.7 billion residential and entertainment development, Riverbend Crossing, will further fuel the growth.  Preliminary engineering on Interstate 269, from I-55 east through the county, is about to begin and will connect us to another new interstate, I-22. 

In order for a long range transportation plan to be effective and useful, many areas and tools of transportation planning will be identified, studied and used.  Some of these include:

Congestion and its effects will be the most serious challenge we face.  It affects air quality, cost of goods and services, and quality of life. Tools to help manage congestion are Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS), Travel Demand Models (TDM), and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS).  CSS is a process that involves many stakeholders in the design of a transportation facility that fits its applicable setting and preserves scenic, aesthetic, historic and environmental resources while maintaining safety and mobility.  It respects design objectives for safety, efficiency, capacity and maintenance while integrating community objectives and values.  TDM is a computer program that is built for a specific traffic study area, such as DeSoto County.  The program includes current roads, demographic, and travel volume data.  It allows the user to alter roads (add, delete, widen, narrow), change demographic and travel volume data and then view the predicted outcome.  ITS is people using technology in transportation to save time, lives, and money.  ITS components include CCTV Cameras, Traffic Control Centers, Automated Signal Systems, and Changeable Message Signs to name a few.  

In conclusion, as we move further into the 21st century, a well developed and comprehensive long range transportation plan must be created to guide the way.  The Memphis Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), of which DeSoto County is a member, has initiated the process to produce a long range transportation plan.  DeSoto County is also preparing to develop its own transportation plan, which will supplement the Memphis MPO plan.  Over the next year, we will collect and analyze ideas, information, and data that will be used to create the plan.  The public and business sectors of our county will be given the opportunity to provide their input to the plan’s development.  It will take all of us to develop a plan that will keep DeSoto County at the forefront of this great nation and yet keep it a great place to live.

 

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