On behalf of the City of North Liberty, a group of Civil and Engineering students reviewed current conditions at an intersection in the growing municipality. The team set up traffic counters and used that data to create a simulation model to investigate different traffic scenarios along both Ranshaw and Penn corridors. Per the client's request, they made a cost-effective, short-term recommendation for addressing morning rush hour congestion at the specific intersection--retiming the traffic lights, as well as a longer term solution that necessitates restructuring roadways.

North Liberty, Iowa, is a rapidly growing city with increasing traffic demands. The city has experienced substantial traffic growth in recent years that has put a strain on the transportation system. To address the growing traffic issues, the city has been working to improve its transportation infrastructure and develop new strategies to manage congestion. One of the ways the city has addressed traffic growth was by investing in new roads and intersections to improve traffic flow. 

The City requested a traffic impact study for the intersection of Penn Street and Ranshaw Way, situated close to Pacha Parkway and Community Drive. During the recent development of the latter two streets, the current rate of growth was not anticipated. During the morning rush hour (7 to 9 am) there are long delays for westbound traffic. These are only expected to worsen with more development.