New traffic study

U.Va. will foot the bill for a new traffic study before the hotly debated Emmet Street parking garage opens, as recently requested by the city of Charlottesville. A mutually agreed-upon firm will conduct the study using traffic data collected this fall.

“We hope the next study will resolve any remaining doubts about the data and assumptions used in the first one,” said Colette Sheehy, vice president for management and budget. “We expect it to be more detailed than the planning study, to help us develop and refine operating strategies for the garage and to determine the best timing, phasing and synchronizing of traffic signals at the entrances and nearby intersections.”

U.Va. has also contracted with Parsons Brinkerhoff, one of the world’s largest engineering firms, to advise on operational matters, Sheehy said.