Creating plans and conducting studies ensures that transportation projects and operational improvements are completed to facilitate safe and efficient travel within the City. Below is an overview of current Plans and Studies, with links to webpages that contain more information about each. Information about funded projects is available on the Transportation Projects webpage.
Unless otherwise noted, questions can be direct to Public Works staff at 540-434-5928 or publicworks@harrisonburgva.gov.
City of Harrisonburg Public Works Department Title VI Program Plan 
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Plans:
ADA Transition Plan - In progress
The City of Harrisonburg is working on an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) Transition Plan for the public right-of-way to document current accessibility deficiencies, and establish policies and procedures to make transportation facilities in Harrisonburg accessible to all, regardless of ability, over time. This work, from a transportation perspective and required by the ADA, looks at all pedestrian infrastructure types including walkways (sidewalks and shared use paths), intersections (curb ramps, crosswalks, pedestrian signals), on-street parking, bus stops, work zones, etc. Required elements of the plan include self-evaluation, methods that will be used to make facilities accessible, schedule, a designated ADA Coordinator, and establishing a grievance procedure. For more information view the Plan webpage.
Street Improvement Plan, Harrisonburg Comprehensive Plan - adopted in 2018, amended in 2022
The City of Harrisonburg Comprehensive Plan contains the City's Street Improvement Plan, which identifies transportation and infrastructure improvements that the City may pursue to address safety, congestion, bicycle and pedestrian needs, and new development. The Comprehensive Plan presents a vision of what kind of community the City would like to be in the future and identifies steps to move toward that vision. For more information, view the Plan webpage - the Street Improvement Plan is in Chapter 12.
Harrisonburg Downtown 2040 Plan – adopted in 2022
The City of Harrisonburg and Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance (HDR) collaborated on Harrisonburg Downtown 2040, a community-driven plan for Downtown Harrisonburg. View the final plan. [11.56 MB]
Harrisonburg Capital Improvement Program (CIP) - reviewed and adopted annually
The Capital Improvements Program (CIP) is a multi-year production and scheduling of capital projects of $50,000 or greater with and appropriate financing plan to fund these projects. Harrisonburg's CIP is prepared annually in an effort to facilitate planning and setting priorities among capital improvement needs over a subsequent five-year period. The CIP is designed to identify projects for all city departments for which funding has already been committed or is being sought for some time within the five-year planning period. For more information, view the CIP webpage.
Harrisonburg Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan - adopted in 2017
Harrisonburg's Bicycle & Pedestrian Plan provides a framework for enhancing the safety and attractiveness of walking and biking through on- and off-street improvements and public programs. For more information, view the Plan webpage.
Harrisonburg Downtown Streetscape Plan - adopted in 2014.
The Downtown Streetscape Plan's overall goal is: "To present an easily communicable, comprehensive vision for the public streetscape in Downtown Harrisonburg that can be utilized by public and private agencies to further develop and sustain a vibrant downtown." For more information view the Plan webpage.
Harrisonburg Rockingham MPO Long Range Transportation Plan - adopted in 2023
The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Metropolitan Planning Organization (HRMPO) was established in 2003 and is the regional transportation planning organization that provides support for multimodal transportation projects in the City of Harrisonburg, the Towns of Bridgewater, Dayton, and Mt. Crawford, and the surrounding portions of Rockingham County. The Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is a comprehensive examination of the future transportation needs within the MPO boundaries. For more information, view the Plan webpage.
Studies:
Port Republic Road Study (Project Pipeline) - underway
The focus of this study is to assess crashes on Port Republic Road at the I-81 Exit 245 interchange and identify safety improvements. Along with safety and operational improvements for drivers, infrastructure for people walking, biking, and using transit will be evaluated and improvements recommended. For more information, view the study webpage.
Northend Greenway Monroe to Noll - underway
This study evaluates opportunities to create bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure from the existing Northend Greenway at Monroe Street to Downtown Harrisonburg. An alignment for the path along the stream and other alternatives will be evaluated to identify a preferred concept for which the City can seek funding for construction. For more information, view the study webpage.
Chicago Avenue and Waterman Drive Corridors Study - underway
This study evaluates the transportation and stormwater needs along Chicago Avenue between Rockingham Drive and Mt. Clinton Pike, and along Waterman Drive between W. Market Street and Chicago Avenue. Multiple alternatives will be evaluated to address needs for people walking and biking, alongside consideration of improvements on parallel routes used by people walking and biking. Safety and operational improvements at intersections will be evaluated for all roadway users. The study will identify a preferred concept for transportation improvements, for which the City can seek funding for construction. The study will also identify preferred stormwater measures that address existing challenges and work alongside proposed transportation improvements. For more information, view the study webpage.
East Market Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way - underway
This study evaluates the bicycle and pedestrian needs along Martin Luther King Jr. Way between E. Market Street and Reservoir Street, and along E. Market Street between MLK Jr. Way and Carlton Street. The study seeks to identify appropriate infrastructure to improve access for people who will walk or bike to the shared use path currently under construction on E. Market Street from MLK Jr. Way to Burgess Road. The study will identify a preferred concept for improvements, for which the City can seek funding for construction.
Roadway Reconfiguration Studies – completed in 2022
Studies have been completed to evaluate existing and future conditions and the potential for reconfiguration of lanes to improve safety for people walking, biking, and driving on multiple corridors in the City. For more information on road reconfigurations and the corridors where they have been evaluated or are being considered, view this webpage.
South Main Street Study (Project Pipeline) – completed in 2022
The focus of this study is to assess historical crashes on South Main Street, between Mosby Road and Pleasant Valley Road, and identify safety improvements. Additionally, pedestrian, bicycle, and transit infrastructure will be evaluated and solutions recommended where appropriate. For more information, view the study webpage.
Intersection Safety Study (STARS) – completed in 2022
This study involves a safety-focused analysis of ten intersections located on various roadways within the City of Harrisonburg to develop short- and long-term solutions for mitigating crashes. All of the intersections are identified in VDOT’s Potential for Safety Improvement (PSI) rankings for the Staunton District, which lists intersections and road segments having a higher than expected number of crashes. Nine of the intersections are located in Downtown Harrisonburg, which is identified as a hot spot in the VDOT Pedestrian Safety Action Plan. For more information, view the study webpage.
Port Republic Rd and Bluestone Dr/Hillside Ave Intersection Study - completed in 2021
The 2019 Port Republic Road corridor study proposed a bicycle and pedestrian bridge at this intersection. The bridge was proposed to improve operations on the corridor while improving safety for people walking and biking at that intersection. This intersection-specific study evaluated the bridge concepts and an alternative concept to change the intersection. Information about the potential changes was provided, with public input requested, in March 2021. Information about the study evaluation and proposed change can be found in this study presentation.
Corridor Signal Timing Optimization Program - completed in 2021
This effort will update signal timing and coordination at 33 intersections across four major corridors throughout the city in order to increase safety and efficiency on these corridors. The corridors are: US 11/South Main Street from Mosby Road to Martin Luther King Jr. Way, US 33/East Market Street from Vine Street/Hawkins Street to Chestnut Ridge Drive, Route 42/South Hight Street from Erickson Avenue to 3rd Street, Route 253/Port Republic Road from Bluestone Drive/Hillside Avenue to Neff Avenue/Peach Grove Avenue.
South Main Street corridor, Erickson Avenue, and Pear Street intersection Study - completed in 2020
This study will evaluate operation and safety conditions on South Main Street to identify short- and long-term improvements and will evaluate and perform preliminary design work for improvements at the Erickson Avenue and Pear Street intersections. For more information, view study webpage.
Downtown Harrisonburg Operations Study - completed in 2020
Main Street and Liberty Street are important corridors in downtown Harrisonburg and provide access to downtown businesses. Public and private stakeholders have identified the possibility of reconfiguring these roadways to create corridors that are more accessible by a variety of transportation modes and better match the character of a thriving downtown. This study will evaluate the traffic impacts of three potential future scenarios. For more information, view the study webpage.
Downtown Parking Study - completed in 2020
A holistic approach to parking management is needed for downtown, the city's compact central mixed-use district. The last downtown parking study was conducted in 2009. Parking needs have changed since then due to growth in this area of the city. The robust data collection, analysis, and public vetting of solutions to be conducted by this study will ensure that the new plan serves downtown parking needs for the next 10 years. For more information, view the study webpage.
Port Republic Road Safety and Operations Study - completed in 2019
This study addresses operational and safety issues at multiple intersections along the Port Republic Road corridor between South Main Street and Devon Lane. Port Republic Road is a major urban arterial, providing access to commercial and residential areas of the City of Harrisonburg as well as the primary entrance to The James Madison University (JMU) campus. Increased growth and demand from all modes of transportation, combined with closely-spaced intersections and interchange ramps, create traffic congestion and safety issues that have an impact on regional travel conditions. The study identifies recommendations to improve travel conditions throughout the corridor. For more information, view the study webpage.
East Market Street (Route 33) Corridor Improvement Study - completed in 2018
In this study, existing safety and traffic operational issues in the project area were identified and reviewed with the goal of developing improvements to maximize vehicular mobility through minimizing congestion and delay, reducing crashes, and improving management. In addition to these general improvement objectives, the study proposes improvement alternatives for 2025 conditions by addressing operational enhancements and capital improvement projects in the project study area. For more information, view the study webpage.
Chicago Avenue Corridor Study - completed in 2013
The corridor study makes recommendations for traffic, engineering, and land use for the corridor, along with a series of conceptual engineering sketches that initiates further engineering design for future roadway improvements. for more information, view the study webpage.