Traffic Impact Study Requirements
Lincoln Access Management Policy § VIII
in effectVIII. Traffic Impact Study Requirements
Based on following the Institute of Transportation Engineers standards, a Traffic Impact Study (TIS) shall be required for any proposed access to development or land use which will generate or has the potential to generate traffic volumes exceeding 100 vehicle trips during the highest peak hour of the development. Traffic Impact Studies shall follow the requirements of the Institute of Transportation Engineer’s Transportation Impact Analyses for Site Development and the requirements set forth below:
(1) Category I TIS:
This category includes developments which generate from 100 to 500 peak hour trips. The study horizon should be limited to the opening year of the development. The minimum study area should include site access drives and adjacent signalized intersections and/or major unsignalized street intersections.
(2) Category II TIS:
This category includes developments that generate from 500 to 1,000 peak hour trips. The study horizon should include the opening year of the development and five years after opening. The minimum study area should include site access drives and adjacent signalized intersections and/or major unsignalized street intersections within one-half mile of the development.
(3) Category III TIS:
This category includes developments that generate 1,000 or more peak hour trips. The study horizon should include the opening year of the development, five years after opening and ten years after opening. The minimum study area should include site access drives and adjacent signalized intersections and/or major unsignalized street intersections within one mile of the development.
(4) Category 0 TIS:
A Traffic Impact Study may be required for any proposed access regardless of trips generated within a location identified by Public Works and Utilities as a safety problem area, high crash location, a high emphasis access management corridor or any site accessing a street or adjacent to an intersection operating at a Level of Service (LOS) E or F.
(5) Other:
The minimum study area should be determined by project type and size in accordance with the criteria previously outlined. The extent of the study area may be either enlarged or decreased, depending upon special conditions as determined by the Director of Public Works and Utilities, or their designee.
The study horizon years should be determined by project type and size in accordance with criteria previously outlined.
Both morning and afternoon weekday peak hours should be analyzed unless the proposed project is expected to generate no trips, or a very low number of trips, during either the morning or evening peak periods. If this is the case, a deviation from the requirement to analyze one or both of these periods may be granted.
For developments that generate their peak hours predominantly on weekends, a weekend analysis may be required. All educational facilities should provide a Traffic Impact Study, as well as all requests for access to a Category A or B facility.
The study should recommend adoption of the access plan which provides the safest and most efficient level of service consistent with the purpose, requirements, and design standards of this policy. The recommended access scheme should not aggravate an existing safety problem nor degrade either the existing level of service of the highway or the level established for the Access Category of the adjacent streets according to the following table:
Access Category | Level of Service
A | C
B | C
C | D
D | D
E | D
Issues to be discussed with Public Works and Utilities and included in the Traffic Impact Study:
(1) Definition of the proposed development and study area limits
(2) Horizon year(s) based on proposed build-out phases for multi-year developments
(3) Analysis periods (AM/PM peak of the abutting street or generator, special event periods, Saturday, Sunday, etc.)
(4) Type of study needed based on the type, intensity, and magnitude of the proposed land uses
(5) Availability of existing data and acceptable data sources
(6) Traffic data collection requirements
(7) Sources of trip generation data and acceptable ranges for trip reduction factors (internal capture and pass-by rates)
(8) Traffic flow standards and criteria
(9) Any special study requirements associated with nearby transportation facilities or land uses
(10) Existing and future land uses, intensities, and characteristics
(11) Existing and future demographic data and anticipated growth rates
(12) Transportation systems data for roadway, pedestrian/bicycle, and transit systems, such as functional classification, jurisdiction, traffic control devices, headways, etc.
(13) Use of travel demand forecasting models
(14) Background traffic projection methodology
(15) Related transportation projects and programs under way or approved
(16) Identification of any infrastructure improvements that must be made concurrent with the proposed development
(17) Use of any software (traffic signal progression, highway capacity, etc.) and evaluation criteria
(18) Location, design and justification of all access drives
(19) Trip distribution and traffic assignment methodology
(20) Mode split methodology
(21) Access management classifications and requirements
(22) Acceptable mitigation strategies and any special study requirements associated with potential mitigation requirements, such as interchange modifications or jurisdictions
(23) Right-of-way and limited-access rights considerations
(24) TIS report contents
(25) Site plan requirements
Source: City of Lincoln, Nebraska, Municipal Code, City Charter, Design Standards and Access Management Policy (enCodePlus, online.encodeplus.com)URL: https://online.encodeplus.com/regs/lincoln-ne-amm/doc-view.aspx?secid=13Fetched: 11/8/2026