Transportation Master Plan

The Camp Fire devastation in 2018 and resulting debris removal damaged the transportation system within the Town of Paradise. Mark Thomas prepared a grant-funded Transportation Master Plan (TMP) to guide short- and long term improvements, and leveraged public engagement to prioritize solutions to aid in the recovery process. The comprehensive analysis evaluated daily needs and transportation gap closures to strengthen future traffic evacuation demands. The TMP featured a townwide Active Transportation Plan (ATP) that accommodated all Town residents and served to maximize walking and bicycling and their respective benefits. The ATP evaluated opportunities for safer and new transportation choices, such as walking paths, sidewalks, and bikeways benefiting residents traveling to school, shops, or enjoying the outdoors. Much of the network was planned to provide a dual function during disaster evacuation for emergency responder access into or from the Town. Community engagement efforts included four workshops, four surveys including a bicycle and pedestrian focused survey, and student engagement.

The TMP was a broad serving document that updated development design standards for the downtown area and along the Clark Road Corridor, which identified placemaking and parking recommendations, and positioned the Town for re-population through growth in residential and commercial land uses. The TMP also comprehensively evaluated traffic operations, crash history, and developed solutions to address daily traffic and evacuation traffic needs.

These efforts positioned the Town to pursue grant funding for implementation. Mark Thomas prepared five ATP Cycle 6 applications and nearly 60 Community Development Block Grant – Disaster Recovery Notices of Intent. The successful grants yielded $41M in ATP funding, $230M in disaster recovery funding, and $33M in LTCAP resiliency funding. In total, we have leveraged over $300M in grant funding to continue recovery in the community.