The growth forecast in the City General Plan is substantial: approximately 9,767 homes, and 1.84 million square feet (1,840 KSF) of retail office space. The Circulation Study takes the land use assumptions from the General Plan and refines the traffic analysis to establish expectations for roadway, intersection and interchange capacities to support anticipated city growth.
The City of Gonzales 2011 General Plan roadway network connects to Highway 101 in several places: at the Alta Street Interchange in the north, the existing 5th Street Interchange, and the Gloria Road Interchange in the south, without constructing a new interchange on Highway 101.
The proposed primary backbone roadway infrastructure consists of a grid roadway pattern, which promotes shorter trips, more balanced volumes, and better accommodation of phased future development in an orderly manner.
The 5th Street interchange will remain an important access location to the City and the future growth areas. Most of this development will occur on the east side of the existing City boundary. Far less growth will occur on the west side of Highway 101, consisting primarily of the expansion of the Gonzales Industrial Park.
In addition, the City has a “Roundabout First” policy, which is applied in the study to City streets and interchange access locations.