Transportation Master Plan (2026)
Project Overview
Buena Vista is updating its Transportation Master Plan (TMP) to reflect current conditions, community priorities, and future growth. The existing plan was last adopted in 2004 and no longer represents how residents, businesses, and visitors move through Town today.
The updated TMP will become the Town’s primary transportation framework, guiding long-range planning, capital improvement investments, and development decisions. The plan will incorporate Complete Streets principles, ensuring that roads and transportation infrastructure are designed to safely and efficiently serve drivers, pedestrians, cyclists, and individuals of all ages and abilities.
This project is a planning effort only and does not include construction.
What We Heard
Public input was gathered over the course of 12 weeks, collected online through My-BV and in-person during two pop-up events at the library and one open house event held at the Community Center on July 9, 2026. The Town of Buena Vista also heard from local stakeholders during two stakeholder workshops in July. Overall, the Town heard from nearly 300 community members.
Image 1: Community outreach and engagement numbers.
Key Themes & Areas of Need
Community members shared their concerns and ideas for improvement by mapping their comments on the project website, through the 75 comments received, the project team identified 10 key themes or areas of need. The themes below are listed in order of importance based on the number of reoccurring/similar comments.
- Bicycle & Pedestrian Safety: bike lanes, shared-use paths, complete sidewalks, safer and more visible street crossings, and safer walking/biking routes to schools, parks, trails and the downtown area.
- Driver Behavior: concerns about excessive vehicle speed and drivers failing to yield to bikes and pedestrians.
- Parking-Related Safety & Traffic Conflicts: concerns about on-street parking reducing visibility of bikes and pedestrians crossing the street and narrow travel lanes.
- Dangerous Intersections: concerns about tight turning radii and creating unsafe mering and turning movements, along with the need for additional stop signs or signalized intersections in areas with more traffic.
- Connectivity & Access: connecting bike lanes to multi-modal networks, need for north-south connectivity, and connecting existing trails and sidewalks.
- Traffic Calming: need for lower speed limit and traffic calming measures, especially along Highway 24 as vehicles enter town limits.
- Traffic Flow & Access Management: concerns about multi-direction access into popular businesses and emergency access needs.
- Streetscape, Maintenance, and Accessibility: maintenance needed on trails, pathways, sidewalks, and bike lanes; reduce tripping hazards and repair uneven sidewalks.
- Public Transportation: need for more local public transit and expansion of Bustang service.
- Growth Management, Open Space, & Community Character: future development and transportation projects should continue to preserve open space and wetlands, along with avoiding urban sprawl.
Transportation Corridors
When thinking about future growth and transportation improvements, community members were asked to rank a list of key corridors in order of priority.
Table 1: Community priorities for transportation corridors.
Corridor | Priority Level |
| Highway 24 (north of Main) | Highest Priority |
| Highway 24 (south of Main) | Highest Priority |
| West Main Street | High Priority |
| East Main Street | Moderate-High |
| Additional railroad crossing on south side of town | Moderate |
| South Railroad Street (CR 317) | Moderate |
| Arizona Street | Low-Moderate |
| East Arkansas Street | Low-Moderate |
| Crossman Ave | Low-Moderate |
| North Railroad Street | Low-Moderate |
| Marquette Avenue | Low-Moderate |
Transportation Concerns
The Town of Buena Vista previously identified a list of transportation concerns during previous planning efforts; community members were asked to rank the types of improvements in order of priority.
Table 2: Community priorities for future improvements.
| Transportation Concern | Priority Level |
| Addition of safe pedestrian crossing along the RR, Highway 24, and Main Street | Highest Priority |
| Complete sidewalks | Highest Priority |
| Improving safe routes to school | High Priority |
| Maintenance of bicycle and pedestrian facilities (painting, restriping, signage) | Moderate-High |
| Addition of paved multimodal trails | Moderate-High |
| Development of parking strategy | Low-Moderate |
Get Involved
Community input is essential to shaping the future of transportation in Buena Vista.
Residents, businesses, and stakeholders will have opportunities to:
Share priorities and concerns
Identify safety and connectivity needs
Review draft recommendations
Help establish implementation priorities
Stay informed by following this project page for updates and engagement opportunities.
Why This Project Matters
Over the past 20 years, Buena Vista has experienced changes in population, visitation patterns, and transportation demand. During that time, the Town has adopted several related plans addressing trails, parking, signage, and growth areas—but these efforts have not yet been integrated into a single, updated transportation roadmap.
Updating the Transportation Master Plan will:
Reflect current traffic patterns, land use, and growth trends
Address increasing seasonal and recreational travel demand
Integrate two decades of adopted plans and studies
Establish clear priorities for future transportation investments
Support safe, efficient, and accessible mobility for all users
By developing a coordinated strategy now, the Town can reduce long-term infrastructure costs and make proactive, data-informed decisions.
Strategic Alignment
This project directly advances adopted Comprehensive Plan priorities under the Transportation & Connectivity Strategy (TCS):
TCS Big Idea 2 / Action 2A: Update the Transportation Master Plan
TCS Big Idea 1 / Action 1H: Develop Complete Streets policies and active transportation standards
The TMP Update will translate these adopted policy goals into an actionable implementation roadmap.
What the Plan Will Do (Scope of Work)
The Transportation Master Plan Update will:
Replace the existing 2004 Transportation Master Plan
Analyze current and future transportation conditions
Evaluate roadway, bicycle, pedestrian, and accessibility needs
Integrate Complete Streets and multimodal design principles
Align transportation planning with adopted Town plans
Develop prioritized, implementation-ready recommendations
Identify projects to inform future Capital Improvement Planning
Community Benefit
Updating the Transportation Master Plan will help Buena Vista:
Improve safety for all users
Enhance connectivity between neighborhoods, schools, parks, and businesses
Support economic activity and visitor access
Increase accessibility for residents of all ages and abilities
Guide future infrastructure investments with a clear, data-driven strategy
This effort ensures that transportation decisions are coordinated, fiscally responsible, and aligned with long-term community goals.