13.0 TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION
13.1 Applicability
This section addresses the potential traffic that the Project will generate during construction and operation. TGE will discuss and address the following issues as part of the traffic study in the Application as detailed in proposed Stipulation 9:
· Existing roadway network;
· Construction related traffic patterns and impacts;
· Operational traffic patterns and impacts; and
· Mitigation measures.
The methodology for assessing the potential traffic and transportation impacts is proposed to follow the instructions provided in Transportation Research Board (TRB), National Research Council, Highway Capacity Manual, Special Report 209, Third Edition, 1994.
In addition, the Application will examine Federal Aviation Administration notice requirements with respect to tall buildings and lighting to accommodate aircraft.
13.2 Existing Roadway Network
The Project site is accessible via Kent Avenue. The shortest routes to and from New York City's system of expressways are via Greenpoint Avenue to the Long Island Expressway and via McGuinness Boulevard (4 lanes running north-south) to the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway (BQE). Franklin Street, the main truck route in Greenpoint, merges in Williamsburg with Kent Avenue, which leads to the BQE and Williamsburg Bridge. Both Franklin and Kent are north-south routes, each with two lanes.
13.2.1 Data Collection and Analysis
In further characterizing the existing roadway network, TGE proposes to study the following intersections (see Figure 13-1):
· McGuinness Blvd./Greenpoint Ave. · Greenpoint Ave./Franklin Street · Williamsburg/Kent Ave. · Kent Ave/N. 12th Street; and · McGuinness Street/Nassau Street
Figure 13-1: Proposed Study Intersections
For these intersections, the Application will include documentation of the number of approach lanes and traffic control devices by approach. The study will identify existing traffic volumes, problems or planned improvements to these intersections, on the basis of discussions with the State and City department of transportation (NYSDOT and NYCDOT).
A program of traffic counts will be completed. New traffic counts will involve peak hour turning movement counts for typical weekday morning, weekday evening, and Saturday midday peaks at the intersections listed above. In addition to manual peak hour turning movement counts, Automatic Traffic Recorder counts will be conducted where necessary.
The collected traffic count data will also include vehicle mix (car, truck, trailer truck, etc.) and pedestrian activity. Research of historic traffic count data will be undertaken in an effort to determine seasonal variation in traffic volumes within the study area.
Using the collected traffic information, base year intersection traffic network models will be constructed. These base network models will serve as the basis for which all future impacts are compared. Using highway capacity software, existing intersection levels of service (LOS) will be calculated and documented for each study area intersection.
Before the trip making characteristics of the proposed Project can be added to the roadway network, an estimate of the annual rate of traffic growth in the vicinity of the Project is necessary. The growth rate must incorporate general area growth as well as growth from planned developments in the area, excluding the projected traffic for the Project. This combined growth rate will then be added to the existing traffic networks to form the future "No-Build" networks against which the Project impacts will be compared.
13.2.2 Other Data Collection
The study will document local school bus routes; the approach and departure routes presently used to and from the Project site by police, fire, ambulance and other emergency vehicles; and the emergency facilities (police and fire departments, hospitals, etc.) that serve the Project site or are near the site, including their points of ingress and egress. Accident data will also be collected for each of the intersections identified above.
13.3 Trip Generation and Parking
Trip generation estimates will be developed for both construction and operation conditions. These will include peak trip generation during construction and an average operations period. Future construction and operational "Build" network models will be derived using the future No-Build traffic network base and the trip generation information for the Project. These future projected network models will be created for the year of peak construction conditions and for a future year when the Project will be operating.
The Application will include an estimate of the trip generation characteristics of the Project during both construction and operation. The estimate will include a description of each major phase of construction, including duration of construction, daily shift periods, and an estimate of the number of employees per shift and Project totals. On that basis, it will be possible to determine, for each major phase of construction, an estimate of the number and frequency of vehicle trips, including construction trucks. On the basis of the vehicle distribution on the existing roadway network, the approach and departure routes for Project-related traffic will be identified. The same exercise will be completed for the traffic during the operations phase, including the number of employees per shift and the operating shift periods.
Parking and alternative laydown areas that would be necessary for construction will be identified and mapped. Laydown areas could change depending upon a variety of factors, and as such they will be described generically, with description of shuttling practices, when necessary. Any use of barges for laydown and equipment delivery will be assessed. Parking will be assigned so as to meet the trip generation described above, as well as to evaluate compliance with any NYCDOT parking regulations for temporary construction parking. To avoid neighborhood impacts, TGE will not allow on-street parking. Rather, a fence and jersey barriers at the Project site may extend across the closed section of North 12th Street adjacent to the site, and may include small portions of the Kent Avenue right-of-way. The Project will not permit workers to park in residential areas. During operations, parking that will be provided for plant workers and for vehicles serving any new waterfront access uses will also be included.
The Project area also has subway access. The Brooklyn-Queens Crosstown line ("G" service) Nassau Street stop is a 6-block walk away from the Project site. The 14th Street-Canarsie line ("L" service) operates in Williamsburg, stopping at Bedford Avenue, an 8-block walk away. The Application will include a discussion of the anticipated modal split (transit, carpool, private auto) for construction workers and operations workers. If the study indicates that transit use could effectively substitute for some of the automobile/light truck traffic that could be generated during construction, the Application will include TGE's proposal regarding such a plan.
13.4 Impact Assessment
13.4.1 Traffic Impacts
Traffic impacts are judged by comparing existing traffic levels and impacts to future/proposed traffic levels and impacts. The Application will include a comparison of projected future traffic conditions with and without the proposed Project (as described above), including calculation and comparison of the LOS for each study area intersection. The analysis will separately discuss the peak construction impacts of the Project and the typical operations of the completed Project. Based on the analysis results, an evaluation of the adequacy of the roadway system to accommodate both the construction and completed operational traffic will be made and reasonable mitigation measures, if any, will be identified.
Then, TGE will identify and evaluate reasonable mitigation measures regarding traffic and transportation impacts, including scheduling of construction shifts so that the majority of construction-related Project traffic occurs outside of peak commuting hours; and scheduling the delivery of construction materials outside of peak commuting hours to the extent practical.
13.4.2 Oversize Equipment Transport
TGE will evaluate shipping major components of the proposed facility by barge to the slip and the Project site. This transportation alternative would mitigate possible traffic congestion. Pier reconstruction to accommodate barge deliveries will be addressed as described in Sections 14 and 15 below. If not all oversize components can be brought to the site by barge, TGE will investigate other routes likely to be used to deliver such equipment to the site. The equipment transport plan will include a comparison of Project requirements and available infrastructure. Issues to be considered will include appropriate port facilities, the weight of components (together with weight limitations) and the size of components (together with maximum clearances). The most feasible routing for oversized equipment will be presented.
13.4.3 Roadway Design
The study will include a conceptual site plan showing the driveway system on the site. The study will also include a discussion of the design of the access drive serving the proposed facility. The design will take into account turning radii necessary to accommodate trucks, as well as sight distance requirements.
13.4.4 Air Traffic Safety
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requires approval of all structures with a height greater than 200 feet above existing ground elevation or those with the potential to obstruct air navigation. The nearest major airport, LaGuardia, is located 5 miles away, but all tall buildings and stacks in New York City are lit for helicopters and general aircraft safety. The FAA Notice of Proposed of Construction or Alteration requires identification of the exact coordinates and height of stacks and other tall buildings. Through review of this notice, the FAA determines the kind of lighting, if any, that is necessary. The FAA also makes a finding as to whether a structure is a hazard to air navigation. TGE does not expect the Project stacks to be a hazard to air navigation and will complete the necessary application(s) to the FAA.