US 69/75 Controlled Access Highway and Grade Separations Introduction The Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) proposes to improve safety and efficiency of high volume freight traffic along the US 69/75 corridor in southern Oklahoma (Bryan County) by upgrading an existing 4.2-mile arterial highway with numerous access points and three signalized intersections to a fully controlled access facility with grade separations and functional frontage roads. The proposed project will be within the existing right-of-way. The project is bordered on the north by a fully controlled access facility (US 70), and on the south by an additional four miles of US 69/75 arterial highway. Beyond this four mile buffer to the south, US 69/75 is a fully controlled access facility in southern Oklahoma and Texas. US 69/75 runs parallel to the Union Pacific Railroad through the Town of Calera, and the two are separated by a 200-foot buffer. These two infrastructure elements conflict with highway traffic in this rural southeast Oklahoma community, resulting in significant traffic delays. The project proposes to eliminate the at-grade railroad/local street crossing conflict at Main Street in Calera, and replace it with a highway and rail grade separation south of McKennon Road. The US 69/US 75 freight corridor project will significantly reduce freight delay and congestion, improve travel time reliability, enhance safety, improve economic vitality, and promote environmental sustainability. A benefit-cost analysis (BCA) was developed for ODOT s proposed project. The benefits of the project were evaluated quantitatively in terms of the following characteristics: 1. State of Good Repair Avoided maintenance costs of the existing US 69/75 corridor. 2. Economic Competitiveness Travel time and fuel cost savings through reduced delay and congestion from removal of three traffic signals along US 69/75, elimination of traffic backups on US 69/75 at two locations resulting from at-grade railroad/local street crossing conflicts, and speed limit increase on US 69/75 once the project is completed. 3. Sustainability 4. Safety Reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions due to reduced vehicle delay on US 69/75. Crashes and injuries avoided through safety improvements such as traffic signal removal and grade separation along US 69/75. A fifth category of benefits was evaluated qualitatively and includes: 5. Quality of Life Improvements 1
Improved accessibility for local traffic and diversion off of US 69/75 due to the construction of grade separations and frontage roads. Costs associated with ODOT s project include the following: 1. Pre-construction costs, 2. Construction costs, 3. Annual maintenance costs, and 4. Vehicle delay during construction. The following sections provide details on how benefits and costs were calculated in the BCA. All spreadsheet references in quotations refer to tabs in the Model_OKDOT FASTLANE BCA_V2 Excel spreadsheet (BCA spreadsheet) and cell references in parentheses refer to cells or tables within the referenced tabs. The 30 Year BCA Summary tab provides a summary of all benefits and costs evaluated quantitatively in the BCA. As presented on this tab, 2015 is the base year for the BCA, with the analysis period extending through 2044 for a total of 30 years. All monetary values in the BCA are expressed in 2015 dollars. State of Good Repair State of good repair was quantified in terms of avoided costs associated with maintaining the US 69/75 corridor within the proposed project area if the project were not built. The avoided maintenance cost estimates for the highway corridor were provided by ODOT and included costs for road surface rehabilitation and reconstruction. On the State of Good Repair tab, highway improvement and preservation costs per lane mile (Q:67; Q78; R67; and R78) were summed to arrive at a total cost of $1.09 million per lane mile for a 30-year period (W:70). Dividing $1.09 million by 30 years yields an average annual cost of $36,574 per lane mile (W:72). Multiplying $36,574 by the proposed project length of 4.2 miles and by four lanes yields an average annual maintenance cost of $614,448 (W:78). The state of good repair benefits amount to a non-discounted value of $14.13 million in avoided maintenance costs during the BCA analysis period of 2015 to 2044. Economic Competitiveness Economic competitiveness benefits were derived from travel time savings assumed to arise from three sources: 1. Elimination of traffic backups on US 69/75 at two locations resulting from at-grade railroad/local street crossing conflicts (south to north): McKennon Road and Union Pacific Railroad crossing, and Main Street and Union Pacific Railroad crossing. 2. Removal of three traffic signals (south to north): US 69/75 and Main Street, US 69/75 and McKinley Ave, and 2
US 69/75 and Choctaw Road. 3. Increase the speed limit on the US 69/75 corridor within the project area from 55 miles per hour to 70 miles per hour once construction is complete. The methodologies for calculating travel time savings associated with these sources are discussed below. At-Grade Railroad/Local Street Crossing Conflicts Currently, vehicles traveling on US 69/75 are subject to delay when trains move through the at-grade crossings at McKennon Road and Main Street. The trains cause traffic on the local roads to back up onto US 69/75. Calculation of this delay is found on the McKennon Rd-VOT-RR Crossing and Main St-VOT-RR Crossing tabs in the BCA spreadsheet. For discussion purposes, the methodology used for calculating vehicle delay savings at the Main Street railroad crossing on the Main St-VOT-RR Crossing tab is presented below, although the methodology for the McKennon Road crossing is the same. According to ODOT, the average daily vehicle count on US 69/75 at the Main Street intersection in the base year of 2015 is 26,500 (N:11) and is projected to increase to approximately 41,800 (AQ:11) by 2044. The truck factor is 22 percent (B:13; C:13; D:13) and remains constant throughout the BCA analysis period. Data regarding train activity on the Union Pacific Railroad was obtained from ODOT s discussions with the Town of Calera and Bryan County (Table A:96). The analysis assumed 20 trains per day with two hours of inactivity from 5:00 AM to 7:00 AM and again from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM. Trains were assumed to be 138 cars in length. The number of cars was obtained from ODOT s discussions with the Town of Calera and Bryan County, who estimated the trains range from 130 to 145 cars (138 on average). The length of each car was estimated based on the Town of Calera and Bryan County s knowledge that the trains are carrying large volumes of hazardous cargo. Because tank cars are typically used to haul hazardous cargo, the analysis assumed the trains are comprised of tank cars measuring 49 feet in length. 1 The Town of Calera and Bryan County indicated trains traveling at night are traveling at an estimated 60 miles per hour, and trains traveling during the day are traveling at an estimated 40 miles per hour. This analysis assumed nighttime hours are 9:00 PM to 5:00 AM and daytime hours are 5:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Gate-down time per train was calculated based on the length and speed of the train. Because trains are traveling at 60 miles per hour at night and 40 miles per hour during the day, two gate-down time calculations were made (Table A:116; Table A:130). For trains traveling during the day, the speed of 40 miles per hour was converted to 3,520 feet per minute. Based on ratios, it is estimated that the trains take 1 minute and 54 seconds to pass through the crossing at Main Street. Thirty seconds are then added to this calculation, with 25 seconds accounting for the gates going down prior to the train s arrival at the crossing and five seconds accounting for a delay before the gates go back up after the train has passed. 2 Total gate-down time for the daytime trains is therefore two minutes and 24 seconds in the analysis. The same process was used to estimate gate-down time for the trains 1 http://www.bnsfhazmat.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/4185_field_guide_to_tank_cars1-opt.pdf Page 36 - For hauling hydrochloric acid 2 Based on http://www.seattle.gov/transportation/docs/121105pr-coaltraintrafficimpactstudy.pdf Page 13 and http://www.caltrain.com/assets/_engineering/engineering-standards-2/criteria/chapter7.pdf Page 7-19 3
traveling at night. Total gate-down time for nighttime trains is estimated at one minute and 48 seconds. To calculate vehicle delay per hour arising from the trains, traffic count data from September 2014 for the US 69/75 and Main Street intersection provided by ODOT was used. The focus of this data was northbound traffic on US 69/75 turning right onto Main Street and southbound traffic on US 69/75 turning left onto Main Street, since this traffic is currently delayed by train blockages and would no longer be able to make these turns once an overpass at the US 69/75 and Main Street intersection is constructed. The following process was used to estimate average vehicle volumes per hour making these right and left turns from US 69/75: 1. The percentage of northbound volumes on US 69/75 from the 2014 traffic count data were used to estimate northbound volumes for the 2015 base year (B:24 through K:24) through 2044 (N:18 through AQ:18). 2. The percentage of southbound volumes on US 69/75 from the 2014 traffic count data were used to estimate southbound volumes for the 2015 base year (B:24 through K:24) through 2044 (N:57 through AQ:57). 3. The percentage of traffic turning right from northbound US 69/75 onto Main Street (1.9 percent) from the September 2014 traffic count data (D:20) was applied to the 2015 through 2044 northbound traffic volumes (N:26 through AQ:26). 4. The percentage of traffic turning left from southbound US 69/75 onto Main Street (5.3 percent) from the September 2014 traffic count data (D:59) was applied to the 2015 through 2044 northbound traffic volumes (N:64 through AQ:64). 5. Vehicle volumes per hour from the 2014 traffic count data were used to calculate hourly percentages of total daily traffic for northbound (D:26 through D:49) and southbound (D:64 through D:87) vehicles on US 69/75. 6. The hourly percentages of total daily traffic were applied to the daily traffic volumes making right and left turns from US 69/75 for 2015 through 2044. For example, on the Main St-VOT- RR Crossing tab, average vehicle volumes for northbound traffic turning right onto Main Street during the 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM hour increase from 13 vehicles in 2015 (N:215) to 21 in 2044 (AQ:215). To calculate vehicle delay for traffic turning from US 69/75 and passing through the railroad crossing, the formula below was used: 3 where: V = vehicle delay q = arrival rate in vehicles per minute V = (1/2) ((qtg 2 )/(1-q/d)) 3 The analysis used the methodology at: https://www.portoflosangeles.org/eir/apl/deir/appendix%20h2%20- %20At%20Grade%20Crossing%20Memo.pdf 4
TG = gate-down time d = departure rate in vehicles per minute The following formula was used to calculate q: q = y/t where: q = arrival rate in vehicles per minute y = cumulative number of vehicles arriving at the crossing during the hour t = time in minutes For example, on the Main St-VOT-RR Crossing tab, the arrival rate in passenger vehicles per minute in 2015 for northbound traffic on US 69/75 turning right onto Main Street during the 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM hour is 0.16952 passenger vehicles (N:220). The following formula was used to calculate d: where: d = departure rate in vehicles per minute d = y/(t TG) y = cumulative number of vehicles departing the crossing during the hour after the gates are up t = time in minutes TG = gate-down time For example, on the Main St-VOT-RR Crossing tab, the departure rate in passenger vehicles per minute in 2015 for northbound traffic on US 69/75 turning right onto Main Street during the 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM hour is 0.17659 passenger vehicles (N:224). The calculations for the vehicle arrival and departure rates as well as the gate-down time were used in the vehicle delay formula to calculate total vehicle delay for northbound and southbound traffic on US 69/75 making turns onto Main Street during each hour. For example, on the Main St-VOT-RR Crossing tab, the passenger vehicle delay in minutes in 2015 for northbound traffic on US 69/75 turning right onto Main Street during the 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM hour is 12.2 minutes (N:228). Northbound and southbound vehicle delay in minutes was converted to delay in hours for each hour of the day and then summed to estimate total passenger vehicle and truck delay per day for 2015 through 2044 (N:1551 through AQ:1551 and N:1552 through AQ:1552). Passenger vehicle and truck delay per day was then converted to total annual passenger vehicle and truck delay for 2015 through 2044 (N:1555 through AQ:1555 and N:1556 through AQ:1556). The results of the analysis were transferred to the 30 Year BCA Summary tab for the years in which benefits are accrued (Rows 16 21). The monetized values of travel time savings are calculated (Rows 5
23 24) using the rates of $13.43 per hour for passenger vehicles and $26.63 per hour for trucks. 4 The time savings benefits associated with the elimination of the at-grade railroad/local street crossing conflicts at both Main Street and McKennon Road amount to a total non-discounted value of $3.87 million during the BCA analysis period of 2015 to 2044. Traffic Signals In addition to the delay resulting from train activity on the Union Pacific Railroad corridor, vehicles traveling on US 69/75 are subject to delay arising from traffic signals at the Main Street, McKinley Avenue, and Choctaw Road intersections. These traffic signals would be removed as part of the proposed project. Calculation of this delay is found on the Main St-VOT-Traffic Signal, McKinley Ave-VOT-Traffic Signal, and Choctaw Rd-VOT-Traffic Signal tabs in the BCA spreadsheet. The methodology for calculating vehicle delay resulting from the traffic signals is nearly the same as the methodology used for the railroad crossings. For discussion purposes, the methodology for the Main Street traffic signal on the Main St-VOT-Traffic Signal tab is presented below, although the methodology for all of the traffic signals is the same. As discussed in the section on at-grade railroad/local street crossing conflicts, ODOT data indicates the average daily vehicle count on US 69/75 at the Main Street intersection in the base year is 26,500 vehicles (N:11) and is projected to increase to approximately 41,800 (AQ:11) by 2044. The truck factor is 22 percent (B:13; C:13; D:13) and remains constant throughout the BCA analysis period. Data regarding traffic signal phases and September 2014 traffic volumes at the Main Street intersection were obtained from ODOT. Average daily traffic delay experienced at the Main Street traffic signal was then analyzed in terms of percent of red time displayed on northbound and southbound US 69/75 through movements. The existing signal at the Main Street intersection is operating in free mode with Max 1 time values programmed in the signal controller. Max timing values only occur during the peak hour operations with significant traffic volumes to require maximum signal timing values on all phases. However, the off peak hours will dwell in green for US 69/75 for the larger portion of the cycle. Synchro 9.0, developed by Trafficware, was the software utilized to determine a modelled cycle split needed to satisfy all traffic demand on the signal approaches. The measured optimized timing was calculated as a percentage of red time plus the 2 seconds all red on phases 2 and 6. From this analysis, an average percentage of time per hour that the signal is red on northbound and southbound US 69/75 was calculated. The analysis showed that the signal is red 34 percent of the time each hour (B:97), or 20.5 minutes per hour (B:99). To calculate vehicle delay per hour arising from the traffic signal, traffic count data from September 2014 for the US 69/75 and Main Street intersection provided by ODOT was used. The focus of this data was northbound and southbound traffic on US 69/75, since this traffic is currently subject to delay at the traffic signal and would benefit from time savings once the signal is removed. The following process was used to estimate average vehicle volumes per hour traveling on US 69/75: 1. The percentage of northbound volumes on US 69/75 from the 2014 traffic count data were used to estimate northbound volumes for the 2015 base year (B:24 through K:24) through 2044 (N:18 through AQ:18). 4 These values were obtained from page 5 of the TIGER and FASTLANE BCA Resource Guide and converted to 2015$ based on the Value of Time and CPI tabs in the BCA spreadsheet. 6
2. The percentage of southbound volumes on US 69/75 from the 2014 traffic count data were used to estimate southbound volumes for the 2015 base year (B:24 through K:24) through 2044 (N:57 through AQ:57). 3. Vehicle volumes per hour from the 2014 traffic count data were used to calculate hourly percentages of total daily traffic for northbound (D:26 through D:49) and southbound (D:64 through D:87) vehicles on US 69/75. 4. The hourly percentages of total daily traffic were applied to the daily traffic volumes traveling on US 69/75 for 2015 through 2044. For example, on the Main St-VOT-Traffic Signal tab, average vehicle volumes for northbound traffic during the 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM hour increase from 698 in 2015 (N:184) to 1,102 in 2044 (AQ:184). To calculate vehicle delay for traffic traveling on US 69/75 and approaching the Main Street intersection, the same formulas used to calculate vehicle delay at the railroad crossings were used, since average delay for signalized intersections is computed in the same manner. 5 Gate-down time in the formulas was replaced with the average duration per hour of a red light at the traffic signal (20.5 minutes). As an example of the results of the calculations on the Main St-VOT-Traffic Signal tab, the total passenger vehicle delay in minutes in 2015 for northbound traffic on US 69/75 during the 7:00 AM to 8:00 AM hour is 5,580.5 minutes (N:197). Northbound and southbound vehicle delay in minutes was converted to delay in hours for each hour of the day and then summed to estimate total passenger vehicle and truck delay per day for 2015 through 2044 (N:1520 through AQ:1520 and N:1521 through AQ:1521). Passenger vehicle and truck delay per day was then converted to total annual passenger vehicle and truck delay for 2015 through 2044 (N:1524 through AQ:1524 and N:1525 through AQ:1524). The results of the analysis were transferred to the 30 Year BCA Summary tab for the years in which benefits are accrued (Rows 27 35) and monetized (Rows 37 38) using the same process described for the railroad crossings. The time savings benefits associated with the removal of the traffic signals at Main Street, McKinley Avenue, and Choctaw Road amount to a total non-discounted value of approximately $3.09 billion during the BCA analysis period of 2015 to 2044. Speed Limit Increase The current speed limit on the US 69/75 corridor through the proposed project area is 55 miles per hour. It is anticipated that the speed limit will be increased to 70 miles per hour once the project is complete, since the highway traffic will be separated from local traffic due to the construction of grade separations and frontage roads. Time savings benefits for US 69/75 traffic will be realized once the speed limit is increased. Calculations for these benefits are found on the Segment 1-Speed Limit, Segment 2-Speed Limit, Segment 3-Speed Limit, Segment 4-Speed Limit, and Segment 5-Speed Limit tabs in the BCA spreadsheet. For discussion purposes, the methodology for Segment 2 (presented on the Segment 2-Speed Limit tab), which extends from the intersection of US 69/75 and 5 https://www.portoflosangeles.org/eir/apl/deir/appendix%20h2%20- %20At%20Grade%20Crossing%20Memo.pdf Page 3 7
McKennon Road to the US 69/75 and Main Street intersection, is presented below, although the methodology for all of the highway segments is the same. As discussed in the sections above, ODOT data indicates the average daily vehicle count on US 69/75 at the Main Street intersection in the base year is 26,500 (K:11) and is projected to increase to approximately 41,800 (AN:11) by 2044. The truck factor is 22 percent (B:13; C:13; D:13) and remains constant throughout the BCA analysis period. The length of the highway segment (B:19) was measured in Google Earth, with average speeds traveled by passenger vehicles (64 miles per hour) and trucks (60 miles per hour) in 2015 obtained for TMC 50 in the National Performance Management Research Data Set (B:21 through B:27). Estimates of vehicle speeds once the speed limit is increased to 70 miles per hour were taken from Table 1 (OK I-40) on page 6 of Empirical Analysis of Truck and Automobile Speeds on Rural Interstates: Impact of Posted Speed Limits by Steven Johnson and Daniel Murray. These travel speeds were converted into miles per minute (C:26 through C:29), which were used to determine the segment travel time in minutes per vehicle type (D:26 through D:29). The speed limit analysis calculated time savings for three hour periods. To calculate vehicle time savings per 3-hour period arising from the speed limit increase, traffic count data from September 2014 for the US 69/75 and Main Street intersection provided by ODOT was used. The focus of this data was northbound and southbound traffic on US 69/75, since this traffic is currently subject to a 55 miles per speed limit and would benefit from time savings once the speed limit is increased to 70 miles per hour. The following process was used to estimate average vehicle volumes per 3-hour period traveling on US 69/75: 1. The northbound and southbound vehicle volumes on US 69/75 approaching the Main Street intersection from the 2014 traffic count data (E:40 through E:63) were used to calculate hourly percentages of total daily traffic on US 69/75 in 2015 (F:40 through F:63). 2. The hourly percentages of total daily traffic were added to calculate percentages for 3-hour periods (H:40 through H:61). 3. The percentages of total daily traffic during the 3-hour periods from the 2014 traffic count data were applied to the daily vehicle volumes traveling on the segment for 2015 through 2044 to estimate vehicle volumes during the 3-hour periods. For example, on the Segment 2- Speed Limit Increase tab, total vehicle volumes traveling on the segment during the 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM period increase from 2,923 vehicles in 2015 (K:41) to 4,615 vehicles in 2044 (AN:41). To calculate time savings for vehicles, the volume by vehicle type per three-hour period was multiplied by the difference between the average vehicle speed with a 55 miles per hour speed limit and the average vehicle speed with a 70 miles per hour speed limit. For example, passenger vehicles during the 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM period realize a total time savings of 93 minutes in 2015 (K:50). Time savings in minutes was converted to time savings in hours for each 3-hour period of the day and then summed to estimate total passenger vehicle and truck time savings per day for 2015 through 2044 (K:353 through AN:353 and K:354 through AN:354). Time savings per day was then converted to total annual passenger vehicle and truck time savings for 2015 through 2044 (K:357 through AN:357 and K:358 through AN:358). 8
The results of the analysis were transferred to the 30 Year BCA Summary tab for the years in which benefits are accrued (Rows 41 55) and monetized (Rows 57 58) using the same process described for the railroad crossings and traffic signals. The time savings benefits associated with the speed limit increase amount to a total non-discounted value of approximately $123.66 million during the BCA analysis period of 2015 to 2044. Economic Savings from Reduced Fuel Consumption The proposed project would also produce economic savings from reduced fuel consumption arising from the reduction in vehicle idling. Vehicle idling would be reduced from the removal of the traffic signals and the at-grade railroad/local street crossing conflicts. These savings are calculated on the 30 Year BCA Summary tab (Rows 61 69) using the following data on the Fuel Consumption Data tab: 1. Average price of gasoline: $2.41 per gallon (D:91) 6 2. Average price of diesel fuel: $2.64 per gallon (Q:53) 7 3. Gasoline fuel consumed at idle: 0.275 gallons per hour (H:6) 8 4. Diesel fuel consumed at idle: 0.65 gallons per hour (H:8) 9 Time savings in hours for passenger vehicles and trucks arising from the elimination of the at-grade railroad/local street crossing conflicts and the removal of the traffic signals were multiplied on the 30 Year BCA Summary tab by the gallons of fuel consumed per hour figures to calculate fuel savings in gallons for the years in which benefits are accrued (K:62 through AG:62 and K:67 through AG:67). These estimates were then multiplied by the average price per gallon of fuel figures, which were assigned a 2 percent annual price escalation factor. The economic savings from reduced fuel consumption amount to a total non-discounted value of $168.49 million during the BCA analysis period. Sustainability For sustainability, benefits from reduced carbon dioxide emissions were calculated based on the time savings benefits in the Economic Competitiveness analysis. Emissions reductions per gallon of gasoline or diesel fuel saved were calculated for the years in which benefits are accrued using estimates of vehicle emissions from the US EPA in the Sustainability tab (H:5 and H:7). The emissions reduction figures were then monetized on the 30 Year BCA Summary tab (K:81 through AG:81 and K:82 through AG:82) based on the social cost of carbon values on page 7 of the TIGER and FASTLANE BCA Resource Guide. The economic savings from reduced carbon dioxide emissions amount to a total value of $38.40 million during the BCA analysis period, which is pre-discounted at 3 percent. 6 https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/leafhandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emm_epm0_pte_r20_dpg&f=w 7 https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/leafhandler.ashx?n=pet&s=emd_epd2d_pte_r20_dpg&f=w 8 http://energy.gov/eere/vehicles/fact-861-february-23-2015-idle-fuel-consumption-selected-gasoline-and-dieselvehicles 9 Ibid. 9
Safety An economic benefit of ODOT s proposed project is the reduction in fatal, injury, and property damage crashes as a result of traffic signal removal and grade separation. Crashes are often extremely costly in terms of loss of life, lost productivity due to injury, and vehicle or other property damage. To compute crash benefits associated with the proposed project, the average number of crashes on US 69/75 were calculated using data obtained from ODOT. In the BCA spreadsheet, the safety analysis calculations are found on the Safety-Severity and Safety-Monetized Benefits tabs. The average crash rate was calculated on the Safety-Severity tab for five consecutive years between 2010 and 2014 (M:13 through Q:13), the latest years complete data were available. Vehicle miles traveled (VMT) values were calculated using the project length and average daily vehicle data obtained from ODOT. Using the five year average number of crashes and the VMT, the accident rates were calculated for the existing US 69/75 project area between Chickasaw Road to US 70. The 2010-2014 five year average crash rates per 100 million vehicle-miles traveled are: 1. Property Damage Only (PDO) - 159.52 2. Non-Incapacitating Injury 39.73 3. Incapacitating Injury 4.74 4. Fatal 1.19 5. Total 205.18 To compare the beneficial crash reductions of the project, the estimated 2044 crashes for the project area if the project is not constructed and if the project is constructed were calculated. The estimated number and severity of crashes for the project at completion and a no build condition were calculated based on the estimated change in vehicle miles traveled and the change in roadway type to a controlled access facility. On the Safety-Severity tab, the existing crash rates above were used for the no-build estimates with the 2044 volume projections (Table A:22). The estimated crash rate for the build condition used the existing crash rate for a similar section (a full access controlled highway) of US 69/75 in Pittsburg County (Table A:33). The estimated crashes were calculated using the 2044 VMT and the crash rates for the comparable US 69/75 segment. The total crash rate for this comparable segment of US 69/75 is 36.92 (fatality rate 0.80, visible injury 7.60, and property damage only 28.54) per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. The visible injury rate was divided into possible injuries and incapacitating injuries using the existing ratio of these crash severity types. The year by year crash reductions by severity category are shown on the Safety-Crash Valuation tab (B:27 through AI:32). The crash reduction is a result of the improved facility type. To monetize the crash savings, the total costs associated with each type of accident were obtained from the TIGER and FASTLANE BCA Resource Guide, which uses the Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS). The TIGER and FASTLANE BCA Resource Guide also provided the conversion factors, methodology to convert the available project crash data into seven crash severity tiers of the AIS, and monetized values for the seven severity tiers, which appear on the Safety-Crash Valuation tab (A:37 to C:77). The total costs ranged from $9.6 million for a fatal crash to $28,800 for an AIS 1 minor injury crash. 10
The monetized costs for each AIS crash severity category are shown on the Safety-Crash Valuation tab (A:81 to AI:93). The results of the analysis were transferred to the 30 Year BCA Summary tab for the years in which benefits are accrued (Rows 89 97). The safety benefits associated with the project include the following: 1. 1,970 total vehicle crashes avoided during the BCA analysis period, which includes 46 fatalities (K:88 through AH:92), and 2. Total non-discounted value of $491.83 million during the BCA analysis period. Quality of Life Improvements There are several qualitative benefits related to the US 69/75 Controlled Access Highway and Grade Separations project which would significantly impact the quality of life for residents of the Town of Calera. Currently Calera is a community divided by US 69/75 infrastructure as well as Union Pacific Railroad s single track corridor. The majority of the residents and commercial enterprises are located on the west side of US 69/75, with 90 of the city s 116 developed city blocks located on the west side of the thoroughfare. It is noteworthy to point out that two subdivisions east of Calera city limits were developed in 2006 and are the equivalent of six city blocks. One of the most significant improvements to the community related to the US 69/75 Controlled Access Highway and Grade Separations project is the McKennon Road and Union Pacific Railroad overpass. The benefits of this section of the project will include: 1. Provide an alternative route for 11,700 daily vehicle trips which currently transit across and onto US 69/75. 10 The overpass will give drivers options to reach both sides of the community without directly crossing the rail or highway. 2. Provide an alternate route for two of four school bus routes which cross US 69/75 each day for 180 school days per year. 3. Provide continuous access for EMS and law enforcement to reach both sides of the community without negotiating through traffic signals or potential railroad crossing blockages. An overpass at the intersection of US 69/75 and Choctaw Road will also provide significant access improvements. These include: 1. Improved access to Eaker Field in Durant the local airport which provides air ambulance activity on the regular basis for trauma and critically ill patients. 2. Improved access to the Oklahoma National Guard armory in Durant. This facility is home to the 1st Squadron of the 180th Cavalry Regiment, 45th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. Additional benefits to the Town of Calera include ease of access to the community via the frontage roads. One advantage of frontage roads is to separate local traffic from through traffic. Another advantage occurs when the highway is closed or obstructed. This pushes traffic off the highway. 10 Based on ODOT traffic count data for the project area from September 2014. 11
Where an urban area has no frontage road, traffic congests local roads searching for that elusive passage around the obstruction or closure, since there is no formal (frontage road) alternative. Finally, improvements generated by the project will ease Native American resident s commutes to work at the Choctaw Casino Resort and other Choctaw Nation employment centers. According to U.S. Census Bureau data, 13.5 percent of the residents of Bryan County, OK are Native American. Costs Costs associated with ODOT s project include the following: 1. Pre-construction costs 2. Construction costs 3. Annual maintenance costs 4. Vehicle delay during construction. Data sources for these costs, or the methodologies used to calculate them, are described below. Pre-Construction Costs ODOT provided costs for surveying, engineering, and environmental studies, as well as right-of-way and utilities work that would need to be completed in 2019 prior to construction. These costs are shown on the 30 Year BCA Summary tab and amount to a total non-discounted value of $10.75 million (AH:125) during the BCA analysis period. Construction Costs ODOT provided costs for construction, which would occur begin during the summer of 2019 and finish in the fall of 2021. These costs are shown on the 30 Year BCA Summary tab and amount to a total non-discounted value of $109.25 million (AH:126). Annual Maintenance Costs ODOT estimates that annual maintenance costs for the proposed project will be $22,000 per centerline mile for the 4.2-mile section of highway. Maintenance projects would include bridge preventative maintenance and roadway repair. Multiplying $22,000 by 4.2 miles yields a total annual cost of $92,400, presented on the 30 Year BCA Summary tab (B:129). The annual maintenance costs amount to a total non-discounted value of $2.13 million (AH:129) during the BCA analysis period. Vehicle Delay During Construction ODOT s proposed project will create vehicle delay during the construction phase. Calculations of this delay are found on the Segment 1-Construct Delay, Segment 2-Construct Delay, Segment 3- Construct Delay, Segment 4-Construct Delay, and Segment 5-Construct Delay tabs in the BCA spreadsheet. The methodology for calculating vehicle delay during project construction is essentially the same as the methodology used for the analysis of the speed limit increase. Therefore, please refer to that section for a discussion of the methodology for calculating vehicle delay during construction. The only difference is that the spreadsheet analysis of vehicle delay during construction calculates travel time savings for a speed limit increase from 30 miles per hour to 55 miles per hour, and considers the time savings on the Segment 1-Construct Delay, Segment 2-Construct Delay, 12
Segment 3-Construct Delay, Segment 4-Construct Delay, and Segment 5-Construct Delay tabs as costs on the 30 Year BCA Summary tab to show that traffic will be moving at an average of 30 miles per hour (rather than 55 miles per hour) through the corridor. The results of the analysis were transferred to the 30 Year BCA Summary tab for the years during which construction is in progress (Rows 132 146) and monetized (Rows 148 149) using the same process described for the railroad crossings, traffic signals, and speed limit increase. The vehicle delay costs associated with the reduced speed in construction zones amount to a total non-discounted value of $30.38 million during the BCA analysis period. BCA Results Table 1 presents the results of the BCA, expressed in terms of net present value (NPV) and benefitcost ratio (BCR), using a discount rate of 7 percent. NPV is calculated as follows: A BCR is calculated as follows: Benefits Costs = NPV Benefits Costs = BCR Table 1 BCA Results Benefits with 7% Discount Rate $1,233,397,000 Costs with 7% Discount Rate $106,514,000 NPV $1,126,883,000 BCR 11.58 Source: CDM Smith As shown in Table 1, the BCA achieves an NPV of $1.13 billion and a BCR of 11.58. 13