Appendix J Traffic Impact Study

MRI May 2012 Appendix J Traffic Impact Study Level 2 Traffic Assessment Limited Impact Review Appendix J

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www.sgm-inc.com Figure 1. Site Driveway and Trail Crossing The posted speed along CR 100 in both directions adjacent to the site is 30 mph. County Road 100 provides two 12 travel lanes and no turn lanes in front of the site. The driveway to the site is located along a long, flat, tangent section in the roadway that provides adequate sight distance in both directions for vehicles entering and exiting the highway. Vehicles accessing the MRI site will be composed of a mix of passenger cars, trucks, trash/recycle trucks, and WB-67 semi-trucks. Historically, the site has served a mix of heavy traffic over the years. As recently as 2009, the site served an average of 218 vehicle trips during an average weekday when MRI, Waste Solutions, other trucking companies, and various other tenants occupied the site. This equates to 338 PCE s during an average weekday. A table is contained attached to this memo that details the traffic generated by site s recent uses. Existing and Future Traffic Volumes Peak hour turning movement counts were collected at the site access on Tuesday December 6, 2011. The following figure shows the morning and afternoon peak hour volumes with the PM peak hour shown in parenthesis. Figure 2. Existing Traffic Volumes 2

www.sgm-inc.com The volumes shown are raw counts and include 6 heavy vehicles in the morning and 8 heavy vehicles in the afternoon traveling along CR 100 through the intersection. A heavy vehicle is defined as a vehicle with more than two axles and includes school and RFTA buses. The AM peak hour of CR 100 was observed between 7:30 8:30 AM and the PM peak hour was observed between 4:15 5:15 PM. No pedestrians or cyclists were observed on the Rio Grande Trail, as observations were conducted in December when trail use is minimal. However, our recommendations account for a higher volume of trail users crossing during the busier summer season. CDOT s traffic data website was used to establish a 20-year factor for CR 100. A 20-year factor of 1.6 is specified by CDOT for the adjacent section of SH 82, which will be used to factor existing traffic to future background volumes. The resulting 2031 forecasts for the site driveway are shown below. The volumes turning to and from the MRI access were not increased for the future year. Only the through traffic volumes on the county road were increased by the 20-year factor. All traffic counts and forecasts are attached to this memo. Trip Generation Figure 3. 2031 Background Traffic Volumes Two trip generation scenarios were analyzed to assess opening day traffic (2013) and 20-year traffic (2031) conditions at the site access. MRI anticipates about 40% growth in truck trips over the 20-year period to serve the valley s needs. Information from MRI shows that the site will generate approximately 170 vehicle trips on opening day. This equates to 255 PCE trips on a weekday, if trucks are converted to Passenger Car Equivalents (PCE s) to account for their size. For this analysis, one trash/recycle truck equals 2 PCE s and one WB-67 semi-truck equals 3 PCE s. This corresponds to the site generating 29 trips (39 PCE s) in the AM peak hour and 11 trips (14 PCE s) during the PM peak hour on opening day. The table below shows the trip generation estimates, including a breakdown of employee trips and truck trips, shown converted to PCE s. 3

Table 1 MRI Traffic Generation on Opening Day AM AM Proposed Facility Daily IN OUT PM IN www.sgm-inc.com PM OUT MRI Employee Trips 95 19 0 0 8 MRI Trash/Recycle Truck 65 0 10 3 0 MRI Truck Trips (PCE) 130 0 20 6 0 MRI WB-67 Semi-Truck 10 1 1 1 1 MRI Semi Truck Trips (PCE) 30 3 3 3 3 Total Traffic Generation 170 AM 31 PM 13 Total PCE Generation 255 AM 45 PM 20 The table Anticipated MRI 2013 Use is attached to this memo and further details the trip generation assumptions made by MRI for this application. As the table shows, the majority of traffic from MRI accesses the site during non-peak hours, and is off-site throughout the day on routes. Generally, the majority of employees will access the site and go on their routes prior to 7 AM and return prior to 3 PM, missing the peak hours of County Road 100. The five Semi trips will access the site at regular intervals throughout the day. For the 2031 analysis, additional truck and employee trips were added to account for future growth. MRI anticipates generating approximately 228 vehicle trips in 2031. This equates to 355 PCE trips on a weekday, if trucks are converted to PCE s. This corresponds to the site generating 38 trips (52 PCE s) in the AM peak hour and 21 trips (24 PCE s) during the PM peak hour in 2031. The table below shows the trip generation estimates, including a breakdown of employee trips and truck trips, shown converted to PCE s for the 20-year traffic projections. Table 2 MRI Traffic Generation in 2031 Proposed Facility Daily AM IN AM OUT PM IN PM OUT MRI Employee Trips 121 24 0 0 16 MRI Trash/Recycle Truck 87 0 14 4 0 MRI Truck Trips (PCE) 174 0 28 8 0 MRI WB-67 Semi-Truck 20 1 1 1 1 MRI Semi Truck Trips (PCE) 60 3 3 3 3 Total Traffic Generation 228 AM 40 PM 23 Total PCE Generation 355 AM 58 PM 30 The Semi-trucks that remove the bundled recycled materials will be assumed to grow to 10 loads per day in 20 years. Trip Distribution and Assignment Estimates of the directional distribution of site-generated traffic were based on discussions with MRI regarding their employee base and service area. For this analysis, 25% of the employee site traffic was assumed to be oriented toward the west (Carbondale) and 75% was oriented toward the east (SH 82). Truck traffic was split in a similar way, and this report assumes 90% of truck trips to the site will come from the east and SH 82, while the remaining 10% will come 4

www.sgm-inc.com from the west along CR 100. The following figures show the assignment of site generated traffic to the driveway during Opening Day and 2031 traffic conditions, Opening Day total traffic, and 2031 total traffic volumes, all in peak hour volumes. Truck volumes are shown as PCE s. Figure 4. Site Generated Traffic Assignment Figure 5. Opening Day Traffic 5

www.sgm-inc.com Figure 6. 2031 Total Traffic When comparing peak hour site-generated traffic to existing traffic on the south leg of the CR 100/SH 82 intersection (Catherine s Store) and accounting for Passenger Car Equivalents, the MRI project will cause a net change of 8% during the AM peak and 4% in the PM peak. This is based on counts collected in 2010 at the signal at SH 82 that showed CR 100 carrying 577 vehicles in the AM peak and 755 vehicles in the PM peak. An access permit is not required from CDOT unless this net change is 20% or greater. This proposed location of the MRI site will remove daily truck traffic volumes from SH 82 through Glenwood Springs and from downtown Carbondale. Currently, MRI trucks use the South Canyon landfill to dump, so these trips will be diverted from SH 82 through Glenwood and I-70 west. This proposed site centralizes MRI s operations in the Roaring Fork Valley. The anticipated reduction of truck trips through Glenwood Springs as a result of this move is approximately 33 trips per week, or 4-5 per day (based on a 7 day week). Additionally, the move from the current address on Merrill Avenue in downtown Carbondale will divert truck and employee traffic (approximately 110 vehicles per day) from the center of town to this location along CR 100. As discussed earlier, the majority of the traffic (75% employees and 90% trucks) will access the site from the east from the intersection of CR 100 and SH 82. Turn Lane Requirements Auxiliary turn lane requirements for accesses along Garfield County roads are typically based on the anticipated peak hour volumes, the speed limit of the highway adjacent to the access, and the classification of the highway. For design purposes, the speed limit adjacent to the site is 30 mph along a level two-lane road that could be classified as a non-rural arterial highway (NR-B), based on the existing access spacing in the vicinity of the site. 6

www.sgm-inc.com For a posted speed 40 mph or less, a left turn lane is required when the peak hour turning volume exceeds 25 vph, and a right turn deceleration lane is required when the peak hour turning volume exceeds 50 vph. Based on the forecast turning volumes shown on Figures 5 and 6, no turn lanes are required by the State Highway Access Code at the site driveway. Sight Distance The sight distance along the county road for vehicles entering the highway is adequate as a result of the site s topography and existing conditions along the highway. As stated in the Code, the required sight distance for the design vehicle (Single Unit Trucks over 10,000 lb GVW) along a two-lane roadway is 390. Vehicles preparing to turn onto the frontage road from either access will have over 600 of clear sight lines in both directions along the county road to make safe turning maneuvers. For vehicles traveling along the county road, the sight distance required is less than that required for vehicles entering the roadway. Rio Grande Trail Crossing Trail counts were collected from RFTA for the past two years. The automatic counters are located along the Rio Grande Trail at the Main Street/CR 100 crossing on the east end of the Town of Carbondale and near the CR 100 bridge across the Roaring Fork River, east of the MRI site. Using data from the counts for the months of June September, the peak hourly count was 137 pedestrians in an hour at the Main Street counter on June 26, 2010. Only 5 hours out of the 2,928 hours from June 1 to September 30 experienced trail volumes over 100 pedestrians per hour in 2010. Three of these hours occurred from 11 AM 12 PM while the other two were at 6 and 8 AM, possibly associated with a race. Only one hour in 2011 experienced an hourly trail user volume over 100 at this location. A signalized crossing at this location would be warranted by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) when a pedestrian crossing volume exceeds 100 pedestrians per hour for four hours of the day or when the volume exceeds 190 for a single hour during the day. Based on the counts collected by RFTA for trail use over the last two years, the volumes using the crossing at the MRI driveway do not warrant a traffic signal or any higher level of control than what exists today. The existing trail crossing at the MRI driveway is well signed and striped for trail users as well as for road users. For trail users, the approaches are signed with warning signs denoting the intersection, pavement markings to slow pedestrians and cyclists, and yield signs on either side of the driveway for trail users. Clear sight lines exist at the crossing, allowing trail users to see oncoming vehicles from the MRI driveway as well as vehicles along the county road that may be turning into the access. For roadway users, warning signage is posted before the trail crossing along the driveway and along both approaches of CR 100. A warning sign for vehicles approaching the crossing from the site should be posted about 200 before the crossing, in addition to the existing warning sign located at the crossing. The current 90 degree bend in the driveway on this approach naturally slows exiting vehicles to a safe speed before the crossing, but an additional warning sign for this approach would serve to compliment what exists today. Other existing signing and striping is adequate for this crossing, based on SGM s observations and input from RFTA. The photos below show the crossing looking in both directions at the driveway. 7

www.sgm-inc.com View to West From Driveway at Rio Grande Crossing View to East From Driveway at Rio Grande Crossing All MRI employees and truck drivers will be trained to be aware of the seasonal traffic that this trail serves and will expect the potential for a trail user conflict due to daily use of the driveway. SGM feels this crossing is well signed for the safety of all users, but a more active warning system could be employed if deemed necessary in the future. No accident experience has been reported by RFTA since the trail was constructed. Since MRI proposes to generate approximately the same traffic volume as this site generated in 2009 (228 vs. 218), a simple letter of record to RFTA should be sufficient to update the existing crossing agreement at this location. Summary of Findings According to this analysis, no turn lanes are required by the State Highway Access Code for the proposed access to the MRI site along County Road 100, east of Carbondale. On opening day, the site will generate 170 daily trips, 29 AM peak hour trips, and 11 PM peak hour. Based on passenger car equivalents, the projected trip generation will be 255 daily, 39 AM and 14 PM trips, as Table 1 shows. For the 20-year scenario, the site will generate 228 daily trips, 38 AM peak hour trips, and 21 PM peak hour trips when fully developed. Based on passenger car 8

www.sgm-inc.com equivalents, the projected trip generation will be 355 daily, 52 AM and 24 PM trips, as Table 2 shows. The sight distances at the proposed access points provide adequate length for safe stopping distances. The trail crossing near the site driveway and CR 100 could be made safer with an additional advance warning sign for motorists exiting the MRI driveway. Additional improvements could be employed in the future to make the trail crossing safer, but are not necessary based on existing experience at this crossing, as noted by RFTA officials and based on trail count data from the last two summers. Attachments 1. Traffic Counts 12/6/11 & Forecasts 2. Anticipated MRI 2013 Use (Trip Generation) 3. Anticipated MRI 20-Year Use (Trip Generation) 4. Mid Continent Site Historic Traffic 9

COUNT LOCATION: County Road 100 & MRI Driveway WEATHER: Clear, Dry COUNT DATE: 12/6/2011 FROM NORTH FROM EAST County Road 100 FROM SOUTH MRI Site FROM WEST County Road 100 AM Right Thru Left Peds Right Thru Left Peds Right Thru Left Peds Right Thru Left Peds TOTAL 7:15 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 38 0 0 57 7:30 0 0 0 0 0 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 44 0 0 80 7:45 0 0 0 0 0 20 0 0 1 0 3 0 2 67 0 0 93 8:00 0 0 0 0 0 30 0 0 1 0 1 0 6 46 0 0 84 8:15 0 0 0 0 0 38 0 0 1 0 1 0 2 29 0 0 71 8:30 0 0 0 0 0 25 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 35 0 0 63 8:45 0 0 0 0 0 24 0 0 2 0 1 0 2 23 0 0 52 TOTAL 0 0 0 0 0 187 0 0 7 0 7 0 17 282 0 0 500 PEAK 0 0 0 0 0 122 0 0 3 0 5 0 12 186 0 0 328 FROM NORTH FROM EAST County Road 100 FROM SOUTH MRI Site FROM WEST County Road 100 PM Right Thru Left Peds Right Thru Left Peds Right Thru Left Peds Right Thru Left Peds TOTAL 3:45 0 1 0 0 0 55 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 29 0 0 90 4:00 0 0 0 0 0 52 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 29 0 0 83 4:15 0 0 0 0 0 47 2 0 1 0 5 0 3 22 0 0 80 4:30 0 0 0 0 0 62 3 0 1 0 4 0 1 31 0 0 102 4:45 0 0 0 0 0 75 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 33 0 0 112 5:00 0 0 0 0 0 56 0 0 1 0 2 0 2 32 0 0 93 TOTAL 0 1 0 0 0 347 6 0 5 0 17 0 8 176 0 0 560 PEAK 0 0 0 0 0 240 5 0 3 0 13 0 8 118 0 0 387 Trucks/Buses FROM NORTH FROM EAST County Road 100 FROM SOUTH MRI Site FROM WEST County Road 100 AM Approach Total Approach Total Approach Total Approach Total TOTAL TOTAL 0 5 2 6 13 % Tk/Bus 0.00% 2.67% 14.29% 2.01% FROM NORTH FROM EAST County Road 100 FROM SOUTH MRI Site FROM WEST County Road 100 PM Approach Total Approach Total Approach Total Approach Total TOTAL TOTAL 0 11 2 3 16 % Tk/Bus 0.00% 3.12% 9.09% 1.63% SH 82 20-year factor @ East of SH 133 1.6 AM 2011 0 0 0 0 0 122 0 0 3 0 5 0 12 186 0 0 328 2031 0 0 0 0 0 195 0 0 5 0 8 0 19 298 0 0 525 PM 2011 0 0 0 0 0 240 5 0 3 0 13 0 8 118 0 0 387 2031 0 0 0 0 0 384 8 0 5 0 21 0 13 189 0 0 619

CR 100 CR 100 Thru 186 2011 122 Thru Thru 118 2011 240 Thru AM PEAK PM PEAK Right 12 0 Left Right 8 5 Left 5 3 13 3 Left Right Left Right MRI Driveway MRI Driveway CR 100 CR 100 Thru 298 2031 195 Thru Thru 189 2031 384 Thru AM PEAK PM PEAK Right 19 0 Left Right 13 8 Left 8 5 21 5 Left Right Left Right MRI Driveway MRI Driveway

ANTICIPATED MRI 2013 USE DAILY WEEKLY MONTHLY ANNUAL EMPLOYEE TRIPS(PERSONAL CARS) 95 475 2019 24225 TRUCK TRIPS 65 325 1381.25 16575 SEMI TRUCK TRIPS * 10 50 212.5 2550 TOTALS: 170 850 3612.5 43350 PCE TOTALS 255 1275 5418.75 65025 TRAFFIC FLOW Per Hour Total In Out IN OUT IN OUT TK PC TK PC 5AM 7AM 45 EMPLOYEES ARRIVE AND 20 TRUCKS GO OUT 19 10 37 20 0 37 20 0 8AM 9AM 3 ADDITIONAL OFFICE EMPLOYEES ARRIVE 3 5 3 5 0 3 5 0 2 5 TRUCKS ARRIVE AND OR LEAVE 9AM 2PM 10 EMPLOYEES LEAVE AND COME BACK(PERSONAL CARS) 4 4 20 20 10 10 10 10 10 TRUCKS IN AND OUT 2PM 4PM 15 TRUCKS RETURN 20 EMPLOYEES LEAVE 8 10 15 20 15 0 0 20 4PM 6PM LAST 5 TRUCKS RETURN 7 EMPLOYEES LEAVE 3 8 5 15 5 0 0 15 8 OFFICE STAFF LEAVE 80 80 30 50 35 45 160 TK = 65 * SEMI TRUCKS WILL NOT PICK UP DURING PEAK HOURS + 10 Tks PC = 95 170 SEMI= 10 TOTAL = 170

ANTICIPATED MRI 20 YEAR USE DAILY WEEKLY MONTHLY ANNUAL EMPLOYEE TRIPS(PERSONAL CARS) 121 605 2571 30855 TRUCK TRIPS 87 435 1848.75 22185 SEMI TRUCK TRIPS * 20 100 425 5100 TOTALS: 228 1140 4845 58140 PCE TOTALS 355 1775 7543.75 90525 TRAFFIC FLOW Per Hour/Period Total In Out IN OUT IN OUT TK PC TK PC 5AM 7AM 53 EMPLOYEES ARRIVE AND 28 TRUCKS GO OUT 24 14 48 28 0 48 28 0 8AM 9AM 3 ADDITIONAL OFFICE EMPLOYEES ARRIVE 3 7 3 7 0 3 7 0 3 7 TRUCKS ARRIVE AND OR LEAVE 9AM 2PM 10 EMPLOYEES LEAVE AND COME BACK(PERSONAL CARS) 4 4 24 24 10 10 14 14 14 TRUCKS IN AND OUT 2PM 4PM 21 TRUCKS RETURN 28 EMPLOYEES LEAVE 11 14 21 28 21 0 0 28 4PM 6PM LAST 7 TRUCKS RETURN 10 EMPLOYEES LEAVE 4 16 7 18 7 0 0 18 8 OFFICE STAFF LEAVE 103 105 38 61 49 60 208 TK = 87 * SEMI TRUCKS WILL NOT PICK UP DURING PEAK HOURS + 20 Tks PC = 121 228 SEMI= 20 TOTAL = 228

EXISTING MRI TRAFFIC AT MERRILL ADDRESS MERRILL ADDRESS(PULL OUT OF DOWNTOWN CARBONDALE) DAILY WEEKLY MONTHLY ANNUAL EMPLOYEE TRIPS(PERSONAL CARS) 70 350 1488 17850 TRUCK TRIPS 40 220 935 11220 110 570 TOTAL CURRENT 29070 HISTORICAL TRAFFIC AT SITE WASTE SOLUTIONS(2005 2009) DAILY WEEKLY MONTHLY ANNUAL EMPLOYEE TRIPS 68 340 1445 17340 TRUCKS 60 300 1275 15300 128 640 TOTAL 32640 M.R.I (2005 2009) DAILY WEEKLY MONTHLY ANNUAL ROLL OFF TRUCKS 10 50 212.5 2550 10 50 TRUCKING COMPANIES & VARIOUS RENTERS(2007 2009) DAILY WEEKLY MONTHLY ANNUAL EMPLOYEE TRIPS 30 150 637.5 7650 TRUCK TRIPS 50 250 1062.5 12750 80 400 SNOWMASS BASE VILLAGE TRUCKING(2007 2009) 7000 TOTAL PAST HIGH 62590 TOTAL PAST LOW 55590