‘TRAFFIC PLANNING AND DESIGN, INC. ‘[Link] August 15, 2018 James Hecht aye 17 108 iy Synagro 435 Williams Court, Suite 100 Baltimore, MD 21220 ‘B¢——_ RE: Access Study ‘Synagro Plainfield Township, Northampton County, PA TPD No. SYNA.0001 Dear Jim: As requested, Traffic Planning and Design, Inc. (TPD) has completed traffic evaluation for the proposed Slate Belt Heat Recovery Center (SBHRC) development. The proposed project consists of a Class A biosolids processing facility, which will be located on a new proposed lease parcel from the Waste Management Grand Central Sanitary Landfill (GCSL) property, as shown on Figure 1. The proposed site is approximately 12.05 acres, as shown on Figure 2. ‘The proposed site is a permitted by-right use within the Solid Waste Processing and Disposal District (SW) per the Township's Zoning Ordinance. The Material Separation Facility has additional requirements for the Permitted-by-Right use as set forth in 27-316 (2) (I). Per the Zoning comments, dated March 20, 2018, the Zoning Officer made a determination that a variance would be required from the section described below: 527-316(2)(ID(2): Entrances and exits to the facility shall be separated and clearly designated; entrances and exits shall each be at least 30 feet in width and shall be located along either an arterial or collector road. {As designated by PennDOT, Pennsylvania Avenue (SR. 0512) is a Minor Arterial road and Pen Argyl Road (S.R 1011) is a Rural Major Collector road in vicinity of the site. As designated by Plainfield Township, Pennsylvania ‘Avenue (S.R, 0512) is an Arterial road Type A-1 and Pen Argyl Road (S.R. 1011) is a Collector road Type C-9 in vicinity of the site Further evaluation and analysis of the site access is described below. Correspondence is provided in Appendix A. ACCESS ROAD EXISTING CONDITIONS The GCSL and the existing Green Knights lot are currently accessed via an access road to Pennsylvania Avenue aw 1am 4u30 fentown Pannayan 1 Troe rath com(SR. 0512). The access road is approximately 42 feet wide. The roadway does not currently have center or lane striping but this delineation can be added to create two 12 foot lanes with 9 foot shoulders. At its termin) with Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512), a 5 foot median separates the entering and exiting traffic. A 300 foo) northbound right turn lane and 180 foot southbound left turn is provided at the intersection with Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512). Per Table 22-1004. in the township ordinance, as provided in Appendix B. There are no off-street parking spaces or loading areas on the GCSL access road. The GCSL access road can be maintained with similar characteristics as multiple collector road configurations, with the addition of a center double yellow line and white edge line. ACCESS TO PEN ARGYL ROAD (S.R. 1011) The GCSL and the Green Knights lot are primarily accessed via an access road to Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R 0512). The proposed SBHRC property has frontage along Pen Argyl Road (S.R. 1011). There is a driveway from Pen Argyl Road to the access road which provides access to a cemetery abutting GCSL. However, as requested by earlier Township approvals, the access road is 30 feet from Pen Argyl Road (SR. 1011) which only allows for approximately 30 feet of throat length for any proposed additional driveway to Pen Argyl Road (SR. 1011). The throat length for direct access onto Pen Argyl Road (S.R. 1011) should provide a minimum of 50 feet for low volume driveways, per Township code §22-1013.4.D, as outlined below. §22-1013.4.D: Throat length. Throat length for driveways and access roads that intersect arterial and major collector roads, serving nonresidential development, apartment complexes and mobile home parks shall comply with the following standards. The throat length shall be measured from the point where the access road meets the edge of paving or curbline extension, of the arterial or major collector road to the first point where the access road meets an on-site circulation road or lane (2) Twenty-five feet for minimum use access roads. (2) Fifty feet for tow volume driveways. (@) One hundred twenty feet for medium volume driveways, (4) One hundred fifty feet or as determined by a queuing analysis for high volume driveways and in consideration of the operational transition into the internal road network. PennDOT also suggests 2 minimum of 50 feet for driveways designated as low volume or larger, 2s outlined below. PennDOT PUB 282 Chapter 2, Page 20: Driveway Throat Length: As a general rule, at least 50 feet of throat length should be provided for non-minimum use driveways, while 200 feet or more may be necessary to accommodate traffic associated with larger commercial developments. Due to the constraints of the existing access road, 50 feet cannot be provided, However, a minimum use driveway can be constructed with a 25 foot throat length. a on Sivek Sute 60 717238190 Dbesrawn Pamvana TratbcPDMeatcPO comPrimary access to Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512) for the proposed SBHRC facility would be consistent with the current access to the Green Knights lot, and would continue to help combine driveways to the uses and lots already serviced via GCSL access road, Per the township ordinances §[Link] and §27-406.1F, and PennDOT PUB 282 Chapter 2 listed below, joint access and cross access are promoted for commercial properties in order ACCESS TO PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE (S.R. 0512) to minimize the number of access points To be consistent with the above guidelines itis commended the applicant provide a consolidated access for the proposed SBHRC facility with the GCSL and Techo-Bloc via Pennsylvania Avenue ($.R.0512) and a minimum §27-406.1.€ Joint Access. Joint access located centered along a common property line between abutting commercial properties and between a maximum of two residential properties is required whenever feasible along arterial and major collector roads subject to the provisions of this Section. The provision of joint access shall be subject to the creation of an easement with the deed allowing cross access between the properties within the access road area. The joint access arrangements shall include a recorded joint agreement with the deed defining the maintenance responsibilities of each of the property owners served by the access road. The minimum length of the joint access shall be in accord with the standards for throat length contained in § 22-1013, Subsection 4D, of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22]. The maximum length of the joint access for residential properties shall not exceed the required minimum throat length standard contained in § 22-1013, Subsection 4D, of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance [Chapter 22]. The minimum width of the joint access for residential properties shall be 20 feet. For single-family residential driveways, the joint access portion of the driveway shall not extend more than 10 feet beyond the ultimate street right-of-way line and shall be paved with asphalt or concrete. The provision for a 10 feet separation between side and rear property lines and the edge of a driveway shall be met within 40 feet of the ultimate right-of-way line. For nonresidential properties, the road shall meet the minimum and maximum width standards of the Subdivision and Land Development Ordinance (Chapter 22) §[Link] Cross Access and Linked Parking Lots. Cross access shall be provided between adjoining commercial properties that front on an arterial or major collector road to provide circulation between the properties, unless the applicant demonstrates that such cross access is not feasible. The circulation plans of the adjoining properties shall be coordinated. The availability of cross access shall be visibly obvious. The property owners with cross access shall record an easement with the deed allowing cross access to and from the other properties. The circulation plan for each property shall be adequate for that property, independent of the cross access arrangements, PennDOT PUB 282 Chapter 2 (page 40) The TRB Access Management Manual identifies 10 principles of access management: ..Provide 2 supporting street and circulation system — a supporting network of local and collector streets accommodate development, and unify property access and circulation systems. use driveway to Pen Argyl Road (S.R. 1011) to be gated for use by emergency vehicles. mw (a Dewghana tel TrlhePD TraferD com cron Sees Sue 2 7723430Volume: PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE (S.R. 0512) ACCESS ANALYSIS Per Township code §22-1004.1, all land developments shall have adequate access, as outlined below. §22-1004.1 Access to Proposed Subdivisions and Land Developments. All proposed subdivisions and land developments shall have adequate and safe access to the public street system. Therefore, the following analysis determines the impact that proposed SBHRC site traffic will have on the existing Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512) access road intersection. Existing Conditions Manual traffic counts were conducted on 15-minute intervals during the weekday morning (7:00 AM. to 9:00 AM) and weekday afternoon (4:00 P.M to 6:00 P.M) peak periods in September, 2006 at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512) and GCSL access road. Existing condition traffic volumes for the weekday AM. and weekday P.M. peak hours are illustrated in Figure 3 Automatic Traffic Recorder Counts Counts were conducted by PennDOT and published via the Traffic Information Repository (TIRe) along Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512) in order to determine the existing traffic volumes/patterns. PennDOT publishes ‘Average Annual Daily Traffic (ADT), direction factor (D Factor), proportion of average daily traffic occurring in an hour (K Factor), and truck percent. The PennDOT counts were conducted on Wednesday, November 1, 2017 and ADT was adjusted by PennDOT for the 2018 existing year. Data pertaining to PennDOT's TiRe counts are identified in Table 1. TABLE 1 PENNDOT TIRE TRAFFIC COUNT INFORMATION aera PennDOT Count Categ Route SR.0512 ‘Segment Begin 0340 Pennsylvania Segment End 0370 Avenue ‘AADT T1676 (SR.0512) Doctor 7 K Factor 2 Truck Percent 7 The peak hour volume is calculated by multiplying the K Factor by the AADT: Peak Hour Volume = 11,676 + 8% = 934 Vehicles The major direction volume is calculated by multiplying the peak hour volume by the D Factor:TABLE 3 ‘TRIP DISTRIBUTION PERCENTAGE Levels of service Assigr eae i Percentage North via Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512) 0% ‘South via Pennsylvania Avenue (SR. 0512) 100% The assignment of site-generated trips for the proposed development during the weekday AM. and weekday P.M. peak hours are shown in Figure 5. Projected (Build) Condition Traffic Volumes ‘The site-generated trips for the proposed development were added to the 2019 base (no-build) condition traffic volumes to develop 2019 projected (build) condition traffic volumes. Projected condition traffic volumes for the 2019 conditions for the weekday AM. and weekday P.M, peak hours are shown in Figure 6. Traffic volume development worksheets are contained in Appendix D. Levels of Service for an Intersection For analysis of intersections, level of service is defined in terms of delay, which is a measure of driver discomfort and frustration, fuel consumption, and lost travel time, LOS criteria is stated in terms of control delay per vehicle for a one-hour analysis period. Control delay includes initial deceleration delay, queue move-up time, stopped delay, and final acceleration delay. The criteria are shown in Table 4. Delay, as it relates to level of service is a complex measure and is dependent upon a number of variables. For signalized intersections, these variables include the Quality of vehicle progression, the cycle length, the green time ratio, and the volume/capacty ratio for the lane group in question. For unsignalized intersections, delay is related to the availability of gaps in the flow of traffic on the major street and the driver's discretion in selecting an appropriate gap for a particular movement from the minor street (straight across, left or right turn), TABLE 4 LEVEL OF SERVICE CRITERIA UNSIGNALIZED AND SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS A <10 <10 B 3 i0and <20, > 0and < 15 c > 20 and <35 > 1Sand < 25 D > 35 and < 55 > 25 and < 35 E > $5 and < 80 > [Link] < 50 F > 80 or We> 10 > 50 orwe> 10 m0 Capacity Analysis Methodology ‘The capacity analysis worksheets are included in Appendix E. Critical and follow-up headway calculation ‘worksheets are included in Appendix F. #2. Horyaon stoet sure 02 717234490 : Bevonn Beason 1 TatrD@TrafkD comLevels of Service Results Levels of service (LOS) at the study area intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512) & GCSL access road for the weekday A.M. and weekday P.M. peak hours are shown in Table 5. TABLES LEVEL OF SERVICE DELAY (SECONDS) SUMMARY ee: Projected woiR | 0.287), Daop [OGL | oar | osm NeT | A000) Aon | a@o | aon [aco | Pennsyraia verse | wea | ACO) A09 [AO | A009 | AO ERwe [Hse [oars [emg |oain | ao | ano | ago, ss1_[ ao [aon [aon [aco Ait) nos [Awa [Awa [AGO | Awa A003) ‘As shown in Table 5, under 2019 projected conditions with the development of the proposed site, the study area intersection will operate at the sare overall intersection level of service (LOS) as under 2019 base conditions, during the weekday AM. and P.M. peak hours. All approaches and tuming movements at the site driveway intersections will operate at LOS D or better under 2019 Projected Conditions during the weekday AM. and P.M. peak hours. Alllevels of service at the study area intersection comply with the requirement outlined in PennDOTs TIS Guidelines. 95th Percentile Queue Analysis Queue analyses were conducted at the study area intersection. These analyses were conducted for the study years using Synchro 10 software, a Trafficware product. For this analysis, the 95® percentile queue is defined as the queue length that is exceeded in 5% of the signal cycles. As an example, for a signal with a 90-second cycle, this means that the 95% percentile queue length will be exceeded during 2 of the 40 signal cycles that occur during the peak hour, The queue analysis results are summarized in Table 6 for the analyzed peak hours. TABLE 6 QUEUE SUMMARY = a ree en ert cain Len See Pennsybvania Avenue NBT a a a 0 GRO51& NBR 3007 0 0 a ° 6CSt Driveway SB 180" 3 3 a o S81 ° o a © Signal Warrant Analysis A preliminary traffic signal warrant analysis was conducted at the Pennsyivania Avenue (S.R. 0512) and GCSL Driveway in accordance with PennDOT Publication 212, Official Traffic Control Devices, Subchapter D, “Highway Traffic Signals" mses Sue 00 T2340 wa Pemnsjvana 10) TalferO@[Link]TPO examined traffic volumes at the above intersections to determine if Warrant 3, Peak Hour Volui «will be satisfied based on opening and design year traffic volume projections with development of the pr site (2019 projected conditions). All relevant signal warrant analyses worksheets are inciuded in Appendi Warrant 3, Peak Hour Volume Warrant In order to evaluate Warrant 3, Peak Hour Volume Warrant, TPD utilized the opening year traffic volume projections with development of the proposed site. Table 7 shows the peak hour major street two-way traffic volumes and the approximate corresponding minor street threshold volume to satisfy the peak hour signal warrant based on a figure in the MUTCD, Chapter 4C.04. TABLE 7 PEAK HOUR VOLUME WARRANT ANALYSIS ae Time Period ns ‘Weekday AM 67(N) Weekday PM, 750) RECOMMENDATIONS TPD has made the following recommendations in relation to the proposed SBHRC development in Plainfield Township: Proposed Site Access Provide direct access from the existing Pennsylvania Avenue (SR. 0512) & GCSL Access Road to the proposed SBHRC development. Provide a minimum use driveway with restricted access for emergency vehicles from Pen Argyl Road (S.R 11011) to the proposed SBHRC development. consweet Sute 92 1723490 Pogust 15, 20087 rsa TeltPO@ TeaticrD cm5 oye! ‘aun! 8 9) ou 90 ajo sqdod ® iy 2 ‘CONCLUSIONS Based on an access analysis, a full service driveway to Pen Argyl Road (S.R. 1011) may not meet the design criteria for a minimum throat length. Therefore, TPD suggests providing a minimum use driveway on Pen Argyl Road (SR. 1011), In order to provide access to an arterial or collector road, TPD recommends the proposed SBHRC development utilize the existing GCSL access road to provide access to Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512). An analysis was performed at the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue (S.R. 0512) and GCSL access road, Based on the results of the analysis, it was determined that the intersection will operate at the same overall ILOS when comparing Base and Projected Conditions and exiting traffic will continue to operate at LOS D under Base and Projected Conditions. Also, the analysis concludes that signal watrants are not met for this intersection, Upon your review, should you have any questions or require additiorial information please do not hesitate to contact me. Respectfully Submitted, TRAFFIC PLANING ESIGN, INC. Bric fe, PIOE Principal {12 W. Homi Sect Sut aa 77.234130 ‘August 15, 2018 /Poge9 ‘ereaor Pees Si TfiePD@[Link] taeNynd aLIs casodoud zaunol ea ‘IMI NSISIG ONY ONIN 348 ok TUS ON YT AmVLINGS TLINIO ONES Tr [| ___anamao7anaa « ‘Nv aasodoud hewns aruno 570 TEN