HomeMy WebLinkAboutTIS_Rev Red-linedTRAFFIC IMPACT STUDY FOR STRONG’S YACHT CENTER
HAMLET OF MATTITUCK
TOWN OF SOUTHOLD
Prepared For:
STRONG’S YACHT CENTER
Prepared By:
DUNN ENGINEERING ASSOCIATES
With STONEFIELD
ENGINEERING AND DESIGN
OctoberOctober 20211
Revised October 2022
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
Purpose of Report 2
Location 2
Study Approach 6
Existing Roadway Network 109
Roadway Characteristics 110
Signalized Intersection 121
Unsignalized IntersectionsGrade and Sight Distances 132
Existing Traffic Flow Conditions 154
Traffic Volumes 1165
Agency
Count Data 165
Project Count Data 175
Accident History 264
Planned Roadway Improvements and Other Planned Developments 296
Planned
Road Improvements 3027
Other Planned Developments 3027
2023 No Build Traffic Volumes 3027
Proposed Project 320
Site
Trip Generation Analysis 353
Trip Generation 364
Directional Distribution Analysis 4037
Traffic Assignment Analysis 430
Intersection Capacity
Analyses 474
Signalized Intersections 485
Unsignalized Intersections 5046
Access Examination 5349
Proposed Access 540
Temporary Haul Road and Emergency Access 540
Impacts
From Construction 551
Proposed Construction Schedule 562
Estimated Construction Traffic 594
Analysis of Construction Traffic 680
Table of
Contents (continued)
Additional Considerations 6966
Project Alternative 7067
Truck Routing Plan 7369
Impacts on Pedestrian and Bicycle Use 791
Impacts on Road
Surface Conditions – Truck Route Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road 8173
Heavy Vehicle Induced Vibrations 8476
Site Parking and Circulation 8576
Potential Mitigation Measures 87
Potential Use of Barges to Hold Material from Site 88
Alternate Routing of Haul Material 88
Retention of Excavated Material
on Site 93
Potential Traffic Calming Measures During Construction 93
Other Traffic Calming Measures 93
Conclusions 9578
Appendix 9381
Intersection Capacity Analyses Summaries
Existing, No Build and Project Build
Existing, No Build and Excavation-Phase 1 Build
Existing, No Build and Building
Construction Build
Intersection Capacity Analyses Results
20221 Existing Spring Analysis
20221 Existing Summer Analysis
2025 No Build Analysis
2025 Project
Build Analysis (Summer Analysis)
20243 No Build Spring Analysis
2024 Construction Build Analysis Phase 1 Excavation (Spring)
202423 No Build Summer Analysis
Project Build Analysis (Summer Analysis)
Construction Build Analysis Phase 1 Excavation (Summer)
2024 Construction Build Analysis Building Construction (Summer
Season)
Traffic Volumes
Agency Data
Project Data
Winter 2021 Data
Spring 2021 Data
Summer 2021 Data
Fall 2021 Data
NYSDOT Accident Verbal Descriptions
Appendix – Supplemental Data
Traffic Data
Agency Data
Project Data Collection August 2022
Pedestrian and Bicycle Observations
Intersection Turning Movement Counts
Automatic Traffic Recorder Counts
Vehicle Classification
studies
Saturday and Sunday Seasonal Volume Comparisons
NYSDOT Accident Verbal Descriptions
Town of Southold Police Department Records
Truck Route Visual (Photographic) Representations
Truc
k Turning Studies
Pavement Evaluation, as prepared by TSPE
Correspondence with Barge Provider
INTRODUCTION
Purpose of Report
This Traffic Impact Study contains the results of a traffic engineering examination of the proposed development of two new storage buildings to expand the dry boat
storage capacity of the existing Strong’s Yacht Center (SYC) in the hamlet of Mattituck, Town of Southold, New York. The existing SYC is located on the west side of Mattituck Inlet
and at the eastern terminus of West Mill Road. One of the storage buildings will be 52,500 square feet and the other 49,000 square feet for a total of 101,500 square feet. This report
appraises the traffic aspects of the proposed development with particular emphasis on its impact on the surrounding street and highway network. The study will consider the traffic impacts
of the completed project as well as the traffic impact of construction activities related to the project.
The revised report updates accident data to the latest three-year period ending
on December 31, 2021, revises the project completion Build analysis to summer 2025, revises the construction Build analysis to spring 2024 and summer 2024, and adds additional information
and analyses as requested by the Town of Southold and its Consultants in correspondence dated May 9, 2022 and May 6, 2022, respectively. Also, an alternative routing plan for the excavation
phase has been presented and evaluated, as well as an alternative material mitigation plan to reduce a percentage of off-site material removal. Additional count data, accident records,
pavement analysis, pedestrian and bicycle observations, and other information is contained in the Appendix of this Report entitled additional data.
Location
The Strong’s Yacht Center
site is located on the west side of Mattituck Inlet at the eastern terminus of West Mill Road. The site is bounded on the east by the Mattituck Inlet and west and north by West Mill
Road and private properties. On the south the site is bounded by Town of Southold Parkland and private properties. Currently the site has no access to the adjacent highway system other
than from eastern terminus of West Mill Road. The site is located within the hamlet of Mattituck, Town of Southold, New York.
Figure 1, Area Map, indicates the location of the Town
of Southold in the New York Metropolitan area. The project site is shown in Figure 2, Location Map, while Figure 3, Site Map, presents the boundaries of the property and the adjacent
roadway network.
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
STUDY APPROACH
As part of the preparation of this Traffic Impact Study, the following tasks were undertaken:
1. Several personal, on-site field observations were made to observe the traffic movements
under various conditions.
2. Collection and analysis of current existing traffic data, including traffic volumes and signal timings, as available from the Town of Southold, the Suffolk
County Department of Public Works, and the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT).
3. Automatic Traffic Recorder (ATR) Counts at key locations on West Mill Road, Cox Neck
Road and North Road (CR 48). At the request of the Town of Southold Planning Board the ATRs were conducted during the individual seasons of the year. The ATRs also included vehicle
classification studies. The counts were collected over a seven-day period to include Saturday and Sunday data.
4. Supplementary intersection turning movement counts were collected
at two key intersections to determine intersection capacity. The turning movement counts were collected during the weekday morning peak hours of 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM and PM peak hours
of 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM. The intersection turning movement counts also collected data on pedestrian traffic in the intersection and truck and bus data also. As with the ATRs the turning
movement counts were collected seasonally. Intersection turning movement counts were collected at the intersections of:
Cox Neck Road at West Mill Road/Breakwater Road
North Road (CR
48) at Cox Neck Road
Eastbound North Road (CR 48) at Northbound North Road
West Mill Road at Bayview Avenue/Selah Lane
5. An examination was made of the traffic flow on West Mill Road,
Cox Neck Road and North Road (CR 48) in the vicinity of the site.
6. Recent accident records obtained from NYSDOT were reviewed to determine if any accident problems exist in the vicinity
of the site.
7. A trip generation analysis was performed to determine the additional traffic attributable to the proposed project once complete and fully operational. In addition,
a trip generation analysis was also performed to determine the additional traffic that would be generated due to the construction of the new storage buildings with particular emphasis
on the numbers of trucks need to facilitate the project.
8. A directional distribution analysis was performed to distribute both the completed project related site-generated traffic and the construction related traffic onto the surrounding
street network.
9. A trip assignment analysis was performed determine traffic volumes that would result from the increase of site-generated traffic related to the completed project
being added to existing traffic to determine the impact of the proposed development on the surrounding street system. A trip assignment analysis was also performed to examine the addition
of site-generated construction traffic to existing traffic to determine the impact of the proposed development on the surrounding street system
10. Capacity analyses were performed
at key study intersections as listed in Item 4 above, to examine their ability to accommodate both the existing traffic volume and the additional site-generated traffic once the project
is complete and the construction related traffic while the project is being developed.
11. A review of the access arrangements was made. The review include access during construction
and once the project is complete
12. An evaluation of the available parking and on-site circulation was made regarding traffic circulation, safety, maintenance, and adequacy of layout.
13.
Conclusions were made regarding the traffic impact of the development on the surrounding street network based on the data and facts gathered in this study.
14. As a result of
comments received from the Town and its Consultants, additional data was collected during August of 2022. This data included:
Intersection turning movement counts at the intersections
of Cox Neck Road at Bergen Avenue, and Sound Avenue at Bergen Avenue for the evaluation of an alternative routing plan for the excavation phase of the proposed project.
Pedestrian and
bicycle counts were taken from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM during a weekday on Cox Neck Road at Westphalia Road, West Mill Road at Bayview Drive/Selah Lane, Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road at Breakwater
Road, and Bergen Avenue at Cooper’s Road.
ATR counts were taken at the northerly terminus of West Mill Road at the entrance/exit to Strong’s Yacht Center and on Bergen Avenue between
Sound Avenue and Cox Neck Road.
Accident Records were updated to include all of 2021 from the NYSDOT. The accident request was made for the latest three-year period ending December 31, 2021. Accident records
were also requested and received from the Town of Southold Police Department
.
An AUTO-TURN analysis was conducted to determine the viability of the proposed trucking route accommodate
trucks that will haul material from the site to facilitate the building of the project. AUTO-TURN analysis was conducted at the following locations.
The 90-degree turn in West Mill
Road near the Strong’s entrance.
The S-curve along West Mill Road/Cox Neck Road near Breakwater Road.
Turning movements at Sound Avenue at Cox Neck Road.
Turning movements at Sound Avenue
at Northville Turnpike.
Turning movements at Northville Turnpike at County Road 58
Turning movements at Sound Avenue at Bergen Avenue.
Turning movements at Cox Neck Road at Bergen Avenue.
An
alternative routing plan, alternative material mitigation plan and the barging alternative have been evaluated.
The pavement analysis, which included ESAL calculations, as prepared by
TSPE was evaluated and included in the Appendix to this report.
The vibration analysis performed by SoundSense has been reviewed and summarized.
EXISTING
ROADWAY NETWORK
Roadway Characteristics
As shown in Figure 3, Site Map, Strong’s Yacht Center is located at the easterly terminus of West Mill Road. West Mill Road to the south and west becomes Cox
Neck Road in the vicinity of Breakwater Road and continues south until its intersection with Sound Avenue and North Road (County Road 48). According to the New York State Department
of Transportation Highway Classification Map, Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road is classified as a “Minor Arterial”.
Cox Neck Road, at its southerly terminus, intersects Sound Avenue and
North Road. Sound Avenue is an east/west Town of Southold roadway. Sound Avenue begins in the Town of Riverhead at New York State Route 25A and runs easterly until it intersects Route
25 in Mattituck east of the project site. The southerly leg of Sound Avenue from its intersection with Cox Neck Road runs southeast to intersect with New York State Route 25. East of
Cox Neck Road is North Road (CR 48) a four-lane divided highway. North Road (CR 48), to the east of Cox Neck Road, and Sound Avenue, west of Cox Neck Road, are classified as “Principal
Arterial (other)”. Sound Avenue/North Road are also designated as part of the National Highway System and Federal Aid Primary System.
New York State Route 25 is a two-lane east/west
State roadway which parallels Sound Avenue/North Road. Route 25 begins in New York City and terminates at Orient Point at the eastern tip of the Town of Southold. Route 25 is designated
as “Minor Arterial” within the Town of Southold except that portion east of Greenport. Route 25, except east of Greenport is also not designated as part of the National Highway System
nor as part of the Federal Aid Primary System
Sound Avenue and North Road (County 48) and Route 25 are the principal roadways serving the North Fork of Long Island and the Town of
Southold in particular. After its intersection with North Road at Cox Neck Road and North Road (CR 48) Sound Avenue continues southeast to connect to Route 25. Once Strong’s Yacht Center
traffic reaches the intersection of Cox Neck Road with Sound Avenue/North Road its traffic can readily be distributed by the traffic signal at its intersection with Sound Avenue and
North Road in all directions onto the primary east /west roadways.
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road between North Road and Strong’s is a two-lane road with one lane in each direction.
The roadway is under the jurisdiction of the Town of Southold. Except for the commercial properties adjacent to North Road and Sound Avenue on the south, and Strong’s Yacht Center and
the Mattituck Commercial Dock at its northerly terminus, the roadway is lined with rural residential and farming land uses. Twelve commercial fishing boats and the Celtic Quest Party
Boat operate from the commercial docks north of Strong’s, whose only access is via West Mill Road. In addition to the commercial dock and Strong’s Yacht Center there is the former Old
Mill Restaurant, which is currently vacant but under the process of being renovated for reopening
Several residential subdivision roadways feed into Cox Neck Road. Breakwater Road intersects the roadway midway between North Road and Mattituck Creek and serves a large residential
subdivision to the west and north. It also serves as access for the Mattituck Park District at the end of Breakwater Road and the Mattituck Creek Waterway Access off Naugles Drive.
Cox
Neck Road/West Mill Road is marked with a double barrier line separating opposing directions of traffic. A 35 mile per hour speed limit is posted along the length of the combined roadway.
The roadway varies in width. It is widest as it approaches North Road at 32 feet and then narrowing to generally 26 to 27 feet. Smaller portions narrow to 24 feet and east of Naugles
Drive the roadway becomes 22 feet wide. Other than the speed limit signing there is little traffic control signing along Cox’s Neck Road/West Mill Road.
Much of the Cox Neck Road/West
Mill Road is slightly rolling but there are two areas of significant curves. The first is just north of Bergen Avenue where, going north, the roadway curves sharply to the east turning
about 90 degrees and then turns less sharply to the north. Within the curves the road drops to the area between the curves just west of Breakwater Road and then rises in the second curve
to peak north of Jackson Landing and the end of the curved section. No warning signs are posted for either north bound south bound traffic. On the westerly side of the southern curve
guide rail has been placed to prevent vehicles from leaving the road. The guide rail is substandard and not properly anchored on the ends. We question whether the two curves should
be posted with curve warning signs indicating the “S” curvature of the road and the use of additional chevron signing along the back of both curves.
North of the two curves the roadway
straightens out and continues north in a relatively straight line on gently rolling terrain. West and south of Naugle’s Drive the roadway turns fairly sharply to the east. Curve warning
signs were posted for northbound traffic approaching the curve and for southbound traffic approaching the same curve. The southbound signs seem to be placed too close to the curve and
chevron warning signs along the back of the curve would be useful. To the east of Naugle’s Drive West Mill Road turns to the south and drops vertically. There is a curve warning sign
posted for eastbound traffic and an additional sign stating, “SLOW POPULATED AREA”. That sign is posted behind a utility pole and not readily visible.
Signalized Intersections
In
the vicinity of the site, the following are the significant signalized intersections:
Sound Avenue/North Road (CR 48) at Cox Neck Road
North Road (CR 48) at Northwest bound Sound Avenue
The lane configurations at the signalized intersection approaches of Sound Avenue/North Road (CR 48) at Cox Neck Road consist of the following:
1. Eastbound Sound Avenue: A left
turn lane, a thru lane and a right
turn lane.
2. Westbound North Road (CR 48): A
left turn lane, a thru lane and a
channelized right turn lane.
3. Southbound
Cox Neck Road: A combined left/thru lane and a
channelized right turn lane.
The
lane configurations at the signalized intersection approaches of North Road (CR 48) at Cox Neck Road consist of the following:
1. Eastbound North Road (CR 48): A thru lane.
2. Northbound
Sound Avenue: A left turn lane and a
channelized right turn lane.
Note that
the two signalized intersections are operated by the same traffic signal controller, and thus, function as one signalized intersection.
Unsignalized Intersections
In the vicinity of
the site, the following are the significant unsignalized intersections:
West Mill Road at Bayview Avenue/Selah Lane
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road at Breakwater Road
The lane configurations
at the unsignalized intersection approaches of West Mill Road at Bayview Avenue/Selah Lane consist of the following:
1. Southbound West Mill Road: A combined left/thru/right lane.
2. Northbound
West Mill Road: A combined left/thru/right lane.
3. Eastbound Selah Lane: A combined left/thru/right lane.
4. Westbound Bayview Avenue: A combined left/thru/right lane.
The lane configurations at the unsignalized intersection approaches of Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road at Breakwater
Road consist of the following:
1. Eastbound Cox Neck Road: A combined thru/right lane.
2. Westbound West Mill Road: A combined left/thru lane.
3. Southbound Breakwater Road: A
combined left/right lane
The lane configurations at the unsignalized intersection approaches of Cox Neck Road at Bergen Avenue consist of the following:
1. Southbound Cox Neck Road: A
combined thru/right lane.
2. Northbound Cox Neck Road: A combined left/thru lane.
3. Eastbound Bergen Avenue: A combined left/right lane
The lane configurations at the unsignalized
intersection approaches of Sound Avenue at Bergen Avenue consist of the following:
1. Eastbound Sound Avenue: A combined thru/right lane.
2. Westbound Sound Avenue: A combined
left/thru lane.
3. Southbound Bergen Avenue: A combined left/right lane
Note that the two signalized intersections noted are operated by the same traffic signal controller and
thus function as one signalized intersection.
EXISTING TRAFFIC
FLOW CONDITIONS
Traffic Volumes
Agency Counts Data: Traffic volume counts were available for Cox Neck Road on the NYSDOT Traffic Data Viewer website (http://gis.dot.ny.gov/tdv). The counts were collected
in June of 2020, 92 feet south of Rosewood Road and the segment of road had an Annual Average Daily Traffic of 2,963 vehicles per day. The average weekday peak hour of traffic occurred
between 5:00 PM and 6:00 PM with a combined volume of 264 vehicles per hour. The combined volume varied between 215 and 264 vehicles per hour from 11:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Southbound traffic
was higher in the morning and early afternoon then northbound until 1:00 PM and then the trend reversed with more traffic northbound then southbound after that.
Traffic count data was
also available for Breakwater Road which feed a considerable amount of traffic into Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road. The count was taken in August 2015, 630 feet south of Stanley Road
and recorded an AADT of 1,447 vehicles per day and indicates that Breakwater Road feeds approximately half of the traffic appearing on Cox Neck Road to the south. The count location
on Breakwater Road also included a speed study. The study indicated that vehicles operating on Breakwater Road at the survey site had an 85-percentile speed of between 42.9 and 43.9
miles per hour while the posted speed limit was 30 miles per hour. At the survey location Breakwater Road is relatively straight and flat as are much of Cox Neck Road and West Mill
Road and it can be anticipated that speeds of this road would be similar to those on Breakwater Road except in the areas of the curves where horizontal and vertical geometric features
will suppress speed.
In addition to the volume counts noted the State operates a permanent count station on Route 25 east of Aldrich Lane in the hamlet of Laurel. The permanent count
station generates traffic volume trend data for Route 25 in the Town of Southold and Riverhead east of the Riverhead business district. The latest available data from the count station
dates to 2013. It shows that the highest volumes occur in July and August. The highest daily traffic occurs on Friday with Saturday and Thursday being close seconds. The counts indicated
little traffic growth between 2004 and 2013. The data from the permanent count station is included in the Appendix of this report in the section entitled, “Agency Traffic Data.”
Additional
historic data has been incorporated into the report to cover Sound Avenue between Cox Neck Road and Northville Turnpike, Northville Turnpike between Sound Avenue and Old Country Road
(CR 43), and Old Country Road (CR 58), between the Long Island Expressway and Northville Turnpike. The data was received from the NYSDOT and included weekday ATR volume and classification
counts. The additional data is included in the Appendix of this Report in the section entitled Supplemental Data.
It should be noted that the above AADT and the traffic volume count
data were not utilized for
analysis purposes but were used to define peak periods of highway traffic and are presented for informational purposes.
Project Count Data: As requested by the Final Scope additional
counts were collected for the project. As the Scope requested, traffic data was collected in each of the four seasons of the year.
The Automatic Traffic Recorder (ATR) counts were
collected on West Mill Road north of Bayview Avenue, on Cox Neck Road north of Westphalia Road, on Sound Avenue west of Cox Neck Road and on North Road (CR 48) east of Cox Neck Road.
The ATR data collection also included a vehicle classification study at each location.
Additional ATR’s were collected on West Mill Road east of Naugles Drive and on Bergen Avenue
during August 2022.
To obtain specific turning count information for existing traffic during the peak hours of the proposed development, manual turning movement counts were collected
at the following four locations:
Sound Avenue/North Road (CR 48) at Cox Neck Road
North Road (CR 48) at Northwest bound Sound Avenue
West Mill Road at Bayview Avenue/Selah Lane
Cox
Neck Road/West Mill Road at Breakwater Road
The turning traffic counts at the locations were collected on several during the Winter of 2021, Spring of 2021, the Summer of 2021, and
the Fall of 2021. The counts were collected during a typical weekday AM peak period from 7:00 A.M. to 9:00 A.M., a typical weekday PM peak period of 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M, and a Saturday
peak period of 11:00 P.M. to 2:00 P.M. Additional turning movement counts were taken in August 2022 at the intersections of Cox Neck Road at Bergen Avenue and Sound Avenue at Bergen
Avenue during the same data collection periods.
Figure 4, 2021 Existing Traffic Counts, presents locations of the counts collected for this Study.
As indicated above, the Scope for
the Study indicated that traffic data was to be collected during the “four seasons of the year.” Initial data collection was taken in March of 2021 to cover the Winter data set. This
included the ATR’s as described above and turning movement counts at the two signalized intersections of North Road (CR 48) with Sound Avenue and Cox Neck Road. Following additional
Scope clarification two additional turning movement counts were added to the data collection effort. Those intersection turning movement counts were at West Mill Road at Bayview Avenue/Selah
Lane and Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road at Breakwater Road.
Figure 5, Weekday Average Hourly Volume – Seasonal Comparison, County Road 48, shows the variation of hourly traffic count data on Sound Avenue/North Road (CR 48) from season to season.
The pattern from season to season is as expected with the highest volumes during the summer and the lowest in the winter; with the fall and spring being in between. Figures 6 and 7,
show similar information for Cox Neck Road and West Mill Road. While the summer counts are demonstrably higher than the winter counts with the spring and fall counts being roughly in
between, there is considerably more variation in the count data. This is likely to happen where the count volume is low, and small increases or decreases in traffic dramatically affect
the trends. When reviewing Figures 5, 6, and 7, note that the smoothness of the graph and traffic data supporting it is far more even on the higher volume Sound Avenue/North Road, then
on the lower volume Cox Neck Road and then the lowest volume West Mill Road.
Additional traffic volume data plots for Saturday and for Sunday at all three count locations, Sound Avenue,
Cox Neck Road, and West Mill Road, are provided in the Appendix of this report in the section entitled Supplemental Data. As would be anticipated, the winter counts showed the lowest
volumes and the summer the highest on both days. The spring volumes were higher than the fall volumes. The volume plots for all three locations on Saturday and Sunday are not smooth
as hourly variations through the day show considerable variation. The volume trends indicate a rise beginning between 6:00 and 7:00 AM rising throughout the morning and generally peaking
in midday. Volumes remain high through the afternoon but taper more gradually into the evening.
Plots of the weekday directional volumes at the three count locations indicate that
Sound Avenue/North Road experiences traffic flows that are typical of roadways with significant commuter and worker traffic. The predominant traffic flow is east bound during the morning
peak hour and west bound in the evening peak hours. Peak hour flows on Saturday afternoons are higher than the weekday AM and PM peak hours of traffic. The counts taken on Cox Neck
Road and West Mill Road did not exhibit the weekday AM and PM peak hours typical of commuter routes. The volumes of traffic on Cox Neck Road were higher during the Saturday afternoon
peak hour then during the weekday peaks but were less so on West Mill Road. This was consistent through all seasons. Graphs which show the seasonal variation of traffic on Sound Avenue,
Cox Neck Road and West Mill Road for Saturday and Sunday are provided in the Appendix of this report in the section entitled Supplemental Data, Traffic Data, Saturday and Sunday Seasonal
Traffic Comparison.
As can be expected, the seasonal data indicated that there were significantly lower traffic volumes during the winter period then during the spring and fall, with
the highest volumes being recorded during the summer period. There was also considerable difference in the volume of traffic found on Sound Avenue/North Road as opposed to Cox Neck Road
and West Mill Road. During the summer studies, Sound Avenue experienced volumes in the range of 16,000 vehicles per day during the weekdays to 20,000 vehicles on a summer Saturday. On
Cox Neck Road, weekday volumes were as
Figure 4
Figure 5
Figure 6
Figure 7
low as 2,600 vehicles per day to a high of 3,340 vehicles on a summer Saturday. Finally, on West Mill Road, volumes were approximately 500 or slightly lower vehicles per day throughout
the week. The volume counts conducted during the other seasons followed a similar profile although lower, with the lower volumes being found during the winter months.
The vehicle classification
counts indicated that heavy vehicles (trucks) as a percentage of the traffic observed exceeded 5 percent of the traffic on Sound Avenue/North Road during the summer, increasing to over
6 percent in the spring and fall, while dropping to between 4 and 5 percent during the winter months. Buses represented approximately one percent of traffic on the road during all seasons.
During the weekdays in the non-summer season, buses (most likely school buses) also represented one percent of the traffic on Cox Neck Road and West Mill Road. During the weekend,
buses were generally not present on these roads. The presence of trucks on Cox Neck Road was noted with between 3.6 and 9.4 percent on weekdays varying seasonally as shown on Sound
Avenue. During the winter, the percentage of trucks reduced to 3.6 percent. Truck usage of West Mill Road was varied from 1.5 to 7.9 percent through the four seasons, also varying
seasonally similar to Sound Avenue. During the winter, the percentage of trucks reduced to 1.5 percent weekdays and less than 2 percent on weekends during the summer. During the winter,
truck usage on Plots of the directional volumes at the three count locations indicate that Sound Avenue/North Road experiences traffic flows that are often typical of roadways with significant
commuter and worker traffic. The predominant traffic flow is east bound during the morning peak hour and west bound in the evening peak hours. Peak hour flows on Saturday afternoons
are higher than the weekday AM and PM peak hours of traffic. The counts taken on Cox Neck Road and West Mill Road did not exhibit the weekday AM and PM peak hours typical of commuter
routes. The volumes of traffic on Cox Neck Road where higher during the Saturday afternoon peak hour then during the weekday peaks but were less so on West Mill Road. This was consistent
through all seasons.
As can be expected the seasonal data indicated that there were significantly lower traffic volumes during the winter period then during the spring and fall, with
the highest volumes being recorded during the summer period. There was also considerable difference in the volume of traffic found on Sound Avenue/North Road as opposed to Cox Neck Road
and West Mill Road. During the summer studies Sound Avenue experienced volumes in the range of 16,000 vehicles per day during the weekdays to 20,000 vehicles on a summer Saturday. On
Cox Neck Road weekday volumes were as low as 2,600 vehicles per day to a high of 3,340 vehicles on a summer Saturday. Finally on West Mill Road, volumes were 500 or slightly lower vehicles
per day throughout the week. The volume counts conducted during the other seasons followed a similar profile although lower, with the lower volumes being found during the winter months.
The
vehicle classification counts indicated that heavy vehicles (trucks) as a percentage of the traffic
observed was generally 4 to 5 percent of the traffic on Sound Avenue/North Road during the summer dropping to slightly more than 3 percent during the winter months. Buses represented
approximately one percent of traffic on the road during all seasons. During the weekdays in the non-summer seasons, buses (most likely school buses) also represented one percent of
the traffic on Cox neck Road and West Mill Road. During the weekend buses were generally not present on these roads. The presence of trucks on Cox Neck Road was noted with between
3 and 4 percent during the summer weekdays and weekends. During the winter the percentage of trucks reduced to approximately 2 percent. Truck usage of West Mill Road was 2 to 3 percent
during summer weekdays and less than 2 percent on weekends during the summer. During the winter, truck usage of West Mill Road was one percent or less during weekdays and weekends.
The analysis of the classification data from West Mill Road also indicated that the trucks using the road were smaller than those using Cox Neck Road and Sound Avenue/North Road.
A
partial difference in the volumes of trucks, which would include trucks pulling boat trailers, would be the large Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) boat launching facility
off Naugles Drive. While the launching ramp accesses Naugles Drive between Breakwater Road and the northern section of West Mill Road, the shortest and most straight forward path to
the south is via Breakwater Road to Cox Neck Road, avoiding West Mill Road. Another reason is that Breakwater Road serves a large residential community to the west which requires service
by fuel oil delivery, sanitation, and other trucks. West Mill Road, north of Breakwater Road, serves far fewer homes.
The traffic volume counts were collected in both 2021 and 2022
and this report is being submitted in 2022. Traffic volume data has been summarized for presentation. The 2021 data was grown by 1 percent to simulate 2022 volumes and the August 2022
data was adjusted seasonally by a factor provided by NYSDOT to replicate Spring data in addition to summer data. Figure 8, 20221 Existing Springpring Traffic Volumes summarizes the Springpring
20221 traffic volume counts for the weekday AM and PM peak hours and Saturday peak hours of traffic. Figure 9, 20221 Existing Summer Traffic Volumes summarizes the Summer 20221 traffic
volume counts for the weekday AM and PM peak hours and Saturday peak hours of traffic. Similar summarized traffic volume data may be found in the Appendix of this study for the Winter
20221 and Fall 20221 data collection efforts.
The detailed traffic volume counts, and vehicle classification studies can be seen in the section of the Appendix entitled, “2021 Traffic
Volumes”.
Accident History
Accident data was requested from the New York State Department of Transportation for all accidents
that occurred along Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road from its intersection with Sound Avenue/North Road (CR 48) to its terminus at Mattituck Creek and Strong’s Yacht Center. Accident data
for the period January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2020, was provided by NYSDOT. The Accident Verbal Descriptions are provided in the Appendix of this report. Figure 8
Figure 9
In addition to the ATRs and vehicular volume counts pedestrian and bicycle counts were taken in August of 2022 along Cox Neck Road and West Mill Road. The counts were taken between
6:00 AM and 6:00 PM on a weekday. The counts were done on Cox Neck Road at Westphalia Road, at
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road near Breakwater Road, and West Mill Road at Bayview Avenue/Selah
Lane.
The detailed 2021 traffic volume counts, and vehicle classification studies can be seen in the section of the Appendix entitled, “2021 Traffic Data”. Traffic volume counts, pedestrian
and bicycle counts, and vehicle classification counts collected in August 2022 can be found in the Appendix Section entitled Supplemental Data.
Accident History
Accident data was
requested from the NYSDOT for all accidents that occurred along Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road from its intersection with Sound Avenue/North Road (CR 48) to its terminus at Mattituck Creek
and Strong’s Yacht Center. The data included the intersection of Sound Avenue/CR 48 at Cox neck Road. Accident data for the period January 1, 2017, to June 30, 2020, was provided by
NYSDOT initially. The initial Accident Verbal Descriptions are provided in the Appendix of this report. Additional data was obtained from NYSDOT in July 2022 to supplement and expand
the accident analysis to cover the period from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021, a full 60-month period. The additional accident data is provided in the Appendix of this report
in the section entitled Supplemental Data.
In addition to the accident data available from NYSDOT, accident data was obtained from the Southold Town Police. The data from the Police
was for the period January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2021, a period of three years. The accident data obtained from the Police was largely duplicative of the data originally obtained
from NYSDOT. The Town Police Accident records can be found in the Appendix of this report in the section entitled Supplemental Data.
During the 6042-month period, a total of 48 25 accidents
occurred. Twelve accidents occurred in 2017, 5five each in 2018, 7 in and 2019, 12 in 2020 and 12three in the first six months of 20210. Only four 8 of the 4825 accidents resulted
in injuries, and none were fatal. Thirty-two Seventeen were property damage only and an 8 additional four accidents were classified as non-reportable, meaning that the value of the property
damage was less than one thousand five hundred dollars.
Twenty-three Thirty-eight of the accidents were associated with the intersection of Cox Neck Road at
Sound Avenue/North Road (CR 48). Twenty-threeFifteen of the 3823 accidents were rear end accidents and most of those were associated with traffic moving east/west on Sound Avenue/North
Road (CR 48). Fiveour of the rear end accidents were associated with the Yield signs controlling the channelized right turn lanes at the intersection. The rate of accidents occurring
at the intersection is not atypical for an intersection with similar volumes.
As noted by NYSDOT, there were ten only three accidents that occurred on Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road in
the 6042-month period. These accidents were as follows:
September 29, 2017: This accident occurred 750 feet north of the west to north bound channelized ramp at the Cox Neck/Sound
Avenue/North Road intersection. The accident involved a south bound vehicle that hit a deer at night.
Figure 8
Figure 9
June 5, 2019: This accident is described as occurring at the intersection of Cox Neck Road with West Mill Road and Breakwater Road. The accident occurred at 12:45 in the
morning when a vehicle left the road and hit a tree. The vehicle was south bound on Breakwater Road, went through the Stop sign and across Cox Neck Road. The police report identifies
unsafe speed and disregard of traffic control devices as contributing factors.
AugustJune 176, 2020: The location of the accident could not readily be identified from the information
provided in the Verbal Description although the Accident Map provided with the Verbal Descriptions indicates an accident occurring near the termination of West Neck Road, adjacent to
Mattituck Creek. The accident involved a parked vehicle being hit by a backing vehicle. The Town Police accident report provided the same information.
October 10, 2020: The accident
occurred 200 feet west of Breakwater Road at 5:50 in the morning. A north bound vehicle on Cox Neck Road failed to negotiate the right turning curve in the road, crossing the south
bound lane of traffic and hitting the guide rail and a utility pole.
November 23, 2020: The accident occurred at a driveway on the west side of Cox Neck Road 100 feet north of Sound
Avenue. The accident occurred when a north bound vehicle turned left into the driveway crossing the path of a south bound motorist.
February 7, 2021: The accident occurred on Cox Neck
Road 50 feet west of Breakwater Road. An east bound vehicle lost control in snow and ice conditions and sideswiped a west bound vehicle.
February 19, 2021: The accident occurred on Cox
Neck Road 1000 feet north of Sound Avenue. A south bound vehicle slid off the road in snow and ice and hit a utility pole.
May 27, 2021: The accident occurred on Cox Neck Road 300 feet
north of Sound Avenue when a deer ran in front of a south bound vehicle.
September 15, 2021: The accident occurred on Cox Neck Road 200 feet north of Sound Avenue. While north bound, the rear door of a dump truck swung open and impacted a pedestrian walking
north bound along the road. The truck driver was issued tickets for not having the rear door secure.
November 20, 2021: The accident occurred Cox Neck Road at Westphalia Road when a
north bound vehicle struck a deer that ran in front of it.
The review of the tenthree accidents that occurred during the 6042-month analysis period indicated that there are no indication
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road has any traffic safety deficiencies. Three of the ten accidents involved vehicles hitting deer and two involved vehicles slipping in snow and ice conditions.
One accident involved a vehicle turning around at the end of West Mill Road backing into a parked vehicle. Two accidents involved vehicle that lost control and hit guide rail or utility
poles off of the road. One accident involved a vehicle turning into a commercial driveway just north of Sound Avenue. One accident did involve a pedestrian. The pedestrian was not directly
hit by the vehicle but was hit by an unsecured rear tailgate as the vehicle past. There is no pattern to the accidents that can be identified and corrected. The accident data indicates
that vehicular operations along the roadway can be done safely.
The detailed accident data initially received from the New York State Department of Transportation is provided in the
appendix of this report in the section entitled, “Accident Data”. Accident data received in July 2022 can be found in the Appendix Section entitled Supplemental Data, as can the accident
records received from the Town of Southold Police Department.
PLANNED ROADWAY
IMPROVEMENTS AND
OTHER PLANNED
DEVELOPMENTS
Planned Roadway Improvements
To determine whether there are any plans for improvements to the roadways in the study area, the latest available Nassau – Suffolk Transportation Improvement
Program (TIP) was reviewed. Our review revealed no projects involving the reconstruction and improvement of roadways serving the proposed Strong’s Yacht Center prior to its expected
completion. Information obtained from the Town of Southold Highway Department indicated that a segment of Cox Neck Road from just north of Sound Avenue/North Road to Bergen Avenue would
be resurfaced with 1-1/2 inches of Type 6 asphalt. This project has been delayed as the Town has determined that drainage work needs to be done prior to the resurfacing. The Town Highway
Department has also indicated that resurfacing should be delayed until it is determined how the SYC project will be conducted, preferring to perform the resurfacing after that work is
complete.
Other Planned Developments
To properly conduct the Traffic Impact Study, it is necessary to examine the cumulative effects of this project as well as other planned developments
in the area. To this end, any other developments approved and planned to be constructed before 2023 (this project’s Build year) which may impact traffic conditions in the area were
identified.
The Town of Southold was contacted, and a representative of the Planning Department indicated that there were no currently planned projects within the area of the proposed
development that would generate significant enough traffic to impact conditions at the Study intersections.
20253 No Build Traffic Volumes
In order to develop a basis to gauge potential
impacts of the proposed traffic on the surrounding roadway network, the 2021 2022 volumes were grown to replicate conditions in 20253 when the project is expected to be complete. The
background traffic growth of traffic as identified by the NYSDOT Data Services Bureau was added to the 20221 Existing volumes. The anticipated background growth of traffic as per NYSDOT
is 1.00 % per year in the Mattituck area. The Town of Southold Planning Department was also consulted to determine if there were any other significant planned projects that would add
traffic to the area roadways prior to the completion of the Strong’s project. No other significant projects where identified. Following this methodology, the 20253 No Build Volumes
were generated.
Figure 10, 20253 No Build Summerpring Traffic Volumes presents the SummerSpring 20253 No Build traffic volume counts for the weekday AM and PM peak hours and Saturday
peak hours of traffic. Figure 11, 2023 No Build Summer Traffic Volumes presents the Summer 2023 No Build
traffic volume counts for the weekday AM and PM peak hours and Saturday peak hours of traffic.
Figure 10
Figure 11
PROPOSED
PROJECT
The proposed action includes the construction of two boat storage buildings of 52,500 SF and 49,000 SF to support the operations of the Strong’s Yacht Center, with associated improvements
including gravel-based driveways and parking areas, water supply, sewage disposal, site grading and drainage, landscaping, and lighting.
The Strong’s Yacht Center is situated on a
32.96±-acre parcel located south of the terminus of West Mill Road and on the west side of Mattituck Creek on lands zoned M-II (approximately 16.46 acres) and R-80 (approximately 16.5
acres). The subject property is currently comprised of 40 boat slips with associated ramps and fueling and developed with eight buildings to support the operation of the marina, as
well as the sale, maintenance, dockage, and storage of boats. The eight buildings include the following:
· Building 1: One-story residence (1,610 SF)
· Building 2:
Two-story office (2,702 SF)
· Building 3: One-story storage (17,320 SF)
· Building 4: One-story storage (169 SF)
· Building 5: One-story storage (341 SF)
· Building
6: One-story storage (10,766 SF)
· Building 7: One-story storage (15,076 SF)
· Building 8: One-story storage (22,425 SF)
The two proposed buildings would become Building
9 (49,000 SF) and Building 10 (52,500 SF). Upon implementation of the proposed action, the total gross floor area of all buildings would increase from 69,245 SF to 171,929 SF.
The
proposed buildings would be situated to the west of Buildings 7 and 8, which would allow direct access and transport of yachts from the existing lift station to each of the proposed
buildings. The purpose of the proposed action is to provide indoor and heated winter storage for yachts that utilize local waters in the peak season but are required to be transported
to warmer climates in the winter months due to a lack of adequate storage in the Town of Southold and across the entire east end of Long Island. Yachts for storage are expected to come
from Mattituck Creek, Greenport, Montauk, Sag Harbor, Mount Sinai, Port Jefferson and possibly Connecticut. Due to the size of the vessels to be stored it is impractical to trailer
or truck them and SYC anticipates all vessels to be stored will be transported by water. The two new storage buildings will begin receiving yachts at the end of the Long Island boating
season in September thru December. The yachts will be stored inside during the winter and then the process of putting them back into the water will begin in April and continue into June.
Much of the work of transporting the vessels to and from the marina overwater will be done by SYC staff who will be dropped off by vehicle by other staff at the vessel’s home location.
Less than 50% of the vessels will be transported over water by the owners or owner’s crew. Based upon an
average yacht size of 60 feet with a 17-foot beam, it is estimated that approximately 88 yachts could be stored within the proposed buildings during the winter months.
Strong’s has
indicated that the construction of the two new storage buildings, once complete will allow for hiring of up to 11 new employees who will be devoted to working on the boats that will
be stored, cleaning and preparing them for storage and then for use the following season. It is expected these boats will also be repaired and upgraded while they are in storage.
The added employees will also be responsible for retrieving and delivering boats, as well as, hauling them and putting them in the water.
Due to significant grade changes on the
site, the proposed project will require approximately 134,000 cubic yards of cut for the placement of the proposed buildings at Elevation 10.0. The proposed excavation plan includes
two routes for truck movements and would occur over a projected duration of approximately five to six months based upon loads of 30 cubic yards per truck and five-day work weeks. An
additional six months is projected to complete the proposed project, inclusive of the retaining wall, infrastructure and two buildings (i.e., total construction duration is approximately
13 months).
The proposed plan includes the installation of a cement and evergreen retaining wall along the west side of Buildings 9 and 10 and along the north side of Building 10,
which serves to both stabilize the slope as well as enhance the visual screening of the subject property. The total proposed disturbance is approximately 6.0± acres, with mature trees
and cut material greater proposed for removal.
As part of the proposed action, one new on-site wastewater treatment system (I/A OWTS) would be installed, and an existing on-site
sanitary system would be replaced with an I/A OWTS. The two systems would be designed to serve the Strong’s Yacht Center operations, inclusive of all buildings, the office and marina.
Also proposed is an extension of the water main from Naugles Drive by 765 feet to allow for the site to be served by the public supply system.
SITE TRIP
GENERATION ANALYSIS
Trip Generation
Strong’s Yacht Center is an existing facility and the existing traffic being generated is already being accommodated on the existing road system. The proposed project
will add two storage buildings and other minor modifications that facilitate the use of the new storage space or upgrade the infrastructure on-site, such as new sanitary systems and
public water supply. Other than the new activity generated by the availability of the new storage space, the other site enhancements would not generate additional traffic.
Typically,
estimates of traffic a proposed project will generate are developed utilizing the Institute of Transportation Engineer’s reference book, Trip Generation. The reference contains studies
of various potential land uses the numbers of daily and hourly trips those land uses may generate. The data is provided based on rates of generation based on the size of buildings,
units of usage (homes, apartments, rooms, beds, etc.) or employees. The Trip Generation reference contains Land Use Code 420, Marina. The traffic generation rate is based on the number
of berths the marina provides. There are no studies based on building sizes or numbers of employees at the facility. The Strong’s currently has 40 berths and will still have only 40
berths upon completion of the project. Based on ITE data there would be no change in traffic generation due to the project.
Automatic Traffic Recorder Counts and Vehicle Classification
Counts were taken in August 2022 on West Mill Road 100 feet east of Naugles Drive. The count captured all of the traffic entering and exiting Strong’s Yacht Center. Due to location
of the count, it also captured traffic destined for the Town Commercial Dock on the Mattituck Inlet that serves commercial fishing vessels and a single-family home with access onto West
Mill Road. There is also a currently closed restaurant on West Mill Road east of the count, and for that reason, is not expected to have generated any traffic during the count period.
Table 1, Peak Hour Traffic, West Mill Road, East of Naugles Drive presents a summary of the data collected.
Location
Vehicle Trips per Hour
Weekday A.M.
Peak Hour
Weekday P.M.
Peak
Hour
Saturday
Peak Hour
East Bound
West Bound
East Bound
West Bound
East Bound
West Bound
West Mill Road East of Naugles Drive
17
4
7
21
12
14
Table
1
Peak Hour Traffic
West Mill Road East of Naugles Drive
The weekday peak hour counts are reflective of a typical business use with workers arriving in the morning and departing in the late afternoon. The peak Saturday volumes are reflective
of a use where vehicles are coming and going in equal numbers. While the presence of the Town Commercial Dock added to the traffic counted on West Mill Road, most of the traffic on the
road is likely destined for the SYC.
Vehicle Classification counts were taken on West Mill Road for three days (Tuesday thru Thursday) during the same August 2022 count. Almost all
the vehicles observed were two axel vehicles with approximately 85 % of the vehicles were motorcycles, passenger vehicles and personnel pick-up trucks and vans. One percent were noted
as buses. Thirteen percent were 2 axle, 6-tire vehicles such as UPS, Amazon, or other small delivery vehicles. Most of these trips occur between 9:00 AM and 4:00 PM and are not occurring
during the weekday AM and PM peak periods. During the entire three-day period, 3- 3- axle vehicles were counted, and 2- 4- axle vehicles were counted. None of the 3 or 4 axle vehicles
were counted during the typical weekday AM or PM peak hours. It must also be noted the trucks counted may not all have destined for SYC. Some may have been destined for the Town Commercial
Dock. When examining truck activity, the counts reflect vehicles that have arrived and departed the site. One vehicle delivery is counted as two trips in the count.
The proposed two
new storage buildings at the Yacht Center will create some new traffic. Strong’s anticipates that up to 11 new permanent positions at the Center associated with the two new buildings.
There are currently 17 full-time staff at the Strong’s Yacht Center, and upon implementation of the proposed action, the Applicant expects to create an additional 11 positions to reach
a total of 28 employees. There is currently variation in the number of employees on site during the week with 17 on site Monday thru Friday year-round. During the season, 12 are typically
on site on Saturday and 4 on Sunday. The weekend employees are present on the weekend to service the existing marina slips and sell fuel to vessels docked at the marina and those not
docked at the marina. Off season there are typically 4 on site on Saturday and the facility is closed on Sunday in the winter or possibly one staff member on the season’s shoulders.
This activity is all existing currently. The counts collected for the project this year already have these employees accounted for, as is all the activity of the existing marina.
Eleven
new employees will be added at the site in the future following the construction of the new storage buildings. The additional personnel will accommodate the increased business generated
by the presence of the additional yachts wintering at the SYC, including pulling and launching the vessels, prepping them for storage, performing repairs and regular maintenance. The
new employees that will be used to service boats destined for new storage building will primarily work during the weekday. The arrival and departure of these new employees to and from
the marina will be the only additional traffic the proposed project will generate once complete and operating.
As noted, new trips that the proposed project will generate will largely come from the comings and goings of the new employees. While the new business of storing vessels will generate
additional equipment and materials being brought to the site, most of these deliveries will use vendors already making deliveries to the site. Vendors such as UPS, the US Post Office,
Amazon, and several marine suppliers already deliver parts and materials to the site. The same vehicles that are now making deliveries will just carry additional parts or greater volumes
of product but make the same number of trips. The new business may generate some new deliveries, but these would only be one-to-two per week. It should also be noted that deliveries
currently being made to the site are generally occurring between the weekday AM and PM peak hours.
The actual presence of the additional stored vessels in the proposed new buildings
creates little new traffic except the random drop-off and pickup of a stored vessel by an owner or the owner’s crew at almost any time during the day. (Possibly 88 vessels over a three-month
period). It is noted that SYC will maintain a schedule for vessels coming in and out of storage, thus, the arrival of a crew in delivering a vessel or removing a vessel is controlled
by SYC. As such, tThis increase in activity will not be noticeable. As previously noted, the only real increase in traffic will come from the 11 new employees that are expected to be
brought on to accommodate the additional work with new vessels to be stored. If it assumed that all 11 new employees work weekday business hours, they are likely to create 11 entering
trips in the morning and 11 exiting trips in the evening. This is a small number of additional trips and will have negligible traffic impact on Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road.
Table
21, Site Generated Traffic provides the number of trips the existing site is currently generating based on the Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) reference manual, “Trip Generation”.
“Trip Generation” is a nationally excepted standard for predicting the trip generating characteristics of typical land uses. It is based on thousands of studies of existing land uses
and the amount traffic each land use generates. As indicated above, “Marina” is a land use included in the reference manual and statistics are provided to predict how much traffic will
be generated. The marina use utilizes the number of berths the marina has, to predict amount of traffic a 40-berth marina will typically generate.
The August 2022 counts on West Mill
Road, east of Naugles Drive, (as shown in Table 1) appear to indicate that the existing SYC may generate more traffic than a typical marina due to the fact that there are other services
on-site, including sales of new and used boats and repair/maintenance of boats, as well as the type of boats serviced/docked. The SYC services larger vessels and services other vessels
which arrive by water. The existing staff of 17 serves the marina as well as the other services. As a result, the weekday AM, and PM peak hour site generated traffic appears to be
more
driven by arrival and departure of the existing staff. While the existing traffic generated by may be higher than ITE predictions, it is existing traffic already on the roadways and
part of the No Build Condition.
Table 21, Site Generated Traffic also indicates the number of trips the new employees will create during the weekday AM and PM peak hours and Saturday
peak hours of traffic. The new employees will all be scheduled to work during a normal weekday, arriving in the morning and departing in the evening. New employees will not work on
Saturday and will not generate additional traffic.
The traffic associated with the current marina operation already exists on the study roadways and the project traffic counts already
account for this traffic. To determine the traffic impact of the completed project, it is necessary only to focus on the additional traffic the project will add, that resulting from
hiring 11 new employees. When using employees as a basis of trip generation based on ITE methodology (such as with an office use) the trips generated are generally less than the total
employees at the site. Some employees come in early, some come in late, some may not come in that day or some may be in the field to say pick-up a boat. However, to take the most conservative
approach to the analysis, it has been assumed that all 11 employees enter the site in the during the AM peak hour and depart during the PM peak hour. It is further assumed that 2 of
those employees are either dropped off or leave the site during the same time period.
Use
Vehicle Trips per Hour
Weekday A.M.
Peak Hour
Weekday P.M.
Peak Hour
Saturday
Peak
Hour
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Existing Marina with 40 slips
(Land Use Code 420)
3
2
6
3
4
5
New Employee Trips
(11 New Employees)
11
2
2
11
0
0
Total
14
4
8
14
4
5
Table 1
Site-Generated Traffic
Based on ITE Trip Generation Rates
and
Expected New Empolyees
DIRECTIONAL
DISTRIBUTION ANALYSIS
To determine the origins and destinations of new vehicles entering and exiting the proposed development, a directional distribution analysis was performed. The additional traffic that
will be generated will consist of arrival and departure of new employees. As such, the trip distribution analysis examined the traffic flow along Sound Avenue/North Road during the AM
weekday peak hour.
Figure 112, Site-Generated Traffic Distribution, presents the directional distribution of traffic that is expected to arrive at and depart from the proposed development
via the existing roadways.
Figure 112
TRAFFIC ASSIGNMENT
ANALYSIS
The site-generated traffic estimates and the directional distribution were utilized to assign the expected generated traffic volumes at the proposed shared common access driveway and
on the surrounding roadway network.
Figure 123, Site-Generated Traffic at CompletionAssignment - Weekday A.M. and PM Peak Hours, shows the site-generated traffic for the proposed Strong’s
Marina project during the weekday morning peak hour, and the weekday PM peak hour and Saturday peak hour of highway traffic using the directional distribution for the new site generated
traffic shown in Figure 11 and3 the trip generation of new traffic trips is shown in Table 1. No assignment of traffic is provided for the Saturday Peak Hour as new traffic is expected
to be generated by the completed project.
The Site Generated Traffic as presented in Figure 123 were added to the 20253 No Build Summer Traffic as presented in Figure 101 to create
Figure 13, the 20253 Composite Build Summer Traffic Volumes at Completion which shows the composite traffic oncewith the completion of the project is completed. The 2023 Composite
Summer Build Traffic volumes are shown if Figure 14, 2023 Build at Completion Summer.
Figure 123
Figure 14
Figure 13
INTERSECTION
CAPACITY ANALYSES
Signalized Intersections
Signalized intersection capacity analyses were performed to determine the ability of vehicles to safely negotiate turning movements at the key signalized
location noted below:
Sound Avenue/North Road (CR 48) at Cox Neck Road
North Road (CR 48) at Northwest bound Sound Avenue
All analyses were performed in accordance with the methodology
set forth in the 6th Edition of the Highway Capacity Manual using SYNCHRO software as was utilized for the signalized capacity analyses.
Methodology
The signalized intersection capacity
analysis methodology evaluates the average control delay per vehicle to determine intersection level of service. Several variables impact the measure of control delay, including quality
of progression, cycle length, green ratio, and volume-to-capacity (V/C) ratio for the lane group in question.
Level of service for a signalized intersection is defined in terms of the
average control delay per vehicle during a peak 15-minute analysis period. Control delay consists of initial deceleration delay, queue move-up time, stopped delay, and final acceleration
delay. Six levels of service, from A to F, have been established as measures of vehicle delay. These levels and their related control delay criteria are summarized in Table 32, Signalized
Intersections – Level of Service Criteria.
Level of Service
Control Delay
(seconds per vehicle)
A
< 10.0
B
10.1 – 20.0
C
20.1 – 35.0
D
35.1 – 55.0
E
55.1 – 80.0
F
>
80.0
Source: Highway Capacity Manual 6th Edition, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C. 2010.
Table 32
Signalized Intersections
Level of Service Criteria
As marina type operations experience peak activity during the summer months and the counts taken for this study during the four seasons of the year indicated
that peak roadway volumes occurred during the summer the capacity analysis focused on peak summer conditions. This analysis reflects conditions which could be expected to prevail after
the project is completed and fully operating during peak summer activity of the site and the surrounding roads.
First signalized capacity analysis was conducted to examine the existing
conditions at the study intersections when the data was collected. The 20221 Existing Analysis verifies that the analysis is correctly modeling operations at the intersections. Next
the 20221 volumes were grown to replicate conditions in 20253 when the project is expected to be complete. The background traffic growth of traffic as identified by the NYSDOT Data
Services Bureau was added to the 20221 Existing volumes. The anticipated background growth of traffic as per NYSDOT is 1.00 % per year in the Mattituck area. The Town of Southold Planning
Department was also consulted to determine if there were any other significant planned projects that would add traffic to the area roadways prior to the completion of the Strong’s project.
No other significant projects where identified. The 20253 No Build traffic analysis was then conducted to determine intersection operating conditions in 20253 without the project.
The
signalized intersection capacity analyses were then performed to examine 20253 levels of service with the added traffic from the proposed project (20253 Build Condition).
The signalized
intersection capacity analyses results have been provided in comparison tables provided in the section of the Appendix to this report entitled "“Intersection Capacity Analyses Summaries."”
The tables provide the intersection Levels of Service (LOS) and intersection delay by movement, intersection approach, and the overall intersection. These results are presented side
by side for the 20221 Existing, 20253 No-Build and 20253 Build Conditions for ease of comparison. The detailed signalized intersection capacity analysis results are provided in the Appendix
of this report in the section entitled Detailed Capacity Analysis Results.
The results of the signalized capacity analysis indicate that the small increase in traffic from the project
will create negligible traffic impacts once the project is complete and fully operational. The analysis indicates that no intersection Levels of Service (LOS) change and there are no
individual movement LOS degrade at the intersections.
Unsignalized Intersections
Unsignalized intersection capacity analyses were performed to determine the ability of vehicles to
safely negotiate turning movements at the key location noted below:
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road at Breakwater Road
All analyses were performed in accordance with the methodology set
forth in the 6th Edition of the Highway Capacity Manual using the same SYNCRHO 11 software as was utilized for the signalized capacity analyses.
Methodology
The unsignalized intersection
capacity analysis methodology evaluates the average control delay per vehicle to determine level of service. Level of service for a two-way stop-controlled intersection is defined solely
for each minor movement. Several variables impact the measure of delay for a two-way stop-controlled intersection, including the level of conflicting traffic impeding a minor street
movement and the size and availability of gaps in the conflicting traffic stream.
Level of service for an unsignalized intersection is defined in terms of the average control delay
per vehicle during a peak 15-minute analysis period. Control delay consists of initial deceleration delay, queue move-up time, stopped delay, and final acceleration delay. Six levels
of service, ranging from A to F, have been established as measures of vehicle delay. These levels and their related control delay criteria are summarized in Table 43, Unsignalized Intersections
-– Level of Service Criteria.
Level of Service
Control Delay
(seconds per vehicle)
A
< 10.0
B
10.1 -– 15.0
C
15.1 -– 25.0
D
25.1 -– 35.0
E
35.1 -– 50.0
F
>
50.0
Source: Highway Capacity Manual 6th Edition, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, D.C.
Table 43
Unsignalized Intersections
Level of Service
Criteria
First the unsignalized capacity analysis was conducted to examine the existing conditions at the study intersections when the data was collected. The 20221 Existing Analysis
verifies that the analysis is correctly modeling operations at the intersections. Next the 20221 volumes were grown to replicate
conditions in 20253 when the project is expected to be complete. The background traffic growth of traffic as identified by the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Data
Services Bureau was added to the 2021 Existing volumes. The anticipated background growth of traffic as per NYSDOT is 1.00 % per year in the Mattituck area. The Town of Southold Planning
Department was also consulted to determine if there were any other significant planned projects that would add traffic to the area roadways prior to the completion of the Strong’s project.
No other significant projects where identified. The 20253 No Build traffic analysis was then conducted to determine intersection operating conditions in 20253 without the project.
The
unsignalized intersection capacity analyses were then performed to examine 20253 levels of service with the added traffic from the proposed project (20253 Build Condition).
The unsignalized
intersection capacity analyses results have been provided in comparison tables provided in the section of the Appendix to this report entitled "“Intersection Capacity Analyses Summaries."”
The tables provide the Levels of Service (LOS), volume to capacity ratios (v/c) control delay, and 95th percentile queue length by critical intersection approach. These results are
presented side by side for the 20221 Existing, 20253 No-Build and 20253 Build Conditions for ease of comparison. The detailed signalized intersection capacity analysis results are provided
in the Appendix of this report in the section entitled Detailed Capacity Analysis Results.
The results of the unsignalized capacity analysis indicate that the increased traffic from
the project will create negligible traffic impacts once the project is complete and fully operational. The analysis indicates that no intersection Levels of Service (LOS) change and
there are no individual movement LOS degradationse at the intersections.
ACCESS
EXAMINATION
Proposed Access
Strong’s Yacht Center is located at the eastern terminus of West Mill Road and the entrance/exit of the site is essentially a continuation of the roadway. As shown
on the site plan West Mill Road ends at the northerly border of the site. There is currently a fence line crossing the northerly border of the site with a gate which allows ingress
and egress from the site. To the east of the gate is a garage that also defines the northerly limit of the site. As there is no intersection with cross streets to interfere with traffic
entering and exiting the site onto West Mill Road the site access is safe.
The proposed access plan has been designed to provide safe and efficient access for both patrons and employees
of the proposed site.
Temporary Haul Road and Emergency Access
A temporary haul road will be developed in the first phase of the project to facilitate the removal of excavated material
during the initial grading of the site. The temporary haul road’s path through the site is shown in Figure 3, Site Map. The temporary haul road is only planned to be used during the
Phase 1 – Excavation portion of the project, a period of 5 months. During this period, it will primary be used by trucks removing excavated material from the site. Following its use
as a haul road during the Phase 1-Excavation, the haul road will be used for emergency access only to the site by police, fire, or ambulance vehicles.
The haul road will intersect
West Mill Road approximately 1,.600 feet north of Bay View Avenue and 600 feet south of the almost 90-degree turn in West Mill Road to the east. Sight distance to the north and south
of the proposed temporary intersection will be more than 500 feet in either direction; far more than the suggested intersection sight distance and the required stopping sight distance
for intersections. The segment of West Mill Road where the proposed temporary intersection will be constructed experiences light traffic volumes (less then 50 trips per hour), particularly
during the late fall, winter, and early spring months when the road will be used. There have also been no recently identified accidents in the vicinity of the intersection. The combination
of excellent sight distance and low volumes on West Mill Road indicate that the proposed temporary intersection will operate safely.
It is anticipated that traffic using the temporary
haul road come from the south and return to the south. To facilitate the movement of traffic particularly trucks in and out of the haul road a wide
radius will be used on the southeast corner of the intersection and a 100-foot stabilized shoulder shall be provided.
TRAFFIC
IMPACTS
FROM
CONSTRUCTION
Proposed Construction Schedule
The construction of the project. Is scheduled and estimated to begin in early DecSeptember following Labor Day Weekend. The expected employment, employee
trips and trucking used in each phase of the construction activity is as follows:
Clearing and Grubbing of the Site (2 weeks)
Heavy equipment will be brought to the site to perform
the work. During this period the temporary haul road to West Mill Road will be constructed. Equipment will include an excavator, feller, buncher, woodchipper, tub grinder and payloader.
The equipment will be brought to the site over a two-day period and remain on site for two weeks and be removed. One truck with 30-yard trailer will be used to remove ground-up debris
3 to 4 times per day. The truck with trailer will not remain on site but will return to its base each night. On average, the truck with trailer will generate no more then one entering
trip every other hour and one exiting trip every other hour.
Each piece of equipment will have an operator (5) and four additional laborers will support the work. Each morning up to
9 employees and the truck with trailer will arrive at the site and depart at the end of the day.
Phase 1 Excavation (54 months)
Phase 1 (Excavation) will include the removal of 123,000
cubic yards of material from the site. The material will be hauled off the site in 30-yard trailer trucks. In all, the removal of the material will require a total of 4,100 loads with
4,100 empty trucks arriving at the site and 4,100 trucks leaving the site with full loads. The work will thus generate 8,200 truck trips.
Heavy equipment will be brought to the site
to perform the work. During this period 2 loaders, 2 excavators, 2 dozers and 1 fuel/water truck will be brought to the site and will remain through the Phase 2 Excavation. The equipment
will be brought to the site over a two-day period and remain on site until the Phase 2 Excavation is complete and be removed. They will be operated by 7 operators that will arrive at
the site by personnel vehicle and depart at the end of the day. In addition to the operators, a Project Manager, a Site Safety Supervisor, 2 Flag Personnel and 4 Laborers will report
to the site by personnel vehicle for a total of 15 personnel vehicles. Work will be performed from 7:00 AM till 5:00 PM.
In addition to the equipment and workers noted above trucks with 30-yard trailers will be used to transport excavated material from the site. These vehicles will begin arriving at
7:00 AM and the last will depart at 5:00 PM Monday through Friday. No excavation will take place during the weekend. To meet the project schedule, it is estimated that 40 trips will
be made to and from the site during the ten-hour workday. Four trips (entering and exiting) will be made each hour during the day.
Trucking and employee arrivals will be via the temporary
haul road. At the end of the Phase 1 Excavation the temporary haul road will be closed to active use and only used for emergency use by police, fire, and ambulance services.
Phase
2 Excavation (2 Weeks1 month)
Phase 2 (Excavation) will include the removal of 12,000 cubic yards of material from the site. The material will be hauled off the site in 30-yard trailer
trucks. In all, the removal of the material will require a total of 400 loads with 400 empty trucks arriving at the site and 400 trucks leaving the site with full loads. The work will
thus generate 800 truck trips
This Phase will use the same excavation and loading equipment brought to the site for the Phase 1 Excavation and will be operated by the same 15 employees.
They will arrive at the site in personnel vehicles.
In addition to the equipment and workers noted above trucks with 30-yard trailers will be used to transport excavated material from
the site. These vehicles will begin arriving at 7:00 AM and the last will depart at 5:00 PM. No excavation will take place during the weekend. To meet the project schedule, it is estimated
that 40 trips will be made to and from the site during the ten-hour workday. To take a conservative approach, it will be assumed that 4 trips (entering and exiting) will be made each
hour during the day.
The Phase 2 Excavation and all subsequent phases will use the main entrance to Strong’s Yacht Center at the eastern terminus West Mill Road to enter the construction
area.
Retaining Wall Construction (3 weeks)
This phase of the project will be run concurrently with the drainage installation and building construction phases of the project. A loader
and an excavator from the prior excavation phase will be used in this phase. In addition, a skid steer and mini excavator will be brought to the site for the work. These pieces of
equipment will be operated by 4 operators and be supported
by 4 laborers. Eight employees will be required to complete this phase and they will arrive in the morning and depart at the end of the day.
Over the three-week period it is estimated
that 60 trucks with trailers will be required to bring in the retaining wall material. Over the 15-day period four loads a day will be brought to the site.
Drainage Excavation and
Installation (2 months):
This phase of the project will be run concurrently with the retaining wall installation and building construction phases of the project. A loader and two excavators
from the prior excavation phase will be used in this phase. In addition, a skid steer and mini excavator will be brought to the site for the work. These pieces of equipment will be
operated by 5 operators and be supported by 2 laborers. Seven employees will be required to complete this phase and they will arrive in the morning and depart at the end of the day.
One
truck with trailer will be used to transport leaching basins and connecting pipe to be installed. It is expected that no more then two total trips per day would occur. These trips
to the site will not occur during the weekday peak hours of traffic.
Building Construction (6 months):
Building Construction will be concurrent with the building of the retaining wall
and the installation of drainage. Many of the earth moving and loading equipment will be shared between the three operations and had been brought onto the site for the excavation phases
of the project. These pieces of equipment will be removed from the site after the completion of the retaining wall and drainage installation. Several pieces will remain until building
completion. Several new pieces of equipment, specific to the building construction will be added including one telescopic liftforklift and several scissor and telescopic lifts. The
Project Manager and Site Safety Supervisor will oversee the Building Construction, Retaining Wall Construction, and Drainage Installation.
With the concurrent phases noted, the total
number of employees on site will vary from 20 to 60 as the building is erected and the retaining wall, drainage, and site work are completed. The construction company engaged to complete
the work has committed to utilize company multi-occupant vehicles to transport many of the construction workers to the site. No more than 40 vehicles used for employee transportation
should be on site each day. On many days the number of employee transport vehicles will be lower. For the purpose of this analysis, and to take a conservative approach, 40 vehicles
are anticipated to carry construction workers
to the site in the morning and depart in the late afternoon when work is complete. It is expected that most of the work will be done during the weekday period, however some work will
carry into Saturday. Saturday will mostly be used for maintenance of equipment and set up for the following week’s work.
Estimated Construction Traffic
The construction activity has
six distinct phases, although three will occur concurrently. The Phase 1 Excavation Phase generates the most daily truck trips (40), but less employee trips (15). The Construction
Phase and concurrent Retaining Wall and Drainage installation will generate the most employee trips, but less daily truck trips. As noted above, the Building Construction generates
between 15 to 40 employee trips. It is expected that during the building construction phase that up to 5 truck trips per day will make deliveries to the site and two trucks per week
will remove debris from the site. The traffic analysis of construction activity will focus on these two construction phases of the project which are the ones with peak traffic flow generated
by the project.
The Phase 1 Excavation Phase will begin in early Octobermid-December and carry through Mayrch. Much of the activity will occur duringoing the winter and spring months
when traffic volumes are at their lowest, as evidenced by the traffic counts conducted during the four seasons of the year. During the Excavation Phases trucks will take the excavated
material south on West Mill Road/Cox Neck Road to Sound Avenue/North Road and then west on Sound Avenue. Due to the nature of the construction work and construction company’s location
west of Riverhead it is anticipated that 90 percent of workers will come from the west and 10 percent will come from the east. All truck trips are expected to come from and return to
the west, ultimately via the Long Island Expressway (I-495).
Table 54, Construction Generated Traffic, Phase 1 Excavation provides the amount of traffic that the Phase 1 Excavation
will generate during the weekday AM and PM peak hours of traffic flow. No traffic is estimated to be generated on Saturday.
Generator
Vehicle Trips per Hour
Weekday A.M.
Peak Hour
Weekday P.M.
Peak Hour
Saturday
Peak Hour
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Employees (15)
15
4*
4*
15
NA
NA
Trucks (4 per hour)
4
4
4
4
NA
NA
Total
19
8
8
19
NA
NA
* 4 trips are added to account for potential pick-ups and drop-offs.
Table
54
Construction Generated Traffic
Phase 1 – Excavation
Figure 145, 2024 SiteConstruction Generated Truck Traffic Volumes at, Phase 1 – Excavation, Weekday AM Peak Hour, shows the arrival
and departure of construction related traffic during the Phase 1 Excavation for the weekday AM peak hours and PM peak hours. Figure 15, Site Generated Passenger Vehicle Traffic Volumes
at Phase 1 Excavation6 shows presents the site generated passenger vehicles that will be generated during the Phase 1 Excavation the same information for the Weekday AM and PM peak hours.
The construction generated traffic resulting from the Phase 1 Excavation was then added to the 20243 Spring No Build traffic as shown Figure 16, 2024 No Build Spring Traffic Volumes.in
Figure 10.The Construction No Build Traffic was developed in the same manner as the Project No Build Traffic growing the 2022 Existing Spring Traffic to 2024 using a 1% per year growth
factor. The Composite 20243 Spring Construction Traffic resulting from the Phase 1 Excavation of the site is presented in Figure 17, 2024 Build Spring Traffic Volumes at Phase 1 -Excavation2023
Build at Phase 1 – Excavation Spring.
Table 65, Construction Generated Traffic, provides the amount of traffic that the Construction Phase concurrent with Retaining Wall and Drainage
work will generate during the weekday AM and PM peak hours of traffic flow. It is anticipated that this work will also be done on Saturday during this phase. Early in this phase with
the retaining wall and drainage work being done at the same time up to 60 workers maybe on site at one time. The number of workers will vary after that but will not exceed a maximum
of 60. It will be assumed that 60 employees will arrive at the site in the morning
and depart in the evening. Some work will be done Saturdays, but it is expected that only partial
crews will be on site to do maintenance of equipment and set up for the next week’s work. To take a conservative approach, it will be assumed that the Saturday work effort will be the
same as
during the weekdays for traffic analysis purposes. During this period truck trips will consist of deliveries of site materials. Additionally, approximately two trips a week will remove
debris from the site. The number of deliveries is estimated to be less than five a day and will take place between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM in each peak hour to be examined. To take a conservative
approach it will be assumed that one truck will make a delivery during each peak hour, although this is unlikely to occur.
Generator
Vehicle Trips per Hour
Weekday A.M.
Peak
Hour
Weekday P.M.
Peak Hour
Saturday
Peak Hour
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Employees (60)
60
10*
10*
60
10*
60
Trucks (1 per hour)
1
1
1
1
1
1
Total
61
11
11
61
11
61
* 4 trips are added to account for potential pick-ups and drop-offs.
Table 5
Construction Generated Traffic
Building
Construction Phase Concurrent with Retaining Wall and drainage
Figure 145
Figure 156
Figure 167
Figure 17
materials. Additionally, approximately two trips a week will remove debris from the number of deliveries is estimated to be less than five a day and will
take place between 9:00 AM and 3:00 PM in each peak hour to be examined. To take a conservative approach it will be assumed that one truck will make a delivery during each peak hour,
although this is unlikely to occur.
Generator
Vehicle Trips per Hour
Weekday A.M.
Peak Hour
Weekday P.M.
Peak Hour
Saturday
Peak Hour
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Employees (60)
60
10*
10*
60
10*
60
Trucks (1 per hour)
1
1
1
1
1
1
Total
61
11
11
61
11
61
* 4 trips are added
to account for potential pick-ups and drop-offs.
Table 6
Construction Generated Traffic
Building Construction Phase Concurrent with Retaining Wall and drainage
The materials need for
the construction of the buildings, drainage and retaining walls will all come from suppliers west of the site. Trucks delivering these building materials from the west, will arrive on
Sound Avenue east bound turning north on Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road. After dropping off their loads they will depart by reversing their arrival route. Workers that will perform the
work will also mostly come from the west. It is estimated that 90 percent of the workers will arrive via east bound Sound Avenue to northbound Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road and leave
by the reverse of that route. An estimated ten percent of the workers will arrive from the east via west bound North Road to northbound Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road and depart in the
reverse of this route.
Figure 188, SiteConstruction Generated Passenger Vehicle Traffic Volumes at, Building Construction, Weekday AM Peak Hour, shows the arrival and departure of
construction related traffic during the Building Construction for the weekday AM peak, and PM hours and Saturday peak hours. Figures 19 and 20 show the same information for the Weekday
PM peak hours and Saturday Peak hours respectively. The construction generated traffic resulting from the building construction following the excavation of the site was then added to
the 20243 Summerpring No Build tTraffic Volume as shown in Figure 19, 2024 Summer No Build Traffic Volume as shown in Figure 10. The Composite 20243 Summer Construction Traffic resulting
from the building construction with concurrent retaining wall construction and drainage work is presented in Figure 2021, 20243 Building Construction Summer.
Figure 18
Figure 19
Figure 20
Summer Traffic Volumes at Building Construction.
Analysis of Construction Traffic Impacts
As noted, the two phases of the construction effort that will generate the most construction related traffic are the Phase 1 Excavation and the Building Construction Phase. The excavation
will generate the most truck trips and the Building Phase will create the most total traffic but will include fewer truck trips. The construction traffic from each of these phases have
been analyzed against the 20243 No Build Traffic to determine the potential impacts of the Construction traffic on the study intersections. The Phase 1 Excavation traffic was compared
with the 20243 No Build traffic based on the spring 2021 counts. The Phase 1 excavation Phase will begin in Mid-December 20232 and last into late Spring of 20243. The Winter 20213 counts
exhibited substantially lower volumes than the Spring 20213 counts. It was determined that the Spring 2023 data would present a more conservative analysis then utilizing the Winter
as a 2023 base.
The Building Phase of the project will begin in late Spring, early Summer of 20243 and last until the late Fall of 20243. To analyze the impact of the construction
traffic related to the Building Phase and consider a worst-case scenario, the No Build 20243 analysis was based on the Summer 20213 count data, as was the analysis of the 20253 Build
scenario for the completed project.
The analysis of the signalized intersections was conducted as detailed in the Intersection Capacity Analysis chapter of this report. The signalized
and unsignalized intersection capacity analyses results have been provided in comparison tables provided in the section of the Appendix to this report
Figure 18
Figure 19
Figure 20
Figure 21
entitled "“Intersection Capacity Analyses Summaries, Construction Traffic."” The tables provide the intersection Levels of Service (LOS) and intersection delay by
movement, intersection approach, and the overall intersection. These results are presented side by side for the 20243 No-Build and 20243 Build Conditions for ease of comparison. The
detailed signalized and unsignalized intersection capacity analysis results are provided in the Appendix of this report in the section entitled Detailed Capacity Analysis Results, Construction
Traffic.
The results of the signalized and unsignalized capacity analysis indicate that the increased traffic from the construction project will create negligible traffic impacts once
the project is complete and fully operational. The analysis indicates that no intersection Levels of Service (LOS) change and there are no individual movement LOS degrade at the intersections.
ADDITIONAL
CONSIDERATIONS
Project Alternative
An alternative project has been developed that includes the construction of two boat storage buildings of 52,500 SF and 49,000 SF to support the operations of the
Strong’s Yacht Center, with associated improvements including gravel-based driveways and parking areas, water supply, sewage disposal, site grading and drainage, landscaping, and lighting.
The proposed two buildings would be sized identically to the two proposed for the proposed project. The primary difference between the two proposals is that the two buildings proposed
under the project alternative would be constructed at approximately the existing grade of the site and would not require excavation other than grading to provide a level surface for
construction. Once completed the use of the two buildings would be as storage, consistent with the proposed use under the proposed action. However, the two new buildings would be used
for the storage of smaller boats then the two buildings to be constructed under the proposed action. The access roads to the new buildings under the project alternative will not support
the use of travel lifts capable of transporting large boats to storage in the new buildings. Also, this alternative includes elevating the roof heights of three existing buildings to
accommodate large vessel storage. As such, this alternative would still require 11 new employees working Monday thru Friday. As with the proposed action, the buildings will be used for
long term storage and boats will not be stored in the buildings for launching at the owner’s use, as is commonly done with rack storage of boats at many marinas. The only boats available
for use by owners will be those kept in one of the 40 existing slips at the Yacht Center.
Table 76, “Site-Generated Traffic Project Alternative – Based on ITE Trip Generation Rates”,
(next page) shows the estimated site-generated traffic anticipated during typical peak hours based on the ITE trip generation rates for a 40-slip marina with 11 new employees to support
the work to be done in the new storage buildings.
As noted, other then the difference in the elevation of the buildings and increased roof heights of three existing buildings, the primary
difference will be that once completed the new buildings under the alternative will be used for the storage of significantly smaller boats then would the buildings constructed under
the proposed action. The proposed action would store boats that average 60 feet long in two new buildings, while the buildings constructed under this alternative would store up to 300
smaller boats in the two new buildings. The larger boats averaging 60 feet cannot be trailered to the site and must arrive via the water. Smaller boats, as are anticipated to be stored
in the project alternative, can readily be transported to and from the site by trailer. It is anticipated that 150 of the smaller boats stored at the site will arrive and depart by
trailer.
Under the Project Alternative it is anticipated that 150 small boats will be transported to the site mid-September to mid-October, a period of three months, for storage. The
150 stored boats will be returned to their owners from storage by trailer in April, May, and June, also a period of three
months. Given the three-month delivery and pick-up an average of two boat trailer trips can be anticipated during this period. As a significant number of the pick-ups and deliveries
will be made by Strong’s personnel using Strong’s trailers, these trips will be two-way. Either leaving loaded and returning empty or leaving empty and returning loaded. The arrival
and departure of these boats via trailer from storage is not reflected in Table 76, as these trips will generally not occur during peak hours and will occur at a rate of a few a day.
These additional boat trailer trips will be new trips generated by the Project Alternative that would not occur under the proposed project, as the boats to be stored under the proposed
project would be too large to transport via a trailer.
Generator
Vehicle Trips per Hour
Weekday A.M.
Peak Hour
Weekday P.M.
Peak Hour
Saturday
Peak Hour
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Existing Marina with 40 slips
(Land Use Code 420)
3
2
6
3
4
5
New Employee Trips
(11 New Employees)
11
2
2
11
0
0
Total
14
4
8
14
4
5
Table 76
Site-Generated Traffic
Project Alternative
Based on ITE Trip Generation Rates
Existing Marina with Two New Storage Buildings
Table 87 Comparison of Site Generated Traffic, Proposed Project versus Alternative Project compares the site generated characteristics of the two alternatives.
Use
Vehicle
Trips per Hour
Weekday A.M.
Peak Hour
Weekday P.M.
Peak Hour
Saturday
Peak Hour
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Enter
Exit
Proposed Project
14
4
8
14
4
5
Alternative
Project
14
4
8
14
4
5
Difference
0
0
0
0
0
0
Table 87
Comparison of Site-Generated Traffic
Proposed Project versus Project Alternative
Truck Routing
Plan
As previously noted in this report, it is anticipated that all truck deliveries for the construction of the project will arrive from the west on Sound Avenue and return using the
reverse path. Like wise the material excavated from the site will be loaded on trucks and removed from the site. Trucks hauling
this material will travel to the west on Sound Avenue and return to the site empty also via Sound Avenue. The truck route will utilize Sound Avenue to Northville Turnpike (CR 43) and
then Old Country Road (CR 58) to the Long Island Expressway (I 495).
From Sound Avenue, trucks destined for the site will utilize Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road to arrive at the site.
During the first two phases of the project’s construction, the site will be accessed via temporary construction access onto West Mill Road, approximately 1,600 feet north of Bay View
Avenue. The construction of the temporary access will be accomplished at the beginning of the first phase of construction. A temporary haul road from West Mill Road to the portion
of the site where the two new buildings are to be located will also be constructed. Following construction of the temporary access and haul road, the site will be cleared, and the initial
phase of the construction completed. The Phase 1-Excavation of the site will be completed utilizing the temporary access to West Mill Road and the temporary haul road. At the end of
the Phase 1-Excavation the temporary access will removed, and the temporary haul road will be used by emergency access only and will not be used by any truck or employee access to the
site. Following the closure of the haul road all access to the site for construction will be from the existing access to the site at the end of West Mill Road. Figure 202, ProposedTruck
Routing for Project Construction Truck Route indicates trucks used for the construction of the project will utilize Sound Avenue to Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road. Figure 202 also shows
access to the site via the temporary haul road during the first two phases of construction and the existing site access that will be used for all other phases of the project.
The nature
of Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road is fully described in the section of this report entitled, “Roadway Characteristics”. Vehicles that traverse Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road will encounter
no school zones, and all intersections along the road are unsignalized Stop sign control with Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road as the primary through road with no control. Vehicles on Cox
Neck Road/ West Mill Road can move along the entire road from the site to the intersection of Cox Neck Road with Sound Avenue. The speed limit along Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road is
35 miles per hour, however, project trucks will be instructed not to exceed 30 miles per hour to mitigate any community concerns relative to construction trucks.
The intersection of
Sound Avenue at Cox Neck Road and North Road (CR 48) where site related vehicles either exit Sound Avenue onto Cox Neck Road or enter onto Sound Avenue from Cox Neck Road is the only
roadway where traffic control and potential vehicle conflict points might impede traffic flow. The intersection is well designed with separate lanes for all turning movements. A traffic
signal under the jurisdiction of the Suffolk County Department of Public Works controls the intersection. The operation of the intersection was analyzed as part of this study. The
results of the study are provided in the section of this report entitled, “Analysis of Construction Traffic”. The results of the analysis indicated that the site related construction
traffic generated by the site can be readily accommodated with negligible traffic impact. The construction related traffic causes no
change in the intersection LOS nor any change in individual movement LOS.
The route that trucks and other vehicles will use during the construction of the site improvements, as shown
on Figure 21, is suitable for the expected traffic and can accommodate it with minimal traffic impact. The proposed 30 mile per hour maximum speed to be observed by project trucks on
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road will mitigate concerns of the community. Pictures of Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road between Sound Avenue and the temporary haul road to Strong’s Yacht Center
are provided in the Appendix of this Report in the subsection entitled Truck Route Photographs, in the section entitled Additional Supplemental Data.
Sound Avenue west of Cox Neck
Road is well suited to carry the site related construction traffic. There are no school zones along the road. East of Cox Neck Road North Road (CR 48) and west of Cox Neck Road are
designated as “Truck Route 25”. The roadway is designated as “Truck Route 25” due to the low height railroad bridge crossing over Route 25 east of Aldrich Lane. The roadway Figure
21
is also designated as a Federal Aid Primary Roadway and is the only east/west roadway with that classification within the Town of Southold. The speed limit on Sound Avenue
is 45 miles per hour.
Sound Avenue west of Cox Neck Road is provided with 11’ travel lanes, one in each direction and 4’shoulders that provide for pedestrians and bicyclists who also
use the road. Within the Town of Riverhead, Sound Avenue was repaved within the last 10 years to provide the shoulder adjacent travel lanes as part of a Federal Aid project to provide
for bicycle routes within the Town. Pictures of Sound Avenue between Northville Turnpike and Cox Neck Road are provided in the Appendix of this Report in the subsection entitled Truck
Route Documentation, in the section entitled Additional Supplemental Data.
To the west, the truck route moves onto Northville Turnpike (CR 43). Northville Turnpike is a County Road
consisting of a single lane in each direction. Shoulders exceeding 5 feet wide flank the travel lanes and provide for pedestrian and bicycle use along the roadway. Turning lanes (left
turn and right turn) are provided at important intersections. Where the additional turning lanes are provided, the shoulder narrows. In 2018, Northville Turnpike had an AADT of 6,218
vehicles per day of which 7.84 percent were classified as heavy vehicles. Pictures of Northville Turnpike between Sound Avenue and Old Country Road are provided in the Appendix of this
Report in the subsection entitled Truck Route Documentation, in the section entitled Additional Supplemental Data.
The truck route west of Northville Turnpike (CR 43) to the Long Island
Expressway (I 495) will utilize Old Country Road (CR 58). Between Northville Turnpike and the Long Island Expressway (LIE), there are two east bound lanes. West bound, there is one
travel lane from Northville Turnpike which become two lanes between Oliver Street and Ostrander Avenue. The two west bound lanes carry through to the LIE. East and west bound through
lanes are 11 feet wide and left turn lanes are
provided at all intersections and major driveways. Right turn lanes are provided at some major signalized intersections. At the intersection of Old Country Road at Roanoke Avenue a
two-lane roundabout is provided. Except between Northville Turnpike and the vicinity of Oliver Street shoulders are one foot wide and do not accommodate either pedestrians or bicyclists.
Sidewalk is provided along Old Country Road to accommodate pedestrians, Bicycles are accommodated on parallel roadways to the north and south of Old Country Road, such as, Middle Road,
Pulaski Road/Elton Avenue and New York State Route 25. In 2018 Northville Turnpike had an AADT of 6,218 vehicles per day of which 7.84 percent were classified as heavy vehicles. In 2019
Old Country Road had an AADT of 24,585 vehicles per day of which 7.60 percent were classified as heavy vehicles. Pictures of Old Country Road between Northville Turnpike and the LIE
are provided in the Appendix of this Report in the subsection entitled Truck Route Documentation, in the section entitled Additional Supplemental Data.
An evaluation of the geometric
capacity of the proposed Truck Route to accommodate the project related truck traffic was performed. The evaluation used the CADD based AutoTurn computer program to conduct this examination.
The evaluation was conducted to determine whether the wheel paths and perimeter of the trucks being used would stay within their travel lanes while negotiating a number of curves in
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road In addition to the roadway itself, key intersections where the truck route transitions from one roadway to another. Figures showing the results of this analysis
are provided in the appendix of this report in the section entitled Supplemental Data. The results are summarized below.
Truck Route Phase 1 Excavation: Trucks will enter and exit
directly on to West Mill Road from the proposed temporary haul road. The intersection will be constructed to facilitate movements at the intersection and the AutoTurn analysis demonstrates
this. To the south in the vicinity of Breakwater Road is an S-curve where Cox Neck Road becomes West Mill Road. The radius of these curves ais large enough that the site construction
traffic will be able to safely negotiate them. The Truck Route moves onto Sound Avenue at the intersection Sound Avenue/CR 48 at Cox Neck Road. The AutoTurn analysis indicates that the
necessary turns can be negotiated safely at the intersection. Two other intersections were evaluated: Sound Avenue at Northville Turnpike and Northville Turnpike at Old Country Road.
The analysis indicated that the project would also be navigating these intersections without any undo difficulties.
Truck Route Phase 2 Excavation: During this phase of the excavation,
trucks will arrive and depart directly from the site at the north end of West Mill Road. The trucks will be required to negotiate the curves east and west of Naugles Road. The curve
west of Naugles Road is tighter than the curves to the south and trucks negotiating this section of the road will not be able to stay within their travel lane. East of Naugles Road
the curve is also tight, and it will be difficult for the trucks to stay in lane. To overcome this, it is proposed that flaggers be
used to control traffic as truck pass through this area.
An alternate truck route was considered west of Cox Neck Road but is not proposed. This route utilized Sound Avenue to Aldrich
Lane to Old Main Road to Main Road (Route 25) to Old Country Road (CR 58) to the LIE (I 495). Aldrich Lane is a Town of Southold Roadway similar in character to Cox Neck Road with residential
housing and farming fields fronting the road. It is a designated truck route for Route 25, but the physical condition of the roadway is not as substantial as Sound Avenue. Main Road
(Route 25 passes through several hamlet centers and the Aquebogue Elementary School. The intersection of Main Road with Cross River Drive (CR 105) is often congested during weekday peak
hours. The proposed truck route avoids public schools, additional residential neighborhood, hamlet centers and possible congestion.
Concern has been expressed regarding the potential
impact of project trucks on commercial farming operations along the proposed vehicle route. In particular, operations such as Harbe’s Family Farm on Sound Avenue. These sites are particularly
popular in the summer and fall and roadways they front on can become congested on weekends. To minimize potential impacts site excavation, hauling and material delivery to the site will
be done during weekdays when activities at these facilities are less impactful. It should be noted that both Route 25 in Southold and Sound Avenue in Southold contain similar operations
and the proposed site truck route has been recommended primarily to avoid hamlet centers, an elementary school and typical congestion that occurs in hamlet centers and around traffic
signals.
It should be recognized that trucks are already using the roadways that make up the project’s designated truck route. The trucks that will be used to haul excavated material
from the site will be Peterbilt Tractors with either Frameless East or Mac trailers. The overall length of the truck and trailer will be 55 feet. The width of the vehicle will be 8
feet, which is the maximum allowed by State law. Almost all trucks operating in NYS are 8 feet wide including sanitation trucks, fuel oil, landscaping, and box delivery trucks commonly
operating on these roadways. The empty weight of the project haul vehicles will be 32,500 pounds and the Gross Vehicle weight of the vehicles is anticipated to be 107,000 pounds. The
vehicles will have 3 axles on the tractor and 3 axles on the trailer. The front axles will have 2 tires and the remaining axles will have 4 tires each. The number of axels and tires
is designed to distribute and minimize the impact of the load on the roadways.
Other project- related trucks making material deliveries to the site will be a mix of vehicles. Larger
loads will arrive on flatbed tractor trailer with similar axle and tire configurations to those of the haul vehicles. Smaller loads may arrive on tractor trailer vehicles with les axels
and tires depending on the weight of the load, while other loads will arrive on single unit flatbed or box trucks. Concrete will arrive at the site in single unit concrete trucks with
a minimum of 3 axles and 10 tires. The concrete trucks will be no larger than those used for pouring concrete for the construction of single-family
homes and residential pools.
None of the trucks used in the construction of the project will exceed 8 feet in width and none will exceed the weight limits established by State law for
vehicles operating on all roadways within the State, including West Mill Road and Cox Neck Road.
There will be no offsite staging areas utilized during any phase of the project’s construction.
All construction material will be delivered to the site directly from suppliers via the designated truck route. Excavated material from the site will be transported directly to the
material handler via the designated truck route. Construction materials and excavated materials removed from the site will not be transported on weekends. No roadways other than designated
truck route will be used for transportation of project materials.
The route that trucks and other vehicles will use during the construction of the site improvements, as shown on Figure
22 is suitable for the expected traffic and can accommodate it with minimal traffic impact. The proposed 30 mile per hour maximum speed to be observed by project trucks on Cox Neck Road/West
Mill Road will mitigate concerns of the community.
Figure 22
Impacts on Pedestrian and Bicycle Use
Pedestrian and bicycle observations were made in association with the intersection turning movement
counts collected at the
intersections of Cox Neck Road at Westphalia Road, Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road at Breakwater Road and at West Mill Road at Bayview Avenue/Salah Lane. As with the turning movement counts,
activity was captured and recorded with video and the videos were observed in the office with the data transcribed into tables giving the number of vehicles, bicycles and pedestrians
observed in 15-minute intervals over the observation period. The observation periods were on Tuesday August 9, 2022 fromthat same as for turning movement counts: the weekday AM peak
hours of 67:00 AM to 69:00 AM and the weekday PM peak hours of 4:00 to 6:00 PM and onthe Saturday August 13, 2022 from peak hours of 611:00 AM to 62:00 PM. The bicycle and pedestrian
counts are provided in the Appendix of this report entitled Supplemental Data.
The bicycle and pedestrian observations indicated very little use of Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road by either
bicycles or pedestrians. During most 15-minute observation periods there were no bicycle or pedestrian traffic observed. Table 9, Summary of Pedestrian and Bicycle Count Data, August
2022, presents a daily summary of the pedestrians and bicycles counted at three locations along Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road.
The number of bicycles and pedestrians using the roadway is very low during the weekday when trucks used for the construction of the project will be utilizing the road. Both bicycle
and pedestrian activity increased on Saturdays. On Saturday, pedestrians crossing Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road accounted for more activity than those walking parallel to the road. Bicycle
activity all was identified as bicycles either traveling through the observation point or turning onto or from Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road but not crossing it.
Cox Neck Road/West Mill
Road is typical of most local roadways on eastern Long Island. While each roadway has 50 foot or more rights-of-way, only half is paved, and the remaining undeveloped right-of-way provides
no accommodation for pedestrians. Bicycles must share the existing vehicle lanes with other users of the road. Cox Neck Road/West Neck Road is approximately 26 feet wide but varies along
its length from 24 to 28 feet. A small portion of West Mill Road east of Naugle’s Drive is only 22 feet wide. Pedestrians and bicycles currently use the roadway with the existing traffic
and the three-year examination of accidents along the roadway did not indicate any involving either pedestrians or bicycles. Under the completed project up to 13 new trips would be
added to this roadway during the weekday AM and PM peak hours of traffic. This small number of additional vehicle trips will not be noticeable and will not affect pedestrians or bicycles
using the road.
Location
Weekday
Saturday
Pedestrians
Bicycles
Pedestrians
Bicycles
Parallel
Crossing
Parallel
Crossing
Parallel
Crossing
Parallel
Crossing
Cox
Neck Road at Westphalia Road
10
5
5
0
4
10
40
0
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road at Breakwater Road
2
4
10
0
7
10
41
0
West Mill Road at Selah Lane/Bayview Road
9
0
5
0
5
30
18
0
Table 9
Summary of Pedestrian and Bicycle Count Data
Infrequently, either a single bicycle or pedestrian was observed and on approximately 6
periods 2 bicycles or pedestrians were observed and in four periods 4 were observed. The number of bicycles and pedestrians using the roadway is very low.
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road
is typical of most local roadways on eastern Long Island. While each roadway has 50 foot or more rights-of-way, only half is paved, and the remaining undeveloped right-of-way provides
no accommodation for pedestrians. Bicycles must share the existing vehicle travel lanes with other users of the road. Cox Neck Road/West Neck Road is approximately 26 feet wide but
varies along its length from 24 to 28 feet. A small portion of West Mill Road east of Naugle’s Drive is only 22 feet wide. Pedestrians and bicycles currently use the roadway with the
existing traffic and the three-year examination of accidents along the roadway did not indicate any involving either pedestrians or bicycles. Under the completed project up to 13 new
trips would be added to this roadway during the weekday AM and PM peak hours of traffic. This small number of additional vehicle trips will not be noticeable and will not affect pedestrians
or bicycles using the road.
The construction of the project will add additional trips to Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road for the slightly over one-year construction period. The number
of trips will vary over the construction period and the mix of passenger vehicle/truck trips will also vary. The highest number of truck trips will occur during the Phase 1 and 2 Excavation
of the site, which is scheduled from mid-December to beginning of June. It includes the entire winter season when pedestrian and bicycle use is typically lower. During this period up
to 4 trucks per hour will travel both north bound and south bound to the site. Heavy trucks, such as sanitary trucks and fuel oil delivery trucks currently use the roadway and there
was oneere no accidents evidenced in the accident study, which included over 5 three years of data. That accident involved a truck that have failed to secure the vehicle’s rear tail
gate and it swung open hitting a pedestrian as it passed. The accident was clearly a highly unusual occurrence, caused by operator error of a vehicle already servicing the area and does
not indicateing that the project trucks willere not causing any problems. The addition of four trucks an hour in each direction will not create any capacity issues or create additional
hazards not currently experienced by bicycles and pedestrians using the road. Further, project trucks will observe a maximum speed limit of 30 miles per hour when operating on Cox Neck
Road/West Mill Road to assuage community concerns.
The paved surface of the roadway provides at least 22 feet of width. That is sufficient to operate a two-way roadway with trucks.
Motor vehicles operating on any public roadway within New York State must share the roadway with bicycles and pedestrians using the same road. As such any motor vehicle will have to
give way to pedestrians and bicyclists using the road. In most cases they will be able to move over and pass the slower moving bicycles and pedestrians. In some cases, they may have
to slow and allow a vehicle traveling in the other direction to pass before moving over to pass the bicycle or pedestrian. This is a common occurrence on the relatively narrow eastern
Long Island roadways and is currently occurring on Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road, but with fewer trucks. The
minor increase in truck trips in unlikely to cause any additional problems.
There are between 50 to 60 homes that front on Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road between Sound Avenue and the
site. Some of these homes may generate school age children that will be bused to school each weekday during the school year from early September through June. These children will be
picked up by school buses in the morning and dropped off in the evening. Due to the longer workdays of site construction, the drop-off will occur prior to construction workers leaving
the site. The drop-offs may encounter a truck removing or bring material to the site. In the morning the pick-up of students will likely encounter both construction workers headed to
the site and occasional trucks also headed to the site. The NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law requires all traffic to stop for school buses with flashing red lights either dropping off or
picking up school children. The professional drivers operating trucks engaged in the construction of the project will adhere to the law and the pick-up and drop-off of students is expected
to be safe. Students waiting to be picked up in the morning are expected to wait off the road, usually in the driveways to their homes. This is also a safe practice not expected to
be degraded by the passage of an occasional site bound truck or worker headed to the site. It should be remembered that similar activities take place every day within the Town on far
busier roadways, such as along Route 25.
Impacts On Road Surface Condition Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road
The Town of Southold Highway Department was contacted to determine the Highway
Departments evaluation of Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road condition. In a letter dated May 18, 2021the Town of Southold Highway Former Superintendent, Mr. Vincent Orlando, noted that the
roadway was in “……fair condition. There are some rough locations but for most part fine.” Mr. Orlando also noted recent and planned work on the road:
2014 -– Section of West Mill Road
from Miller Road to Bayview North Drive was micro surfaced.
2015 – Small Section of Cox Neck Road 100 feet north of Meday Avenue was resurfaced.
A planned resurfacing with 1-1/2 inches
of Type 6 asphalt of Cox Neck Road from North Road (CR 48) to Bergen Avenue was to take place in 2021. This project has been delayed as the Town has determined that drainage work needs
to be done prior to the resurfacing. The Town Highway Department has indicated that resurfacing should be delayed until the it is determined how the SYC project will be conducted, preferring
to perform the resurfacing after that work is complete.
Heavy trucks introduce more wear on the road structure than passenger vehicles, vans, pickup trucks,
and other smaller, lighter vehicles. Trucks delivering materials to the site or removing excavated material from the site will all comply with New York State Vehicle and Traffic law
regarding the size of vehicles and the permissible weight of vehicles that may operate on the public roads of the State including Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road.
Only half the trips
to or from the site will be by fully loaded vehicles. Trucks removing material from the site will return to the site empty and trucks delivering material to the site will leave empty.
It was estimated that during the Phase 1 – Excavation 40 trucks would leave the site each day and return to pickup material empty. The 40 trips would occur over the ten-hour workday
or 4 trips each hour. The excavation and removal of material would occur Monday through Friday for a 5-to-6- month period which includes both the Phase 1 and 2 excavations of the site.
Other phases of the construction will utilize fewer truck trips.
At the proposed temporary haul road to the site that will connect to West Mill Road south of Naugle’s Drive a temporary
RCA shoulder will be placed along the road north and south of the access to protect the existing edge of West Mill Road while trucks use that access. A 100-foot-long RCA shoulder will
be placed south of the haul road and a wide radius will be provided at the southeast corner to facilitate truck turns off north bound West Mill Road. Upon completion of the work, the
RCA shoulder will be removed, and the existing edge of the roadway fully restored. The haul road will remain post-development to serve as an emergency access route to the site. The layout
of the temporary haul road intersection with west Mill Road is shown in Figure 223, Haul Road Access.
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road, particularly the section north of Breakwater Road
have generally light traffic volumes so the combined small vehicle and large vehicle increase in traffic, even with the additional truck loading from site generated construction, should
be tolerated by the existing road structure. The applicant is committed to correcting any damage that is done by construction activities. A survey of the pavement condition will be
done prior to the commencement of construction and the roadway will be resurveyed following the completion of the project. In concert with Town of Southold Highway Department, the before
and after surveys will be reviewed, and if damage did occur due to the construction, the appropriate measures will be taken to correct it.
To better understand the potential impact
of the project, a study of potential pavement impacts was conducted by Tri State Planning, Engineering and Land Surveying, P.C. (TSPE). The study examined the Equivalent Single Axle
Loads (ESAL), the current truck route roads were bearing and calculated the additional ESAL loads the same roadways can be expected to bear during the construction of the project. State
law restricts the weight of any fully loaded truck. However, the weight on no one axle of the vehicle may exceed 18,000 pounds. Heavy vehicles or those expected to carry heavy loads
are
Figure 22.
designed with additional axles and with all but the steering axle having four, rather than two tires. Additional tires and axles spread the load and lessen the weight on each tire.
Traffic
loads, along with environment, damage pavement over time. The simplest pavement structural model assert that each individual load inflicts a certain amount of unrecoverable damage. This
damage is cumulative over the life of the pavement, and when it reaches some maximum value, the pavement is considered to have reached the end of its service life. Through study and
experimentation, procedures have been developed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the NYSDOT to evaluate the ability of a pavement design to withstand the loads that traffic
imposes on pavement. ESAL are calculated using traffic including the roadway’s Annual Average Daily Traffic and the results of vehicle classification studies that determine the percentage
of heavy vehicles utilizing the roadway. Table 10, ESAL for Proposed Truck Route presents the calculated ESAL for No Build Condition without the proposed construction and the ESAL for
each roadway with the addition of site generated trucks due to the construction of the project.
Proposed Truck Route Roadway
No Build
Build
Percent Increase
West Mill Road
24,859
27,628
11.
14 %
Cox Neck Road
203,535
207,447
1.92 %
Sound Avenue
1,251,221
1,254,760
0.23 %
Northville Turnpike (CR 43)
637,003
641,716
0.74 %
Old Country Road (CR 58)
2,519,014
2,523,72
7
0.19%
Bergen Avenue
58,627
61,396
4.72 %
Scource: TSP Report, See Appendix.
Table 10
ESAL For Proposed Truck Route Roadways
The ESAL loads are calculated based on a 5-year
pavement life in order to take a conservative approach. Actual pavement life is typically calculated as 20 years. The comparison of the impact of the projected truck traffic is minimal
on all the proposed truck routes except for West Mill Road which showed an increase in ESAL loading with a 11.14 percent increase and Bergen Avenue, if it is used as an alternative the
truck route (See later Section: Alternate Routing of Haul Material). While the increased ESAL loadings by percentage are significant, the significance is due to the existing
light traffic volumes found on the roads. The number of ESAL loads projected to occur on West Mill Road are approximately one tenth of those projected to occur on Cox Neck Road. TSPE,
as part of the pavement evaluation, also examined the ability of Town of Southold standard pavement section with 1.5 inches of top, 2.5 inches of binder and 4.0 inches of stone or recycled
concrete base will support the expected loads from the project truck traffic.
The TSPE Pavement Evaluation Report can be found in the Appendix Subsection entitled Pavement Evaluation
in the Supplemental Data section.
Figure 23.
Heavy Vehicle Traffic Induced Vibrations
Heavy vehicles operating along the highway can induce vibrations, but the extent that this occurs is dependent on the surface
condition of the roadway itself. A heavy vehicle riding on a smooth surface will generate little vibration, while the same vehicle riding over a rough surface will generate vibrations.
Those vibrations can be transmitted in the existing ground material to structures in proximity. Solid and densely packed materials transmit the vibration better then looser more granular
material. The sandy soil that Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road lies upon is notshould not be conducive to the transmission of vibrations created by trucks traveling along the roadway.
To examine the potential of trucks to create vibrations that could damage existing structures adjacent to the roadway the Applicant commissioned a study to evaluate the potential impacts.
The report entitled Vibration Report: Vibration Conditions and Expected Impacts: Strong’s Yacht Center-5780 West Mill Road – Mattituck, NY prepared by Sound Sense can be found in the
Draft Environmental Impact Study. The report examines both the potential impact from vibration due to truck traffic on the designated truck route and those from construction activity
on site. Only the segments of the report dealing with traffic along the truck route will be discussed in this section.
The Vibration Study identified all the potential significant historical
structures along the proposed truck route and determined their distance from the truck route roadway. Anticipated vibration levels were determined for each structure utilizing methodology
and data from the Federal Transportation Authority’s 2018 Transit Noise and Vibration Impact Assessment Manual (“FTA Guidelines”) and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation’
2012 Ground Vibrations Emanating from Construction Equipment (“New Hampshire Guidelines”). Using these guidelines, it was determined that historic structures needed to be more than 17
feet from the truck to be safe from damage. The
minimum distance of residential properties to be safe from potential damage was 11 feet. The minimum distance of residential properties to recommended indoor vibrations was 79 feet.
In
order to confirm that the calculations were valid, a test study along West Mill Road was undertaken. Two structures designated as potentially historic were augmented with devices to
measure vibrations from existing trucks utilizing the road. Two additional devices were located at the site’s southerly property line and at the entrance to the Mill Road Preserve 25
feet from the road. After monitoring existing traffic, a fully loaded 30 cubic yard truck was driven past the each of the study sites. All the study data indicated that the vibrations
recorded at the time the study truck past each of structures and the device located 25 feet from the road were well below those that would cause damage. In addition, the nature of the
soil did dampen the vibration impacts such that it was found that the distance trucks needed to be from historic structures and residential structures in order to not damage those structures
was two feet. The minimum distance the trucks need to be from structures to meet indoor vibration levels is 29 feet. It was also noted that existing truck traffic often generated similar
readings to those found when the test truck was driven by. In summary, the Vibration Study found that the truck traffic generated by construction of would not cause damage to either
potentially historic structures along the truck route nor would the trucks cause damage to residential structures either. Vibrations generated by trucks would below recommend indoor
vibration levels in all structures.
The only existing structure that maybe susceptible to increased vibrations from trucks would be the existing water tower located close to West Mill
Road on adjoining property to the site at the southwest corner of the subject site. Most other structures are located further away from the road and vibrations from the road would be
dampened.
As has been stated earlier, trucks traveling on a smooth roadway will not create substantial vibrations. A pothole or roughness due to alligator cracking or some other pavement
roughness will increase the likelihood that vibrations will be created. The maintenance of the roadway by the Town of Southold with the resurfacing scheduled for fall 2021 and completed
prior to the construction of the project will provide a roadway smooth enough that inordinate vibrations should not be generated by the trucks expected to use the road during construction.
The Applicant will commit to quickly repairing any potholes that appear in the roadway during the construction activity to minimize the potential for vibrations that could affect existing
structures.
Site Parking and Circulation
As indicated on the Site Plan, based on the current and post-development storage area, the Town of Southold parking ordinance requires as 262
surface parking stalls are required. A total of 57 spaces are provided with 4 of them being handicapped spaces.
There are currently 23 stalls provided on-site, with the proposed action including the creation of 34 new parking stalls on-site by striping gravel-surfaced areas that are currently
used for parking but are not formally marked. As indicated on the Site Plan, 11 stalls would be located along the east side of Building 7, four (4) stalls would be located on the south
side of Building 8, and 19 stalls would be located to the east of Building 8. Upon implementation of the proposed action, the available parking would be increased from 23 stalls to
57 stalls.
The ITE provides data on the parking characteristics of Marinas in their reference book “Parking Generation”. In the reference, under Land Use Code 420 (Marina), data
from a study of the marina use is provided. The basis of the study was on the number of berths provided at the marina and the study found that marinas generated a parking demand of
0.35 parked vehicles per berth. In the case of the SYC the expected demand would be for 14 parked vehicles. It should be noted that the parking demand observed at the marina included
all accessory uses at the marina including the servicing and storage of boats, retail sales and service, marina office, and the sale of fuel for boats. All services offered at the SYC.
SYC
is unique in their operation in that the number of berths/slips available is relatively small, but their service and storage operations, particularly those proposed, are larger in proportion
to the number of slips provided. With this in mind, it is reasonable to include the number of employees into an examination of parking demand. SYC when complete will have up to 27
employees on site. Allowing one space for each of the 27 employees plus the anticipated demand from 40 slips at 14 spaces the total anticipated demand for parking is 41 parking spaces.
It should be recognized that this methodology is conservative and partially double counts activities included in the ITE data. Further, the marina is fully staffed by 27 employees during
the weekdays with lower staffing on site on the weekend, while peak demand generated by the slips and owners using their boats is generated on weekends and holidays.
The SYC currently
supplies adequate parking for the existing facility with 23 stalls provided on-site and another area currently used for parking but are not formally marked. The proposed new buildings
are for boat storage only and would not generate additional parking demand other than by the new employees that will work in the buildings. The additional 11 employees expected post-development
will generate the need for 11 additional parking spaces. Additional parking is being provided for these eleven employees. Again, it should be remembered that the new employees will
be Monday through Friday workers while peak demand generated by typical marina operations occur on the weekend and holidays.
The proposed Site Plan which provides 57 total parking spaces
with 4 handicapped spaces will adequately meet the parking needs of SYC.
All site parking is accessed from a centralized access aisle located between the bulkhead along Mattituck Inlet and the buildings. The aisle has a minimum width of 24 feet and is often
more generous than that. The site circulation plan is adequate for the intended purpose.
POTENTIAL
MITIGATION
MEASURES
Potential Use of Barges to Haul Material from Site
An alternate means of removing the excavated material from the site was evaluated. Under this alternative included an alternative method
of material removal to eliminate the use of roadways for truck transport of materials off-site. As part of this review, SYC undertook consultations with four barging companies to determine
if such method is a feasible alternative for the proposed action. As indicated in the correspondence from H&L Contracting dated June 24, 2021 (see a copy of the correspondence in the
Appendix of this report entitled Supplemental Data), each of the four barging companies advised that the depths of Mattituck Inlet are not adequate for the types of barges required for
material removal. Specifically, the barges need a minimum of 10 feet draft at low tide to avoid hitting the inlet floor bottom and damaging the barge and potentially blocking the inlet
to boat traffic. As indicated in Section 2.2.1 of the DEIS and illustrated in the Mattituck Inlet soundings performed for SYC (see Appendix M of the DEIS), the average depth of draft
at low tide is five (5)-to-seven (7) feet. Additionally, the existing sharp S turns upon entering the Inlet on the first and second corner bends are very tight and would not allow the
width or depth necessary to safely navigate these areas. Accordingly, the barging of material is not a viable alternative for the proposed action.
Alternate Routing of Haul Material
An
Alternate Truck Route has been developed that will reduce the impact of trucks hauling material from the site. This alternative split arriving empty trucks from departing trucks carrying
excavated material on the south segment of Cox Neck Road. Arriving trucks would follow the original Truck Route plan, making a left turn from east bound Sound Avenue onto north bound
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road. Departing trucks hauling material from the site would utilize West Mill Road/Cox Neck Road and then turn west onto Bergen Avenue to Sound Avenue This alternate
truck route is shown in Figure 23, Alternate Construction Truck Route.
The advantage of the proposed Alternate Truck Route Plan is that it halves the number of truck trips on Cox Neck
Road where there are more residential homes fronting on the road. The departing trucks will use Bergen Avenue which has less than half the number of homes fronting the road. It reduces
the number of truck trips on Cox Neck Road but does increase the number on Bergen Avenue.
A data collection effort was undertaken in August of 2022 to collect data to evaluate the Alternate
Route segment. Seven-day Automated Traffic Count was collected on Bergen Avenue. Intersection turning movement counts were collected at Bergen Avenue at Sound Avenue and Bergen Avenue
at Cox Neck Road. Pedestrian observations were made at the intersection of Bergen Avenue at Coopers Road. The additional data collected to evaluate the Bergen Avenue routing can be found
in the Appendix of this report in the section entitled Supplemental Data. Summary volume figures were previously presented showing the 2022 spring existing traffic volumes (Figure 8),
and 2024 No
Figure 23.
Build Spring Traffic Volumes (Figure 16). Figure 24, Site Generated Truck Traffic Volumes at Phase 1 – Excavation – Alternative shows the number of site generated trucks utilizing the
alternative truck route. Figure 25, 2024 Build Spring Traffic Volumes at Phase 1 – Excavation – Alternative Truck Route shows the composite 2024 traffic volumes with the site generated
truck traffic utilizing the alternate truck route.
Utilizing the capacity analysis methodology previously described the three intersections would be directly impacted by the Alternate
Truck Route were analyzed to determine if there would be any traffic impacts resulting from the Phase 1 and 2 Excavation. These intersections included:
Sound Avenue/County Road 48
at Cox Neck Road
Sound Avenue at Bergen Avenue
Bergen Avenue at Cox Neck Road
The results of this analysis are provided in the Appendix of this report in the section entitled Capacity
Analysis Summaries and the detailed printout of each analysis can be found in the section entitled Detailed Capacity Analysis. The results of these analyses indicate that the trucks
generated by the project can be accommodated at each of these intersection with good levels of service. The level of service at each of the study intersections under the Build Alternative
remained at Level of Service A or B under all conditions and movement delays either were not affected at all or had minor changes of less than a second.
Pedestrian and bicycle observation
were also made on Bergen Avenue at Cooper Road similar to the pedestrian observations made along Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road. During the 12-hour weekday observation period, 6 pedestrians
walked along Bergen Avenue and 4 pedestrians crossed Bergen Avenue. During the same 12-hour observation period, 8 bicycles were noted riding along Bergen Avenue. During a 12-hour period
on a Saturday, 9 pedestrians were observed walking along Bergen Avenue and two crossed Bergen Avenue. Ten bicycles were observed riding along Bergen Avenue during a 12-hour period on
a Saturday. Based on the observations, bicycle and pedestrian activity along Bergen Avenue is low during the weekday period when trucks may use the road. It is also low on Saturdays
when project related trucks will not be using the road.
Truck turning movement studies were performed along the alternative route utilizing Bergen Avenue. Those studies indicated that
trucks would need assistance from flaggers in making the right turn from Cox Neck Road to Bergen Avenue, and at the 90-degree curve in Bergen Avenue north of Sound Avenue and in making
the right turn from Bergen Avenue onto Sound Avenue.
Figure 24.
Figure 25.
Retention of Excavated Material on Site
This construction alternative would retain 13,500 cubic yards of material excavated to allow for the construction of the proposed buildings.
The material would be spread to a depth of approximately 12 inches in the western portion of the site adjacent to West Mill Road. The potential environmental impacts of spreading the
excavated material on site is fully discussed in the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. The advantage of spreading the material on site is that it reduces the number trips necessary
to remove material from the site by 450 trips to the site and 450 trips from the site. A total of 900 trips.
Potential Traffic Calming Measures During Construction
Prior to the commencement
of project construction, it is recommended that Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road be restriped with shoulder edge lines defining the edge of 10-foot travel lanes. The edge lines will better
define the road adding safety. The ten-foot travel lanes defined by the edge lines will provide the motorist with the appearance of narrower roadway while providing and area for pedestrians.
High grass and any brush should be mowed and remove providing a walkable surface where feasible.
It is suggested that, during the construction period, the speed limit be reduced along
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road. The current speed limit is 35 miles per hour and could be reduced to 30 or even 25 miles per hour for the duration of the construction activity. The speed
limit change would require approval of the NYSDOT or the Southold Town Board depending on the Town’s ability to set speed limits.
Other Construction Mitigation Measures
The applicant,
as noted previously will undertake the following specific mitigation measures:
During the construction period, Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road will be monitored daily to detect any rough
surfaces or potholes that develop. The roadway imperfections will be corrected by forces employed by the applicant.
All truckers delivering material to the site or removing material
from the site will be instructed to drive Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road at no more than 30 miles per hour regardless of the existing speed limit of 35 miles per hour. Should the posted
speed limit be changed, drivers will comply with the speed limit but in no case drive faster than 30 miles per
hour.
Flaggers will be uses for Maintenance and Protection of Traffic at locations where severe curves in the truck route or at intersections where turns are being made by project trucks
that may require crossing of the yellow double barrier lines.
CONCLUSION
S
CONCLUSIONS
Our study and traffic engineering analysis have led us to conclude that, the adjacent highway and street system will be able to accommodate the proposed Strong’s Yacht Center Project.
Although there will be a minimal increase in traffic from the development of the project, the development of the site, as proposed, will not cause a significant negative impact on traffic
conditions. The following points should be recognized:
The proposed access plan has been designed to adequately provide for the projected traffic entering and exiting the access driveway
to assure the public safety and to minimize traffic congestion.
The additional site-generated traffic resulting from the proposed Strong’s Yacht Center project can be expected to add
only 11 entering and 2 exiting trips during the weekday morning peak hour. During the weekday P.M. peak hour, the site-generated volumes are anticipated to be 11 exiting and 2 entering
vehicle trips. These trips will be generated by new employees at the site arriving in the morning and departing in the evening. Other random trips will occur during the day, but the
number of these trips will be low and in the range of none to one or two in an hour.
The intersection capacity analyses conducted to measure the impact of the new site generated traffic
on the surrounding street and highway network indicate the new traffic can be accommodated with negligible traffic impact.
The amount of construction traffic the project will generate
during each phase of construction was determined and the potential impacts examined utilizing intersection capacity analyses. The intersection capacity analyses indicated that the construction
generated traffic would have minimal impact on the capacity of the road network.
FiveThree and a half years of accident data were obtained or Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road and the intersection
of Cox Neck Road at Sound Avenue/West Mill Road. In addition to accident data obtained from the NYSDOT, three years of accident data was also obtained from the Town of Southold Police
Department. Only three accidents occurred along the entire length of Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road; one involving a deer, one involving a vehicle leaving the road and one involved a vehicle
backing into another parked vehicle. There are no demonstrative conditions along the road that would indicate that the project volumes would increase the potential for additional accidents.
Accidents occurring at the intersection of Cox Neck Road at Sound Avenue/North Road were typical of those occurring a similar signalized intersections with similar traffic volumes.
An
alternative project has been developed that includes the construction of two boat storage buildings of 52,500 SF and 49,000 SF to support the smaller boat storage operations of the Strong’s
Yacht Center, along with elevating the roof heights of three existing buildings to accommodate larger vessels. As such, this alternative would still require 11 new employees working
Monday thru Friday as does the proposed action. The alternative will generate the
same amount of traffic as does the proposed action during the hours of analysis. The primary difference with respect to traffic impacts once the project is completed, is the new buildings
under the alternative will be used for the storage of significantly smaller boats then would the buildings constructed under the proposed action. The proposed action would store boats
of sixty feet or more, while the buildings constructed under alternative would store up to 300 smaller boats. Boats more than sixty feet cannot be trailered to the site and must arrive
via the water. Smaller boats, as are anticipated to be stored in the project alternative, can readily be transported to and from the site by trailer. It is anticipated the half the
smaller boats stored at the site will arrive and depart by trailer. The boats being transported to the site will arrive September and through November, a period of two months. They
will be transported from storage in April and May, a period of two months.
Counts of pedestrian and bicycle usage along Cox Neck Road/Mill Road indicated only minimal usage by pedestrians
and bicycles. The accident study revealed only oneno accidents involving bicycles or pedestrians. Despite the relative narrowness of the road the small numbers of additional vehicles
the project will generate during construction and after completion should not increase the hazards to bicycles and pedestrians also using the road. Motor vehicles operating on any public
roadway within New York State must share the roadway with bicycles and pedestrians using the same road. As such any motor vehicle will have to give way to pedestrians and bicyclists
using the road. In most cases they will be able to move over and pass the slower moving bicycles and pedestrians. In some cases, they may have to slow and allow a vehicle traveling
in the other direction to pass before moving over to pass the bicycle or pedestrian. This is a common occurrence on the relatively narrow eastern Long Island roadways and is currently
occurring on Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road, but with fewer trucks. The minor increase in truck trips in unlikely to cause any additional problems.
Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road, particularly
the section north of Breakwater Road have generally light traffic volumes so the combined small vehicle and large vehicle traffic even with the additional truck loading from site generated
construction should be tolerated by the existing road structure. The applicant is committed to correcting any damage that is done by construction activities. A survey of the pavement
condition will be done prior to the commencement of construction and the roadway will be resurveyed following the completion of the project. In concert with Town of Southold Highway
Department, the before and after surveys will be reviewed, and if damage did occur due to the construction, the appropriate measures will be taken to correct it.
The proposed Site Plan
which provides 57 total parking spaces with 4 handicapped spaces will adequately meet the parking needs of SYC. All site parking is accessed from a centralized access aisle located between
the bulkhead along Mattituck Inlet and the buildings. The aisle has a minimum width of 24 feet and is often more generous than that. The site circulation plan is adequate for the intended
purpose.
There will be no offsite staging areas utilized during any phase of the project’s construction.
All construction material will be delivered to the site directly from suppliers via the designated truck route. Excavated material from the site will be transported directly to the
material handler via the designated truck route. Construction materials and excavated materials removed from the site will not be transported on weekends. No roadways other than designated
truck route will be used for transportation of project materials.
The construction of the project will generate a substantial amount of truck traffic. A designated route has been proposed
to carry the increased truck traffic for the construction period. The designated truck route utilizes the Long Island Expressway (I-495) to County Road 58 (Old Country Road) to County
Road 43 (Northville Turnpike) to Sound Avenue to Cox Neck Road to West Mill Road. The route is within the capacity of the roadways to carry the truck traffic.
The potential of the increased
truck traffic resulting from the project’s construction to cause vibrations adjacent to the roadway was evaluated. It was determined that the project trucks would not cause vibrations
that would impact adjacent historical structures or residential homes,
An alternative was evaluated which would have hauled the material excavated from the site via barges brought to
the SYC. That alternative proved unfeasible. The Mattituck Inlet did not have sufficient depth to allow the barges to operate. In addition, the inlet channel has significant curvature
that further prohibits navigation of the waterway by barges.
A series of potential mitigation measures have been suggested, including retaining approximately 10 percent of the required
excavation material on an unused residentially zoned portion of the site, monitoring and repairing damage to Cox Neck Road/West Mill Road during the construction period, and making traffic
control improvement to the roadways.
As a result, based upon traffic engineering considerations, it is recommended that the proposed Strong’s Yacht Center project be approved.
APPENDIX