HomeMy WebLinkAbout1.08 Traffic Study.pdfBasic Traffic Study
OXY USA WTP LP
Core Pad Storage
OLSSON
ASSOCIATES
OA Project No. 013 -0867
760 Horizon Drive, Suite 102 1 Grand Junction, CO 81506 1 TEL 970.263.7800 1 FAX 970.263.7456
BASIC TRAFFIC ANALYSIS
OXY USA WTP LP
CORE PAD STORAGE AREA
GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO
OkOLSSON
ASSOCIATES
OA Project No. 013 -0867
August 2013
760 Horizon Dr., Suite 102 1 Grand Junction, CO 81506 1 970.263.7800 1 Fax 970 •3.7456
INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVE
This Basic Traffic Analysis summarizes findings of a traffic impact analysis performed for the
OXY USA WTP PL (Oxy) Core Pad Storage Area. This facility will be used to store equipment
and material associated with natural gas operations. The facility is currently constructed as a
well pad. It is expected that the lifespan of the site will be approximately 30 years.
The site is located approximately 23 travel miles north of the DeBeque Interchange (MP 61.6)
along Interstate 70 (1 -70). The facility is located in the Southwest 1/4 of the Southeast 1/4 of
Section 9, Township 6 South, Range 97 West of the 6th Principal Meridian in unincorporated
Garfield County. The subject site encompasses approximately 1.49 acres on a 7,732.52 acre
parcel. The property and facility is owned and operated by Oxy.
The objective of this analysis is to review the existing road network, provide traffic projections
and trip assignment for the facility, and assess the need for access permitting.
EXISTING ROAD NETWORK
Regional trips to this facility will use the 1 -70 exit at DeBeque, Colorado. Vehicles traveling to
the site will drive north through the Town of DeBeque and on Mesa County 45 Road (Roan
Creek Road) for approximately 3.75 miles until the road crosses the Garfield /Mesa County Line
where the road transitions to Garfield County Road (CR) 204. Approximately 4.25 miles north of
the county line, vehicles will turn right onto CR 213 (Conn Creek Road) and travel approximately
4 miles to the end of the county road. From this point, travel is on a series of private roads that
were built and are maintained for the exclusive use of the natural gas industry. These private
roads are located on property owned by Oxy. The facility is located an additional 11 miles up
Cascade Creek and on the top of the Roan Plateau. There are no County or public roads within
a 1 -mile radius of the facility.
Both CR 204 and 213 are preferred haul routes according to maps available on the Garfield
County web -site. Both of these roads are generally used for access to ranches and agricultural
operations, rural residential uses, oil and gas operations and access to public lands managed by
the BLM.
According to the Garfield County Road Inventory Report, CR 204 is classified as Local road and
is a two lane asphalt roadway with gravel shoulders. The 2011 Garfield County HUTF Report
describes the roadway as is in good condition. The road has a posted speed limit of 45 mph.
Oxy Core Pad Storage Area 1 August, 2013
Basic Traffic Analysis
During 2002, Garfield County Road & Bridge conducted a county -wide traffic study where daily
traffic was counted for county roads. The study concluded that the average daily traffic (ADT)
was 337 vehicles per day (vpd) on this road at that time.
According to the Garfield County Road Inventory Report, CR 213 is classified as Local road and
is a two lane road consisting of a section constructed of a combination of soil, gravel, and stone
and a section consisting of graded and drained natural soil. The 2011 Garfield County HUTF
Report describes the roadway as is in good condition. The 2002 Garfield County Road & Bridge
conducted county -wide traffic study showed the CR 213 ADT to be 9 vpd for this road. There is
a right -turn lane for northbound traffic on CR 204 turning right onto CR 213. The intersection is
stop controlled with CR 213 as the minor leg.
TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS
Background traffic volumes were increased to present day values for comparison purposes.
Given the lack of data regarding traffic growth for this area, a growth rate of 3% is assumed.
This rate was applied to the existing counts to obtain background traffic for the year 2013. This
results in an estimated ADT of 446 in 2013 for CR 204. The result for CR 213 in 2013 is an
estimated ADT of 12 (Table 1).
Table 1: Background Traffic Projections — Oxy Core Pad Storage Area
TRIP GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION
Trip generation is generally determined using rates found in the ITE Trip Generation manual.
Rates from this publication are applied to values related to the size of the proposed site to
estimate the trips expected to enter and exit the site. In this case, no rates are provided for
facilities similar to these. To estimate trips expected for this site, information was gathered
regarding the expected traffic based on the existing operations. Vehicle activities during daily
operations will consist of one (1) pickup truck per day and three (3) additional pick -up trucks and
three (3) transport trucks every month. Trip generation will increase to three (3) pickup trucks
and three (3) transport trucks per week during drilling and completion operations plus the daily
operational pick -up truck trip. Drilling and completion activities will occur periodically throughout
Oxy Core Pad Storage Area 2 August, 2013
Basic Traffic Analysis
2002 Actual
2013 Estimated
CR 204
337
446
CR 213
9
12
TRIP GENERATION AND DISTRIBUTION
Trip generation is generally determined using rates found in the ITE Trip Generation manual.
Rates from this publication are applied to values related to the size of the proposed site to
estimate the trips expected to enter and exit the site. In this case, no rates are provided for
facilities similar to these. To estimate trips expected for this site, information was gathered
regarding the expected traffic based on the existing operations. Vehicle activities during daily
operations will consist of one (1) pickup truck per day and three (3) additional pick -up trucks and
three (3) transport trucks every month. Trip generation will increase to three (3) pickup trucks
and three (3) transport trucks per week during drilling and completion operations plus the daily
operational pick -up truck trip. Drilling and completion activities will occur periodically throughout
Oxy Core Pad Storage Area 2 August, 2013
Basic Traffic Analysis
the life of the project. The following Table 2 summarizes the expected average and maximum
trips for the operational life of the facility.
Table 2: Trip Generation — Oxy Core Pad Storage Area
Phase
Average
Trips /Day
Maximum
Trips /Day
Percent
Trucks
Average Total
Trips /Phase
Phase
Duration
Operation
<2
7
43%
<21,900
30 years
Drilling &
Completions
2
7
43%
N/A
N/A
Based on the background traffic calculated above, Oxy's Core Pad Storage Area facility related
traffic will have a maximum <2% increase on daily traffic activity during operations of the facility
in 2013 on CR 204. The following Table 3 summarizes the expected percentage of trips this
facility will generate on CR 204.
Table 3: CR 204 Trip Distribution — Oxy Core Pad Storage Area
Year
Estimated
CR 204 VPD
Generate
Average
Operation ps /Day
Generated
Percent of
Trips/Day
Generated
Maximum
Trips /Day
Generated
Percent of
Maximum
2013
446
<2
<1%
7
<2%
Based on the background traffic calculation, Oxy's Core Pad Storage Area facility related traffic
will have a maximum 58% increase on daily traffic activity on CR213 during drilling operations
associated with the facility in 2013. Table 4 summarizes the expected percentage of trips this
facility will generate on CR 213.
Table 4: CR 213 Trip Distribution — Oxy Core Pad Storage Area
Year
Estimated
CR 213 VPD
Generated
Average
Operation ps /Day
Generated
Percent of
Average
Generated
Maximum
Trips /Day
Generated
Percent of
Maximum
2013
12
<2
17%
7
58%
Oxy Core Pad Storage Area 3
Basic Traffic Analysis
August, 2013
Note that the CR 213 will see a significant increase in traffic only because it currently has a very
low baseline of traffic volume. Additionally, the majority of traffic on this road is currently
associated with the natural gas industry.
CONSTRUCTION PHASE
The pad area has already been graded and additional excavation of the site will not be
necessary. Only minor construction traffic will be generated by this project to create the storage
area. No staging of materials outside of the storage area will be required to complete this site.
No lane closures or traffic interruptions will be necessary to develop this facility.
ROADWAY ANALYSIS
Existing Parcel
Current land use on the subject parcel is primarily natural gas development. The majority of
existing traffic on CR 213 is related to natural gas development activities, very limited
agricultural activities and very low density rural residential uses.
State Highway Crossings and Access
The roadway access to this site does not cross any highway right -of -ways managed by the
Colorado Department of Transportation. CR 204 is accessed via Mesa County 45 Road which
intersects 1 -70 at Exit 62, in DeBeque, Colorado. This grade- separated interchange is controlled
by stop signs at the top of each exit ramp. Site distances are adequate in both directions at
these ramp terminals.
The US Highway 6 / 1 -70 Frontage Road terminates at Mesa County 45 Road approximately 300
feet northwest of the DeBeque interchange. This intersection is two -way stop - controlled. Traffic
traveling to this site from 1 -70 has the right -of -way at this intersection.
Railroad Crossings
Mesa County 45 Road crosses under a main railroad line approximately 0.5 miles north of 1 -70.
This rail line is generally used for the transport of freight, coal, and passenger rail traffic. This
railroad crossing is grade separated. Clearance for transport trucks under this rail bridge is
adequate. Additional improvements are not needed at this location. The roadway access to this
site does not cross any other active railroad right -of -ways.
Oxy Core Pad Storage Area 4 August, 2013
Basic Traffic Analysis
Intersection of CR 204 & 213
As noted above, there is a right -turn deceleration lane for north bound traffic on CR 204 turning
right onto CR 213. A stop sign controls west bound traffic on CR 213 at the intersection of that
road with CR 204. Given the amount of traffic estimated to be generated from the proposed
facility, it is not expected that additional improvements at this intersection are not needed at this
time.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the expected trip generation rates discussed above, the increase in average daily
traffic is not expected to be significant on roads generally used by the public. CR 204 will see
only a minor increase in traffic. CR 213 will see a significant increase in traffic only because of a
very low baseline of traffic volume. However, the total traffic volumes will remain very low and
can be accommodated by the existing roadway. Additionally, the majority of traffic on this road
is associated with the natural gas industry. At worst, there would be a minor increase in traffic
which would peak during drilling and completion activities. As mentioned in the Roadway
Analysis, the addition of traffic generated by the proposed facility does not increase existing
volumes to levels required for State or County permits.
Attachments
RA -1 Road Access Map
TV -1 Traffic Volumes Map
Oxy Core Pad Storage Area 5 August, 2013
Basic Traffic Analysis
Legend
Q Project Site — County Road
Site Access Route — Highway
0 0.75 1.5
Miles
3
PROJECT NO: 013 -0867
DRAWN BY: Jenna Muhlbach
DATE: 7/24/2013
ROAD ACCESS MAP
OXY USA WTP LP
CORE PAD STORAGE
GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO
OLSSON
ASSOCIATES
760 HORIZON DR.,
SUITE 102
GRAND JUNCTION,
CO 81506
TEL 970.263.7800
FAX 970.263.7456
FIGURE
RA - 1
Legend
Q Project Site —
Site Access Route —
Private Access Road [_
County Road [XXX] Average Daily Traffic, 2013
Highway [XXX] Average Daily Traffic, Operations
; County [XXX] Maximum Daily Traffic, Drilling
0 0.75 1.5
Miles
3
PROJECT NO: 013 -0867
DRAWN BY: Jenna Muhlbach
DATE: 8/7/2013
TRAFFIC VOLUMES MAP
OXY USA WTP LP
CORE PAD STORAGE
GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO
OLSSON
ASSOCIATES
760 HORIZON DR.,
SUITE 102
GRAND JUNCTION,
CO 81506
TEL 970.263.7800
FAX 970.263.7456
FIGURE
TV -1