HomeMy WebLinkAbout4.9.3 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Basic Traffic Analysis Jan 2015BASIC TRAFFIC ANALYSIS
OXY USA WTP LP
604-12-13 & 697-16-16 ANNEX
STORAGE FACILITY
GARFIELD COUNTY, COLORADO
O\OLSSON
ASSOCIATES
OA Project No. 014-2740
January 2015
760 Horizon Dr., Suite 102 1 Grand Junction, CO 81506 1 970.263.7800 1 Fax 970.263.7456
INTRODUCTION & OBJECTIVE
This Basic Traffic Analysis summarizes findings of a traffic analysis performed for the OXY USA
WTP LP (OXY) 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Annex Storage Facilities. These facilities will be used
to store equipment and materials associated with natural gas operations. These facilities are
currently constructed as well pads. The lifespan of the site will be approximately 30 years.
The sites are located approximately 20 travel miles north of the DeBeque interchange (MP 61.6)
along Interstate 70 (1-70). The 604-12-13 facility is located in the Southwest 1/4 of the Northwest
1/4 of Section 4, Township 6 South, Range 97 West of the 6th Principal Meridian in unincorporated
Garfield County. The 697-16-16 facility is located in the Northeast 1/4 of the Northeast 1/4 of Section
16, Township 6 South, Range 97 West of the 6th Principal Meridian. The subject sites are located
on one parcel. The parcel is 7,732 acres in area and is owned by Oxy.
Oxy is in the process of permitting a number of facilities located in the general area. All of these
facilities will individually generate low volumes of traffic. These two facilities will be used for
storage only and will reduce the current practice of hauling materials and equipment to and from
the top of the plateau. Several surrounding facilities are used for this purpose as well as for the
storage and management of produced water.
The subject facilities reduce the cumulative impacts of natural gas operations by reducing the
need to haul equipment in and out of the field on public roadways. The facilities are visually
inspected almost on a daily basis by personnel who typically travel to multiple locations during a
single round trip. This further reduces the cumulative impacts of these facilities on the public road
system.
The objective of this analysis is to review the existing road network, provide traffic projections for
the facilities, determine trip distribution, and analyze the need for roadway modifications.
OXY 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas 1 January 2015
Basic Traffic Analysis
EXISTING ROAD NETWORK
Regional trips to these facilities 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 facilities are located an additional 5 to 10 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 facilities.
Both CR 204 and CR 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.
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
approximately 340 vehicles per day (vpd) on CR 204 at that time.
According to the Garfield County Road Inventory Report, CR 213 is classified as a 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 in good condition. Photos of CR 213 and CR 204 were taken
November 5, 2014. The roadways appear to still be in generally good condition. There are,
however, some locations where roadside ditches have filled with sediment along CR 213.
Additionally, there are two culverts along CR 213 (approximately 1.7 and 2.6 from CR 204) with
significant erosion. These are deficiencies that should be corrected before the erosion extends to
the roadbed.
OXY 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas 2 January 2015
Basic Traffic Analysis
The Garfield County Road & Bridge Department has provided data that was collected on CR 213
during June 2011. This data indicates that CR 213 had an average of approximately 380 vpd at
that time. No updated traffic data is available for CR 204.
There is a northbound right -turn lane at the intersection of CR 204 & 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 for
CR 204. 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
2014. This results in an estimated ADT of 460 vpd for CR 204.
Background traffic volume counts were available for CR 213 in 2011 and are shown in Table 1
below. The volumes during this period represent a time when a drilling and completion program
was in progress for wells up CR 213. The periods represent a time where traffic is at its peak.
Traffic outside these periods, during a time when the pads are in operation, is expected to be less
than the 2011 volumes. As a result, 2014 traffic volumes along CR 213 are estimated to be no
greater than the 2011 volumes.
Table 1: Background Traffic Protections — 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas
*Estimated using assumed growth rate.
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 these sites, information was gathered regarding the
expected traffic based on the existing operations. Trip information is based on data for one site.
OXY 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas 3 January 2015
Basic Traffic Analysis
2002 (vpd)
2011 (vpd)
2014 (vpd)
CR 204
340
Not Available
460*
CR 213
10
380
380
*Estimated using assumed growth rate.
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 these sites, information was gathered regarding the
expected traffic based on the existing operations. Trip information is based on data for one site.
OXY 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas 3 January 2015
Basic Traffic Analysis
Vehicle activities during the operations phase are not expected to be daily, but rather intermittent
with three (3) vehicles (six trips) for stormwater inspections and vegetation management every
month. The equipment and materials that will be brought to the facilities are from near -by well
pads and will be reused in the general area. The proposed storage use is expected to generate
few additional trips to the public roads by providing a place for extra materials and equipment that
would otherwise be hauled in or out of the larger field. Table 2 summarized the expected
percentage of trips this facility will generate.
Table 2: Traffic Volume Increase (2014) — 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas
Year
Estimated
2014 VPD
Generated
Maximum
Trips/Month
CR 204
460
6
CR 213
380
6
CONSTRUCTION PHASE
The pad area has already been graded and additional excavation of the sites will not be
necessary. Only minor construction traffic will be generated by this project to create the storage
areas. This includes two dump trucks per site to haul material off the pad. No staging of materials
outside of the storage areas will be required to complete these sites. No lane closures or traffic
interruptions will be necessary to develop the facilities.
ROADWAY ANALYSIS
Existing Parcel
Current land use on the subject parcels 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.
OXY 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas 4 January 2015
Basic Traffic Analysis
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 access point
is controlled by stop signs at the top of each exit ramp. Site distances are adequate in both
directions at these control points. Additional traffic control is not needed at this location.
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 would have 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 line is generally used for the transport of freight, coal, and passenger rail traffic. This railroad
crossing is grade separated. This underpass is used today by trucks identical to those visiting
this site. Therefore, it is assumed that clearance for transport trucks under this railroad bridge is
adequate. The roadway access to this site does not cross any other active railroad right-of-ways.
Intersection of CR 204 & 213
As noted above, there is a deceleration/turn lane for northbound 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. Photos taken as part of this analysis indicate some wheel off -tracking at the returns
of this intersection. Given the amount of truck traffic known to use this intersection to access the
Cascade Creek Well Field, additional surfacing around the returns should be considered to
minimize future degradation of the shoulders.
OXY 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas 5 January 2015
Basic Traffic Analysis
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 and CR 213 will
see only a minor increase in traffic. The addition of traffic generated by the proposed facilities do
not increase existing volumes to levels required for State or County permits or roadway
modifications. However, two locations along CR 213 were identified where maintenance -type
improvements should be considered. Due to wheel off -tracking at the intersection of CR 204 &
CR 213, additional pavement along the intersection returns should be considered. Additionally,
sediment buildup in roadside ditches and erosion at two culvert locations along CR 213 should be
corrected to allow drainage facilities to operate as intended an not impact the roadway.
Attachments
1. 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas Vicinity Map
2. Site Roadway Photos
OXY 604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Storage Areas 6 January 2015
Basic Traffic Analysis
LEGEND
Oxy Private Road
County Road/State Highway
Interstate Highway
- Site Location
[ xxx ] - 2011 Average Daily Traffic
[ XXX 1 - 2014 Average Daily Traffic
604-12-13 and 697-16-16 Annex Storage Areas
Garfield County, CO
604-12-13 Storage
697-16-16 Storage
NTS
OkOLSSON
ASSOCIATES
Vicinity Map
*2002 ADT - No data available for 2011
FIGURE
1
O\OLSSON
ASSOCIATES
OXY Storage Facilities — Site Roadway Photos
OA #14-2740
PHOTO 1: Looking east onto County Road 213 from County Road 204.
PHOTO 2: Looking west from County Road 213, at CR 204.
O\OLSSON
ASSOCIATES
OXY Storage Facilities — Site Roadway Photos
OA #14-2740
PHOTO 3: Looking west along County Road 213, near CR 204 intersection.
PHOTO 4: Looking south along CR 213.
O\OLSSON
ASSOCIATES
OXY Storage Facilities — Site Roadway Photos
OA #14-2740