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Home My WebLink About1.13 Basic Traffic Study 1624 Market Street | Suite 202 | Denver, CO 80202 Phone: 303.652.3571 | www.FoxTuttle.com September 28, 2021 Roaring Fork Engineering Attn: Danny Stewart, PE 592 Highway 133 Carbondale, CO 81623 RE: Half Moon Subdivision Traffic Analysis – Battlement Mesa, Colorado Introduction The Fox Tuttle Transportation Group has completed a traffic impact study for the proposed Half Moon Subdivision located in the Town of Battlement Mesa, Colorado. The project proposes to construct 47 single‐family residential dwelling units on the north side of Northstar Trail between Lodge Pole Circle and Limberpine Circle (East). It is understood that the project proposes to provide two accesses: one aligning with Lodge Pole Circle and one aligning with Limberpine Circle (East). A vicinity map is shown on Figure 1. The proposed site plan and access is provided on Figure 2. The vacant site is adjacent to existing single‐ family and multi‐family neighborhoods (Canyon View, Stone Ridge Village, and Valley View Village). The traffic analysis addresses existing and project conditions in the study area. The traffic impact study is consistent with the requirements of the Garfield County’s standards set forth in Chapter 4 of the Land Use and Development Code (revised May 2020). 1 Existing Conditions Roadways The study area was developed with consideration of the amount of site traffic to be added to the surrounding street network and planned accesses. The existing study area street network consists of one county road and one local street. The primary public roadways that serve the project site are discussed in the following text: Stone Quarry Road (CR 300) is a four‐lane county roadway that provides north‐south access through the study area. It travels from Battlement Mesa Parkway to the north to gravel ponds to the south. This roadway provides access to several of the Villages within south Battlement Mesa, the Colorado River Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) office, a fire station, retail businesses, and rural properties south of Battlement Mesa. Adjacent to the project location the Half Moon Subdivision – Battlement Mesa September 28, 2021 Traffic Study Page 2 roadway is 50‐feet wide and includes 10‐foot through lanes, two per direction and a 10‐foot center left‐turn lane. Stone Quarry Road currently serves approximately 6,150 vehicles per day (vpd) just north of Northstar Trail (Year 2021, Count) and approximately 6,840 vpd near the Fire Station (Year 2019). The posted speed limit on Stone Quarry Road is 35 miles per hour (mph) within the study area. Northstar Trail is a two‐lane local street that provides access to the residential neighborhoods of Canyon View Village and Stone Ridge Village. Adjacent to the project location the roadway is 32‐ feet wide with one through lane per direction. Northstar Trail currently serves approximately 1,000 vpd just west of Stone Quarry Road (Year 2021, Count). The posted speed limit is 25 mph. Intersections The study area includes three existing intersections. They are listed below with the current traffic control: 1. Stone Quarry Road at Northstar Trail (side‐street stop controlled) – The Stone Quarry Road approaches include one left‐turn lane and one through, and one shared through/right‐turn lane. The Northstar Trail approaches provide one shared left‐turn/through/right‐turn lane. 2. Northstar Trail at Limberpine Circle (East) (side‐street stop controlled) – This T‐intersection includes single lane approaches. Half Moon Subdivision proposes to construct the north leg for access. 3. Northstar Trail at Lodge Pole Circle (side‐street stop controlled) – This T‐intersection includes single lane approaches. Half Moon Subdivision proposes to construct the east leg for access. Traffic Volumes Weekday AM and PM peak hour turning‐movement volumes were collected in August 2021 at the intersection of Stone Quarry Road at Northstar Trail and daily volumes were collected along both roadways. Existing and historic traffic volumes on nearby roadways were gathered from Battlement Mesa and the Colorado Department of Transportation’s (CDOT) Transportation Data Management System. The volumes at the intersections with Lodge Pole Circle and Limberpine Circle (East) were estimated with anticipated trip generation based on the number of existing homes and traffic counts on Northstar Trail. The existing traffic volumes are illustrated on Figure 3, as well as the existing lane configurations. Half Moon Subdivision – Battlement Mesa September 28, 2021 Traffic Study Page 3 Pedestrian and Bicycle Currently there is an attached sidewalk on the south side of Northstar Trail. Along Stone Quarry Road, there is a multi‐use path that travels along the west side of the street south of Northstar Trail and then crosses to the east side of the street north of Northstar Trail. There are no on‐street bike facilities within the study area; however, cyclists are permitted to ride in the travel lanes. Transit The Town of Battlement Mesa is served by the Parachute Area Transit System (PATS). PATS connects the residential neighborhoods in Battlement Mesa and Parachute to Rifle to utilize Roaring Fork Transit Authority to travel to employment businesses, personal appointments, and shopping areas. There are two routes that provide transit serve to the Half Moon Subdivision area, as shown to the right. Along Stone Quarry Road, there are local and express bus stops that existing and future residents can utilize. In Rifle, transit patrons can transfer to RFTA buses that link to New Castle, Silt, Glenwood Springs, Carbondale, El Jebel, Basalt, Snowmass, and Aspen. Trip Generation To establish the volume of new trips that will be added to the area roadway network with the development of the Half Moon Subdivision, data contained in the Institute of Transportation Engineers’ (ITE) Trip Generation Manual1 was applied to the most applicable land use category. The Half Moon project proposes to construct 47 single‐family homes. 1 Trip Generation Manual. 10th Edition. Institute of Transportation Engineers. Washington, DC. 2017. Half Moon Subdivision – Battlement Mesa September 28, 2021 Traffic Study Page 4 The number of dwelling units was multiplied by the ITE trip rates for “single‐family detached housing” to estimate the new site traffic as shown in Table 1. The proposed project is expected to experience mostly new trips, known as ‘primary trips’, which is discussed below: Primary Trips. These trips are made specifically to visit the site and are considered “new” trips. Primary trips would not have been made if the proposed project did not exist. Therefore, this is the only trip type that increases the number of trips made on a regional basis. Non‐Auto Trips. These trips are those that are completed by walking, biking, or transit. The existing transit, pedestrian, and bicycle amenities will encourage residents to make non‐auto trips to/from the Half Moon Subdivision; however, for conservative purposes a non‐auto reduction was not applied. The trip generation estimate for the Half Moon Subdivision is summarized on Table 1 for weekday daily, weekday AM, and weekday PM periods. Table 1 – Trip Generation Trip Distribution and Assignment The estimated trips presented in Table 1 were distributed onto the adjacent street network based on existing traffic patterns at the intersection of Stone Quarry Road and Northstar Trail. The overall assumed distribution is as follows, as well as presented on Figure 4:  90% to/from north Stone Quarry Road  10% to/from south Stone Quarry Road Using these distribution assumptions, the projected site traffic was assigned to the study area roadway network for the weekday AM and PM peak hours. The site‐generated volumes with the project are shown on Figure 4. Based on the Garfield County standards, a detailed traffic study is required if the project volumes forecasted on any County Road segment exceed current volumes by 20% or any road segment identified or contained within an approved municipal street plan within a 1‐mile radius exceed Land Use Size Unit Rate Total In Out Rate Total In Out Rate Total In Out ITE 210 - Single-Family Detached Housing 47 Dwelling Units 9.44 444 222 222 0.74 35 9 26 0.99 47 30 17 Source : ITE Trip Generation 10th Edition, 2017. Average Daily Trips AM Peak Hour Trips PM Peak Hour Trips Half Moon Subdivision – Battlement Mesa September 28, 2021 Traffic Study Page 5 current volumes by 30%. The estimated trips for the Half Moon Subdivision were determined to be 10% of total intersection volume at Stone Quarry Road and Northstar Trail during the AM peak hour and 8% during the PM peak hour. The proposed project was estimated to add 3% to the volume on Stone Quarry Road in the AM peak hour and 6% in the PM peak hour. The daily volume on Stone Quarry Road will increase by approximately 6%. Therefore, a “Basic Traffic Analysis” is sufficient for the Half Moon Subdivision project and a “Detailed Traffic Analysis” is not required per the County standards. Proposed Site Access and Circulation The site plan shown on Figure 2 was reviewed for on‐site access and circulation. The proposed north and south local roadways provide adequate circulation for future residents, town services, and visitors. All properties have easy access to both proposed intersections on Northstar Trail to enter/exit the subdivision. Sidewalks will be added to the north side of Northstar Trail and along the internal roadways to connect to the existing pedestrian facilities. Conclusions The Half Mon project is proposing to construct 47 single‐family homes on the vacant property on the north side of Northstar Trail. To provide access, the project proposes to construct the north leg of the intersection of Northstar Trail and Limberpine Circle (East) and construct the east leg of the intersection of Northstar Trail and Lodge Pole Circle. Vehicular traffic volumes associated with the Half Moon Subdivision was estimated to be approximately 444 weekday daily trips, 35 AM peak hour trips, and 47 PM peak hour trips. The associated traffic will only increase existing traffic by up to 10% in the peak periods and over a 24‐hour period. Based on the trip generation, it is recommended that the accesses be constructed with one inbound lane and one outbound lane; no auxiliary lanes are warranted. At the intersection of Stone Quarry Road and Northstar Trail, there are no recommended mitigation measures related to traffic associated with the Half Moon Subdivision. The existing roadway network can accommodate the new trips from this project. Half Moon Subdivision – Battlement Mesa September 28, 2021 Traffic Study Page 6 Hopefully the contents of this memorandum are helpful. If you have any questions, please give me a call. Sincerely, FOX TUTTLE TRANSPORTATION GROUP, LLC Cassie Slade, P.E., PTOE Principal Tables and Figures: Table 1 – Trip Generation Summary [IN REPORT] Figure 1 – Vicinity Map Figure 2 – Site Plan and Access Figure 3 – Year 2021 Existing Traffic Volumes Figure 4 – Trip Distribution and Site‐Generated Trip Volumes I-70 FRONTAGE ROAD1 MILE R A D I U S BATTLEMENT PARKWAY STONE QUA R R YROAD (300)MORRISANIA MESA ROAD (301)309UNDERWOOD LANE (302) GARDNER LANE (303)4 CORNERSROAD (308)300 OSPENCER PARKWAYHALF MOON SITE 70 70 PARACHUTE BATTLEMENT MESA RIFLE NEW CASTLE GLENWOOD SPRINGS CARBONDALE Original ScaleFT Project #Date Drawn by Figure # T r a n s p o r o puGrnoiatt FOX TUTTLE VICINITY MAP HALF MOON SUBDIVISION TRAFFIC STUDY - BATTLEMENT MESA, CO 21049 NTS 9/10/2021 CRS 1 Original ScaleFT Project #Date Drawn by Figure # T r a n s p o r o puGrnoiatt FOX TUTTLE SITE PLAN AND ACCESS HALF MOON SUBDIVISION TRAFFIC STUDY - BATTLEMENT MESA, CO 21049 NTS 9/10/2021 CRS 2 Proposed Access Full Movement Side-Street Stop-Controlled Stone Quarry RoadNorthstar TrailBattlement Pkwy NORTHSTAR T R A T LI MBERPINE CIR (E)S T ONE Q U A R R Y RD AT NORTHSTAR TRNORTHSTA R TR AT LODGE POLE CIROriginal ScaleFT Project #Date Drawn by Figure # T r a n s p o r o puGrnoiatt FOX TUTTLE YEAR 2021 EXISTING TRAFFIC VOLUMES HALF MOON SUBDIVISION TRAFFIC STUDY - BATTLEMENT MESA, CO 21049 NTS 9/10/2021 CRS 3 NORTHSTAR T R A T LI MBERPINE CIR (E)Stone Quarry RoadNorthstar TrailBattlement Pkwy S T ONE Q U A R R Y RD AT NORTHSTAR TRNORTHSTA R TR AT LODGE POLE CIR90% To / From the North Stone Quarry Road 10% To / From the South Stone Quarry Road HALF MOON SITE Original ScaleFT Project #Date Drawn by Figure # T r a n s p o r o puGrnoiatt FOX TUTTLE TRIP DISTRIBUTION AND SITE-GENERATED TRIPS HALF MOON SUBDIVISION TRAFFIC STUDY - BATTLEMENT MESA, CO 21049 NTS 9/10/2021 CRS 4