South Taranaki District Council Nukumaru Station Road Extension
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Appendix 5: Technical Report: Traffic Assessment Report, Traffic Design Group Appendix 5: Technical Report: Nukumaru Station Road Extension | Notice of Requirement and Assessment of Environmental Effects South Taranaki District Council Nukumaru Station Road Extension Traffic Assessment Report March 2017 TDG Ref: 14432 stdc nukumaru station rd extn tar.docx South Taranaki District Council Nukumaru Station Road Extension Traffic Assessment Report Quality Assurance Statement Prepared by: Cobus de Kock Associate Reviewed by: Mark Georgeson Director Approved for Issue by: Mark Georgeson Director Status: Final Date: 22 March 2017 PO Box 30-721, Lower Hutt 5040 New Zealand P: +64 4 569 8497 www.tdg.co.nz 22 March 2017 14432 STDC Nukumaru Station Rd Extn TAR South Taranaki District Council, Nukumaru Station Road Extension Traffic Assessment Report Table of Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 2. Existing Transport Network .......................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Locality ................................................................................................................................ 2 2.2 Existing Traffic Patterns and Distribution ........................................................................... 3 2.3 Road Safety Record ............................................................................................................. 5 3. Nukumaru Station Road Extension ............................................................................................... 7 3.1 Proposed New Alignment ................................................................................................... 7 3.2 Expected Travel Patterns & Traffic Redistribution ............................................................. 8 3.3 Intersection with State Highway 3 ...................................................................................... 9 3.4 Intersection at Waiinu Beach Road .................................................................................. 10 3.5 Railway Level Crossing ...................................................................................................... 12 4. Travel Times and Distances ......................................................................................................... 15 4.1 Waiinu Beach Road ........................................................................................................... 15 4.2 Nukumaru Station Road ................................................................................................... 15 4.3 Travel Times ...................................................................................................................... 16 5. Railway Level Crossings ............................................................................................................... 17 6. Assessment of Traffic Outcomes ................................................................................................ 18 6.1 Network Resilience ........................................................................................................... 18 6.2 Road Safety ....................................................................................................................... 18 6.3 Travel Time and Distance ................................................................................................. 18 7. Conclusion ................................................................................................................................... 19 Appendix A 1 ALCAM Risk Reports for Existing Level Crossings 1 Appendix B 2 KiwiRail Risk Reports for Changed Level Crossings 2 Appendix C 3 LCSIA Report for Nukumaru Station Road 3 22 March 2017 14432 STDC Nukumaru Station Rd Extn TAR South Taranaki District Council, Nukumaru Station Road Extension Traffic Assessment Report Page 1 1. Introduction TDG has been appointed by South Taranaki District Council to provide traffic and transport consultancy services in relation to the proposed extension of Nukumaru Station Road in the South Taranaki District. The purpose of the proposed extension is to provide assured access to Waiinu Beach Road south of the Lime Works Bridge; this includes access to Silver Fern Farms, Richard Alexander Quarry, the surrounding farms and the Waiinu Beach settlement. This report summarises the assessment undertaken of the traffic and transport related features and effects that the extension of Nukumaru Station Road to Waiinu Beach Road will have on the road network, road safety, railway level crossings, travel times and distances, and network resilience. This report identifies that the local transport network will not be adversely affected by the addition of a new access road to the Waiinu Beach settlement and surrounding areas. It further concludes that the quantum of traffic, both existing and reassigned following construction of the new road, is so low that the roads, intersections and railway level crossings, if designed to specified standards as proposed, will perform efficiently and safely. The proposed new road will have an effect on travel times and distances in a positive manner for some traffic to and from the south and, importantly, will provide a new route that is not reliant on the Lime Works Bridge. 22 March 2017 14432 STDC Nukumaru Station Rd Extn TAR South Taranaki District Council, Nukumaru Station Road Extension Traffic Assessment Report Page 2 2. Existing Transport Network 2.1 Locality Waiinu Beach Road is classified in the Operative District Plan as an Arterial Road (coloured blue in Figure 1 below) that connects the Waitotara and Waiinu Beach communities. This road serves as the only access road to Silver Fern Farms, Richard Alexander Quarry, the surrounding farms and the Waiinu Beach settlement. Waiinu Beach Road connects to State Highway 3 by means of Ihupuku Street, at a Stop controlled intersection. By comparison, Nukumaru Station Road, to the south, is a local rural cul-de-sac serving few rural properties. Figure 1: Road Hierarchy Form Waitotara, Waiinu Beach Road runs on the western bank of the Waitotara River for approximately 3.5km, beyond which it then crosses the river at the Lime Works Bridge and continues south towards Waiinu Beach, as shown in Figure 2. Waiinu Beach Road has a level crossing over the railway line at Waitotara station and a posted open road speed limit south from Waitotara’s suburban edge. 22 March 2017 14432 STDC Nukumaru Station Rd Extn TAR South Taranaki District Council, Nukumaru Station Road Extension Traffic Assessment Report Page 3 Figure 2: Waiinu Beach Road Locality 2.2 Existing Traffic Patterns and Distribution 2.2.1 Traffic Volumes on SH3 Existing traffic volume data for State Highway 3 is provided by the NZTA Waitotara Telemetry counting station, which is located to the south of Waitotara. The annual average daily traffic (AADT) volume for 2015 was 3732 vehicles per day with a 17.3% heavy vehicle percentage, as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3: State Highway 3 AADT east of Waitotara (NZTA) The detailed average daily and average hourly traffic information, as provided by the NZTA Telemetry station, is shown in Figure 4. The average weekday hourly peak traffic is 310 22 March 2017 14432 STDC Nukumaru Station Rd Extn TAR South Taranaki District Council, Nukumaru Station Road Extension Traffic Assessment Report Page 4 vehicles per hour, for both directions combined, and occurs between 16:00 and 17:00. The average hourly heavy vehicle peak of 54 vehicles occurs between 11:00 and 12:00. Figure 4: Avery State Highway 3 Volumes East of Waitotara (NZTA) 2.2.2 Traffic Volumes on Waiinu Beach Road To inform this assessment, South Taranaki District Council made available MetroCount traffic data from counts carried out between 2001 to 2016 along Waiinu Beach Road (and Ihupuku Street), from State Highway 3 to Waiinu Beach. From this data, and at busier times of the year, it is assessed that the typical average daily vehicle traffic flows along Waiinu Beach Road are: at Waitotara, between SH3 & Kells Street Intersection: 700 vehicles per day; beyond Waitotara towards Waiinu Beach : 500 vehicles per day; to and from Silver Fern Farms: 330 vehicles per day; 22 March 2017 14432 STDC Nukumaru Station Rd Extn TAR South Taranaki District Council, Nukumaru Station Road Extension Traffic Assessment Report Page 5 to and from Richard Alexander Quarry: 20 vehicles per day; and to and from Waiinu Beach: 150 vehicles per day. The traffic composition that continues south from Waitotara is estimated to have a heavy vehicle percentage in the order of 20%. These volumes (for light and heavy vehicles combined) fluctuate through the year as the travel patterns are heavily influenced by seasonal trends, particularly in relation to Silver Fern Farms which has its peak production season between November and March, and also in relation to the Waiinui Beach settlement which is similarly more busy during the summer periods. 2.2.3 Traffic Distribution The observed vehicle split at the existing State Highway 3 intersection in Waitotara is 80% south towards Whanganui and 20% north towards Hawera. Silver Fern Farms accounts for the majority of traffic in the area, with their workforce having a corresponding 85/15 south/north split. In terms of the heavy vehicle component of the Farms activity, most incoming livestock is received from the north, with outgoing