Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Environmental Assessment Working Paper 6 – Traffic and Transport Assessment
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Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Environmental assessment Working paper 6 – Traffic and transport assessment Roads and Traffic Authority Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Pacific Highway Upgrade Working Paper 06 - Traffic and Transport Assessment June 2008 Arup This report takes into account the Arup Pty Ltd ABN 18 000 966 165 particular instructions and requirements of our client. It is not intended for and should not be relied upon by any third party and no Arup responsibility is undertaken to any third Level 10 201 Kent Street, party Sydney NSW 2000 Tel +61 2 9320 9320 Fax +61 2 9320 9321 www.arup.com Roads and Traffic Authority Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Pacific Highway Upgrade Working Paper 06 - Traffic and Transport Assessment Contents Page 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Project Objectives 2 2 Existing Traffic and Road Network 3 2.1 Road Network 3 2.2 Regional Transport Context 4 2.3 Highway and Regional Traffic 6 2.4 Local Traffic 7 2.5 Travel Time Surveys 9 2.6 Traffic Patterns and Variation 11 2.7 Heavy Vehicles 15 2.8 Design Hour Traffic Volumes 16 2.9 Existing Highway Level of Service 17 2.10 Overtaking Lanes 19 2.11 Public Transport 21 2.12 Pedestrian, Bicycle and Equestrian Facilities 22 2.13 Historical Accident Analysis 22 3 Future Traffic and Road Network 27 3.1 Traffic Growth 27 3.2 Proposed Upgrade Concept Design 29 3.3 Proposed Upgrade Level of Service 31 3.4 Proposed upgrade Traffic Volumes 34 3.5 Proposed Upgrade Travel Times 35 3.6 Existing Highway Operation 35 3.7 Interchanges and Intersections 39 3.8 Local Access and Travel Patterns 46 3.9 Accident Risk 50 3.10 Cyclists and Pedestrians 51 3.11 Public Transport 51 3.12 Regional Road Network 51 3.13 Construction 52 4 Conclusions 54 5 References 55 Arup Issue June 2008 Roads and Traffic Authority Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Pacific Highway Upgrade Working Paper 06 - Traffic and Transport Assessment Tables Table 1 Existing Pacific Highway Traffic Volumes ........................................................................6 Table 2 Traffic Volumes on Surrounding Roads ...........................................................................7 Table 3 Traffic Counts on Side Roads ..........................................................................................8 Table 4 Ewingsdale Interchange Traffic Volumes.........................................................................9 Table 5 Yelgun to Chinderah Traffic Growth Analysis (vpd) (RoadNet, 2003) ...........................11 Table 6 Heavy Vehicle Proportions: Pacific Highway at Old Byron Bay Road ...........................15 Table 7 Heavy Vehicle Proportions: Pacific Highway at Sunnycrest Lane .................................15 Table 8 Heavy Vehicle Proportions: Bangalow Road, West of Bangalow ..................................16 Table 9 Levels of Service for Existing Highway ..........................................................................18 Table 10 Existing Overtaking Opportunities..................................................................................19 Table 11 Blanch’s Local Bus Services ..........................................................................................21 Table 12 Blanch’s School Bus Services........................................................................................21 Table 13 Long Distance Bus Services ..........................................................................................22 Table 14 Accidents on the Pacific Highway between Ross Lane and Bangalow .........................23 Table 15 Accidents on the Pacific Highway between Bangalow and Ewingsdale ........................23 Table 16 Accidents on the Pacific Highway between Ross Lane and Ewingsdale.......................24 Table 17 Forecast Traffic Volumes – No Upgrade........................................................................28 Table 18 Level of Service 2003 – 2042 for Upgraded 110km/h Highway.....................................31 Table 19 Hourly Distribution and Heavy Vehicle Pattern ..............................................................33 Table 20 Forecast Daily Traffic Volumes (vehicles)......................................................................34 Table 21 Existing Highway Level of Service Post-Upgrade..........................................................35 Table 22 Ewingsdale Interchange Analysis Results .....................................................................41 Table 23 Local Road Treatments..................................................................................................46 Table 24 Forecast Daily Local Traffic Volumes (2006- vehicles)..................................................47 Table 25 Forecasts of Accident Rates ..........................................................................................50 Figures Figure 1 The Pacific Highway, NSW ..............................................................................................3 Figure 2 Regional Populations (2006 Census)...............................................................................5 Figure 3 Traffic Volume Data........................................................................................................10 Figure 4 Yelgun to Chinderah Traffic Growth Analysis (RoadNet, 2003) ....................................11 Figure 5 Daily Two-Way Pacific Highway Traffic Volumes at Knockrow......................................12 Figure 6 Weekday Average Hourly Traffic Volumes, Newrybar...................................................13 Figure 7 Weekend Average Hourly Traffic Volumes, Newrybar...................................................13 Figure 8 Weekly Profile of Light and Heavy Vehicles, Knockrow.................................................14 Figure 9 Weekly Profile of Light and Heavy Vehicles, South of Ewingsdale ...............................14 Figure 10 Highest Hourly Volume Analysis ....................................................................................17 Figure 11 Existing Overtaking Opportunities..................................................................................20 Figure 12 Historical Accident Data .................................................................................................26 Figure 13 Upgraded Highway Level of Service during the design hour.........................................32 Figure 14 Hourly Distribution, Upgraded Highway (2012) between Ross Lane and Ivy Lane.......36 Figure 15 Hourly Distribution, Upgraded Highway (2012) between Ivy Lane and Bangalow ........37 Figure 16 Hourly Distribution, Upgraded Highway (2012) between Bangalow and Ewingsdale ...37 Figure 17 Hourly Distribution, Existing Highway (2012) between Ross Lane and Ivy Lane ..........38 Figure 18 Hourly Distribution, Existing Highway (2012) between Ivy Lane and Bangalow............38 Figure 19 Hourly Distribution, Existing Highway (2012) between Bangalow and Ewingsdale.......39 Figure 20 Ross Lane Interchange ..................................................................................................42 Figure 21 Ivy Lane Interchange......................................................................................................43 Figure 22 Bangalow Interchange....................................................................................................44 Figure 23 Ewingsdale Interchange.................................................................................................45 Figure 24 Local Road Network – Upgraded Highway ....................................................................49 Arup Issue June 2008 Roads and Traffic Authority Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Pacific Highway Upgrade Working Paper 06 - Traffic and Transport Assessment Appendices Appendix A Origin and Destination Survey Results Appendix B Ewingsdale Interchange Assessment Appendix C Predictions of Future Traffic Volumes (RoadNet, 2003) Appendix D Classified Count Data Arup Issue June 2008 Roads and Traffic Authority Tintenbar to Ewingsdale Pacific Highway Upgrade Working Paper 06 - Traffic and Transport Assessment 1 Introduction The NSW Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) are proposing to upgrade the Pacific Highway between Tintenbar and Ewingsdale. The existing Tintenbar to Ewingsdale section of the highway is largely a two-lane, two-way single carriageway with some overtaking lanes and one section of dual carriageway (the Bangalow bypass). In many sections, the highway alignment (both horizontal and vertical) does not meet current RTA Pacific Highway upgrade standards. The Tintenbar to Ewingsdale project is proposed as part of the NSW and Australian Governments’ overall objective of fully upgrading the Pacific Highway to dual carriageway from Hexham to the Queensland border. This report has been prepared as part of the Environmental Assessment for the proposed upgrade. The purpose of the report is to: • assess and describe the traffic and transportation patterns for the existing Pacific Highway; • examine historical reported accident data; • review historical traffic growth and undertake traffic projections for the predicted opening year and up to 20 years after opening; • present current and future levels of service for the existing Pacific Highway and proposed upgrade; • assess the operation and impact of the proposed highway upgrade and associated interchanges; • identify any impacts on the adjacent road network; • assess the impacts during construction; and • address local traffic access and integration of local and regional pedestrian and bicycle networks. In order to assess the existing