15. Traffic and Access

15. Traffic and Access 15.1 Assessment Approach 15.1.1 Introduction The Director-General’s Environmental Assessment Requirements identify traffic and access issues as key issues for the Environmental Assessment. This chapter identifies the potential impacts of the Project on traffic and access and the management measures proposed to reduce these impacts. Table 15-1 outlines the Director-General’s Environmental Assessment Requirements relating to traffic and access and where they have been addressed. Traffic impacts, taking into account the Road Design Guide (RTA) and relevant AUSTROADS guidelines and Australian Standards, have been assessed within a detailed Traffic Study and are included in Appendix J. Table 15-1 Director-General’s Environmental Assessment Requirements – Traffic and Access Director-General’s Environmental Assessment Where addressed Requirements General Construction Impacts Assess and present a management framework for traffic and access, including a considered approach to minimising construction traffic impacts on public and private access. Consideration should be given to: Local and regional community access (vehicle and Section 15.3 pedestrian) to property, community facilities and business services, Route identification and temporary haul roads, Chapter 7 The number, frequency and size of construction related Chapter 7 vehicles, The nature and frequency of existing traffic on construction Chapter 7 access routes, The need to close, divert or otherwise reconfigure elements Chapter 7 of the road network associated with construction of the project, and A strategy for managing traffic impacts, with a particular Section 15.4 and Chapter 7 focus placed on those activities identified as having the greatest potential for adverse traffic flow, access or safety implications, and a broader, more generic approach developed for day-to-day traffic management. Maitland to Minimbah Third Track 262 Environmental Assessment Director-General’s Environmental Assessment Where addressed Requirements Land Use and Access Interaction with existing and proposed rail and road Section 1.3 infrastructure including the Hunter Expressway, taking into account the Road Design Guide (RTA) and relevant AUSTROADS guidelines and Australian Standards. 15.1.2 Methodology The traffic and access assessment comprised the following steps: Description of existing road network conditions. Estimation of the volume of construction traffic to be generated. Impact assessment. Mitigation measures. 15.2 Existing Road Network Condition 15.2.1 Regional Road Network The Project area passes through three local government areas: Maitland, Cessnock and Singleton. The study area starts at Telarah, at the southern end and follows the Main Northern Railway to Minimbah, near Belford in the north. The New England Highway is part of the National Highway route, designated National Highway 15. The highway is an arterial route which carries the majority of traffic through the Upper Hunter Valley to Newcastle (Figure 15.1). In the study area, the highway follows a similar path to the north of the Main Northern Railway. The highway passes through the townships of Lochinvar, Greta and Branxton. Wine Country Drive is designated as State Route 82, connecting Branxton to Cessnock via Rothbury and several wineries. The road is also referred to as Bridge Street in the vicinity of the Main Northern Railway overbridge in Branxton. There are a number of roads that connect the New England Highway and the Main Northern Railway corridor, crossing the railway at level crossings or at grade-separated crossings (Figure 15.1). Project construction and maintenance vehicles would be required to travel on the New England Highway and these roads to gain access to the Project. Table 15-2 lists the streets within the study area and provides a general description. Maitland to Minimbah Third Track 263 Environmental Assessment Table 15-2 Streets Within the Study Area Road Description Wollombi Road, Telarah Wollombi Road is a divided carriageway road between New England Highway and Green Street with direct property access to residential dwellings on both sides. The posted speed limit for this section is 60 km/hr. South of the Green Street roundabout, Wollombi Road is a two-lane two-way sealed road and continues to Cessnock after approximately 30km. The road passes under the Main Northern Railway at a rail overbridge with a clearance of 4.2 metres. Winders Lane, Lochinvar Winders Lane is a two-lane, two-way sealed road allowing access from the New England Highway to rural residential lots. Winders Lane terminates at access gates to the Main Northern Railway Line approximately 1.5km south of the New England Highway. Station Lane, Lochinvar Station Lane is a two-lane two-way sealed road connecting New England Highway and Old North Road and providing access to Lochinvar Railway Station. It passes through a residential area, signposted speed 60km/hr for the first 650 metres and proceeds to a rural residential area with posted speed 80km/hr and connects to Old North Road. Station Lane will cross the Main Northern Railway at a grade separated overbridge approximately 200 metres west of the existing level crossing. This overbridge will replace the level crossing and construction is expected be complete by the time of construction of the Project. Old North Road, Allandale, Old North Road is a two-lane two-way rural road that originally Lochinvar and Farley connected Allandale Road and Wollombi Road but is now discontinuous at the railway crossing between Allandale Road and Station Lane. It provides access to rural residential properties. It has a posted speed limit for most of its length of 80 km/hr. Allandale Road, Allandale Allandale Road is a two-lane two-way rural road. The road provides access to a number of rural properties and connects the New England Highway to several vineyards. Allandale Road has a signposted speed of 80km/hr and intersects with Old North Road approximately 1.5 kilometres south of the New England Highway then passes under the Main Northern Railway at an underbridge 50 metres south of this intersection. The bridge has a clearance of 4.5 metres Nelson Street, Greta Nelson Street south of the New England Highway is a two-lane, two- way sealed road which provides access to a number of residential dwellings and connecting streets. Nelson Street crosses the Main Northern Railway at a two lane overbridge and provides access to Greta Railway Station. Nelson Street then becomes Mansfield Street and services a number of residential properties and continues on to Cessnock. The posted speed limit is 50 km/hr Station Street, Branxton Station Street is a two-lane, two-way road providing access to a primary school, church and cemetery at the northern end. At the southern end of Station Street are a number of residential properties. Station Street also provides access to Branxton Railway Station and does not cross the Main Northern Railway. The posted speed limit is 50 km/hr Maitland to Minimbah Third Track 264 Environmental Assessment Road Description Standen Drive (Rix’s Road), Rixs Road intersects with the New England Highway at Standen Belford Drive. Rixs Road is an unsealed and is an access road and crosses the Main Northern Railway at a private level crossing. This crossing is approximately 500 metres south of the New England Highway Hermitage Road, Belford Hermitage Road is a two lane-two way road through a rural residential area. Hermitage Road links the New England Highway to Broke Road, Broke. The posted speed limit is 100km/hr and will cross the Main Northern Railway at a grade separated overbridge approximately 200 metres south of the New England Highway and 85 metres west of the existing level crossing. This overbridge will replace the level crossing and construction is expected be complete by the time of construction of the Project. 15.2.2 Existing Road Performance The performance of the existing road network surrounding the study area has been measured in terms of Level of Service (LOS). The LOS criteria has been based on peak hour flows per direction for urban roads and two-way peak hour flows for rural roads as defined in RTA’s Guide to Traffic Generating Developments. A LOS of A means that the road is operating at a good level of service with extra capacity available, while a LOS rating of F means that the road is considered to be failing. The performance of the existing road network surrounding the study area is shown in Table 15-3. Table 15-3 Existing Road Network Performance Peak Peak Two- Direction way Flow Existing LOS Road Road Class Flow (Vehicles per * (Vehicles per hour) hour) Wollombi Road Urban 127 75 A Station Lane, Lochinvar Urban 68 35 A Old North Road, Farley Rural 79 44 B Allandale Road, Allandale Rural 168 86 B Nelson Street, Greta Urban 310 171 A Wine Country Drive, Branxton Urban 659 339 B Hermitage Road, Belford Rural 218 112 B * as per the RTA’s Guide to Traffic Generating Developments. Overall, the existing road network investigated has a good LOS with extra capacity available. Maitland to Minimbah Third Track 265 Environmental Assessment 15.2.3 Existing Intersection Performance The volume of traffic using key intersections within the study area was surveyed. Traffic volumes at these intersections were measured in 15 minute increments in the morning between 6.30 am and 9.30 am and afternoon between 3.00 pm and 6.00 pm. The four consecutive 15 minute sections with the highest traffic volume were used to identify the peak hour volume. The key intersections were modelled using SIDRA Intersection 3.2 (SIDRA) traffic modelling software, based on the volumes from the surveyed turning movement counts. The layout and lane arrangement of each intersection was assessed using aerial photographs, survey and site observations. The existing Level of Service (LOS) of each intersection was modelled for the morning and afternoon peak and a summary of the results of the modelling are given Table 15-4.

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