Traffic report for Planning Application 04/1248

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:48 Proposed New Entrance Junction at Wyeth Medica Ireland Newbridge

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Floor 4, Harcourt Centre Block 3, Harcourt Road Dublin 2

Tel: +353(0)1 418 2224 Fax: +353(0)1 418 2248 http:llwww.wspgroup.com

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:48 PROPOSED NEW ENTRANCE AT WYETH MEDICA IRELAND, NEWBRIDGE

CONTENTS PAGE

1 Introduction 1 2 Receiving Environment 3 3 Assessment Of Various Options And Selection Of The Preferred Option 9 4 Future Assessment Of The Preferred Option 15 5 Geometric Design Characteristics 23 6 Summary 28

Appendix A Traffic Count Figures Appendix B Junction Analysis Results New Roundabout Junction: 2005 - ARCADY New Signal Controlled Junction: 2005 - OSCADY New Signal Controlled Junction: 2010 - OSCADY - NRA Growth Figures

New Signal Controlled ForJunction: inspection purposes only.2010 - OSCADY - TMS Growth Figures Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. New Signal Controlled Junction: 2020 - OSCADY - NRA Growth Figures New Signal Controlled Junction: 2020 - OSCADY - TMS Growth Figures New Signal Controlled Junction: 2005 - OSCADY - Construction Traffic

Appendix C Drawings 20010074-001 Traffic Signal Junction - Overall Site Layout 20010074-002 Traffic Signal Junction - Lining and Signage Details 20010074-003 Traffic Signal Junction - Drainage, Levels & Geometry 20010074-004 Traffic Signal Junction - Traffic Signal Details

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:48 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Purpose of this Report

WSP Ireland were commissioned by Wyeth Medica Ireland to undertake a traffic and access study in support of a planning application for the provision of a new junction and entrance road to their facility on the R445 to Newbridge road.

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the existing traffic issues with regards to the roundabout at Buckleys Cross Roads at the junction of the R445 and the Greatconnell Road. In particular the impact of traffic generated by the Wyeth Medica facility has been assessed and recommendations made as to the possible new entrance junction to the facility.

1.2 Structure of this Report

The report will be structured as follows:

Section 2: Receiving Environment

This section will describe the existing road network, both regional and local, and will focus on the For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. current traffic flows on the roads in question. A brief evaluation will be undertaken on the roads objectives contained in the Newbridge Local Area Plan with respect to their effect on the roads infrastructure in the vicinity of the site.

Section 3: Assessment of the various junction types and selection of preferred option

This section will include a preliminary assessment of various types of junctions to provide an alternative access into the Wyeth Facility along the R445. A full assessment will be carried out for the two most suitable junction forms for the opening year of 2005 and these will be compared and contrasted to ascertain the preferred option.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:48 Section 4: Future Assessment of the preferred option

This section will assess the preferred option for an interim year of 2010 and a future design year of 2020 to coincide with the Newbridge Traffic Management Study.

Section 5: Geometric Design Characteristics

This section will discuss the process carried out to determine the geometric layout and design characteristics of the preferred option.

Section 6: Summary

This section will provide a synopsis of the key finding of this report.

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Proposed New Entrance Junction WSP Ireland Ltd. Traffic Report

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:48 2 RECEIVING ENVIRONMENT

2.1 Existing Facility

The Wyeth Medica Ireland facility is located approximately l.Okm to the North East of Newbridge town centre on the R445. The entrance to the facility is located 85m southeast of Buckley’s crossroads along the Greatconnell Road.

The Wyeth Medica Ireland facility is located within a 48.6-hectare site as indicated on Drawing No. 20010074-001 - Overall Site Layout, of which approximately 22 hectares are attributed to the existing pharmaceutical operations. The buildings on the site take up the Northwestern corner of the site and comprise of seven main buildings, solvent recovery plant, combined heat & power (CHP) plant and laboratories. Other facilities include warehousing of raw materials, intermediates and finished goods, external materials storage, services including steam, compressed air, nitrogen, cooling water and process water, an engineering office building, an engineering workshop and an administration building and canteen.

There are currently approximately 700 car parking spaces on site that are separated between two locations with some additional spaces provided throughout the site. There is a car park located to the south west of the main buildings which contains 210 spaces and a car park to the north east of the main buildings which provides 420 spaces. There is a general consensus within Wyeth that there are insufficient car parking spaces at the shift change of 4.00pm but that there is an adequate For inspection purposes only. supply at all other times. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use.

Wyeth employs 1640 full and part time workers on the site. Approximately 150 employees working for various contractors throughout the site compliment this number, bringing the total to 1790. 291 of Wyeth employees work on a flexi time basis in administration with their core hours from 9.30am to 4.00pm and the remaining workforce work on a shift basis. The shifts vary from one section of the complex to the other. Some working a 2 shift cycle, some a 3 shift cycle and some a 4 shift cycle depending on which area they are working in. Table 2.1 below indicates the typical weekday, Monday to Thursday, shift pattern for employees. Fridays vary slightly as some workers make up an extra hour during the week so as to leave early on a Friday.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:48 Start I ime 1 1 I-lnlsh I Ime 1 No. of Staff 1 Tvoe,I-- 1 0:oo - 8:00 I 144 I s ‘hift I 0:oo - 8:00 I 1 1 Shift I 7:oo - 23:00 I 3 I Shift 1 8:00 - 16:OO I 223 1 Shift 8-l-m - 4 c.nn -lr; I CkiU . -.-- . . -..... 16:00 2 ShiU

16.00 1 s -._- .- _...._ _.- - 20:oo 12 Shift 8:00 - 20:oo 10 Shift 8:00 - 16:30 237 Shift 8:00 - 16:OO 9 Shift I 8:00 - 16:00 1 1 I shift I I 8:00 - 16:OO 1 4 I Shift I I 8:00 - 16:30 1 53 I Shift I

.-.-- u.uu IL 311111 16:00 0:oo 1 Shift 16:00 0:oo-_-_ . 3 Shift_. .._ 16:00 0100-.- - I 149 I Shift_. .._ 1 16:00 0:oo 8 Shift I 16:00 - 0:oo 1 Shift I 20:oo - 8:00 1 15 I shift 1

20:oo23:00 - 8:007100 I 143 I1 PartShift time Total I 1640 I I For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. Table 2.1 Typical Weekday Shift Pattern

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 2.2 Existing Road Network

The R445, formerly the N7, formed the national primary route from Dublin to until the opening of the bypass of Newbridge. This road has since been dotin graded to a . The R445 now forms the most direct road from Newbridge to Naas and provides access to the M7 motorway.

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Buckley’s Crossroads forms a roundabout junction at the intersection of the R445 and the Greatconnell road. The south-eastern end of Greatconnell road meets the outer orbital road at a roundabout junction, The outer orbital road has been only partially constructed from this junction north-eastwards to the Lidl distribution facility.

Buckley’s Crossroads is a three-arm roundabout with a diameter of 32m and a 16m internal island giving a running lane of 8m. There is currently only one running lane on the roundabout. Each arm flares out to allow two cars to enter onto the roundabout although these are not lined.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 The R445 is a single lane road with 3.85m running lanes with a hard shoulder of 2.0m on the Wyeth side of the road and a 2.5m shoulder on the opposite side of the road. This road profile is continued for approximately 1.25km north east where it then forms a dual carriageway with 2 No. 3.8m running lanes on either side of a 6.0m central reserve. There is also a 2.8m hard shoulder on either side of the road. This profile proceeds to a roundabout junction at Ladytown Crossroads where is returns to a single carriageway.

To establish the existing traffic flows on the local road network a 12-hour traffic count was carried out on Tuesday 6’h April 2004 from 7.00am to 7.00pm at Buckley’s Crossroads. During this count the local origin and destination of traffic using the roundabout was determined to try to distinguish Wyeth only traffic from the general traffic using the junction. The count also distinguished vehicles entering and leaving the Sisk construction compound. The full details of this count are included in Appendix A and are summarised in Table 2.2A below.

Due to an oversight on behalf of the traffic surveying contractor it was necessary to further review the survey video tape and determine the spilt of traffic entering the roundabout from the Greatconnell Road. Having determined the peak hour period at the junction, it was requested that the surveying company need only provide the additional traffic movements for the peak hour period of 4.00pm to 6.00pm. These are also included in Appendix A and summarised in Table 2.2B below.

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Traific Report

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 r,\rySP

From Newbridge to From Newbridge to From Newbridge to Sisl From Newbridge to From Greatconnell to Naas Wyeth Access Greatconnell Tklt LV HV TOT- LV 1 HV 1 TOT 7:oo - 8:00 384 19 403 3 I II 4 8:00 - 9:00 467 18 485 9:oo - IO:00 401 19 420 IO:00 - II:00 361 26 387 II:00 - 12:00 344 28 372

61 89 99 121

From 3eatconnell to From Naas to Sisk From Naas to From Naas to I Naas From Naas to Wyeth Access Greatconnnell Newbridge LV 1 HV 1 m LV 1 HV I m 114 1 2 1 116 0 1 1 98 1 2 1 100 7 0 7 0 0 0 3 0 3 1 1 2 5 1 6 0 0 0 2 0 2 34 1 0 1 34 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 18 4 22

Table 2.2A Summary of Traffic Count Details

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From Sisk Access

Table 2.2B Summary of Additional Traffic Movements

Based on the traffic count figures, the current traffic flows on the R445 Road totalled 12,128 cars and 676 heavy goods vehicles for the 12-hour period of the traffic count. The existing roundabout carries a 12 hour loading of approximately 14,550 car and 872 heavy goods vehicles.

The traffic count also indicates that the Wyeth Medica Ireland facility generates approximately 244 trips for the facilities peak hour from 4.00pm to 500pm.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 It was noticed during observations taken on the morning of Wednesday 31” March 2004 that traffic began to build up from the roundabout in both the Naas and Newbridge directions at approximately 7.40am. The queue extended back for approximately 500m in the Naas direction and cleared at 8.00am. This queue was caused primarily by Wyeth Medica Ireland traffic entering the roundabout from both the Naas direction and the Newbridge direction. A queue also occurred on the Newbridge side of the roundabout. At times, the Wyeth traffic approaching from the Newbridge direction queued on the roundabout, as they had unhindered access to it, causing delay to straight through traffic.

HGVs entering the site during this peak time caused further delay due to the security procedures at Wyeth entrance gate. It was also noted that these HGV’s obstructed cars entering the site.

2.3 Future Roads Infrastructure

The only proposed future roads in the current Newbridge Local Area Plan, with a potential impact on this location, is the outer orbital road linking the R445 at Littleconnell to the R445 Kildare road near the Ballymany interchange. This includes a new bridge over the Liffey traversing the Green Road. This road has been partially constructed from the southern end of the Greatconnell Road to the Lidl distribution facility as mentioned earlier.

A planning application has recently been approved to construct the next section of this road from an intersection with the R445 near the Ballymany interchange. It is expected that this road and junction will be constructed within the next 5 years. It is not expected that the remaining section of For inspection purposes only. the road will be completed in Consentthe nearof copyright future. owner requiredThis foris anymainly other use.due to the construction cost of the

Liffey Bridge.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 3 ASSESSMENT OF VARIOUS OPTIONS AND SELECTION OF THE PREFERRED OPTION

The principle forms of junctions considered for the new Wyeth entrance are a priority junction, a roundabout and traffic signals. The merits of each junction type in terms of impact on the surrounding network, delays caused to local and Wyeth traffic and safety issues have been assessed.

The existing road traffic on the R445 has been factored by 25% to account for the survey being undertaken during the school holidays. As the assumed opening year is to be 2005 this traffic has been further increased using the NRA growth figure of 3% for the year. The application of both these factors will give a fully robust analysis of the junction. Note: No increase in Wyeth Medica Traffic has been assumed for the 2005 scenario.

Table 3.1 below indicates the traffic flows used for the 2005 analysis.

From Naas From Wyeth From Newbridge

To Wyeth To Newbridge To Naas To Newbridge To Naas To Wyeth

TIME LV HV TOT LV HV TOT LV HV TOT LV HV TOT LV HV TOT LV HV TOT . *, ,. _, ..,,. I ..,.

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Table 3.1 2005 Projected Traffic flows (including 25% added to through traffic for schools and 3% for 1 year growth)

The peak hour period of 4.00pm to 5.00pm was selected as it produced the largest volume of traffic exiting the Wyeth facility and coincided with the approximate peak hour for the main road. This time period also produced the largest volume of conflicting traffic with a significant volume of traffic exiting the Wyeth facility in the Naas direction.

3.1 Priority Junction

Of the three junction types assessed, priority junctions have the least impact on the capacity of the major road traffic, however they do not perform well when there is a significant volume of minor arm traffic.

Proposed New Entrance Junction 9 WSP Ireland Ltd. Traffic Report

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 With traffic volumes on the main road at over 600 vehicles in the peak hour in each direction the potential gaps in traffic would be down to the 6 second for traffic exiting in the Newbridge direction and approximately 3 seconds for the Naas direction when both lanes of traffic are taken into account. These times are below the minimum gap acceptance criteria set out by the NRA guidelines. Furthermore the introduction of a right turn facility that would be necessary to accommodate the turning traffic into Wyeth would exacerbate this situation.

Taking the above into consideration the priority junction was discounted at this stage.

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Proposed New Entrance Junction Traffic Report

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 3.2 Roundabout Junction

In order to assess the future performance of a roundabout at the Wyeth entrance, the proposed junction with the R445 has been modelled using the TRL junction analysis program ARCADY. The assessment has been carried out for the opening year of 2005 during the evening peak hour for Wyeth traffic at 16:00-17:O0. The traffic flows used were as mentioned above. The geometric parameters required to undertake the ARCADY analysis have been taken from a preliminary junction design carried out with the details as shown on Table 3.2 below.

Table 3.2 Summary of the proposed roundabout geometric parameters

The full results of the ARCADY analysis are contained within Appendix B. Table 3.3 below summarises the results of the analysis. For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use.

Maximum Ratio of Flow to Capacity (RFC) Maximum Queue Length

R445 to Wyeth Model Period R445 to Naas R445 to Naas R445 to Wyeth Newbridge Entrance Newbridge Entrance 2005 PM 0.295 0.456 peak 0.366 0.2 0.6 0.7

Table 3.3 Summary of ARCADY results New Wyeth entrance/R445 junction

The above results show that the proposed new junction would have a minor effect on the adjacent highway during the existing PM peak hour. The maximum Ratio of Flow to Capacity (RFC) on all arms during the PM peak does not exceed 46%, whilst the maximum queue length at the end of each segment at the junction is less than 1 vehicle.

This analysis clearly indicates that a roundabout would operate sufficiently within capacity for the opening year scenario of 2005.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 3.3 Traffic Signals

Similarly to above, a traffic signal junction at the new Wyeth entrance with the R445 has been modelled using the TRL analysis programme OSCADY. In order to draw direct comparisons with the roundabout, the assessment has been undertaken using the same analysis period and traffic data.

For the purpose of running the model, a preliminary design of the traffic junction has been carried out. Details of the geometric parameters are contained in Appendix B within the OSCADY analysis results. The OSCADY programme has been set to optimise the signal timings to best serve the volumes of traffic using the junction, although a minimum and maximum cycle time of 60 seconds and 120 seconds respectively has been selected. Figure 3.1 below illustrates the stage details l designed for the traffic signal junction

To Newbridge To Naas I To Newbridge To Naas To Newbridge To Naas --r-- R4-45

To Wyeth Medica I To Wyeth Medica I To Wyeth Medica

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Figure 3.1 Traffic Signal Stages - OSCADY assessment

The full results of the OSCADY analysis are contained within Appendix B. Table 3.4 below summarises the results of the analysis.

Maximum Ratio of Flow to Capacity (RFC) Maximum Queue Length

R445 to Wyeth R445 to Wyeth Model Period R445 to Naas R445 to Naas Newbridge Entrance Newbridge Entrance 2005 PM peak 0.528 0.572 0.549 3.5 5.1 3.8

Table 3.4 Summary of OSCADY results New Wyeth entrance/R445 junction

The above results show that the proposed new traffic signal junction would operate satisfactorily in the evening peak hour, with all arms operating with a RFC below 0.6 below the threshold value of Proposed New Entrance Junction 12 WSP Ireland Ltd. Traffic Report

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 0.85. As the junction is operated by traffic signals, the average junction delay per vehicle is longer than that of the roundabout, however this only results in marginally longer queue lengths. For example, the maximum queue length at the end of a red phase just exceeds 5 vehicles on any of the major road arms, whilst the maximum queue length calculated at the end of the red phase at the Wyeth entrance is only 3.8 vehicles.

3.4 Preferred junction option

The above ARCADY and OSCADY assessments for the roundabout and traffic signal junction demonstrate that both junction forms operate well within capacity limits during the 2005 opening year PM peak. The maximum RFC value on all arms of the roundabout is 0.46, whilst the maximum RFC on the traffic signals is only slightly higher at 0.57. With regards to queue lengths the, average queue on the roundabout is 0.4 vehicles, whilst the maximum queue length at the end of a red stage at the traffic signal does not exceed 3.6 vehicles.

In general, the above model show that the roundabout performs marginally better than the traffic signal during the opening year assessment when traffic flows are relatively low, however traffic signal junctions can retain higher capacity thresholds than roundabouts if maintained properly. The results of the 2002 Newbridge Traffic Management Study indicate that traffic flows on the R445 will more than treble in the next 20 years. If traffic growth of this proportion arises, then a signalised junction will undoubtedly be the best form of junction to accommodate these flows.

The above traffic signal model has been run with set signal timings based on the evening peak For inspection purposes only. hour flows to demonstrate thatConsent the of copyrightjunction owner can required operate for any other satisfactorily use. during this period. The

Department of Transports “Traffic Management Guidelines”, recommends that all stand alone signal junctions should be operated by vehicle actuated devices. This allows the signal timings of a junction to be continually modified based on the traffic flows at the time. This method of signal control would prove extremely beneficial In the case of Wyeth due to its variations in traffic generation throughout the day. During off peak times the development generates low volumes of traffic; therefore long periods of green could be afforded to the R445 traffic, thereby minimising delay to the straight through traffic.

The introduction of a roundabout would necessitate the establishment of deflection angles on the existing road and thereby increasing delay on this road. Although some delay will be experienced with the introduction of traffic this will be limited to peak hour periods when traffic is entering and exiting the Wyeth Medica facility.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:49 At present the lands to the south and east of the Wyeth site are primarily agricultural, and therefore do not generate significant volumes of pedestrian movements. A zoning objective of the Newbridge local Area Plan 2003 is to develop lands to the east of the town for employment purposes. Although not significant, these new developments will generate a proportion of slow mode trips. A roundabout at this location would primarily be designed to cater for large volumes of vehicular traffic, and would therefore present safety problems for vulnerable road users. Although, the preliminary design of the traffic signal junction does not specifically accommodate pedestrian and cyclists, there would be scope in the future to facilitate vulnerable road uses should the demand arise.

In summary, it is proposed that the new Wyeth entrance onto the R445 take the form of a signalised junction for the following reasons:

l Signalised junctions can retain higher capacities than roundabouts

l A Vehicle Actuated Signalised junction will have minimal impact on the R445 traffic flow during off peak times as compared to a roundabout which would impact at all times

l Traffic Signals can easily be modified if required to accommodate the safe movement of pedestrian and cyclists.

3.5 Location of the proposed junction

It is proposed that the new Wyeth access road will link into the R445 at the eastern extremity of the For inspection purposes only. Wyeth holding as indicated on ConsentDrawing of copyrightNo. 20010074-001,owner required for any otherAppendix use. C. This location will minimise impact on the adjacent network by siting the junction as far away as possible from the existing Buckley’s Cross Roads. The location of this junction will allow the provision of a vehicle-stacking lane within the Wyeth site to allow employees to clear through the security arrangements off the public highway.

With respect to adjacent properties, the new Wyeth junction would also be located an acceptable distance from the Stud farm entrance on the opposite side of the R445.

In the interests of Wyeth Medica Ireland, this junction location will also allow an integrated development of the remainder of the site.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:50 4 FUTURE ASSESSMENT OF THE PREFERRED OPTION

To ensure the adequacy of the access design a future analysis of the junction has been undertaken 5 years and 15 years after the anticipated opening. Within the future year analysis we have i’ncluded for a 30% increase in staff for the Wyeth Medica facility. Wyeth have stated that this is a robust and possibly an overestimate of numbers of future employees as their future plans for the plant are to move towards a “higher value/lower volume” production line compared to their existing “low value/high volume” production line. It is expected that as the facility grows personnel will be redeployed to alternative areas of the facility.

Using this figure the future traffic to the facility was estimated by increasing the existing trips by 30%.

4.1 Future Traffic Growth

For the future year scenario’s, traffic figures on the network were initially extracted from the 2002 “Newbridge Traffic Management Study”. A further assessment of this report highlighted some concerns as to the predicted future traffic generation of the town. Some of these concerns are detailed below:

l The Traffic Management Study summates the arrival and departure traffic generation figures for the various future developments. This appears to assume that all trips arriving in For inspection purposes only. Newbridge Town will haveConsent oforiginated copyright owner from required outsidefor any other use.of the study area and that all trips

starting in Newbridge will leave the study area.

l The study calculates the traffic generation of future land uses, and then applies traffic growth figures obtained from the NRA. Traffic growth figures produced by the NRA have already accounted for an area wide growth in traffic partially due to increases in development (as well as increases in car ownership etc).

l The study indicates that new residents in the town will generate a proportion of the traffic to the new retail areas. Some allowance should be made for traffic already on the network using the new retail areas via diverted trips and pass by traffic i.e. workers doing their shopping on their way home from work or on their way to work.

Following the concerns detailed above, future flows on the R445 have been determined using conventional traffic growth figures obtained from the NRA. Traffic analysis of the proposed junction

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:50 has been undertaken using these figures and figures derived from the “Newbridge Traffic Management Study”. Comparisons of these results are detailed in the following section.

2010 Traffic growth Predictions

Following consultations with the local authority it was revealed that the Outer Orbital Route would unlikely be completed by 2010. Therefore no allowance has been made for this route within this future design year. Although the Newbridge TMS has predicted that this road will completed by 2010.

Using the NRA growth factors for a national secondary route, the 2004 traffic volumes on the R445 have been increased by 14%, to predict the 2010 traffic growth figures. These figures are indicated below in Table 4.1. With regards to Wyeth traffic, the 2004 Wyeth flows have been increased by 30% in line with the anticipated growth of the site.

For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. Table 4.1 2010 Projected Traffic flows using NRA Growth Figures (including 25% added to through traffic for schools, 14% for 6 year growth & 30% growth to Wyeth Traffic)

Table 4.2 below indicates the figures derived from the “Newbridge Traffic Management Study” which includes an allowance for the Outer Orbital Route.

Table 4.2 2010 Projected Traffic flows using Traffic Management Study (including Outer Orbital Route)

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:50 2020 Traffic growth Predictions

Following discussions with the local authority it was stated that Outer Orbital Route would be completed by 2020, therefore an allowance for this has been made within this scenarios traffic generation. Due to the lack of alternative sources, the percentage split of the main road traffic using the Outer Orbital route in the year 2020 was estimated using the Newbridge Traffic Management Study. Using their 2020 model an estimate of 36% of traffic travelling from Naas diverted onto the Outer Orbital Route from the R445. This proportion of diverted traffic has therefore been applied to our traffic growth predictions.

For our 2020 traffic growth predictions the existing road traffic has been factored by 25% to account for school traffic as detailed before. Using the NRA growth factors for a secondary route and extrapolating for 16 years the traffic volume has been increased by 25% to give a 2020 traffic growth figure estimate. These figures are indicated below in Table 4.3. It has been assumed within this analysis that the expansion of the Wyeth development will remain at 30%. .

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Table 4.3 2020 Projected Traffic flOWS using NRA Growth Figures (including 25% added to through traffic for schools, 36% for 16 year growth 8 30% growth to Wyeth Traffic)

Table 4.4 indicates the figures derived from the “Newbridge Traffic Management Study”.

Table 4.4 2020 Projected Traffic flows using Traffic Management Study

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:50 Construction Traffic

It is intended initially that the proposed junction would be used only for construction traffic associated with the imminent extension to the Wyeth Medica Ireland facility. The engineers for the proposed project have estimated that there will be approximately 850 personnel on site at the peak of construction. It is estimated that this peak will continue for approximately 6 months and approximately 80% of personnel will arrive by car. The majority of traffic generated by the construction crew will arrive at the site from 7.00am to 8.00am and leave between 500pm and 7.00pm.

Using these details, the trips generated by construction personnel will be in the region of 340 for each hourly period from 500pm to 7.00pm. For the analysis of the junction the trips have been distributed pro rata based on the flows on the R445. This equates to 107 vehicles exiting the site in the Naas direction and 233 in the Newbridge direction.

All HGV construction traffic to and from the site will be restricted to off peak hours so as to minimise disruption to the existing road traffic.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:50 4.2 2010 Assessment

The full results of the OSCADY analysis are contained within Appendix 6. Table 4.5 below summarises the results of the analysis.

Maximum Ratio of Flow to Capacity (RFC) Maximum Queue Length

R445 to Wyeth R445 to Wyeth Model Period R445 to Naas R445 to Naas Newbridge Entrance Newbridge Entrance 2010 PM 0.63 0.524 0.715 5.8 3.3 5.4 peak

Table 4.5 Summary of OSCADY results New Wyeth entrance/R445 junction for 2010 Using NRA growth figure traffic prediction

Maximum Ratio of Flow to Capacity (RFC) Maximum Queue Length

R445 to Wyeth R445 to Wyeth Model Period R445 to Naas R445 to Naas Newbridge Entrance Newbridge Entrance 2010 PM peak 1.677 1.603 0.451 482 658 2.2

Table 4.6 Summary of OSCADY results New Wyeth entrance/R445 junction for 2010 Using Traffic Management Study figures

The above results in Table 4.5, using the NRA growth figures, show that the proposed new traffic signal junction would operate satisfactorily in the evening peak hour, with all arms operating with a For inspection purposes only. RFC below the threshold valueConsent of 0.85. of copyright The owner maximum required for anyqueue other use. length at the end of a red phase is

below 6 vehicles on any of the major road arms, whilst the maximum queue length calculated at the end of the red phase at the Wyeth entrance is 5.4 vehicles.

The results in Table 4.6, using the Traffic Management Study figures, indicate that the proposed junction will be over saturated on both the main arms giving RFC values of over 1.6 and queue lengths of over 400 vehicles.

This analysis clearly shows that the traffic signal junction could not operate under the traffic flows predicted by the Newbridge traffic management study. Furthermore, the model results also indicate that the queues generated by the junction would have adverse affects on the capacity of junctions up stream of the traffic signals.

Following the concerns detailed above and the results produced by the analysis, it has been concluded that the traffic generation predicted by the Newbridge Traffic Management Study present

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:50 an unrealistic assessment of the future traffic growth of the town. Therefore, these figures will not l be used in the final assessment of the performance of the junction.

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Proposed New Entrance Junction Ireland Ltd. Traffic Report

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:50 4.3 2020 Assessment

The full results of the OSCADY analysis are contained within Appendix 6. Table 4.7 below summarises the results of the analysis.

Maximum Ratio of Flow to Capacity (RFC) Maximum Queue Length

R445 to Wyeth R445 to Wyeth Model Period R445 to Naas R445 to Naas Newbridge Entrance Newbridge Entrance 2020 PM 0.626 0.575 0.715 5.6 3.7 5.4 peak

Table 4.7 Summary of OSCADY results New Wyeth entrance/R445 junction for 2010 Using NRA growth figure traffic prediction

Maximum Ratio of Flow to Capacity (RFC) Maximum Queue Length

R445 to Wyeth R445 to Wyeth Model Period R445 to Naas R445 to Naas Newbridge Entrance Newbridge Entrance 2020 PM 2.164 2.069 0.451 867 1261 2.1 peak

Table 4.8 Summary of OSCADY results New Wyeth entrance/R445 junction for 2010 Using Traffic Management Study figures

The above results in Table 4.7, using the NRA growth figures, show that the proposed new traffic signal junction would operate satisfactorily in the evening peak hour, with all arms operating with a For inspection purposes only. RFC below the threshold valueConsent of 0.85. of copyright The owner maximum required for anyqueue other use.length at the end of a red phase is

below 6 vehicles on any of the major road arms, whilst the maximum queue length calculated at the end of the red phase at the Wyeth entrance is 5.4 vehicles.

The results in Table 4.8, using the Traffic Management Study figures, indicate that the proposed junction will be over saturated on both the main arms giving RFC values of over 2.0 and queue lengths of over 800 vehicles. As previously stated in section 4.2, this analysis, will not be referred to in the final assessment of the junction.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:50 0 4.4 2005 Assessment using Construction Traffic Figures The full results of the OSCADY analysis are contained within Appendix B. Table 4.9 below summarises the results of the junction analysis during the construction phase.

Maximum Ratio of Flow to Capacity (RFC) T Maximum Queue Length R445 to Wyeth Wyeth R445 to Naas Newbridge Entrance ,,,,,,,,,,I Entrance

0.605 0.638 0.472 5.7 4.3 2.9

I

Table 4.9 Summary of OSCADY results New Wyeth entrance/R445 junction

The above results in Table 4.9, using 2005 PM peak hour figures and adding the estimated construction traffic, show that the proposed new traffic signal junction would operate satisfactorily in the evening peak hour, with all arms operating with a RFC below the threshold value of 0.85. The maximum queue length at the end of a red phase is below 6 vehicles on any of the major road arms, whilst the maximum queue length calculated at the end of the red phase at the Wyeth entrance is 2.9 vehicles. The queue lengths in the above analysis are comparable with those resulting from the analysis carried out for the junction when it is open to all traffic to the Wyeth facility.

For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use.

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:51 5 GEOMETRIC DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS

The geometric layout of the proposed traffic signal junction has been designed in accordance with the DMRB’s ‘The Geometric Layout of Signal Controlled Junctions and Signalised Roundabouts (TD50/99)‘, with acknowledgment being made to the NRA’s addendum to this design standard. With regards to traffic signal control and installation, further advice has been sought from the Highways Agencies Traffic Advisory leaflet TA 16/81 ‘General Principles of Control by Traffic Signals’ and the DETR’s Local Transport Note l/98 ‘The Installation of Traffic Signals and Associated Equipment’.

Following consultation with Kildare County Councils Technical Staff a Gateway feature has been designed to the east of the proposed junction in line with the Councils proposal to reduce the speed l limit on the R445 road from 6Omph to 30mph. This design has been undertaken in accordance with the NRA’s “Guidelines on traffic calming for towns and villages on national routes”1 999.

Detailed below are the various drawings of the traffic signal junction and associated Gateway feature. These are contained within Appendix C:

l Dwg No. 20010074 - 001 Traffic Signal Junction: Overall Site Layout

l Dwg No. 20010074 - 002 Traffic Signal Junction: Lining and Signing Details

l Dwg No. 20010074 - 003 Traffic Signal Junction: Drainage, Levels & Geometry For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. l Dwg No. 20010074 - 004 Traffic Signal Junction: Traffic Signals Details

The following sections review the format of the traffic Signals and Gateway feature and the relevant design standards followed:

5.1 Visibility on approach to the junction

In accordance with the design requirements of DMRB 6.1.1 (NRA’s TD g/00), the Desirable Minimium Stopping Sight Distance (DMSSD) required on approach to the junction for a 30mph (50Kph) Major Road speed limit is 70m. The stopping sight distance along the major road from the east of the site to the proposed junction is in excess of 300 metres, whilst the stopping sight distance from the west of the proposed site entrance is approximately 265m, therefore this design criteria is easily achieved.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:51 5.2 Junction Intervisibility Zone

The purpose of assessing the junction intervisibility zone is to provide drivers with a clear line of vision to other vehicles at each of the junctions stop lines. The junction Intervisibility zone is indicated on Dwg No. 20010074 - 004 Traffic Signal Junction: Traffic Signal Details, and is measured from a distance of 2.5m behind the stop line, extending across the full carriageway width for each arm. When locating the proposed junction, care has been taken to ensure that the inter-visibility zone falls within the public highway or land in ownership of Wyeth Medica Ireland. Although no pedestrian crossing facilities have been provided in the design of the junction, sufficient space has been provided within the intervisibility zone for a pedestrian crossing adjacent the stop line, should the need arise in the future.

5.3 Corner Radii

Due to the scale of the site, the corner radii of the junction have been designed to accommodate a significant proportion of heavy commercial vehicles. The design of the corner radii has been undertaken using the compound curve set out in figure 7/3, of the NRA’s ‘Geometric Design of Major/Minor Priority Junctions.

Notwithstanding the above design recommendation, the suitability of each of the junction radii has been tested with a Extract from the NRA’s ‘Geometric Design For inspection purposes only. of Major/Minor Priority Junctions 165m length articulated vehicleConsent using of copyrightthe Auto owner Trackrequired forvehicles any other use. tracking program. The results of the analysis show that the articulated vehicle can access and egress the junction in a safe manner.

5.4 Carriageway and Entry Widths

On the approach to the junction, the straight-ahead entry lanes on the major road are 35metres wide. This width falls within the desirable parameters set out in TD50/99, allowing for safe passage of large goods vehicles without encouraging vehicular speeds above the limit of the road. In order to maintain this width upstream of the junction, the existing channelisation markings along the centre of the road have been continued from the gateway feature to the traffic island at the east arm of the junction.

With regards to the entry lane widths, the dedicated right turning lane from west of the junction is 3.25m wide, whilst the left turn lane from the east of the junction is 3.0m wide. Both the left and

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:51 right turn entry lane from the Wyeth junction has been set to 3.25m wide. All of these widths fall within the design parameters set out in TD 50199.

5.5 Storage Lengths - Right and Left Turn Entry Lanes

The length of the dedicated right turn storage lane approaching the junction from Newbridge, has been to designed meet the capacity requirements of the junction, as determined by the OSCADY analysis detailed in Section 4. In the design year of 2010, the average queue length on the Newbridge arm at the end of a red period is approximately 4 vehicles. Allowing for a queue length of 7m per vehicle, this equates to a total queue length of 28 metres. The length of the right turn lane approaching the junction from Newbridge is 50m, therefore blocking by right turning traffic at this junction should not occurrence.

With regards to the dedicated left turn lane from the Naas direction, the OSCADY analysis results indicate that the average queue length at the end of a red period is approximately 6 vehicles, this equates to a total queue length of 42 metres. The length of the left turn lane approaching the junction from Naas is 48m, therefore sufficient storage capacity also exists within this lane.

With regards to the Wyeth access, the OSCADY results indicate that adequate storage capacity has been provided within the junction entry lanes. Notwithstanding the above, any queues, which do form at the Wyeth entrance, will have no impact on the performance of the junction.

5.6 Location of Stop Lines and Separation Islands For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use.

The stop lines on all arms of the junction have been set back to allow large commercial vehicles to complete all permissible turning manoeuvres without encroaching into the opposing lane. As previously stated, these turning movements have been simulated using a 16.5m articulated vehicle using the Auto Track program.

A separation island has been provided on the Naas arm to shield vehicles turning right into the Wyeth entrance from the Newbridge direction. It should be noted that this separation island has not been designed as a refuge for pedestrians crossing the R445.

5.7 Traffic Signs and Road Markings

Drawing No. 20010074-002 indicates all new signing and lining associated with the new signal junction design. All signing and lining have been designed in accordance with the Department of the Environments ‘Traffic Signs Manual’, Chapters 6,7 and 9.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:51 5.8 Location of Signals

In keeping with the requirements of TD 50/99, a minimum of one primary and secondary signal has been provided for each arm of the junction. The primary signal head for each arm has been located approximately 2m beyond the stop line, whilst all secondary signal heads have been sited in the direct line of sight of the driver within a distance of 50m.

5.9 Signal Operation

As previously mentioned in Section 4, the TRL modelling programme OSCADY has been used to determine the optimised signal timings based on the vehicular flows at the proposed junction. Figure 8.1 below indicates the optimised signals timings for the junction based on the opening year a of 2005 and design year of 2010. Figure 5.1: Proposed Signal controlled junction: Optimised Signal timings

Optimised Signal Timings

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

Period Time Green Time Preceding Green Time Preceding Green Time Preceding Interstage Interstage Interstage (SW (Se=) (Se=) (Se=) (Se=) (Se=)

ope;;i5year 16:00 - 17:00 6 5 33 5 6 5

Design Year For inspection purposes only. 2010 16:00 - 17:00 Consent6 of copyright5 owner required for33 any other use. 5 6 5

Design2020 Year 16:00 - 17:00 6 5 33 5 6 5

The three stages of the traffic signal cycle have been designed to permit as many non-conflicting movements as possible within a single stage. This enables the lowest practicable number of stages in a single cycle, thereby reducing the total delay at the junction. The movements permitted within each cycle are shown on drawing 20010074-004, as well as the configurations of the signal heads.

In order to minimise delay at the junction during off peak times, it is proposed that the junction be operated by Vehicle Actuation devices. This will allow the signal timings of the junction to be continually modified to best suit the changing flows on the network. Drawing 20010074-004 shows an indicative location and layout for the induction loops required to detect the queuing vehicles. A full design of all ducting, cabling, signal controller equipment and vehicle actuation equipment etc will be undertaken by a Traffic Light Supplier prior to construction of the junction. Proposed New Entrance Junction 26 WSP Ireland Ltd. Traffic Report

EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:51 At present no provision has been made for pedestrian crossing facilities at the junction, however, scope does exist to accommodate pedestrian crossing points, should the demand arise.

5.10 Drainage

Drawing No. 20010074-003 indicates the proposed levels and new drainage associated with the new signal junction design. The new Wyeth access road leading from the R445 has been designed with a longitudinal fall of 0.5% away from the main road to ensure that all storm water is collected within the new road drainage system and not the existing gullies on the R445. Gullies within the new road have been spaced to facilitate 200m* of road surface each. The new gullies on the access road will feed into the surface water drainage designed for the remainder of the site by others. A small strip of new main carriageway on the main road approximately l-l .5m in width and approximately 118m* in total area will need to be constructed, which will need to drain into the existing R445 drainage system. It is anticipated that this small section of additional road will have negligible impact on the capacity of this drainage system.

5.11 Design and location of the Gateway Feature

Gateway features are often used at the entrance to towns to alert drivers that they are entering an urban environment. Gateways are most effective when they are highly conspicuous to the oncoming vehicle, however they can be designed sympathetically with For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use. hard and soft landscaping to fit in with the local environment. Gateway features usually consist of a physical road narrowing incorporating lighting and Example of Gateway feature appropriate signing and lining. A preliminary design of the proposed gateway feature is illustrated on Drawing 20010074-002 and has been undertaken in accordance with the NRA’s “Guideline on traffic calming for towns and villages on national routes”1 999. The final design of the feature will be subject to approval by the County Council Technical Staff.

As previously mentioned the location of the proposed Gateway Feature has been chosen to coincide with the reduction in speed limit on the road from 60mph to 30mph. This location is at the end of the dual carriageway section of the R445 and before the beginning of the urban environment.

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:51 6 SUMMARY

In summary, it is proposed that the new Wyeth entrance onto the R445 take the form of a signalised junction for the following reasons:

Signalised junctions can retain higher capacities than roundabouts A Vehicle Actuated Signalised junction will have minimal impact on the R445 traffic flow during off peak times as compared to a roundabout which would impact at all times Traffic Signals can easily be modified if required to accommodate the safe movement of pedestrian and cyclists.

The results of the junction analysis, demonstrate that the proposed traffic signal junction will create 0 minimal delays for vehicles trafficking the R445 during the roads peak hour. It is also expected that the proposed junction will have negligible impact on the flow of traffic on the R445 during off peak times as traffic accessing and egressing the Wyeth site will be limited.

The new junction will remove all Wyeth Medica Ireland traffic originating from Naas from the Buckleys Crossroads Roundabout, and will therefore improve the performance of this junction.

The new junction will remove all construction traffic from Buckleys Crossroads Roundabout improving the traffic situation at the junction and also improving the environment for residents living on Greatconnel Road. For inspection purposes only. Consent of copyright owner required for any other use.

WSP Group

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EPA Export 25-07-2013:15:16:51