Noise Study Report Addendum Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Study I‐275/SR 93 From South of 54th Avenue South to North of 4th Street North PROJECT DEVELOPMENT & ENVIRONMENT (PD&E) STUDY Pinellas County, Florida July 2016 Work Program Item Segment No: 424501-1 Executive Summary The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District Seven, has conducted a detailed traffic noise analysis for the noise sensitive land uses adjacent to State Road (SR) 93 (Interstate 275 (I-275)) between Gandy Boulevard and 4th Street North in Pinellas County. The improvements to this segment of I-275, along with improvements to other roadways in the area, are collectively referred to as the Gateway Expressway Project. Notably, the noise analysis presented in this Noise Study Report (NSR) only addresses traffic noise with the Gateway Expressway improvements to I-275. The traffic noise analysis was performed following procedures in FDOT’s Project Development and Environment (PD&E) Manual, Part 2, Chapter 17 (May 2011) and in accordance with Title 23, Part 772 of the Code of Federal Regulations (23 CFR 772)—Procedures for Abatement of Highway Traffic Noise and Construction Noise (July 2010). The approaches and examples in the FDOT’s Traffic Noise Modeling and Analysis Practitioners Handbook (January 2016) were also incorporated where applicable. There are three Noise Study Areas (NSAs) within the project limits in which traffic noise impacts are predicted to occur with the Gateway Expressway improvements to I-275. The land use within all three NSAs is residential. The results of the detailed analysis and an engineering review indicate that noise barriers would be both a feasible and reasonable traffic noise abatement method for the impacted properties in the three NSAs. The property owners and/or tenants within all of the NSAs have confirmed that they desire noise barriers to be constructed. As such, the following noise barriers are to be constructed as part of the Gateway Expressway Project (the limits of the barriers are illustrated on Sheets 1 and 2 of Appendix A). NSA 69 – Village Green Mobile Home Park (MHP) – The noise barrier is to be located five feet inside of the FDOT’s right-of-way (ROW) limited access fence line. The optimal barrier (i.e. the barrier that provides the greatest benefit to the impacted residences) is to begin at Station 396+17.00 and is to end at Station 408+80.00 (approximately 1,280 feet in length). The height of the barrier is to be 22 feet above the ground level. NSA 70 – Bay Isle Key Apartments – The noise barrier for the impacted residences in Bay Isle Key Apartments is to be five feet inside of the FDOT’s ROW limited access fence line. The optimal barrier is to begin at Station 535+00.00 and is to end at Station 551+15.00 (approximately 1,620 feet in length). The height of the barrier is to be 22 feet above the ground level. NSA 71 – Azure Apartments - The noise barrier is to be located five feet inside of the FDOT’s ROW limited access fence line. The barrier is to begin at Station 531+00.00 and is to end at Station 550+00.00 (approximately 2,025 feet in length). The height of the barrier is 22 feet above the ground level. The barriers are to be constructed using the post and panel method with a stacked split face block finish that is painted Federal Shade No. 36415 (Sandalwood) on the driver’s side. The side facing the residences is to be painted Federal Shade No. 36415 and have a Class 5 (i.e., broom) finish. The residential land uses adjacent to I-275 are identified on the FDOT’s listing of noise- and vibration- sensitive sites. Application of the FDOT Standard Specifications for Road and Bridge Construction may minimize or eliminate potential issues should they arise during the construction process. Table of Contents Section Title Page Executive Summary 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Description of I-275 Gateway Expressway Improvements 2 2.0 Methdology 3 2.1 Noise Metrics 3 2.2 Traffic Data 3 2.3 Noise Abatement Criteria 4 3.0 Traffic Noise Analysis 5 3.1 Predicted Traffic Noise Levels 5 3.2 Noise Barrier Evaluation 6 4.0 Public Involvement 9 4.1 NSA 69 – Village Green MHP 9 4.2 NSA 70 – Bay Isle Key Apartments 9 4.3 NSA 71 – Azure Apartments/ Villas of Carillion 9 5.0 Summary Appendix A Barrier Limits B Predicted Traffic Noise Levels C Engineering Review D Example Survey/Barrier Information Packages E Surveys Returned to the FDOT i Tables No. Title Page 2-1 Traffic Data 3 2-2 Typical Noise Levels 4 3-1 Summary of Traffic Noise Analysis Results 5 3-2 Noise Barrier Results, NSA 69 - Village Green MHP 7 3-3 Noise Barrier Results, NSA 70 - Bay Isle Key Apartments 7 3-4 Noise Barrier Results, NSA 71 - Azure Apartments 8 Figures No. Title Page 1-1 Gateway Expressway Project Map 1 ii 1.0 Introduction The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), District Seven, has conducted a detailed traffic noise analysis to evaluate the feasibility and reasonableness of constructing noise barriers to reduce predicted traffic noise impacts on the noise sensitive land uses adjacent to State Road (SR) 93 (Interstate 275 (I- 275)) between Gandy Boulevard and 4th Street North in Pinellas County. The improvements in this segment of I-275, along with improvements to other roadways in the area, are collectively referred to as the Gateway Expressway Project (Figure 1-1). Figure 1 Project Location Map 4th Street Gandy Boulevard 1 The noise analysis presented in this Noise Study Report (NSR) only addresses traffic noise with the Gateway Expressway improvements to I-275. A traffic noise analysis was performed for this segment of I- 275 as part of a Project Development and Environment (PD&E) study that has been submitted for Federal Highway Administration Location Design Concept Approval (LDCA). That PD&E study evaluated Tampa Bay Express (TBX) Master Plan improvements to I-275 from south of 54th Avenue South to north of 4th Street North. The traffic noise analysis for the TBX Master Plan improvements is documented in a Draft Noise Study Report (NSR) that was published in November of 2015. The objective of the traffic noise analysis was to evaluate whether noise barriers that were identified as being potentially feasible and reasonable in the TBX Master Plan PD&E Study would be both a feasible and reasonable abatement measure with the Gateway Expressway improvements. Within this segment of I-275, barriers were identified as a potential abatement measure for traffic noise impacted residences in the following Noise Study Areas (NSAs): NSA 69 – Village Green Mobile Home Park (MHP). NSA 70 – Bay Isle Key Apartments NSA 71 – Azure Apartments 1.1 Description of I-275 Gateway Expressway Improvements The Gateway Expressway Project runs from north to south connecting the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport directly to I-275 and runs east to west connecting US 19 to I-275. The Project will construct a new four-lane elevated tolled expressway connection from US 19 to west of I-275 [East-West section] and from the Bayside Bridge (CR 611) and St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport to west of I-275 [North-South section]. These two sections are further described in the following: The East-West section of the Project from US 19 to west of I-275 will be generally constructed in the median and elevated over the existing 118th Avenue North, which will be reduced from six to four lanes below the elevated expressway. The North-South section of the Project will be generally constructed within the median of SR 686 (Roosevelt Boulevard) from the Bayside Bridge (CR 611) to SR 688 (Ulmerton Road), then continue south through the old Sunshine Speedway property until it joins with the proposed East-West elevated section of the Project over existing 118th Avenue. A toll free option will remain on the existing roadway network to give drivers a choice. The Gateway Expressway Project also includes congestion management improvements for I-275, as part of an integrated system of express lanes proposed for interstate facilities within the Tampa Bay Region. A single tolled express lane will be constructed in each direction of I-275, adjacent to the existing non-tolled lanes, from south of US 92/SR 694 (Gandy Boulevard) to north of 4th Street North (the segment of I-275 for which the results in this NSR Addendum are applicable). Notably, while the I-275 Gateway Expressway improvements in the vicinity of NSA 70 and 71 (Bay Isle Key and Azure apartment complexes) are the same as the improvements in the TBX Master Plan (for which results are presented in the Draft NSR for the PD&E Study), the improvements in the vicinity of NSA 69 (Village Green MHP) are not the same. In the TBX Master Plan, the improvements to I-275 near NSA 69 would include the addition of a northbound auxiliary lane and the widening of the existing Gandy Boulevard off-ramp from one to two lanes. The Gateway Expressway Project will retain the existing configuration for the off-ramp (i.e., one lane). 2 2.0 METHODOLOGY The traffic noise and noise barrier analysis for NSA 69, 70, and 71 was prepared in accordance with all applicable requirements of 23 CFR 772 and Part 2, Chapter 17 of the FDOT PD&E Manual. Where appropriate, guidance in the FDOT’s Traffic Noise Modeling and Analysis Practitioners Handbook was also used to perform and/or document the analysis.