nymtc regional freight plan - New York Metropolitan Transportation ...

A Freight Plan for the NYMTC Region
Expressway between Exit 12 (Slosson Avenue) and Exit 13 (Manor Road). These service
roads generally have a speed limit of 35 mph and carry two travel lanes and a right curb
lane used for parking. The proposed strategy assumes that the discontinuities in the service
roads are bridged, and continuous service roads are provided along the entire length
of the Staten Island Expressway.
In addition, NYSDOT is preparing to begin construction in 2004 on median shoulders
along the Staten Island Expressway from the Verrazano Narrows Bridge to Slosson
Avenue. Buses would be permitted on these shoulders during the morning (eastbound)
and evening (westbound) peak periods. An additional freight-related consideration for
the corridor would permit trucks to use these shoulders during off-peak periods. The
shoulder lanes would effectively function as a dedicated “freightway” during periods of
the day when they are not used by buses.
Transportation Impacts
Improved level of service along the Southern Corridor is projected to open the Staten
Island Expressway to greater traffic volumes. Combined with the completion of the
Expressway service roads (see below), these improvements would help to improve traffic
operations in the Southern Crossing corridor. Improving capacity of the Arthur Kill
crossings without improvements to the Staten Island Expressway would still have
independent utility by improving the safety of operations on the Goethals Bridge (by
widening the lane widths). This would reduce accidents and non-recurring congestion in
the Southern Crossing and improve access to the Howland Hook Marine Terminal.
Although the proposed Staten Island Expressway service road improvements are aimed
primarily at improving local access and bus operations along the Expressway corridor,
they would provide needed capacity for the additional demand generated by the
improvements to the Goethals Bridge by handling more of the existing local volume off of
the mainline. Detailed highway capacity analysis is needed to ascertain whether the
mainline could absorb an estimated increase of 5,000 total vehicles per day for the eastbound
direction and 1,300 vehicles per day for the westbound direction. This is the total
passenger and commercial traffic that would be attracted to the improved corridor. A
before and after comparison of traffic volumes for the Staten Island Expressway shows
that volume to capacity ratios would be similar to existing conditions, indicating that the
improved roadway would accommodate more traffic at current levels of service. Thus,
the overall throughput of the Southern Crossing corridor would be increased.
Allowing trucks to use the “bus-only” shoulders on the Staten Island Expressway would
provide the equivalent of one additional travel lane in each direction for the affected segment
during off-peak hours. (This impact was not analyzed for this project.)
Other Impacts
These projects face significant physical barriers to construction. Property takings would
be likely. Closures during construction could cause adverse environmental impacts. Any
new bridge landings would be located within coastal zones. Hazardous material sites
may exist in the vicinity of the new bridge footings. An environmental justice study may
Cambridge Systematics, Inc. 5-44