T.F. Green Airport Improvement Program - FEIS Chapters - PVD

T.F. Green Airport Improvement ProgramEnvironmental Impact Statement and Final Section 4(f) EvaluationPedestrian and Bicycle Transportation ImpactsThe No-Action Alternative would improve pedestrian links to the Airport with the connection to InterLink.None of the designated Statewide Bicycle Routes or Neighborhood Bicycle Routes in the Study Area would beaffected by the No-Action Alternative. None of the roadways classified by RIDOT as “Suitable Roads” forbicycle travel would be altered. 3595.6.4.2 Alternative B2This section presents the results of the surface transportation analysis for Alternative B2 in 2015, 2020, and 2025.Vehicular Traffic Impacts – 2015No additional passenger demand would be generated by Alternative B2 in 2015; therefore, there would be noincrease in traffic volumes compared to the No-Action Alternative. All impacts occurring under Alternative B2in 2015 can be considered direct impacts associated with the construction of the safety enhancements andassociated roadway improvements. The safety enhancements include modifying the Runway 16-34 RSAs, whichrequires relocating a portion of Airport Road (from the intersection of Post Road and Tennessee Avenue, to justwest of Evergreen Avenue). The Partially Relocated Airport Road would include the following components:• Partially Relocated Airport Road would have 6-foot sidewalks and two 12-foot travel lanes in eachdirection;• Dewey Avenue and Hallene Road would maintain access with Partially Relocated Airport Road;• Tennessee Avenue would become a dead-end cul-de-sac;• Post Road (U.S. Route 1) would be improved from Airport Road to Route 37. Post Road would be modifiedto provide 11-foot travel lanes and turn lanes with one-foot shoulders; sidewalks would also be maintainedon both sides of the road; and• Delivery Drive would be relocated. Instead of intersecting Airport Road, Delivery Drive would intersectPost Road approximately opposite Earlham Way. This new driveway along Post Road would beunsignalized.At the time of this FEIS filing, there were no known specific land use plans for the remaining parcels served byPartially Relocated Airport Road and, therefore, traffic generation projections were not made for these uses. Theintersection of Partially Relocated Airport Road and Post Road would be designed to accommodate projected2015 Airport Road traffic volumes.Effects on Daily Traffic - 2015Compared to the No-Action Alternative, Alternative B2 would result in only one roadway segment that wouldexperience a change in Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT; expressed in vehicles per day) in 2015: Post Roadbetween Pell Avenue and Connecticut Avenue. On this segment of Post Road, AADT would decrease from40,500 vehicles per day (vpd) under the No-Action Alternative to 39,100 vpd under Alternative B2 (a decrease of3.5 percent). This results from relocating the intersection of Post Road and Airport Road.359 A Guide to Cycling in the Ocean State, 2005 to 2006; prepared by Rhode Island Department of Transportation.Chapter 5 - Environmental Consequences 5-125 July 2011\\mawatr\ev\09228.00\reports\FEIS_Final_July_2011\PVD_CH05_Environmental_Cons_JUL_2011.doc