AppendixE:TrafficAnalysisMemorandum

Sabra, Wang & Associates, Inc.

Engineers Planners Analysts
MEMORANDUM To: From: Subject: Date: R.J. Eldridge, Director of Planning, Toole Design Group Paul Silberman, P.E., PTOE, Sabra, Wang & Associates, Inc 1st Place and Galloway Ave., NE Traffic Analysis April 15, 2010

A. Introduction
The District of Columbia Department of Transportation (DDOT) requested a traffic analysis be performed to evaluate proposed roadway conditions in the area of the Fort Totten Metrorail Station in northeast Washington, DC. A location map of the study area is shown in Figure 1. The study area is bounded by 1st Place NE on the west, Riggs Road NE on the north, South Dakota Avenue NE on the east, and Galloway Street NE on the south. Five study intersections are considered: Riggs Rd NE at First Place NE Riggs Rd NE at South Dakota Ave NE First Place NE at WMATA Park & Ride Entrance Galloway St NE at 3rd St NE/Kiss & Ride lot South Dakota Ave NE at Galloway St NE

B. Future Development
Several land parcels north of Galloway Street, west of South Dakota Avenue, and surrounding the Riggs Road at South Dakota Avenue intersection are programmed to be redeveloped with mixed use residential, retail, and institutional land uses. The recently constructed Fort Totten Station development along 3rd Street just north of Galloway Street was assumed to be fully occupied in the existing baseline condition for purposes of this analysis. The two largest programmed developments were assumed to occur for the future scenario conjunction with this analysis: Art Place & Shops (Cafritz) The Dakotas/Fort Totten Square

While there has been discussion of future development on the WMATA Park & Ride lot east of First Place, this development was not considered as a part of this analysis.

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First Place and Galloway Street NE Traffic Analysis

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First Place and Galloway Street NE Traffic Analysis

C. Traffic Forecast Composition

Traffic along First Place and Galloway Street is expected to grow in future years due to (1) new vehicular trips from the programmed developments, and (2) diverted trips due to reduction in capacity at the Riggs Road/South Dakota intersection. This intersection will be reconstructed by DDOT to remove the large islands in the intersection and create a more urban-type environment in anticipation of the future development land uses. Some additional delay is expected to result for drivers turning right from eastbound Riggs Road to southbound South Dakota Avenue. It was assumed that 400 vehicles per hour, almost half of the projected demand, would divert through First Place and Galloway Streets to reach South Dakota Avenue. This is a conservative assumption in that the actual diversion may be significantly less. Projected PM peak hour volumes under the proposed conditions are shown in Figure 2. Figure 2. Proposed PM Peak Hour Traffic Volumes

For the Kiss & Ride Lot, the assigned volumes conservatively represent twice the parking capacity of the lot entering and exiting in a single hour.

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First Place and Galloway Street NE Traffic Analysis

D. Capacity Analysis
A capacity analysis was performed for the future conditions using the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) methodology. Level of service is defined by the HCM as a qualitative measure describing operational conditions within a traffic stream. Levels of service range from A to F where A represents optimal conditions and F represents saturated or failing conditions. The volume-to-capacity ratio (v/c ratio) is the ratio of current flow rate to the capacity of the intersection. This ratio is often used to determine how sufficient capacity is on a given roadway. Generally speaking, a ratio of 1.0 indicates that the roadway is operating at capacity. A ratio of greater than 1.0 indicates that the facility is failing as the number of vehicles exceeds the roadway capacity. Several geometric changes were incorporated in the model: The Kiss & Ride access points were consolidated into a single driveway on Galloway Street opposite 3rd Street to create a 4-way stop-controlled intersection. The existing 4-lane section on First Place was reduced to a 2-lane section. Proposed geometry was coded at Riggs Rd and South Dakota Ave., reflecting a single lane for the eastbound to southbound right turn movement and a corresponding reduction in right turn volumes.

The existing westbound left turn lane at the First Place bus loop entrance intersection was retained. The future PM peak hour capacity and level of service is summarized in Table 1. The PM peak hour was considered critical due to higher diversions from the Riggs Rd/South Dakota intersection and higher impacts from the proposed retail land uses. The results of the future conditions capacity analysis indicate all intersections are currently performing at a level of service D or better during both peak hours. Table 1: Future Conditions PM Peak Hour Level of Service
Intersection LOS Existing Proposed Delay Existing Proposed V/C Existing Proposed

Riggs Rd at First Pl

(A)

(C)

(7.9)

(27.4)

(0.65)

(27.4)

First Pl at Park and Ride*

(B)

(D)

(12.9)

(27.4)

(0.05)

(0.14)

Galloway St at 3rd St/Kiss and Ride*

(B)

(D)

(10.3)

(29.5)

(0.05)

(0.70)

Galloway St at South Dakota Ave

(B)

(C)

(12.7)

(25.1)

(0.51)

(0.81)

Riggs Rd at South Dakota Ave

(C)

(B)**

(23.3)

(19.0)

(0.41)

(0.71)

* Values shown are for stop-controlled approach(es) only ** Without assumed diversion to First Place/Galloway St, LOS would be D with a delay of 46.5 sec

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First Place and Galloway Street NE Traffic Analysis The Synchro software used to create the HCM analysis was also used to create an animation of traffic conditions. The animations were viewed to review potential queuing impacts. The following observations were noted: In the AM peak hour, no queues were observed to spill back into the First Place/Park & Ride intersection from the Park and Ride pay station. In the PM peak hour, maximum queues of 4 vehicles were observed exiting the Kiss & Ride lot. The vehicle composition within the Kiss & Ride lot does not include any busses. Maximum queues on Galloway Street did not extend past any adjacent intersections. The maximum queue on the eastbound approach of Galloway Street to South Dakota Avenue was observed to be over 400 ft. Without any diversion of eastbound to southbound traffic, the maximum queue length for right turns at the South Dakota Ave/Riggs Rd intersection was observed to be approximately mile, which would extend past the First Place intersection.

E. Summary and Conclusions

Based on the results of the traffic analysis, proposed geometry, and projected traffic volumes, the following findings are presented: All intersections are projected to perform at a level of service D or better. No operational problems were observed at any of the WMATA parking lot intersections. Considering the potential for diverted traffic, it is recommended to either provide a short eastbound right turn lane at the intersection of Galloway Street and South Dakota Avenue or implement a dedicated right turn overlap phase at the Riggs Road/South Dakota Ave. intersection.

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