Public Information
Meeting Presentation
October 25, 2004
Text Version
Slide 1: Opening slide
Buffalo Corridor Study
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Slide 2: Public Information Meeting, I-90 / I-290/
NY-33 Corridor Study
Today we are holding the first of two Public Information Meetings for
the Buffalo Corridor Study. This project is being managed and funded by
the New York State Thruway Authority, the New York State Department of
Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.
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Slide 3:
Agenda
We hope to begin this meeting with a description of why we are here
today, followed by a discussion on several technical issues to better
acquaint you with this project and end with a listing of what we have
setup to assist the public on our outreach program in an effort to
gather your input and suggestions.
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Slide 4: Purpose of Today's Meeting
The purpose of today's meeting is to introduce the public to the
project, and to the team assigned to the project.
To provide some initial technical information about
the corridor study that will be documented in a final
report.
To solicit your ideas on the issues that may come
up during the course of this study.
And to show you how you can stay involved in the
project, find information and get updates on our
progress.
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Slide 5: Technical Issues
The presentation today will cover the process we plan to follow, what
the study area limits are, its goals and objectives, what we have
completed to date including traffic analysis and environmental issues.
We will also cover the initial problems to be
investigated, what the next steps are after this
meeting and what our schedule looks like.
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Slide 6: Project Process
The process used in projects like this goes through three basic steps.
The first is project scoping, which is the phase we are currently at. We
have this phase highlighted in green. This phase includes reviewing the
existing conditions and needs of the project, defining the project
objectives, developing concepts for improvement and documenting
everything in the scoping document called the expanded project proposal
or EPP. This phase of the work will conclude with the publication of the
EPP.
The next phase of the project would be the
Preliminary Design phase, which advances the concepts
into preliminary designs. These preliminary designs
will form the initial set of alternatives for
subsequent environmental review. All this is
documented in the Draft Environmental Impact
Statement, public hearings are held and a Final
Environmental Impact Statement is published.
After the final report is approved, detailed design
of the preferred alternative can begin followed by
construction.
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Slide 7: Study Area
The study area starts at the south, on the mainline thruway where the
recently completed 4th Lane project ended at Exit 53 and continues 6
miles north along I-90 past the interchanges for William, Walden, the
Kensington Expressway, Cleveland Drive, and the Youngmann Memorial
Highway. The project then turns east through the Williamsville Toll
Barrier for 3 miles and ends at the Transit Road Interchange. The
project also includes a 3/4 mile portion of the Youngmann from I-90 to
north of Main Street.
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Slide 8: Study Goals
The four basic goals of the project are to identify structural,
mobility, operational, and safety problems that may occur over the next
30 years
To develop a plan to improve the safety, mobility
and operations currently provided by the mainline
thruway and the Youngmann.
To coordinate with other major transportation and
development projects.
And to ensure community involvement and public
participation is included in an open and inclusive
process
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Slide 9: Work Completed to Date
The work that has been completed to date includes:
- Collection of existing environmental features of
the study area,
- Creation of a project-wide Geographic
Information System or GIS database,
- An accumulation of existing traffic information
- A review of the existing conditions of the basic
infrastructure including the pavement and bridges
within the study area,
- An analyses of the existing traffic conditions
including speed studies, traffic modeling, Level of
Service analysis and a review of recent accident
records
- And the identification of some initial problem
areas at congested interchanges.
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Slide 10: Identified Existing Traffic Problems
Some of the initial problem areas identified so far include the traffic
congestion at the interchanges for the I-290Youngmann Memorial Highway,
the NY 33 Kensington Expressway, and at Walden Ave. We also noted
problems on the William Street exit ramps.
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Slide 11: Problems to be Investigated
Other problems identified so far include the traffic congestion on the
mainline itself between William Street and the Youngmann.
Improving access to the thruway especially at the
ramps for William Street, the Kensington and the
Youngmann. It has also been suggested to look at the
possibility of placing new access points at Broadway
and at Youngs Road.
We will also consider any other problem areas
identified from public or agency feedback.
The next couple of slides will better illustrate
these problem areas. We also have a continuously
running video clip of our traffic model showing the
congested areas during the typical morning and evening
rush hour traffic.
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Slide 12: Traffic - AM Problem Areas
Capacity Analyses of the existing traffic conditions were completed to
yield the Level of Service for the highways within the project area. A
LOS is rated between an A represented here by few cars on the highway
and traveling under free flow conditions to a LOS F, which represents an
unacceptable condition of congestion and very slow moving traffic. A LOS
of A, B or C is considered acceptable and is shown in green. A LOS D is
considered marginal shown in yellow and a LOS E and F are considered
unacceptable and are shown in red.
The analysis of the traffic during the morning rush
hour yielded unacceptable LOS in the eastbound
direction on both sides of the William Street
interchange and then again starting at Walden Avenue
extending all the way and including the interchange
with the Youngmann.
In the westbound direction unacceptable LOS occurs
starting on the Youngmann north of Main Street and
running past the Blue Water Tower to about the
Cleveland Drive interchange. Unacceptable LOS was also
found on the Kensington Expressway immediately
adjacent to the mainline thruway.
These levels of service represent a normal day
without inclement weather and without traffic
accidents, which would cause these conditions to
worsen.
Traffic volumes in this area range from 43,000
vehicles per day at Transit Road to over 140,000
vehicles per day near the Youngmann. Average running
speeds in the morning run from 34 to 50 mph. This is
significantly slower that the off-peak travel speeds
of 60 to 64 mph.
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Slide 13: Traffic - PM Problem Areas
Similar problems occur during the evening rush hour. Especially at Exit
50, which is at the Youngmann interchange. Compared to the AM peak, an
additional area of unacceptable LOS occurs on the mainline south of the
Kensington Interchange, however, the area north of William Street shows
less of an area with poor LOS when compared to the morning rush hour.
Average running speeds in the evening run from 42 to 49 mph. It is
estimated that these conditions result in over a half million-vehicle
hours of delay per year.
It is anticipated that future traffic growth will
cause these conditions to get worse.
These last two slides are also on display in the
room today for your closer review after the
presentation.
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Slide 14: Traffic - Safety
Accident records were reviewed for a two-year
period. Records were looked at for the Youngmann from
September 1999 to August 2001, while the mainline
included accidents from July 2001 to June 2003. The
project was divided into 9 segments for analysis. Some
of the segments include interchange areas while others
just include highway segments without interchanges.
Higher accident rates normally occur in segments with
interchanges due to the weaving movement of vehicles
as they maneuver to exit and enter the thruway.
There were a total of 635 accidents recorded over
the two-year period, almost one accident a day.
However, since there is a high volume of traffic
traveling along this section of highway, the accident
rate, expressed in accidents per million vehicle miles
traveled is lower than the state average for a
facility of this type.
You may not be able to see all the detail on this
slide, however it is also on display in the room today
for your closer review after the presentation.
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Slide 15: Environmental Topics to be Considered
All the environmental issues listed here will be considered during the
initial screening of conceptual improvement alternatives. They will be
investigated as to the affect they will have on the feasibility and cost
of the alternatives. A more thorough assessment of these environmental
issues will be made during detailed studies in subsequent environmental
review phases of the project.
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Slide 16: Project Process
As noted earlier, this is the process we plan on following to progress
this project.project scoping followed by preliminary design, design
approval, detailed design and then construction.
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Slide 17: Project Process - Public Involvement
Along every step of the way the public will be involved. Public
information meetings will be held during project scoping and preliminary
design phases. In addition, a public hearing will be held to review and
comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement. In addition to
meetings, the public will be involved through other means as will be
described later.
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Slide 18: Public Outreach: Project Advisory
Committee
As part of our public outreach program we have assembled a Project
Advisory Committee, which is basically a resource group to provide input
to the project team. The committee includes about 15 members and is
composed of representatives from agencies, municipalities and the
county. We have met once to date to introduce the project team to the
committee and to bring them up to speed on the status of the project.
We hope to receive input from the committee on
local issues, and to receive feedback on proposed
improvement concepts as they are developed.
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Slide 19: Public Outreach: Website
As part of our public outreach we have also established a project
webpage on the thruway's home website at nysthruway.gov Once at
the site click on the Buffalo Corridor Study. The project webpage can
also be accessed through the NYSDOT website at dot.state.ny.us.
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Slide 20: Public Outreach: Other Activities
Other activities planned for the public outreach program include these
public meetings, a mailing list for those who wish to receive project
updates, press releases and newspaper ads in the local newspapers, an
email address to express your comments, and a phone contact if you wish
to speak to someone directly about the project.
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Slide 21: Study Schedule
Our schedule calls for continuation of our environmental and traffic
studies along with development of alternative improvement concepts
through the end of this year and into next spring. Evaluations of these
concepts and documentation of the work completed in the expanded project
proposal will be completed by the end of next year. Another public
information meeting will be scheduled to review the findings of these
studies prior to completing the final EPP report.
This schedule does not include the subsequent
environmental review and design phases.
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Slide 22: Next Steps
The next steps after this meeting will be to forecast future traffic
conditions, develop improvement concepts, complete traffic analysis of
the improvement concepts, continue with a public outreach program, and
complete the study and prepare the EPP.
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Slide 23: Comments, Suggestions and Questions
Please take the time today to review the displays and tell us what you
think. You can fill out one of our comment sheets and either mail them
in or hand them in at today's meeting. You can also email us through the
Public Affairs office by using our online e-mail form. Let us know
what your ideas, concerns and suggestions are.
Following this presentation staff will be available
in the back of the room to answer any questions you
have about the displays, video clip or the project in
general. Thank you for joining us today and we look
forward to receiving your input to help progress this
project.
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Slide 24: Closing Slide
www.nysthruway.gov
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