BP SDEIS App C-1 GPI Transportation Plan 11-30-2010 Cape Vincent

8/7/2019 BP SDEIS App C-1 GPI Transportation Plan 11-30-2010 Cape Vincent

1/37

Traffic and Transportation Plan - GPIAppendix C-1

February 2011Project No. 0092352


2/37

CAPE VINCENT WIND POWERPROJECT

TRAFFIC AND TRANSPORTATION PLANJefferson County, New York

Prepared for:

BP WIND ENERGY

310 Fourth Street, N.E.

Charlottesville, VA 22902

Prepared By:

GREENMAN-PEDERSEN, INC.80 Wolf Road

Suite 300

Albany, NY 12205

November 30, 2010


3/37

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION ...................................................................................... 42.0 PURPOSE AND SCOPE ......................................................................................... 53.0 SELECTION OF DESIGN CRITERIA AND DESIGN VEHICLE ........................ 7

A.Need for Design Criteria .......................................................................................... 7B.Design Vehicle ......................................................................................................... 7C.Design Criteria ......................................................................................................... 8D.Other Potential Vehicle Impacts ............................................................................... 9

4.0 COORDINATION WITH LOCAL TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES .............. 105.0 IDENTIFICATION OF REGIONAL HAUL ROUTES ........................................ 11A.Methodology .......................................................................................................... 11B.Regional Haul Route Description ........................................................................... 13

Haul Route 1 ........................................................................................................... 13Haul Route 2 ........................................................................................................... 14Haul Route 3 ........................................................................................................... 15Haul Route 4 ........................................................................................................... 16

6.0 IDENTIFICATION OF LOCAL DELIVERY ROUTES ...................................... 17A.Methodology .......................................................................................................... 17B.Local Delivery Route Description .......................................................................... 19

Local Delivery Route 2 .......................................................................................... 20Local Delivery Route 3 .......................................................................................... 21Local Delivery Route 4 .......................................................................................... 22Local Delivery Route 5 .......................................................................................... 23Local Delivery Route 6 .......................................................................................... 24Local Delivery Route 7 .......................................................................................... 25Local Delivery Route 8 .......................................................................................... 26Local Delivery Route 9 .......................................................................................... 27Local Delivery Route 10 ........................................................................................ 28Local Delivery Route 11 ........................................................................................ 29Local Delivery Route 12 ........................................................................................ 30

6.0 ROUTE EVALUATION ........................................................................................ 31A.Methodology .......................................................................................................... 31B.Evaluation of Roadways ......................................................................................... 31C.Evaluation of Intersections ..................................................................................... 33D.Evaluation of Culverts ............................................................................................ 35E.Evaluation of Bridges ............................................................................................. 35F.Potential Additional Evaluations ............................................................................ 36G. Permits Required .................................................................................................... 36


4/37

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 3-1 Estimated Vehicle Dimensions and Gross WeightTABLE 3-2 Design Criteria

TABLE 5-1 Description of Highways Located Along Regional Haul RoutesTABLE 6-1 Description of Highways Located along Local Delivery Routes

TABLE 7-1 Description of Roadway Modifications Located Along Regional

Haul Routes

TABLE 7-2 Traffic Signal Locations

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Project Boundary

Figure 2: Array PlanFigure 3: Regional Haul Route 1

Figure 4: Regional Haul Route 2

Figure 5: Regional Haul Route 3Figure 6: Regional Haul Route 4

Figure 7: Local Delivery Route 1

Figure 8: Local Delivery Route 2Figure 9: Local Delivery Route 3


Figure 11: Local Delivery Route 5Figure 12: Local Delivery Route 6Figure 13: Local Delivery Route 7


Figure 15: Local Delivery Route 9Figure 16: Local Delivery Route 10




5/37

1.0 PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The proposed Cape Vincent Wind Power Project (the project) consists of the

development of a 135 megawatt (MW) wind turbine facility that includes theconstruction of 84 General Electric (GE) 1.6 MW wind turbine generators

(WTGs) in the Town of Cape Vincent, Jefferson County, New York.

In addition to the WTGs, approximately 20 miles of access roads will beconstructed along with 40 miles of underground interconnection cables, a 3-acre

project substation, a 7 mile transmission line to the point of interconnection in

Chaumont, as well as a 3-acre operations and maintenance facility, 2 temporaryconcrete batch plants and 2-3 permanent meteorological towers.

The proposed project site will be developed on approximately 13,400-acres of

entirely private land consisting of residential, agricultural and forested lands. It isexpected that improvements to the public roadway system will be necessary to

support project development. The project boundary is shown on Figure 1 at theend of this report.

The potential impacts to traffic and transportation will almost entirely occur

during the construction phase of the project. The short-term impacts are expected

to last through the 7 9 month construction season. The impacts expected duringoperation of the facilities will consist of approximately 10 full time employees

who will perform operational and maintenance duties which will have a minimal

impact to the surrounding roadway network.


6/37

2.0 PURPOSE AND SCOPE

Transportation logistics are a major consideration for wind energy development

projects due to the large scale of the WTGs components. Special Hauling Permitsare required to move vehicles and/or loads on New York State highways if the

vehicle and/or loads exceed the legal dimensions or weights specified in Section

385 of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law. Undoubtedly Special

Hauling Permits and modifications to existing roadway networks will be requiredto accommodate the transport vehicles used to deliver WTG components to the

project site. Greenman-Pedersen, Inc. (GPI) has worked with BP Wind Energy toconduct this Transportation Analysis for the proposed project. This analysisidentifies necessary improvements to the proposed haul routes to transport WTG

components and serves as an initial assessment of the general road impacts and

improvements required to construct the project prior to formal engineering design.

The scope of the transportation analysis is to:

Identify primary and alternate routes to primary staging areas andproposed batch plant locations considering the delivery of oversized and

overweight loads originating from points north, south and east of the

project site.

Identify suggested locations for alternate staging areas and alternate batchplant locations.

Identify routes from primary staging areas and batch plant locations to

individual turbine locations.

Identify general requirements for access road construction to

accommodate expected equipment and materials, including oversized and

overweight loads.

Identify intersection and roadway improvements which are likely to berequired for the delivery of the expected equipment and materials,

including oversized and overweight loads.

Document the existing condition of intersections and structures to beupgraded along all proposed routes.

Identify the federal, state and local permits required to perform thenecessary upgrades and to use the primary and alternate route during

constr ction


7/37

Identify the expected volume of traffic during the 7-9 month constructionperiod and propose a schedule of deliveries to accommodate local

concerns such as commuting traffic and school bus schedules, as well asseasonal considerations, such as increased weekend traffic during thesummer months.

Identify additional traffic and transportation studies required to inform thepermitting and planning process.

This report documents the analysis conducted and provides recommendations for

improvements to the road network to accommodate the transportation of WTG

components to the project site.


8/37

3.0 SELECTION OF DESIGN CRITERIA AND DESIGN VEHICLE

A. Need for Design Criteria

The evaluation of haul routes and the identification of needed modifications willreflect, among other things, the vehicle size, weight and type required to transport

the various components of the wind turbines. Although the final turbine model

has not been determined, all indications are pointing towards the GE model 1.6-100. Therefore, for the purposes of this assessment it was assumed that GE model

1.6-100 turbines will be used for the Cape Vincent Wind Energy Project.

B. Design Vehicle

Based on available GE specifications, the 1.6-100 model turbine has a hub heightof 262 feet and a blade length of approximately 160 feet. Design criteria for

transportation related activities were based on WTG component dimensions and

the specialized transportation vehicles needed to deliver those components. GPI

contacted multiple logistics companies specializing in the transportation of WTGcomponents who provided estimates for vehicle sizes and weights based upon

industry experience and the anticipated loads. Table 3-1 provides estimates of

gross weight and dimensions for various WTG components.

TABLE 3-1 Estimated Vehicle Dimensions and Gross Weight

Truck Description Load Type Length Height WidthGross

Wt. (lbs)

Oversized Vehicles2-Axle Stretch Flatbed Blades 186' 13-6 9-6 legal

13-Axle Schnable Trailer Lower Tower 162' 14'-10" 14'-1" 224,000

13-Axle Schnable Trailer Lower Mid 180' 14'-10" 14'-1" 232,000

13-Axle Schnable Trailer Upper Mid 191' 14'-10" 14'-1" 216,000

10-Axle One Half Schnable & Dolly Upper Tower 120' 15'-8" 14'-1" 142,000

12-Axle Low Profile Deck Trailer Nacelle 145' 14'-5" 11'-8" 230,000

2-Axle Double Drop Stretch

Hub

Assembly 75' 14'-6" 10'-6" 80,000

The table indicates that the vehicles used to transport the tower sections andblades have the longest wheelbase and therefore, have the most significant impact

to intersections due to the need to accommodate the large turning radius. It was

determined that the tower vehicle will require the most temporary intersection


9/37

Exhibit 1 - Design Vehicles

(Dimensions Shown in Feet)

C. Design Criteria

Design criteria was established based on the WTG component dimensions, weight

and the transport vehicles that would be required to accommodate such OS/OW

loads. Table 3-2 indicates the design criteria established for the OS/OW loadsnecessary for the development of each WTG location.

TABLE 3-2 Access Road Design Criteria

Element Design Criteria

Maximum Grade 10%

Maximum Turning Cross Slope 2%

Vertical Curves Max 6 in 50

Minimum Vertical Clearance 15'-8"

Minimum Lateral Clearance 15'-0"

Minimum Turning Radius**Steerable Rear Axles 145'

It is estimated that approximately 11 deliveries of turbine components will benecessary for each WTG location. Each turbine location is expected to receive the

following list of components:


10/37

The preceding list identifies the WTG components expected to be transported to

each turbine location. Intersection impacts of vehicles other than the tower

transport vehicle and the blade transport vehicle documented in this analysis areexpected to be less significant and therefore, are not shown.

D. Other Potential Vehicle Impacts

In addition to WTG component deliveries, each turbine location will require avariety of heavy equipment for site preparations. The heavy equipment needed for

site access, site preparation and foundation construction are typical of roadconstruction and do not typically pose unique transportation considerations. Thetypes of heavy equipment and vehicles required would include cranes, pile

drivers, bulldozers, excavators, graders, compactors, front-end loaders, dump

trucks, electric line trucks, water trucks, and heavy equipment maintenance

vehicles. Typically, the equipment would be moved to the site by flatbedcombination truck and would remain on site through the duration of construction

activities. Some of the typical construction materials hauled to the project site will

include steel, water, sand, gravel, fencing, lumber, electrical cable and

components, which is usually available locally. Ready-mix concrete might alsobe transported to the project area, although the option of an on-site ready-mix

concrete batch plant is being explored which will reduce the number of

construction vehicles traveling to and from the project area. The traditional heavyequipment used for normal road and structures construction will not require

dimensional modification of the existing roadway network. The movement of

equipment and materials to the project area during construction will cause arelatively short-term increase in the traffic levels on local roadways during the 7-9month long construction period.

Erecting the towers and assembling the WTGs will require cranes with a capacitybetween 300 and 750 tons, depending on the selected turbine. Estimates indicate

that approximately 20 truckloads would be required for assembly, including

OS/OW loads. It is expected that the cranes will remain within the project area for

the duration of construction.

It is estimated that with components, foundation and road materials, each wind

turbine generator would require approximately 100 truck shipments, some ofwhich will be OS/OW. During construction, a peak of approximately 150 200

workers will be on site at any given time. It is anticipated that the workers will be


11/37

4.0 COORDINATION WITH LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

AGENCIES

Transportation logistics for the project will require a substantial effort early in the

planning process through the construction of the wind turbine sites. Issues such as

the regular flow of oversized equipment and vehicles on the local roadway

network, workforce transportation within the project area, temporary closure ortraffic restrictions on roadways being improved to handle overweight and

oversized vehicles, and the temporary closures or traffic restrictions in order to

cross area roadways with utility lines will need planning to minimize disruptionsto motorists and local residents. The movement of equipment and materials to the

project area during construction will cause a relatively short-term increase in the

traffic levels on local roadways during the 7-9 month long construction period.

The construction season is expected to coincide with increased seasonal traffic inthe area. Therefore, a construction routing plan, road improvement plan, traffic

safety plan and complaint resolution plan will be coordinated and agreed upon

prior to construction.

A GPI transportation engineer met with the Highway Superintendents from

Jefferson County and the Town of Cape Vincent on December 18, 2008 to discuss

transportation activities related to the project. The Town and County identifiedrequirements for roadway and intersection improvements, hauling and right-of-

way acquisition and the maintenance requirements associated with such activities.

The Town and County representatives expressed concern about degradation of the

roadways as a result of construction activities and noted that damage to theroadways could be accelerated with construction activities occurring during the

wet spring and fall seasons. To address these concerns future coordination with

Town and County representatives should include an agreement to detail theroadway modifications and improvements required to complete the project. This

roadway agreement should document any damage to roadways and facilities

resulting from construction activities and identify how roadway repairs will becompleted by the developer. The agreement should include a pre-construction and

post-construction survey which documents roadway conditions. It is anticipatedthat access road entrances to state, town and county roadways will require

highway work permits and right-of-way acquisition.

Maintenance efforts conducted during construction activities will play an

important role in the operation and condition of the local roadway network during


12/37

5.0 IDENTIFICATION OF REGIONAL HAUL ROUTES

A. Methodology

General Electric (GE) was unable to provide the exact origin of the WTGcomponents at the time of the assessment. It was assumed that WTG components

will be transported from four likely origins. The four assumed origins are north

from Canada, south from the Port of Oswego, east from the Port of Ogdensburg

and from the south traveling along Interstate 81. Representatives from GPI andNew York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) met on November 12,

2008 to discuss the nature of the project and determine possible regional haul

routes to the proposed project area. A primary regional haul route was establishedfrom each origin to the proposed staging area. The project area is remote in nature

so there is not an extensive transportation network capable of accommodating the

oversized loads expected. Several alternate routes, including regional routeswhich utilized NYS Route 12E from the south and NYS Route 12 from the

northeast to access the project area were omitted from this assessment due to

posted bridge weight restrictions or vertical clearance restrictions which would

require extensive modifications and upgrades to bridges. The regional haul routesestablished are for use by the OS/OW loads expected during construction. Typical

construction vehicles transporting equipment and material loads which are not

considered OS/OW will likely use the shortest route to the proposed staging area.Figure 2 included at the end of this study shows an Array Plan indicating where

individual turbines will be located. It should be noted that changes to the ArrayPlan may be made as a result of the permitting process.

The proposed staging area was selected based on a centralized location within the

project area and trying to minimize the number of vehicles entering the major

highways within the area. The staging area selected is located north of CountyRoute 4 east of the intersection with Favret Road. This location is suitable for the

proposed staging area based on the existing topography, centralized location and

other transportation related considerations. There are two temporary concretebatch plants proposed to serve construction activities. One of the proposed

concrete batch plants is located north of County Route 4 near the intersection with

NYS 12E and the second is located east of NYS 12E near the intersection with

Fox Creek Road, both of which are indicated on Figure 2 at the end of this study.

The proposed concrete batch plants would serve construction activities in the


13/37

transporting OS/OW loads to the project site. Table 5-1 provides a description of

the roadways expected to be used for deliveries of OS/OW components.

TABLE 5-1 - Description of Highways Located Along Regional Haul Routes

NYS Highways

Highway NamePavement

WidthShoulder

WidthNumber of

LanesPavementCondition

NYS Route 3 20 - 24 6 - 7 2 fair to good

NYS Route 12 24 8 2 fair to good

NYS Route12E 22 - 24 4 - 8 2 fair

NYS Route 12F 24 8 2 fair to goodNYS Route 13 20 6 - 8 2 fair to good

NYS Route 37 22 - 24 6 - 10 2 fair to good

NYS Route 104 20 4 2 fair to good

NYS Route 104B 24 10 2 fair

NYS Route 342 24 8 - 10 2 fair to good

Interstate 81 48 10 4 good to excellent

The recommended regional haul routes are described on the following pages. Thehauling company selected to transport the OS/OW components will be

responsible for determining the transport vehicles, selecting the final haul anddelivery routes and obtaining the Special Hauling Permits from NYSDOT and

Jefferson County. The final route determination may deviate slightly from the

recommended regional haul and delivery routes established in this report.


14/37

B. Regional Haul Route Description

Haul Route 1

Haul Route 1 assumes that WTG components will originate in Canada. The haul

route from Canada to the project site will be as follows:

Interstate 81 south to Exit 48

NYS Route 342 west

NYS Route 12 north

County Route 9 north

NYS Route 12E west

County Route 8 south

County Route 4 west

End at proposed staging area near Favret Road intersection



15/37

Haul Route 2

Haul Route 2 assumes that WTG components will originate from the Port of

Ogdensburg. The haul route from Ogdensburg to the project site will be as

follows:

NYS Route 37 south

NYS Route 342 west

NYS Route 12 north


NYS Route 12E west


County Route 4 west




16/37

Haul Route 3

Haul Route 3 assumes that WTG components will originate from the Port of

Oswego. The haul route from Oswego to the project site is as follows:

NYS Route 104 east

NYS Route 104B east

NYS Route 3 north

NYS Route 180 northNYS Route 12F east

Interstate 81 north to Exit 48

NYS Route 342 west

NYS Route 12 north


NYS Route 12E west


County Route 4 west




17/37

Haul Route 4

Haul Route 4 assumes that WTG components will originate from the south and

will travel north along Interstate 81. OS/OW vehicles loads will be required to get

off I-81 at Exit 34 due to vertical clearance restrictions. It is recognized that

NYSDOT may have projects under development which seek to replace severaloverhead bridges along Interstate 81 which would provide greater vertical

clearance and may allow the transportation of OS/OW components. However,

only one project (NYS Route 127 over I-81) is listed as under development andthis project has a completion date of 2015 which is well beyond the expected

construction stage of the Cape Vincent Wind Farm. Therefore, the haul route frompoints south to the project site is as follows:

Interstate 81 to Exit 34

NYS Route 104 west

NYS Route 104B east

NYS Route 3 north

NYS Route 180 northNYS Route 12F east

Interstate 81 north to Exit 48

NYS Route 342 west

NYS Route 12 north


NYS Route 12E west


County Route 4 west




18/37

6.0 IDENTIFICATION OF LOCAL DELIVERY ROUTES

A. Methodology

Several local town and county roads will be used to transport equipment and

materials, including OS/OW loads, from the staging areas to various WTG accessroad locations throughout the project area. Workforce transportation within the

project area will also utilize local town and county roadways. The development of

local delivery routes considered the bridge on County Route 4 (approximately

1700 feet east of Wilson Road) which is posted for 18 tons and the delivery routesrecommend avoiding the use of this bridge for OS/OW loads. It is recognized that

this bridge has since been replaced with a new structure however, this analysis

still assumes that this bridge will not be utilized.

Some of the local roads may not be wide enough for two-way traffic when

OS/OW turbine components are being delivered to individual turbine locations.

The vehicles used to transport the lower tower sections are estimated to be

approximately 15 feet wide, which would utilize the majority of the availablepavement width on many of the county and local roadways. Roadways which are

18 feet wide or less would require additional roadway width to accommodate two-way traffic or require that personnel be stationed at each end of the road to

prevent traffic from traveling on the road during the short period of time it takes

for the OS/OW transport vehicle to exit the roadway to the turbine location.

The individually numbered turbine locations can be seen in Figure 1 Array Plan

included at the end of this study.

The roadways likely to be used to transport equipment and materials to turbine

access roads are as follows:

County Route 4 (Rosiere Road)

Cemetery Road

County Route 8 (Millens Bay Road)

Burnt Rock Road

Swamp Road

Hell Street


19/37

Bates Road

Huff Road

Merchant Road

County Route 6 (Pleasant Valley Road)

NYS Route 12E

Table 6-1 provides a description of the roadways expected to be used for

deliveries of OS/OW components.

TABLE 6-1 - Description of Highways Located Along Local Delivery Routes

Jefferson County Highways


WidthShoulder

WidthNumber of


CR Route 4 20 4 - Gravel 2 poor to fair

CR Route 6 20 4 - Gravel 2 fair to good



Town of Cape Vincent Roadways


WidthShoulder

WidthNumber of


Cemetery Road 18 5 2 fair

Burnt Rock Road 18 5 2 fair

Swamp Road 18 5 2 fair

Hell Street 12 - 16, Gravel 4 - 5 2 fair Dezengremel Road 18 5 2 fair

Wilson Road 10 - 16, Gravel 5 2 seasonal rd

Fox Creek Road 18 5 2 fair

Bedford Corners Rd 18 5 2 fair

Huff Road 18 5 2 fair

Merchant Road 10 - 16, Gravel 2 - 4 2 seasonal rd

Bates Road 16 - 18 4 - 5 2 fair

Favret Road 18 5 2 fair

Secondary alternatives for local delivery routes were examined which included

making upgrades to the Kents Crossing Bridge located along County Route 4 andcreating a temporary construction road between Burnt Rock Road and NYS Route

12E which would allow OS/OW vehicles to access NYS Route 12E from the


20/37

B. Local Delivery Route Description

Local Delivery Route 1

Delivery of OS/OW equipment and materials from the proposed staging area to

turbine locations 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7 & 12 will travel along the following roadways:


Favret Road

NYS 12E

Bates Road

County Route 56 (Bedford Corners Road)



21/37



turbine locations 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16 & 17 will travel along the following

roadways:


Favret Road

NYS 12E

Bates RoadCounty Route 56 (Bedford Corners Road)


Fox Creek Road



22/37



turbine locations 18 - 28 will travel along the following roadways:


Favret Road

NYS 12E

Merchant Road


Huff Road



23/37



turbine locations 30, 31, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 57 & 58 will travel along the

following roadways:


Favret Road

NYS 12E



24/37



turbine locations 34, 35, 37, 45, 47, 48, 49, 55, 56, 59, 60 & 61 will travel along

the following roadways:


Favret Road

Burnt Rock Road



25/37



turbine locations 62, 63, 65, 66 & 67 will travel along the following roadways:


Favret Road

Burnt Rock Road

Swamp Road



26/37



turbine locations 29, 32, 33, 38, 39, 40, 41 & 42 will travel along the following

roadways:


Favret Road

NYS 12E


Wilson Road



27/37



turbine locations 36, 43, 44 & 46 will travel along the following roadways:


Hell Street



28/37







29/37



turbine locations 76, 77, 78, 80, 81, 82, 83 & 84 will travel along the followingroadways:


County Route 8 (Millens Bay Road)



30/37



turbine locations 85, 86 & 87 will travel along the following roadways:


Cemetery Road



31/37





Favret Road

Burnt Rock Road



32/37

6.0 ROUTE EVALUATION

A. Methodology

The regional haul routes and local delivery routes were selected to minimize

weight restrictions and vertical clearance obstructions. Although efforts were alsomade to minimize the impacts to intersections and roadways, it is anticipated that

several intersections and roadways will require improvements and modifications

to accommodate the OS/OW loads necessary for the construction of the WTGs .

The modifications are expected to include intersection widening, temporaryremoval of signs and structures, temporarily lifting overhead obstructions such as

utility lines, improving the structural integrity of certain roadways and extending

culverts in areas of pavement widening. There were no overpasses observed along

the proposed haul routes which would provide an overhead obstruction; however,overhead utility lines including electric, telephone and cable television were

observed which may have to be temporarily raised, relocated or removed.

Some of the local roads which have a narrow right-of-way may have trees andvegetation which will have to be trimmed to allow unobstructed passage of the

OS/OW loads. BP Wind Energy may need to acquire property or easements incertain locations to perform some of the improvements required to accommodate

OS/OW vehicles.

The following sections present an evaluation of the roadways and intersectionsalong each of the selected routes.

B. Evaluation of Roadways

The state highways utilized along the regional haul routes will require little if any

improvements. The state highways are constructed with adequate pavement width

and thickness to accommodate the anticipated loads. The 2006 NYSDOT

Highway Sufficiency Ratings indicated that all state highways used along the haulroutes were in fair to good condition. Field observations confirmed that the

pavement condition of the state highways was adequate to accommodate the

OS/OW loads. Some intersections may require pavement widening, shoulderwork and utility relocation to accommodate the expected loads. If improvements

to intersections along NYS highways are required a highway work permit will be


33/37

The county and local town roads located along the proposed regional haul routes

and local delivery routes may require improvements to accommodate the OS/OW

loads needed to construct the project. Improvements may include pavement

widening, flattening short steep vertical curves, upgrading culverts and increasingpavement thickness. The majority of the county and local town roads were

constructed using asphalt pavement, although a few local roads, which will be

utilized, contain sections that were constructed with gravel. The roads with gravelsections include Hell Street, Merchant Road and Wilson Road which are typically

less than 16 feet wide. Local roads which are less than 18 feet wide may need

additional width and clearing of vegetation to facilitate the delivery of OS/OWturbine components. In addition to the narrow width, Merchant Road and Wilson

Road are seasonal roads which receive no maintenance from November 1 through

May 1 annually. There is a short segment near the middle of Merchant Road

which contains a sharp rise in profile to traverse a large culvert under MerchantRoad. This culvert should be removed and replaced to allow the transportation of

WTG components along this road. Due to their seasonal nature, additional gravel

thickness will likely be required to facilitate the use for OS/OW transportvehicles. Many of the intersections will require pavement widening, shoulder

work, utility and sign relocation to accommodate the large turning radius requiredfor WTG components. Jefferson County and the Town of Cape Vincent require

highway work permits to perform work within county or town right-of-way.Typical county right-of-way is three to four rods which equates to 49-6 to 66-

0. Table 7-1 indicates the roadways likely to require improvements to facilitate

use for OS/OW transport vehicles.

TABLE 7-1 - Required Roadway Modifications Along Local Delivery Routes

Roadway Town Modification

Merchant Rd Cape VincentAdditional gravel roadway width, trim vegetation, flattenprofile

Wilson Rd Cape Vincent Additional gravel roadway width, trim vegetation

Hell Street Cape Vincent Additional gravel roadway width, trim vegetation

Huff Rd Cape VincentFlattening steep grade near intersection with NYSRoute 12E

Swamp Rd Cape Vincent Flattening short crest vertical curves

The proposed turbine locations will require that roads be constructed to gain

access from the existing public roadway network. The 16-foot wide gravel accessroads will meet the load-bearing requirements to accommodate the expected loads

including OS/OW vehicles. During construction, an additional 10 feet of roadway

material may be required on each side to accommodate additional construction


34/37

undisturbed native soil. A geotextile fabric may be used to separate the native

soil/fill from the base material to prevent fine soil particles from migrating into

the gravel base material to preserve the integrity of the roadway base material.

Some access roads may be constructed with roadside ditches and culverts toencourage positive drainage away from the roadway to ensure integrity. Existing

topography and drainage features will dictate which access roads need to be

constructed with roadside ditches and culverts. The access roads will be gatedwhere they intersect with public roads to prevent access by the general public.

The access roads will remain in service over the life of the project. A right-of-way

width of up to 60 feet will be required along all newly constructed gravel accessroads.

The soil condition is very wet by nature in the spring and fall seasons in the

project area. In cold regions such as this, soils routinely experience freeze-thawcycles during the change in season. The frost melting cycle can cause non-

uniform heave and loss of soil strength. In an effort to extend the construction

season, gravel access road design should consider the use of biaxial geosyntheticreinforcement grids. The use of biaxial geogrids would strengthen subgrade soils

through mechanical interlock and increase effective bearing capacity by spreadingthe downward traffic load horizontally over a wider area. In addition the biaxial

geogrid will counter differential heave forces caused by the frost melting cyclecoming from below.

C. Evaluation of Intersections

The unusually large WTG components require a larger footprint and verticalclearance than is typically available at most intersections. The presence of traffic

signals along the route could also present an obstruction to OS/OW vehicles. Alist of traffic signals identified along the proposed routes is provided in Table 7-2.

The signals may present height restrictions and should be checked to determine if

they need to be temporarily or permanently raised.


35/37

Table 7-2 - Traffic Signal Locations

Intersection Type Town

NY Route 37/CR 134 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Hammond

NY Route 37/NY Route 411 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Theresa

NY Route 37/CR 16 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Pamelia

NY Route 37/NY Route 342 Traffic Signal/Span Wire Pamelia

NY Route 104/US Route 11 Traffic Signal/Span Wire Mexico

NY Route 104/NY Route 3 Traffic Signal/Mast Arm Mexico

NY Route 104/NY Route 3 Traffic Signal/Span Wire Mexico

NY Route 3/NY Route 13 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Richland

NY Route 3/CR 5 Flashing Signal/Span Wire RichlandNY Route 3/NY Route 178 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Hendersen

NY Route 3/NY Route 180 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Hounsfield

NY Route 180/NY Route 12F Flashing Signal/Span Wire Hounsfield

NY Route 12F/Salmon Run Mall Rd Traffic Signal/Span Wire Watertown

NY Route 12F/I-81 SB Ramps Traffic Signal/Span Wire Watertown

NY Route 12F/I-81 NB Ramps Traffic Signal/Span Wire Watertown

NY Route 342/NY Route 12 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Pamelia

NY Route 12/NY Route 180 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Clayton

NY Route 12/CR 179 Flashing Signal/Mast Arm Clayton

CR 9/CR 4 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Cape Vincent

NY Route 12E/CR 9 Flashing Signal/Span Wire Cape Vincent

The unusual length of WTG components will cause a large geometric impact tointersections along the proposed haul routes. Certain WTG components when

combined with the transport vehicles can reach lengths up to 195 feet long. The

specialized transportation vehicles will include trailers that have the capability to

steer the rear axles. Articulating rear axles reduce the required turning radiuswhich in turn reduces the impacts to intersection geometry. GPI utilized

AUTOTURNver. 7.0 by Transoft Solutions to model the anticipated truck

movements to determine the impacts to intersections along the haul route.Culverts in close proximity to intersections may need to be extended due to

pavement widening. Several intersections from state, county and local town roads

will require pavement widening, shoulder work, utility relocation and selectiveclearing of vegetation to accommodate the large turning radius required for WTG

components. In many instances temporary or permanent easements may be

required to perform the necessary modifications to the intersections.

The evaluation of regional haul routes and local delivery routes considered


36/37


37/37

GPI80 WOLF ROAD

SUITE 300

ALBANY, NY 12205

GREENMAN-PEDERSEN

CONSULTING ENGINEERS

Documents

BP SDEIS App C-1 GPI Transportation Plan 11-30-2010 Cape Vincent