[00:02:39]
AND COORDINATING, I INVITED HER AND WANT TO GIVE HER THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
AS WE TALK ABOUT THE COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORHOOD HE'S BEEN
[INTRODUCTIONS]
INVOLVED WITH THE PROJECT FOR A LONG TIME.AND IT'S BEEN, UH, IN AN HAND COORDINATION WITH A LOT OF THE MITIGATION DISCUSSION THAT HE'S BEEN INVOLVED WITH OR ANY.
AND SO I THOUGHT IT'D BE APPROPRIATE THAT SHE COULD GIVE THIS KIND OF AN UPDATE OF THE ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED ON THAT FRONT, UM, TO SEE IF THEY'RE LEADING INTO THE ITEMS HERE ON THIS PERMIT AS WELL.
SO, UM, I GUESS TO JUST KICK US OFF FROM LAST MEETING, WE HAD A LOT OF GOOD DISCUSSION.
UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S OPENNESS AND AS WE KIND OF ALL WE'RE NEW TO EACH OTHER AND THIS COMMITTEE, SO, UH, WE HAD A LOT OF GOOD ACTION ITEMS FOR HDR TO PURSUE AND TO, UM, TRY TO GET SOME INFORMATION FROM VOT AND RESEARCH AND, AND ALL THE LIGHTS.
SO, UM, THEY ALSO HDR AND KIND OF, WE HAVE A GENERIC, UM, AGENDA HERE THAT THEY INVITED THE AGENDA AND THE MINUTES THEIR VIRUS HEATING UP.
AND THEN ALSO I'D SENT THOSE ACCOMPANYING DOCUMENTS THIS MORNING THAT, UH, THAT ALUMNI WILL SPEAK FROM AS FAR AS THE MITIGATION, UH, DOCUMENTS.
SO, UM, BUT PRIOR DISCUSSION FROM LAST WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AGO, AND COORDINATING WITH HR HDR TO GET THE MEETING AGENDA, A LOT OF THE IDEAS AND CONCEPTS CAN KIND OF BE GROUPED IN THE BUCKETS.
AND SO THAT'S SORT OF WHAT, UM, HOW WE HAVEN'T BROKEN THEM OUT.
SO I GUESS WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, UM, I GUESS PHILIP AND JEFF, IF YOU GUYS WANT TO KIND OF START US STARTING DISCUSSION BASED OFF WHERE WE LEFT OFF AND ONCE YOU GUYS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO LOOK AT SINCE YEP.
YES, WE CAN, WE CAN DEFINITELY DO THAT.
SO I GUESS WE'LL JUST KIND OF MOVE THROUGH THE AGENDA.
I KNEW, UM, WHEN WE GET TO CERTAIN ITEMS, WE CAN HAVE SOME DISCUSSION, UM, ESPECIALLY IN THE COMMUNITIES AREA, BUT
[TRAFFIC SAFETY]
I WANTED TO TRY TO FIRST, UM, GIVE YOU SOME INFORMATION ON WHAT WE'VE GOT WITH REGARDS TO SOME OF THE ITEMS THAT WE DISCUSSED, UM, AT THE LAST MEETING.SO, UM, WITH REGARDS TO SAFETY, WE
[00:05:01]
DID, UM, SOME RESEARCH IN THAT AND JERRY, CAN I SHARE MY SCREEN HERE? YEAH, YOU SHOULD TRY TO HIT SHARE AT THE BOTTOM.SO, UM, WITH REGARDS TO, I GUESS, SAFETY, I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF, UM, ITEMS WITH REGARDS TO SAFETY, AS FAR AS VEHICLE SAFETY, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, UM, CROSSING THE TRAFFIC CROSSING, UM, TWO 78 AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT IT'S NO DUT HAS PROVIDED THESE, UM, KIND OF CRAP LIKE WHERE THE CRASHES ARE AT, UM, SORT OF CRASH MAPS, I GUESS.
AND THEY HAVE SEVERAL OF THEM, SOME OF THEIR DOCUMENTS, BUT YOU CAN SEE, UM, RIGHT AT ABOUT 800 CRASHES JUST IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
AND I GUESS WHAT KIND OF GETS, UM, IS POINTED OUT PRETTY IS THAT IT'S NOT REALLY IN ONE LOCATION.
UM, BUT ALL ALONG THE ENTIRE CORRIDOR, UM, THESE CRASHES ARE HAPPENING, RIGHT? SO THIS ONE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS THE SEVERITY OF CRASHES.
AND YOU CAN SEE THE, THE RED DOTS, UM, ARE WHERE FATALITIES HAD OCCURRED HAVE OCCURRED IN THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
AND THE YELLOW ARE WHERE SOME INJURIES OCCURRED AND THEY SEEM TO BE SPREAD OUT ALONG, UM, ALONG THE CORRIDOR, THE RED ONES ARE TYPICALLY AT THE INTERSECTIONS THEMSELVES.
AND THEN AS WE GO THROUGH THESE, YOU CAN SEE THE TYPE OF CRASHES.
SO GENERALLY THIS IS ABOUT, I GUESS, WHAT YOU WOULD EXPECT AS FAR AS CROWD.
AND THEN THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF CRASHES FOR SURE, BUT THE TYPE OF CRASHES, YOU CAN SEE THE ANGLE CRASHES, WHICH ARE IN RED WILL TYPICALLY OCCUR AT THE INTERSECTION.
SO THOSE ARE TYPICALLY YOUR LEFT TURNS OR RIGHT TURNS COMING ON ANYWHERE.
THERE'S A CONFLICT POINT WHERE THERE'S TRAFFIC, UM, THAT MAY CONFLICT WITH OTHER TRAFFIC.
SO YOU CAN SEE A LOT OF RED DOWN IN THE SQUIRE, POPE, SPANISH WELLS AREAS.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF ANGLE CRASHES IN THAT AREA.
AND THEN ALSO MOSS CREEK AREA.
UM, THERE WASN'T AS MANY AS I THOUGHT THERE ON THE JENKINS ON AREA, BUT, UM, THERE SEEMS TO BE A GOOD NUMBER OF SINGLE VEHICLE CRASHES IN THAT AREA, WHICH IS TYPICALLY SOMEBODY RUNNING OFF THE ROAD OR, UM, HITTING STUFF.
THAT'S A LONG SIDE OF THE ROAD, THINGS LIKE THAT AND THAT AREA.
BUT IF YOU NOTICED THE GREEN DOTS ALL ALONG THE CORRIDOR AND CRASHES, WHICH TYPICALLY HAPPEN, UM, WHEN THERE'S CONJECTURE AND GOING ON, SO WE CAN SEE THIS NOT ONLY HAPPENING ON NEAR AIR SECTIONS, YOU CAN SEE WE'RE KIND OF INTERSECTIONS ARE BACKING UP AND PEOPLE SEEM TO BE REAR-ENDING INTO THE BACK, BUT EVEN ON THE BRIDGES, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S HOT.
UM, AND THERE'S REALLY NOT TURNING MOVEMENTS HAPPENING ON THE BRIDGES.
SO, UM, I THINK WE WOULD LOOK AT THAT AS SORT OF A CONGESTION ISSUE.
AND THEN, UM, THE LAST THING I THINK I WANTED TO POINT IT OUT AS FAR AS VEHICLE SAFETY AND IS THIS TEEN CRASHES IS THIS IS, UM, THE PEAK HOURS.
SO BETWEEN SEVEN, 9:00 AM AND FOUR AND 6:00 PM.
UM, SO AT FOUR HOURS, FOUR HOURS OUT THE DAY YOU GET ABOUT 40%, A LITTLE OVER 40% OF THE CRASHES OCCURRING DURING THAT TIMEFRAME, RIGHT.
WHEN IT'S BEEN MOST CONGESTED.
SO, UM, THAT'S WHAT I'VE SEEN.
AND I, I THINK, UM, LOOKING AT SOME OF THE ALTERNATIVES THAT DUT HAS KIND OF BROUGHT TO THE TABLE ON IT, WE CAN GO THROUGH SOME OF THOSE ALTERNATIVES LATER ON AND YEAH.
BUT, UM, I THINK THEY'VE, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'VE TRIED TO AVOID A LOT OF THE CONFLICT POINTS.
SO IF WE CAN ELIMINATE LEFT TURNS, UM, YOU KNOW, RIDING RIGHT OUT THOSE TYPE OF THINGS, WHERE, WHERE YOU'RE ABLE TO ELIMINATE CONFLICT POINTS, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ABLE TO ELIMINATE SOME OF THIS.
AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC CONGESTION MAY BE A SITUATION WHERE YOU CAN ADD A LANE AND THE CARS AREN'T SO CLOSELY SPACED TOGETHER, BUT I THINK WE CAN GO THROUGH THAT A LITTLE BIT AS WE LOOK AT THE FUTURE TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS THAT WE'VE LOOKED AT.
UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE SAW AND I THINK WE'RE MOVING THERE.
HAS ANYBODY SEEN THIS BEFORE? I'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE AND IT'S PRETTY SHOCKING.
I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND THE SAFETY AND CAPACITY, BUT SEEING IT ON A SCREEN LIKE THAT REALLY MAKES IT JUMP OFF TO ME.
I HAVE, UM, AS I MENTIONED TO YOU, JARED, I'M ALSO ONE OF THE STAKEHOLDERS, UM, THAT REPORT, UM,
[00:10:03]
DURING THE LAST STAKEHOLDERS MEETING AND I BELIEVE THAT YOU CAN FIND THE REPORT ON THEIR WEBSITE, BUT I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.UH, JARED MIKE GARRIGAN, UH, YEAH, I'M ALSO ON THE STAKEHOLDERS COMMITTEE AND, UH, THIS HAS BEEN PRESENTED ACTUALLY A COUPLE OF TIMES I CAN RECALL, BUT DUTY, RIGHT? YES.
BUT YEAH, SO THIS IS ALSO JARED, YOU KNOW, AS WE WENT ON IN STATE, SO IT WAS JUST GIVING ME, SO IT WAS GOOD INFORMATION FOR US TOO, TO SEE WHAT WAS GOING ON.
UM, AND I, I DID WANT TO POINT OUT SORT OF IN THE, AS FAR AS PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, UM, YOU KNOW, IT LOOKED LIKE FROM WHAT I HAD SEEN, THAT THEY ARE INCLUDING THE MULTI-USE PATH THROUGHOUT THE PROJECT, UM, LIKE SIDEWALKS AND MULTI-USE PATH, AND IT DID APPEAR THEY WERE GOING TO INCLUDE A MULTI-USE PATH ACROSS THE BRIDGES.
UM, AND THEN AS FAR AS CROSSING TWO 78, IT LOOKED LIKE IT WOULD BE SIMILAR SITUATION TO WHAT'S THERE NOW.
SO ANY OF THE KEY INTERSECTIONS OR SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO CROSS WITH A BIKE OR, UM, OR, YOU KNOW, PEDESTRIAN CROSSING AT INTERSECTION.
SO I THINK THAT THAT IS, IS FAIRLY SIMILAR, SIMILAR, BUT YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MORE LANES TO CROSS, BUT YOU'RE TYPICALLY CROSSING AT THE INTERSECTION.
SO I THINK, UM, THAT SEEMED TO BE WHERE, UH, THE DESIGN TEAM WAS GOING WITH REGARDS TO SAFETY AND WHAT THEIR ALTERNATIVES WERE TRYING TO GET AT WHETHER REGARDS TO THAT THIS IS RAISED IN FRANCE.
I HAVE ONE QUESTION ABOUT BENCHMARKING THIS CRASH DATA, UM, IN YOUR EXPERIENCE, UM, HOW DOES THIS CORRIDOR LOOK COMPARED TO OTHER PROJECTS THAT YOU HDR HAS WORKED ON? DO YOU HAVE TO, YOU WANT TO TALK TO THAT? YEAH.
I'LL, I'LL TAKE US DOWN ON THE SHORE AND THANK YOU.
AND I, FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN, THAT IT IS A HIGH CRASH CORRIDOR, THE CRASHES CERTAINLY A HIGHER THAN MAYBE WE'LL CALL IT, THE STATE LOTTERY, THE NATIONAL AVERAGE FOR THAT TYPE OF FACILITY.
UM, AND I THINK TO, TO PHIL'S POINT EARLIER, UM, YOU'RE SEEING A LOT OF THE REAR END CRASHES, WHICH DO INDICATE THE CONGESTION THAT IS THERE.
AND THEN SOME OF THE KIND OF, WE CAN STILL TALK ABOUT IT A LITTLE BIT LATER, BUT I'M ALSO LEADING UP TO, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO REDUCE CONFLICT POINTS, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY, UM, IT'S LIKE A STANDARD INTERSECTION.
UM, IT'S IF YOU GOOGLE IT, IT'S LIKE 32 CONFLICT POINTS PER A STANDARD FOR LIKE AN INTERSECTION.
AND THEN WHAT INNER INTERSECTIONS ARE, ARE, ARE MODIFIED OR LET'S SAY MAKE IT RIGHT IN, RIGHT OUT, LIKE PHILLIP WAS TALKING ABOUT, UM, THAT REDUCES THE NUMBER OF, UH, CONFLICT POINTS.
CERTAINLY PARTICULARLY THAT IF YOU CAN ELIMINATE A LOT OF THE LEFT TURNING TRAFFIC AND, YOU KNOW, MAKE IT RIGHT IN RIGHT OUT AND THEN MAYBE A LOOP BACK AROUND.
UM, SO THAT, THAT DOES MAKE IT SAY FOR PARTICULAR, FOR ANGLE CRASHES, WHICH ARE MORE DANGEROUS THAN, THAN WE'LL SAY FOR JUST THE REAR END CRASHES.
SO, BUT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS, UM, THIS IS A PRETTY SUBSTANTIAL CRASH DATA RELATIVE TO MAYBE SOME OTHER COORDINATORS YOU'VE SEEN OR WORKED ON.
I MEAN, AND IT KIND OF GO BY, UM, THE SAME TYPE OF AVERAGE TYPE FACILITY OR SAME TYPE FACILITY COMPARABLE, WHETHER IT'S LIKE A RURAL TWO LANE OR FOUR LANE, URBAN DIVIDE AND THOSE TYPES OF COMPARABLE FACILITIES.
AND IT IS ABOVE, I WOULD SAY THE AVERAGE FOR THAT SO THAT THE HEAT MAPS ARE REALLY GOOD.
AND THE GROUP'S POINT IT IS POSTED ON, UM, UH, THE TWO 78 WEBSITE.
THERE'S A LINK UNDER, UM, RESOURCES.
THERE'S A TRAFFIC REPORT THAT SHOWS THESE THE MARCH, 2020 REPORT, UH, AND ALL OF THE SUBSEQUENT DEPENDENCIES, IF THE, IF THE FOLKS WOULD LIKE TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT ONLINE, THEN, UM, SORRY, I STOPPED THE ABILITY, BUT, UM, YOU HAVE MORE ON THAT SAFETY YOU'RE TALKING NOW.
UM, NO THAT, I GUESS THAT THAT'S WHERE WE'RE AT, AS FAR AS LOOKING AT SAFETY, UM, WE'VE LOOKED AT, WE HAVEN'T ANALYZED, UM, LIKE REALLY LIKE GOING IN DETAIL ON ALL THE ALTERNATIVES THAT DUT HAD, UM, JUST SCROLLING OVER THE ALTERNATIVES THAT HAD IT, IT APPEARS LIKE THERE, THEY ARE ACTUALLY TRYING TO ELIMINATE CONFLICT POINTS, UH, NOT ONLY TO ELIMINATE THOSE, UM, CRASHES, THE ANGLE CRASHES,
[00:15:01]
BUT ALSO TO HELP THEM THROUGH MOVEMENT THE FLOW THROUGH THERE.SO I THINK A LOT OF THEIR ALTERNATIVE, THEY MAY, YOU KNOW, THERE MAY BE SOME MORE ALTERNATIVES THAT CAN HELP OUT, BUT IT DOES APPEAR LIKE THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO ADDRESS THAT SITUATION.
BUT WITH HERBERT NOT BEING HERE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE BROUGHT UP WAS PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, WHICH I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU LOOK AT THAT IN THIS.
I MEAN, YOU DON'T, I MEAN, YOU HAVE FATALITIES, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW DO YOU LOOK AT PEDESTRIAN SAFETY SAFETY HERE AND WHAT THESE ALTERNATIVES HAVE AN IMPACT ON THAT? YEAH.
I KNOW, I KNOW OUT THERE NOW THROUGH THE STONEY COMMUNITY, THERE'S SIDEWALK ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ROADS TOO.
UM, AND I BELIEVE THEY'RE GOING TO BE GOING BACK AND CHANGING ONE OF THOSE TO MULTI-USE PATHS.
SO YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVE A BIKE FACILITY THERE.
UM, I'M GOING TO ASSUME MAYBE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT CROSSING TO SUNY EIGHT, MAYBE GIVE FROM YOUR HOUSE TO SOMEBODY, YOUR NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE ACROSS TO SEVEN.
SO, UM, FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN, THAT REALLY WON'T CHANGE YOU, YOU WOULD STILL USE CROSSWALKS THAT WOULD BE LOCATED AT SIGNALIZED INTERSECTIONS.
THERE, THERE ARE OTHER WAYS TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT TYPICALLY THAT'S TYPICALLY THE STANDARD WAY TO DO, UM, ADDING A BRIDGE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO WHAT ABOUT, UM, WOULD THEY ADD, ARE, ARE, IS IT ALREADY PART OF THE DESIGN, LIKE THE, I FORGET THE TERMINOLOGY, UM, THE SAFETY AREAS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE KNEE.
IT LOOKED LIKE WHAT THEY WERE LOOKING AT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, TO TRY TO ELIMINATE ALL THE LEFT TURNS, THERE WOULD BE SOME TYPE OF A RAISED MEDIAN FOR PRETTY MUCH THE ENTIRE, THE ENTIRE WAY, UM, THAT WOULD ELIMINATE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHAT THEY CALL IT.
TWO-WAY LEFT TURN LANE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE FAMILIAR WITH.
THEY'RE JUST INCUR A LOT OF LEFT TURNS.
SO BY DOING THAT, YOU WOULD ALSO HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE QUARTER.
SO YOU WOULD ALSO HAVE SORT OF A REFUGE ISLAND, SO YOU COULD, YOU COULD WALK ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC AND THEN, YOU KNOW, IF, IF IT WASN'T TIMED CORRECTLY, YOU COULD HAVE A REFUGE THERE IN THE MEDIAN, AWAY FROM THE VEHICLES, BUT TYPICALLY THE WAY THEY WOULD TURN THEIR SIGNALS IS YOU'D BE ABLE TO WALK ACROSS THE ENTIRE ROAD, UM, WHILE THE SIGNAL WAS GREEN, WOULD IT, WOULD IT ALSO, RIGHT NOW THERE'S AN UNSTABILIZED INTERSECTION OR CROSSING MID-BLOCK.
UM, HAVE YOU SEEN ANY, ANY CONSIDERATION OF THAT OR THAT THE STILL THERE, OR WOULD THAT BE SOMETHING THAT WOULD GET YOU INTO THE INTERSECTION? UM, I THINK THAT WOULD BE ALL SPECIFIC TO ALTERNATIVES.
I THINK SOME OF ALTERNATIVES ACTUALLY SIGNALIZED INTERSECTION, UM, BUT IF THEY ACTUALLY TOOK THAT INTERSECTIONAL WAY, I, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WOULD DO WITH THE CROSSWALK THERE.
UM, I THINK YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HOLD WHITE HORSE MAYBE.
WELL, I THINK IT'S BEFORE IS ACTUALLY IN THE MIDDLE OF IT'S THE MID-BLOCK CROSSING.
I MEAN, IF, IF POSSIBLE IT WOULD BE, THE IDEAL SITUATION WOULD BE TO HAVE IT SIGNAL CONTROL WITH SOME KIND OF A CALL.
SO YOU DON'T HAVE TO HAVE THE TRAFFIC CROSSING ON SIGNALIZED IF POSSIBLE.
AND THEN DAVID BASED OFF THE A MULTI-USE PATH, I THINK IT WAS ENVISIONED SO FAR AS IT WAS A LITTLE MORE LIGHT ON THE REST OF THE ISLAND WHERE IT SEPARATED FROM THE ROAD VERSUS THE SIDEWALK THAT'S RIGHT INTO THE CURB TODAY.
IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, THAT'S WHAT IT LOOKED LIKE.
AND THEN WHEN IT, WHEN IT BECAME, UH, ON THE BRIDGE, THERE WOULD BE A JERSEY, THERE WOULD ACTUALLY BE A PHYSICAL BARRIER BETWEEN THE MULTI-USE PATH AND THE VEHICLES.
I DEFINITELY UNDERSTAND WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK, YOU KNOW, IMMEDIATELY NEXT TO CARS GOING 45 MILES AN HOUR.
SO IT IS NICE TO HAVE IT SEPARATED OUT A LITTLE BIT.
WELL, YOU WANT TO, UM, TO HEAD INTO COMMUNITIES AND NEIGHBORHOODS, AND THEN MAYBE WE CAN ASK A LOT OF THE TOP, UM, SPEAK THROUGH ITEMS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT.
YEAH, I'LL, I'LL TAKE A STAB AT THAT ONE FIRST.
AND SO THERE IS SOME DOCUMENTATION AGAIN, UH, ON THE, THE TWO 78 WEBSITE, THERE'S A, IN PARTICULAR, THERE'S A FALL 2020 NEWSLETTER
[00:20:01]
THAT IF FOLKS HAVEN'T CHECKED IT OUT WHERE IT TALKS ABOUT SOME OF THE DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT OUTREACHES AND STAKEHOLDER AND COMMUNICATIONS AND PARTICULAR COMMUNITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT, THAT'S GOING TO BE COMPLETED FOR, UH, FOR THE ENTIRE PROJECT.AND PART OF THAT FOCUS WILL BE ON THE, THE GULLAH COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'VE BEEN SOME QUESTIONS AND SOME STAKEHOLDER, UM, INTERVIEWS AND DIFFERENT, UM, POTENTIAL WAYS TO LOOK AT MITIGATION.
UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY SOME OF THE COMMENTS WE'VE SEEN, UH, INCLUDE, YOU KNOW, KIND OF LEADING BACK TO THE COMMENT EARLIER ABOUT THE LEFT TURNING TRAFFIC, UM, MAKING IT SAFER, UM, FOR, FOR FOLKS ACROSS THE STREET, EITHER PEDESTRIAN OR VIA WITH A VEHICLE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THE PROJECT WOULD LOOK LIKE IN THE FUTURE, UM, WITH NOISE, UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY PART OF THE PROJECT WOULD BE EVALUATING, UH, TRAFFIC NOISE FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENTATION.
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT THINGS, UM, YOU KNOW, CONCERNING THE ENVIRONMENTAL, THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT IN THE AREA, OBVIOUSLY IT'S A PRISTINE AREA AND THEN, UH, ALSO IMPACTS TO THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, BUT THE HUMAN ENVIRONMENT AS WELL.
SO THAT'S KIND OF WHAT THAT COMMUNITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT WILL DO AND ALL THAT'S REALLY GOING TO BE, UH, DOCUMENTED, UH, IN THIS, UM, UPCOMING ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT.
SO THAT'S KIND OF A QUICK OVERVIEW OF, OF ALL THAT DOCUMENTATION.
YOU CAN LOOK AT NEWSLETTERS THAT ARE ON THE WEBSITE AS WELL.
UM, THEY HAD A NUMBER OF STAKEHOLDERS, A NUMBER OF YOU FOLKS HAVE TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT COMMITTEES THAT YOU'RE ON.
SO I'M PROBABLY SAYING SOME OF THE SAME STUFF YOU'VE ALREADY HEARD.
SO IF I AM FORGIVE ME FOR THAT.
UM, AND THEN I GUESS, JARED, TO YOUR POINT, UM, WITH MICHELLE OR IS, I KNOW SHE'S BEEN INVOLVED WITH, UM, SOME OF THE OUTREACH AND SOME OF THE COMMUNITY MEETINGS WITH, WITH THE GOING ON, MAYBE NOW'S THE TIME TO, UM, TRANSITION TO THAT, OR I GUESS GIVE HER A KIND OF THE FLOOR FOR HER TO KIND OF TELL INVOLVEMENT IS HE'S BEEN INCORRECTLY, ANY QUESTIONS, UH, I DUNNO, FIVE MINUTE BACKGROUND AND KIND OF INVOLVED IN THE TEAM AND THE COORDINATION IN REPRESENTING STUDY COMMUNITY AND OTHERS, UM, THAT IT'S ALREADY BEEN TAKING PLACE SO FAR WITH ELT, SO WE CAN GET A FLAVOR OF THAT.
I'LL, I'LL GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF BACKGROUND.
UM, SO I, I AM ONE OF THE NATIVE ISLAND LEADERS AND AS SUCH, UH, WE FELT THAT SOMEONE WITHIN THE GROUP NEEDS TO BE, UM, UM, ON TOP OF, FOR LACK OF A BETTER WAY OF SAYING, UM, WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE PROJECT, BECAUSE WE KNEW FROM THE, THE INCEPTION OF THE, THE PROJECT THAT IT WOULD ULTIMATELY, UM, IMPACT THE STONEY COMMUNITY TO WHATEVER DEGREE.
SO, UM, I HAVE BEEN INVOLVED, UM, WITH THE PROJECT AND WITH THE BOT SINCE, BEFORE THEY EVEN STARTED THE PUBLIC MEETINGS AND SO ON.
AND THE TWO 78, UM, THE TOWNS TWO 78, UM, COMMITTEE, UM, AS THE LIAISON BETWEEN THE NATIVE ITEM LEADERSHIP AND THE FAMILIES.
UM, I HAVE BEEN INTIMATELY INVOLVED.
I'VE BEEN A PART OF EACH OF THE MEETINGS THAT THEY'VE HAD, UH, WITH THE COMMUNITY AS THEY LISTENED TO CONCERNS AND KIND OF TAILORED THE, UM, THE PROJECT IN A WAY THAT THE IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY WOULD THE MINIMIZE.
UM, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, WAS, WAS ALWAYS SOMETHING THAT WE BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF, OF THE DMT WAS THAT SONY WASN'T STORAGE IS HISTORIC COMMUNITY.
UM, TO THAT END, THE OT DID A STUDY.
THEY, THEY HIRED A CONSULTANT WHO DID A HISTORIC, UM, STUDY ON THE AREA AND, UH, QUESTIONS ABOUT 15 NATIVE ISLANDS, PEOPLE WHO COULD SPEAK TO NOT ONLY THE HISTORIC NEST OF DONNY, BUT THE ISLAND IN GENERAL, INITIALLY THE STUDY ONLY CAME BACK THAT SONY WAS NOT, UM, IN A STANDALONE CAPACITY, UM, DESIGNATED AS THE HISTORIC AREA, UM, WHICH WOULD KIND OF KICK UP A NOTCH, THE TYPE OF MITIGATION THAT WAS NECESSARY.
BUT ONCE THE CONSULTANT CAME IN AND DID THE INTERVIEWS WITH, WITH THE DIFFERENT INDIVIDUALS, THEY CAME BACK AND NOT ONLY RECOGNIZING SONIAN
[00:25:01]
AND, UM, A HISTORIC PLACE, BUT ALSO THE ISLAND AS A WHOLE, AND AS SUCH, UH, THE LEVEL OF MITIGATION THAT THEY HAD TO DO, UM, BECAME HIGHER AS A RESULT OF THAT.UH, THE RENDERINGS THAT ARE IN YOUR FOLDER, UM, KIND OF CAME OUT OF THAT HISTORIC STUDY.
THE, UH, ONE OF THE RENDERINGS IS ESSENTIALLY DESIGNATING STONEY IN A VISUAL ASPECT WITH SIGNAGE, SO THAT, UM, ONCE YOU ENTER THE ISLAND, UM, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF THE CRAZY CRAB, UH, THERE WOULD BE A SIGN THAT SAYS, UM, YOU ARE ENTERING THE HISTORIC COMMUNITY OF FELONY.
UM, IN ADDITION TO THAT, THERE ARE OTHER IMAGES WITHIN THOSE RENDERINGS THAT HAVE LIGHT POLES THAT WOULD DESIGNATE EACH, UH, OR REPRESENT EACH OF THE DIFFERENT COMMUNITIES, UH, AROUND THE ISLAND.
SO I APOLOGIZE THE ROAD NOISE, AND I'M NOT LOOKING AT SPECIFICALLY AT WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, BUT FROM MY MEMORY, UM, THERE IS ONE PAGE WHERE YOU CAN SEE A COMPARISON IN SIZE BETWEEN THE CURRENT SIGNAGE THAT IS ON, YOU KNOW, THROUGHOUT THE ISLANDS, THE OUT EACH OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS COMPARED TO THE SIZE OF THE SIGNAGE THAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT.
SO IT IS SIGNIFICANTLY LARGER AND IT IS, UM, MORE PROMINENT SO THAT IT WOULD TRULY REPRESENT WHAT, UM, THE, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU'RE ENTERING A NEIGHBORHOOD FAIR.
UM, ONE THING THAT I WILL SAY IS THAT THE DOD HAS BEEN MEETING WITH THE FAMILY ONCE A MONTH, UM, FOR PROBABLY THE LAST SIX MONTHS OR SO.
UM, IT'S NOT LONGER, UM, AND, UH, STEP-BY-STEP CREATING A, UM, COMFORT LEVEL WITH THE FAMILIES AND EVEN IN APPROVAL FROM THE FAMILIES TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT'S HAPPENING AND WHERE, UH, ONE OF THE OTHER MITIGATION OPTIONS THAT DOD HAS DECIDED THAT THEY WOULD UNDERTAKE IS, UM, THERE IS A CEMETERY GALA CEMETERY ON JENKINS, UH, WHERE IT'S CALLED JENKINS, UH, RIGHT OFF OF JENKINS ROAD.
AND THE ACCESS TO THE CEMETERY IS, UH, RIGHT OFF TWO 78.
AND IT'S A DIRT ROAD THAT IS PRETTY OVERGROWN.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT THE BOT HAS OFFERED TO DO IS CUT A NEW ROAD FROM JENKINS ROAD INTO THE CEMETERY, SO THAT, UM, THERE IS, UH, UH, A MORE SAFER ACCESS TO THE CEMETERY, UM, INSTEAD OF MAKING THAT HARD, RIGHT TURN INTO THE CEMETERY.
UM, SO THOSE ARE SOME OF THE, UH, DIFFERENT MITIGATION OPTIONS THAT THEY'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT AS WELL AS, UM, ADDING IN A PAVILION, WHICH IS ALSO IN THE RENDERINGS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT, WHICH WOULD BE IN WHAT IS CALLED THE JONESVILLE TRACK.
IF YOU'RE FAMILIAR WITH, UH, THE CHAMBERLAIN INTERSECTION ACROSS THE STREET FROM THAT, UH, THERE IS AN OPEN FIELD AND IT'S OWNED BY THE TOWN.
AND, UH, WITHIN THAT, THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT PUTTING A PAVILION, WHICH WOULD BE A GULLAH INFORMATION CENTER WHERE YOU CAN GET INFORMATION ON THE COMMUNITY, THE FAMILIES THAT ARE THERE, YOU KNOW, SONY, UM, HOW IT WAS IN THE PAST, HOW IT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE PRESENT AND, UH, THE GULLAH ISLAND AS A WHOLE.
UM, AND OF COURSE, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE A ADI PASSIVE PARK WHERE YOU COULD JUST COME LINGER, LIKE TO WALK TO THAT KIND OF THING.
SO, IN A NUTSHELL, THAT'S, THAT'S ALL OF THE, UM, MITIGATION, UH, THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING ON WITH, WITH THE DLT OVER THE PAST ALMOST A YEAR NOW.
SO THE ONE I WAS SHARING THE SCREEN, AND AS YOU WERE TALKING, UM, HAS ANYBODY SEEN THESE DOCUMENTS OR HEARD, UH, THIS INTERACTION SO FAR THAT THE, THEN I WOULD SAY THAT IT'S PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING THAT HAS REALLY BEEN LEFT OUT FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION BECAUSE THEY WANTED THE FAMILIES TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SEE ABSORB
[00:30:01]
IT AND EVEN APPROVE THAT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT THEY WANTED.SO IT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVEN'T SEEN IT.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT KIND OF THE PROCESS OR WHAT'S TAKING PLACE THUS FAR? I KNOW GOT A QUESTION ON THAT.
UM, MAYBE I MISSED IT, BUT WHAT'S, WHAT STAGE IS THAT UNDERTAKING AT AND WHAT IS THE FEEDBACK BEEN FROM THE FAMILIES IN THAT COMMUNITY? AS FAR AS THE RENDERINGS THAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE FIRST TIME I SAW THEM WERE PROBABLY NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER INTO DECEMBER.
UM, THEY ARE, WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT IS A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFIC THAN WHAT WAS ORIGINALLY SHOWN, UM, BECAUSE THEY CAME WITH A FEW DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND EVEN CAME TO THE FAMILIES TO SEE IF THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY WERE INTERESTED IN HAVING DONE.
UM, AND THEN BASED ON THAT, THEY CREATED THE RENDERINGS.
AND LIKE I SAID, HAVE BEEN KIND OF TAILORED DOWN TO WHAT YOU SEE TODAY.
UM, AS FAR AS THE FAMILIES ARE CONCERNED, UM, THEY ARE, UM, HAPPY WITH WHAT THE DOC IS OFFERING, OF COURSE, UM, IN A GENERAL SENSE, UM, THERE IS CONCERN ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ROAD BEING WIDENED AND, AND THE DISRUPTION OF, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT'S A GENERAL ASSUMPTION FOR ANYBODY, YOU KNOW, LIVING IN A SITUATION WHERE, WHERE THIS KIND OF PROJECT IS GONNA COME FROM, BUT, UM, THEY HAVE HAD SOME PRETTY EXTENSIVE AND FRANK DISCUSSIONS REGARDING WHAT'S GOING ON AND, AND, UM, ARE, ARE, YOU KNOW, ACCEPTING OF THE RENDERING AS THEY SEE IT.
UM, I WILL MENTION ONE THING THAT I DIDN'T MENTION EARLIER IS THAT, UM, THE SAFETY OF THE STUART FAMILY COMING OUT OF THEIR DRIVEWAYS HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN ISSUE AND A CONCERN.
SO ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT THE DOD IS GOING TO DO IS CUT A ROAD, UM, OR A PRIVATE DRIVEWAY.
UH, YOU COULD CALL IT FROM CHAMBERLAIN INTO THE, UM, THE, THE STEWARD PROPERTIES, WHICH ARE THE ONES THAT ARE, UH, UH, ADJACENT TO CRAZY CRAP SO THAT THEY WON'T HAVE TO COME DIRECTLY OUT OF THE, UM, OUT FROM THEIR DRIVEWAY INTO TWO 78, THEY'LL BE ABLE TO GO TO CHAMBERLAIN AND COME OUT THROUGH THE LIGHTS.
SO THAT IS ANOTHER THING THAT, THAT, UH, THE DOC HAS DISCUSSED AND PLANNING TO DO AND HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE FAMILY AND, AND JOHN, TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UM, AS FAR AS IN THE PROCESS TO DAT, UM, AS THEY WORK TOWARDS THE PUBLIC HEARING, THIS IS ONE OF THE CHECK MARKS THAT FEDERAL HIGHWAY REQUIRES.
UM, SO, UM, THEY, THEY'VE GOT TO GET BUY-IN FROM THE LOCALS AND IN REGARDS TO THE TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY AND HISTORICAL PROPERTY, THAT WAS A BIT OF PROBLEMS. UM, SO WHAT DMTS PLAN IS, IS THAT THEY'VE GOT TO SATISFY THE FAMILIES AND THE STAKEHOLDERS THEY'RE PRESENT, UM, IN ORDER TO QUALIFY TO GET THAT APPROVED BACK TO OHIO, ALWAYS TO CALL THE PUBLIC HERE.
SO THE CLEARING IS SET FOR, UM, MAY RIGHT NOW, IT'S MOVED A COUPLE OF TIMES AND A LARGE REASON FOR SOME OF THE MOVEMENT HAS BEEN THIS CULTURAL STUDY AT, AS MILANA MENTIONED, INITIALLY IT WAS NOT IDENTIFIED AS A HISTORICAL SITE.
UM, BUT ONCE THE CONSULTANT WAS, DID SOME MORE RESEARCH AND THE INTERVIEWS, IT WAS, UH, CHANGED THAT IT WAS, UM, A HISTORICAL SITE.
SO THAT'S BEEN A LITTLE BIT OF THE SLIP IN SCHEDULE WITH PUBLIC HEARING IS BEEN PART OF THIS PROCESS AMONG THE OTHER AGENCIES, UH, FISH AND WILDLIFE.
THIS HAS DEFINITELY BEEN ONE COORDINATION FACTORS, ANY OTHER, I WISH, UH, UH, HERBERT AND, AND CURTIS RIGHT HERE.
UH, HAVE THEY BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY GALANA, UH, MR. HERBERT BOARD AND CURTIS THERESA? UM, NO.
[00:35:01]
INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS, UM, TO THE DEGREE THAT I HAVE, UM, HERBIE IS ONE OF THE NATIVE ISLAND LEADERS.SO HE HAS BEEN INFORMED AND UP TO DATE ON THE PROJECT, AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, MOST OF THE OTHER LEADERS.
UM, AND JUST SO THAT, YOU KNOW, CRAIG, WHEN HAS ALSO MADE A PRESENTATION TO THE LEADERSHIP SO THAT, UM, THEY ARE, THEY ARE FULLY AWARE OF WHERE WE ARE IN THE PROJECT.
AND BECAUSE I DO DOUBLE DUTY, I ALSO KEEP THE LEADERSHIP UP TO DATE WITH, WITH THE NEW ENHANCEMENTS THAT COME IN AS THEY COME IN AND, AND ILANA CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG.
BUT THE, UH, AS DOD IS KINDA TRYING TO WHITTLE DOWN THE ALTERNATIVES, SOME OF THE ALTERNATIVES THAT HAVE BEEN OUT THERE HAVE BEEN SAYING THAT THE, UM, BY THE, THE OVERHEAD, BY THE, THE BYPASS, THE SIGNALS ARE ENTERTAINED OR, UH, PASS THOSE HAVE BEEN IDEAS THAT STILL NEED COMMUNITY HAS BEEN FAVORABLE TOWARDS, UM, FOR VARIOUS REASONS, THE COMMUNITY AND THE SOUND AND THE SETTINGS.
IS THAT, IS THAT ACCURATE? WELL, ACTUALLY, AS FAR AS THE ALTERNATIVES, THE CONCERN, THEY HAVE HAD A PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE FOR THE PAST TWO OR THREE MONTHS THAT THEY'RE FOCUSING ON.
UM, THEY REALLY HAVEN'T RELEASED THAT TO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE YET, BUT, UM, EACH TIME WE HAVE DISCUSSED, UM, HOW THINGS ARE GOING OR WHAT DIRECTION THINGS ARE GOING IN, THEY PREFER TO NOT CHANGE.
AND A LOT OF THE COORDINATION YOU DESCRIBED THEN HAS BEEN IN COORDINATION WITH WHAT THEY'RE PRESENTING AS A PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.
THAT'S THIS COORDINATION THAT'S TAKEN PLACE HAS BEEN THERE, UM, TO GET TO THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE FOR A PUBLIC HEARING, I GUESS, IS THAT THE UNDERSTANDING? I'M SORRY, SAY THAT AGAIN.
I LOST THE LAST PART, THE COORDINATION THAT YOU DESCRIBED AND THE, AND THE, I GUESS LAST SIX MONTHS OF COORDINATION, UM, THAT'S BEEN GETTING THE STUDY COMMUNITY AND FAMILIES COMFORTABLE WITH THE ALTERNATIVE THAT THEY'RE LOOKING FORWARDS AT THE PUBLIC HEARING.
AND, UM, FOR THE MOST PART, THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE, WHEN THEY HAVE MET WITH THE FAMILY, THEY HAVE BEEN FOCUSING ON NOT THE BRIDGE, NOT THE MO MOSS CREEK TO THE BRIDGE ASPECT OF THE PROJECT, BUT FROM THE BRIDGE TO, UM, SPANISH WELL SECTION OF THE PROJECT.
WELL, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY THOUGHTS OR QUESTIONS, AND THIS IS, UH, I JUST THOUGHT IT'D BE INFORMATIVE TO HAVE THEM KIND OF GIVE US THAT UPDATE.
YOU WONDER THIS IS MIKE ARROGANT.
WHEN, WHEN WILL THE, UM, OUTCOME OF THE DISCUSSIONS FOR THE PAST SIX MONTHS BY FTD OT, UM, WITH YOUR FOLKS, WHEN WILL THIS BE, UM, PROVIDED TO THE PUBLIC OR BE MADE AVAILABLE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE BUDS WHO ARE INVOLVED EITHER AS STAKE HOLDERS OR WHATEVER, IS THERE ANY PLAN FOR THAT OR, OR DO YOU KNOW? I BELIEVE, WELL, I KNOW THE PUBLIC MEETING, UM, AS WE SAID EARLY IS SCHEDULED FOR MAY, BUT I BELIEVE THAT THERE IS EXPECTED TO BE A STAKEHOLDER'S MEETING PRIOR TO THAT.
UM, AND THEN MORE SPECIFIC DETAILS AS TO WHAT I'M ALLUDING TO JOIN THE STAKEHOLDERS MEETING.
SO WHEN THE STAKEHOLDERS MEETING, RIGHT.
I HAVEN'T HEARD, SO I DON'T GET, IT'S BEEN DECIDED, BUT YEAH.
WELL, IS THERE ANY OTHER THING YOU GUYS WERE WELL, I HAVEN'T, I HAVE A KIND OF A FOLLOW-UP I GUESS QUESTION, UM,
[00:40:01]
YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF STONEY AND THE TRAFFIC OR THE CRASH PATTERNS.UM, OBVIOUSLY THIS REACH THAT SED OT IS DOING IS AROUND WHAT THEY'RE CALLING THEIR PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.
IF YOU LOOK AT ALTERNATIVES FIVE AND FIVE, A THAT, UM, KIND OF CHANGE, MOVE THE CORRIDOR OVER, UH, THERE'S SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE IN THE PEDESTRIAN TRAFFIC IN, YOU KNOW, NOT ALL STONY, BUT THE MAJORITY OF STONEY THERE'S SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN, UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT.
SO I'M JUST CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, IT HAS, YOU KNOW, WHAT ARE WE DOING OR TO THINK ABOUT THE FIVE, FIVE, EIGHT ALTERNATIVE VERSUS THE DOTC PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE AS IT HAS TO DO WITH STONEY BEING, UH, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, NOW A, UM, I THINK THE TERMS THAT TCP, OR, YOU KNOW, A TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY, AS WELL AS, UH, YOU KNOW, ADD TO THAT, UM, THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVES FIVE, FIVE, EIGHT, AND HOW IT HAS TO DO WITH THE LIKELIHOOD OF FUTURE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS.
SO, I MEAN, I FEEL LIKE WE'RE TAKEN AS A FOREGONE CONCLUSION THAT THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE IS THE ONE THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, BUT THERE'S STILL ALTERNATIVES THAT NEED TO GET REVIEWED IN FRONT OF ME.
DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY INSIGHT ON THAT QUESTION, BARBARA? UH, YEAH, I'LL TAKE A STAB OUT OF JOHN.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, TO THE POINT OF ALL THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT SHOULD TAKE ALL THAT INTO CONSIDERATION IN TERMS OF THE IMPACTS, RIGHT? SO I THINK IN SOME OF THE TRAFFIC DOCUMENTATION THAT WAS POSTED THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS, GIVEN MUCH OF A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SOME OF THESE INTERSECTIONS, THE SAFETY COMPONENT WILL BE ADDRESSED.
I GUESS, SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF THE IMPACTS OF THIS TCP OR, OR CULTURAL WILL BE WEIGHED BETWEEN REASONABLE ALTERNATIVE ONE, TWO, FIVE, EIGHT, WHATEVER THAT THOSE NUMBERS ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, RIGHT AWAY IMPACTS, UM, YOU KNOW, IMPACTS FROM FISH AND WILDLIFE POTENTIAL WELLS, THIS TREATMENT PACKS THAT ALL BEEF, I GUESS, BY NEPA, THEY HAVE TO DOCUMENT ALL THAT INFORMATION AND THAT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT IS THAT KIND OF WHAT YOU'RE, WHERE YOU'RE GOING WITH THAT I'M GUESSING, I'M ASKING, WHAT IS, WHAT ARE YOU ALL DOING AS THE INDEPENDENT EVALUATORS AND ASSESSING HOW FIVE, FIVE, EIGHT VERSUS THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE IMPACTS THE STONY COMMUNITY IN REGARD TO SAFETY AND CULTURAL PRESERVATION.
I MEAN, WE'RE, WE'RE DOING THE BEST WE CAN WITH THE DOCUMENTATION PROVIDE.
I MEAN, CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, THE,
UM, IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY'VE HAD THE NUMBER OF THE COMMUNITY, UH, COMMUNITY MEETINGS WITH, WITH THE STONEY COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, CAN, WE CAN CONTINUE TO LOOK AT REFINEMENTS IF ANY IS ALTERNATIVES.
I KNOW THAT WAS SOMETHING WE WERE GOING TO KIND OF TALK ABOUT, UM, AND TO KIND OF NEXT STEPS WHERE OTHER OPTIONS WE NEED TO BE LOOKING AT, AND SOME MINOR TWEAKS BASED ON SOME OF THESE, UM, UH, SOME OPTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BEFORE.
SO WELL, AND I THINK TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, JOHN, YOU MIGHT BE, UH, FOR JEFF AND PHIL, SO THE FIVE DAY OPTION AND I'LL SHARE IT.
I JUST PULLED IT UP ON THE LEFT SIDE.
UM, SO THE FIVE DAY OPTION, UM, IS BASICALLY, UH, A NEW ROAD.
THIS BE, UH, UH, TUESDAY IS, IS, UH, DONE AWAY WITH, AND THEN THIS IS THE NEW ALIGNMENT.
SO I GUESS WE'LL, UH, JOHN'S ASKING, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, JOHN, AS, AS WE WERE EVALUATING IT, NOW THIS MAY COST MORE MONEY BECAUSE IT'S A LOT OF, THIS IS ALL BRIDGE RIGHT HERE, BUT, UM, IT DOESN'T REALLY HAVE ANY IMPACTS OR AS MANY IMPACTS ON THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS PART OF STONEY.
THERE'S MORE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS ALL THE WAY ON THE MARSHLAND.
AND IN OUR STUDY, THE INDEPENDENT EVALUATION, WHAT CRITERIA COULD WE RANK? THIS PROJECT WAS HIGHER BECAUSE EVEN THOUGH IT AFFECTS THE ENVIRONMENT, IT DOESN'T AFFECT THE SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT.
AND TO US, THAT'S A GREATER, GREATER NEED.
IS THAT KINDA WHAT YOU'RE ASKING JOHN? YEAH.
I MEAN, I'M, I I'M ASKING THE QUESTION.
I DON'T, I DON'T KNOW IF I QUALIFY IT AS ONE BEING BETTER
[00:45:01]
THAN OTHER, BUT RATHER WHAT ARE WE DOING THROUGH THIS PROCESS TO UNDERSTAND THE PROS AND CONS OF THIS OTHER RIGHT AWAY AND ITS IMPACT ON THE SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS VEHICLES, AS WELL AS THE CULTURAL PRESERVATION IN THE STONEY COMMUNITY VERSUS, YOU KNOW, THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE THAT BESSIE DLT IS TALKING WITH THE RESIDENTS AND FAMILIES OF STONEY.UM, YEAH, JUST IN MY MIND, YOU KNOW, FOR THE DOD TO SAY, HEY, THERE'S A CULTURAL SENSITIVE AREA HERE THAT WE NEED TO COME UP WITH A MITIGATION PLAN.
SO OBVIOUSLY THEY NEED TO, UM, PRESENT A MITIGATION PLAN WITH RESPECT TO THEIR PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.
BUT I THINK WE NEED TO ASK THE QUESTION, WHAT WOULD THE MITIGATION PLAN LOOK LIKE AND WHAT WOULD BE NEEDED, UM, THE SEVERITY OF ANY MITIGATION IN THE COMMUNITY IF A DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVE WAS PREFERRED.
SO KIND OF DO THE SAME THING, A QUICK VERSION OF WHAT A DOP IS TO END WITH WHAT THEY'RE MEANING TO HER AS THEIR PREFERRED AS THE ORIGINAL ALIGNMENT.
AND, UM, WHAT DOES IMPACTS WOULD BE IF, IF A DIFFERENT PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE WAS THE CHOSEN ALIGNMENT? YEAH, WE WILL LOOK INTO THAT.
I THINK IT WOULD BE SOMEWHAT SIMILAR SINCE YOU'RE STILL SORT OF IN YOUR YOU'RE STILL IMPACTING THAT COMMUNITY.
UM, AND SHE TALKED ABOUT, UM, SIGNAGE AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AREAS, GATHERING AREAS AND INFORMATION AND THINGS I USE ARE YOU'RE STILL HAVING THOSE TYPE OF IMPACTS TO IT AS FAR AS SAFETY GOES.
I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, AS FAR AS WALKING ACROSS THE STREET, GETTING ACROSS THE STREET, I THINK IT'S SIMILAR BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT, UM, YOU KNOW, A BRIDGE GOING OVER SQUIRE POPE'S.
BUT NOW INSTEAD OF, YOU KNOW, ONE ROAD, UH, YOU KIND OF HAVE PARALLEL ROADS, SO YOU'VE GOT PEDESTRIAN SORT OF ON, ON BOTH OF THOSE ROADS AT THAT POINT.
SO, UM, YEAH, LET'S TAKE THAT QUESTION AND, UM, LOOK INTO THAT FOR YOU, JOHN.
AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, JUST TO THINK ABOUT THE, YOU KNOW, THE CULTURAL ASPECT OF, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT THE MITIGATION PLAN IS.
AND, AND, AND I LOVE THE IDEA OF, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE SIGNAGE, AS WELL AS, UM, YOU KNOW, EITHER A BUILDING OR SOMETHING THAT HAS SOME OF THE HISTORY AND AN INFORMATION, BUT YOU'RE FRANKLY, HAVING A BUILDING THAT PEOPLE ARE, YOU KNOW, TO CONSUME CULTURAL INFORMATION, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN 50 FEET FROM A HIGHWAY, THAT'S GOING TO HAVE A CHAMBERLAIN OR WIDTH OF NINE OR 10 LANES IS, IS GOING TO BE SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT THAN HAVING THAT SAME CULTURAL REPRESENTATION ON A TWO LANE ROAD IN WHICH, YOU KNOW, TWO 78 WOULD BE FOR LOCAL TRAFFIC.
SO, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST ENCOURAGED THE, THIS GROUP AS WELL AS, YOU KNOW, THE COMMUNITY BROADLY TO THINK ABOUT WHAT THE LOOK AND FEEL WILL BE OF STONEY UNDER DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES.
AND, AND NOT TO JUST ASSUME THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ONLY NEED TO CONSIDER THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF WHAT THE DOD IS SAYING IS THEIR PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.
ONE IS WHEN WE HAD, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES ON THE TWO 78 COMMITTEE, JOHN YOU'LL REMEMBER THAT THE IMPACT ON STONY FROM FIVE EIGHT, UH, WAS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT JUST IN ANOTHER PART OF STONE.
BUT I THINK THE SECOND THING IS I, MY UNDERSTANDING WAS THAT WE WERE GOING TO, THAT HDR WAS GOING TO LOOK AT ALL THE ALTERNATIVES AS PRESENTED AND UNDERSTAND WHY THEY REJECTED CERTAIN ALTERNATIVES.
SO TO JOHN'S POINT, I THOUGHT THAT WAS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT YOU GUYS WERE GOING TO DO AND, AND JUST HAVE SOME COMMENTS THAT YES, THAT MADE SOME SENSE THAT THEY REJECTED AND HERE'S THEIR REASONING ABOUT WHY THEY REJECTED IT SO THAT WE, YOU KNOW, THAT, THAT WE WOULD UNDERSTAND THAT.
WE WERE GOOD TO DISCUSS THAT TODAY.
HOPEFULLY WE WON'T RUN TOO FAR, BUT I'M HOPING TO GET TO THAT FOR SURE.
AND JUST TO FURTHER CLARIFY THE OBJECTIVE OF THE INDEPENDENT REVIEW, UM, IN ADDITION TO WHAT DAVID JUST SAID, LOOKING AT ALL OF THE DOD ALTERNATIVES, UM, I BELIEVE THERE WAS AN AGREEMENT THAT YOU WOULD, IN ADDITION, LOOK AT, UM, OTHER COMMUNITY SOURCE IDEAS AND, UM, OTHER
[00:50:01]
CONCEPTS BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE THAT YOU WOULD BRING THOSE TO THE TABLE, AS WELL AS ALTERNATIVES TO WHAT DOD HAS NOW SEEMINGLY NARROWED DOWN TO THEIR SINGLE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE SO THAT WE CAN HAVE A REALISTIC, UM, HAD A BENCHMARK OF DID, DID HAS D O T DON THEY'RE NARROWING TO ONE ALTERNATIVE APPROPRIATELY.AND WAS ANYTHING MISSED IN THE METHODOLOGY OF GETTING TO THAT SINGLE, SINGLE RECOMMENDATION? IS THAT CORRECT? YES.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE HAVE IT, BUT DO YOU WANT TO GO AHEAD AND GET INTO THE ALTERNATIVE SCREEN OR DO YOU WANT TO HIT TRAFFIC AND GROWTH? LET'S DO THE GRID.
I KNOW THE GROWTH RATE WAS SOMETHING THAT THEY HAD TALKED ABOUT TOO.
UM, JEFF, DO YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT? AND THEN WE'RE GETTING TO SOME OF THE ALTERNATIVES AND SOME QUESTIONS THAT WE HAVE FOR THE COMMITTEE AS FAR AS HOW THEY WERE CHOOSING ALTERNATIVES.
I'LL, I'LL TRY TO TEE THAT UP FOR YOU.
UM, KIND OF GETTING THE ALTERNATIVE PROFESSOR.
IT SEEMS LIKE THAT'S WHERE WE WANT TO BE FOCUSING OUR TIME.
SO IN TERMS OF THE GROWTH, AGAIN, THERE'S A, THERE'S A SECTION IN THE TRAFFIC ANALYSIS REPORT.
IF YOU LOOK FROM MARCH, 2020, IT TALKS ABOUT THE GROWTH.
UM, YOU KNOW, THEY CERTAINLY, THEY USE THE LOW COUNTRY REGIONAL MODEL FOR ALL THESE DIFFERENT PROJECTIONS THAT HAVE POPULATION.
THEY HAVE, UH, EMPLOYMENT GROWTH TO HAVE, UM, PARKING, UH, ON, ON HILTON HEAD ISLAND, ALL THESE THINGS THAT KIND OF CONSIDER IN THIS MODEL.
UM, AND THEN KIND OF WHAT THE BASIS CAN I GIVE YOU THE LAYMAN'S TERMS OF THE MODEL WAS KIND OF UNDERPERFORMING, UM, COMPARED TO WHAT THE ACTUAL COUNTS WERE ON THE CORRIDOR, UM, BETWEEN LIKE 2009 AND 2017, AND WE'RE SEEING UPWARDS FROM 2% GROWTH ON THE CORRIDOR AND THE MODEL WAS SHOWING LESS THAN.
SO WHAT THEY ENDED UP DOING WAS TWEAKING THE MODEL AND YOU'LL SEE THE GROWTH RATE.
THAT'S THE ONE THAT'S BEEN PUBLICIZED IN THE SHAFT REPORTS AND THE NEWSLETTERS AND ALL THOSE THINGS WERE KIND OF SHOWS THAT 1.19% GROWTH, UM, BETWEEN LIKE A 10, 2010 AND A 20, 40, UM, MODEL AFTER THEY MADE SOME OF THE ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON AGAIN, AND HOUSING POPULATION, PARKING EMPLOYMENT, UM, THE TYPE IS X AND THAT'S WHEN THEY TOOK THEIR EXISTING DATA COLLECTION.
AND THEN THEY GREW TRAFFIC TO 2020, OR I'M SORRY TO 2025 AND THEN TO A 2045, UH, FOR THOSE FEATURE VINES.
AND THAT'S KIND OF THE BASIS OF HOW THEY'VE GOT TO WHERE THEY'RE LOOKING AT THESE DIFFERENT ANALYSIS OPTIONS AND ALTERNATIVES WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF, KIND OF SEGUE INTO WHERE WE'RE PHILLIP WANTING TO KIND OF GO NEXT AND, AND THE GROUP TALKING ABOUT THE ALTERNATIVES THAT THE DOC ALREADY HAD AND ANY POTENTIAL, UM, TWEAKS OR THINGS THAT WE CAN KIND OF COME TOGETHER AS OVERSIGHT MAYBE, AND TRY TO PROVIDE SOME ADDITIONAL, UM, MODIFICATIONS OR CHANGES RECOMMENDED TO THE GROUP FOR THAT.
SO, SO THEN THE 19 MENTIONED SOMETHING ABOUT A PREVIOUS STUDY AND THAT WAS ONE OF OUR 30 YEARS, UM, OR IT, AND THAT HAD ALREADY MET THAT.
SO WHEN THEY RUN THE MODEL, UM, THEY RUN IT LIKE, I THINK EVERY 10 YEARS OR SO.
SO WHEN THEY RAN THE MODELING IN WHATSAPP, IS THEY BE IN LAB? SHE TALKING ABOUT YES, YES.
SO LATS IS THE PLANNING ORGANIZATION FOR THE REGION, UH, LOCAL AREA, TRANSPORTATION, SOMETHING, I'M NOT SURE WHAT THIS IS.
AND SO THEY DO MODELING FOR THE NPO METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION AND THE CAR, THE COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS, LOW COUNTRY COUNCIL GOVERNMENTS.
UM, SO THEY REPRESENT COLLINS IN HAMPTON, JASPER AND DEFER TO THE, THEY TAKE THE DATA AND ENDED UP A MODEL, UH, LONG RANGE, 20, UH, FIVE-YEAR MODEL.
AND SO, SORRY, THAT WAS JUST A BACKGROUND ON PURPOSE.
SO WHEN THEY RAN THE MODEL BACK IN 2010, UM, THEY HAVE A FUTURE 25 YEAR FORECAST.
AND FOR HILTON HEAD, I THINK IT WAS LIKE, UH, IT WAS LESS THAN A HALF A PERCENT GROWTH.
UM, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE MENTIONED IT, YOU KNOW, KIND OF GROWN OUT AND WHERE WOULD PEOPLE GO? SO IT WAS A VERY LOW PROJECTION OF, OF TRAFFIC, BUT, UM, THE ACTUAL PROJECTION THAT THEY HAVE FOR 2040, I BELIEVE 2040 WAS ACTUALLY MET IN 2019.
THEY ACTUALLY HIT THAT, THAT NUMBER.
SO AS JEFF SAID, YOU KNOW, IT WASN'T GROWING AT LESS THAN HALF PERCENT.
[00:55:01]
SO THEIR PROJECTION FOR 2040 HAD ALREADY BEEN MET.SO THEY HAD TO GO BACK AND RETWEAK THAT.
UM, AND THAT'S WHERE THEY CAME UP WITH THE 1.19% GROWTH RATE THAT THEY'VE USED, UM, TO DO THAT BECAUSE THE, THE LOWER GROWTH, THEY STILL LOOKED AT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, UH, BEACH PARKING, THAT TYPE OF THING THAT, UH, THAT THE LEAD STUDY WOULD USE.
AND THAT'S HOW THEY CAME UP WITH THAT GROWTH RATE.
SO, UM, USING THAT BASED ON, UM, PRETTY MUCH STANDARD PRACTICE, I THINK WE'VE GOT SOME STUFF FROM DIFFERENT STATES THAT SORT OF SHOW WHAT, HOW MANY LANES YOU NEED, UM, THIS KIND OF THIS, THE TRAFFIC IN THIS AREA, EVEN TODAY, PROBABLY MORE THAN THREE LANES IN EACH DIRECTION, UH, THEN TO KIND OF GIVE YOU A LITTLE BIT OF AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH TRAFFIC IS OUT THERE.
UM, THE 2019 COUNTS ARE VERY, VERY, VERY CLOSE TO WHAT I, 95 IS, UM, COVERING ACROSS THE GEORGIA LINE.
I THINK THERE'S 57,000 CARS A DAY, UM, THROUGH THE SQUIRE POPE AREA.
AND THERE'S 59,000 CARS A DAY ON 95, WHICH THEY'RE GETTING READY TO WIDEN TO THREE LANES.
AND THERE ARE NO TRAFFIC SIGNALS IN THERE.
AND, UM, SO IN THE FUTURE, YEAH.
UM, BASED ON WHAT WE'VE SEEN, THREE LANES WOULD BE REQUIRED, YOU KNOW, INDUSTRY DIRECTION DURING, DURING THE PEAK HOUR, THEY HAVE SENT US A, UM, WE HAVE ASKED THEM QUESTIONS OF DDOT AND THEY WERE GOOD.
THEY SENT US SOME INFORMATION BACK.
THEY SENT US JUST YESTERDAY, UM, SOME INFORMATION ON REVERSIBLE LANES.
UM, AND UNFORTUNATELY THE, IT WAS VERY REASONABLY GOT THAT YESTERDAY.
AND WE HAVEN'T HAD A CHANCE TO RUN THROUGH THAT ON, ON WHY REVERSIBLE LANES WASN'T MOVED FORWARD, BUT WE CAN HAVE THAT INFORMATION FOR YOU FOR THE NEXT MEETING.
SO, SO I MEAN, THIS IS, THIS TRAFFIC IN GROWTH IS VERY IMPORTANT, OBVIOUSLY.
SO I HAVE TWO QUESTIONS ON THAT, I GUESS ONE, AND I THINK YOU ANSWERED IT, BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CLEAR.
SO FIRST QUESTION IS, DO YOU, DO YOU THINK THAT THE TRAFFIC, UM, NUMBERS AND PROJECTIONS ARE FAIR PROJECTIONS GOING FORWARD? IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU SAID YES.
BUT, BUT THE SECOND QUESTION IS WHAT, WHAT COULD CHANGE TO MAKE THESE INFLATED? WHAT, WHAT IN YOUR MIND, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE PROBABILITIES OF SOMETHING CHANGING OR WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS THAT COULD CHANGE TO MAKE THESE, THESE NUMBERS INCORRECT OR TOO, TOO, TOO HIGH? SO TWO QUESTIONS THERE, I'LL LET JEFF FINISH THAT, BUT I KNOW ONE OF THE KEYS THAT I THINK IN THE AREA IS JUST THE EXPLOSION OF BLUFFTON IS JUST GROWING AT AN UNBELIEVABLE RATE RIGHT NOW.
AND SO OBVIOUSLY I DON'T, I THINK HILTON HEAD IS KIND OF STABILIZED OUT WITH WHAT THEY'RE, UM, LAND ZONE, ZONING AND ORDINANCES AND THINGS, BUT BLUFFTON IS REALLY IN BIGGER.
AND I THINK THAT TRAFFIC COMING TO IT FROM, SO, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT LEVELS OUT A LITTLE BIT, MAYBE NOT.
UM, I THINK THAT COULD BE ONE THING, BUT JEFF, YOU WANT TO ADD, NO, I THINK YOU'VE KIND OF TOUCHED ON THE DEMAND BETWEEN BLUFFTON AND HILTON HEAD IS STILL THERE.
WE HAD DAVID TO YOUR POINT, MAN, THE MODEL IS WHAT IT IS.
THE INPUTS ARE THE FOLKS WHO ARE DOING THE MODEL CHANGES BASED ON, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT PROJECTIONS AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS.
I MEAN, THAT, AGAIN, WE'RE JUST REVIEWING THAT THE OUTPUTS THAT ARE PROVIDED.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, IT'S BASED ON THE DEBACLE APPOINTMENT, SO, UM, IT, THERE COULD BE CHANGES OR TWEAKS, BUT FOR NOW THAT THE DEMAND APPEARS TO STILL BE THERE TO PARTICULARLY BETWEEN BLUFFTON AND HILTON HEAD.
SO THE BLUFFTON CONNECTION, EVEN THOUGH THEY DON'T LIVE THERE, I GUESS THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF BLOOD TONGANS THAT ARE SERVICING INDUSTRY ON HILTON HEAD.
IS THAT, IS THAT WHY THAT TRAFFIC IS THIS OR, UM, THAT MAY BE A LITTLE BEYOND, I, I THINK IT, IT IT'S IT'S SPECULATION, BUT I THINK, I THINK YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE RIGHT THERE, THERE, JARED, I THINK THAT THERE IS THAT THERE'S THAT DEMAND AGAIN, KIND OF LOOKING AT DIFFERENT THINGS THAT THE, THE DUT VOLUMES ARE, ARE SEEING A HIGHER PERCENT INCREASE ON THE WEST SIDE THAN THEY ARE ON THE EAST SIDE, CERTAINLY, UH, AS YOU GET INTO HILTON HEAD.
SO, UM, I THINK THAT THAT IS A VALID POINT THAT'S PARTICULARLY AFTER SEEING THE GROWTH THAT WAS OCCURRING,
[01:00:01]
JUST WE'LL CALL IT JUST ALONG THE CORRIDOR BETWEEN EXISTING COUNTS THAT WERE PROVIDED FROM 2009 TO 2017.SO, SO WHEN WE'RE SAYING 1.19% GROWTH, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPECIFIC GROWTH IN VEHICLES SAFETY.
IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CROSSING THE BRIDGE, NOT NECESSARILY GROWTH POPULATION GROWTH ON THE ISLAND OR POPULATION GROWTH ON BOTH.
AND BECAUSE IT MAY BE WAY HIGHER THAN THAT, MAYBE 5% POPULATION GROWTH IN BLUFFTON AND HALF PERCENT POPULATION GROWTH IN HILTON HEAD.
BUT THE ACTUAL GROWTH WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IS THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES.
IS THAT THE RIGHT? THAT'S THE WAY I READ THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT IS THE PERCENT GROWTH PER YEAR FOR VEHICLES ONTO 78.
DAVID DID THAT RECENT I'M I'M UNCLEAR ON ONE THING.
DID YOU JUST SAY THAT THE GROWTH IN ONE DIRECTION IS DIFFERENT THAN THE GROWTH IN THE OTHER DIRECTION? NO.
I'M TALKING PARTICULARLY IN TERMS OF THE, THE ADT ADT GROWTH SET AROUND, LET'S SAY IN BLUFFTON, COMPARED TO WHAT'S IN HILTON HEAD.
SO YOU'RE SEEING HIGHER GROWTH RATES IN BLUFFTON THAN YOU ARE HERE.
I'M NOT TALKING DIRECTIONAL OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
THAT'S IF I SAID THAT, I'M SORRY.
SO YOU'RE SAYING THAT THE, THAT THE, UM, OVERALL TRAFFIC IN BLUFFTON IS GROWING AT A HIGHER RATE THAN THE TRAFFIC ON HILTON HEAD, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
BASED ON SOME OF THE DOCUMENTATION PROVIDED.
AND THAT MAKES SENSE BECAUSE THE POPULATION BASED IN BOSTON IS GROWING MUCH FASTER THAN IT IS IN HILTON HEAD, AND THAT'S BEEN TRUE FOR YEARS.
UM, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE ANOTHER ISSUE IS THAT THE, UM, TRAFFIC BETWEEN HILTON HEAD IN BLUFFTON IS ALSO GROWING.
AND I WOULD POSE THAT, THAT IN PART, AS WE HAVE SEEN BUSINESSES MOVE OFF OF THE ISLAND OF HILTON HEAD AND RELOCATE INTO BLUFFTON, THOSE NEW BLUFFTON BASED BUSINESSES ARE CONTINUING TO SERVE THEIR EXISTING CUSTOMER BASE AND HILTON HEAD.
SO PEST CONTROL COMPANIES AND POOL SERVICING COMPANIES AND, AND PEOPLE THAT, THAT PROVIDE ALL THEIR BUSINESS SERVICES TO THE ISLAND ARE NOW LOCATED IN BLUFFTON RATHER THAN ON THE ISLAND.
AND THAT MAY BE CAUSING ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC ACROSS THE BRIDGE AS A RESULT.
SO IF, IF THAT, UM, MODEL IS, I MEAN, THAT'S HOW I WOULD INTERPRET THE, THE ADDITIONAL DEMANDS FOR BRIDGE CROSSING.
SO RISA, YOU'RE SAYING THAT THAT PEST CONTROL COMPANY THAT USED TO BE HOUSED ON HILTON HEAD FOR WHATEVER REASON, MAYBE THEY CHOSE TO RELOCATE IN BLUFFTON, BUT NOW THEIR DAILY BUSINESS TRAFFIC TO AND FROM THE SERVICE, UM, HOMES ON HILTON HEAD IS SOME OF THAT, THAT GROWTH TRAFFIC, EVEN THOUGH THEY PROBABLY STILL HAVE A LARGE AMOUNT OF BUSINESS GROWING AND BOOKED, AND THEY STILL HAVE TO GO BACK AND FORTH THE BRIGGS TO SERVICE THERE.
AND, UM, THAT COULD BE DRIVING SOME OF THIS ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC VOLUME WHERE IT ISN'T RESIDENTIAL.
IT ISN'T NECESSARILY THE WORKFORCE EMPLOYED IN THE HOSPITALITY SECTOR, BUT IT COULD IN PART BE DRIVEN BY OTHER BUSINESSES WHO ARE PROVIDING SERVICES HERE, BUT HAVE CHOSEN TO HEADQUARTER ELSEWHERE.
UM, YOU KNOW, CONTRACTORS WHO ARE DOING RENOVATIONS, THE FLOORING COMPANIES, THE TILE COMPANIES, THE, THOSE KINDS OF FOLKS.
UM, A LOT OF THEM HAVE FOUND LESS EXPENSIVE COMMERCIAL SPACES IN BLUFFTON AND BEYOND IN THE COUNTY.
AND, UM, JUST TO HELP ME UNDERSTAND, POSSIBLY SOME OF THIS TRAFFIC PROJECTION WITH THOSE TRENDS, CONTINUING, UM, THE VOLUME INCREASES.
NOW, MAKING MORE SENSE TO ME, THE INTERESTING THING ABOUT THAT, WHICH I HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT BEFORE RISA IS THAT THE, THE LATS MODELS WOULDN'T TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEY'RE THERE.
I DON'T THINK BECAUSE THEY'RE LOOKING AT, AT THE GROWTH IN, IN THE COMMUNITIES ON ALL FILE AND, AND ON, ON ISLAND, THEY'RE NOT
[01:05:01]
TAKING THAT POINT.SO IT ACTUALLY WOULD MEAN THAT THE TRAFFIC WOULD INCREASE AND GET WORSE ANYWAY.
SO THAT'S VERY INTERESTING POINT THAT I HADN'T EVEN CONSIDERED.
I THINK THEY, I THINK YOU MIGHT HAVE A MISREPRESENTATION.
I MEAN, THEY DEFINITELY ACCOUNT FOR TRENDS AND TRAFFIC OVER THE LAST DECADE WHEN THEY FORECAST THEIR MODEL.
SO IF THEY'RE SOCIOECONOMIC CHANGES IN TRAFFIC THAT AFFECT THE TRENDS, THEN THEY ARE INDEED ACCOUNTING FOR THOSE TRENDS.
MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THEY ACCOUNT FOR THE GROWTH IN COMMUNITIES.
SO THIS WHOLE IDEA THAT BUSINESSES ARE MOVING OFF ISLAND, RIGHT ISLAND.
THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY, THEY TAKE THAT INTO ACCOUNT BECAUSE THEY ADJUST IT FOR THE TREND THAT'S OCCURRING.
THERE'S INCREASED TRAFFIC BECAUSE OF THE SOCIOECONOMIC POINTS THAT YOU GUYS RAISED.
BUT I WANT TO MAKE A SUGGESTION BECAUSE THIS THING KEEPS ON COMING UP.
I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S, YOU KNOW, AT WHAT WHAT'S THE LOWEST GROWTH RATE THAT WOULD PUSH US TO NEED THE THREE LANES AND MAYBE THAT'S, YOU KNOW, 0.2%.
AND WE CAN PUT THIS TO BED TO SAY THAT, UM, LOOK, MAYBE IT'S NOT 1.9.
WE DON'T KNOW THERE'S SOME UNCERTAINTY THERE, BUT WE DO KNOW IF IT'S AT LEAST X, THEN WE NEED TO GET TO A THREE LANE SOLUTION.
AND I FEEL LIKE THAT'S A PRETTY EASY CALCULATION FOR SOMEONE THAT'S CLOSE TO THESE TYPES OF MODELS.
I THINK THAT'S A GOOD IDEA, JOHN.
ANYTHING BEYOND 0.2, FIVE IS GOING TO PUT YOU AT THREE LANES OR WHATEVER THE NUMBER IS.
AND SO WE DON'T HAVE TO SAY, I HAVE TO ARGUE IF WE'RE AT 0.7, FIVE OR 0.1 0.75 AS A GROWTH RATE, BECAUSE WE ALREADY KNOW 0.2, FIVE IS THE LIMIT.
I'D LOVE, I'D LOVE FOR HER TO GET THAT, GET THAT CALCULATION TO US AND JUST SAY, OKAY, IF GIVEN THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS THE GROWTH WE HAVE TO BE? AND FROM WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE DOD IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THEY NEVER TOLD US THAT, BUT I THINK IT'S GOING TO END UP BEING FAIRLY LOW JUST BECAUSE OF THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THAT OCCURS RIGHT NOW IS PRETTY BAD.
I THINK BASED OFF, UNFORTUNATELY, BASED OFF THE CRASH DATA AND BASED OFF WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM I, 95 WE'RE, EVEN IF IT'S ALMOST FLAT, WE'RE KIND OF ALMOST THERE FOR THE FAT THAT THEY'RE WIDENING TWO LANES FOR MILLIONS OF AT 95 TO SIX LANES THAT DOESN'T HAVE A SIGNAL AND IS IN A FREE FLOW CAPACITY.
UM, AND WE'RE SIMILAR TRAFFIC ALREADY.
THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE HOW YOU PHRASED THAT, JOHN, I WOULD SAY ANOTHER THING AND MAYBE PHILLIP AND JEFF, WE COULD DO THIS AS WE WERE TALKING ABOUT POINTS, UH, AND THIS TRAFFIC BEING A BIG POINT OF THE STUDY, THE INDEPENDENT STUDY, UH, MAY WE GO AHEAD AND START KIND OF GRAFT IN THE STUDY AS WE GO, UH, AND WE CAN SHARE IT ON SCREEN.
SO WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT TRAFFIC AND ONCE WE HAVE THE ANSWER, WE KIND OF HAVE THAT LISTED AS PART OF OUR WORKING, UM, STUDY OUR WORKING REPORT.
DOES THAT MAKE SENSE OR WOULD THAT BE, UM, BENEFICIAL OR I'M JUST TRYING TO THINK OUT LOUD.
YEAH, WE CAN, WE CAN HAVE A RUNNING TALLY ON, ON ITEMS THAT WE'VE DISCUSSED AND ABSENT.
MAYBE WE HAVEN'T COME TO CONCLUSION ON.
AND SOME THAT WE HAVE THAT WERE KIND OF MAKE US A LITTLE MORE EFFICIENT.
WELL THEN THEY DON'T LEAD INTO, UM, THE ALTERNATIVES.
I THINK, I THINK THAT COVERED, UH, TRAFFIC AND GROWTH AND WE CAN COME BACK TO IT LATER, BUT I THINK THAT'S, I HAVE A GREATER UNDERSTANDING THAN WHAT I DID AN HOUR AGO.
ARE WE GOOD ON TIME, JERRY? CAN WE KEEP GOING? WELL, SO WE ONLY CARVED DOWN AN HOUR.
UM, I HAVE A HARD STOP AT THREE O'CLOCK, BUT I'M OPEN UNTIL THEN.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT EVERYBODY ELSE'S, UM, LOOKS LIKE I WANT TO BE INTO YOUR TIME.
DOES EVERYBODY HAVE TIME TO KEEP GOING OR WOULD YOU WANT TO PAUSE? I GOT 20 MINUTES.
UM,
IF Y'ALL KEEP ON GOING, I'M FINE.
LET ME, UM, SO I WANT TO SHARE MY SCREEN HERE.
I WANT TO GO THROUGH KIND OF SOME, SOME THINGS ON ALTERNATIVES AND, AND CAN SHARE A LITTLE BIT, BUT, UM, SOME THINGS WE GOT FROM DUT AND SORT OF OFF THE INTERNET AS WELL ON THEIR WEBSITE.
SO THIS IS, UH, THE MATRIX THAT THEY USE TO GO FROM THE 19 ALTERED IS DOWN TO SIX AND YOU CAN KIND OF SEE,
[01:10:01]
YEP.I WAS ZOOMING IN ON MY SCREEN AND IT'S BIGGER SAY, YEAH.
UM, SO YOU CAN SEE THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT THEY USED, AND THIS IS VERY HIGH LEVEL, TRYING TO GO DOWN TO, YOU KNOW, SIX ALTERNATIVES, SOMETHING A LITTLE BIT MORE REASONABLE TO GO INTO MORE DETAIL ON TRAFFIC, ON SAFETY, ON, UM, IMPACTS ON COST AND ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.
SO YOU CAN SEE, UM, THE TRAFFIC REALLY WAS NOT CONSIDERED HERE.
COSTS WAS REALLY NOT CONSIDERED HERE IS MORE OF A HIGH LEVEL IMPACTS.
YOU KNOW, HOW MANY NEIGHBORHOODS ARE IMPACTED, HOW MUCH RIGHT-AWAY IS IMPACTED, UM, YOU KNOW, RESOURCES LIKE WETLANDS AND PROTECTIVE LANDS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THIS IS VERY, IT SEEMS VERY TYPICAL TO ME, UM, TO DO THIS.
SO I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THIS, AND I THINK THAT WAS PRETTY GOOD.
AND THEN THEY, THEY NARROWED THAT DOWN TO, UM, SIX ALTERNATIVES.
AND SO I THINK I HAD THAT OVER HERE.
SO THEN RIGHT THERE IS THAT, UM, UH, STANDARD INDUSTRY STANDARD, THESE, THESE EVALUATION CRITERIA, OR IS THAT SPECIFIC TO OUR PROJECT? THIS IS, UH, IT'S TYPICALLY SPECIFIC TO A PROJECT, BUT JEFF, DO YOU HAVE SOME INSIGHT ON THAT? YEAH, I MEAN, IT IS SPECIFIC, BUT IT IS INDUSTRY STRANDS.
I MEAN, IT IS THAT, THAT FIRST CUT, IT IS ALL KIND OF DONE DESKTOP AND IN GIS TYPE.
AND THEN YOU USE THAT TO SCREEN DOWN AND DO YOUR MORE, YOUR, YOUR DETAILED STUDY ON THE, ON THOSE REASONABLE, WHEN YOU ACTUALLY SEND, DO ALL THE FIELD WORK OUT.
UM, SO IS, IS A COST AND TRAFFIC, IS THAT TYPICALLY NOT IN, AT THIS LEVEL? IS THAT WHY SOME OF THE REASONS ON SAY THE FIVE-YEAR EXAMPLE, UM, IT MAY HAVE A LARGER COSTS BECAUSE IT HAS A LOT MORE BRIDGE, BUT THAT WASN'T EVEN TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IS WHAT YOU'RE SAYING.
ONCE YOU GET DOWN TO SIX ALTERNATIVES, THEN THAT, THEN THEY START TWEAKING THAT IF THAT MAKES SENSE.
SO THEY HAVE TO GET IT TO A REASONABLE NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVES TO START LOOKING AT ALL OF THAT.
ANY QUESTIONS FROM EVERYBODY ON THIS BEFORE YOU HIT THE NEXT PART? I HADN'T SEEN THIS.
I THINK THE TRUTH, HONESTLY, I DON'T KNOW IF ANYBODY ELSE IS THE SAME, BUT I'LL TELL HIM TO YOU TO BE AS WELL AS MYSELF.
THERE'S PROBABLY A LOT OF CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE ON SC 78 CORRIDOR.COM.
UM, THAT I KNOW I PROBABLY HAVEN'T LOOKED AT IN GREAT DETAIL AND I WOULD CHALLENGE IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY TO LOOK AT IT, I KNOW I'M GOING TO SPEND MORE TIME ON IT.
SO WHEN MAY, AND THIS WAS A STAKEHOLDER MEETING.
SO I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THE STAKEHOLDER COMMITTEE, UM, HAVE, HAS SEEN THIS.
SO THESE ARE THE REASONABLE ALTERNATIVES THAT THEY HAD.
THEY HAD SIX OF THEM, AND THEN THERE WAS SOME, SOME TWEAKS TO THREE OF THEM.
I THINK THEY KIND OF STAY OFF THE, UH, POWER LINE EASEMENT THERE.
UM, BUT AT THIS POINT THEY START TO GET MORE INTO, UM, THIS DOESN'T SHOW A LOT OF IT, BUT YOU'VE GOT YOU START TO GET INTO TRAFFIC AND, AND IMPACTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT HERE'S KIND OF A MATRIX THAT THEY'RE USING.
UM, BUT I WOULD DO, IF I COULD JUST BRING UP THE DISCUSSION, YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM HERE, ESTIMATED CONSTRUCTION COSTS RANGE FROM 218 TO 356 MILLION.
UM, AND I KNOW ON THEIR WEBSITE, THEY'VE GOT SOME INFORMATION ON REASONABLY AVAILABLE FUNDS AND THEY TALK ABOUT THE, UM, 40 MILLION FROM SED SDOT AND THEN THERE'S $80 MILLION FROM THE SALES TAX AND THEN 120 MILLION FROM THE STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK, UM, WHICH ADDS UP TO ABOUT 240 MILLION.
I CANNOT TELL RIGHT NOW WE CAN ASK DUT FOR SURE.
IF COST WENT INTO THIS, IF MAYBE IF IT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY OVER 240 MILLION, DID YOU KNOW, WAS IT KIND OF WEEDED OUT BASED ON, YOU KNOW, NOT AVAILABLE FUNDS AND I DIDN'T KNOW IF MAYBE THERE THERE'D BEEN SOME DISCUSSION IN THE GATEWAY COMMITTEE ON, UH, FUTURE, YOU KNOW, MORE AVAILABLE FUNDS THROUGH ANOTHER SALES TAX OR SOME OTHER MEANS.
UM, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IF, I GUESS WE NEED TO FIND OUT IF, IF THAT WAS KIND OF A LIMITING FACTOR, DOES THAT MAKE SENSE TO EVERYBODY? YEAH.
SO THAT MIGHT ANSWER JOHN FIVE 80 THAT IF THEY JUST THREW IT OUT RIGHT NOW BASED OFF OF
[01:15:01]
FUNDING.UM, SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, PHILLIP IS, AS YOU'RE MOVING THROUGH THE NEPA PROCESS, YOU'VE GOT TO DEAL WITH A CERTIFY, A REASONABLE FUNDING SOURCE.
YOU CAN'T JUST DESIGN A BILLION DOLLAR PROJECT AND KEEP GOING DOWN THAT RABBIT HOLE AND NOT HAVE A FUNDING SOURCE IDENTIFIED.
IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING? YEAH, SO TYPICALLY, AND I THINK IN THIS ENVIRONMENTAL DOCUMENT, THERE'S A SECTION ON REASONABLE AVAILABLE FUNDING.
SO I, YOU KNOW, IF YOU'VE GOT AN ALTERNATIVE THAT COST, YOU KNOW, $500 MILLION, BUT YOUR AVAILABLE FUNDING IS ONLY 240 MILLION THEN, UM, THAT WOULD BE TOUGH TO GET A SIGN OFF ON FOR THAT, FOR THAT REASON, UNLESS SOMEHOW WE COULD SHOW FUTURE FUNDING.
SO I DIDN'T KNOW IF THAT CONVERSATION HAD COME UP IN, IN HERE, THE MEETINGS THAT Y'ALL HAVE HAD STAKEHOLDER OR GATEWAY COMMITTEE OR OTHERWISE.
UH, MIKE GARRIGAN HERE, BUT GO AHEAD, DAVID.
AND WE HAVE HAD, UH, REPRESENTATIVES OF SED, OT, UH, AT WINDMILL HARBOR ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS AND HAVE EXPLORED.
AND I'M A LITTLE FUZZY ON A LOT OF THE DISCUSSION WE'RE HAVING HERE.
CAUSE IT SEEMS TO GO BACK A WAYS, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT WE'VE HAD ALREADY, BUT, UM, THE FINANCIAL ASPECT OF THIS IS VERY MUCH A PART OF THE CONSIDERATION OF DLT.
UM, WE, WE ASKED THAT QUESTION SPECIFICALLY AND WE'VE GOT SPECIFIC RESPONSES FROM, UH, CRAIG AND OTHERS, THE CONSULTANTS THEY'RE USING THAT, UH, IT'S VERY MUCH A PART AND PARCEL OF THEIR FINAL DECISION.
SO THERE'S NO QUESTION, UM, THAT AT SOME POINT THAT WILL COME INTO THE PICTURE IN TERMS OF WHAT FINAL, UM, REASONABLE ALTERNATIVE IS RECOMMENDED IN MAY OR WHENEVER IT HAPPENS TO BE.
SO, UM, YEAH, I WON'T GET INTO A LOT OF DETAILS ON THAT, BUT WE HAVE, UH, WE'VE DISCUSSED IT IN GREAT DETAIL AND FAR AS FUTURE FUNDING UP.
I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THE POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING BEYOND, BEYOND WHAT YOU ENUMERATED A FEW MINUTES AGO, UM, WITH REGARDS TO 240 MILLION.
WELL, MY, MY UNDERSTANDING FROM THE DDOT IS THAT IN ORDER TO GET THE, UM, THE EA THROUGH THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY DEPARTMENT, THEY HAVE TO SHOW THAT FUNDING IS IN PLACE OR REASONABLY IN PLACE.
SO THAT, THAT HAS TO HAPPEN BEFORE FOR AN ALTERNATIVE.
AND THEY HAVE SAID TO US THAT ALL OF THESE ALTERNATIVES, THEY PUT OUT THERE, THE REASONABLE ALTERNATIVES ARE IN THAT RANGE.
BUT, BUT CAN I JUST STEP BACK FOR ONE SECOND TO YOUR, YOUR EARLIER, UM, UH, CHART FELLOW? BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS, THIS IS ONE OF THE, ONE OF THE PLACES THAT THERE'S A LOT OF CONFUSION.
AND I, AND I THINK IT'S THE PROCESS THAT THEY GO THROUGH, AS YOU POINTED OUT THAT THIS PROCESS AND THIS CHART, THEY DON'T LOOK AT, UM, TH THEY DON'T LOOK AT FUNDING AND THEY DON'T LOOK AT, UM, TRAFFIC.
AND I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE AREAS THAT, BECAUSE OF THAT, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE AREAS THAT THE COMMUNITY, OR SOME GROUPS IN THE COMMUNITY GET THROWN, BECAUSE THERE THERE'S A VIEW THAT, HEY, THIS IS THERE'S AN ELEGANT SOLUTION OUT THERE, OR A FEW ELEGANT SOLUTIONS, WHETHER IT BE, YOU KNOW, COMING OVER FROM
AND I, AND I THINK THAT IT REALLY KIND OF IS WHERE YOU START.
AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THAT, THAT WE UNDERSTAND, YOU KNOW, IF THEY REJECTED, I KNOW THEY LOOKED AT A PRETTY WIDE RANGE OF, UH, OF, OF IDEAS, WHICH THIS CHART SHOWS, BUT THEY DIDN'T START.
IT REALLY IS WHERE THEY START FROM OR WHAT, WHAT CRITERIA THEY TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.
SO WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS THERE MAY BE A MORE ELEGANT SOLUTION, BUT IT DIDN'T MEET THE CRITERIA.
AND IN MY UNDERSTANDING, IT DIDN'T MEET THE CRITERIA OF IT DESTROYED TOO MANY WETLANDS.
IT DESTROYED WHATEVER, YOU KNOW, IT HAD TOO MANY IMPACTS AND THAT'S WHY THEY REJECTED IT.
BUT MY POINT OF ALL THIS IS I THINK THAT THAT'S GOING TO KEEP COMING UP.
AND I THINK THAT THAT HDR HAS BEEN IN MY OPINION A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME ON THIS CHART TO UNDERSTAND, OKAY.
[01:20:01]
TO, TO EXPLAIN TO PEOPLE IF THERE WASN'T MORE ELEGANT SOLUTION, IT WAS, IT DIDN'T THE MUSTER BECAUSE OF SOME, SOME REASON.I DON'T KNOW IF I'M MAKING ANY SENSE HERE, BUT YEAH.
WELL, I THINK YOU'RE SAYING DAVID IS THAT, UM, WE'D LIKE HDR TO REALLY DIG DOWN INTO THIS AND ENSURE THAT THAT ELEGANT SOLUTION, IF IT WAS INCLUDED, IF, IF ONE OF THESE OPTIONS WAS MAYBE MORE ELEGANT THAN WHAT WE HAVE IN FRONT OF US, THAT WE CAN JUSTIFY AND SUPPORT WHY THEY DIDN'T TAKE IT FURTHER BECAUSE OF XYZ.
AND WHAT I MEAN BY ELEGANT IS I'M JUST, I'M JUST SAYING, YOU KNOW, IT MIGHT'VE SOLVED THE TRAFFIC PROBLEM A LITTLE BIT BETTER MAYBE BECAUSE IT'S, UH, IT'S ITS OWN NEW BRIDGE, BUT IMPACTED THE REASON THEY REJECTED WAS BECAUSE OF THESE REASONS.
AND IT WASN'T BECAUSE OF COST NECESSARILY YET OR TRAFFIC.
IT WAS JUST BECAUSE IT IMPACTED TOO MUCH LAND OR WHATEVER, CULTURAL OR WHATEVER THAT IT HAD TO BE REJECTED.
THAT'S ALL I'M SAYING IS IT NEEDS TO MEET.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE THAT KEEPS COMING UP.
I I'D LIKE TO GET BACK TO THE MONEY ISSUE FOR A MOMENT.
UM, I WAS IN SEVERAL MEETINGS OVER THE SUMMER WITH SENATOR DAVIS TALKING ABOUT THIS PROJECT AND HE WAS INVOLVED IN WORKING WITH THE STATE INFRASTRUCTURE BANK TO GET THOSE MATCHING FUNDS AND HAS BEEN ON RECORD AS SAYING THAT IF WE NEED FUNDING ABOVE THE TWO 40, HE KNOWS THAT THERE ARE WAYS TO GO BACK TO THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND BECAUSE OF THE LOCAL FUNDING, PLUS THE STATE FUNDING MAKE A CASE THAT WOULD SAY WE CAN GET ADDITIONAL FEDERAL MATCHING FUNDS TO SOME LEVEL.
SO WHEN THAT NEXT CHART CAME OUT, THAT SAID ALTERNATIVES THAT THEY HAD NARROWED DOWN TO COULD COST UP TO $356 MILLION.
HIS REACTION TO THAT WAS, WELL, IF THAT'S WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE, THAT'S WHAT IT'S GOING TO TAKE AND WE'LL FIND THE MONEY SOMEWHERE.
UM, SO IF DDOT OPERATED ON A NOTHER BASIS OF WE'RE CONSTRAINED TO $240 MILLION, AND WE'RE PICKING THE BEST OPTIONS WITHIN THAT BUDGET WITH OTHER POLITICAL FORCES SAYING, DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE NUMBERS.
I'D LIKE TO SEE WHAT OTHER ALTERNATIVES MIGHT BE AVAILABLE.
IF YOU JUST THROW A BUNCH MORE MONEY AT IT THAT PERHAPS WOULD BE THAT MORE ELEGANT SOLUTION.
UM, AND I'D ALSO JUST LIKE TO ECHO THE CONCEPT OF IT BEING DIFFICULT TO SELL TO THE PUBLIC THAT, UM, THERE IS A DEFACTO ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT THREE LANES IN EACH DIRECTION ARE IMPERATIVE.
THERE ARE A BUNCH OF PEOPLE HERE WHO ARE COMMITTED TO THE KNICKS, THE SIXTH IDEA.
UM, SO GETTING THE DATA THAT SAYS, IF WE NEED SIX LANES TO REASONABLY ACCOMMODATE TRAFFIC IN CURRENTLY, OR IN THE NEXT FIVE YEARS, THAT'S AN EASIER MINDSET CHANGE TO THE PUBLIC THAN ALL WE'RE PROJECTING 2045 DATA THAT REQUIRES THOSE ADDITIONAL LANES.
SO IF WE CAN GET BOTH OF THOSE PIECES THAT WOULD ALLOW OUR NEIGHBORS TO UNDERSTAND THE DECISION-MAKING BETTER.
SO TILL IF IT SOUNDS LIKE AN ACTION ITEM IN JAIL IS TO FIRST, UM, LOOK AT AND HELP EXPLAIN AND JUSTIFY THE REASONINGS ON THE FIRST CHART.
AND THEN THE SECOND CHART THAT YOU HAVE ON THE SCREEN RIGHT NOW.
UM, LET'S SEE IF YOU HAVE DMT THREW OUT SOME OPTIONS BECAUSE IT WAS MORE THAN TWO 40.
AND IF THEY DID, THEN MAYBE THOSE ARE SOME OPTIONS THAT WE PUT SOME MORE TIME AND ENERGY ON.
UM, IF, AND NOT BE AFRAID OF THREE 50, IF THAT'S A FIVE-YEAR TERM, DAVID, IF THAT'S A MORE ELEGANT OPTION, I LIKE THAT TERM.
AND THEN RESELL AND THE TRAFFIC.
I THINK THAT WAS, THAT WAS VERY WELL SAID THAT AT ITS, IT'S DEMANDING THREE LANES NOW, OR IN FIVE YEARS, THAT'S EASIER TO UNDERSTAND.
[01:25:01]
YEARS.AND I THINK GETTING THAT, THAT NUMBER THAT JOHN THROUGHOUT IS GOING TO BE KEY ON THAT, YOU KNOW, COMING UP WITH WHAT PERCENTAGE, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S 0.2, 5%, YOU KNOW, WHAT PERCENT YOU GUYS COMING UP WITH THAT NUMBER IS VERY IMPORTANT ON THAT TOPIC.
SO, AND THEN I GUESS CONTINUING ON WITH WHERE THERE'S ANSWER, WHEN THEY GET A LITTLE BIT OF FEEDBACK ON, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT THESE, UM, THESE ALTERNATIVES AND THEN YOU DRILL DOWN EVEN MORE.
AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE SEEN, UM, THE SORT OF OPTIONS.
UM, SO THESE ARE THE OPTIONS THAT THEY LOOKED AT, UM, AT SQUARE PER SPANISH WELLS AND THEN KIND OF A COMBINATION.
AND I MEAN, WE CAN, WE CAN GO THROUGH THESE FOR SURE.
IF YOU WENT TO KIND OF RUN OUT OF TIME, BUT AGAIN, UM, YOU CAN SEE THAT NOW THEY'VE GONE INTO MUCH MORE DETAILED, YOU KNOW, NOW THAT WE KNOW, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GOING TO BE IMPACTING SQUARE POPE IN SPANISH WELLS BASED ON SOME OF THE ALTERNATIVES THAT THEY GOT.
I KIND OF, I THINK MAYBE FOUR OF THE SIX PROFESSORS HAD THIS, UM, THEN THEY GOT INTO, OKAY, EXACTLY HOW WELL DO THE INTERSECTIONS FUNCTION, UM, HOW MUCH RIGHT AWAY IS GOING TO BE TAKEN.
ARE THERE NEW TRAFFIC PATTERNS ASSOCIATED? AND W WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WHAT HAPPENS, UH, IN THE, IN THE AREA, DO WE NEED ADDITIONAL INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS FOR, YOU KNOW, OLD WILD HORSE AND WILDER'S ROAD, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, YOU MAY HAVE LEFT TURNS GOING DOWN THAT, THAT WAY INSTEAD OF SQUARE POPE OR SOME LIKE THAT, THEN YOU ALSO HAVE COSTS ASSOCIATED HERE.
AND THEN, UM, THE VIEW OBSTRUCTIONS, WHICH I BELIEVE WE TALKED ABOUT WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THE STONEY COMMUNITY, UM, EARLIER TODAY, SO THEN YOU'VE GOT THESE AND THEN D AND THEN HERE ARE THE ONES THAT ADVANCED A LITTLE BIT FURTHER.
AND THEN I THINK THEY'VE PROBABLY NARROWED THAT DOWN EVEN MORE NOW THAT THEY'VE BEEN TALKING TO THE STONEY COMMUNITY, BUT HERE AGAIN IS ANOTHER MATRIX, UM, WITH ANOTHER, I GUESS, ANOTHER FIVE OPTIONS.
SO THEY'VE KIND OF GONE THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE WETLANDS AND EVERYTHING.
SO EVERYTHING HAS MOVED DOWN AND NOW THEY'VE KIND OF GONE BEYOND THAT AND NOW THEY'RE GETTING MORE DETAILED AND MORE DETAILED, BUT THESE ARE THE, I GUESS I'M TRYING TO POINT OUT THAT THESE ARE THE ITEMS THAT THEY'RE LOOKING AT WHEN THEY ARE LOOKING AT WHAT TO DO AT SPECIFIC INTERSECTIONS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, I KNOW LIKE THE VIADUCT, UM, IT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD AND HERE'S THE REASONS WHY IT DID NOT MOVE FORWARD.
UM, SO THERE'S ANY COMMENT ON MAYBE WHAT THE MATRIX, WHAT THEY ARE USING IN THE MATRIX.
WE CAN DEFINITELY INQUIRE ABOUT THAT OR GIVE SOME INPUT ON THAT.
SO IF I HAVE A HARD TIME SEEING COLORS, WHAT DOES IT LOOK DIFFERENT COLORS ARE THERE AND WHAT THEY REPRESENT.
UM, SO THERE, THERE'S RED, YELLOW, AND GREEN.
UM, THERE'S NOT AN ACTUAL REPRESENTATION OF, UM, WHAT EX WHAT EXACTLY I THINK IS THIS PARTICULAR CHART WAS USED MORE TO SHOW IT THAN TO GIVE THE DETAILS OF IT.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, UM, RIGHT AWAY, ACQUISITION HAS SOME THAT ARE RED DOTS.
SOME THEY'RE YELLOW, SOME THAT ARE GREEN THAT DON'T REPRESENT, UM, YOU KNOW, A CERTAIN ACREAGE.
UM, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THOSE ARE, BUT YEAH, SO YOU'LL SEE RED AND YELLOW AND GREEN.
SO GREEN OBVIOUSLY WOULD BE THE BETTER ONE RED BEING THE WORST, BUT THAT'S SOMETHING YOU COULD PROBABLY ASK YOU TO TEA.
SO GREEN MIGHT BE FIVE ACRES OR LESS, AND, YOU KNOW, THOSE FIVE OR 10 ACRES AND IN RED IS 10 ACRES OR ABOVE OR SOMETHING.
AND SOMETIMES, UM, TYPICALLY THEY'LL DO THAT.
SOME OF THEM ARE, ARE COMPARED TO OTHER ALTERNATIVES OR, YOU KNOW, OBSTRUCTING THE VIEW.
IF YOU'VE GOT REALLY HIGH BRIDGES AND REALLY HIGH WALLS, IT'S, IT'S MORE COMPARISON TO OTHER ALTERNATIVES THAN IT IS AN ACTUAL NUMBER.
UM, BUT YES, ANY COMMENTS ON THIS SCREEN? YEAH, THIS IS RISA.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT, UM, THE FLAW, THE TWO FLYOVER OPTIONS, WHICH ARE FOUR AND SEVEN, UM, FOUR GIVES YOU D LEVEL OF SERVICE AT SPANISH WELLS, UH, GREEN LIGHT AT NEW TRAFFIC PATTERN AND RED LIGHTS THAT EVERYBODY ELSE, THE FLYOVER CONCEPT SEVEN GIVES YOU BETTER PERFORMANCE AT SPANISH WELLS,
[01:30:02]
UM, AND THE SAME KIND OF EVALUATION ON THE COLORED CRITERIA.AND ONE, THEY WENT AHEAD WITH AND ONE THEY DIDN'T.
AND, AND SO JUST LOOKING AT THIS CHART BY ITSELF, UM, WOULD NOT LEAD ME TO MAKE THOSE SAME ADVANCEMENT CRITERIA DECISIONS, BUT EXCUSE ME, SO GETTING SOME MORE UNDERSTANDING, THERE'S GOTTA BE OTHER ISSUES THAT THEY COULD SIT, EXCUSE ME, GOTTA BE OTHER ISSUES THAT THEY CONSIDERED TO MAKE THIS ADVANCEMENT DECISION, UM, THAT ARE NOT APPARENT FROM JUST LOOKING AT THIS CHART.
UM, SO IF YOU COULD DIG INTO THIS A LITTLE FURTHER, IT MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT MORE, UM, ILLUMINATING TO US.
SIMILAR TO THE OTHER MATRICES.
I THINK WE'LL, WE'LL USE THAT AS AN ACTION ITEM TO LOOK INTO EACH ONE OF THESE AND MAKE SURE, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THESE WAS NOT, UM, GOING OUT FOR SOME OTHER REASON, BUT, UM, WE DEFINITELY HAVE INFORMATION TO GO OFF OF.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S A GOOD THING JUST IN THE INTEREST OF TIME.
UM, CAN YOU KINDA HELP US GET THROUGH IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE? WE, UH, UM, THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT I WAS GONNA MENTION, UM, IS THE EVERETT JENKINS ON JENKINS ISLAND.
I THINK THEY'VE, THEY'VE GOT FIVE OR SIX ALTERNATIVES.
UM, ONE OF THEM WAS THE SUPER STREET.
UM, ANOTHER, THE OTHER ONES ARE MORE OF KIND OF A FURNITURE ROOM TYPE OF SITUATION.
UM, ALL OF THEM ARE REALLY TRYING TO MINIMIZE, UM, CONFLICT POINTS, UM, MINIMIZE LEFT TURNS, UH, MINIMIZE THE NUMBER OF TIMES PEOPLE ARE GETTING ON TWO 78, UM, AND TRYING TO KEEP, UH, TRAFFIC THAT IS KIND OF OVER MY, THE MARINA OR WINDOW HARBOR OR WHATEVER OFF OF TWO 78, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
UM, I THINK WHAT THEY'VE GUY IS PRETTY GOOD AT, WE NEED TO LOOK INTO WHICH ONE, UM, THEY WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH, BUT THOSE ARE TWO OPTIONS THAT ACTUALLY WERE CONSIDERED YEARS AND YEARS AGO.
UM, WHEN WE STARTED THE JENKINS ISLAND PROJECT, THEY CAME UP WITH A SUPER STREET, THERE WAS A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT OPTIONS AND, UM, THE FURNITURE WAS, WAS CONSIDERABLY MORE EXPENSIVE AND HAD A LOT MORE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS TO IT, BUT, UM, PROBABLY WORKED SIMILAR.
UM, AND THERE'S, UH, AND EVEN WHEN THEY COME UP WITH A PERIPHERAL TEAR OF, I STILL THINK THERE'S SOME DETAILS THAT MAYBE, UM, CAN BE WORKED OUT AS FAR AS ACCELERATION LANES AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
BUT, UM, I WILL, BUT LET'S TABLE THAT UNTIL NEXT TIME SINCE THEY REALLY DON'T HAVE A MEETING FOR THAT RIGHT NOW, BUT I THINK WE'VE GOT ENOUGH STUFF TO LOOK AT AND REPORT BACK ON AND SEE IF THERE'S OTHER ALTERNATIVES.
UM, BEFORE WE GET TOO FAR INTO THE JENKINS ISLAND AREA.
WHAT ABOUT NEXT STEPS? WHAT WHAT'D YOU HAVE FOR THAT BILL? UH, THAT THAT'S JUST OPEN DISCUSSION FOR US.
UM, IF SOMEBODY HAD HAD CERTAIN THINGS, I THINK WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A GOOD BIT THAT YOU WOULD LIKE HER TO DO BEFORE THE NEXT TIME WE MEET.
UM, BUT THAT WAS JUST OPEN DISCUSSION.
IF, IF THE, EVERYBODY ON THE COMMITTEE HAD SOME SPECIFIC QUESTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN BOTHERING YOU, THAT, THAT YOU'D LIKE US TO LOOK INTO, I THINK WE DEFINITELY HEARD THE, UH, THE EVALUATION CRITERIA, HOW YOU WENT FROM THE THREE DIFFERENT, UM, FILTERS AND THEN THE TRAFFIC.
THOSE TO ME SOUND LIKE TWO BIG ONES.
UH, DAVID, YOU HAD YOUR HAND UP.
I THINK THAT ANOTHER AREA IN IT, AND IT PERTAINS TO THIS INTERSECTION DESIGN, WHICH IS REALLY IMPORTANT IS LEVEL OF SERVICE PEOPLE UNDERSTANDING THAT WHAT THE, A, B, C, D E YOU KNOW, I THINK THERE'S SOME CONFUSION THERE AND UNDERSTANDING CAUSE YOU GOT, CAUSE YOU GUYS DO THIS ALL THE TIME.
HOW WE SHOULD BE THINKING ABOUT THAT AS A COMMUNITY AND HOW THESE INTERSECT, I THINK THIS INTERSECTION DESIGN IS A BIGGER TOPIC THAT HOPEFULLY WILL, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND MORE TIME ON AND HOW THAT IMPACTS BOTH THE INTERSECTION LEVEL OF SERVICE, BUT ALSO THE LEVEL OF SERVICE THROUGHOUT THE WHOLE CARTER, WHICH, UM, WHICH IS A
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KEY POINT FOR A LOT OF, FOR MOST PEOPLE.I THINK YOU GOT SOME SPIN MORE TIME ON THE INTERSECTIONS MOVE FORWARD.
AND THEY'VE ACTUALLY GIVEN KIND OF A, I THINK THEY WERE LOOKING AT LEVEL OF SERVICE D AND WE CAN GIVE YOU THE NEXT TIME WE CAN GIVE SOME MORE INFORMATION ON WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE IN REALITY.
UM, YOU DON'T WANT TO DESIGN FOR A LEVEL OF SERVICE A BUT YOU DON'T WANT IT TO FAIL EITHER.
SO LEVEL OF SERVICE I THINK IS, IS PRETTY GIVEN.
WE CAN EXPLAIN THAT MORE IN DETAIL THAT THAT SEEMED TO BE F WAS BELOW D IT REALLY WASN'T FUNCTIONING THE WAY WE'D LIKE IT TO FUNCTION.
WELL, UM, I THINK WE HAD A LOT OF DISCUSSION.
I REALLY APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S INPUT.
UM, AND I THINK WE'VE GOT A LOT OF ACTION ITEMS FOR HDR TO WORK ON BETWEEN NOW AND OUR NEXT MEETING, WHICH WOULD BE IN TWO WEEKS.
UM, IF EVERYBODY'S ALL RIGHT, WE, WE CAN STAY WITH THE 11 O'CLOCK.
I APOLOGIZE FOR THE CHANGE IN SCHEDULE TODAY.
UM, BUT AS 11 O'CLOCK, I THINK WE ALREADY KIND OF HAVE THAT IDENTIFIED AS, AS AVAILABLE FOR EVERYBODY.
UM, AND WE'LL KEEP UP WITH THE SAME TWO WEEK SCHEDULE.
AND I THINK, UH, MAYBE YOU'VE BEEN LISTENING THE WHOLE TIME QUIETLY OVER THERE, BUT I THINK, UH, WE CAN GET SOME MINUTES OUT BASED OFF TODAY'S DISCUSSION AND SEND OUT TO THE GROUP AND THEN, UH, WE'LL SEND AN AGENDA OUT NOW, LIKE WE DID RIGHT BEFORE THE, THE MEETING NEXT TIME AS WELL.
SO, UM, DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY CONCERNS OR ANYTHING THAT WE HAVEN'T HATCHED OUT SO FAR THAT PUT AS AN ACTION ITEM BETWEEN NOW AND THE NEXT I HAVE ONE? UM, AND IT ISN'T FOR HDR.
UM, THERE WAS A MOVE TO NOT INITIATE THIS OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE UNTIL WE WERE ABLE TO, UM, MAKE THEM OPEN PUBLIC MEETINGS.
AND I'VE HAD SEVERAL PEOPLE ASK ME WHEN IT WAS GOING TO START, BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN NO PUBLIC NOTICE OF THESE MEETINGS.
SO, SO, UM, I THINK THAT THERE, THAT NEEDS TO BE, YEAH, I THINK, UH, THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION SENDS OUT AN EMAIL WEEKLY ABOUT WHAT'S COMING UP.
THEY SHOULD PROBABLY JUST BE ADDED TO YEAH.
UH, THE CLERK OF COURT IS USUALLY THE, THE DEPARTMENT THAT SENDS OUT THOSE MEETING NOTIFICATIONS AND WE'LL MAKE SURE THEY'RE, I MEAN, BROADCASTING IS EAR AND IS, HAS IT PUBLICLY, UM, POSTED, BUT WE'LL MAKE SURE THE CLERK OF COURT ADDS IT TO THE MEETING SCHEDULE AND THE CALENDAR FOR THE COUNTY.
AND THAT'S A REALLY GOOD POINT.
I REALLY APPRECIATE IT EVERYBODY.
UH, AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE FOR CHANGING TIMES AT THE LAST MINUTE, UM, BUT APPRECIATE EVERYBODY'S PARTICIPATION AND WE'LL REGROUP AND TWO WEEKS, THANKS EVERYONE.