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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
UM, IF YOU INDULGE ME FOR ABOUT FIVE, SIX MINUTES, I'M GONNA GIVE AN OVERVIEW OF THE PROGRESS MADE, UM, FROM THE TOWN COUNCIL, ADOPTED RESOLUTION, CREATED THE COMMITTEE, AND THEN, UH, PROGRESS MADE ON THE COPE ON THE SCOPE THAT BOTH THE COMMITTEE AND THE TOWN COUNCIL APPROVED.
AND I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO NATE, AND HE'LL GIVE A LOT MORE DETAILS ON THE PROGRESS THEY'RE MAKING, UH, WHERE THEY ARE WITH FINDINGS AND SO FORTH, UM, AS OUTLINED IN THE AGENDA OUT FROM OUR IT.
SO JUST A QUICK REMINDER, AND I KNOW WE'RE BEING BROADCAST AS WELL.
SO, UM, EVERY MEETING GOING FORWARD, I'M JUST GONNA PROVIDE A, A, UM, PRO, UH, PROGRESS REPORT BASED ON WHAT I'VE BEEN ASKED TO DO, UH, FROM THE TOWN MANAGER AT THE DIRECTION OF TOWN COUNCIL.
SO THE AUTHORIZING RESOLUTION TO CREATE THIS COMMITTEE HAD FOUR MAIN FUNCTIONS FOR THE COMMITTEE.
THESE ARE ALL, UH, STRAIGHT FROM THE RESOLUTION.
WE'VE COMPLETED THE FIRST THREE, WHICH WERE TO CREATE THE COMMITTEE WITH A CERTAIN COMPOSITION, UM, TO PUT TOGETHER THE RFQ SCOPE OF WORK TO SOLICIT A CONSULTANT, QUALIFIED TO DO THE WORK, AND THEN TO HELP US SELECT THE PREFERRED CANDIDATE AND MAKE A RECOMMENDATION DOWN TO CONTRACT WITH THAT FIRM.
THOSE HAVE ALL BEEN COMPLETED.
UM, AND THEN WHAT I WANNA FOCUS ON HERE IS NUMBER FOUR.
THE COMMITTEE NOW IS WORKING WITH STAFF TO GUIDE THE WORK OF LOCK MUELLER CONSISTENT WITH THE FINAL SCOPE OF WORK THAT WAS APPROVED BY BOTH TOWN COUNCIL AND THE COMMITTEE THAT WAS PART OF THE R-F-R-F-Q.
UH, WE HAVE REFINED IT A LITTLE BIT TO BE MORE TECHNICAL SO WE CAN EXECUTE IT, BUT THAT RIGHT NOW IS THE DIRECTION OF THE COMMITTEE FOLLOWING THAT SCOPE OF WORK.
AND LOCK MUELLER IS DOING WHAT THE COMMITTEE COUNCIL HAD ASKED THEM TO DO.
UM, THERE WERE FIVE TASKS WITHIN THE SCOPE OF WORK THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE COMMITTEE AND TOWN COUNCIL.
UM, THE FIRST TASK WAS INITIATION.
TYPICALLY, WITH A PROJECT LIKE THAT, YOU MEET YOUR PARTNERS, UH, YOU REVIEW DOCUMENTS AND YOU COORDINATE THE, YOUR SCHEDULE AND HOW YOU'RE GONNA ADVANCE.
WE'VE COMPLETED ALMOST EVERY ONE OF THESE TASKS.
UM, WE HAVE IN PROGRESS, UH, THE CONTINUED ASSESSMENT OF THE DATA MATERIALS IN PLACE FROM THE WORK THAT, UH, COUNTY DOT AND OTHERS HAD DONE, AND ALSO THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP REPORT.
SO, UM, IT'S ONGOING OR IN PROCESS BECAUSE THEY'RE GONNA LOOK AT THAT AS THEY GO THROUGH THE ENTIRE BODY OF WORK.
AND THEN THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT'S ONGOING THAT'S NOT COMPLETE IS THE BIWEEKLY MEETINGS WITH STAFF AND THEN THE MEETINGS WITH, WITH, UH, THE COMMITTEE.
SO TASK ONE IS, UH, WELL ALONG, UM, IN ITS EXECUTION.
TASK TWO, UM, REALLY FOCUSED ON THE MODELING, THE DATA, UH, INPUTS AND THE MODELING, UH, RELATED TO THE TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL FROM FROM LA.
UM, ONE KEY COMPONENT OF THAT WAS TO REVIEW THE ASSUMPTIONS OF THAT TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL AND DECIDE ON WHETHER OR NOT IT NEEDED TO BE MODIFIED, ADJUSTED, UM, OR CALIBRATED DIFFERENTLY.
AND THAT'S BEEN COMPLETE, AND YOU'LL HEAR A RECOMMENDATION ON THE GROWTH RATE TODAY.
UM, THERE WAS A TECHNICAL REPORT IN THE PACKET.
THE RESULTS OF ALL THE ALTERNATIVES BASED ON THE CALIBRATED MODEL AND THE SIMULATION THAT THEY'LL DO IS IN, IS IN PROCESS.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE'LL TALK ABOUT AS WE MOVE FORWARD FROM THIS MEETING.
UM, ON, ON HOW TO, ON HOW TO MODEL IT, WHAT WE'RE MODELING AND THE RESULTS THAT COME THROUGH THAT.
THREE THINGS, UH, LISTED HERE BELOW IN TASK TWO WERE ITEMS THAT SHOULD BE
SO THE BIG LIFT IN TASK TWO TO CALIBRATE AND DEFINE THE MODEL FOR, FOR PROJECT, UM, AND ROUGH HAS BEEN BASICALLY COMPLETED.
AND THEN HOW THE MODELING WOULD, UM, MOVE FORWARD IS THE BALANCE OF TASK TWO.
UM, TASK THREE GETS A LOT MORE DETAILED IN THE MODELING COMPONENT.
AGAIN, THE LOWCOUNTRY AREA TRANSPORTATION MODEL WAS, UM, EVALUATED.
AND WHAT YOU, WHAT WE'VE HEARD AT THE LAST MEETING WAS THAT THERE WERE SOME DEFICIENCIES IN THAT MODEL, WHICH LOCK MEER HAD IDENTIFIED AND RECOMMENDED, UM, SOME ADJUSTMENTS, UH, TO MAKE THE PREDICTABILITY AND THE CONFIDENCE OF THE
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OUTCOME OF THE TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL BETTER.UM, PROVIDE SIMULATION OF MODELING IN VARIOUS DATA THAT IS GONNA OCCUR HERE VERY SOON.
UH, WE LOOKED AT THE BASE, UH, TRAFFIC, UH, DEMAND MODEL AND MADE SURE THAT VISITOR TRAFFIC, WORKFORCE TRAFFIC, ALL THE INPUTS, MASS TRA, UH, TRANSIT, WERE ALL EVALUATED AS THAT.
AND THEN THEY'VE UPDATED RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE MODEL, UM, YOU KNOW, BASED ON THEIR TASK TWO, UM, STUDY.
THE, THE NEXT HALF OF THIS SLIDE REALLY IDENTIFIES THE INTERSECTIONS THAT THEY'RE GONNA EVALUATE.
THEY HAVE THE TWO STEP PROCESS WITH THE SYNCHRO MODELING, THEN VISIM, THE INTERSECTIONS WILL BE EVALUATED AS THAT CAPABILITY COMES ONLINE.
AND AS THE ALTERNATIVES ARE, UH, PRESENTED AND VETTED, UM, BY LOCK ME ARE PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE, EXCUSE ME.
UM, THERE'S BEEN AN EVALUATION OF EXISTING TRAFFIC COUNTS, UM, AS LATE AS SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR TO, TO INCLUDE IN THE MODELING.
UH, THEY'VE EVALUATED THE ADAPTIVE TRAFFIC, UH, SYSTEM, CREATED INFORMATION INTO THEIR WORK AS THEY MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS MODELING, BE GENERATING OUTPUTS, UM, BASED ON THE MODELING CAPABILITY.
UM, AND THOSE, THERE WAS THAT CRITERIA FOR HOW, UH, THE MODEL SHOULD EVALUATE, UM, AND COST AND, AND SO FORTH.
AND THAT WOULD, AND SO THE BALANCE OF THIS TASK THREE IS REALLY GETTING DEEPER INTO THE MODELING.
AND THEN THESE ONGOING ONES ARE MORE COORDINATION.
TASK FOUR, WHEN YOU START TO GET INTO PROPOSED INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS.
THESE WILL BE A NEXT STA PHASE AFTER THE ALTERNATIVE ALIGNMENTS ARE LOOKED AT.
UM, AND, AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE DIFFERENT INTERSECTION CONFIGURATIONS, BOTH WITHIN THE LINES, UH, STUDY AREA FROM, UM, FALLS CREEK TO GUM TREE.
AND THEN THE GREATER, UM, A LOT OF WORK IN THIS TASK FOUR, THAT WILL BE NEXT STEP.
AND TASK FIVE IS REALLY BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER, PROVIDING A FINAL REPORT, MAKING A RECOMMENDATION TO TOWN COUNCIL, UM, THAT MEMORIALIZES THE WORK, INCLUDING THE RECOMMENDATIONS HELP TOWN COUNCIL, UH, IN, I WANTED TO PROVIDE YOU AN UPDATE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KNEW THE FINAL THING, THAT THE COMMITTEE IS CHARGED TO DO EXECUTION TO MAKE SURE THAT THE SCOPE OF WORK IS FOLLOWED.
UM, I AM GONNA TURN IT OVER TO NATE.
I KNOW HE IS GOT A MORE DETAILED, UM, PROGRESS REPORT ON SPECIFIC ITEMS, AND I'M SURE YOU'D RATHER HEAR FROM HIM ON THE PROGRESS IN THERE OTHER THAN THE PROGRESS THAT I'M MAKING GIVEN YOU UP.
JUST AS A REMINDER TOO, WE HAVE SOME VIRTUAL, UH, PARTICIPANTS.
JUST IF WE COULD JUST DO OUR BEST TO SPEAK INTO THE MICROPHONE SO THEY COULD HEAR US AS WELL.
UM, BUT THANK YOU TO SEAN AND, UH, THANK YOU TO THE COMMITTEE.
I'M GONNA PULL UP THE PRESENTATION HERE, UM, ONCE AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME AND ASSOCIATED AND DEDICATION TO THIS PROJECT.
WE'VE, UH, BEEN WORKING VERY DILIGENTLY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COURSE OF THE PROJECT SINCE WE RECEIVED NOTICE TO PROCEED.
BUT SPECIFICALLY OVER THE LAST, UH, FOUR WEEKS, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO COMPLETE, UM, A FEW KEY MILESTONE DELIVERABLES THAT WE'RE EXCITED TO SHARE WITH YOU TODAY.
AND WITH ME, WE HAVE, UH, TELL ME DO THAT.
WE HAVE KATE SWINFORD, TYSON KING, SHARIF ULA HAS, AND YOU'VE, UM, BEEN ABLE TO MEET THEM THUS FAR, BUT A NEW, UH, TRAFFIC ENGINEER THAT'S BEEN ASSISTING KATE, UH, THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT AS WELL AT, UM, MICHELLE
UM, MOVE ON TO THE, UH, NURSE TYSON.
WE HAVE A LOT TO COVER TODAY, SO I'LL DIVE RIGHT IN IF THAT'S OKAY.
SEAN TOOK A, A LITTLE BIT OF THE INFORMATION, BUT I THOUGHT THAT I WOULD JUST COVER NUMBER ONE, WHAT WE'VE COMPLETED IN THE LAST FOUR WEEKS SINCE WE LAST MET.
AND THEN, UH, MAYBE JUST PIGGYBACK ON WHAT SEAN, UH, TALKED ABOUT AS WELL.
BUT I'LL KEEP THAT BRIEF BECAUSE SEAN COVERED THAT VERY WELL.
UH, AND THEN SHARIF IS GOING TO GO INTO THE CONTENTS OF THE TRAFFIC GROWTH RATE MEMO THAT HE PROVIDED AND, AND ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU ALL MIGHT HAVE.
AND THEN I ASKED TYSON TO JOIN US.
UM, IF YOU RECALL, TYSON WAS HERE IN DECEMBER WITH KATE TO, UH, DO THE SITE VISIT WITH US.
TYSON WAS IN CHARGE OF DOING ALL THE TRAVEL TIME RUNS AND LAST OF LAST MONTH'S MEETING, HE JUST UNFORTUNATELY WASN'T ABLE TO JOIN US, BUT HE IS HERE TODAY.
AND WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE INTERESTING FOR THE GROUP TO SEE IS SOME OF THE REAL TIME, UH, VIDEO OF THE TRAVELS,
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BUT MORE SO OF HOW THE WAY SYNC SOFTWARE THAT WE'RE USING IS A WAY TO MEASURE HOW THE ADAPTIVE SYSTEM IS WORKING IN REAL TIME.AND THEN HOW WE'RE TAKING THAT TO THEN, UM, BEST CALIBRATE OUR MODELS.
AND THEN KATE'S GONNA WRAP UP OUR PRESENTATION, GIVING YOU OUR FINDINGS OF THE 2023 EXISTING CONDITIONS BASED IN SYNCHRO.
AND THEN WALK YOU THROUGH A VERY DETAILED, UM, ALL THE STEPS THAT WE DID TO ENSURE THAT OUR VISIM MODELING, UH, OUR BASE MODEL IS READY TO GO MOVING FORWARD IN THE 2045 CONDITION.
SO PROGRESS MADE OVER THE LAST FOUR WEEKS.
UH, AS WE MENTIONED, WE HAVE FINALIZED THE BACKGROUND GROWTH RATE, AND I'LL ALLOW SHARIF TO EXPOUND MORE UPON THAT, UM, FINALIZE THE CALIBRATIONS OF OUR, UH, TWO SOFTWARE MODELS.
AND I DO WANNA APPRECIATE THE TIME THAT JIM AND THERESA PROVIDED TO US A COUPLE WEEKS AGO.
WE ALLOWED THEM TO TAKE A LOOK AT OUR PRELIMINARY VISIM MODELS JUST TO SEE IF, BASED ON THEIR EXPERIENCE, IF THE TRAVEL SPEEDS ON THE VARIOUS SEGMENTS FELT RIGHT TO THEM BECAUSE OF THEIR FAMILIARITIES WITH THE CORRIDORS.
AND JIM OFFERED SOME GREAT COMMENTS TO US.
WE TOOK THAT BACK AND THEN MADE A FEW TWEAKS TO THE MODELS AND THEN HAD A FOLLOW UP MEETING WITH HIM A FEW DAYS LATER.
AND I BELIEVE THERE'S A GENERAL CONSENSUS NOW FROM THE TOWN STAFF AS WELL AS OUR TEAM THAT OUR, THIS MODEL IS, IS FULLY CALIBRATED AND WE'RE READY TO MOVE FORWARD INTO THE 2045 CONDITIONS.
UM, SINCE THAT CALIBRATION PROCESS REALLY KIND OF WRAPPED UP WITH VISUM JUST, UH, ABOUT A WEEK AND A HALF AGO, UH, WE WEREN'T QUITE PREPARED TO HAVE THE VIDEOS READY FOR YOU AS WELL AS SOME OF THE MAPS THAT KATE IS GOING TO PROVIDE FROM SYNCHRO, BUT WE FEEL IT'S ALMOST, UH, GONNA BE BETTER SERVED IN OUR MARCH MEETING BECAUSE OUR INTENT IS TO SHOW YOU ALL OF THE VIDEOS AND ASSOCIATED DOCUMENTS WITH THE 2023 EMS SHOW YOU VIDEOS OF FLYING IN ON CONDITION, UH, CONGESTED LOCATIONS.
BUT THEN AT THE SAME MEETING, UH, WE'LL HAVE THE 2045 NO BUILD VOLUMES AND
AND THEN, UM, WE ANTICIPATE ALSO HAVING SOME OF OUR PRELIMINARY FINDINGS WITH SOME INTERSECTION, UM, ALTERNATIVES ON HOW TO FIX SOME DEFICIENCIES THAT WE'RE SEEING.
AND THEN THAT LAST BULLET POINT IS WE'VE, NOW THAT THE GROWTH RATE HAS BEEN DETERMINED, WE'VE JUST WENT AHEAD AND MOVED FORWARD WITH OUR 2045 NO BUILD SCENARIOS.
AND EVEN THOUGH THAT'S NOT LISTED ON THE SCREEN, WE HAVE STARTED OUR 2045
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE COMPLETED OVER THE LAST FOUR WEEKS.
BUT I THOUGHT IT'D BE GOOD TO GIVE MORE OF A HOLISTIC VIEW OF WHERE WE STAND IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL PROJECT.
AND I, I WOULD SAY WHEN, WHEN I LOOK AT THE SCOPE ITEMS AND THE DELIVERABLES WE'VE COMPLETED TO DATE, I WOULD ESTIMATE WE'RE PROBABLY ABOUT 30% OVERALL COMPLETE.
UM, SEAN DID A GREAT JOB MENTIONING GOING THROUGH THE, THE TOWN, UM, SPONSORED SCOPE OF SERVICES, AND HE AND I WORKED CLOSELY TOGETHER TO PROVIDE AN ADDENDUM.
IT'S COVERING THE SAME INFORMATION, BUT OURS JUST KIND OF OUTLINED MORE IN A CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER HOW WE PLAN TO ATTACK THE PROJECT.
AND SO TASK ONE IS JUST THE INITIATION AND COORDINATION.
AND AS SEAN MENTIONED, WHERE A LOT OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE FRONT END MEETINGS GETTING FAMILIAR WITH THE PROJECTS, THE KICKOFF MEETING, THE SITE VISIT, A LOT OF THINGS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED.
BUT THOSE FIRST TWO BULLET POINTS THAT WE SHOW THERE, THOSE ARE JUST ONGOING.
LIKE WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO MEET WITH YOU ALL.
WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO HARKEN BACK TO THE HISTORICAL DOCUMENTS ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO THE COMPLETION OF THE FINAL PRESENTATION TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE COUNTING FOR EVERYTHING.
AND THEN THERE ARE A COUPLE ITEMS THAT WE OUTLINED IN OUR, UH, ADDENDUM OF, UH, TASK 1.3 0.3.
YOU MAY NOT HAVE IT IN FRONT OF YOU IN TASK 1.8.
THOSE ARE JUST SOME BRIEF TECHNICAL MEMORANDUMS ON SOME ITEMS THAT WE FEEL IN OUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION IS, ARE THEY, SHOULD THEY BE INCLUDED OR EXCLUDED AS A PART OF THE STUDY? AND THEN JUST THE HIGH LEVEL OPINIONS OF, OR PROBABLE COSTS ON SUCH THINGS AS THE RETROFITTING OF THE EXISTING BRIDGE VERSUS BUILDING NEW AND LIFECYCLE COST AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
TASK TWO IS JUST THE, UH, THE TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL AND THE STUDY OF EXISTING CONDITIONS.
AND WE ARE HAPPY TO SAY THAT THAT'S 98% COMPLETE.
UH, EXISTING CONDITIONS ARE DONE.
THE ONLY THING THAT'S REMAINING IS ALLOWING YOU ALL TO REVIEW THE MEMO THAT WE PROVIDED WITH THE GROWTH RATE, INCORPORATE ANY MINOR EDITS, AND THEN WE'LL SUBMIT THAT BACK FINAL, AND THEN WE CAN CLOSE THE, CLOSE THE BOOKS ON TASK TWO, TASK THREE, UM, THAT IS BEGINNING THE 2045 EVALUATIONS AND THE AREA THAT WE CALL THE MODIFIED ORIGINAL PROJECT STUDY AREA.
AND THAT'S A LOT OF VERBIAGE, BUT, UM, INTENTIONALLY WHAT THAT MEANS IS FROM BLUFFTON ALONG 2 78 ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO GUMTREE ROAD, WE FELT LIKE THAT WAS AN, UM, PROBABLY THE HIGHER PRIORITY TO TAKE A LOOK AT SO THAT WE COULD LOOK AT DIFFERENT INTERSECTION ALTERNATIVES.
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GO THROUGH THE FOUR, THE, WE LOOK AT THE SC DOT'S MODIFIED PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE WITH OUR NUMBERS, WITH OUR CALIBRATED MODELS, AND THEN COME UP WITH THREE DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES TO, FOR YOU ALL TO CONSIDER.AND THEN, UM, AS I SAID, THAT'S THE, SOME OF THE KEY TASKS WE'RE GOING THROUGH RIGHT NOW, GOING THROUGH THE NO BUILDS, AND THEN BEGINNING THOSE, UH, POTENTIAL INTERSECTION TREATMENTS, UH, FROM MOSS CREEK THROUGH GUMTREE ROAD.
AND THEN TASK FOUR, THAT IS, EVEN THOUGH THE NEXT SLIDE DOESN'T SHOW THIS, JUST SO YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHENEVER WE BRING IN ALL THE INTERSECTIONS DOWNSTREAM OF THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, AND THEN WE RUN ALL OF OUR VISIM MODELS FOR THE ENTIRE PROJECT STUDY AREA.
SO YOU GUYS WILL HAVE THAT INFORMATION TO LOOK AT.
AND THEN TASK FIVE, AS SEAN MENTIONED, IS JUST THE FINAL REPORT AND COPY WRAP IT, IT ALL UP.
SO THAT'S A, AN UPDATE ON THE PROGRESS BEFORE I HAND IT OVER TO SHARIF TO TALK ABOUT THE TECH MEMO.
IS THERE ANYTHING, ANY QUESTIONS THAT I CAN ANSWER OR JUST GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD? UM, THANKS NATE FOR DOING ALL THAT WORK AND, UH, THE REST OF THE TEAM, UM, UH, WE ALWAYS HAVE QUESTIONS.
SO, UM, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS, UM, WHEN YOU TALKED ABOUT, UM, THE DATA THAT YOU USE, UH, FOR THAT TASK TWO IN THE DEMAND MODEL, UM, TO WHAT EXTENT YOU, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT SEPTEMBER DATA THAT YOU USED, UH, TO WHAT EXTENT CAN YOU, UM, USE THE DATA THAT'S GENERATED BY THE ADAPTIVE TRAFFIC MODELING SYSTEM? WE, WE USED MARCH.
WE USED A COMPILATION OF TRAFFIC DATA FROM MARCH, JULY, AND SEPTEMBER.
I THINK THERE WAS A CONGLOMERATION THAT WE USED, AND THEN WE USED OUR TRAVEL TIME RUNS.
AND KATE'S GOING TO, IN HER PRESENTATION TELL YOU HOW WE MELDED ALL OF THAT TOGETHER TO COME UP WITH WHAT WE FEEL IS THE, UM, ACCOUNTS FOR THAT IN ALL OF OUR VISTA MODELS.
UM, I ALWAYS THINK THAT THE WHOLE MODELING, UM, EXERCISE AND THE SIMULATION EXERCISE IS A, IT'S NOT A STATIC THING.
YOU, YOU CAN HAVE A PRESENTATION HERE, BUT IT'S, UM, WOULD YOU AGREE THAT IT'S, UH, IT'D BE VERY USEFUL, UH, TO HAVE, UH, A MORE DYNAMIC INTERACTION WITH THE COMMITTEE, UH, AND, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THAT.
AND MAYBE, UM, BUILD TOWARDS THAT IN THE NEXT MEETING SO THAT ONCE YOU'VE DONE THE MODELING, THAT WE CAN ALSO LOOK AT YOUR NEW IDEAS, UM, LIKE, UM, UH, OVERPASSES, UH, NO LEFT TURNS, ALL THESE KINDS OF THINGS, AND BUILD THAT IN AS WE LOOK AT, LOOK AT THE MODEL, BECAUSE I THINK THAT'S SORT OF, UH, WHERE, UH, WE CAN BECOME COMFORTABLE WITH WHAT THE EFFECTS ARE.
WELL, THERE'S THAT BALANCE CORRECT, OF, OF HAVING THE, OUR INDEPENDENT REVIEW.
THAT'S KIND OF WHY WE, UH, ON A COUPLE OF THE MEETINGS WHY WE ASKED FOR, FOR Y'ALL'S INPUT, LIKE WHAT WERE THE NON-NEGOTIABLES, WHAT WERE THE BOUNDARIES THAT WE WANTED TO SET? AND THEN FROM THAT POINT, WE WERE JUST, THEY WERE TAKING IT IN TO WHERE I KNOW THERE WAS A SENTIMENT WHERE YOU GUYS WERE, WE WANT YOU GUYS TO PROVIDE THE, OR INPUT AND, AND EXPECTA OR, UH, UM, BASED ON YOUR EXPERIENCE.
AND SO THAT'S REALLY THE RESULT THAT WE'VE TAKEN.
UH, I DO KNOW FROM A AVIS STANDPOINT, I KNOW KATE'S ALLUDED TO BEFORE WHERE THAT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT'S A QUICK THING TO REALLY CHANGE ON THE FLY.
AND THEN EVEN WITH, UM, UH, AND KATE, YOU CAN, IF YOU WOULDN'T MIND JUMPING IN HERE AND MAYBE ELABORATE JUST A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT EVEN WITH SYNCHRO, UH, GOING THROUGH FROM A VIRTUAL STANDPOINT, THERE IS QUITE A BIT OF A LAG AND DELAY, UH, KATE, IS THAT AN ACCURATE STATEMENT? YEAH, WE DEFINITELY PLAN TO PRESENT OUR IDEAS AS NATE, UM, AND SEAN BOTH ALLUDED TO AND THE SCHEDULE UPDATES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE MEETING, WE PLAN TO HAVE SOME OF THESE IDEAS TO PRESENT TO YOU AT OUR MARCH MEETING.
UM, BUT THE, YOU KNOW, COMING UP WITH AN IDEA AND SAYING, LET'S TRY THIS HERE, EQUATES TO HOURS OF MODELING TO ACTUALLY SEE IF IT WORKS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE OBVIOUSLY ARE WORKING ON, UM, YOU KNOW, INTERNAL TO OUR TEAM.
AND THEN WHEN WE PRESENT THINGS TO YOU, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE HAVE A HIGH LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE THAT THEY ARE, ARE GOING TO WORK IN A LOT OF WORK.
UM, BACKGROUND MODELING AND TWEAKS, THOSE TYPES OF THINGS GO, GO INTO THAT.
SO WE WILL DEFINITELY HAVE AN UPDATE FOR YOU IN MARCH ON SOME IDEAS THAT WE THINK WILL HELP OUT HERE.
UM, SO INSTANCE, WOULD IT HELP IF WE PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF, UH, WHAT WE SEE AS POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES? YEAH.
SO FOR INSTANCE, WHAT IF YOU DO AN OVERPASS OF, UH, OF SPANISH WELLS ROAD ACROSS TO 78? WHAT IF YOU DO
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A, UH, A BY ROAD? UH, WHAT IF YOU DO A SECOND BRIDGE? WHAT IF WE MAKE A LIST OF SORT OF ALTERNATIVES THAT WE WANNA PLAY AROUND WITH? SO I WANNA, I WANT TO KIND OF, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED TO BE TELLING THEM THAT BECAUSE THAT IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY AND WE'RE HERE TO BE IN, TO BE INDEPENDENT WITHOUT OUR PUSHING THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS.SO WE GOTTA BE CAREFUL IN HOW WE DO THAT BECAUSE THIS IS ALL ABOUT BEING INDEPENDENT AND LETTING THE, THE CONSULTANTS DO THEIR WORK BASED OFF OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND THE DATA THAT THEY HAVE GATHERED.
SO, UM, AND THEY, BEFORE THE MEETING, UH, PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF ALL THE ALTERNATIVES THAT THEY ARE LOOKING AT.
SO, UH, ARE THERE U-TURNS? ARE THERE NO LEFT TURNS? ARE YOU, ARE YOU LOOKING AT OVERPASSES? NO OVERPASSES? ARE YOU LOOKING AT DIFFERENT INSERTION OF THE CROSS ISLAND INTO THE 2 78? ARE YOU LOOKING AT SECOND BRIDGE? I MEAN, ALL JUST SO THAT WE, WE COVER ALL THE BASES.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED.
I THINK IT'S IMP IT'S, IT'S SO IMPORTANT TO US.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE LONG TERM AND THE 2045, LET'S SAY THERE'S A SCENARIO WHERE YOU, WE KEEP THE OPTION OF A SECOND BRIDGE OPEN AND WE MODIFY THE EXISTING BRIDGES.
UM, HOW WILL THAT, HOW WILL THAT, UH, PLAY OUT IN A SENSE? I MEAN, UH, THOSE ARE VERY INTERESTING THINGS AND I THINK DOWN THE ROAD THESE MAY BE ALTERNATIVES THAT, UH, ARE VERY VALID ALL DUE RESPECT.
MR. MAYOR, I SEE HERE THAT WE ARE ADVISORY COMMITTEE, RIGHT? I MEAN, ISN'T THAT WHAT WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE DOING HERE? YEAH, SO, SO THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS PUT IN PLACE TO GARNER AN INDEPENDENT STUDY OF THE CORRIDOR.
UM, AND THAT WAS IN HIRING, YOU KNOW, SELECTING THAT COMPANY TO COME IN AND THEN HAVE THE REPORTS GIVEN TO US AND SO THAT WE CAN PRESENT TO THE COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S OUR DRIVE BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE TO ADVISE HOW IT NEEDS TO REST, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE TAKING AWAY THE INDEPENDENT SIDE OF IT.
AND, AND ONE OF THE THOUGHT PROCESSES IS, IS THAT THIS INDEPENDENT STUDY COULD SUPPORT OR NOT SUPPORT THOSE OTHER STUDIES THAT WERE DONE FROM THE COUNTY AND DOT, UM, I, I'LL JUMP IN.
UM, SO I KNOW LOCK MUELLER HAS HAD AN AWFUL LOT OF INFORMATION TO EVALUATE ALL, ALL 19 ALTERNATIVES THAT WERE PART OF THE ORIGINAL RANGE OF ALTERNATIVES.
THERE WERE A LOT OF OTHER, UM, ALTERNATIVES OR TREATMENTS THAT HA HAVE BEEN IDENTIFIED OVER THE LAST MANY YEARS.
THEY HAVE THE TECHNICAL RE, UH, REPORT FROM THE TECHNICAL COMMITTEE WITH A LOT OF THE IDEAS, I THINK THAT YOU'RE MENTIONING, UH, DIETRICH.
SO THEY HAVE THE ABILITY TO TAKE A LOOK AT 'EM, LOOK AT ALL OF THOSE ALTERNATIVES, AND THEN WITH THEIR PROFESSIONAL JUDGMENT, DECIDE WHICH OF THOSE ALTERNATIVES THEY FEEL FROM THEIR, FROM THEIR VIEWPOINT ARE WORTH, YOU KNOW, MO ADVANCING.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE GONNA TRY TO DO, UM, AT THE NEXT MEETING IS TO SAY, HERE ARE THE ALTERNATIVES THAT WE THINK ARE, UM, ARE VIABLE OR WORTH ADVANCING, AND THEN GIVE YOU THE MODELING, UH, FOR THOSE ALTERNATIVES.
AND THEN YOU CAN JUDGE PROS AND CONS.
UM, I, THE, IF WE'RE GONNA TRY TO MODEL 19 DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES, THE SCOPE AND CONTRACT IS, SO THE FIRST, THE FIRST STEP WAS FOR THEM TO IDENTIFY WITH YOU THINGS THAT WERE IMPORTANT TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND OTHER THINGS, AND BAKE THAT IN.
AND WE'LL COME BACK FROM THEIR VIEWPOINT ON THOSE ITEMS THAT THEY THINK.
CAN I ASK, UM, NATE AND THE
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I KNOW THAT, UH, KATE AND MICHELLE, UM, WE'VE BEEN VETTING THROUGH SOME DIFFERENT, SOME, SOME UNIQUE OPTIONS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN SEEN BEFORE AT THOSE INTERSECTIONS.UM, I THINK WE'LL BE, WE TEND TO, WE HESITATE TO LIKE SAY WHAT THEY ARE BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW YET IF THEY'RE GONNA WORK YET OR NOT.
WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S SUBSTANTIAL IMPACT, BECAUSE IF WE TRY THIS NEW, UH, ALTERNATIVE, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY, PARDON ME, BUT IT'S NOT REALLY, IF IT TAKES YOU FROM AN LOSE TO A, A HIGH D AND IT REQUIRES A, A SIGNIFICANT COST, THEN THERE'S NOT REALLY MUCH MERIT IN BRINGING IT FORWARD.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE STILL, WE'RE STILL IN THE PROCESS OF VETTING THOSE RIGHT NOW.
WOULD YOU BE DEVELOPING BALLPARK COSTS ALONG THE WAY AS YOU DO THIS HIGH ORDER OF MAGNITUDE? YES.
FROM LIKE LEAST EXPENSIVE TO MOST EXPENSIVE? YES.
I MEAN, I, I UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE AN ADVISORY COMMITTEE, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S ALSO OUR ISLAND.
IT'S OUR BRIDGE, IT'S OUR TRAFFIC, IT'S, YOU KNOW, UM, OUR ENVIRONMENTS.
AND SO, UH, PERSONALLY I DON'T, I DON'T REALLY CARE HOW WE GET THERE, BUT I WANNA GET THERE.
AND SO, UH, THAT'S WHY I'M, BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S SUCH A DYNAMIC PROCESS.
IT'S WHEN YOU DO THIS MODELING, YOU CAN, UH, AND I'VE SEEN QUITE A FEW OF THEM.
UH, YOU CAN SEE THE EFFECTS OF IT, AND IT'S, IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO SEE THAT.
AND WE HAVE A MORE DYNAMIC APPROACH TO IT ALSO WITH THE COMMUNITY, WITH THE COMMITTEE HERE, I THINK WOULD BE VERY, VERY HELPFUL.
UM, SO I, I WOULD REALLY, UM, AND ALSO DOWN THE ROAD, YOU KNOW, ONCE WE SEE THAT, UH, THEN WE MAKE A, UH, JUSTIFIABLE DECISION ON WHAT, WHAT TO DO GOING FORWARD THAT'S IMPORTANT FOR, NOT JUST FOR THE TOWN GOVERNMENT, BUT ALSO FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND RESIDENTS IN HILTON.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? GO AHEAD.
WE'LL GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD INTO SHARIF'S PART OF THE PRESENTATION.
SHARIF, FEEL FREE TO GO AHEAD AND JUMP IN.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, NATE, AND GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.
SO TODAY I WANT TO GIVE YOU A COMPLETE UPDATE ON WHAT WE HAVE DONE SO FAR, UH, TO ESTIMATE THE TRAFFIC GROWTH RATE AT THE BRIDGE.
SO WHEN WE INITIATED THE PROJECT, OUR FAST GOAL WAS TO TAKE A COMPLETE LOOK AT THE LAD TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL, BECAUSE TYPICALLY TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL IS, UH, THE KEY TOOL OR THE MAIN TOOL TO IDENTIFY, UH, SUCH GROWTH RATES, UH, LIKE THE WHP BREACH RIGHT THERE.
AND THEN ONCE WE STARTED EVALUATING THE MODEL, LOOKING AT ALL THE INPUT DATA, HOW THE MODEL PROCESS WORKED, UH, THE TECHNICAL MEMO WE RECEIVED FROM, UH, THE CONSULTANT WHO DEVELOPED THE MODEL, THEN, UH, WE IDENTIFIED SOME OF THE KEY ISSUES IN COUPLE OF, UH, THE PREVIOUS MEETINGS.
I PROBABLY BRIEFLY TALKED ABOUT THOSE.
SO TODAY I'M GOING TO GIVE YOU A COMPLETE UPDATE OF WHAT WE HAVE FOUND.
SO WE FOUND THAT THE LATEST UPDATE, WHICH WAS DONE IN 2019 WITH THE HORIZON YEAR 2045, THAT WAS NOT A FULL UPDATE.
SO WHAT THEY DID IS, UH, THEY USED THE SIMILAR GROWTH RATE, UH, UP TO 2040 FOR THE SAME LOCATIONS, AND THEY DID SOME LIMITED UPDATES WITHOUT ALLOCATING ALL THE PLANNED, UH, FISCALLY CONSTRAINED PROJECTS IN THE NETWORK.
SO, AND ALSO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE OVERALL POPULATION PROJECTIONS, IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHAT YOU SEE IN THE LRTP AND WHAT YOU SEE IN THE MODEL.
SO BASED ON ALL THESE FACTORS, WE FOUND THAT, UH, THE 2045 UPDATE, UH, IT IS ALSO, UH, IN TERMS OF CALIBRATION AND VALIDATION THAT WAS LIMITED IN NATURE.
SO WITH EVERYTHING THERE, WE DON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE USING THE TDM, UH, TO PROVIDE YOU THE GROWTH RATE AT THE BRIDGE BECAUSE WE DON'T FEEL LIKE THAT GIVES YOU A MUCH BETTER PERSPECTIVE, UH, UH, WITH DUE CONSIDERATION TO ALL THE FACTORS WHICH TYPICALLY IMPACTS TRAFFIC VOLUMES.
SO THEN THE PROBLEM IS LIKE, WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH AN IDEA, RIGHT? SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW WE ARE GOING TO WORK WITH IT.
SO WE TRY TO DEVELOP OUR OWN MODEL BASED ON THE AVAILABLE DATA WE HAVE.
AND I WANT TO THANK THE TOWN OF FULTON HEAD, UH, FOR PROVIDING SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
[00:30:01]
WE HAVE SOME DATA FROM DEPARTMENT OF UH, TRANSPORTATION AS WELL.SO OUR MAIN ISSUE IS, UH, WE TRY TO LOOK AT THIS PROBLEM, UH, AS A, LIKE A STATISTICAL ANALYSIS ISSUE, AND THEN HOW WE CAN, UH, ADDRESS IT.
NUMBER ONE IS WE HAVE A DEPENDENT VARIABLE, WHICH IS THE DAILY TRAFFIC.
AND THIS DEPENDENT VARIABLE IS PROBABLY, UM, IMPACTED FOR MANY OTHER INDEPENDENT VARIABLES, LIKE HOW MANY PEOPLE LIVE THERE, HOW MANY JOBS ARE THERE, AND THEN LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY VISITORS ARE COMING AND ALL THESE THINGS.
SO, UH, WE DON'T HAVE INFORMATION ON ALL OF THEM, BUT WE HAVE REASONABLE INFORMATION ON SOME OF THEM.
SO WE TRY TO BUILD A STATISTICAL MODEL, UH, TO SEE HOW THIS DEPENDENT VARIABLE IS BEING IMPACTED BY, UH, THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES.
SO JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA ABOUT THE POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT GROWTH TRENDS, UH, IN THESE TWO COUNTIES, WHICH, UH, ARE, UH, THE PREDOMINANTLY IMPORTANT FOR, UH, THE OVERALL, UH, THE TRAFFIC DISTRIBUTION, UM, FOR OUR PROJECT.
SO WE HAVE BEAUFORT COUNTY AND WE HAVE JASPER COUNTY, AND I'VE SHOWN THE POPULATION OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND AS A, LIKE IN A SEPARATE ROW AS WELL.
SO YOU CAN SEE BETWEEN 2000 AND 2010, GROWTH WAS KIND OF CRAZY.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, 3% FOR BEFORD COUNTY, ALMOST 1% FOR HILTON HEAD.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT FROM 2010 TO 2020, YOU CAN SEE THAT THAT CRAZINESS IS A LITTLE BIT BETTER.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, THINGS ARE SLOWING DOWN.
AND IDEALLY IT WILL BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU CANNOT HAVE UNLIMITED GROWTH, UH, IN A, LIKE, YOU KNOW, UNLIMITED AREA.
SO, SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE HAS TO BE SOME SLOWDOWN AND YOU SEE THAT REFLECTION, UH, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ANNUAL GROWTH RATE FROM 2010 TO 2020.
UH, AND THEN THAT'S PART OF THE POPULATION AND THE EMPLOYMENT PART, WE HAVE THE DATA FROM 2010 AND 2020, UH, YOU CAN SEE THAT, UH, AT THE HIDON HEAD ISLAND, UH, EMPLOYMENT GROWTH IS KIND OF LIKE AT THE SAME PACE WITH THE POPULATION GROWTH.
UH, VERY SMALL, ABOUT 0.2% OVER THE LAST 10 YEAR OR SO.
UH, OVERALL, BEFORD COUNTY AND JASPER COUNTY, UH, THEY HAD, UH, SIGNIFICANT EMPLOYMENT GROWTH, BUT AGAIN, FOR JASPER COUNTY, UH, THE OVERALL EMPLOYMENT NUMBER WAS SO LOW AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S WHY, UH, THE EMPLOYMENT GROWTH, UH, PERCENTAGE LOOKS A BIT BIGGER.
AND THEN, UH, WE RECEIVED SOME INFORMATION ON LIKE HOW PEOPLE ARE SPENDING MONEY AT THE HILTON ISLAND, BECAUSE SOMETIMES THERE COULD BE SOME CORRELATION AS PART OF IT.
LIKE, OKAY, MORE PEOPLE ARE COMING TO THE ISLAND, THEY'RE VISITING, UH, THE ISLAND AT ATTRACTIONS, THEY'RE GOING TO THE RESTAURANTS, THEY'RE, UH, LEAVING IN THOSE, UH, THE ACCOMMODATION PLACES LIKE THE HOTELS AND THE RESORTS, AND THEN LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW MUCH MONEY THEY'RE SPENDING.
UH, SO IF WE LOOK AT THE TAX REVENUE, THEN WE MAY HAVE SOME IDEA ABOUT THAT.
SO WE, BASED ON THIS IDEA, WE REQUESTED SOME ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO THE TOWN, AND THE TOWN PROVIDED US FIVE YEARS OF ACCOMMODATION TAX AND HOSPITALITY TAX, AND WE CONVERTED ALL OF THOSE INTO 2021, UH, US DOLLARS TO TACKLE FOR, UH, THE INFLATION GROWTH AND ALL THAT.
UH, SO THIS IS KIND OF LIKE A SUMMARY OF THIS.
AND THE TOWN ALSO STARTED, UH, TAKING, UH, NOTE OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, HOW MANY SHORT-TERM RENTAL UNITS ARE, ARE BEING IN THE MARKET, UH, WITHIN THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
BUT UNFORTUNATELY THERE'S JUST FOR, THAT'S JUST STARTED FOR 2023, SO WE DON'T HAVE ANY HISTORIC INFORMATION ON THAT, SO WE COULDN'T USE THAT INFORMATION AS PART OF OUR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS.
SO, AND THIS ONE ACTUALLY SHOWS THAT HOW THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE, THE KEY THING, LIKE THE BIG QUESTION WE WANT TO ADDRESS IS WHAT WILL BE THE TRAFFIC VOLUME FOR THE FUTURE, OR WHAT WILL BE THE GROWTH RATE FROM NOW ALL THE WAY UP TO 2045.
SO WE LOOKED AT THE HISTORIC DATA, WE LOOKED AT THE HISTORIC POPULATION, THOSE ARE LIKE THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES, AND THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE IS THE TRAFFIC VOLUME, RIGHT? SO WE LOOKED AT THE TRAFFIC VOLUME SINCE 2010, ALL THE WAY UP TO 2023, AND WE FOUND THAT, OKAY, SO THIS IS THE CHAIN YOU SEE NEAR THE BRIDGE, AND, UH, THE LAST COLUMN, IT SHOWS THE ANNUAL GROWTH FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT SOME YEARS YOU HAVE, UH, PRETTY SIGNIFICANT GROWTH.
AND IF YOU HAVE BIG GROWTH IMMEDIATELY NEXT YEAR, LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT TRIES TO MITIGATE FOR THAT.
SO, SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, THAT TREND WENT ON AND, UH, FROM 2019 TO 2020, AND FROM 2020 TO 2021, UH, IT'S ALL
[00:35:01]
BECAUSE OF, UH, THE COVID-19 RELATED RESTRICTIONS.YOU CAN SEE IT HERE, SUDDEN DROP FOR 2020 AND, UH, SUDDEN RISE FOR 2021.
UH, IT'S, IT'S ALL ABOUT THAT.
SO WHAT WE DID IS, UH, IN OUR STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, AS I SAID, THAT WE TRIED TO LOOK AT SIMPLE AND MORE COMPLEX REGRESSION EQUATIONS OR THE REGRESSION ANALYSIS, TRYING TO SEE THAT HOW TRAFFIC VOLUME IS BEING IMPACTED BY POPULATION EMPLOYMENT, TAX REVENUES, UH, ARE, OR THE TAX DOLLARS WHICH ARE SPENT AT THE ISLAND.
SO FOR THOSE ANALYSIS, I DON'T WANT TO GET INTO LIKE A LOT OF DETAILS OF STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, BUT I WANT YOU TO PAY ATTENTION TO TWO, UH, UH, LIKE, YOU KNOW, STATISTICAL RESULTS HERE.
NUMBER ONE IS THE COEFFICIENT OF DETERMINATION.
SO WE TYPICALLY CALL THIS R SQUARE.
SO IF THE R SQUARE VALUE IS HIGH, THAT MEANS WHATEVER THE VARIATIONS WE ARE HAVING IN THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE, IN THIS CASE, THE TRAFFIC VOLUME, IT'S BECAUSE OF THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE WHICH IS CAUSING IT.
SO IF I SAY THAT R SQUARE VALUE IS SEVEN, IT MEANS THAT 70% OF THE VARIATIONS IN THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE, IT'S CAN BE EXPLAINED BY THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE, THE VARIATION IN THE INDEPENDENT VARIABLE.
SO THAT'S THE R SQUARE AND THE P VALUE AS THE NAME SUGGEST, P MEANS PROBABILITY.
SO THERE COULD BE OCCASION THAT INDEPENDENT AND DEPENDENT VARIABLE, WHATEVER CORRELATION WE SEE, THIS COULD BE DUE TO CHANCE THAT SUDDENLY IT HAPPENED.
SO TO ELIMINATE THAT PART, WE INTRODUCE THIS STATISTIC CALLED P VALUE.
SO IF THE P VALUE IS CLOSE TO ONE, THAT MEANS WHATEVER CORRELATION WE SEE, THERE'S DUE TO CHANCE, THAT IS NO STATISTICAL SIGNIFICANCE.
BUT IF THE P VALUE IS CLOSE TO ZERO, THEN WE SHOULD BE VERY CAREFUL HERE THAT IT SEEMS THAT INDEPENDENT VARIABLE AND THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE, THEY HAVE A STRONG CORRELATION.
SO BASED ON THESE TWO STATISTICS, THE NEXT SLIDE IS GOING TO SHOW YOU LIKE HOW THE RESULTS ARE FOR ALL THE, UH, INDEPENDENT VARIABLES WITH THE TRAFFIC VOLUME.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE TOTAL POPULATION AND THE TOTAL EMPLOYMENT FOR BEFORD AND JAPER COUNTIES, AND IT'S UNDERSTANDABLE, RIGHT? SO, UH, YOU HAVE MORE PEOPLE, NOT MORE EMPLOYMENT, MORE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY, MORE DEMAND FOR TRAVEL, MORE RISE IN TRAFFIC VOLUME.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT R SQUARED VALUES ARE VERY HIGH 0.95 AND 0.9 FOR POPULATION AND EMPLOYMENT.
AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE P VALUE, IT'S SO CLOSE TO ZERO, ALMOST ZERO.
SO IT MEANS THAT THESE CORRELATION ARE NOT DUE TO CHANCE FOR THE ACCOMMODATION TAX.
UH, IT SHOWS SOME PROMISE, BUT NOT A LOT.
UH, AND THEN FOR HOSPITALITY TAX, WE COULDN'T FIND ANY CORRELATION THERE.
SO BASED ON THESE ANALYSIS, WE FOUND THAT THE BIGGEST INDICATOR OR THE BIGGEST INDEPENDENT VARIABLE, WHICH IS INFLUENCING THE TRAFFIC VOLUME AT THE ISLAND, THAT'S THE POPULATION.
WE ALSO TRY TO DO MORE COMPLEX, UH, IRRIGATION ANALYSIS, WHERE YOU HAVE TWO OR MORE INDEPENDENT VARIABLES COMBINED TOGETHER.
SO THAT DIDN'T GIVE US ANY, UH, I WOULD SAY LIKE, YOU KNOW, SATISFACTORY OR PROMISING RESULTS, UH, OTHER THAN THIS.
SO WE DECIDED TO USE THE POPULATION AS THE BIGGEST INDEPENDENT VARIABLE TO COME UP WITH A PREDICTION TOOL FOR THE FUTURE TRAFFIC.
SO IF YOU PLEASE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO THIS IS THE REGRESSION EQUATION WE HAVE COME UP WITH.
SO IF WE KNOW, WANT TO KNOW THE AVERAGE DAILY TRAFFIC VOLUME AT THE BRIDGE, THIS EQUATION SHOULD BE USED.
SO THEN THE KEY QUESTION TO ANSWER WOULD BE THAT WHAT POPULATION FOR BUFORD AND JASPER COUNTIES WE ARE GOING TO COME UP WITH? AND TO ANSWER THAT NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE IDENTIFIED OUR ASSUMPTIONS FOR THE FUTURE GROWTH.
AS YOU CAN SEE, A FEW FIVE, UH, FEW SLIDES BEFORE THAT GROWTH IS KIND OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, GETTING SLOW.
AND WE LOOKED AT THE DEPARTMENT OF, UH, REVENUE AND FISCAL AFFAIRS WITH THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA.
THEY PROJECTED THAT FOR THE BEAUFORT COUNTY, UH, THEIR PROJECTING FROM 2020 TO 2035 ANNUAL GROWTH SHOULD BE APPROXIMATELY 0.56 FOR JASPER.
AS THE POPULATION IS LOW, THEY'RE PROJECTING A BIT HIGHER GROWTH RATE UP TO ONE.
SO IN GENERALLY, IF WE COMBINE BOTH DUE DEFAULT AND JASPER COUNTIES, WE ARE EXPECTING THAT THE OVERALL GROWTH SHOULD BE AROUND 0.6.
BUT AGAIN, I CANNOT RECOMMEND, OR LIKE, YOU KNOW, AS WE KNOW ABOUT THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND, AND THEN WE DID SOME BACKGROUND RESEARCH AND EVERYTHING,
[00:40:01]
WE CANNOT RECOMMEND THAT THE EXISTING POPULATION OF THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND IS ALSO GOING TO GROW AT THE SAME RATE AS 0.6% BECAUSE THERE IS NO ROOM TO GROW.LIKE THERE ARE ROOM TO GROW, BUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, NOT THAT MUCH.
SO WHAT WE ASSUMED IN THE NEXT SLIDE THAT, OKAY, SO WE ARE GOING TO TAKE THE STATE'S RECOMMENDATION THAT OKAY, UH, THERE WOULD BE 0.6% GROWTH FOR BUFORT AND JASPER COUNTIES, BUT HILTON HEAD ISLAND, IT SHOULD GROW AT A MUCH LOWER PERCENTAGE OF 0.1%.
AND 0.1% IS OUR ENGINEERING JUDGMENT OR PLANNING JUDGMENT.
I WOULD SAY, BASED ON THAT, IF YOU LOOK AT THE GROWTH FROM 2010 TO 2020, THAT WAS ABOUT 0.2% FROM 2000 TO 2010, THAT WAS ALMOST 1%.
SO IT'S SLOWING DOWN AND WE WANT, UH, WE FEEL THAT THAT TREND WILL KEEP GOING FOR THE ISLAND BECAUSE THERE ARE SO MANY, UH, SO LIKE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS THAT YOU CANNOT JUST PUT 10,000 MORE PEOPLE AT THE ISLAND.
THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE AS PERMANENT RESIDENT.
SO THAT'S WHY FOR THE ISLAND, WE RECOMMENDED THAT THE GROWTH IS ABOUT, UH, LIKE IN A VERY SMALL POINT, 1% FOR REST OF THE TWO COUNTIES GROWTH WOULD BE 0.6.
SO IF WE COMBINE ALL THESE FOR 2045, WE GET OUR TOTAL POPULATION OF 245,614.
AND NOW IF WE PLUG THIS POPULATION INTO THE REGRESSION EQUATION, WE'VE, UH, WHICH WE HAVE COME UP WITH IN THE NEXT SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE THAT, OKAY, SO THAT'S THE EQUATION, AND IT'S THROWING OUT A NUMBER, WHICH IS 65,349.
SO THAT'S OUR PROJECTED VOLUMES AT THE BRIDGE FOR 2045, APPROXIMATELY 22, 23 YEARS FROM NOW.
SO THAT GIVES US AN ANNUAL GROWTH RATE OF 0.56%.
SO THAT'S OUR ANNUAL RECOMMENDED GROWTH FOR THE BRIDGE, UH, BASED ON OUR COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS.
SO, UH, I APOLOGIZE FOR PUTTING A LOT OF STATISTICAL JARGON.
UH, SO I'LL JUST KEEP MY MOUTH SHUT NOW AND THEN, LIKE, YOU KNOW, WAIT FOR YOUR QUESTIONS OR CONSENT.
ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE A QUESTION.
I MEAN, IT'S, I CAN, UH, UNDERSTAND THAT IT'S QUITE TRICKY TO, TO, UH, HONE IN ON CERTAIN, UH, FACTORS AND MULTIPLIERS.
UM, CAN YOU TELL ME THE, THE P VALUES THAT YOU'VE CALCULATED IN YOUR SLIDE ON THE, UH, REGRESSION ANALYSIS MM-HMM.
SO WHAT, UH, WHAT DO YOU BASE THAT ON? HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU COME UP WITH THAT NUMBER? WHAT'S, UH, NATE, CAN YOU PLEASE GO TO THE SLIDE PLEASE? YEAH, SO, SO IT ACTUALLY MEANS THAT, UH, IT'S 0.000.
IF YOU PUT SEVEN ZEROS, THEN THERE WILL BE EIGHT.
UH, IT'S, UH, SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S A BIGGER NUMBER.
THAT'S WHY YOU WILL USE THE E NU, UH, E ACTUALLY MEANS THAT AFTER THE POINT, UH, THERE WILL BE LIKE SEVEN OR EIGHT ZEROS, THEN YOU WILL HAVE THIS, UH, VALUE.
SO, UH, BASICALLY THIS IS A VERY, VERY SMALL NUMBER, YOU KNOW, THAT'S ACTUALLY NOT 1.5 OR 8.1.
SO IT, IT SAYS LIKE, YOU KNOW, 1.5 E MINUS EIGHT, THAT MEANS THAT AFTER THE PERIOD OR THE POINT, UH, THERE WILL BE EIGHT ZEROS, THEN THERE WILL BE THIS NUMBER, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, UM, APPLYING THIS ON THE, ON THE MODELING MM-HMM,
MM-HMM,
UM, BECAUSE I ALWAYS LIKE TO SEE, IT'S NEVER AN EXACT NUMBER.
IT'S MUCH BETTER TO HAVE A RANGE OR, OR MM-HMM,
UM, WHAT, YEAH, WHAT KIND OF, UM, DEVIATION WOULD YOU SEE FROM THE, SO, UH, IT'S, IT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
YOU KNOW, SO FOR ANY STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, PEOPLE TYPICALLY ASK, OKAY, WHAT IS YOUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL, RIGHT? SO OUR CONFIDENCE LEVEL FOR THIS ANALYSIS IS 95%.
SO WE ASSUME THAT THERE WOULD BE A NORMAL DISTRIBUTION OF, UH, THE RESULTS.
AND, UH, 95%, UH, WITH 95% CONFIDENCE, WE CAN SAY THAT, OKAY, THIS WILL BE RIGHT THERE.
BUT AGAIN, UH, YOU CAN THINK OF LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE
[00:45:01]
AN UPPER AND LOWER LIMITS, UH, BUT AS, AS THE STUDY IS KIND OF LIKE LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC NUMBER FOR THE FUTURE GROWTH, UH, WHICH WOULD BE USED IN YOUR 2045 ANALYSIS.UH, SO WE CAN, UH, WE WANTED TO SHOW ONE NUMBER, UH, BUT, UH, IDEALLY LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE WILL BE A RANGE, UH, AND LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE ARE CONSIDERING, UH, SO MANY FACTORS FOR THE FUTURE.
LIKE, YOU KNOW, THINGS MAY GO IN A DIFFERENT WAY FIVE YEARS FROM NOW.
ECONOMIC COULD BE IN A RECESSION OR LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MANY STUDIES GOING ON WHICH SHOWS THAT, UH, THE US POPULATION IS GOING TO DECLINE AFTER 2040, DEPENDING ON, UH, HOW THE IMMIGRATION POLICIES ARE GOING TO ACT.
SO, SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY, UH, OTHER VARIABLES LIKE, YOU KNOW, WHICH WE CANNOT THINK OF RIGHT NOW, BUT, UH, THERE WILL BE A RANGE IDEALLY, BUT WE WANTED TO GIVE YOU, UH, ONE NUMBER, UH, FOR, UH, THE, UM, BENEFIT OF, BENEFIT OF THE ANALYSIS.
YOU KNOW, IF I CAN ADD SHARIF, UM, IN ACTUALITY HE'S EXACTLY CORRECT THAT THERE, THERE WILL BE PERHAPS A 5% FLUCTUATION AWAY FROM THIS NUMBER BECAUSE OUR CONFIDENCE IN IT IS 95%, WHICH IS INCREDIBLY HIGH.
I MIGHT ADD, I THINK SHARIF DID A FANTASTIC JOB WITH THIS ANALYSIS, AND I'M REALLY PLEASED WITH THE RESULTS.
BUT FOR THE PURPOSE OF MODELING, WE DO HAVE TO PICK ONE GROWTH RATE BECAUSE WE HAVE TO PUT ONE SET OF VOLUMES INTO OUR MODEL.
AND ANYTIME THAT YOU CHANGE VARIABLES IN THE MODEL, WHETHER IT BE GEOMETRIC CONSTRAINTS OF THE ROADWAY, LIKE INTERSECTION TYPE, WHICH WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A LOT, OR VOLUMES, THAT COUNTS AS AN ADDITIONAL MODEL RUN.
SO WE THOUGHT THAT FOR THIS STUDY, IT WOULD BE BEST TO USE OUR MULTIPLE ANALYSIS RUNS ON DIFFERENT INTERSECTION AND GEOMETRIC CONFIGURATIONS RATHER THAN SLIGHTLY VARIED GROWTH RATE PROJECTIONS.
SO IN A SENSE, YOU'VE PICKED, UH, THE OH 0.56% GROWTH RATE FOR HILTON NET.
SO YOUR, YOUR BAND IS REALLY FROM HALF OH 0.5 TO OH 0.6.
THAT'S SORT OF WHERE YOU OPERATE.
I MEAN, IT'S, IT'S A CRYSTAL BALL, CORRECT? AT THE END OF THE DAY, CORRECT? YEAH.
UH, SO, SO LIKE, AND IT'LL BE SOMEWHERE THERE, YEAH, IN BETWEEN, BUT LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE DEVIATION WILL NOT BE THAT MUCH BECAUSE WE ARE THINKING ABOUT 95% CONFIDENCE INTERVAL, YOU KNOW, SO IT'S, UM, IF IF WE THINK ABOUT 90%, THEN THERE COULD BE LIKE, YOU KNOW, 10% VARIATION CHANCE HERE AND THERE, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THIS ANALYSIS IS, UH, IS CALLED ANOVA ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE, YOU KNOW, SO THAT'S WHAT WE TRY TO DO, UH, AS, AS LIKE, YOU KNOW, UH, THESE STUDIES.
SO IF YOU, UH, WANT TO TRY THIS FORMULA, LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN PUT 2010 POPULATION AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT WAS THE TRAFFIC VOLUME AT THE BRIDGE IN 2010.
YOU CAN TRY 2020 POPULATION AND YOU CAN SEE WHAT WAS THE VOLUME, UH, AT THE BRIDGE, UH, IN 2020.
SO, SO LIKE, YOU KNOW, YOU WILL SEE THAT THE NUMBERS ARE VERY CLOSE, AND THAT'S WHY LIKE, YOU KNOW, THE R SQUARE VALUE IS 0.95.
UH, SO WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO SAY IS WHATEVER THE VARIATION WE HAVE IN THE DAILY TRAFFIC VOLUME, 95% OF THAT IS BEING ADDRESSED BY THE POPULATION, UH, NUMBERS BY YEAR.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS? ANY? THANK YOU VERY MUCH, SHARIF.
WE'LL MOVE OVER TO TYSON AND, UM, TYSON, WE HAVE JUST A COUPLE SLIDES THAT BEFORE WE DO THE VIDEO, AND CAN YOU SEE OURS? CAN YOU SEE THE PRESENTATION OKAY HERE IF YOU'RE, LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE MUTE, YOU'RE MUTED, TYSON.
I, I'M SEEING THE ROOM IN THE REST OF OUR CREW AND TEAMS, BUT IF YOU GUYS SEE IT, THAT'S FINE.
I, I, I KNOW IT'S ON, I MIGHT APPRECIATE YOUR SCREEN.
I THINK I MIGHT HAVE DROPPED YOU ON, HONESTLY, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
SAY, TYSON, DO YOU HAVE THE, UM, THE POWERPOINT SLIDE OR THE PDF OF THE SLIDES AND YOU JUST GO THROUGH THOSE IN THE EMAIL THAT I SENT? MAYBE YOU CAN SEE THOSE OR, YEAH, I CAN DO THAT.
THERE'S JUST SOME TEXT AND THEN WE HAD THE, UM, HOW THE SYSTEM WAS SET UP, AND THEN WE CAN, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU AND YOU CAN DO THE VIDEO.
[00:50:02]
YEAH, IF YOU WANNA RUN THE SLIDES, THAT'S FINE.I'LL, I'LL JUMP INTO THE VIDEO.
SO, UM, NATE MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING, UH, JUST THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A CALIBRATED MODEL FOR EXISTING CONDITIONS TO START FROM, AND THEN, UH, THAT'S A VERY CRITICAL INPUT, UH, FOR FUTURE SCENARIOS, AND THEN THE GREAT EXPLANATION OF HOW THE GROWTH INPUT IS ALSO, UM, INCLUDED IN THE, IN FUTURE SCENARIOS.
UM, SO GOING TO THE CALIBRATED EXISTING MODEL, UH, THIS, THIS PROJECT, UM, WAS, IS SOMEWHAT UNIQUE AND THROUGH SOME, SOME DIFFERENT CHALLENGES BECAUSE IT IS AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM, UM, IS WAS FAIRLY RECENTLY, UH, ENABLED ON THE CORRIDOR.
SO A YEAR AGO THIS WAS NOT IN PLACE.
UM, SO TRYING TO CA CAPTURE WHAT THE EXISTING, UM, OPERATIONS ON THE CORRIDOR IS WITH THIS IN PLACE IS, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE DEFINITELY CONSIDERED AS THE START OF THE PROJECT.
UM, AND WE HAVE VARIOUS TOOLS THAT WE CAN USE TO DO THAT.
WHEN, UH, NATE, KATE AND I WERE OUT, UH, DOING THE OBSERVATIONS, UM, WE HAD DIFFERENT TYPES OF, FROM RUDIMENTARY TO, TO SOMETHING MORE EXTRA TYPE OF TOOLS TO CAPTURE THAT EXISTING OPERATIONS AS WE OBSERVE AND DRIVE THROUGH THE CORRIDOR.
UM, SO FOR THIS, UH, UH, PROJECT, WE, WE USE A PRODUCT CALLED WASTING.
UH, IT'S SOMETHING THAT DEFINITELY GIVES US A LOT OF BENEFITS FOR AN ADAPTIVE SCENARIO.
UM, BUT WHAT YOU'LL SEE WHEN WE GO THROUGH, UM, SOME OF THE, THE DIAGRAMS AND THE VIDEO IS, UH, THE, THOSE CAPTURED WITH THE
SO WE KNOW THAT VILLE HARBOR IS A SIGNAL THAT IS NOT CONNECTED TO THE COURT MAIN SYSTEM.
IT RUNS, UH, WE CALL FREE AT ALL TIMES A DAY.
SO IT'S NOT, IT'S NOT, UH, GIVING PREFERENTIAL TIME ONE DIRECTION OR NOT.
THERE'S A PRESET, UM, LIST OF, UH, TIMING THAT IS ALLOWED MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM GREENS FOR EACH MOVEMENT, BUT OTHERWISE IT'S NOT, IT IS NOT WORKING IN CONTAIN WITH ANY OTHER SIGNALS ALONG THE CORRIDOR EITHER ON, UM, THE, THE NON ISLAND SIDE OR ON THE ON SIDE.
UM, AND THEN WE KNEW THAT THE TWO SIGNALS THAT ARE MOST OVERSATURATED AS FAR BOTH IN SPANISH, WELL, UM, WORKED AS A SMALL SUBSYSTEM IN THE OVERALL ADAPTED SYSTEM.
UM, AND THAT IS HOW IT WAS SET UP BY THE VENDOR.
AND THEN THE OTHER, BESIDES THOSE TWO SIGNALS, THE OTHERS ALL WORKING VARIOUS SUBSYSTEMS AS WELL.
SO SOME OF THOSE FACTORS WERE IN OUR MINDS, WE WENT THROUGH IT AND, UH, AS I'LL, I'LL TALK THROUGH IT, IT WAS REVEALED IN, IN THE DATA THAT WE QUOTED.
UM, AND THIS IS THE KIND OF PICTURE OF, UH, SOMETHING FROM THE VENDOR THAT KIND OF SHOWED THE RED, UM, POLYGONS.
THERE ARE STUDY INTERSECTIONS AND THEN THE, UH, COLOR OS THERE ARE THE SUBSYSTEMS WITHIN THE OVERALL ADAPTED FOOT IS ADAPTED ON ALL THE SIGNALS ON THAT LOOP, BUT, UM, THE SUBSYSTEMS WILL ACT ON THEIR OWN IN SOME WAYS BASED UPON ACTUAL DETECTED VOLUMES, UM, AND HOW THE OPERATE INDIVIDUALLY.
TYSON, DO YOU WANNA GO AND SHARE YOUR SCREEN? YEP, I CAN DO THAT.
SO, UM, THIS IS, THIS IS THE, THE PRODUCT WASTING.
WHAT YOU'LL SEE HERE, THE, THE BIG COLOR BARS HERE IS KIND OF OUR, UM, RED AND BUTTER WHEN WE'RE DOING, UH, SIGNAL OPTIMIZATIONS ARE SIGNAL OP, UM, SIGNAL SYSTEM OPERATIONS.
UH, IT'S A TIME SPACE, A GREEN, SO THE X AXIS IS TIME, THE Y AXIS IS SPACE.
SO, UM, AND WHAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO WITH WA WAS SYNC IS WE LAY IN THESE GREEN AND BLUE BARS, WHICH IS THE, UH, FROM SYNCHRO.
SO IT'S THE SYNCHRO MODEL OF THE BASE TIMING PLANS THAT THE ADAPTA SYSTEM IS USING.
SO THERE ALL ADAPTA SYSTEMS START WITH SOME TYPE OF BASE COORDINATED TIMING PLAN, AND THEN IT IS ALLOWED TO VARY, IN THIS CASE, EVERY 20 MINUTES.
IT WILL LOOK AND SHOULD I IS SAY, SHOULD I VARY THE COORDINATION PLAN OR DIFFERENT, UH, PARAMETERS OF EACH INTERSECTION BASED UPON WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN THE LAST 20 MINUTES.
UM, BUT STARTING FROM A BASE, SO THE BASE IS WHAT IS IN HERE, IT STARTS WITH THE COLORED BANDS.
UM, AND IN MOST, AND IN A NON-ADAPTIVE SYSTEM, YOU WOULD, THIS IS BECOMES VERY PREDICTABLE THAT ONCE YOU GET IN INTO, SO THAT A VE THIS WHITE SWIVELING LINE IS, IS OUR, IS OUR VEHICLE DRIVING THROUGH THE CORRIDOR DOOR, UM, TYPICALLY, UH, IS BECOMES VERY MUCH MORE, MUCH MORE PREDICTABLE THAT IF, IF YOU END UP IN ONE OF THESE GREEN VANS, UM, YOU SHOULD STAY IN THAT GREEN VAN BECAUSE YOU'RE, YOU'RE HITTING ALL THESE GREEN LIGHTS IN AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM,
[00:55:01]
WE SEE SOMETHING DIFFERENT.SO WE SEE THAT IN THIS CASE, BETWEEN SPANISH WALLS AND GUMTREE, WHICH IS THE POINT WHERE WE KNOW THAT THE, THE SUBSYSTEM BREAK, UM, WE ARRIVED ON WHAT WE THOUGHT SHOULD HAVE BEEN GREEN, BUT I'M SORRY, UM, IT WAS, WE ARRIVED ON AN VEHICLE RED AND EXTENDED IT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND THEN PROGRESSED ON.
UM, BUT DO WANNA SHOW THIS, UM, SO LIKE I SAID, THE WHITE LINE IS THE DIRECTORY OF OUR VEHICLE GOING THROUGH THE QUARTERS.
THIS IS JUST ONE OF THE TRAIL TENDER RUNS.
WHAT WE CAN DO AT EACH POINT, WHICH IS ALSO CRITICAL FOR OUR, FOR OUR MODEL INPUT.
AT ANY POINT ALONG THIS TRAVEL TIME OR THE TRAVEL RUN, WE CAN HOVER OVER AND WE CAN SEE OUR INSTANT SPEED.
UM, SO AT THIS POINT, UH, SOMEWHERE PROBABLY OVER THE BRIDGES, UH, I WAS GOING 32 MILES PER HOUR, AND THEN IT BECAME TO A POINT APPROACHING LIMO HARBOR WHERE IT BECAME A STOP AND IT MARKED THAT AS THE QUEUE OF A STOP QUEUE WAS ABOUT 1500 FEET.
BUT THIS, THIS TRAJECTORY REFLECTS WHAT WE OBSERVED AS A ROLLING QUEUE COMING ACROSS THE BRIDGE APPROACH TO MEMORIAL HARBOR.
AND THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, IT BECAME A LITTLE BIT MORE INTENSE OF A CONDENSED QUEUE AS YOU GOT CLOSE TO THE SIGNAL.
AND THEN ONCE WE GOT, UH, KIND OF MOVING, WE MOVED VERY WELL UP TO, UM, SQUARE POPE EAST FINISHED WALLS, MADE THOSE THROUGH ON GREEN.
AND THEN, LIKE I SAID, WE ARRIVED HERE.
UM, SO JUST TO SHOW YOU THAT WE CAN MATCH THIS UP WITH THE DASH CAM THAT THEY WILL PLAY SIZE THIS.
SO THIS IS, THIS IS ALL HAPPENING WITHIN THE SAME SOFTWARE.
SO AS WE'RE DRIVING ALONG, WE STARTED AT, UM,
AND THEN, UM, AS WE CAN SEE HERE, IT'S KIND OF A ROLLING QUEUE.
SO IF I JUST TAKE SPOTS HERE AS WE'RE GOING OVER THE BRIDGES TO SEE A LOT OF BRAKE LIGHTS, UM, BUT GENERALLY MOVING, BUT IT'S, IT'S, IT'S KIND OF A STOP AND GO SCENARIO.
THEN ONCE WE GET CLOSER TO WINDMILL HARBOR, UM, BECAUSE SEE HERE YOU GET A LITTLE BIT MORE OF A, A CONGESTED QUEUE APPROACHING, BUT A LITTLE JUST AROUND THE CORNER HERE, AND WE DO EVENTUALLY KIND OF MAKE A ROLLING, MAKE IT THROUGH ON A ROLLING GREEN.
UM, ONCE WE GET TO THIS WIRE POPE, WHICH IS ROUGHLY HERE IN THE DIAGRAM, SO WE'RE ON THIS LIGHT LINE, WE'RE ABOUT HERE AND WE'RE APPROACHING, AS YOU CAN SEE, WE EXPECT A RIGHT ON A GREEN AND WE DID, AND THEN JUST DOWNSTREAM AT SPANISH WELLS, UM, IT'S ACTUALLY NOT TOO FAR.
AND HERE WE ARRIVE AT SPANISH WELLS, OR AT THIS POINT IN THE TRIP, WE ARRIVE ON A GREEN AS WE EXPECT.
HOWEVER, ONCE WE GET TO DOWN TREE THREE, APPROACHING GUN THREE, WE EXPECT TO BE ARRIVING ON A GREEN.
BUT AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE VIDEO, THE SIGNAL IS RED AND THIS FLAT WHITE LINE MEANS THAT WE, THE VEHICLE STOPPED AND THEN PROGRESSED FOR THAT AMOUNT OF TIME.
UM, AND THEN FROM THERE, THE TRIP WAS FAIRLY WHAT WE EXPECTED.
BUT AGAIN, THAT'S BECAUSE WE, THAT WHAT WAS REFLECTED THERE IS THAT IS WHAT WE EXPECTED, IS THAT THERE IS, WHEN YOU HAVE TWO SUBSYSTEMS THAT ARE ACTING INDEPENDENTLY WITHIN AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM, NOT NECESSARILY NOT GUARANTEED, OR THAT THE LIKELIHOOD OF GETTING IN GREEN AS YOU PROGRESS FROM ONE SUB SYSTEM, THE OTHER IS FAIRLY LOW, UM, UNLESS THERE'S CERTAIN PARAMETERS SET THE ADAPTIVE SYSTEM.
SO, UM, SOME OF THIS IS CONFIRMATION, SOME OF THIS WAS NEW INFORMATION THAT HELPED US, UM, MODEL ADAPTIVE SYSTEM.
LIKE I SAID, IT'S CRITICAL THAT WE WENT THROUGH THIS STEP TO, UM, TO CAPTURE AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM THAT, UH, IS SOMEWHAT OUTSIDE THE NORMS OF HOW WE TYPICALLY MODEL, UH, THINGS IN OR LISTEN.
SO ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? QUESTIONS? ANY QUESTION? SO, UM, ALL THESE OBSERVATIONS ARE, UH, VERY INTERESTING.
UM, WILL YOU IN YOUR WORK COME OUT WITH RECOMMENDATIONS ON HOW, UH, TO IMPROVE THE, UH, ADAPTIVE TRAFFIC SYSTEM? FOR INSTANCE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE WINDMILL HARBOR LIGHTS, UH, HAS ALWAYS BEEN A BIT CONTENTIOUS BECAUSE IT'S BOTH FROM CARS COMING ONTO THE ISLAND AS CARS LEAVING, UH, IN THE AFTERNOON.
ARE YOU LOOKING AT, OR WOULD YOU RECOMMEND THINGS LIKE, UM, TAKING THAT LIGHT, UH, WORK, UM, DURING NORMAL HOURS IN THE DAY AND TO HAVE IT MORE RESTRICTED DURING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, YOU KNOW, UM, HAVING, HAVING A, A TIME ELEMENT IN CERTAIN LIGHTS, UH, OPERATION AND THE SAME FOR OTHER THINGS.
[01:00:01]
ALSO GOING TO COME THROUGH ON HOW THIS COULD POTENTIALLY IMPROVE HOW YOU CAN ACTUALLY GET THAT WHOLE GREEN STREAM GOING OFF AND ONTO THE ISLANDS? FOR EXAMPLE, TYSON, THE, THE SUBSET BETWEEN GUMTREE AND SQUIRE POPE, UM, AT FIRST IT WAS A LITTLE BIT, WE WERE CURIOUS AS TO WHY THEY HAD THAT SET UP THAT WAY, BUT THEN WERE YOU ABLE TO SPEAK WITH THE VENDOR AND WHERE IT MADE MORE SENSE WHY THEY BROKE THAT UP WITH WOOD HARBOR? YOU'RE SAYING? I'M SORRY.NO, STARTING AT THE, THE GUMTREE, THE SUBSET AT GUMTREE.
SO, UM, OBVIOUSLY THE, UH, QUI POP AND SPANISH WALLS ARE WEST OF THE CROSS ISLAND WHERE THAT COMES IN.
SO IT'S A VERY DIFFERENT DYNAMIC AS FAR AS THE DEMAND ON THOSE TWO INTERSECTIONS.
YOU ALSO HAVE LANE DROPPING GOING OFF ON 'EM AND WHATNOT.
UM, SO THEY'RE, THEY'RE WHAT WE CALL OVERSATURATED SIGNALS, WHICH A, ANY ADAPTIVE SYSTEM CAN, CAN HELP TO AN EXTENT, BUT ONCE YOU GET TO A CERTAIN LEVEL, OVERSATURATION, EVEN AN ADAPTIVE SYSTEM WILL GO TO A BASICALLY WORST CASE SCENARIO.
I, THERE'S, I, THERE'S MORE DEMAND HERE THAN WHAT ANY KIND OF SIGNAL WOULD ALLOW WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, SOME SIGNIFICANT DELAYS WITH FIVE THREE, FOR EXAMPLE.
UM, SO IN TALKING WITH THE VENDOR, BECAUSE THOSE TWO SIGNAL EXPERIENCE DIFFERENT DEMANDS FROM OTHERS ON THE CORRIDOR, THEY WANTED TO BREAK THOSE OUT AND BE ABLE TO DO THINGS THAT ARE MORE AGGRESSIVE AS FAR AS THE TIMING TO TRY AND FLUSH OUT VEHICLES IN OUR OFFHAND, UM, AS MUCH AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN THROUGH THOSE TWO INTERSECTIONS.
UM, RATHER THAN TRYING TO OR ALSO CONSIDER WHAT'S HAPPENING, UM, ON, AT GUMTREE INTO THE EAST.
SO, UM, YOU COULD GO BOTH WAYS, BUT YOU KNOW, IF YOU DID THAT, WE TRIED TO TIE IT ALL TOGETHER POTENTIALLY, UM, THAT COULD MEAN THAT YOU'RE, UM, PUTTING TOO MUCH EMPHASIS ON EAST WEST TRAFFIC, SAY ON THE FAR EAST END OF THE SUB OF THAT SUBSYSTEM, THE COUNTRY'S IN OR, UM, AND THEN YOU'RE NOT GETTING ENOUGH TO THESE TWO INTERSECTIONS THAT WE KNOW HAVE SIGNIFICANT ISSUES CURRENTLY.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU TYSON.
AND OKAY, NOW I'LL HAND IT OVER TO KATE AND SHE CAN SUMMARIZE OUR FINDINGS WITH REGARD TO THE 2023 EXISTING CONDITIONS.
UM, ARE YOU PRESENTING THE SLIDES? OKAY, GREAT.
UM, I AM GOING TO PRESENT OUR PRELIMINARY EXISTING 2023 CONDITIONS TODAY.
AND I WANT TO POINT OUT THAT THIS IS BASED IN SYNCHRO METHODOLOGY AT THIS TIME.
WE ARE DOING THE SAME METHODOLOGY AND SUMMARY PROCESS IN VSIM, WHICH I WILL EXPLAIN AT THE END OF THE EXISTING CONDITIONS, PRELIMINARY RESULTS, HOW WE WENT ABOUT VAL CALIBRATING OUR VSIM MODEL.
UH, NATE MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS MEETING THAT WE HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, ARRIVED AT THE END OF THAT PROCESS.
IT INVOLVED A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH AMONGST OUR TEAM INPUT, UM, FROM TOWN STAFF, WHICH WE THANK YOU FOR AGAIN.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THOSE RESULTS ARE GOING TO BE PRESENTED TO YOU IN CONCERT WITH THE 2045 NO BUILD AND POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVES TO ADDRESS SOME OF THESE ISSUES THAT WE SEE AT THE MARCH MEETING.
BUT WE STILL FELT THAT IT WAS WORTHWHILE TO SHOW YOU SOME, SOME HIGH LEVEL PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF WHAT WE SEE ALONG THE CORRIDOR TODAY.
AND, UM, POTENTIALLY SOME AREAS THAT OF COURSE, WE KNOW WE NEED TO FOCUS ON WHEN WE CONSIDER THOSE GEOMETRIC IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE CORRIDOR INTO THE FUTURE.
SO, JUST A FEW HIGH LEVEL TIDBITS ABOUT SYNCHRO.
UM, SYNCHRO 11 IS THE SOFTWARE THAT WE ARE USING.
IT IS A TRAFFIC CAPACITY MODEL THAT'S BASED ON THE SEVENTH EDITION OF THE HIGHWAY CAPACITY MANUAL, WHICH IS UPDATED BY THE TRANSPORTATION RESEARCH BOARD, AND IT WAS MOST RECENTLY UPDATED IN 2022.
SO IT'S THE MOST CURRENT VERSION OF SYNCHRO, THE MOST CURRENT VERSION OF THE HIGHWAY CAPACITY MANUAL THAT'S BEING REFERENCED.
FOR THIS ANALYSIS, I'LL TALK A LOT ABOUT LEVEL OF SERVICE, LEVEL OF SERVICE RANGES FROM A THROUGH F AND YOU CAN SEE IN THE TABLE ON THIS SLIDE THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT THRESHOLDS FOR SIGNALED VERSUS UNSIGNED INTERSECTIONS.
AND I THINK IT'S ALSO REALLY IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT THAT THIS ISN'T NECESSARILY, UM, LIKE THE LETTER GRADES THAT YOU GET IN SCHOOL, SO TO SPEAK, WHERE EVERYBODY
[01:05:01]
ALWAYS WANTS THAT.A, WE CONSIDER, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THIS, UM, YOU KNOW, A LITTLE BIT PRIOR, THAT A LEVEL OF SERVICE D OR BETTER IS, UM, TYPICALLY ACCEPTABLE ON CONGESTED URBAN CORRIDORS SUCH AS THIS AND ON SIDE STREETS FOR UNSIGNED INTERSECTIONS.
IT'S NOT UNCOMMON TO SEE LEVEL OF SERVICE E OR EVEN SOMETIMES LEVEL OF SERVICE F FOR THOSE SIDE STREETS IF THEY ARE NOT AT A SIGNAL.
SO YOU MAY SEE SOME OF THOSE SPRINKLED THROUGHOUT OUR RESULTS.
I'LL TRY AND POINT THOSE OUT AS WE GO THROUGH.
LEVEL OF SERVICE IS TIED TO DELAY IN SECONDS.
SO THOSE TWO VALUES ARE LINKED TOGETHER.
WE WILL ALSO REPORT 95TH PERCENTILE Q LENGTH IN FEET, AND THAT ESSENTIALLY MEANS THAT THE Q LENGTH REPORTED IS, UM, UH, A MAXIMUM, SO TO SPEAK, AND IT'S TYPICALLY ONLY EXCEEDED OR ONLY REACHES THAT POINT ONCE OR TWICE DURING THE DAY.
SO WE TRY TO, UH, UNDERSTAND WHAT THE WORST POINT IS GOING TO BE AND IF WE CAN ACCOMMODATE THE WORST POINT, IT STANDS TO REASON THAT IT'LL BE ABLE TO ACCOMMODATE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE REST OF THE, THE 23 AND A HALF HOURS DURING THE DAY ACCEPTABLY.
THE LAST THING YOU'LL SEE IN THESE TABLES IS A VOLUME TO CAPACITY RATIO V TWO C.
THAT IS, UM, ESSENTIALLY BASED ON THE, THE NUMBER OF LANES THAT IS CURRENTLY PROVIDED AND OR THE AMOUNT OF GREEN TIME THAT IS PROVIDED TO THAT SPECIFIC MOVEMENT THROUGH SIGNAL TIMINGS.
SO A V TWO C RATIO OF ONE INDICATES THE INTERSECTION APPROACH, OR THAT MOVEMENT IN PARTICULAR IS AT CAPACITY.
AT CAPACITY MEANS THAT IF IT HAS ANY MORE CARS ADDED TO THAT MOVEMENT, OR IF ANY GREEN TIME WOULD BE TAKEN AWAY FROM THAT MOVEMENT IN A FUTURE CONDITION, WE EXPECT IT TO BE WORSE OVER CAPACITY, THEN IT WOULD BE FAILING.
SO IF YOU SEE ANY VALUES APPROACHING ONE OR OVER ONE, IT'S AN INDICATOR THAT THE APPROACH IS OVER CAPACITY.
ANYTHING LESS THAN ONE, UH, OBVIOUSLY MEANS THAT IT HAS ADDITIONAL CAPACITY, UM, TO SPARE FOR THESE MOVEMENTS.
JUST SOME HIGH LEVEL GENERAL FINDINGS.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHILE SEVERAL INTERSECTIONS EXPERIENCE LONG DELAY AND Q LENGTHS DURING THE A PEAK HOUR, WE OBSERVED THE PM PEAK HOUR, UM, AS HAVING OVERALL GENERALLY WORSE OPERATING CONDITIONS.
THERE ARE LONG DELAYS THAT OCCUR ALONGSIDE STREETS AT UNSIGNED INTERSECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE STUDY AREA.
THAT WAS NOT SURPRISING TO US.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU ARE A SIDE STREET ALONG A BUSY CORRIDOR AND YOU DO NOT HAVE A SIGNAL, IT'S GONNA BE HARD FOR YOU TO GET INTO THE STREAM OF MOVING VEHICLES, I'M SURE.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOU GUYS REALIZE THAT EVERY DAY AS EACH TRAVERSE THIS CORRIDOR, WE OBSERVED A ROLLING QUEUE THAT BEGINS AT ABOUT WILBORN AND CONTINUES WESTBOUND OVER THE BRIDGE DURING THE PM PEAK HOUR.
THAT WAS ALSO SOMETHING THAT WE NOTED DURING OUR SITE VISIT, AS TYSON ALLUDED TO.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, SEEING THAT PLAY OUT IN THE MODELS IS ENCOURAGING.
AND ANOTHER, UH, YOU KNOW, VALIDATING FACTOR TEST THAT WE ARE ADEQUATELY CAPTURING WHAT'S GOING ON OUT THERE IN THESE MODELS.
AND THE WESTBOUND Q LENGTH AT TIMES REACHES APPROXIMATELY, UM, 2,500 FEET, WHICH IS OVER ONE.
HEY, CAN YOU HEAR US? YOUR MIC WENT OUT.
SHARIF, CAN YOU HEAR US OKAY IF WE LOG BACK ON TO THE SURE.
[01:11:05]
YEAH.UH, NATE, CAN I ASK YOU ANOTHER QUESTION WHILE WE WAIT? TO WHAT EXTENT, UM, HAVE THEY FOUND OUT WHETHER THE BOTTLENECK LIES ON THE MAINLAND? YEAH, SO ON THE EVENING RUSH HOUR GOING OUT, UM, I KNOW IT'S NOT PART OF YOUR, OF THE, OF THE TRACK THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT, BUT IF THE TRAFFIC STARTS TO SLOW DOWN ON THE BRIDGE, IS THAT A RESULT OF THE LIGHTS ON THE MAINLAND MOSS CREEK AND SO ON? NOT YET BEING ON A SYNCHRONIZED OR ADAPTIVE SYSTEM, I THINK HAVING IT ON THE ADAPTIVE SYSTEM WOULD WOULD HELP, BUT SHE IS, SHE IS GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THE BOTTLE, WHAT WE OBSERVED HERE.
HOPEFULLY WE CAN GET HER BACK ON.
SO ANYBODY THAT'S, THAT'S ONLINE WATCHING, JUST SO YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING SOME TECHNICAL TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES WITH, UH, OUR TEAMS MEETING MEETING.
I'LL GO BACK TO DIETRICH'S QUESTION ABOUT THE WINDMILL HARBOR SIGNAL.
IT'S CURRENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED BY THE COUNTY PART OF, UM, THE MOA THAT WAS ADOPTED BY THE COUNTY AND THE TOWN.
AS THE, AS THE PROJECT MOVES FORWARD, ANY, ANY INTERSECTIONS WITH SIGNALS WILL BE TRANSITIONED TO THE ADAPTIVE.
UM, AND WE WORK WITH THE COUNTY SPECIFICALLY IN PROCURING OUR CONTRACTOR, UM, TO IDENTIFY ONE THAT WOULD, UM, ALLOW THEM TO TRANSITION THEIR HARBOR AND ON THE MAINLAND INTO THAT SAME BACKUPS ON THE MAINLAND.
UM, ALL I KNOW IS WHAT I OBSERVE IN MY COMMUTE.
UM, AND ONCE WE'RE, ONCE YOU GET THROUGH, IT USED TO BE ONCE YOU GOT THROUGH SQUIRE POPE INTERSECTION, IT MOVED RELATIVELY FREELY, UM, WITH A WINDMILL HARBOR INTERSECTION, THE SIGNAL, UM, INSTALLED THERE AND THREE WHERE IT DIDN'T FOR FOUR GET DELAY.
SO A BIT, I'M TRYING TO WORK WITH WHAT WE HAVE AFTER THAT.
I THINK WE CAN HEAR YOU GUYS NOW.
CAN YOU GUYS, CAN YOU GUYS HEAR US OKAY? CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? THERE WE GO.
OKAY, SO WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU GUYS HEARD ME SAY?
I'LL GET BACK TO WHERE WE WERE AT HERE.
YOU WERE JUST DESCRIBING THE, UM, I THINK ENDING THE, THE ROLLING CUES AT WILBORN.
I DIDN'T TALK TOO MUCH LONGER AFTER THAT.
UM, SO THE LAST THING THAT WE REALLY OBSERVED FOR OUR EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS, UM, WAS THE WESTBOUND QUEUE AT TIMES REACHES UP TO APPROXIMATELY 2,500 FEET, WHICH IS EQUIVALENT TO ABOUT A HUNDRED CARS, OVER 100 CAR CARS.
[01:15:01]
SQUIRE POPE IS WHERE WE, UH, OBSERVED THIS.AND IT'S NO SECRET THAT SQUIRE POPE AND SPANISH WELLS THAT AREA ARE THE KNOWN PINCH POINTS IN THIS NETWORK.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT CONCLUSION FURTHER VALIDATES TO US THAT OUR MODELS ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, CALIBRATED APPROPRIATELY IN GIVING US REASONABLE CONCLUSIONS BASED ON THE LEVEL OF DETAIL THAT WE EXPECT FROM SYNCHRO ANYWAY.
UM, OBVIOUSLY THIS SIM IS A MORE DETAILED SOFTWARE SYSTEM, WHICH ALLOWS FOR ADDITIONAL CALIBRATION MEASURES AND A HIGHER LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE, WHICH IS WHY WE START IN SYNCHRO TO GET A GENERAL IDEA OF WHAT WE'RE WORKING WITH.
AND WE ALWAYS WANT TO FINISH AND HAVE FINAL RESULTS IN VISIM TO HAVE THE HIGHEST LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE IN OUR RESULTS.
SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, I CAN START SHOWING YOU SOME OF THE PRELIMINARY RESULTS IN SYNCHRO.
AND AGAIN, YOU CAN SEE IN THESE TABLES THAT THERE ARE LEVEL OF SERVICE LETTERS, DELAY NUMBERS IN THE PARENTHESES Q NUMBERS ARE IN THE BRACKETS.
AND THEN THE VOLUME TO CAPACITY RATIO THAT I DESCRIBED BEFORE IS IN THE, UM, YOU KNOW, KINDA LITTLE ARROWS ALL IN, IN DIFFERENT LINES.
SO THE INTERSECTIONS ALSO WILL ALL BE NUMBERED.
THEY HAVE A UNIQUE NUMBER IN OUR SYSTEM.
SO HOPEFULLY, UM, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, IF YOU WANT TO LOOK FURTHER INTO THIS, THIS SHOULD BE PRETTY EASY TO FOLLOW.
UM, BUT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT RIGHT NOW IS THE FAR WEST SIDE OF THE SYSTEM OVER IN BLUFFTON WITH, UH, BUCKINGHAM PLANTATION AND MOSS CREEK, GR MOSS CREEK DRIVE SALT, MARSH DRIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT KIND OF NETWORK OF FOUR INTERSECTIONS BEFORE YOU REALLY GET ONTO THE BRIDGE.
AND AS WE CAN SEE IN THE EXISTING CONDITIONS, SO IT'S OUT THERE TODAY AND WE DON'T REALLY SEE MANY PROBLEM AREAS THAT ARE ARISING AT INTERSECTION NUMBER ONE, BUCKINGHAM PLANTATION AND BLUFFTON PARKWAY AT INTERSECTION NUMBER TWO.
WE SEE SOME PROBLEMS ON THE NORTH AND SOUTHBOUND APPROACH ALONG BUCKINGHAM PLANTATION DRIVE AND THE NORTHBOUND APPROACH.
THIS IS A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF HOW YOU CAN HAVE ONE OF THESE PARAMETERS KIND OF LOOK TO BE BAD, BUT THE OTHER ONES SHOW THE CONDITION REALLY MIGHT NOT BE AS BAD AS YOU WERE EXPECTING IF WE ONLY LOOKED AT THE LETTER GRADE, WHICH IS WHY I REALLY LIKE TO COMPARE DELAY AND Q AND VOLUME TO CAPACITY RATIO.
AND YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THE COMPLETE PICTURE.
SO ACCORDING TO THIS PRELIMINARY RESULT, UM, FOR THE NORTHBOUND APPROACH SPECIFICALLY, WE HAVE 83 AND A HALF SECONDS OF DELAY, WHICH EQUATES TO A LEVEL OF SERVICE F BASED ON THE THRESHOLDS THAT WERE SHOWN ON ONE OF THOSE PRIOR SLIDES.
BUT THEN THE Q LENGTH IS ONLY A HUNDRED FEET ABOUT WHICH FOR REFERENCES FOUR OR FIVE CARS, SO NOT VERY LONG.
AND THEN THE VOLUME TO CAPACITY RATIO IS ONLY 0.57.
SO IF WE REMEMBER, UM, YOU KNOW, I JUST EXPLAINED THAT IF A VOLUME TOOK CAPACITY RATIO IS AT ONE OR CLOSE TO ONE, THAT MEANS WE, WE HAVE SOME PROBLEMS. THERE'S NOT MUCH ROOM LEFT IN THE GEOMETRIC FOOTPRINT OF THAT APPROACH, OR IN THE GREEN TIME THAT IT'S ALLOTTED TO ALLOW FOR ADDITIONAL CARS OR FOR VARIATION IN THE PEAK HOUR VOLUMES AS THEY ARRIVE TO THIS POINT.
BUT HERE, WITH A VOLUME, VOLUME TO CAPACITY RATIO OF 0.57, THE QUEUE IS ONLY ABOUT FIVE CARS LONG.
THIS FAILURE, THIS LEVEL SERVICE F UM, IS REALLY DUE TO HOW LONG THESE FOLKS ARE HAVING TO WAIT.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S DUE TO THE SIGNAL TIMINGS AND THE, THE GREEN TIME THAT WE REALLY HAVE TO GIVE THE MAIN LINE THE EAST WEST MOVEMENT.
SO, UM, JUST TRYING TO GIVE YOU GUYS SOME ADDITIONAL CONTEXT.
AS YOU CLICK THROUGH HERE, YOU'LL SEE SOME ADDITIONAL FS LIKE THIS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN REALLY ARE NOT THE, THE LARGEST CONCERN I GUESS OF OURS MOVING FORWARD.
WE'RE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT THE APPROACHES THAT HAVE, UM, YOU KNOW, VERY EXTENDED CUES AND LEVELS OF SERVICE THAT, UM, EXCUSE ME, AND VOLUME TO CAPACITY RATIOS THAT ARE OVER ONE OR APPROACHING ONE.
UM, SO AS YOU CAN SEE FOR, UM, NUM INTERSECTION NUMBER FOUR THERE, THAT 40 ISLAND ROAD, THIS IS AN UNSIGNED INTERSECTION.
ANOTHER REALLY GREAT EXAMPLE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, I EXPLAINED BEFORE, WE MIGHT SEE SOME LEVEL OF SERVICE E'S OR EVEN F'S ON SIDE STREET APPROACHES THAT DON'T HAVE A SIGNAL THAT THOSE RESULTS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THEY DON'T HAVE GREEN TIME THAT'S ALLOTTED TO THEM TO BE OUT, ALLOWED OUT ONTO THE THROUGH MOVEMENT.
THEY REALLY ARE JUST AT THE MERCY OF IF THEY CAN FIND GAPS IN THE THROUGH TRAFFIC AND THE MORE CONGESTED A CORRIDOR IS, THE HARDER IT IS FOR THEM TO DO THAT.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT PLAY OUT HERE, THE NORTHBOUND APPROACH TRYING TO TURN ONTO THE THROUGH LINE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE BRIDGE, THE PARKWAY GOING OVER THE BRIDGE, IT'S REALLY HARD FOR THOSE FOLKS TO DO THAT.
AND THE, THE RESULTS SHOW ACCORDINGLY.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, WE HAVE OUR NEXT STRING OF INTERSECTIONS, 5, 6, 7, 8, WHICH IS FROM THE WILDLIFE REFUGE ALL THE WAY DOWN TO JENKINS ROAD.
AGAIN, WE SEE, UM, THE WILDLIFE REFUGE IS AN UNSIGNED INTERSECTION, AS IS BLUE HERON POINT ROAD AND JENKINS ROAD.
ALL OF THEM HAVE NORTHBOUND AND SOUTHBOUND APPROACHES THAT DON'T LOOK GREAT, BUT THAT'S A FUNCTION OF NOT HAVING SIGNALED ACCESS AT THAT POINT.
AND THEN INTERSECTION NUMBER SEVEN IS THE WINDMILL
[01:20:01]
HARBOR SIGNAL.AND GENERALLY SPEAKING, WE DON'T SEE ANY, UM, YOU KNOW, FAILING LEVELS OF SERVICE.
BUT FOR THE WESTBOUND APPROACH IN THE PM I DO SEE A LOT OF VOLUME TO CAPACITY RATIOS THAT ARE HIGHER.
UM, YOU KNOW, EASTBOUND IN THE AM IS PRETTY HIGH.
WESTBOUND IN THE PM IS PRETTY HIGH, NOT SURPRISING BECAUSE THAT'S THE PATTERN OF COMMUTER TRAVEL THAT YOU HAVE ON THIS CORRIDOR.
UM, AND BUT AS TYSON POINTED OUT, THIS SIGNAL SPECIFICALLY IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE ADAPTIVE SYSTEM.
AND SO IF IT WERE INCLUDED IN THE ADAPTIVE SYSTEM, COULD WE SEE SOME POTENTIALLY DIFFERENT RESULTS DURING YOUR COMMUTER PEAKS? UM, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T KNOW.
THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE'RE GONNA DEFINITELY LOOK INTO AS WE MOVE FORWARD THROUGH THIS STUDY.
I, NEXT SLIDE, YOU WILL SEE INTERSECTIONS 9, 10, 11, AND 12.
SO THESE ARE SQUIRE POPE THROUGH GUMTREE ROAD.
THIS OBJECTIVELY, UM, IS WHERE WE EXPECT TO SEE THE MOST DELAY, KIND OF THE WORST LEVELS OF SERVICE IN YOUR SYSTEM.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, SQUIRE POPE, UM, THE OVERALL INTERSECTION IS FAILING.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE, I DIDN'T EXPLAIN THIS THIS BEFORE, BUT THE, THE OVERALL INTERSECTION LEVEL OF SERVICE IS A SUMMATION OF EVERY INDIVIDUAL MOVEMENT AND APPROACH.
AND SO YOU CAN HAVE SOME APPROACHES THAT FAIL, BUT THE OVERALL INTERSECTION IS GENERALLY DOING OKAY, AND THAT TELLS US THAT WE REALLY JUST NEED TO FOCUS IMPROVEMENTS ON ONE SPECIFIC AREA RATHER THAN THE INTERSECTION AS A WHOLE.
BUT THE FACT THAT SQUIRE POPE IS FAILING IN THE PM, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S FURTHER CONFIRMATION OF WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW FROM OUR SITE VISIT.
AND SOME OF THE OTHER ANALYSIS WE'VE ALREADY DONE IS THAT THE ENTIRE INTERSECTION REALLY NEEDS ADJUSTED FOR HOW WE, HOW WE HANDLE THIS TRAFFIC THERE IN THE FUTURE.
INTERSECTION NUMBER 11, SPANISH WELLS AND WILDHORSE ROAD.
UM, I QUITE FRANKLY EXPECTED TO SHOW UP WORSE IN THIS PRELIMINARY ANALYSIS, BUT THIS IS HAPPENING BECAUSE OF THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SYNCHRO SOFTWARE AND VISO SOFTWARE.
SYNCHRO SOFTWARE IS EXCELLENT, ITS SIGNAL TIMINGS, AND IT IS EXCELLENT TO ANALYZE CORRIDORS WHERE INTERSECTIONS DO NOT HAVE MUCH INTERACTION IN THE QUEUE LENGTHS BETWEEN THE TWO SIGNALS.
THIS PARTICULAR AREA OF YOUR CORRIDOR, WE ALL KNOW, HAS A LOT OF INTERACTION OF CUES BETWEEN THE SIGNALS, CUES THAT DON'T CLEAR THE CYCLE LENGTH ON THE FIRST TIME CUES THAT PROPAGATE BACK FROM SQUIRE POPE, POTENTIALLY BACK INTO SPANISH WELLS AS I OBSERVED SPECIFICALLY WHEN I WAS OUT THERE DOING YOUR SITE VISIT.
SO THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT DO GET ADDRESSED IN SEM AND THAT'S ONE OF THE KEY REASONS WHY WE DON'T LIKE TO APPROACH THESE STUDIES WITH, UH, AN EITHER OR MINDSET FOR THE SOFTWARE SYSTEM.
WE LIKE TO USE THEM REALLY AS A PAIR SYNCHRO IN THE BEGINNING, BUT THEN WE KNOW THAT SYNCHRO IS LIMITED IN SCOPE WITH WHAT IT CAN DO FOR SOME THINGS, WHICH IS WHY WE COMPLIMENT IT WITH SEM, WHICH IS THE HIGHER CALIBRATED, MORE DETAILED, UM, YOU KNOW, MODEL THAT'S ABLE TO REALLY CAPTURE THOSE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN SIGNALS.
IF WE HAVE ROLLING CUES SUCH AS THAT.
SO TO, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY HEAD OFF ANY QUESTIONS OR JUST LET YOU KNOW, I, I DO EXPECT THAT BE SOME RESULTS FOR SPANISH WELLS ARE GOING TO, TO NOT BE WHAT IS SHOWN ON THE SCREEN HERE.
BUT AGAIN, THESE ARE PRELIMINARY SYNCO RESULTS ONLY, AND SYNCHRO DOES HAVE SOME LIMITATIONS THAT WE ACKNOWLEDGE, AND I EXPECT THOSE TO BE COMPLETELY FLUSHED OUT WHEN WE, WHEN WE PREPARE THE VISTA RESULTS AND SHOW THOSE TO YOU NEXT MONTH IN MARCH.
SO THIS SLIDE SHOWS YOU THE EASTERN PART OF THE PARKWAY.
UM, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17 IS FROM JARVIS PARK ROAD ALL THE WAY DOWN TO INDIGO RUN.
UH, WE SEE LESS CONGESTION ON THIS PART OF THE CORRIDOR THAN WE DID IN SOME OF THE OTHERS, WHICH ISN'T SURPRISING.
A LOT OF THE TRAFFIC HAS ALREADY, UM, YOU KNOW, TAKEN THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY BY THIS POINT.
BUT THERE ARE STILL A FEW APPROACHES THAT LOOK LIKE THEY HAVE SOME CONGESTION ISSUES THAT WE ARE GONNA CERTAINLY LOOK INTO AND MAKE SURE THAT AS WE ADD ON THE FUTURE GROWTH WITH THE 2045 VOLUMES THAT THESE AREAS ARE EITHER ADDRESSED, UH, AND MITIGATED OR DON'T GET ANY WORSE THAN WHAT WE'RE SHOWING NOW FOR THIS PARTICULAR SECTION.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS, UH, SOME OF THE SMALLER INTERSECTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY INTERCHANGE.
UM, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE SMALLER IN VOLUME, KIND OF MORE ON THE LOCAL SYSTEM.
SO THEY, UH, YOU KNOW, REALLY DIDN'T PRESENT ANY PROBLEMS IN THE EXISTING CONDITIONS, BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO INCLUDE THESE IN THE MODEL BECAUSE THEY DO FEED INTO SOME OF THE LARGER INTERSECTIONS, AND WE WANTED TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHERE THE VOLUMES WERE COMING FROM BEFORE THEY GET TO THE MAIN CORRIDOR, WHICH IS WHY THESE WERE ACCOUNTED AS PART OF, AS PART OF THE TRAFFIC VOLUME COUNTS.
AND IF WE HAD TRAFFIC VOLUME COUNTS FOR THEM AS PART OF THAT MARCH, 2023 DATA.
UH, WE'RE INCLUDING THEM IN THE STUDY, SO THAT'S WHY WE'RE, WE'RE REPORTING THESE FOR YOU HERE TODAY.
THE NEXT SLIDE, UH, 21 THROUGH 26, WE HAVE BAY PINES ROAD DOWN TO ARCHER ROAD AGAIN.
UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE TRAFFIC HAS POTENTIALLY DISSIPATED OR NOT GATHERED BY THIS POINT AS WE'RE GETTING FURTHER EAST ONTO THE ISLAND.
AND SO I DON'T SEE AS MANY CONCERNING, UM, EXISTING CONDITIONS ON THIS PART OF THE ISLAND.
[01:25:01]
GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE DO OUR DUE DILIGENCE AND MAKE SURE THERE AREN'T ANY OTHER PROBLEMS THAT POP UP OR THAT THESE EXISTING CONDITION CONDITIONS DON'T GET EXASPERATED WHEN WE HAVE OUR GROWTH TRAFFIC FOR 2045 ADDED ONTO THESE CONDITIONS.AND OUR FINAL SLIDE SHOWING PRELIMINARY SYNCHRO RESULTS SHOWS, UH, TARGET ROAD DOWN TO INE CIRCLE.
UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, NOTHING INCREDIBLY CONCERNING HERE, ALTHOUGH I WILL ALSO NOTE, UH, INE CIRCLE IS A BIT OF THE SAME SITUATION AS WE HAD UP AT SPANISH WELLS.
UM, SYNCHRO IS ONLY SO SOPHISTICATED WHEN HANDLING ROUNDABOUTS.
SO I EXPECT THAT WE MIGHT SEE SOME DIFFERENT RESULTS FOR INTERSECTION 29 SPECIFICALLY FOR INE CIRCLE WHEN WE HAVE OUR SEM EXISTING RESULTS TO SHOW YOU.
UM, BUT YOU KNOW, IN THE, IN THE SPIRIT OF COMPLETENESS, I DIDN'T WANNA LEAVE ANY OF THESE INTERSECTIONS OUT AS WE WERE SHOWING YOU THE PRELIMINARY EXISTING RESULTS.
SO I DO HAVE ONE MORE TOPIC TO COVER, WHICH IS OUR CALIBRATION METHODOLOGY.
BUT I GUESS BEFORE WE SWITCH TOPICS, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EXISTING PRELIMINARY SYNCO RESULTS OR HOW WE COLLECTED THAT DATA?
UM, SO I JUST WANNA UNDERSTAND, SO, UH, YOU'VE, UM, A GREAT LEVEL OF DETAIL ON, UM, THE SYNCHRO DATA THAT YOU'VE, UH, GATHERED.
UM, SO ARE THESE, WILL THESE FORM THE BUILDING BLOCKS ON EXPLORING ALL THESE ALTERNATIVES AND SOLUTIONS TO OUR TRAFFIC PROBLEM? THE, THE 2045 NO BUILD WILL DO THAT.
SO THESE ARE EXISTING MODELS TRYING TO CAPTURE WHAT YOU HAVE OUT THERE TODAY.
AND THEN WE'VE BEEN WORKING, UM, YOU KNOW, DILIGENTLY AS SHARIF DETAILED TO TRY AND FIND A GROWTH RATE THAT WE THOUGHT WAS APPROPRIATE.
NOW WE HAVE DONE THAT, WE ARE GOING TO TAKE THAT GROWTH RATE, APPLY IT TO THE EXISTING MODELS, AND THEN THAT SET OF VOLUMES GETS PLUGGED IN TO THESE EXISTING MODELS AND WE GET A FUTURE LOOK OF THE CORRIDOR IF NO IMPROVEMENTS WERE MADE.
THAT'S WHAT WE CALLED OUR NO BUILD CONDITION.
SO WE TAKE THE VOLUMES IN THE RESULTS FROM OUR 2045 NO BUILD SITUATION SCENARIO, AND THAT'S WHAT WE USE AS THE BUILDING BLOCK TO, TO SEE WHAT KIND OF INTERSECTION CONFIGURATIONS OR POTENTIAL INTERCHANGES WE WOULD SUGGEST FOR THE CORRIDOR.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? COMMENTS? OKAY, KEEP ON KATE.
UM, SO THE LAST POINT THAT I HAVE TO TALK ABOUT WITH YOU GUYS IS TO EXPLAIN HOW WE DID OUR VS CALIBRATION METHODOLOGY.
AGAIN, WE'RE VERY EXCITED TO SHOW YOU VIDEOS AND, UH, KIND OF MORE, UM, MORE RESULTS OF THE CALIBRATED MODELS FOR BOTH EXISTING 2023 AND THE NO BUILD 2045 THAT I JUST SPOKE OF AT OUR MARCH MEETING.
BUT I WANTED TO LET YOU GUYS KNOW HOW WE CAME TO THE ARRIVAL OF THIS CALIBRATED MODEL.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S TAKEN A WHILE.
I KNOW WE ALL, WE ARE ALL ANXIOUS TO GET TO, UM, YOU KNOW, SOME ANSWERS AND PROGRESS THROUGH THIS PROCESS, BUT I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE GREAT TO EXPLAIN, UH, YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHY IT TOOK SO LONG AND HOPEFULLY GIVE YOU A LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE THAT THE STEPS AND THE NUMEROUS ITERATIONS THAT WE DID FOR THAT CALIBRATION, UM, YOU KNOW, GIVES US A HIGH LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE IN WHERE WE'RE STARTING TO GIVE A REALLY GREAT FOUNDATION FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD AND CONSIDER FUTURE, UH, FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS FOR THE CORRIDOR FOR YOU GUYS.
SO WE START, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS KIND OF A FLOW CHART OF WHAT WE, WHAT WE DO.
WE IDENTIFY CALIBRATION MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.
UM, WE THEN DETERMINE DATA COLLECTION LOCATIONS.
WE DETERMINE THE DATA SOURCE FOR THOSE LOCATIONS.
WE DEFINE CALIBRATION CRITERIA.
AND ONCE ALL THOSE THINGS ARE INPUT INTO OUR S MODEL, WE RUN SEM AND EXTRACT THE MEASURES FROM THE MODEL AND FROM THOSE EXTRACTED MEASURES, WE COMPARE THEM TO THE ON FIELD SITE DATA THAT WE'VE COLLECTED, AND WE TEST IF THE MODEL RESULTS ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO WHAT WE ACTUALLY OBSERVED IN THE FIELD TO BE SATISFACTORY.
IF THAT ANSWER IS NO, THEN WE GO BACK AND TWEAK ALL THE PARAMETERS, UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE DATA SOURCE, THE CALIBRATION CRITERIA, THE MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.
WE TWEAK SOME OF THOSE THINGS AND RUN THIS AGAIN.
AND IT REALLY IS A, A CYCLICAL CYCLE UNTIL WE GET THE ANSWER.
YOU KNOW, DOES THE TEST MODEL RESULTS SATISFY OUR CRITERIA? IS IT CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE EXISTING OBSERVED ON FIELD DATA THAT WE CONSIDER IT ACCEPTABLE? AND ONLY THEN ONCE THAT ANSWER IS YES, DO WE SAY WE HAVE THIS CALIBRATED WITH MODEL? SO THROUGHOUT THIS ENTIRE PROCESS, WE HAVE BEEN TALKING WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, TOWN STAFF AND Q3, THE ADAPTIVE SIGNAL FOLKS, MULTIPLE MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM HAVE BEEN WORKING, COLLABORATING TOGETHER TO MAKE SURE THAT WE REALLY HAVE THE BEST, UM, YOU KNOW, HIGHEST CONFIDENCE LEVEL THAT WE CAN IN THE DATA
[01:30:01]
THAT WE'RE PUTTING INTO THEAND WE RECENTLY, UM, YOU KNOW, BELIEVE WE ARRIVED AT THE PLACE WHERE WE ARE, WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE RESULTS THAT WE'RE GETTING IS WITHIN THE, UM, YOU KNOW, CALIBRATION PARAMETERS THAT WE, THAT WE WERE WANTING AND EXPECTED TO HAVE A HIGHLY CALIBRATED MODEL.
SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I, I WALKED THROUGH EACH OF THESE IN A BIT MORE DETAIL.
SO WE START BY IDENTIFYING THE CALIBRATION MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS.
WELL, FOR THIS MODEL THAT WAS CORRIDOR TRAVEL TIMES AND VOLUMES ALONG THE CORRIDOR THAT WE KNEW WERE BOTTLENECK LOCATIONS.
SO FOR THIS MODEL, WE FOCUSED PARTICULARLY ON THE SQUIRE POPE TO SPANISH WELLS AREA OF THE CORRIDOR BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT THAT IS WHERE A LOT OF OUR CONGESTION PROBLEMS START AND PERSIST.
AND THEN THE NEXT STEP WOULD BE TO DETERMINE DATA COLLECTION LOCATIONS, UM, TO, TO GET THESE TWO DATA SETS, YOU KNOW, WHERE, WHERE ARE WE GONNA GET THE TRAVEL TIMES, WHERE ARE WE GONNA TAKE THE VOLUMES? AND WE ALSO NEED TO DETERMINE THE SOURCE.
SO FOR TRAVEL TIME, WE DID TWO SETS OF TRAVEL TIME RUNS, ONE ON HILTON PARKWAY BETWEEN MOSS CREEK AND INDIGO RUN, WHICH WE CONSIDERED ARE EASTBOUND WESTBOUND RUN.
AND THEN ONE ON THE PARKWAY, UM, AT MOSS CREEK TO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY.
AND THEN DOWN TO SEA PINE CIRCLE, WHICH WE CONSIDERED OUR NORTHBOUND SOUTHBOUND RUN.
AND WE COMPLETED THOSE TRAVEL TIME RUNS DURING OUR SITE VISIT IN DECEMBER, AS TYSON WAS NOTING, UH, IN DECEMBER OF 2023 FOR THE VOLUMES, WE LOOKED AT THE VOLUMES ON HILTON PARKWAY, EAST OF SQUIRE POPE FOR BOTH EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND, AND THEN WEST OF SPANISH WELLS, BOTH, BOTH EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND.
UM, AGAIN, ACKNOWLEDGING THAT THAT CORRIDOR BETWEEN THOSE TWO INTERSECTIONS IS REALLY KIND OF THE KEY WHERE A LOT OF OUR CONGESTION PROBLEMS STARS OR AT LEAST PERSIST.
AND THEN FOR THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, WE TOOK VOL, WE TOOK VOLUMES NORTH OF THE MARSHLAND ROAD INTERCHANGE, BOTH NORTHBOUND AND SOUTHBOUND.
AND THESE TRAFFIC COUNTS WERE PROVIDED TO US AT THE START OF THIS STUDY.
UM, AND THEY WERE TAKEN IN MARCH OF 2023.
SO NOW WE KNOW WHAT KIND OF DATA WE WANT.
WE KNOW THE SOURCES, WE'RE GETTING IT FROM THE LOCATION ALONG THE NETWORK THAT WE'RE TAKING IT FROM.
NOW WE NEED TO DEFINE OUR CRITERIA, LIKE WHAT LEVEL OF CALIBRATION ARE WE SHOOTING FOR.
UM, SO FOR THE TRAVEL TIME TARGETS, WE OF COURSE ONE OF THE TRAVEL TIMES OF OUR MODEL TO CLOSELY MATCH THE TRAVEL TIMES ON THE CORRIDOR THAT WERE EXTRACTED FROM THE DECEMBER, 2023 TRAVEL TIME RUNS.
BUT WE ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT DECEMBER IS NOT THE HIGHEST MONTH OF VOLUMES ALONG THIS CORRIDOR.
AND THE, UM, THE, THE TIMEFRAME FOR WHICH THE, THE VOLUMES WERE DETERMINED TO OCCUR AND THE THE BASIS FOR WHEN THE PREVIOUS TRAFFIC VOLUMES THEMSELVES WERE DECIDED TO BE TAKEN WAS MARCH.
SO WE INFLATED THE TRAVEL TIME TARGET THAT WE WERE SHOOTING FOR BY ABOUT 15% TO ACCOUNT FOR THE HIGHER VOLUMES THAT THE QUARTER OF OUR EXPERIENCES IN MARCH VERSUS DECEMBER.
WE ALSO HAD ADDITIONAL TRAVEL TIME DATA THAT WAS TAKEN FROM MARCH OF 2023, PROVIDED TO US TO HELP ENSURE THAT THAT PERCENTAGE OF INFLATION WAS, WAS THE CORRECT AMOUNT TO INFLATE THE TRAVEL TIME DATA THAT WE TOOK IN DECEMBER OF 2023.
WE ALSO HAD TO FACTOR IN THE ADAPTIVE SIGNAL IMPROVEMENTS BASED ON FHWA GUIDELINES.
THE ADAPTIVE SIGNAL SYSTEM WAS NOT IN PLACE DURING MARCH OF 2023.
SO WHILE IT'S REALLY GREAT TO HAVE ADDITIONAL DATA POINTS AND HAVING THE ADDITIONAL, UH, TRAVEL TIME DATA PROVIDED FROM MARCH, 2023 WAS INCREDIBLY HELPFUL.
WE ALSO KNOW THAT THERE ARE STILL SOME DIFFERENCES FROM WHAT WE OBSERVED IN DECEMBER OF 2023 TO THAT DATA BASED ON THE ADAPTIVE SIGNAL TIMING SYSTEM.
SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE TOOK THAT INTO ACCOUNT AS WELL.
THE TARGET TRAFFIC VOLUMES, THERE'S NOT A LOT OF VARIATION IN THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, YOU TOOK TRAFFIC COUNTS IN MARCH, 2023.
THOSE ARE THE VOLUMES THAT WE'RE SHOOTING FOR, AND WE DETERMINED THAT THE CRITERIA FOR BOTH OF THOSE TRAVEL TIME AND VOLUME, UM, THE OUTPUT OF THE MODEL FOR TRAVEL TIME AND VOLUME WAS GOING TO BE ACCEPTABLE TO US IF IT WAS WITHIN 10% OF THE DATA THAT WE OBSERVED.
SO THAT'S THE, THE CONFIDENCE LEVEL THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT.
WE WANNA BE ABOUT 90% SURE, UM, THAT, THAT OUR MODEL IS ACCURATE, ACCURATELY REPRESENTING DATA THAT HAS BEEN OBSERVED IN REAL TIME.
SO IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, NATE, THIS IS THE RESULT OF OUR TRAVEL TIME CALCULATION.
UM, WE HAVE OBSERVED TRAVEL TIMES LISTED IN A FEW OF THE COLUMNS, AND THEN THE FINAL SIMULATED TRAVEL TIMES THAT WERE OUTPUT FROM VISIM.
AND IN THE FAR COLUMNS TO THE RIGHT, YOU CAN SEE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH AM AND PM AND ALL OF THESE DIFFERENCES WERE WITHIN THE 10% TARGET THAT WE WERE SHOOTING FOR.
SO ALL THE TRAVEL TIME TARGETS WERE SATISFIED AND MET TO OUR SATISFACTION.
THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS SIMILARLY, UM, SIMILAR FORMAT FOR VOLUMES.
WE HAVE THE OBSERVED, OH, I THINK SOME OF THE HEADINGS PERHAPS DIDN'T GET, UH, TRANSFERRED OVER.
IT SAYS OBSERVED TRAVEL TIME, BUT IT REALLY SHOULD BE VOLUME.
[01:35:01]
UM, WE HAVE THE OBSERVED VOLUMES, UM, FOR AM AND PM AND THEN WE HAVE THE VOLUME THAT WAS PROCESSED THROUGH OUR SIMULATION FOR THESE DIFFERENT AREAS IN THE SAME TIME PERIODS.AND AGAIN, WE HAVE THE DIFFERENCES SHOWN HERE.
AND AGAIN, ALL OF THESE DIFFERENCES ARE WITHIN 10%, THESE TWO COLUMNS ARE WITHIN 10% OF ONE ANOTHER.
AND SO THAT SATISFIES OUR CRITERIA, UM, AND GIVES US A HIGH LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE THAT THE MODEL THAT WE HAVE CURRENTLY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE RESULTS OF ALL OF OUR CALIBRATION EFFORTS ARE, UM, THEY WERE TO THE LEVEL THAT WE WANTED THEM TO BE, TO HAVE THE LEVEL OF CONFIDENCE THAT WE WERE SEARCHING FOR.
AND SO THAT WAS MY, I GUESS LAST SLIDE ON THIS TOPIC.
UM, WERE THERE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE BSM CALIBRATION?
UM, WHEN YOU GO THROUGH THE METHODOLOGY AND YOU RERUN SCENARIOS AND SO ON, AND YOU END UP WITH THE FINAL MODEL, UM, MM-HMM,
I MEAN, THAT'S A GOOD PROCESS, BUT, UM, IT'D BE, UM, VERY GOOD FOR US TO UNDERSTAND, UM, HOW DIFFERENT SCENARIOS COMPARE WITH EACH OTHER.
SO WHAT IF YOU IS EXPRESS BYPASS? WHAT IF YOU DO UNDERPASSES, OVERPASSES? UM, WHAT IF YOU HAVE A SECOND BRIDGE? UM, HOW DO THESE SYSTEM MODELS THEN COMPARE SO WE CAN ACTUALLY SEE IT, RIGHT? THIS IS JUST FOR EXISTING CONDITIONS.
SO WE ACTUALLY HAVE NOT PUT ANY FUTURE SITUATION INTO SEM YET.
THIS IS ALL JUST TRYING TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE A ROCK SOLID FOUNDATION FROM WHICH TO DO OUR FUTURE ANALYSIS.
UM, IF WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CONFIDENCE IN THE EXISTING MODEL, WE DON'T THINK IT WAS ADEQUATELY CALIBRATED.
OR IF WE DON'T THINK IT REALLY REPRESENTS WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING ALONG THE CORRIDOR TODAY, THEN ANY FUTURE CHANGES THAT WE MAKE TO THE MODEL HAVE A GREATER CHANCE OF NOT REALLY BEING REPRESENTATIVE OF WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IN THE FUTURE EITHER.
SO THIS IS ALL STILL TALKING ABOUT OUR CALIBRATION OF THE EXISTING SEM MODEL.
WE HAVE NOT STEPPED INTO ANY FUTURE GEOMETRIC CONSIDERATIONS IN SEM YET.
UM, BUT DESPITE YOUR, UM, UH, YOUR DOUBT ABOUT THE VISIM MODEL AND THE ALTERNATIVES, CAN YOU PRODUCE THAT? THAT'S THE QUESTION.
CAN YOU PRODUCE DIFFERENT MODELS WITH SHOWING, UH, ALTERNATIVES? SO IF YOU HAVE A, YOU HAVE YOUR BASE MODEL, UH, THAT YOU COME OUT WITH YOUR FINAL MODEL, AND THEN, OKAY, NOW WE'RE GONNA PUT AN EXPRESS BYPASS, OR NOW WE ARE GOING TO PUT IN A SECOND BRIDGE, THEN SEE WHAT, WHAT THAT, UM, WHAT THAT MEANS, WHAT THE EFFECT OF THAT IS IN OVERALL TRAFFIC VOLUME.
WE PLAN TO CONSIDER FOUR DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES AS YOU'RE NOTING, ONE OF WHICH IS GOING TO BE THE PREVIOUSLY PROPOSED SOLUTION, UM, AS PER THE CDOT STUDY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ABLE TO PROPERLY REVIEW THAT AS PART OF OUR INDEPENDENT REVIEW.
AND THEN WE HAVE THREE OTHERS THAT ARE GOING TO BE NEW IDEAS AS YOU'RE SUGGESTING THAT WE WILL PUT THROUGH OUR SYNCHRO, UM, SOFTWARE SYSTEMS AND COMPARE WHICH IDEAS MAY OR MAY NOT BE BEST SERVED FOR THE CORRIDOR.
AND THEN ONCE WE KIND OF TAKE THAT INTERIM STEP, WE WILL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT SOLUTION WE THINK IS, IS THE BEST ONE FOR THE CORRIDOR.
AND THEN THAT GETS PUT INTO A HOLISTIC VISTA MODEL, AS NATE MENTIONED EARLIER IN THE MEETING.
SO YES, WE EVENTUALLY GOING TO END UP WITH A HOLISTIC VISTA MODEL FOR YOUR CORE.
UH, WE JUST ARE NOT AT THAT STEP YET.
AND THEN I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION AS WELL.
SO ONCE YOU'VE BUILT THAT MODEL, UM, IT, IT'S A USEFUL TOOL, NOT JUST FOR THIS EXERCISE, BUT, UH, WE HAVE OUR OWN PROFESSIONAL TRAFFIC ENGINE ENGINEER JIM HERE.
UM, I WOULD NEED VISIM FOR DUMMIES, BUT HE'S PROBABLY MUCH MORE, UH, CAPABLE, UM, FOR WHO OWNS THAT MODEL THEN.
IS IT OWNERSHIP OF THE TOWN AND THE TOWN THEN USE THAT IN THE FUTURE, OR HOW, HOW DO YOU SEE THAT? WE ARE HAPPY TO TURN OVER ANY OF OUR ANALYSIS MODELS AS THE TOWN REQUESTS.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? ALL RIGHT, SEEING NONE, YASMIN, DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP TODAY TO SPEAK ON ANY ITEMS UNRELATED TO THE AGENDA? NO, SIR, WE DON'T.
DO WE HAVE ANY, UM, WRITTEN PORTAL COMMENTS? NO, SIR, WE DON'T.
WE'LL GO TO PUBLIC COMMENTS,
THANK, I'M GONNA GET THIS FEEDBACK OUTTA HERE.
UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE GOOD TACTICAL PRESENTATION.
[01:40:01]
ANALYSIS.I'M REMINDED OF SOMETHING, UH, THEY TAUGHT US IN STATISTICS IN GRADUATE SCHOOL.
UH, BEER CONSUMPTION IS HIGHLY CORRELATED TO PREGNANCY RATES, BUT DRINKING BEER DOES NOT CAUSE PREGNANCY.
YOU'VE GOT THE SAME THING HERE.
YOU'VE GOT A POPULATION ATTEMPTING TO CORRELATE TO TRAFFIC VOLUMES THAT MAY NOT BE TRUE, ESPECIALLY IN A CASE WHERE, UH, YOU IGNORE TOURISM COMING ONTO THE ISLAND, THAT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WANTS TO INCREASE THAT BY 33%.
SO I THINK YOUR INDEPENDENT VARIABLE NEEDS TO INCLUDE A TOURISM NUMBER, UH, UH, VISITOR NUMBER AS WELL.
UH, SECONDLY, YOU'VE OBVIOUSLY RUN, UH, SOME MODELS HERE, KATE.
UH, SO I'VE ASKED A QUESTION, I SENT IT EARLIER AN EMAIL.
WHAT ARE THE PEAK TRAFFIC VOLUMES, UH, IN VEHICLES PER HOUR THAT YOU'RE USING IN THOSE MODELS? WHAT IS IT? 3000 VEHICLES PER HOUR, 2,500, 4,000? I THINK WE DESERVE TO KNOW THAT NUMBER.
UH, LAST POINT IS, UH, AND I AGREE WITH, UH, BY THE WAY, DIETRICH'S POINT ON, UH, QUICKLY GETTING TO THE ANALYSIS ALTERNATIVES.
UH, THE LAST POINT IS I THINK YOUR DATA IS BASED ON WINTER DATA AND IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT YOU GET DATA, UH, DURING THE TOURIST SEASON IN THE SUMMER BECAUSE, UH, PEAK VOLUMES, I, I DON'T CARE ABOUT AAD.
T THERE'S PLENTY OF CAPACITY TO HANDLE ADT FOR, UH, A FEW DECADES, BUT PEAK VOLUMES ARE DEPENDENT ON TOUR NUMBERS AGAIN, AND, UH, THAT ALSO INCLUDES WORKERS COMING ON THE ISLAND TO SERVICE THE TOURISTS.
SO I THINK YOUR INDEPENDENT VARIABLE NEEDS TO BE TOURISTS.
AND I THINK THE MEASUREMENT THERE TO BE, UH, DURING THE PEAK SEASON, UH, WHICH IS BEHIND THE SUMMER, AND THERE IS S-C-D-O-T DATA THAT SHOWS WHEN THOSE PEAKS OCCURRED.
AND FINALLY, LAST POINT, UH, WITH REGARD TO THE S-C-D-O-T DATA, UH, THE COUNTERS ARE SATURATED RIGHT NOW, SO YOU MAY ACTUALLY, ONCE THE ROADS OPEN UP, GET MUCH MORE TRAFFIC, UH, THAN YOU ANTICIPATED IN VOLUME, UH, ESPECIALLY INCLUDING INDUCED DEMAND WITH PEOPLE KEEP BRINGING UP.
UH, WE'LL, I'LL SEND THEM OUT REGARDING ALL OF THIS.
OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS? YES, SIR.
AND IF YOU WILL, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND, AND ADDRESS.
UH, THANK YOU JOHN CASEY INDIGO RUN.
UH, MY COMMENT IS FAR MORE GENERAL AND LESS
AND, UM, AND, AND MAYOR, FRANKLY, I DON'T COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND YOUR POSITION BECAUSE I UNDERSTAND THAT AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU MAY BE TAKING THE DOT APPROACH AND THREE OTHERS AND DOING DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THEM, BUT I THINK BOTH BOARD AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC WOULD BE WELL SERVED TO KNOW WHICH OTHER OPTIONS WERE REJECTED.
UM, I THINK, I THINK THE, IT'S, IT WOULD GIVE VALUABLE INFORMATION, UH, TO THIS BOARD AND ITS ADVISORY ROLE, BUT MORE THAN THAT, IT WOULD GIVE THE PUBLIC CONFIDENCE IN THE REPORT.
AND, UM, AND, AND, AND ITS THOROUGHNESS.
UH, AND, AND INDEED IT'S, IT'S INDEPENDENCE.
UM, ANYBODY WHO LIVES IN THE TOWN WILL TELL YOU THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, BARSTOOL TALK IS ALL ABOUT ALL THE POSSIBLE OPTIONS.
AND, UH, IF THE GENERAL CITIZENRY IS AWARE OF WHY THEIR FAVORITE OPTION, UH, WAS, UH, WA WAS REJECTED, I THINK IT, IT HELPS THE ENTIRE PROCESS.
JOE KERN IN 48 HARTH WHEEL DRIVE.
UM, SINCE I LAST, UH, SPOKE TO THIS GROUP, I'VE CONTINUED MY EDUCATION, UH, AND I'VE DISCOVERED SOME THINGS BY ONLINE.
AND THE FUNDAMENTAL THING THAT I DISCOVERED WAS SOMETHING CALLED THE FUNDAMENTAL LAW OF CONGEST CONGESTION.
AND SPEAKING BROADLY NOW AND IN GENERAL, WHAT HAPPENS IS ONCE, UM, DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES AND TRAFFIC ARISES TO, TO A POINT WHERE YOU CAN'T ADJUST THE AREA TO ABSORB IT, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS IS YOU TRY TO PUT IN EXTRA LANES AS WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE IN THE PRIMARY, UH, UH, PROPOSAL.
AND THE LAW OF CONGESTION SAYS YOU'LL ONLY ADD CONGESTION.
SO I INVITE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT THAT, GET ON THE INTERNET AND READ UP ON THAT.
YOU'LL FIND, UM, THAT IT'S BECOME A GLOBAL ISSUE.
NOW, PARIS, FRANCE IS REACTING TO THAT AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THEY'RE DOING TO RETARD, UH, TRAFFIC FROM COMING IN FROM OUTSIDE, FINDING OTHER WAYS TO MOVE PEOPLE MASS, UH, MASS TRANSIT AND SO FORTH.
[01:45:01]
UM, THE CITY OF CHARLESTON HAS TAKEN DOWN HALF OF ITS, ITS, UH, BELTWAY AND THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN NOW IN THE PAST FEW YEARS THAT THAT PARTICULAR AREA HAS BECOME HEALTHIER.AND ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HAPPENS IS BUSINESSES MOVING CLOSER TO WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE SO ADVERSELY WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PUT IN HIGHWAYS CLOSE AND YOU, UH, YOU KNOW, YOU BEGIN TO USE THEM FOR LOCAL PURPOSES AND, UH, AND BUSINESSES WILL SPREAD OUT, CREATING MORE TRAFFIC, SO FORTH.
SO THAT'S ALL IN THIS IDEA OF, UH, THE FUNDAMENTAL LAW, UH, OF CONGESTION.
WE ARE CLEARLY, UM, HAVE THAT SITUATION.
WE HAVE CONGESTION, AND I REALLY HOPE, UH, WELL, ONE OF THE THINGS I WOULD SAY TO THE PLANNING DEPARTMENT HERE IS THAT YOU HAVEN'T DONE IS, UH, TALK TO ALL OF THE EMPLOYERS ON THE ISLAND AND GET ADDRESSES OF WHERE THEIR PEOPLE LIVE OFF ISLAND AND SO FORTH, TO PULL TOGETHER SPECIFIC DATA.
BECAUSE AS THIS COMPANY HAS BEEN DOING, AND I UNDERSTAND THEY'RE USING, UH, FUTURE PROJECTIONS THINGS, SOME OF THIS IS ABSTRACT, UH, AND THEY'RE GONNA GENERATE THE MODEL WITH THAT.
BUT I BELIEVE THAT IF WE GO AHEAD AND PULL TOGETHER SPECIFIC DATA ON OUR WORKER FORCE, THAT THAT WOULD BE, UH, VERY USEFUL IN DRIVING THE MODEL NUMBER ONE.
NUMBER TWO, I, I, UH, TAKE EXCEPTION TO YOUR PROTECTION OF THE INDEPENDENCE CONTRACTOR.
UH, IT'S OUR PUBLIC MONEY THAT WE'RE SPENDING, AND I REALLY BELIEVE YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT A SECOND BRIDGE OPTION.
IT'S, IT'S IMPERATIVE BECAUSE WE CAN'T CAN'T ON THE ISLAND.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? YES, SIR.
GREG SMITH, WEERS CREEK WAY IN, UH, INDIGO RUN, UH, I'VE HEARD, UM, FROM VARIOUS SOURCES THAT, UM, EVERYONE UP TO INCLUDING, UH, SENATOR DAVIS HAVE SAID, WELL, THE SECOND BRIDGE IS DEAD.
UH, THAT'S NOT GONNA BE TALKED ABOUT TILL 2030 OR SOMETHING.
AND THAT'S MADE ME THINK THAT, UH, THERE ARE ADVANTAGES TO NOT CONSIDER THE TWO BRIDGES SEQUENTIALLY, BUT TO CONSIDER THEM SIMULTANEOUSLY.
BECAUSE IF, IF, SAY, CONSIDERATION OF A SECOND BRIDGE IS PUT UP TO 2030, WELL THEN THERE COULD BE A REALISTIC TENDENCY TO OVER OVERBUILD A MONSTROUS BRIDGE NOW AND THEN, IF PEOPLE DO DECIDE THAT THE SECOND BRIDGE FOR BOTH SAFETY AND TRAFFIC FLOW REASONS SHOULD BE BUILT LATER, THEN YOU'D HAVE ONE GIANT BRIDGE THAT WOULD BE UNDERUTILIZED AND, AND ALSO AESTHETICALLY NOT AS PLEASING AS IF THEY WERE BOTH CONSIDERED TOGETHER.
AND, UM, YOU COULD, YOU COULD HAVE, UM, COMPLIMENTARY SCALES AS OPPOSED TO ONE HUGE ONE, AND THEN ONE THAT PROBABLY WOULD BE THE SAME IF THE TWO WERE CONSIDERED SIMULTANEOUSLY.
SO, UM, I WOULD, I WOULD URGE EVERYBODY TO REALLY THINK ABOUT, UH, CONSIDERING TWO BRIDGES AT THE SAME TIME RATHER THAN SEQUENTIALLY.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? ALL RIGHT.
SEEING NONE, WE'LL BRING IT BACK.
UH, THE YOUNGEST ORDER OF LOUISE COHEN.
UH, JUST A COUPLE THINGS, UM, THAT I WANTED TO, UM, BRING TO, UM, THE COMMITTEE'S ATTENTION IS THE DESTRUCTION OF THE GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITY, UM, BY IMMINENT DOMAIN THAT WILL OCCUR WITH THE 2 78 CORRIDOR EXPANSION.
UM, DATA SAYS THAT WE'RE AT 6%, THE GUCI COMMUNITY IS NOW 6% OF THE HILTON HEAD ALLEN COMMUNITY.
SO IT'S CONCERNING TO ME THAT MORE LAND WILL BE LOST AS A RESULT OF THIS EXPANSION.
AND IN ADDITION, WE ALSO HAD LAND THAT WAS LOST PREVIOUSLY.
SO JUST THINKING ABOUT THE 6% OF US THAT ARE NOW HERE ON HILTON HEAD.
SO SUBTRACT THAT PERCENTAGE AFTER THE EXPANSION, A POSSIBLE EXPANSION OF 2 78, AND ALSO SUBTRACT ANOTHER PERCENTAGE WITH THE EXPANSION OF HILTON HEAD AIRPORT, WHICH WILL ALSO, UM, INFRINGE ON GALLAH GEECHEE LAND WITH THE PURCHASE OF ST.
JAMES BAPTIST CHURCH, WHICH IS, WHICH HAS BEEN IN OUR COMMUNITY SINCE
[01:50:01]
THE 1800.AND ALSO THE CROSS ISLAND EXPRESSWAY IN 1998 THAT WAS BUILT ALSO TOOK LAND FROM OUR COMMUNITY.
UH, MY FAMILY PERSONALLY, IT'S JUST, IT SEEMS LIKE THE GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITY HAS BEARED THE BRUNT AND IS BEARING THE BRUNT OF ALL OF THESE EXPANSIONS.
AND, UM, IT'S VERY CONCERNING AND IT NEEDS TO BE DISCUSSED AND IT NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT TO THE FOREFRONT OF ALL OF THESE DECISIONS THAT'S BEING MADE.
AND, UM, I JUST WANTED TO SHARE THAT INFORMATION AND JUST LET YOU KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE HERE AND WE WANNA KEEP OUR LAND, SO WE ARE ONLY 6%, SO, YOU KNOW, DO THE EXPANSIONS, BUT LEAVE OUR LAND ALONE.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS? ALRIGHT, SEEING NONE, WE'LL BRING IT BACK UP HERE.
DOES ANYBODY HAVE ANY NEW BUSINESS FOR TODAY? I HAD A, A FEW THINGS, UH, MR. MAYOR, UM, ONE, UH, I WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON THE REMARK OF, UM, MR. JOHN CASEY.
UM, WE, AT THE VERY EARLY DAYS OF THIS, THE DOT AND THE COUNTY, UM, ORGANIZED A NUMBER OF PRESENTATIONS AROUND THE ISLAND TO INFORM PEOPLE.
AND I THINK ONCE WE ARE DONE WITH THIS STUDY, WE, UH, ALSO NEED TO TEE UP THESE MEETINGS AND INFORM THE PUBLIC FOR THE, FOR THE VERY REASONS THAT, UM, MR. CASEY OUTLINED.
AND SO THAT THERE IS A FULL UNDERSTANDING OF WHY WE DID THINGS AND HOW ARE WE GONNA DO THINGS AND SO ON.
SO, I, THAT'S SORT OF OUTSIDE OF THIS COMMITTEE, BUT IT'S MORE SORT OF A, A REMARK, UH, TO THE TOWN GOVERNMENT.
UM, AND THEN I WANTED TO PROPOSE TWO MOTIONS, UM, FOR THIS COMMITTEE.
UM, ONE IS, UM, WHICH TIES IN WITH, UH, YOLANDA'S REMARK, AND THAT IS TO, UH, CONSIDER, UM, ZERO IMPACT ON THE, UH, UH, STONY COMMUNITY.
AND IT'S POSSIBLE, IT'S, IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE ARE AT THE VERY BEGINNING.
THESE THINGS NEED TO BE LOOKED AT AND SEE TO WHAT EXTENT THEY'RE POSSIBLE.
SO, UH, IT NEEDS TO BE COMMUNICATED TO THE CONSULTANTS.
I I WILL, LET ME, LET ME JUST KIND OF INTERRUPT YOU THERE.
UM, SO COUNCIL, SOME MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AND MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY HAVE, UM, TRYING TO UNDERSTAND, UM, AND COME UP WITH IDEALS OF WAYS TO PROTECT THE LAND.
SO THOSE DISCUSSIONS ARE GOING FORTH AND LOOKING IN, LOOKING TO CHALLENGE DOTS, UM, CURRENT LAYOUT, SO TO SPEAK, OF, UH, THE 2 78, YOU GOING THROUGH THE CORRIDOR AND WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR FOR, FOR THE NUMBER OF LANES AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
SO THOSE ARE BEING CHALLENGED, RIGHT? BUT THAT'S GREAT.
BUT I THINK THAT AS A COMMITTEE, UM, WE SHOULD ALSO STRIVE FOR, UM, IN THE MODELING, UH, TO LOOK WHAT IT WOULD TAKE, UM, TO, TO REALLY AVOID, UH, ENCROACHING ON THE
AND I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S AN EASY ONE FOR US.
SO IF I CAN MAKE THAT MOTION, UM, FOR THIS COMMITTEE, UH, THERE'S SOMEBODY WHO WANTS TO SECOND THAT, UM, OH, WELL, I'LL SECOND THAT.
WE, WE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT AT A POSITION TO AGAIN, DIRECT THAT, AND I'M TRYING TO KEEP THIS AS INDEPENDENT AS POSSIBLE AND LET THEM DO THEIR WORK.
AND THIS, AND THEIR WORK DOES NOT GO INTO THE FINAL DESIGN OF, OF THE ROAD.
WE HAVE A SAY IN THAT FINAL DESIGN AS IN TOWN GOVERNMENT, AND WE'RE ALREADY PUSHING BACK ON SOME OF THE GUIDES THAT THEY HAVE POSED, UM, NOT ONLY ON ON 2 78, BUT ALSO ON SQUARE OAK ROAD.
SO THOSE, THOSE THINGS ARE BEING PUSHED BACK ON ALREADY.
UM, WE, WE, WE ARE, UM, SO SEAN, WHAT WERE YOU GONNA SAY? YEAH, I, I, I DID WANNA GO BACK.
UM, IN THE SCOPE OF WORK IT DID SAY EXHAUST ALL, UH, ALTERNATIVES TO TRY TO MAINTAIN A FOUR LANE SEGMENT THROUGH THE STONY COMMUNITY.
SO, UM, WHICH WOULD MEAN NO ADDITIONAL IMPACT.
THAT'S PART OF WHAT THEY'RE, EVA WILL EVALUATE IN, IN THEIR WORK.
SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED A MOTION OR RES, YOU KNOW.
WELL, WELL, I MEAN, SO IN, IN MY BELIEF, SINCE THERE WAS A DIRECTIVE THAT WAS GIVEN TO THE CONSULTANTS AND THERE WAS FUNDING SET ASIDE, WE CAN'T NOW CHANGE THE PARAMETERS OF THAT.
AND IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT THAT WAS IN THERE TO BEGIN WITH, BUT, SO IT'S GOOD TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S THE INTENT MM-HMM.
I MEAN, IT'S BEEN HAPPENING OFTEN IN THAT'S VERY MENTIONED IN THERE.
UM, THEN THE SECOND, THE SECOND MOTION, OR WHATEVER YOU WANT TO CALL IT, UM, IS THAT, UH, I DO WANT TO KEEP THAT SECOND BRIDGE OPTION ON
[01:55:01]
THE TABLE.IT MAY BE A DIFFERENT TIMELINE, IT MAY BE A DIFFERENT, UH, THING ALTOGETHER.
BUT IF WE CAN MODEL THAT IN AND WE CAN SEE THE EFFECTS.
'CAUSE IF YOU LONG TERM THAT WOULD, UH, IMPACT WHAT A, WHAT A CURRENT BRIDGE WOULD LOOK LIKE.
AGAIN, I'M GONNA GO BACK TO THE SCOPE THAT WAS SET FORTH BY COUNSEL AND THE PURPOSE OF THIS COMMITTEE, AND IT WAS NOT IN REGARDS TO THAT.
UM, THERE IS LATCH, WE'LL BE DISCUSSING, UM, A SECOND BRIDGE POSSIBILITY IN THE FUTURE AND TO BRING IN A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, IN MY OPINION AT THIS POINT IN TIME, TO TRY TO DRIVE A MODEL BASED OFF OF NO KNOWLEDGE AND NO UNDERSTANDING AS TO WHAT OTHER AREAS WOULD BE IMPACTED.
BECAUSE THERE'S BEEN CONVERSATIONS OF ANOTHER BRIDGE COMING INTO BOTH BEACH CITY ROAD AND ALSO TO JONESVILLE AREA THAT HAS ADDITIONAL GULLAH IMPACTS THAT ARE NEGATIVE AND IT HAS OTHER IMPACTS TO OTHER AREAS THAT ARE ALSO NEGATIVE.
SO THERE'S SO MANY DIFFERENT ELEMENTS THAT GO INTO A DISCUSSION OF A SECOND BRIDGE AND TRY TO BRING THAT INTO THE REALM OF AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW IT AFFECTS THIS WHEN THIS HAS ALREADY TAKEN SO MANY YEARS, UM, TO GET TO THIS POINT.
I, I WOULD SEE THAT AS FUTILE AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
EXCUSE ME, BUT THERE'S A PERCEPTION THAT THE INFLUENCE IS IN THE OTHER DIRECTION THAT THEY MAY BE NOT TO LOOK AT A SECOND.
UH, I JUST STATED THAT LATS, WHO, WHO RUNS ALL OF OUR TRANSPORTATION STUDIES IS GOING TO BE LOOKING INTO THAT AND I DON'T HAVE CONTROL OVER THAT.
YES, SEAN? UH, UH, LET ME JUST, UM, ADD SOME, SO EVALUATION OF ALL ALTERNATIVES IS WITHIN LOCK MUELLER'S SCOPE.
UM, WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, WITH THE DETERMINATION OF TRYING TO MAINTAIN A FOUR LANE SEGMENT, FOUR LANE BRIDGE, FOUR LANE SEGMENT, HOW MUCH VOLUME WOULD NEED TO BE SHIFTED TO A DIFFERENT FACILITY AS THE NU THEY'RE GONNA PROVIDE THOSE NUMBERS.
I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GONNA, UM, IDENTIFY A SPECIFIC SECOND BRIDGE LOCATION, BUT AS PART OF THE ALTERNATIVES, UM, THEY'LL, THEY'LL GIVE AN IDEA OF HOW MUCH TRAFFIC WOULD NEED TO BE DIVERTED TO, UM, TO MITIGATE THE NEED FOR LANES IN THE CURRENT HOME.
CAN I ASK A QUESTION TOO?
UM, JUST TO, TO UNDERSTAND IT, OKAY, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE, OUR CURRENT BRIDGE IS THE REAL ISSUE AT THE MOMENT, BUT, UH, THE VIABLE ALTERNATIVE DOWN THE ROAD, MAYBE FIVE YEARS, MAYBE 10 YEARS, WHO KNOWS? AND I THINK FOR US, WHILE WE ARE IN THIS THING, AND I UNDERSTAND YOUR POINT MR. MAYOR, WHY NOT, UM, TAKE THAT OPTION OR MAYBE THAT'S OUR TRAFFIC ENGINEER CAN, ONCE HE HAS THE MODEL, CAN CAN PLAY WITH IT.
BUT FOR US AS A TOWN, TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT MEANS, WHETHER IT'S COMPLETELY, UH, RIDICULOUS OR WHETHER IT ACTUALLY HAS SOME VALUE IS, IS A GOOD THING FOR US.
YES, I DISAGREE, I DISAGREE WITH THAT.
EVERYONE TALK ABOUT A SECOND BRIDGE.
IT'S OUTSIDE THE SCOPE, THE SECOND BRIDGE, WHERE ARE YOU GONNA BUILD IT? WHERE ARE YOU GONNA START? WHERE'S THE TRAFFIC COMING FROM? WHAT ARE THE EPA UH, REGULATIONS? IT'S LIKE SAYING YOU'RE GONNA BUILD A HOUSE, BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY BEDROOMS. I DON'T KNOW IF WE NEED A KITCHEN OR A BATHROOM.
SO IAN, YOU'VE JUST DONE THAT.
WHAT YOU JUST SAID IS HOW THEY'VE DONE THAT WITH THIS STUPID PROPOSAL.
I DIDN'T FINISH AND I DIDN'T HEAR ANYONE RECOGNIZE YOU.
SO LET'S HAVE SOME ORDER HERE.
OKAY, LET'S, I THINK WE'RE, SINCE YOU DON'T RECOGNIZE ME, I'M LEAVING THIS CONTINUE.
SO FROM MY POINT OF VIEW TO LOOK AT A SECOND BRIDGE WITHOUT KNOWING ALL THE PARAMETERS FROM A TO Z IS A WASTE OF TIME.
FIND OUT, AND THIS IS NOT PART OF OUR COMMITTEE JOB AND YOU WEREN'T GONNA PRE DECIDE, ALL I'M STATING IS THAT THE FOCUS OF THIS GROUP HAS BEEN TO STUDY AND UNDERSTAND INDEPENDENTLY WHAT DOT HAS BROUGHT FORTH AT THE RECOMMENDATION OF THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP.
SO WE ARE DOING EXACTLY WHAT THE COMMUNITY HAS ASKED US TO DO AND, AND TO UNDERSTAND INDEPENDENTLY WHAT DOT HAS DONE TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT DECISIONS ARE BEING MADE PROPERLY.
[02:00:01]
A BRIDGE, IF IT IS EVER CONSIDERED AND BUILT IS NOT A TOWN OF HILTON HEAD DRIVER, IT IS A DOT AND GOVERNMENT AND COUNTY DRIVER.AND WHERE THAT, AS, AS ED SAID, WHERE THAT BRIDGE COMES FROM, LEADS A LOT TO THE DESIR AS TO WHAT THE TRAFFIC IS.
IS IT GONNA COME FROM PARIS ISLAND? IS IT GONNA COME FROM WHICH THE GOVERNMENT'S NOT GONNA GIVE US ACCESS THERE? IS IT GONNA COME FROM PORT ROYAL? PORT ROYAL DOESN'T WANT A BRIDGE GOING FROM THERE? IS IT GONNA COME FROM ST.
HELENA'S NOT GONNA DRIVE THE EMPLOYEE TRAFFIC OVER HERE AND IT'S ALSO GONNA HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACTS.
IS IT GONNA COME OFF OF, OF, UH, BLUFFTON PARKWAY? AND THEN WHAT'S THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT IF IT GOES DOWN THROUGH BROAD CREEK INTO, YOU KNOW, CALABOGIE AND THEN TIES INTO SOME OTHER GULLAH PROPERTY? THERE'S SO MANY UNKNOWNS THAT HAVE YET BEEN DETERMINED AND LOOKED AT THAT WILL HELP DRIVE, HELP US UNDERSTAND WHERE THAT TRAFFIC WOULD COME FROM AND HOW IT WOULD OR COULD ELIMINATE THE TRAFFIC ON HERE.
SO THE COUNCIL AGREED TO SET UP THIS COMMITTEE TO LOOK AT AND UNDERSTAND INDEPENDENTLY WHAT IS GOING ON WITH DOT AND THEIR CHOICES FOR US SO THAT WE CAN MAKE A GOOD DECISION FOR COUNCIL AND THE TOWN IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT A SECOND BRIDGE COMING ON.
GENERAL COMMENTS, WHO IS THOSE WHO NO, NO, NO, THOSE HAVE BEEN GENERAL COMMENTS, NOT, NOT JUST GENERAL COMMENTS FROM PUBLIC.
SO I'M GONNA GO AHEAD AND END IT AT THIS BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT MOVING FORWARD ANYWHERE.
UM, WE HAVE A DIRECTION, COUNSEL HAS GIVEN THIS COMMITTEE DIRECTION WHAT WE NEED TO DO, AND IT IS NOT JUST MY DIRECTION, THAT'S A DIRECTION OF SEVEN AND IT WAS VOTED UPON AND WE GOT THE FUNDING TO DO THIS, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO.
SO ANY OTHER COMMENTS? BUT NONE BEING SAID, WE'RE ADJOURNED.
THANK Y'ALL AND HAVE A HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY.
HERE'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
WE RECENTLY PURCHASED, UM, 10 NEW LUCAS'S AND UM, WE'VE GOT ONE OF 'EM SET UP HERE BEHIND US AND WE JUST WANTED TO GIVE A LITTLE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PURCHASE OF EQUIPMENT WE'VE MADE.
THE LUCAS IS ACTUALLY A MECHANICAL DEVICE, AND WHAT IT DOES IS IT PROVIDES COMPRESSIONS DURING CPR.
ANYTIME YOU'RE PROVIDING MANUAL COMPRESSIONS DURING CPR, IT, UM, ONLY TAKES ABOUT TWO MINUTES BEFORE THE RESCUER BEGINS TO BECOME FATIGUED AND THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION RECOMMENDS A RATE OF A HUNDRED WITH A DEPTH OF TWO INCHES IN THE ADULT ARREST PATIENT.
AND YOU'RE JUST NOT ABLE TO CONTINUE THAT RATE VERY LONG BECAUSE OF IT, YOU KNOW, NOT BEING LIKE THE HUMAN BEING AND TIRING IT CAN CONTINUE TO PROVIDE THOSE COMPRESSIONS AT THE RATE AND DEPTH THAT YOU NEED.
IT CAN CONTINUE WHETHER YOU'RE BRINGING A PATIENT DOWN A SET OF STAIRS, WHETHER YOU'RE COMING DOWN A NARROW HALLWAY, A LOT OF TIMES WE HAVE DIFFICULTY WHEN WE LOAD THE PATIENT OUT OF THE HOUSE AND BRINGING 'EM TO THE EMS UNIT AND YOU WOULD HAVE TO STOP COMPRESSIONS FOR SOME REASON.
WITH THE LUCAS, ONCE YOU APPLY IT, THERE'S NO REASON TO STOP UNLESS OF COURSE YOU HAVE RETURN OF, YOU KNOW, SPONTANEOUS CIRCULATION.
ANYTIME THAT THE HANDS COME OFF THE CHEST DURING CPR FOR EVERY 10 SECONDS THAT YOU'RE NOT DOING COMPRESSIONS, YOU HAVE A 50% DROP IN THE CHANCE OF RETURN OF SPONTANEOUS CIRCULATION.
THE SUCTION CUP ACTUALLY SERVES SEVERAL DIFFERENT PURPOSES.
IT SEATS ON THE CHEST WHERE YOU WANT THE COMPRESSIONS TO BE DELIVERED, AND IT ALSO PULLS THE CHEST BACK UP.
AND WHAT THIS DOES IS IT ALLOWS FOR FULL RECOIL AND WITH THAT FULL RECOIL, YOU GET THE COMPLETE FILLING OF THE HEART SO THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THAT CYCLE OF FILLING AND RELEASE WITH THE HEART.
INITIALLY, WITH THE TWO THAT WE HAD, WHAT HAPPENED WAS WHEN A UNIT HAD A CARDIAC ARREST, A SUPERVISOR WOULD RESPOND IN A QRV AND THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, ARRIVE ON THE SCENE AND THEN THE LUCAS WOULD BE APPLIED OR THE UNIT WOULD BE TRANSPORTING THE PATIENT.
[02:05:01]
WITH THE SUPERVISOR AND THEN THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, PUT THE LUCAS ON AT THAT TIME.WELL, OBVIOUSLY THAT'S A DELAY DURING THAT TIMEFRAME CPR WAS BEING PERFORMED, BUT YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY NOT AS WELL AS IF DE LUCAS WAS BEING USED.
OUR DIRECTOR, DONNA OWENBY, SHE WORKED, UM, TIRELESSLY.
SHE UNDERSTOOD THAT THERE WERE WOULD BE A REAL ASSET FOR OUR COMMUNITY.
SHE WENT AND SPOKE WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE.
SHE WORKED VERY HARD DURING BUDGET TIME TO MAKE SURE THAT WE COULD GET THIS EQUIPMENT THAT WE NEEDED.
THE CITIZENS OF BUFORD COUNTY HAVE ALWAYS BEEN VERY SUPPORTIVE OF EMS AND EMS PERSONNEL IS VERY DEDICATED, YOU KNOW, TO OUR CITIZENS AND OUR COMMUNITY.
AND WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE TAXPAYERS AND OUR CITIZENS FOR SUPPORTING US.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S HAPPENING IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
PORT FREMONT CLOSES OUT A 350 YEAR LEGACY OF COASTAL FORTIFICATIONS IN PORT ROYAL SOUND, BEGINNING IN THE MID 16TH CENTURY.
IT ALSO REPRESENTS THE CLOSING CHAPTER OF AMERICA'S COASTAL DEFENSE SYSTEM BEFORE THE DAWN OF AIR POWER.
PORT FREMONT IS AN EXAMPLE OF THE MOST ADVANCED MILITARY TECHNOLOGY OF ITS TIME.
IT WOULD PARALLEL THE B 17 AND AIRCRAFT CARRIER OF WORLD WAR II, THE F 35 OF TODAY.
FORT FREMONT WAS AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE BEAUFORT CULTURE, VERY SIMILAR TO PARIS ISLAND AND THE MARINE CORPS AIR BASE.
TODAY IN 1525, THE SPANIARDS NAMED THIS SOUND AND THIS HARBOR, SANTA ELENA, THEY CALLED THE NAVIGATIONAL POINT, LA PUNTA DE SANTA ELENA, THE POINT OF SANTA ELENA.
AND WHAT THE SPANISH EXPLORERS DISCOVERED IS THAT PORT ROYAL SOUND IS A UNIQUE PIECE OF GEOGRAPHY.
IT'S THE DEEPEST NATURAL HARBOR SOUTH OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY, POSSIBLY SOUTH OF NEW YORK, THE CHANNEL INTO PORT ROYAL SOUND.
THIS I FIND A REMARKABLE GEOLOGICAL FACT.
THE CHANNEL, UH, HAS NOT CHANGED FOR 500 YEARS.
THERE'S NO INLET ON THE SOUTHERN COAST THAT HASN'T SHIFTED ENTIRELY IN 500 YEARS EXCEPT PORT ROYAL SOUND.
THERE'S SOMETHING GEOLOGICALLY DIFFERENT, OR ONE MIGHT SAY MAGICAL ABOUT PORT ROYAL SOUTH.
SO SPANISH SAILORS BEING THE BEST IN THE WORLD IN THEIR TIME, FOUND THIS PLACE VERY EARLY, KNEW THAT FOR THE SPANISH EXPLORATIONS, THE AMERICAN SOUTHEAST.
THIS WOULD BE THE ENTRADA, THE ENTRANCE.
AND SO THEY BUILT A CITY ACROSS THE RIVER, UH, ACROSS THE SOUND FROM WHERE WE ARE ON PARIS ISLAND THAT BECAME THE FIRST CAPITAL OF FLORIDA.
AND THEY EXPLORED THE BACK COUNTRY FROM THIS LOCATION FOR, UH, MORE THAN A CENTURY, WITH THE OBJECT OF BUILDING A HIGHWAY FROM THIS MAGNIFICENT HARBOR TO MEXICO CITY.
SO THE SOUND WAS KNOWN TO THE SPANIARDS, IT WAS KNOWN TO THE FRENCH WHO ACTUALLY GOT HERE FIRST AND FOLLOWED AND CREATED THE FIRST PROTESTANT COLONY IN THE NEW WORLD ON PARIS ISLAND OVER MY SHOULDER.
UM, AND THAT COLONY WAS A FAILURE.
IT WAS PART OF SPANISH, FLORIDA WHEN THE ENGLISH ARRIVED 150 YEARS LATER.
AND THIS WAS BECAME, AS A CONSEQUENCE, A BATTLEGROUND IN THE 18TH CENTURY BETWEEN SPANISH INTERESTS IN FLORIDA AND ST.
AUGUSTINE AND THE ENGLISH COLONY IN CAROLINA AND IN CHARLESTON AND BACK AND FORTH.
THESE WARS WENT, MANY OF THEM NAVAL WARS, MANY OF THEM EMPLOYING AS ALL THE SAILORS KNEW BY THEN THE MAGIC OF PORT ROYAL SOUND.
BUT WHEN THE CIVIL WAR CAME, CONFEDERATES DEFENDED THE, UH, HARBOR, BUT IT WAS BASICALLY INDEFENSIBLE AGAINST, UH, LARGE NAVAL FORCES.
SO THE US NAVY MADE IT THEIR PRINCIPLE TARGET DURING THE BIG BEGINNING OF THE CIVIL WAR AND SENT THE LARGEST FLOTILLA OF SHIPS, UM, ASSEMBLED BY THE UNITED STATES NAVY IN THE 19TH CENTURY INTO PORT ROYAL SOUND.
ON NOVEMBER, NOVEMBER 7TH, 1861, IN A FOUR HOUR CANNONADE, WHICH WOULD'VE BEEN DEAFENING FROM WHERE WE'RE SITTING, WAS HEARD FROM MILES FROM SAVANNAH, NEARLY TO CHARLESTON.
IT WAS CALLED THE DAY OF THE BIG GUN SHOOT.
THIS HARBOR THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WAS FILLED WITH SHIPS.
IT WOULD BE HUNDREDS OF SHIPS IN THIS HARBOR.
THERE WAS A THOUSAND FOOT, UH, DOCK WITH A RAILROAD ON TOP OFF OF HILTON HEAD.
UM, THE MILITARY INSTALLATION WAS MAMMOTH.
THERE WERE 13,000 US SOLDIERS ON HILTON HEAD, WHICH WE'RE LOOKING AT THE LARGEST POPULATION ON HILTON HEAD UNTIL 1974.
[02:10:02]
SO THIS WAS A MAJOR US GOVERNMENT INSTALLATION IN THE HEART OF THE SOUTH.IT WAS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE US ARMY DEPARTMENT OF THE SOUTH, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, IT WAS THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY, SOUTH ATLANTIC BLOCKADING SQUADRON.
SO THE BIGGEST SHIPS IN THE NAVY WERE HERE.
AND, UM, SO IT, IT BECAME, AND, AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE THE STORY OF FREIGHT.
FORT FREMONT STARTS WITH THAT HUGE CIVIL WAR MILITARY, UH, OPERATIONS AND INSTALLATIONS, UM, ON HILTON HEAD, ON ST.
HELENA ISLAND, ON PARIS ISLAND, AND IN, BUT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, WE'RE GONNA SEE A MASSIVE CHANGE IN TECHNOLOGY THAT'S GONNA REVOLUTIONIZE THE MILITARY.
DURING THE CIVIL WAR, WE HAD IRONCLAD SHIPS, WE HAD RIFLE CANNONS, BUT THEY WERE ALL MADE OUT OF IRON, AND THEY WERE NOT TERRIBLY EFFECTIVE.
BUT ITS TECHNOLOGY IS GONNA CHANGE.
AFTER THE CIVIL WAR, WE'RE GONNA SEE STEEL PRODUCED, AND STEEL IS MUCH HARDER.
SO NOW WE HAVE A NEW MATERIAL, UH, TO MAKE ARMOR OUT OF FOR SHIPS SO WE CAN HAVE THESE ARMORED SHIPS MADE WITH STEEL AND A MUCH MORE RESISTANCE TO SHOT.
BECAUSE I HAVE STEEL, I CAN MAKE, UH, STRONGER BARRELS FOR MY GUNS.
UH, I CAN RIFLE AND MACHINE THESE MUCH BETTER.
AND THE RIFLING IS THE SPIRALS THAT ARE CUT IN THE BARREL THAT ALLOWS IT TO SHOOT FURTHER WITH MORE ACCURACY.
AND WE CAN ALSO NOW HAVE BREACH LOADING GUNS THAT CAN LOCK FROM BEHIND.
SO I CAN LOAD MY GUN FROM BEHIND.
I DON'T HAVE TO GO HAVE THE OLD BLACK POWDER MUZZLE LOADING CANNON I HAD BEFORE.
NOW I CAN FIRE MUCH MORE RAPIDLY.
IF I COMPARE THE GUN OF, UH, 1890 TO THE GUNS OF 1860, UH, FOR THE SAME CALIBER, THE SAME DIAMETER GUN, UH, THE 1890 GUN WILL BE ABLE TO FIRE PROJECTILE AS FOUR TIMES HEAVIER, CAN SHOOT IT THREE TIMES FURTHER, CAN PUT IT IN WITH GREATER PRECISION, AND CAN PUT IT THROUGH MUCH MORE ARMOR THAN ANYTHING.
WE HAD IN 1860S WORLD DIFFERENCE.
A MILITARY HISTORIAN, ER LEWIS, WOULD SAY THAT THE CHANGE BETWEEN THE CIVIL WAR IN 1890 IN ARTILLERY TECHNOLOGY WAS THE GREATEST THAT WE'D BE SEEN SINCE INVENTION OF ARTILLERY IN THE 14TH CENTURY, TO THE INTRODUCTION OF THE NUCLEAR PROJECTILE IN THE 1950S.
SO THERE'S BEEN A HUGE CHANGE IN GUN TECHNOLOGY AT THE SAME TIME.
IT'S NOT JUST THE STEEL, BUT ALSO THE POWDER THAT FIRES THESE GUNS IS DIFFERENT.
WE'RE HAVING NEW CHEMICAL MAKEUP.
AND SO, LIKE CORDITE IS INVENTED NOW, AND IT'S STILL A WIDELY USED MILITARY EXPLOSIVE.
EVEN TODAY, SMOKELESS POWDER IS INVENTED DURING THIS PERIOD OF TIME, AND IT'S NOT JUST CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, BUT IT'S THE DETAILS OF HOW YOU MAKE THE GRAIN, HOW FAST THEY BURN.
SO MUCH LIKE THE SKILL OF FIRING A SOLID ROCKET, UM, SOLID FUEL, UM, ROCKET.
IT'S THAT SAME KIND OF TECHNOLOGY THAT'S BEEN DEVELOPED IN THESE, UH, GUNPOWDER, IN THIS NEW POWDER.
SO OUR WEAPONS OF THIS DAY ARE, ARE MUCH, MUCH GREATER.
UM, THEY WOULD BE THE GREAT KILLING MACHINES IN WORLD WAR I.
MOST OF THE CASUALTIES ON THE BATTLEFIELDS WORLD WAR I WOULD COME FROM ARTILLERY.
SO THE WORLD HAS SEEN A HUGE CHANGE IN ARTILLERY, AND THAT'S TIED INTO CHANGES IN SHIPS.
WE NOW HAVE STEEL ARMORED SHIPS.
THEY'RE ALL, UH, STEAM POWERED.
THEY ARE NOW EQUIPPED WITH THESE FINE LONG RANGE GUNS, AND THEY NOW BECOME THE DOMINANT THREAT OF THE LATE 19TH, EARLY 20TH CENTURY.
THE FRENCH AND ENGLISH WOULD BOMBARD CITIES LIKE CAIRO AND REDUCE 'EM TO RUBBLE BECAUSE THEY WERE UNABLE TO DEFEND THEM.
SO THIS IS HOW THE WORLD WAS SEEING THE THREAT FROM THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY.
BIG BATTLESHIPS ARE THE THREAT OF THE ERA, AND NEW GUNS AND FORTIFICATIONS ON, UH, THE GROUND ARE WHAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE TO DEFEND AGAINST THEM.
ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT AND FIRST THINGS THAT HAPPENED AFTER THE CIVIL WAR IS THEY BUILT A RAILROAD TO PORT ROYAL SOUND, WHICH DIDN'T EXIST.
IT WAS THE FIRST CONNECTION OF THE SEA ISLANDS TO THE MAINLAND.
AND THE ADVANTAGE OF THAT RAILROAD IS IT BROUGHT COAL TO PORT ROYAL SOUND.
SO WHEN THE COAL WAS DELIVERED, THE NAVY FOLLOWED IN 1872, ROBERT SMALLS WAS IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA LEGISLATURE, AND HE PUSHED THROUGH A RESOLUTION TO THE SECRETARY OF WAR CALLING FOR THEM TO PUT A NAVY STATION ON PARIS ISLAND.
AND EVENTUALLY HE WOULD GO ON TO CONGRESS WHERE HE WOULD CONTINUE HIS SUPPORT FOR A NAVY STATION HERE IN THE BEAUFORT PORT ROYAL AREA.
THEY EVENTUALLY OPENED A NAVY STATION HERE AND A COALING STATION THEY CREATED IN THE 1890S ON PARIS ISLAND, THE LARGEST DRY DOCK IN THE UNITED STATES.
THIS IS THE PERIOD WHEN THE US NAVY WAS SWITCHING FROM SAIL TO STEAM.
ALL THE NAVYS OF THE WORLD NEED COALING STATION.
THIS WAS THE PRINCIPLE COALING STATION BECAUSE OF THE RAILROAD FOR THE CARIBBEAN AND SOUTH AMERICAN US FLEETS, THIS WOULD BE THE BIGGEST DRY DOCK SOUTH OF NORFOLK.
IN FACT, IT IS THE ONLY DRY DOCK SOUTH OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, THAT'S CAPABLE OF TAKING THESE NEW MODERN BATTLESHIPS
[02:15:01]
IN THESE NEW MODERN ARMORED CRUISERS.SO THIS BECOMES, AT THIS POINT, A STRATEGIC NAVY BASIN, THAT IT PROVIDES COAL AND IT PROVIDES, UH, TOP LINE SUPPORT TO THE SHIPS, AND THEY CAN REPAIR THE HULLS OF EVEN THE BIGGEST SHIPS IN THE US NAVY.
FOLLOWING THE CIVIL WAR, NATIONAL STRATEGY AND EMPHASIS IN THE UNITED STATES SHIFTED FROM TO RECOVERY FROM WAR, AND ALL OF OUR COASTAL FORTIFICATIONS WENT INTO NEGLECT.
THE MILITARY WAS BUSY TAMING THE WEST, AND COASTAL DEFENSES, UH, BECAME SOMETHING THAT WAS NO LONGER IMPORTANT.
AND THE REST OF THE WORLD, TECHNOLOGY IS MOVING FORWARD, AND THEY'RE DEVELOPING THESE BATTLESHIPS.
THEY'RE DEVELOPING NEW, UH, HIGH QUALITY ARTILLERY.
AND THIS IS GOING ON, UM, WORLDWIDE.
AND IN 1885, PRESIDENT GROVER CLEVELAND APPOINTED ENDICOTT BOARD, THIS WAS SEC HEADED BY SECRETARY WAR ENDICOTT, WILLIAM ENDICOTT.
AND THE BOARD WOULD MEET AND ISSUE A REPORT IN 1886.
AND THEY SAID THE CONDITIONS OF OUR COASTAL DEFENSES WERE JUST UNBEARABLE.
IT CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO STAY LIKE THAT.
AND THEY MADE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FORTIFICATION AND IMPROVEMENTS.
IDENTIFIED 29 PLACES THAT NEEDED FORTIFICATIONS, AND 11 OF WHICH WERE CRITICAL.
AND THAT LIST OF 29, SAVANNAH AND CHARLESTON ARE ON THE LIST, BUT BEAUFORT IS NOT ON THE LIST.
IT'LL TAKE INTERNATIONAL EVENTS TO BRING BEAUFORT INTO THE PLAY OF, OF MODERN FORT TECHNOLOGY.
SO THE USS MAINE WAS HERE ON PATROL AND IN THE HARBOR, AND WHILE THEY WERE IN THE HARBOR, SEVERAL TIMES, THEY ENTERTAINED THE LOCAL POPULATION.
SO THE MERCHANTS AND THE SOCIAL LEADERS AND THE POLITICAL LEADERS OF BEAUFORT WERE INVITED TO COME HAVE LUNCH WITH THE CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP, CAPTAIN SBE.
AND THE OFFICERS GOT TO KNOW THE PEOPLE.
THE PEOPLE GET, GOT TO KNOW THE OFFICERS.
THE CREW, WHICH WAS LARGE, WOULD GO ASHORE ON PAYDAY AND MAKE FRIENDS WITH EVERYBODY IN TOWN.
SO IT WAS A VERY SOCIAL, UM, ARRANGEMENT BETWEEN THE TOWNS, PORT ROYAL AND BEAUFORT AND THE SHIP.
SO THE MAIN LEFT HERE, IT WENT AND REPROVISION, IT REFUELED IN KEY WEST, AND THEN WENT TO 90 MILES ACROSS TO HAVANA INTO THE HARBOR AND BLEW UP THIS INFLAMED, THE ALREADY, UH, HOT PASSIONS BOTH IN CUBA AND HERE IN THE UNITED STATES.
AT THAT POINT, SOMEBODY IN THE WAR DEPARTMENT REALIZED THAT WE HAD THIS BIG DRY DOCK, THE ONLY DRY DOCK IN THE SOUTH THAT COULD HAVE TAKE ON AND REPAIR THESE BIG CAPITAL SHIPS THAT WERE IN OUR NAVY.
WE WERE GOING TO START OPERATIONS AGAINST A POWER IN THE CARIBBEAN.
AND THIS FORT WAS TOTALLY UNDEFENDED, AND THAT'S WHAT PUT FORT FREMONT ON THE MAP.
WE HAD TO HAVE A FORD HERE TO DEFEND THE COALING STATION, AND ESPECIALLY THIS BIG DRY DOCK, AS WELL AS THIS FINE HARBOR THAT'S HERE.
AND OF COURSE, THAT EVENT, WHICH KILLED 300 OR MORE SAILORS ON THE SHIP, UM, WAS VERY MUCH FOLLOWED BY THE LOCAL NEWS MEDIA AND VERY MUCH LAMENTED BY THE MANY FRIENDS THAT THE CREW HAD MADE HERE.
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE USS MAINE WAS A PERSONAL MATTER TO BEAUFORT AND TO PORT ROYAL SOUND.
UM, AND OF COURSE, IT WAS THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR AND THE ATTEMPT TO DEFEND THIS HARBOR AGAIN, WHICH LED TO THE, THE CREATION OF FORT FREEMAN.
THE UNITED STATES DECLARED WAR ON SPAIN IN, IN APRIL, 1898.
AND BY EARLY MAY, WE HAD TEMPORARY BATTERIES IN PLACE HERE, SUBMARINE MINES WERE IN PLACE, AND IN THE SUMMER, THEY WOULD ACTUALLY PLACE THE MINES ACROSS THE BEAUFORT RIVER.
THE TEMPORARY BATTERIES WERE A TEMPORARY EXPEDIENT.
THEY WERE LOCATED TO MY LEFT ABOUT A THOUSAND YARDS.
THEY'VE IMMEDIATELY BEGAN CONSTRUCTION OF WHAT WOULD BECOME FORT FREMONT.
THE LARGE BATTERIES WOULD HOUSE THE LARGE GUNS BATTERY FOR THE RAPID FIRE GUNS.
THE SMALLER BATTERY WAS COMPLETED BY JUNE OF 1898.
IN THE 1898, EVERYBODY IN TOWN WENT TO WAR.
UM, THEY HAD A NAVAL MILITIA UNIT, SOUTH CAROLINA NAVAL MILITIA UNIT, AND THEY WERE ABSORBED BY THE NAVY.
UH, MANY OF THEM RAN TUGBOATS FROM HERE TO NEW YORK TO KEY WEST, WHICH WAS THE PRINCIPAL SUPPORT BASE, TAMPA AND KEY WEST FOR THE US ARMY OPERATIONS IN CUBA.
PEACE WAS DECLARED BY THE END OF 1898, AND THE, UH, REMAINDER OF FORT FREMONT WOULD NOT BE FINISHED UNTIL EARLY 1899, AND THE FIRST SOLDIERS WOULD ARRIVE FROM THE REGULAR ARMY AT THAT POINT IN MARCH, 1899.
WELL, FORT FREMONT WAS NAMED FOR, UH, MAJOR GENERAL JOHN FREMONT.
UH, HE WAS ACTUALLY A LOCAL BOY, SO TO SPEAK.
UH, HE WAS BORN AND GREW UP IN, UH, SAVANNAH, GEORGIA, JUST, UH, SOUTH OF US.
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AND, UH, WENT TO, UH, COLLEGE IN THE COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON, UH, UP JUST NORTH OF US IN CHARLESTON.HE SERVED IN THE ARMY AND, UH, PRIMARILY INITIALLY AS A, UH, EXPLORER, AS ARMY FORTS WERE GENERALLY NAMED FOR ARMY OFFICERS.
UH, AND HE WAS, UH, CONNECTED LOCALLY.
UH, THIS IS, UH, MORE THAN LIKELY WHY THE FORT WAS NAMED FOR HIM.
THE FORT WAS CONSTRUCTED ON A SITE, UH, DIRECTLY ACROSS THE RIVER FROM, UH, THE PARIS ISLAND, UH, UH, NAVAL STATION.
AND THE SITE SELECTED WAS 170 ACRES, WHICH INCLUDED THE TWO, UH, ARTILLERY, UH, BA BATTERIES, UH, FORT, UH, FOR FREMONT, OF COURSE, HAD BATTERY FOREIGNNESS AND BATTERY JESSUP.
UH, BUT THEN ADJACENT TO THE BATTERY SITE WAS AN ADMINISTRATIVE QUADRANGLE, A VERY TYPICAL MILITARY TYPE, UH, ADMINISTRATIVE SQUARE.
UH, WE ARE SITTING IN THE NUMBER THREE GUN POSITION OF A THREE GUN BATTERY BATTERY JESSUP, WHICH HAD THREE 10 INCH DISAPPEARING CARRIAGE, LARGE CALIBER GUNS BREACH LOADING GUNS.
THEIR PURPOSE WAS TO, UH, ENGAGE THE WARSHIPS THAT MIGHT, UH, BE ENTERING THE HARBOR, UH, AND PORT ROYAL SOUND.
WE'RE HERE NOW AT THE SECOND BATTERY, UH, THAT WAS PART OF FORT FREMONT.
THIS IS BATTERY FOR NANCE, UH, WAS NAMED FOR A ARMY OFFICER, UH, THAT WAS ACTUALLY KILLED DURING THE SPANISH AMERICAN WAR.
UH, DURING THE BATTLE OF SAN JUAN HILL, UH, BATTERY FOR FORMANCE MOUNTED TWO, UH, BRITISH MADE 4.72 INCH ARMSTRONG QUICKFIRE GUNS.
UH, THEY WERE CALLED QUICKFIRE BECAUSE THEY LOADED, UH, WERE LOADED WITH A COMPLETE CARTRIDGE, AND IT, UH, IN TIME OF ACTION, THEY COULD FIRE FOUR TO SIX ROUNDS PER MINUTE.
THE PURPOSE OF BATTERY FOR WAS TO DEFEND THE MINEFIELD, WHICH WAS THE OTHER COMPONENT OF THE ENDICOTT COAST ARTILLERY OR OR COAST DEFENSE SYSTEM.
UH, A MINEFIELD, UH, WITH CONTROLLED MINES.
CONTROLLED MEANING THAT THEY WERE CONNECTED ELECTRICALLY TO SHORE AND COULD BE FIRED ON COMMAND FROM SHORE.
THAT, UH, CONTROL STATION WOULD'VE BEEN, UH, PROBABLY SHARED WITH THE PLOTTING ROOM.
AND IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE MINE FIELD, OBVIOUSLY AN ENEMY WOULD WANT TO INTERFERE WITH THAT.
MIGHT SEND VESSELS, UH, SMALL SHIPS IN HERE AT NIGHT TO TRY TO INTERFERE.
AND THIS BATTERY WOULD TAKE THOSE VESSELS UNDER FIRE IF THERE WAS SOME, UH, THERE WAS SUSPECTED THAT, UH, UH, THEY WERE DOING SOMETHING TO INTERFERE WITH THE MINES, SUCH AS, UH, PULLING UP THE CABLES AND CUTTING THOSE.
THE INDEGO ERA ERA OF FORT WAS A FORMIDABLE TECHNOLOGY.
IT REPRESENTED STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY, DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY OF ITS TIME AGAINST THE STATE-OF-THE-ART THREAT, WHICH WOULD BE THE BATTLESHIP.
THE LIFE FOR THE SOLDIERS AT FORT FREMONT WAS DISCIPLINED AND REGIMENTED.
THEY EVEN HAD MEALTIMES WERE SPECIFIED LENGTHS OF TIME, 15 MINUTES FOR LUNCH, 15 MINUTES AT BREAKFAST, 20 MINUTES AT SUPPER.
THEY HAD TO PRACTICE THEIR SKILLS.
THEY WERE TRAINING AND DOING MAINTENANCE CONSTANTLY, IF YOU CAN IMAGINE WITH THESE BIG GUNS.
THEY HAD TO HAVE SKILLS IN AND PRACTICE SKILLS IN ARTILLERY MIND, LAYING SIGNALING, WHICH INVOLVED IN OUR CASE AT FORT FREMONT, THE USE OF THE FIRE CONTROL TOWER, WHICH WAS A PRETTY SOPHISTICATED AND, UM, ADVANCED SIGNALING TECHNIQUE.
THEN THEY ALSO HAD TO, UM, PRACTICE THE TYPICAL MILITARY SKILLS, MARCHING AND, UH, DRILLING SMALL ARMS, FIRE, FIRST AID, AND SO FORTH.
IN ADDITION TO THAT, THEY ALSO, UM, HAD PARTICIPATED IN ATHLETICS.
THEY HAD PHYSICAL TRAINING, PT, AND THEY ALSO HAD SPORTS TEAMS. SO THIS WAS TO KEEP THEM PHYSICALLY FIT SO THAT THEY COULD CONTINUE THEIR, THEIR DUTIES, BECAUSE THEY WERE, IT WAS PRETTY RIGOROUS AT FORT F FREEMONT.
WHEN EVENTUALLY THE DECISION WAS MADE TO MOVE A DRY DOCK AND THE COALING STATION IN THE NAVY STATION UP TO CHARLESTON, THEN THIS FORT NO LONGER BECAME SIGNIFICANT.
THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT HERE THAT WAS TO BE PROTECTED.
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1911, THE LAST TROOPS WERE TRANSFERRED OUT, AND THE FORT WAS CLOSED IN 1901, THE MAYOR OF CHARLESTON AND THE UNITED STATES SENATOR PITCHFORK, BEN TILLMAN FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, WANTED THIS TO MOVE FROM BEAUFORT COUNTY TO CHARLESTON COUNTY 'CAUSE THERE ARE MORE VOTES IN CHARLESTON COUNTY.AND THE MAYOR WANTED THE US CORPS OF ENGINEERS IN, IN THE NAVY TO DREDGE THE HARBOR IN CHARLESTON.
'CAUSE BATTLESHIPS IN THOSE DAYS REQUIRED 26 FEET OF WATER.
CHARLESTON'S NATURAL HARBOR IS 15 FEET OF WATER.
PORT ROYAL IS 30 FEET OF WATER.
IN ORDER FOR CHARLESTON TO SUSTAIN ITS PORT, ITS COMMERCIAL PORT, IT HAD TO DREDGE THE HARBOR.
WELL, IF THEY COULD GET THE NAVY UP THERE, THEY GET THE CORPS OF ENGINEERS TO DRUDGE THE HARBOR.
AND THE, UH, THE PLAY FOR PITCHFORK, BEN TILLMAN, THE US SENATOR IN 1900, WAS THAT HE'D GET A WHOLE LOT MORE VOTES FROM VOTES FROM THE LARGEST CITY IN SOUTH CAROLINA.
SO IT WAS A POLITICAL, COMMERCIAL OPERATION, AND THEY MOVED THE NATION AND IT WAS DONE, BOOM, LIKE THAT.
THE FORT DID ITS JOB, THE DETERRENT FOR ANYBODY THAT WISHED TO ATTACK THESE.
IN FACT, THE WHOLE INDICO SYSTEM, ALTHOUGH NEVER CHALLENGED IN, UH, THIS ERA HERE IN THE UNITED STATES, PROVIDED SOME 300 MAJOR GUNS, COASTAL GUNS, TO PRO, UH, PROTECT MAJOR AREAS, AND LEFT THE UNITED STATES AT THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY WITH AS WELL DEFENDED, UH, COASTLINE AS ANY PLACE IN, IN THE WORLD.
BUT I, I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT IT IS A MAGNIFICENT ARTIFACT OF AN ERA, AND IT'S AN ERA THAT HAS BEEN NEGLECTED, UH, THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, UM, THE NAVAL STATION ACROSS THE RIVER HERE.
AND, UM, SO IT'S A, IT'S A PIECE OF HISTORY THAT'S DISAPPEARING.
THE FRIENDS OF FORT FREMONT AND BEAUFORT COUNTY HAVE PRESERVED IT FOR THE USE OF THE PUBLIC.
AND, UH, AS A MEMORIAL TO THAT MOMENT IN HISTORY, FORT FREMONT CLOSES A 350 YEAR STORY OF HOMELAND SECURITY ADDRESSING EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM IN THE 19TH CENTURY.
IT'S A TALE OF HOW GEOGRAPHY, TECHNOLOGY, AND NATIONAL SECURITY CREATES A TRANSITION FOR AMERICA TO BECOME A GLOBAL POWER.
IT'S ALSO A WONDERFUL SNAPSHOT OF AMERICA.
IN THE BEGINNING OF THE 20TH CENTURY, THE FRIENDS OF FORT FREMONT AND BEAUFORT COUNTY HAVE A VALUED PARTNERSHIP WORKING IN TANDEM TO PRESERVE THE FORT'S INTEGRITY AND PROMOTE THE HISTORICAL, NATURAL AND CULTURAL ASPECTS OF THE FORK.
MOST IMPORTANT, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR CREATIVE WAYS TO ENHANCE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE.