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CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY
[1. Call to Order]
HILTON PARKWAY, UH, GATEWAY CORRIDOR INDEPENDENT REVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEETING OF WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10TH, 2020 FOURTH TO ORDER.[2. Approval of the Minutes]
THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES, I KNOW THAT THERE WAS A CORRECTION THAT NEEDS TO BE MADE TO THE MINUTES TO ADD YOUR NAME BEING, UH, IN ATTENDANCE.AND THIS HAS BEEN DONE IN A COPY OF THE RECENT BIASED DRAFT OF MINUTES IS BEFORE YOU, AND ARE THERE ANY OTHER CORRECTIONS OR AMENDMENTS TO BE MADE? OKAY.
DO I HAVE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS CORRECTED? I, MR. WK? ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE COMPLY BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.
SO WE DO HAVE, UH, JUST FOR THE RECORD, UH, MR. ACAT SHOULD BE ONLINE WITH US.
UM, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, UH, REMOTELY, UM,
[3. Unfinished Business]
BUT UNFINISHED BUSINESS.LET'S GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON TO THE PROJECT WORK OF, UH, SCOPE OF
[a. Update on Project Scope of Work]
WORK.UM, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO NATE AND THE LOCK MUELLER TEAM TO GO THROUGH, GIVE US AN UPDATE ON PROJECT SCOPE, UM, AND THEN CONTINUATION OF THE FINDINGS RELATED TO THIS INITIAL, UH, PORTION OF THE PROJECT.
UM, AND IF THE COMMITTEE HAS QUESTIONS, UH, WE'D LOVE TO, TO HEAR THEM AND BE ABLE TO ADDRESS 'EM AT TODAY'S MEETING.
UH, MAYOR PERRY, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, THANK YOU ALL ONCE AGAIN FOR ALLOWING US TO MEET WITH YOU.
I KNOW IT'S BEEN A SHORT TURNAROUND TIME SINCE WE MET A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, BUT WE'VE BEEN, UH, WORKING PRETTY DILIGENTLY AND EXCITED TO SHARE THE INFORMATION THAT WE HAVE FOR YOU.
UM, BEFORE I DO THAT THOUGH, I DID WANNA MAKE SURE AND, AND NOTE WHO FROM THE LOCK MUER TEAM IS GOING TO BE JOINING US VIRTUALLY.
WE HAVE, UH, KATE SWIN, WHO YOU'RE ALL VERY FAMILIAR WITH.
SHE'S LEADING OUR, OUR TECHNICAL COMPONENTS OF THE TRAFFIC ENGINEERING ANALYSIS AND CORRIDOR STUDY.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE MICHELLE ROMINE JOINING US.
SHE'S ONE OF OUR LEAD TRAFFIC ENGINEERS AND HAS BEEN ASSISTING KATE THROUGHOUT THE DURATION OF THE PROJECT.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE LAUREN JACKSON WITH US.
HE'S OUR CHIEF ROADWAY ENGINEER, AND HE'S BEEN HELPING US DETERMINE THE RIGHT OF WAY AND ROADWAY RELATED IMPACTS WITH EACH ALTERNATIVE.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE CHAD COSTA, HE'S OUR ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, DESIGN ENGINEER THAT IS LOOKING AT IT FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE FOR EACH OF THE ALTERNATIVES.
SO I WANTED TO THANK THEM FOR JOINING US.
AND WE HAVE THAT SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTISE IF AND WHEN QUESTIONS DO COME UP, UH, TODAY FOR ANYTHING WITH THAT, APOLOGIZE.
SO FOR THE AGENDA AS WE TYPICALLY DO, I'LL GIVE YOU ALL AN UPDATE ON THE, WHERE THE PROJECT STANDS TO DATE.
AND THEN KATE WILL BE GOING INTO THE TRAFFIC OPERATIONAL FINDINGS FOR ALTERNATIVE FOUR.
IF YOU RECALL FROM LAST MONTH'S MEETING, UM, THE TRAFFIC OPERATING CONDITIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE FOUR WERE NOT COMPLETED, BUT WE'RE GONNA BE SHARING THAT WITH YOU TODAY.
AND THEN WE WILL, UM, ALLOW LAUREN AND CHAD RESPECTIVELY TO SPEAK TO THE RIGHT OF WAY AND ROADWAY IMPACTS THAT THEY DETERMINE, AS WELL AS THE ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE OF THINGS.
AND THEN WE'LL CONCLUDE IT BY SHOWING YOU THE MATRIX THAT, THAT WE PUT TOGETHER THAT COMPARES EACH OF THE FOUR ALTERNATIVES AGAINST ONE ANOTHER BASED UPON THE CRITERIA THAT WAS SET FORTH IN THE TALENTS REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS.
UM, WITH REGARD TO THE SPORT MATRIX, I DID WANT TO NOTE THAT OUR TEAM, UH, WE SUBMITTED THIS ON THE DRAFTS SLIDE DECK ON FRIDAY.
WE'VE CONTINUED TO REFINE THAT AND WE FEEL FROM THE ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE OF THINGS PARTICULARLY, THERE'S A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION AS TO WHAT THE, UH, COMMUNITY MAY HAVE AT THIS TIME.
HOWEVER, WE'RE GONNA LEAVE A COPY OF EVERYTHING SO THAT PEOPLE HAVE A COPY OF THE FULL PRESENTATION AT THE END OF THE MEETING.
BUT WHAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON, UH, OVER THE PAST COUPLE WEEKS IS JUST ESSENTIALLY WORK.
WHAT WE'RE GOING TO BE PRESENTING TO YOU TODAY IS THE, THE FINDINGS FOR TRAFFIC FINDINGS FOR ALTERNATIVE FOUR, AND THEN LOOKING AT THOSE ROADWAY RIGHT OF WAY AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS FOR ALL FOUR ALTERNATIVES FROM A PROGRESS STANDPOINT.
OVERALL, I WOULD SAY WE'RE AT A 50% MARK A. LITTLE BIT BEYOND THAT.
UM, RIGHT NOW WE ARE AT THE, I'D SAY KIND OF THE VERTEX POINT OF TASK THREE, AND I'LL DETAIL WHAT TASK THREE, WHAT WE HAVE LEFT TO DO HERE IN JUST A MOMENT.
BUT THAT'S REALLY THE MIDDLE OF THE PROJECT AND WE'RE GETTING READY FOR THE DOCUMENTATION.
SO, UM, KIND OF ON THE DOWNHILL RUN.
NOW, FROM A TASK PERSPECTIVE, UH, OR THE SUB TASK PERSPECTIVE, TASK ONE, I WOULD ESTIMATE WE'RE ABOUT 75% COMPLETE.
UH, AS I NOTED AT THE LAST MEETING AND A HALF RECURRINGLY, WE WE'RE GONNA HAVE CONTINUE TO HAVE MEETINGS WITH YOU ALL, BUT SPECIFICALLY, UM, THE KEY DELIVERABLES THAT I NOTED LAST, LAST TIME WITH THE, THE BRIEF TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM WITH SOME OF THE TOPICS SHOWN IN THE BULLET POINT, AS WELL AS THE, UH, SEISMIC EVALUATION WITH THE RETROFIT VERSUS REHAB.
UM, WE ANTICIPATE TO HAVE BOTH OF THOSE DELIVERABLES TO YOU FOR DISCUSSION PRIOR TO THE NEXT MONTH'S COMMITTEE MEETING.
I WILL NOTE THAT THE, WE'RE STILL WAITING ON THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO GET US A COPY OF THAT SEISMIC STUDY, BUT WE'RE CONTINUING TO EFFORT THAT TO GET THAT FROM THEM.
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TASK TWO, AS I MENTIONED AT THE LAST MEETING, THAT IS, UM, 100% COMPLETE.THAT WAS THE REVIEW OF THE EXISTING CONDITIONS AND THE TRAVEL DEMAND MODEL.
TASK THREE THAT INCLUDES THE INTERSECTIONS ALONG 2 78 AND WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY FROM, UM, WITHIN BLUFFTON FROM BUCKINGHAM PLANTATION AND MOSS CREEK, UM, EASTWARD TO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, AND THEN TO GUMTREE ROAD.
AND WE'VE COMPLETED ALL OF OUR PRELIMINARY ANALYSES, AND WE ARE IN THE PROCESS NOW OF PUTTING THAT ALL INTO DOCUMENTATION FORM.
THE DELIVERABLE THAT WAS IN THE SCOPE IS TO PROVIDE YOU ALL WITH A DRAFT SUMMARY OF FINDINGS, MEMO FOR TASK FOR, UH, TASK THREE THAT TAKES EVERYTHING FROM INITIATION OF THE PROJECT TO, UH, THROUGH COMPLETION OF TASK THREE.
WE, UH, WE'LL BE HAVING THAT TO YOU PLANNED FOR, UM, PRIOR TO THE, UH, MAY 8TH COMMITTEE MEETING.
AND FOLLOWING THAT, WE'LL HAVE RECEIVED COMMENTS FROM YOU ALL WITH ANTICIPATION OF HAVING A PRESENTATION TO COUNCIL DURING A WORKSHOP AT A DATE TO BE DETERMINED IN JUNE.
FAST FORWARD, THAT'S TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION THE INTERSECTIONS DOWNSTREAM OF THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY.
AND, UM, THAT'S OUR INTENT OF FOLLOWING THE MEETING TODAY, IS THAT WE'RE GOING TO BEGIN AN EARNEST, UM, DEVELOPING THE MODELING ASSOCIATED WITH THOSE OTHER, WITH THOSE REMAINING INTERSECTIONS.
AND, UH, UH, BASED UPON THE, THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM THE PRELIMINARY MATRIX WE'RE GONNA BE PRESENTING USING THE ALTERNATIVES TO BE EVALUATED WITHIN THAT SOFTWARE.
AND THEN TASK FIVE IS, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THAT'S JUST THE FINAL TASK WHERE WE'RE PUTTING EVERYTHING INTO A FINAL TRAFFIC SHAPING OPERATIONS REPORT.
AND THAT'LL BE, UH, A PRESENTATION AS WELL TO CITY COUNCIL, SORRY, THE TEAM COUNCIL, AND WE'RE COMPLETED WITH THAT.
SO THAT GIVES OUT UPDATE ON WHERE WE STAND.
IF BEFORE I HAND IT OVER TO KATE, DID ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THE STATUS OF THE PROJECT? I, EXCUSE ME AT THIS TIME, I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
[i. Comparative Assessment of Corridor Alternatives]
WE'LL MOVE ON TO, UM, KATE, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND TURN IT OVER TO YOU.[b. Presentation of Findings for the System Assessment of the William Hilton Parkway Gateway Corridor Project]
SURE.UM, WE'LL START WITH A BRIEF OVERVIEW JUST TO JOG EVERYBODY'S MEMORY OF WHAT OUR FOUR ALTERNATIVES ARE THAT WE ARE DISCUSSING HERE TODAY.
OUR ALTERNATIVE ONE IS THE S-C-D-O-T MODIFIED RECOMMENDED PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.
ALTERNATIVE TWO INCLUDED BOW TIES, WHICH ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, ROUNDABOUTS ON SOME SIDE STREETS AT SQUIRE, POPE AND SPANISH WELLS.
ALTERNATIVE THREE INCLUDES EITHER AN ECHELON OR CENTER TURN OVERPASS CONFIGURATION, WHICH ARE GRADE SEPARATED INTERSECTIONS AT EITHER SQUIRE, POPE OR SPANISH WELLS, NOT BOTH.
AND ALTERNATIVE OR ALTERNATIVE FOUR, EXCUSE ME, IS OUR VERSION OF AN ELEVATED BYPASS.
AND AGAIN, I WILL REITERATE THESE NUMBERS ARE SIMPLY THE ORDER IN WHICH WE ANALYZED THESE ALTERNATIVES.
THEY DO NOT IN ANY WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM INDICATE A PREFERENCE OR A GRADE ASSIGNED TO THEM THAT IS JUST, UH, SEQUENTIAL NUMBERING.
UH, WE HAVE SOME VISUAL OVERVIEWS AGAIN, JUST TO JOG EVERYBODY'S MEMORY ABOUT WHAT WE ARE TALKING ABOUT WHEN WE DISCUSS EACH OF THESE ALTERNATIVES.
THE S-C-D-O-T MODIFIED RECOMMENDED PREFERRED SHOULD BE VERY FAMILIAR TO THIS GROUP.
IT GENERALLY INVOLVES LANE WIDENING AND AT GRADE INTERSECTION IMPROVEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH OF THE CORRIDOR.
ON THE NEXT SLIDE, ALTERNATIVE NUMBER TWO SHOWS A BOW TIE CONFIGURATION.
ITS SQUIRE, POPE AND SPANISH WELLS.
THIS CONFIGURATION WOULD REQUIRE VEHICLES TO MAKE A RIGHT HAND TURN, TRAVEL THROUGH A ROUNDABOUT, AND THEN RETURN IN THEIR INTENDED DIRECTION OF TRAVEL.
IT DOES NOT ALLOW LEFT TURNS AT THE MAJOR INTERSECTION.
ALTERNATIVE THREE ON THE MAJOR STREET MOTOR IS, IS EITHER EITHER AN ECHELON OR A CENTER TURN OVERPASS AT EITHER SPANISH WALLS OR SQUIRE POPE.
WE DO NOT HAVE THE ROOM ALONG THE CORRIDOR TO HAVE A GRADE SEPARATED INTERSECTION SOLUTION AT BOTH OF THESE LOCATIONS.
AND SO THERE IS SOME FLEXIBILITY WITHIN ALTERNATIVE THREE AS TO WHICH INTERSECTION COULD RECEIVE TREATMENT AND THEN WHICH TREATMENT EVEN WOULD BE RECOMMENDED.
BUT GENERALLY THIS IS, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A, A MID STEP, IF YOU WILL, BETWEEN FULL GRADE SEPARATION AND A, UM, YOU KNOW, FULL INTERSTATE OR INTERCHANGE SOLUTION.
ALTERNATIVE FOUR IS OUR VERSION OF THE ELEVATED BYPASS.
I KNOW THAT WE HAVE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE OPTION TO HAVE A BYPASS IN A NUMBER OF THESE MEETINGS AND, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE THOUGHT IT WAS CERTAINLY A GOOD IDEA AND WORTH LOOKING INTO, AND OUR VERSION OF IT ALIGNS WITH THE CURRENT ROADWAY PLACEMENT AND DOES NOT, UM, AND DOES NOT FORGE A NEW ALIGNMENT, UM, THROUGH ANY ANY NEW RIGHT OF WAY.
SO WE SHOWED A VERSION OF THIS IN OUR LAST MEETING ON THE LAST SET OF
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SLIDES.THIS IS THE SAME INFORMATION WITH JUST A LITTLE BIT OF UPDATED SHADING ON SOME OF THE INTERSECTIONS, HOPEFULLY MAKING IT EASIER TO UNDERSTAND OR DIGEST WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON AT EACH OF THESE LOCATIONS.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, AS NATE KIND OF FLIPS THROUGH THE SLIDES HERE, THE ELEVATED PORTION OF THE ROADWAY IS SHOWN IN THE MIDDLE TWO LANES IN EACH DIRECTION.
THERE IS STILL A GROUND LEVEL ROADWAY AND AT GRADE ROADWAY AND ACCESS REMAINS AS IT IS TODAY IN A TRADITIONAL CONFIGURATION AT ALL OF THE SIDE STREETS, INCLUDING SQUIRE, POPE, AND SPANISH WELLS.
THERE IS ALSO THE POTENTIAL OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE A WILDHORSE BE A FULL ACCESS INTERSECTION INSTEAD OF JUST A RIGHT IN RIGHT OUT.
AND AS YOU CONTINUE DOWN THE SLIDE DECK, YOU SHOULD SEE THE CONNECTION INTO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, INTO THE EXISTING FLYOVER RAMPS.
AND WITH THIS CONFIGURATION, UM, IF YOU HAVE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS ABOUT HOW THINGS WILL CONNECT OR WHERE THINGS WILL, UH, YOU KNOW, LAND OR TOUCH DOWN, UH, YOU KNOW, LAUREN JACKSON, OUR CHIEF ENGINEER AS NATE MENTIONED, IS ON THE CALL WITH US TODAY.
HE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE MORE SPECIFICS.
UH, BUT IN GENERAL, THIS OPTION WOULD ALLOW FOR EASTBOUND TRAFFIC TO BYPASS SQUIRE, POPE AND SPANISH WALLS COMPLETELY AND CONNECT TO EITHER THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY OR TOUCH BACK DOWN PAST GUMTREE.
SIMILARLY, IT WOULD ALLOW WESTBOUND TRAFFIC TO BYPASS GUMTREE SPANISH WELLS AND SQUIRE POPE AND TOUCH BACK DOWN, UH, WEST OF SQUIRE POPE.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY SEPARATE THE VEHICLE PATHS AND MOVEMENTS IN SOME OF THE MOST CONGESTED AREAS OF THE CORRIDOR.
AND AGAIN, THESE, UH, OKAY, SO SOME OF THE PROS AND CONS OF THE ELEVATED BYPASS, UM, SOME OF THE PROS IS WE BELIEVE IT'S GOING TO IMPROVE SAFETY AS THERE WILL BE FEWER VEHICLES THAT REMAIN AT GRADE WITH THOSE SIDE STREET CROSSING INTERSECTIONS, WHICH WOULD REDUCE THE NUMBER OF CONFLICTS BETWEEN VEHICLES AND PEDESTRIANS.
THAT WOULD REDUCE THE NUMBER OF VEHICLES THAT PEDESTRIANS WOULD HAVE TO COMPETE WITH TO CROSS, UH, YOU KNOW, TO CROSS THE ROADWAY.
IT WILL INCREASE THE EFFICIENCY AT THE AT GRADE SIGNALED INTERSECTIONS.
OBVIOUSLY, IF WE ARE REMOVING A LARGE PORTION OF THE THROUGH TRAFFIC, THE SIDE STREET OPERATIONS WILL IMPROVE GREATLY.
IT SHOULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE AT GRADE INTERSECTIONS.
AND BY THAT, UM, WE MEAN THAT IT WILL REDUCE THE NUMBER OF LANES REQUIRED TO BE IN PLACE AT THE INTERSECTIONS THAT REMAIN ON THE GROUND.
IN PARTICULAR FOR THE SIDE STREET MOVEMENTS, PERHAPS WE WILL NOT NEED TO WIDEN SIDE STREETS AS MUCH BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT BE COMPETING FOR SIGNAL CYCLE TIME WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF THROUGH VEHICLES ANY LONGER.
THOSE VEHICLES WILL BE REMOVED AND ON THE BYPASS, AND IT WOULD POTENTIALLY PROVIDE FOR INCREASED GROWTH ALONG THE CORRIDOR OR SOME BREATHING ROOM, IF YOU WILL, IF THAT IS DESIRED INTO THE FUTURE.
SOME OF THE CONS OF THE ELEVATED BYPASS, UM, OBVIOUSLY IT'S GOING TO BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE ALTERNATIVE OF THE FOUR THAT WE ARE CONSIDERING HERE TODAY.
AND THAT IS REALLY DUE TO THE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE LENGTH AND QUANTITY OF BRIDGE STRUCTURES THAT ARE REQUIRED TO ELEVATE, UM, YOU KNOW, SUCH A LARGE PORTION OF THE ROADWAY.
THIS WILL RESULT IN THE LARGEST CONSTRUCTION IMPACT.
IT REQUIRES THE MOST GREAT SEPARATION, AND IT REQUIRES A CHANGE IN DECISION MAKING AS, AS DRIVERS LOOK TO GO THROUGH THE LOCAL INTERSECTIONS OF SQUIRE POPE OR OLD WELL HORSE OR SPANISH WELLS.
UM, AND IF THEY ARE LOOKING TO ENTER THE BYPASS OR NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE, UH, PERHAPS A FEW DIFFERENT TURNS FOR THEM TO GET INTO THEIR INTENDED DIRECTION OF TRAVEL.
UH, BUT AGAIN, IT SHOULDN'T BE REROUTED NECESSARILY.
IT WOULD JUST LOOK, LOOK DIFFERENT THAN IT IS TODAY AS A TRADITIONAL AT GRADE CORRIDOR.
UM, AND AS WE NOTE, YOU KNOW, FULL ACCESS WILL STILL BE PROVIDED.
UH, THEY JUST, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, MAY HAVE TO TRAVEL, UH, A SHORT DISTANCE TO MERGE ONTO THE BYPASS DEPENDING ON WHICH DIRECTION THEY'RE INTENDING TO TRAVEL.
OUR NEXT SLIDE IS SIMILAR TO WHAT WE PRESENTED IN OUR PRIOR PRESENTATION FOR ALTERNATIVES ONE THROUGH THREE.
AND NOW WE HAVE OUR INFORMATION FINALIZED FOR ALTERNATIVE FOUR.
SO THE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE AT GRADE INTERSECTIONS REALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, COULD BE REDUCED IN SIZE AND WOULD BE EXPECTED TO OPERATE WELL, UM, AT AN OVERALL LEVEL OF SERVICE, SEE OR BETTER FOR SQUIRE POPE SPANISH WELLS IN GUMTREE.
AND EACH OF THOSE THREE ARE, UH, CERTAINLY PAIN POINTS ON YOUR EXISTING SYSTEM.
UH, FULL ACCESS COULD BE MADE AVAILABLE AT OLD WILDHORSE, WHICH IS, UH, YOU KNOW, NOT A CONDITION THAT'S OUT THERE TODAY.
OVERALL, UH, THE STUDY INTERSECTIONS ARE EXPECTED TO OPERATE ACCEPTABLY.
UNDER ALTERNATIVE FOUR, THE SIGNALED INTERSECTIONS THROUGHOUT THE CORRIDOR WOULD OPERATE AGAIN WITH A LEVEL OF SERVICE C OR BETTER OVERALL.
UM, SOME OF THE UNSIGNED SIDE STREET APPROACHES MAY STILL EXPERIENCE SOME LONGER DELAYS, BUT AGAIN, IN THE AREA WHERE THE BYPASS WOULD BE IMPLEMENTED, IF WE ARE SEPARATING OUT A
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MAJORITY OF THE THROUGH TRAFFIC, THOSE DELAYS WOULD BE, UH, GREATLY REDUCED AND, UM, THEY WOULDN'T BE COMPETING WITH AS MUCH WITH AS MUCH TRAFFIC WITHIN THE SAME SPACE.SO WE DID A SIMILAR TRAVEL TIME RUN COMPARISON ALONG THE CORRIDOR BETWEEN MOSS CREEK AND INDIGO RUN.
AND AS, UH, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR TO WHAT WE SHOWED IN OUR PRIOR SLIDE DECK FOR ALTERNATIVES ONE THROUGH FOUR, WE HAVE A DIFFERENCE IN TRAVEL TIME, UM, REPORTED IN SECONDS WHEN COMPARED TO THE 2045 NO BUILD CONDITION.
SO IN THE AM THE MORNING PEAK EASTBOUND TRAFFIC WOULD BE EXPECTED TO SEE AT LEAST A 19% REDUCTION IN TOTAL TRAVEL TIME.
WESTBOUND TRAFFIC WOULD BE EXPECTED TO SEE, UH, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY A 43 OR 44% REDUCTION IN TRAVEL TIME.
IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THESE TRAVEL TIMES WERE PERFORMED IN SYNCHRO.
AND WE AS A NEXT STEP IN TASK FOUR, DO HAVE THE SIM MODELING SCHEDULED IN OUR SCOPE OF WORK FOR ONE OF THESE ALTERNATIVES.
AND WE WOULD EXPECT THAT THOSE TRAVEL TIMES WOULD BE EITHER CONFIRMED OR POTENTIALLY IMPROVED A LITTLE BIT FOR ALTERNATIVE FOUR, SHOULD IT BE, UH, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE ALTERNATIVES THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, KINDA GRADUATES FROM THIS TASK INTO TASK FOUR TO BE PUT INTO AVIS MODEL.
THE NEXT SLIDE SHOWS AN OVERALL TRAVEL TIME COMPARISON OF ALL THE ALTERNATIVES THAT WE HAVE ANALYZED.
AGAIN, THE INFORMATION FOR ALTERNATIVES ONE, TWO, AND THREE ARE NOT NEW.
WE SHOWED THEM TO YOU AT OUR PRIOR MEETING ON THE 27TH.
ALTERNATIVE TO FOUR HAS NOW BEEN SLOTTED IN AT THE BOTTOM TO COMPLETE THE TABLE.
AND AS YOU CAN SEE, UM, ANY OF THE ALTERNATIVES ARE GOING TO PROVIDE A RANGE OF APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20% REDUCTION OF TRAVEL TIME FOR THE EASTBOUND DIRECTION IN THE MORNING WHEN COMPARED TO NO BUILD TRAVEL TIMES.
AND IN THE PM FOR WESTBOUND TRAVEL TIMES FOR RANGING ANYWHERE FROM 34 TO APPROXIMATELY 44% IN POTENTIAL TRAVEL TIME REDUCTIONS, DEPENDING ON WHICH ALTERNATIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE SPECIFICALLY LOOKING AT FOR TRAFFIC CONSIDERATIONS.
I'LL PAUSE THERE AND ASK IF THERE ARE ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE TRAFFIC OR THE TRAVEL TIMES, BECAUSE THE REST OF THE SLIDE DECK THAT I'M SPEAKING TO IS GOING TO BE MORE RELATED TO PEDESTRIAN AND BICYCLE CONNECTIVITY AND SAFETY.
AND THEN WE'RE GONNA GET INTO RIGHT AWAY AND ENVIRONMENTAL AT THIS TIME.
DOES THIS COMMITTEE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS REGARDING THE INFORMATION PROVIDED? ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU, CONTINUE.
SO THE NEXT SLIDE GETS INTO, UM, IT, IT SUMMARIZES REALLY THE TRAVEL TIME INFORMATION THAT WE'VE PRESENTED THUS FAR AND EVEN, UH, GOES, UH, ATTEMPTS TO QUANTIFY SOME OF THE SIDE STREET OPERATIONS.
IN ADDITION, THE TRAVEL TIME ALONG US 2 78, UH, WE, WE DID A RANKING SYSTEM, SO I'LL, I'LL BACK UP FOR JUST A LITTLE BIT AND TRY AND EXPLAIN OUR METHODOLOGY FOR THESE RANKINGS.
UM, WE FELT IT WAS BEST TO RANK THE ALTERNATIVES AGAINST ONE ANOTHER.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF INDICATED THAT WE WOULD BE USING THIS PROCESS AT THE END OF OUR PRIOR MEETING ON MARCH 27TH.
AND AS A, YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO DO A, UM, YOU KNOW, GOOD VERSUS BAD RATING, WE REALLY TRIED TO RANK THEM AGAINST ONE ANOTHER TO HAVE IT BE AS, UH, YOU KNOW, OBJECTIVE, UH, AS POSSIBLE FOR EACH OF THESE DIFFERENT CONSIDERATIONS.
SO IF WE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WERE TO LOOK BACK AT THE, THE SLIDE PREVIOUSLY, NATE, YOU DON'T HAVE TO GO THERE.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE USED THOSE NUMBERS TO COMPARE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER AND, YOU KNOW, OPINE AS TO HOW THEY RELATE TO ONE ANOTHER FOR THE TRAVEL TIME ALONG THE US 2 78.
SO IN OUR OPINION, ALTERNATIVES ONE AND TWO ARE VERY SIMILAR.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBERS ARE NOT EXACT IN THE TABLE ON THE PRIOR SLIDE, BUT THEY'RE CLOSE ENOUGH THAT WE, WE FEEL THAT THEY WOULD PROVIDE ABOUT THE SAME LEVEL OF RELIEF OR TRAVEL TIME IMPROVEMENT ALONG THE ENTIRE CORRIDOR.
SO WE, WE GAVE THEM A TIE, WE RANKED THEM THE SAME AS, UH, YOU KNOW, PROBABLY LAST ON THE LIST.
AND THEN THE TWO OTHER ALTERNATIVES THAT HAVE GRADE SEPARATED COMPONENTS ALTERNATIVE THREE AND FOUR, UH, YOU KNOW, THEY PERFORMED A LITTLE BIT BETTER AS FAR AS TRAVEL TIME COMPARISONS GO.
AND THAT IS, UH, CERTAINLY LOGICAL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU HAVE GREAT SEPARATED COMPONENTS AS PART OF ANY CONFIGURATION, YOU NATURALLY ARE REMOVING VEHICLE CONFLICTS, UH, FROM THE SAME PATH DURING THE SAME SPACE.
SO WE CERTAINLY EXPECTED TO SEE THE GREAT SEPARATED ALTERNATIVES PROVIDE A LITTLE BIT, YOU KNOW, BETTER LEVEL OF SERVICE AND REDUCED, UH, REDUCED TRAVEL TIME ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
SO THE ELEVATED BYPASS IS, UH, PROVIDES MORE GREAT SEPARATION AND MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SEPARATION BETWEEN VEHICLES TRAVELING THROUGH THE CORRIDOR AND THE LOCAL TRAFFIC THAN ALTERNATIVE THREE DOES, WHICH IS WHY
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WE GAVE IT A HIGHER SCORE THAN ALTERNATIVE THREE COMPARATIVELY.BUT WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT TRAVEL TIME ALONG THE CORRIDOR IS NOT THE ONLY THING THAT IS IMPORTANT TO THE COMMUNITY.
THERE ARE CERTAINLY PEOPLE THAT COMMUTE ONTO THE ISLAND EVERY DAY AND THEN GO HOME THAT CARE ABOUT THE TRAVEL TIME, BUT THERE ARE CERTAINLY RESIDENTS ALONG THE CORRIDOR, RESIDENTS IN ANY PART OF THE ISLAND THAT STILL NEED TO TRAVEL, UM, YOU KNOW, TRAVEL THROUGH THE SYSTEM EVERY DAY.
AND THEY MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY JUST BE DOING THE AM AND PM COMMUTER PEAK.
SO WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE TO LOOK AT THE OVERALL INTERSECTION OPERATIONS, INCLUDING THE SIDE STREET OPERATIONS.
AND WHEN WE DID THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, EVEN IN ALTERNATIVE ONE, THE MODIFIED S-C-D-O-T RECOMMENDED PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE, THERE ARE STILL SOME MOVEMENTS ALONG THE CORRIDOR THAT PROVIDE A LEVEL OF SERVICE F WHICH WOULD BE, UH, YOU KNOW, TECHNICALLY FAILING.
AND THAT WOULD BE THE NORTHBOUND APPROACH OF SQUIRE POPE IN THE PM.
AND ADDITIONALLY, ALTERNATIVE THREE ALSO HAS SOME MOVEMENTS WITH A LEVEL OF SERVICE F AND THOSE WOULD BE THE SOUTHBOUND APPROACH AT SQUIRE POPE IN THE PM UNDER THE ECHELON CONFIGURATION OF SQUIRE POPE.
OR IF A CENTER TURNOVER PASS WERE TO BE AT SQUIRE POPE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE NORTHBOUND APPROACH AT SPANISH WELLS WOULD BE FAILING IN THE PM.
AND SO BECAUSE THOSE TWO CONFIGURATIONS HAD ANY FAILING LEVELS OF SERVICE ON ANY APPROACH, UH, WE DECIDED THAT THOSE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, RANKED LOWEST AMONGST THE GROUP IN THIS PARTICULAR CATEGORY.
ALTERNATIVE TWO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE REALLY DIDN'T HAVE ANY MOVEMENTS THAT WERE FAILING.
HOWEVER, SOME OF THEM HAD LEVEL OF SERVICE E WHICH MEANS IT'S AT CAPACITY, THEORETICALLY, THERE'S NOT ANY ADDITIONAL ROOM FOR GROWTH AT THAT PARTICULAR MOVEMENT DURING THAT PEAK HOUR.
AND BECAUSE ALTERNATIVE TWO HAD A FEW LOCATIONS WITH LEVEL OF SERVICE E, WE THEREFORE DECIDED TO RANK IT ABOVE ALTERNATIVE ONE AND THREE, BUT LESS THAN ALTERNATIVE FOUR, WHICH DID NOT HAVE ANY LOCATIONS WITH A LEVEL OF SERVICE, F OR E FORSIGHT STREET APPROACHES.
AND SO AFTER CONSIDERING ALL OF THE THREE SUBCATEGORIES, WE TOTALED UP THEIR ASSIGNED SCORES AND ASSIGNED AN OVERALL RANK FOR THIS CATEGORY, THIS CATEGORY BEING TRAFFIC AND OPERATIONS, AND CAME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT ALTERNATIVE FOUR, THE ELEVATED BYPASS WOULD PROVIDE THE MOST, UH, THE MOST BENEFIT IN THIS CATEGORY, THE HIGHEST REDUCTION IN DELAY, THE HIGHEST REDUCTION IN TRAVEL TIME.
ALTERNATIVE TWO AND THREE WERE, UH, YOU KNOW, TIED FOR NEXT BEST.
AND THEN ALTERNATIVE ONE WOULD, UM, BE THE ALTERNATIVE THAT PROVIDES THE, THE LEAST AMOUNT OF RELIEF IN THE TRAVEL TIME AREA.
UM, AGAIN, SPECIFIC TO THIS ONE TOPIC, WHICH IS TRAFFIC AND OPERATIONS.
AND AS WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE, WE ALSO CONSIDER BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPACT.
AND, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, WE HAVE EACH OF THE ALTERNATIVES SHOWN IN THIS TABLE IN THE COLUMNS, AND THEN SOME DIFFERENT CONSIDERATIONS FOR, UH, FOR EACH OF THEM IN THE ROWS.
AND SO WHEN WE THINK ABOUT PEDESTRIAN CROSSING DISTANCE, WE BELIEVE THAT ALTERNATIVE ONE WOULD PROVIDE THE LONGEST PEDESTRIAN CROSSING DISTANCE, WHICH REALLY IS, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT A GOOD THING.
UM, YOU KNOW, THE LONGER A PEDESTRIAN HAS TO BE IN THE ROAD UNTIL THEY REACH, YOU KNOW, BACK A CURB BACK, UH, YOU KNOW, IN THE RIGHT OF WAY ON A SIDEWALK IN A PROTECTED SPACE, THAT'S JUST MORE TIME THAT THEY'RE EXPOSED.
AND SO WE CERTAINLY LOOK FOR ALTERNATIVES THAT SHORTEN THE CROSSING DISTANCE WHEN POSSIBLE, OR PROVIDE, UH, MEDIAN REFUGE ISLANDS OR THOSE TYPES OF THINGS WHEN WE LOOK TO COMPARE THESE AGAINST ONE ANOTHER.
UM, SO ALTERNATIVE ONE WILL HAVE THE LONGEST PEDESTRIAN CROSSING DISTANCES, AND THAT IS A FUNCTION OF THE WIDTH OF THE ROAD AND THE SIZE OF THE INTERSECTIONS.
UM, YOU KNOW, ALTERNATIVE ONE DOES NOT HAVE ANY ALTERNATIVE CONFIGURATIONS.
IT DOES NOT HAVE ANY GRADE SEPARATION.
ALL THE MOVEMENTS ARE AT THE MAIN INTERSECTION.
AND THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, IS SOME, SOME WIDE LANES, SOME DUAL TURN LANES, AND REQUIRES PEDESTRIANS TO NAVIGATE A PRETTY LARGE DISTANCE TO CROSS THE ROAD.
THE REST OF THE ALTERNATIVES, ALTERNATIVES TWO THROUGH FOUR HAVE REDUCED PEDESTRIAN CROSSING DISTANCES, UM, AND REDUCED EXPOSURE TO MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC.
BUT THEY GENERALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, OF, OF THOSE THREE, WE COULDN'T FIND MUCH DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN, BETWEEN THE REST OF THEM AS FAR AS PEDESTRIAN CROSSING DISTANCES GO.
WE ALSO LOOK AT POTENTIAL TO INSTALL MEDIAN REFUGE ISLANDS.
AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE WOULD NOT BE THAT OPPORTUNITY IN ALTERNATIVE ONE, THE S-C-D-O-T RECOMMENDED PREFERRED MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE, UM, BUT ALTERNATIVE TWO, THERE IS SOME POTENTIAL FOR THEM.
ALTERNATIVE THREE, UH, ALSO HAS SOME POTENTIAL BETWEEN THE DIRECTIONAL TRAFFIC FLOW TO ALLOW PEDESTRIANS TO MORE COMFORTABLY NAVIGATE THE COMPLEX INTERSECTION.
AND ALTERNATIVE FOUR ALSO WILL HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO PROVIDE REFUGE ISLANDS BETWEEN DIRECTIONAL TRAFFIC FLOW.
HOWEVER, IT MAY REQUIRE MULTIPLE
[00:25:01]
REFUGE ISLANDS PER LEG, OR THEY WILL HAVE LONG END-TO-END CROSSING DISTANCES, MEANING THEY WILL, YOU KNOW, EVEN THOUGH IT'S SEPARATED AND THEY'RE, YOU KNOW, REMOVED FROM THAT BYPASS TRAFFIC, WHICH WILL BE TRAVELING ABOVE THEM, IT STILL IS A PRETTY LONG DISTANCE FOR THEM TO BE CROSSING.IT WILL REQUIRE MULTIPLE REFUGE ISLANDS, MULTIPLE STOPS.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S JUST A, IT'S ESSENTIALLY TWO SYSTEMS THEY'D HAVE TO BE CROSSING INSTEAD OF JUST JUST THE ONE.
SO THAT, THAT WAS SOME, UM, SOME SLIGHT, YOU KNOW, UNFAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION FOR THAT ALTERNATIVE IN THAT ONE PARTICULAR AREA.
WE ALSO LOOKED AT CONFLICT POINTS.
AGAIN, CONFLICT POINTS, UM, IS A TERM RELATED TO LIKE, UH, WHERE IN AN INTERSECTION CAN TO MOVING VEHICLES OR A PEDESTRIAN IN A VEHICLE POTENTIALLY COLLIDE AND INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER.
AND THEORETICALLY, UH, AND LOGICALLY THE FEWER NUMBER OF CONFLICT POINTS THAT ARE EVEN AVAILABLE IN AN INTERSECTION, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT'S GOING TO REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD AND CHANCES OF PEOPLE TO BE IN CONFLICT WITH ONE ANOTHER.
SO FOR ALTERNATIVE ONE, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE MULTIPLE TURNING MOVEMENTS AND, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR CONFLICT POINTS ALONG EACH LEG.
AND THEN IF WE GET INTO SOME OF THE GRADE SEPARATED ALTERNATIVES OR THE ALTERNATIVE INTERSECTION CONFIGURATIONS WITH ALTERNATIVE TWO, UH, THOSE WOULD REDUCE SOME OF THE CONFLICT POINTS IN THE VEHICLE, TURNING MOVEMENTS, THEREBY PROVIDING A LITTLE BIT MORE PROTECTION FOR SOME OF THE PEDESTRIANS.
THE NEXT SLIDE TALKS ABOUT SAFETY IMPACTS, UH, MORE SPECIFICALLY AS IT RELATES TO VEHICLES.
AND AGAIN, WE WERE ABLE TO FIND CONFLICT POINTS FOR EACH OF THESE ALTERNATIVES TO COMPARE THEM AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, A TRADITIONAL INTERSECTION.
UM, YEAH, I GUESS, LET ME, LEMME BACK UP AND CLARIFY.
THESE CONFLICT POINTS ARE PER INTERSECTION, OKAY? SO IT'S NOT 32 CONFLICT POINTS OVER THE ENTIRETY OF THE ENTIRE CORRIDOR, BUT GENERALLY, A TRADITIONAL INTERSECTION WITHOUT AN ALTERNATIVE OR INNOVATIVE CONFIGURATION OR WITHOUT GRADE SEPARATION HAS 32 CONFLICT POINTS WITHIN IT.
SO 32 POSSIBLE, UH, CROSSINGS OF VEHICLE PATHS WHERE, YOU KNOW, VEHICLES COULD POTENTIALLY BE IN AN ACCIDENT WITH ONE ANOTHER IF, UH, YOU KNOW, IF THEY ARE OCCUPYING THE SAME SPACE.
ALTERNATIVE TWO, WHEN WE LOOK AT A BOW TIE INTERSECTION CONFIGURATION, THE NUMBER OF CONFLICT POINTS IS REDUCED TO 20.
AND A LOT OF THAT IS DUE TO THE REMOVAL OF LEFT TURNS FROM THE MAIN INTERSECTION.
ALTERNATIVE THREE, EITHER AN ECHELON OR A CENTER TURN OVERPASS, UH, THOSE ALTERNATIVES RESPECTIVELY WOULD HAVE 22 OR 24 CONFLICT POINTS.
AND THEN ALTERNATIVE FOUR, UM, YOU KNOW, THE BYPASS IS NOT AN INTERSECTION PER SE, SO IT WAS, UH, YOU KNOW, NOT ABLE TO BE QUANTIFIED IN THOSE TERMS. BUT THERE ARE SOME CRASH MODIFICATION FACTORS AVAILABLE THAT INDICATE A REDUCTION.
UM, COULD BE IN THE RANGE OF 30 TO 50% FOR SOMETHING LIKE A BYPASS.
AND SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE VERY HIGH LEVEL ESTIMATIONS OF SAFETY IMPACTS.
UH, WE WOULD CERTAINLY RECOMMEND, UM, A MORE IN-DEPTH ANALYSIS WOULD BE NEEDED TO VERIFY THE SPECIFIC REDUCTION NUMBER IF THAT IS EVER DESIRED.
I KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, CERTAIN GRANT APPLICATIONS, FOR EXAMPLE, ASK FOR THAT, THAT NUMBER.
UM, SO THERE WOULD STILL BE MORE WORK TO GET A MORE GRANULAR VALUE FROM THIS, THIS, UM, THIS, THIS AREA OF THE, OF THE TABLE THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING.
UM, BUT AT, AT THIS POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE COMFORTABLE COMPARING THE ALTERNATIVES AGAINST ONE ANOTHER BASED ON THIS INFORMATION.
SO ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE BICYCLE OR PEDESTRIAN CONNECTIVITY OR SAFETY? AND IF NOT, THEN I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO LAUREN JACKSON, OUR CHIEF ROADWAY ENGINEER, TO DISCUSS PE QUESTION, IS THAT WARNER? I, YEP.
UH, ON TWO AND THREE, UH, WHAT IF WE WERE TO, TO LOOK AT, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU PUT A, A OVERHEAD PEDESTRIAN BIKE, BUT MAYBE UNDERNEATH A TUNNEL, UH, AND THAT WOULD, UH, ALLOW THE PEDESTRIANS BIKERS TO MOVE THAT FREE WILL NOT, NOT AS THE TRAFFIC IS FLOWING.
ANY, I'M JUST THINKING OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD.
I HAVEN'T EVEN GONE BACK TO LOOK AT THE, YOUR DRAWINGS, IF THAT WOULD WORK, BUT, UH, MM-HMM.
AND I WAS THINKING TWO, THREE, SOME WAY TO MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM.
YEAH, ANY, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ABOUT GREAT.
I'VE TALKED ABOUT GREAT SEPARATION FOR VEHICLES QUITE A BIT IN OUR CONVERSATIONS OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, BUT THE SAME PRINCIPLES APPLY TO PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS.
IF THERE WAS A WAY TO DO, OR A DESIRE TO DO A PEDESTRIAN OVERPASS OR A TUNNEL, AS YOU MENTIONED, IT COULD GO UP OR DOWN, UH, THAT WOULD REMOVE ALL OF THE CONFLICT POINTS BECAUSE
[00:30:01]
THERE IS NO OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM TO INTERACT WITH THE VEHICLE IN THAT SPACE.UM, THAT IS NOT SOMETHING THAT WE CONSIDERED AT THIS POINT.
UM, WE WERE TRYING TO SEE HOW THOSE FACILITIES COULD BE FOLDED INTO AND WORK IN CONCERT WITH A POTENTIAL ROADWAY IMPROVEMENT.
BUT IF THERE IS DESIRE OR APPETITE TO DO SOME SORT OF SEPARATED STRUCTURE FOR PEDESTRIANS, PEDESTRIANS, AND BICYCLISTS, I WOULD CERTAINLY, UM, YOU KNOW, BE A HUGE ADVOCATE FOR THAT.
AND THAT WOULD BE THE SAFEST OPTION FOR PEOPLE TO CROSS, IS IF THEY HAD THEIR OWN COMPLETE CROSSING THAT DID NOT INCLUDE ANY VEHICLE CONFLICTS.
UH, YEAH, I, I WOULD ALSO MENTION ON THAT AS FAR AS IF YOU'RE DOING A SEPARATE PEDESTRIAN FACILITY, EITHER UNDER OR OVER, THAT COULD BE APPLIED TO ANY OF THE ALTERNATIVES.
SO IT REALLY DOESN'T CHANGE THE, OPERATE THE RESULTS OF WHAT EACH ALTERNATIVE PROVIDES.
IT'S WOULD JUST BE AN ADDED BENEFIT IF YOU COULD DO IT.
YEAH, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT POINT, LAUREN.
SO HEARING NO OTHER, UH, COMMENTS, LAUREN, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU.
AND I'M GONNA JUST KIND OF GO THROUGH A LITTLE BIT, UH, MORE DETAIL ON THE RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS THAT, UH, FOR THE VARIOUS ALTERNATIVES.
UH, STARTING OFF AND, AND MAY AS WE GO THROUGH THIS, YOU CAN JUST GO TO THE, UH, THE AERIAL SHOWING EACH ONE ALTERNATIVE ONE, WHICH IS BASICALLY THE, THE STATE OPTION WITH SOME MODIFICATIONS.
THOSE MODIFICATIONS DO INCLUDE AN ADDITIONAL LANE, UH, SOUTHBOUND AT GUMTREE.
SO WE DO HAVE A RIGHT OF WAY IMPACT OVER THERE TO ADD THAT ADDITIONAL LANE.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE, UH, THE RIGHT OF WAY IMPACT ON THIS ONE'S COMING FROM.
OTHERWISE, THIS IS THE, THE FOOTPRINT OF THIS IMPROVEMENT IS THE SAME AS THE ORIGINAL, UH, STATE, UH, ALTERNATIVE.
YOU CAN GO ON THE NUMBER TWO, THE BOW TIES.
OBVIOUSLY WHAT WE'VE DONE THERE IS WE'RE ADDING SOME ROUNDABOUTS ON THE SIDE STREETS.
SO WE, YOU CAN SEE WE'VE GOT RIGHT OF AWAY ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY NEEDED THERE FOR THOSE ROUNDABOUTS AT THE INTERSECTIONS.
WE'RE ELIMINATING THE LEFT TURN LANE, SO WE'RE POTENTIALLY GAINING A LITTLE RIGHT OF WAY THERE.
BUT, UH, AT THIS POINT, WE DIDN'T WANT TO COMMIT TO A REDUCTION IN RIGHT OF WAY.
BUT IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT THERE COULD BE A SLIGHT REDUCTION IN RIDE AWAY ALONG MAIN LINE ON THIS ALTERNATIVE, JUST BECAUSE YOU DON'T NEED THOSE TURN LANES.
AND THEN IT ALSO, THIS IMPROVEMENT DOES INCLUDE THE ADDITIONAL LANE AT GUMTREE STILL, AND THAT WORKS OUT TO ROUGHLY 1.1 ACRES TOTAL.
THE, UH, THE GUMTREE, UH, RIGHT OF AWAY IS ABOUT 0.2 ACRES.
THIS IS THE ECHELONS OR CENTER TURN OVERPASSES.
AND WHAT WE'RE SHOWING HERE IS BASICALLY THE WORST CASE FOR WHATEVER OPTIONS ARE CHOSEN THERE, BECAUSE THERE ARE MULTIPLE OPTIONS WITHIN THIS ALTERNATIVE.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE, WE STILL HAVE THE IMPROVEMENT AT GUMTREE, AND THEN WE HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF WIDENING ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY REQUIRED ALONG, UH, THE MAIN LINE.
AND THAT IS TO PROVIDE, UH, RIGHT TURN LANES SEPARATING OFF FROM THE RAISED SECTION TO PROVIDE THE ACCESS TO THE PARCELS ADJACENT TO THE INTERSECTIONS.
AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE SOME, UH, RIGHT OF WAY NEEDED FOR SOME TURNAROUNDS TO MAIN, AGAIN, TO MAINTAIN FULL ACCESS.
'CAUSE ONE OF THE ISSUES WITH THE S WITH THE, WHEN YOU START RAISING, UH, GRADE AT THE INTERSECTIONS, YOU START IMPACTING SOME OF THE LOCAL ACCESS NEAR THE INTERSECTION.
SO TO ADDRESS THAT, WE'RE PROVIDING SOME ADDITIONAL LANE OR SOME TURNAROUNDS TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN FULL ACCESS.
AND THEN ALTERNATIVE FOUR, THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL RIGHT AWAY, UH, TAKINGS REQUIRED THAT, UH, COMPLETELY FITS WITHIN THE FOOTPRINT OF THE, UH, STATE OPTION RIGHT AWAY.
THERE IS LAUREN, SORRY, COULD YOU, UM, GO BACK? I HAVE A SLIDE FOR THE CENTER TURN OVERPASS RIGHT AWAY THAT'S A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT THAN THE ECHELON.
YEAH, THE CENTER TURN, AGAIN, IT'S SIMILAR TO THE ECHELON, SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT JUST BECAUSE OF THE CONFIGURATION.
UH, YOU COULD SEE THE RIGHT OF WAY ALONG.
THE MAIN LINE IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT LOCATIONS.
THE TURNAROUNDS ARE, ARE, ARE SIMILAR.
WHAT WE'VE DONE WITH THIS BECAUSE OF THE CONFIGURATION AT SPANISH WELLS, WE ARE USING THE SAME LAYOUT WITH THE ROUNDABOUTS AS THE, UH, BOW TIE OPTION, JUST BECAUSE OF THE WAY THE LANES WORKED OUT.
[00:35:01]
WASN'T AS A ADVANTAGEOUS, BUT OTHERWISE, UH, IT'S SOMEWHAT SIMILAR TO THE, UH, TO THE ECHELON OPTIONS.AND THEN HERE'S OUR KIND OF SUMMARY OF THE RIGHT OF WAY.
AS I MENTIONED, THE, UH, ALTERNATIVE ONE, THE MODIFIED STATE OPTION HAS THAT 0.2 ACRES AT GUMTREE.
AND THEN OPTION TWO, THE BOW TIES IS 1.1 ACRES FOR THOSE ROUNDABOUTS THAT ARE BEING ADDED.
AND THAT WOULD BE ON THE, UH, THE LOCAL SYSTEM.
THERE IS NO ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY ALONG THE MAIN LINE ROADWAY THERE.
AND THEN ALTERNATIVE THREE WE JUST LOOKED AT FOR EITHER ONE, THE WORST CASE THERE IS 1.4 ADDITIONAL ACRES, UH, BOTH ON THE SIDE STREETS AS WELL AS A LITTLE BIT ALONG THE MAIN LINE.
AND THEN THE ELEVATED BYPASS HAS NO ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY.
THE, UH, THAT FITS COMPLETELY WITHIN THE FOOTPRINT OF THE STATE OPTION OR EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY.
SO AS WE GO THROUGH THE, THE RANKINGS THERE, YOU CAN SEE, UH, THEY'RE NOT, THERE'S NOT A HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE RIGHT OF WAY AMOUNTS THERE.
THE, THE QUANTITIES ARE FAIRLY SMALL, BUT, UM, WE HAVE RANKED THOSE IN ORDER THERE.
AND THEN WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED A RANKING AS FAR AS OUR PROJECTED COST OF EACH ONE OF THESE ALTERNATIVES.
YOU CAN SEE THE, UH, MODIFIED STATE ALTERNATIVE IS THE, IS PROJECTED TO BE THE LOWEST COST.
UM, AND THAT IS BECAUSE IT IS GENERALLY THIS, AND THESE COSTS ARE BASED ON THE STATE ALTERNATIVE.
SO IT'S BASICALLY THERE, THE ORIGINAL ALTERNATIVE WITH THOSE, SOME OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENTS, UH, THAT DON'T REALLY HAVE SIGNIFICANT COSTS PLUS THE IMPROVEMENT AT GUMTREE AT THAT ADDITIONAL LANE.
SO IT'S SLIGHTLY MORE THAN WHAT THE STATE ALTERNATIVE WOULD BE, BUT, BUT NOT MUCH.
WE'VE GOT THE ALTERNATIVE TWO, UM, THAT DOES REQUIRE THE ADDING THOSE, UH, ROUNDABOUTS.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE A LITTLE BIT HIGHER COST THAN ALTERNATIVE ONE.
AND WE GET INTO ALTERNATE THREE, WHICH HAS THE RAISED, UH, INTERSECTIONS.
SO OBVIOUSLY THOSE WILL HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL COST ON TOP OF THAT BECAUSE YOU STILL HAVE SOME OF THE TURNAROUNDS.
AND THEN ALTERNATIVE FOUR, THE RA ELEVATED BYPASS WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE.
'CAUSE YOU'LL HAVE A COMBINATION OF RAISED, UH, ROADWAY ON EMBANKMENT WITH, WITH WALLS, AND THEN BRIDGES AT THE, UH, AT THE CROSSOVERS.
SO AS YOU GOT A QUICK QUESTION THERE, UM, ARE YOU ABLE TO TELL US THE PERCENTAGE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 1, 3, 4 AND THREE? UM, AT THIS POINT, NOT, WE WILL HAVE THAT IN THE FINAL REPORT.
WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR SOME MORE DETAILED INFORMATION FROM THE STATE ON, ON COST COST DATA.
SO AS WE TOTALED THOSE UP, LIKE WE DID ON THE PREVIOUS, UH, ANALYSIS, UH, YOU'VE GOT THE RANKINGS THERE.
UH, THE ALTERNATE ONE COMES IN FIRST, FOLLOWED BY TWO AND FOUR, AND THEN, UH, ALTERNATE THREE HAS THE, UH, FOURTH PLACE RANKING.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT WE DO OKAY WITH THAT.
WE'LL MOVE ON TO ENVIRONMENTAL THEN.
SO FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL OVERVIEW, THE STATE'S DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT, OR EA, YOU'LL HEAR ME USE THAT ACRONYM THROUGH, UH, SPORADICALLY THROUGHOUT MY, UH, PORTION OF THIS PRESENTATION.
BUT THE STATE'S EA DOES A GOOD JOB AT PROVIDING BASELINE, UH, RESOURCES, BOTH ECOLOGICAL AND SOCIAL WITHIN THEIR DEFINED PROJECT AREA.
THE INTENT OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL OVERVIEW IS TO LOOK BEYOND THAT AREA AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL, UH, TO IDENTIFY POTENTIAL AREAS OF CONCERN OR WHAT WE CALL RED FLAGS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ALTERNATIVES THAT ARE BEING DISCUSSED HERE FOR CONSIDERATION.
UH, THE INTENT IS TO INFORM DESIGN ENGINEERS, TRAFFIC ENGINEERS SUCH AS, UH, WARREN, KATE, AND, AND, UH, NATE, UM, OF POTENTIAL CONSTRAINTS THAT ACCOMMODATIONS CAN BE MADE INTO PLAN DEVELOPMENT AND FOR THE PROJECT TEAM TO ASSESS RISK, UM, BEING RISK TO HOW IT AFFECTS OVERALL COST AND SCHEDULE WHEN EVALUATING SEVERAL ALTERNATIVES, SUCH AS WE ARE DOING HERE, AS
[00:40:01]
PART OF THE, UH, WELL, WE'RE NOT DOING THIS AS PART OF THE NEPA PROCESS.A NEPA PROCESS IS WHAT THE S-C-D-O-T IS UNDERTAKING, BUT WE'RE INFORMING WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO THAT NEPA PROCESS, UH, FOR WHATEVER ALTERNATIVES WE, WE RECOMMEND TO THE TOWN AND TOWN ADVANCES.
UM, BUT WHEN EVALUATING SEVERAL ALTERNATIVES AS PART OF EVALUATION SUCH AS THIS IS, THIS IS AN ACCEPTABLE METHOD TO DO THIS HIGH LEVEL GIS LEVEL REVIEW TO SCREEN DOWN ALTERNATIVES TO A REASONABLE BATCH TO ADVANCE, UH, FOR FURTHER CONSIDERATION.
AND THAT HIGH LEVEL SCREENING IS USUALLY DONE BECAUSE OF THE, UH, COST PROHIBIT NATURE OF COMPLETING DETAILED FEE FIELD INVESTIGATIONS AND REPORTING ON EVERY ALTERNATIVE THAT, UM, UH, AN AGENCY OR, UH, MUNICIPALITY IS, IS LOOKING AT.
THE OVERVIEW IS LIMITED IN THAT THE RESOURCES THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE TODAY HAVE NOT BEEN FIELD VERIFIED.
AGAIN, ONLY LOOKED AT FROM THIS 10,000 FOOT ELEVATION.
UH, PUBLIC AND STAKEHOLDERS HAVE NOT BEEN ENGAGED REGARDING ANY OF THESE PROPOSED ALTERNATIVES YET.
UH, I BELIEVE THAT WOULD BE FORTHCOMING, UH, FOR WHATEVER ALTERNATIVES ARE ADVANCED AND, AND LOOK TO BE ADOPTED INTO THE STATE'S, UH, PROJECT, UH, INPUT FROM RESOURCE AGENCIES ALSO HAVEN'T BEEN GATHERED YET.
SO AGAIN, HIGH LEVEL LOOKING AT POTENTIAL RED FLAGS AND HOW THAT MAY IMPACT THE STATE'S EA.
UM, BUT THESE TYPES OF INPUTS, THE GATHERING OF INFORMATION FROM RESOURCE AGENCIES, FROM THE PUBLIC, THE STAKEHOLDERS, AND, AND DOING YOUR, UH, DETAILED FIELD INVESTIGATIONS.
THAT'S ALL PART OF WHAT SHOULD BE COMING LATER.
UM, BUT ANYWAYS, WE'LL, WE'LL JUMP INTO THE NEXT SLIDE HERE.
UM, THE MAPS SHOW OUR RED FLAG RESOURCES ASSOCIATED WITH THE FOUR ALTERNATIVES.
UM, GENERALLY, UH, ASSOCIATED WITH PHYSICAL ENCROACHMENTS, OR AS LAUREN SAID, ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY THAT'S, UH, THOUGHT TO BE NEEDED, UH, FOR EACH ALTERNATIVE.
AND HOPEFULLY YOU GUYS CAN SEE THE LEGEND FROM WHERE YOU'RE AT.
I THINK YOU GUYS HAD THE PRESENTATIONS IN FRONT OF YOU, BUT, UM, ALTERNATIVE THREE IS SHOWN IN YELLOW THERE.
THAT WAS, THAT'S THE ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY AREAS, AGAIN, ASSUMING WORST CASE SCENARIOS HERE, I KNOW THERE'S DIFFERENT, UM, VARIATIONS FOR ALTERNATIVE THREE, UH, BUT THAT'S WORST CASE RIGHT AWAY.
AND THEN, UH, THE ORANGE STRIP THERE DOWN BY GUMTREE, THAT'S ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERNATIVES.
THAT'S THE, UH, ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY NEEDED THERE ALONG GUMTREE FOR THE, THE TURN LANE LAUREN MENTIONED.
UH, AND THEN ALTERNATIVE TWO IS SHOWN IN, UH, RED POLYGONS THERE FOR THE BOW TIE LOCATIONS.
UM, SO GENERALLY THESE ARE AREAS OF, UH, PHYSICAL ENCROACHMENT THAT WOULD BE ADDED.
UH, THE EXCEPTION TO THIS IS ALTERNATIVE FOUR, UH, WHICH IS SHOWN IN A MAGENTA COLOR HERE.
UH, THAT WAS ADDED JUST FOR, YOU KNOW, WE JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE A FOOTPRINT WAS DELAYED SO THAT WHEN WE'RE DOING OUR HIGH LEVEL VALUATION ON, ON RESOURCES, WE DIDN'T FORGET THERE WAS AN ELEVATED, UH, BYPASS LANE THAT WENT THROUGH THAT CROSS ISLAND, UM, INTERCHANGE THERE.
SO THIS MAP HERE GENERALLY SHOWS THE ECOLOGICAL, THIS IS BROKEN UP INTO FOR EASE OF VIEWING.
'CAUSE WE DON'T WANNA PUT EVERYTHING ON ONE MAP, THAT'D BE JUST TOO CRAZY.
UH, BUT FOR EASE OF VIEWING, UH, WE BROKE IT UP INTO ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL.
SO WHAT YOU SEE ON THIS MAP ARE LARGELY YOUR NWI WETLANDS.
SO THAT'S NATIONAL WETLAND INVENTORY WETLANDS.
AND SOME PEOPLE THINK NWI WETLANDS ARE ACTUAL PHYSICAL DELINEATED BOUNDARIES.
THEY'RE JUST POLYGONS THAT SOMEBODY DREW ON A MAP THAT SAID, THERE IS SOMETHING OF NOTEWORTHY CONSIDERATION IN THIS AREA.
AND YOU SEE, UH, PEMS, PFOS, THOSE ARE PLUSING EMERGENT WETLANDS, PLUSING FORESTED WETLANDS.
UH, YOU GOT A LOT OF ES SHOEING.
SO SALT WATER WETLANDS IN THIS AREA TOO.
THERE'S YOUR E CLASSIFICATIONS THERE.
SO THESE ARE JUST, UH, BROAD CATEGORIES OF WETLAND CLASSIFICATIONS THAT SERVE AS A
[00:45:01]
STARTING POINT.BUT THEN YOU HAVE TO GO OUT AND, LIKE I SAID, FIELD VERIFY THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY PRESENT.
UM, YOU ALSO HAD THE FLOODPLAIN MAP ON, ON HERE TOO, THAT'S SHOWN IN A MORE OF A, UM, BLUISH TRANSPARENT, UH, LAYER THERE.
I THINK THAT'S PRETTY MUCH IT ON THIS, UH, NATE, IF YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND MOVE, UH, FORWARD.
SO HERE'S OUR, UH, SOCIAL RESOURCE, UH, MAP HERE.
UM, WE OF COURSE, ALL ARE FAMILIAR WITH STONY TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY, UH, BECAUSE ALTERNATIVE FOUR DOES SWING DOWN TOWARDS GUMTREE ROAD, WE NOW HAVE SQUIRE POPE, WHICH IS ANOTHER GULLAH COMMUNITY, UH, THAT COMES INTO FOCUS HERE.
UH, YOU ALSO HAVE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF CROSS, OR EXCUSE ME, SOUTH SIDE OF 2 78, AND WHAT WOULD BE THE WEST SIDE OF CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, HONEY HORN PLANTATION, WHICH WAS IDENTIFIED AS A RESOURCE THAT WAS ELIGIBLE FOR THE NATIONAL, OR THAT IS ELIGIBLE FOR THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES.
UH, FROM THE RECORDS THAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO OBTAIN, THAT WAS IDENTIFIED AT THE TIME CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY WAS BEING CONSTRUCTED.
AND MY BEST, I CAN PINPOINT WHEN THAT OCCURS, SOMETIME BETWEEN 94 AND 2005, ACCORDING TO, UM, HISTORIC AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY.
UM, BUT WE CAN, OH, LET'S SEE WHAT ELSE WE HAVE.
WE HAVE JARVIS, UH, PARK HERE.
IT'S OFF TO THE EDGE OF THE SCREEN, UH, IN GREEN, UH, AND THEN SEVERAL PATHWAYS I THINK ARE ADDED ON HERE.
AND THEN THERE'S, UH, SHELL FOOD MART, WHICH IS A, UH, POTENTIAL HAZARDOUS MATERIAL SITE THAT WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE EA AS WELL.
UM, WE CAN COME BACK TO THESE MAPS IF NEED BE, UH, BUT DID WANNA MOVE FORWARD TO OUR MATRIX THAT WE HAD PREPARED FOR, UM, THIS DISCUSSION HERE.
SO THE MATRIX HERE IS, IT'S BROKEN UP, I'D SAY INTO TWO HALFS.
THE TOP HALF OF THIS IS MORE DRIVEN TOWARDS THE ECOLOGICAL, UH, BUT THAT'D BE MINUS THE ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY.
AND ADDITIONAL RELOCATIONS, UH, I, SO PROBABLY NOT THE TOP HALF, BUT THE MIDDLE, UH, THIRD THERE
THAT'S ALL THE, THE REAL, UM, GENERAL ECOLOGICAL CATEGORIES THAT ARE LOOKED AT, UM, AS PART OF A NEPA PROCESS.
UM, BUT ANYWAYS, UM, THAT'S, THAT'S THE, UM, I'D SAY TOP HALF OF THE, OF THE MATRIX.
THE, AND THEN, THEN THE, GENERALLY THE BOTTOM HALF IS, UH, WHAT I WOULD SAY IS THE, THE SOCIAL COMPONENTS.
UM, THE VALUES IN THE MATRIX ARE BASED PURELY ON, LIKE I SAID EARLIER, POTENTIAL, UH, PHYSICAL ENCROACHMENT, UH, THAT IS WHERE RIGHT AWAY IS NEEDED.
UM, WHAT THIS SHOWS WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT IT IS THERE'S NOT, LIKE, THERE'S NOT LIKELY TO BE SUBSTANTIAL INCREASES IN IMPACTS TO ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES.
UM, I THINK THERE'S MORE OF A FOCUS ON POTENTIAL FOR IMPACTS TO THE SOCIAL COMMUNITY, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING AT ALTERNATIVES TWO AND THREE.
YOU CAN SEE A, A LOT OF, UH, DARKER COLORS HERE AS THE COLORS GET DARKER, IT, IT SIGNIFIES MORE, UH, A HIGHER LEVEL OF, OF IMPACT.
BUT AGAIN, OVERALL, YOU'RE NOT REALLY ADDING A WHOLE LOT TO WHAT, UH, THE S-C-D-O-T HAD ALREADY IDENTIFIED AS AN IMPACT, AS PART OF THEIR, UH, RECOMMENDED, PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.
UM, NEXT PART OF THE MATRIX, AND THAT I'LL JUMP FORWARD TO OUR RANKING AND SCORING ON, ON THIS, UM, AGAIN, IT'S TAKING WHAT YOU SAW QUANTITY WISE ON THE PREVIOUS SIDE, AND THEN JUST ASSIGNING IT A RANK BASED ON HOW IT'S STACKED UP AGAINST THE OTHER ALTERNATIVES.
UH, BUT WHAT, WHAT THE BIG TAKEAWAY FROM HERE IS, IS THAT ALL TWO AND THREE SEEM TO HAVE THE MOST POTENTIAL FOR ADDITIONAL IMPACTS CONTRIBUTING TO THEIR THIRD AND FOURTH PLACE, UH, RANKING RESPECTIVELY.
UM, BUT AGAIN, THIS ONLY TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION OF PHYSICAL AND ENCROACHMENTS.
[00:50:02]
ALTERNATIVE ONE, OBVIOUSLY WITH JUST MINOR, UH, RIGHT OF WAY THERE AT GUMTREE DOESN'T HAVE A LOT OF CHANGE.JUST NOT, THUS NOT A LOT OF CHANGES IN IMPACTS, WHICH IS WHY YOU'RE SEEING A LOT OF, UH, LOW SCORES THERE.
AND THE COUPLE TWOS, UH, THE EL ELEVATED BYPASS, ALTERNATIVE FOUR, UM, HAS A FAIR NUMBER OF ONES.
AND THAT'S, AGAIN, MAINLY BECAUSE OF IT OCCURRING WITHIN EXISTING RIGHT OF WAY AND NOT REQUIRING, UH, ANY PHYSICAL ENCROACHMENTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS OR COMMUNITIES.
UM, BUT ALSO HAS SOME HIGHER VALUES TO A TWO, A THREE AND A FOUR.
UM, THE THREE AND THE FOUR ARE RELATED TO ECOLOGICAL RESOURCES, BUT AGAIN, OVERALL, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT LESS THAN AN ACRE, MORE THAN WHAT WAS IDENTIFIED IN THE S-C-D-O-T PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.
SO OVER, IT DOESN'T AMOUNT TO A, A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT MORE.
BUT, UM, CULTURAL RESOURCES IS MAINLY BECAUSE OF THE ADDITION OF THE HONEY HORN PLANTATION IN INTO THE, UH, MIX.
UH, BUT YOU CAN SEE AT THE BOTTOM THERE THE RANKINGS, UH, ALTERNATIVE ONE, JUST BECAUSE OF THE MINIMAL CHANGES TO THE ENVIRONMENT OR ADDITIONAL RESOURCES BEING ADDED.
THAT'S WHY IT RANKED THE HIGHEST, UH, FROM ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE.
AND THEN, UH, THE BOW TIES CAME IN AT NUMBER THREE, UH, PRIMARILY BECAUSE OF THE ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY, BUT ALSO THE BOW TIES WOULD BE BRINGING SOME TRAFFIC INTO THOSE NEIGHBORHOOD AREAS THAT PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE GOING THAT WAY IF THEY WERE TO STAY ON THE MAIN LINE.
UM, AND THEN THE ECHELON CENTER TURN OVERPASS RANKED THE HIGHEST.
AGAIN, YOU'RE INTRODUCING, UM, UH, SOME TURNING RESTRICTIONS, SOME, UH, MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC INTO NE FURTHER INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
BUT YOU'RE ALSO INTRODUCING SOME ELEVATED, SOME, UH, RAISED, UH, DESIGN FEATURES THAT CREATE VISUAL INTRUSIONS BARRIERS TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD.
UM, AND THEN ALTERNATIVE FOUR, AGAIN, NOT PHYSICAL ENCROACHMENTS, BUT UM, THERE CERTAINLY ARE SOME NEIGHBORHOOD AND, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUES TO CONSIDER HERE.
UM, BUT WHAT WE WANT, WHAT WE NEEDED TO DO, AND, AND HOW TO TAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT FURTHER IS TO NOT ONLY CONS, TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION THE PHYSICAL ENCROACHMENT, BUT WE NEEDED TO ASSESS SOME WEIGHTED FACTORS ASSOCIATED, UH, WITH THESE ALTERNATIVES.
'CAUSE FOR INSTANCE, ON ALTERNATIVE, UH, YOU CAN SEE AT, AT RANK OR I GOT A SCORE OF ONE, BUT YOU KNOW, YOU ARE ELEVATING A ROADWAY THROUGH, UM, A COMMUNITY THAT'S DESIGNATED AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE POPULATION, BUT ALSO A HISTORIC, IT'S NOT REALLY A FAIR NUMBER.
SO WE LOOKED AT IT A LITTLE BIT DEEPER AND TRIED TO ASSIGN SOME, UH, WEIGHT TO IT BASED ON THE RISK OF THE COST AND SCHEDULE.
SO LET'S MOVE TO THE NEXT SLIDE THERE.
NATE, IF I COULD ASK A QUESTION REAL QUICK.
ON THE ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS NUMBER OF ACRES, NUMBER OF TRACKS, IS THAT OUTSIDE OF WHAT THE TOWN CURRENTLY OWNS OR IS THAT A COMBINATION OF WHAT THE TOWN OWNS IN PRIVATE PROPERTY? LAUREN, DO YOU HAVE THAT? YES, THAT IS ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY.
THE PARCELS THAT THE TOWN OWNS THAT ISN'T CURRENTLY DESIGNATED AS ROADWAY RIGHT OF WAY IS CONSIDERED ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY.
JUST BECAUSE WE'RE, WE'RE NOT DISTINGUISHING WHO OWNS THE PROPERTY, JUST WHETHER IT IS CURRENTLY ROADWAY RIGHT OF WAY OR NOT, THAT THAT'LL BE IMPORTANT FOR US, THAT IS THE WAY THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS GOES AS WELL.
FOR THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROCESS, IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT YEAH, EVEN IF THE TOWN OWNS IT, I MEAN, IT'S JUST AN S-C-D-O-T PROJECT.
UH, SO THEY'RE, WHEN THEY COME THROUGH AND PURCHASE THE RIGHT WAY, THERE WOULD STILL HAVE TO BE SOME FORM OF TRANSFER OF OWNERSHIP BETWEEN THE TOWN AND THE STATE.
SO I THINK UNDERSTAND, PLAY IT CONSERVATIVELY.
BUT FROM A COMMUNAL STANDPOINT, WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT IS AFFECTING THOSE RESIDENTS IN THE AREA.
AND WE'RE NOT AS CONCERNED ABOUT THE TOWN PROPERTY AS MUCH AS WE ARE THOSE WITHIN THAT STONY AREA.
SO THAT'S AN IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO, TO HAVE.
AND WHAT WE CAN DO IN THE FINAL REPORT, WE'LL BREAK THAT OUT SEPARATELY.
WE'LL HAVE RIGHT AWAY THAT IS PRIVATELY OWNED AND RIGHT AWAY THAT IS OWNED BY A PUBLIC ENTITY.
AND ALSO, IF WE COULD, UM, IF THERE ARE MULTIPLE TRACKS THAT ARE OWNED
[00:55:01]
BY THE SAME PEOPLE, IF WE COULD HAVE THAT IDENTIFIED AS WELL, JUST SO THAT WE KNOW WHAT IMPACT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT INDIVIDUALLY OVERALL.ANY MORE QUESTIONS BEFORE I MOVE ON? I RIGHT, NATE, PLEASE FLIP.
SORRY, I DIDN'T EVEN NOTICE THAT.
SO WHEN CONSIDERING RISK, UH, NOT ONLY DO WE TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION ADDITIONAL IMPACTS TO RESOURCES, UH, BUT HOW THAT ALTERNATIVE WILL AFFECT COST AND SCHEDULE, UH, DUE TO THE ADDITIONAL PROCESS THAT NEEDS TO BE, UH, ADHERED TO, UH, THE NEXT SERIES OF SLIDES, WHICH IS THIS, STARTS THAT SERIES, UH, SHOWS EACH ALTERNATIVE IN RELATION TO THE CURRENT S-C-D-O-T RECOMMENDED PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE.
SO THE, THE FIRST COLUMN THERE, I GUESS IT'S TECHNICALLY THE SECOND COLUMN SAYS BASELINE, S-E-D-O-T.
I DID JUST WANNA TAKE A MOMENT AND JUST REITERATE WHAT I SAID BEFORE.
THESE ARE, UH, THESE ARE ADDIT, THESE ARE THE ADDITIONAL SLIDES THAT YOU ALL DO NOT HAVE IN YOUR PRESENTATION.
SO, UM, WE'LL BE PROVIDING THE FULL DECK OF THAT.
THANKS NATE FOR COVERING THAT.
UM, SO THE SECOND COLUMN THERE IS, IS, UH, RESOURCE IMPACTS THAT WERE PULLED FROM THE STATE'S EA.
UH, THE SECOND COLUMN IS THE PRELIMINARY, UH, ADDITIONAL IMPACTS, UH, FROM THE CONSIDERED ALTERNATIVE HERE.
SO IN THIS CASE, ON THIS SLIDE, THIS IS ALTERNATIVE ONE.
AND THEN THE, THE FOURTH COLUMN THERE, TOTAL ADJUSTED IS THE BASE.
IT'S THE, UM, IT'S THE NET CHANGE.
SO IT'S, IT'S THE BASELINE PLUS THE ALTERNATIVE.
UM, AND YOU CAN SEE HERE THE ECOLOGICAL, THE RELOCATIONS, THE RIGHT OF WAY.
THEY DON'T REALLY PRESENT A MAJOR CONCERN 'CAUSE THERE'S JUST NOT A LOT ADDED, UH, COMPARED TO WHAT S-C-D-O-T HAD IDENTIFIED IN THEIR EA.
UM, THERE IS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT TO THE FACT, AND THIS IS HIGHLIGHTED IN THE RISK CONSIDERATION COMM TO THE NEED THAT THERE, THERE WILL BE A NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FIELD WORK, ADDITIONAL COORDINATION, REGULATORY AGENCIES.
UM, BUT IT, UH, IN MY OPINION, IT DOESN'T REALLY PRESENT, UH, A GAME CHANGER OR A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE, UH, THAT COULDN'T BE OVERCOME.
SO, AND, AND YOU'RE GONNA SEE ON EACH OF THE FOUR ALTERNATIVES HERE THAT WILL STEP THROUGH THAT ECOLOGICAL RELOCATION.
AND RIGHT AWAY ROWS HERE ARE PRETTY MUCH THE SAME.
SO I'M NOT GONNA HASH THROUGH THOSE ON EVERY, EVERY SLIDE HERE.
BUT WHAT IS IMPORTANT ON THESE SLIDES AND WHAT WE WILL TALK ABOUT MORE, UH, AS PART OF EACH ALTERNATIVE IS THE NEIGHBORHOODS, THE ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, THE CULTURAL RESOURCE, AND THE FOUR F ASPECTS.
UM, SO JUMPING RIGHT IN HERE WITH, WITH ALTERNATIVE ONE, UH, THE NEIGHBORHOOD ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, UH, THE, THE EA IDENTIFIED STONY COMMUNITY AS AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AREA.
IT'S OBVIOUSLY A, A NEIGHBORHOOD IN OF ITSELF.
UM, WE'RE NOT CHANGING ANYTHING AS PART OF, UH, IN TERMS OF IMPACT.
NOT CHANGING ANYTHING, UH, TO STONY.
BUT THE ADDITION OF THAT TWO TENTHS OF AN ACRE DOWN AT SQUIRE POPE IS, UH, A NEW NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S INTRODUCED.
'CAUSE THAT'S TECHNICALLY WITHIN THE BOUNDARY OF SQUIRE POPE.
UM, AND THEN, UH, SO THAT ADDITION OF 0.2 ACRES ADDS UP TO, TAKES YOU 4.77 ACRES IN THE EA TO ABOUT FIVE ACRES.
UH, IF YOU WERE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ALTERNATIVE ONE, AT LEAST IN TERMS OF NEIGHBORHOODS AND, AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, UH, THE NEW IMPACTS TO THE SQUIRE POPE COMMUNITY.
AND IT SHOULD REQUIRE, UH, ADDITIONAL OUTREACH AND ENGAGEMENT OPPORTUNITIES TO INFORM THEM OF THE UPDATES TO THE PROJECT.
'CAUSE RIGHT NOW, I DON'T KNOW HOW INVOLVED THEY'VE BEEN IN THIS PROJECT.
UH, IT SEEMS LIKE STONY HAS BEEN THE PRIMARY ONE ENGAGED, UH, FROM ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE PERSPECTIVE, IT'S, IT'S THE SAME, UH, SAME RISK CULTURAL RESOURCES.
THE EA IDENTIFIED TWO, UH, PROPERTIES THAT
[01:00:01]
WERE ELIGIBLE FOR THE NATIONAL REGISTER TO STONE EAT TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY.AND THEN THERE'S AN ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE.
AND BECAUSE OF ALTERNATIVE ONE, THERE'S NO CHANGE.
THE CURRENT SECTION 1 0 6 FINDINGS, SO SECTION 1 0 6 IS DEALING WITH CULTURAL RESOURCES, THAT BEING YOUR ABOVE GROUND STRUCTURES, UH, AND SUBSURFACE FEATURES THAT ARE DETERMINED, ELIGIBLE, OR ARE LISTED IN THE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES.
BUT THE CURRENT SECTION 1 0 6 FINDING WAS AN ADVERSE EFFECT BECAUSE OF IMPACTS AT ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE.
BECAUSE OF ALTERNATIVE ONE, I WOULD SEE NO NEED FOR ADDITIONAL CHANGE TO THAT FINDING.
JUST NEED TO ADD IN WHAT IS CHANGING AS PART OF ALTERNATIVE ONE, BUT IT SHOULDN'T HAVE CHANGED TO OVERALL FINDING.
AND THEN IN TERMS OF SECTION FOUR F RESOURCES, SO I KIND OF DEFINED WHAT FOUR F RESOURCES WERE ON THE PREVIOUS SLIDE, BUT DIDN'T REALLY TALK ABOUT IT.
BUT FOUR F RESOURCES DEAL WITH, UM, YOUR CULTURAL RESOURCES.
SO THOSE RESOURCES THAT ARE ELIGIBLE OR LISTED FOR THE NATIONAL REGISTER, UM, BUT ALSO PUBLIC PARKS, UH, TRAILS, WILDLIFE REFUGES, PUBLIC RECREATIONAL AREAS.
THESE ARE ALL PROTECTED FEATURES UNDER SECTION FOUR F.
AND SO, UM, THE EA EVALUATED AS THEY SHOULD, THE FOUR F, UH, RESOURCES AND HOW THE PROJECT WOULD IMPACT IT.
UM, STONY AND THE PARK AT 1 52, UH, WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY.
UM, THOSE WERE FOUND TO HAVE THE MINIMUS FOUR F IMPACTS, WHICH JUST MEANS MINOR IMPACTS THAT ARE JUST PROGRAMMATICALLY APPROVED.
UH, THE, UM, PICKNEY, NATIONAL PICKNEY ISLAND, UH, NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE THAT, UM, THAT HAD A NET BENEFIT PROGRAMMATIC FOUR F EVALUATION.
AGAIN, BECAUSE OF THAT, THEY HAD TO DO A DETAILED ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS LOOKED, AND I'M SURE YOU GUYS ARE ALL FAMILIAR WITH THIS, BUT, SO I DON'T WANNA DWELL ON IT TOO MUCH, BUT, UH, HAD TO LOOK AT A VARIETY OF ALTERNATIVES TO PROVE THAT THE ONE THAT THEY PICKED HAD THE, UM, HAD MINIMAL IMPACTS TO THE WILDLIFE REFUGE.
UH, SO NET BENEFIT, UH, FOR THAT PROPERTY.
UM, SO AS PART OF, AS A RESULT OF ALTERNATIVE ONE, I DON'T SEE ANY CHANGE EXPECTED TO ANY OF THOSE FOUR F FINDINGS ARE NOT INCREASING ANY OF THE CONVERSIONS, UM, OF THOSE RESOURCES.
SO, UM, THE ONE NOTE ADDED NOTE I HAD HERE WAS WHETHER SQUIRE RISK IS SQUIRE POKED.
IF IT GOES THE SAME PATH AS STONY DID, IT MIGHT HAVE TO BE EVALUATED AS A TCP ITSELF.
AND EVEN IF IT WAS CONSIDERED A TCP, A TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY AND CONSIDERED ELIGIBLE FOR THE REGISTER TO THE STRIP OR RIGHT AWAY THAT LAUREN IS SAYING WOULD BE NEEDED IS REALLY, IF YOU LOOK AT IT, IT'S, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S PART OF THE EXISTING TRANSPORTATION INFRASTRUCTURE ANYWAY.
SO IT WOULDN'T BE AN ACTUAL CONVERSION OF A FOUR F RESOURCE FROM A, A NON TRANSPORTATION USE TO A TRANSPORTATION USE.
SO I'M NOT REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT FOUR F UM, FOR SQUIRE POPE IF IT WERE EVEN CONSIDERED AN ELIGIBLE RESOURCE.
SO, ALL RIGHT, LET'S MOVE FORWARD TO ALTERNATIVE TWO.
AGAIN, WE WON'T TALK ABOUT THE ECOLOGICAL RELOCATIONS.
JUST THE DI ADDITIONAL COORDINATION.
SO THIS IS THE, UH, BOW TIES, UH, FOR NEIGHBORHOODS AND ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE.
I BELIEVE THERE IS, UH, SOME SHOULD BE SOME RECOGNITION OF CONCERN, UH, BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF THE BOW TIES.
AND AGAIN, YOU'RE RESTRICTING TURNING MOVEMENTS AT 2 78 AND WHATEVER CROSSROAD THERE, SQUIRE, WHETHER IT BE SQUIRE OR POPE OR SPANISH WELLS, YOU'RE REQUIRING TRAFFIC TO GO INTO THE FURTHER INTO THOSE NEIGHBORHOODS TO MAKE, UH, BASICALLY A U-TURN AND COME BACK AROUND.
UM, THAT'S INTRODUCING SOME PROBABLY UNDESIRABLE TRANSPORTATION FEATURES INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS THEMSELVES.
SO, UM, THAT'S DEFINITELY SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED AND MORE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE, THE COMMUNITIES AND THE PUBLIC, UH, JUST TO GET THEIR INPUT, THEIR FEEDBACK ON, ON THE CHANGE.
IF ALTERNATIVE TWO WAS, WAS ADVANCED,
[01:05:01]
EXCUSE ME.UM, CULTURAL RESOURCES, AGAIN WITH, WITH, UH, STONY AND THE ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE THERE, UH, ADDITION OF, UH, THE BOW TIES DOES REQUIRES ABOUT JUST ABOUT AN ACRE OF ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY FROM STONY.
I DON'T SEE THAT AS NECESSARILY CONSTITUTING, UM, AN ADVERSE EFFECT TO THAT PROPERTY.
NOW, I, I KNOW THERE'S A THE CURRENT FINDING IS ADVERSE EFFECT, BUT THAT WAS ONLY BECAUSE OF THE ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE.
UM, STONY ITSELF HAD A NO ADVERSE EFFECT.
SO I'M ALSO LOOKING AT IT NOT FROM THE OVERALL SECTION 1 0 6 EFFECT FINDING, BUT ALSO, UH, BY THE PROPERTY FINDING.
SO STONY HAD NO ADVERSE EFFECT.
ARCHEOLOGICAL SITE 38, BU 66 HAD AN ADVERSE EFFECT.
UM, THE INTRODUCTION OF THESE BOW TIES AND A LITTLE BIT MORE R RIGHT AWAY TO, UH, BASICALLY, UH, TAKING ALMOST SIX ACRES INSTEAD OF ALMOST FIVE ACRES OF, OF RIGHT AWAY FROM THE STONY.
I DON'T SEE IT AS A HUGE CHANGE, UH, THAT WOULD MAKE, UH, FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION OR THE STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER THINK, UH, THAT WOULD ELEVATE TO AN ADVERSE EFFECT.
UM, THEREFORE, ALSO IN TERMS OF FOUR F, ALTHOUGH YOU ARE TAKING A LITTLE BIT MORE IN TERMS OF RIGHT AWAY FROM THE STONY, YOU'RE ACQUIRING A LITTLE BIT MORE, UH, FROM THE STONY TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY.
AGAIN, FOUR F RESOURCE, IT'S NOT, UM, NOT GONNA RAISE A, NOT GONNA REQUIRE MORE CONSIDERATION IN TERMS OF FOUR FI MEAN, YOU'LL STILL PROBABLY END UP AT A DE MINIMUS LEVEL, WHICH IS WHAT IT WAS AS PART OF SE DTS.
UM, EA, EXCUSE ME, I GOT SOMETHING STUCK IN MY THROAT.
UM, LET'S TRY TO, CHAD, CHAD, IF YOU DON'T MIND TOO, AS YOU'RE GOING THROUGH THERE, IF YOU COULD MAYBE JUST FOCUS ON THE, THE NET CHANGES, UM, TOO, MAYBE THAT'LL HELP, UM, JUST EXPEDITE THINGS AND JUST A LITTLE BIT.
LET'S GO TO ALTERNATIVE THREE THEN.
SO A ALTERNATIVE THREE, IN TERMS OF NET CHANGES, THEN, UH, WE DO HAVE, UH, 1.2 ACRES MORE FROM STONY, UH, AND 0.2 ACRES.
UH, SO THESE ARE ADDITIONAL IMPACTS TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, PRESENTS NOT ONLY A NEIGHBORHOOD, UH, ITEM OF CONCERN, BUT ALSO AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE, UH, CONCERN AS WELL.
UM, TERMS OF RISK CONSIDERATIONS GONNA BE THE SAME AS AS, UH, UH, ALTERNATIVE, UH, TWO, IN TERMS OF MAKING SURE, UM, THE COMMUNITIES ARE ENGAGED.
I SHOULD ADD ANOTHER FACTOR IN THIS, AND I DO NOTE THIS HERE, IS THE FACTOR ADDING ECHELON.
SO, UM, YOU'RE CREATING A VISUAL OBSTRUCTION IN NEIGHBORHOOD TWO, WHICH COULD BE AN, AN IMPACT.
AND IN THIS INSTANCE, THIS IMPACT IS ALSO REQUIRING ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY.
SO THAT ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY.
AND, AND AN ADDED ON TOP OF THE ELEVATED POSITION OF THE ECHELONS OR THE CENTER TURN LANES, UM, CENTER TURNOVER PASSES THAT COULD CREATE IN TERMS OF CULTURAL RESOURCES, COULD CREATE, UM, THE POTENTIAL FOR ELEVATING STONY FROM A NO ADVERSE EFFECT TO AN ADVERSE EFFECT THAT WOULD REQUIRE, UH, AN AMENDMENT TO THE MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT THAT THE STATE, AND, EXCUSE ME, THAT FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION AND THE STATE HISTORIC PRESERVATION OFFICER CURRENTLY HAVE EXECUTED.
WE'D HAVE TO AMEND IT TO INCORPORATE SOME MITIGATION ITEMS, ITEMS, UM, ITEMS TO ADDRESS ADVERSE IMPACTS TO STONY.
AND THEN, UH, IN TERMS OF FOUR F RESOURCES, UH, THERE IS, BETWEEN STONY AND THE PARK AT 1 52, UH, WILLIAM HILTON, THERE'S ABOUT SIX ACRES OF, UM, ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY, NOT ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY, BUT SIX ACRES OF TOTAL RIGHT OF WAY NEEDED.
[01:10:01]
TO, AND THE ADVERSE EFFECT AS PART OF THE CULTURAL RESOURCES COULD GIVE RISE TO THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL FOUR F EVALUATION.SO BASICALLY THAT MEANS TAKING US FROM, UH, UM, DI MINIMIS FOUR F IMPACT TO AN INDIVIDUAL, UH, FOUR F, UH, IMPACT.
SO THAT, THAT JUST REQUIRES MORE TIME FOR COORDINATION AND ALTERNATIVES EVALUATION.
SO THAT, AGAIN, THAT'S WHY THIS, UH, THIS ALTERNATIVES IS RANKING A LITTLE BIT HIGHER IN TERMS OF THE SOCIAL IMPACTS.
LET'S GO TO FOUR THEN PLEASE, NATE.
SO FOUR IS VERY MUCH LIKE THREE, UH, EXCEPT IT DOESN'T REQUIRE THE ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY.
UM, AGAIN, THE ELEVATED PROJECT ELEMENTS WITHIN STONY CREATES THAT VISUAL BARRIER, UM, THAT COULD BE PERCEIVED AS AN ADVERSE EFFECT FROM CULTURAL RESOURCES STANDPOINT.
UH, BUT IT ALSO SERVES A DIVIDING LINE BETWEEN, UH, BETWEEN STONY ITSELF, BETWEEN THE NORTH HALF AND THE SOUTH HALF.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU WANNA MAKE SURE, AGAIN, ENGAGE WITH THE PUBLIC IN THE, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THERE.
UH, I DON'T SPEND MORE TIME ON ALTERNATIVE FOUR.
LET'S GO AHEAD TO THE, THE RISK, WEIGHT AND MITIGATION HERE.
SO ALTERNATIVE ONE HERE, THIS IS JUST ASSESSING THE RISK FROM BASED ON COST AND SCHEDULE.
SO HOW MUCH DOES THIS GONNA HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO AFFECT COST AND SCHEDULE? ALTERNATIVE ONE COMES IN AT, UH, A FAIRLY LOW RANKING HERE, MODERATE FOR SECTION 1 0 6 RESOURCE JUST DUE TO ADDITIONAL ARCHEOLOGICAL.
IT HAVE TO BE NEED, UH, COMPLETED AND MINOR COORDINATION.
UH, THE FOUR F AND THE, UH, COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL IMPACTS RANKED VERY LOW.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF POTENTIAL FOR, UH, UM, AFFECTING COSTS AND SCHEDULE, UH, AND I DON'T SEE ANY NEED FOR ADDITIONAL MITIGATION AS PART OF ALTERNATIVE ONE.
UM, THE SCORE THERE OFF TO THE SIDE IS 14 THAT COMES FROM OUR INITIAL MATRIX.
AND SO THE NUMBER NEXT TO THE 14, JUST TO GIVE YOU SOME METHODOLOGY TO THE LOGIC HERE AND HOW WE ARRIVED AT THE FINAL WAITING.
UM, SO THE FOUR THERE IS BASICALLY THE COLUMN B ONE, B TWO, B THREE ADDED UP.
SO TWO PLUS ONE PLUS ONE GAVE US FOUR, AND THEN WE MULTIPLIED FOUR TIMES 14, GIVE US A FINAL WEIGHTED RANK OF 56, UH, THE BOW TIES, BECAUSE OF THAT MOVEMENT OF TRAFFIC INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UH, THE ADDITIONAL PUBLIC OUTREACH THAT WOULD NEED TO HAPPEN, UM, THAT GOT BASICALLY A MODERATE, THERE'S, YOU KNOW, IN OUR OPINION, IT HAS A MODERATE POTENTIAL AFFECTING COST AND SCHEDULE.
UH, SO THAT GAVE IT A TOTAL, UH, WEIGHTED RANK OF 1 44.
AND, UH, ALTERNATIVE THREE, EXCUSE ME, WE COVER MITIGATION HERE.
MITIGATION FOR ALTERNATIVE TWO, UM, UNLIKELY FOR 1 0 6, 4 F.
BUT COMMUNITY IMPACTS, UH, COULD BE REQUIRED BECAUSE OF INTRODUCTION OF THE BOW TIES INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
CONCEPTS COULD BE THE INTRODUCTIONS AND TRAFFIC CALLING MEASURES, INCLUSION OF GULLAH ART AND THE BOW TIES OR CREATION OF UNIQUE GATEWAYS.
UH, THESE ARE ALL GOOD OPPORTUNITIES THAT COULD BE EXPLORED A LITTLE BIT FURTHER HERE IN OUR FINAL DELIVERABLE.
UM, ALTERNATIVE THREE TO ECHELON CENTER TURN OVERPASS, UM, BECAUSE OF THE POTENTIAL FOR HIGH INCREASE OR HIGH IMPACTS TO CULTURAL RESOURCES IN FOUR F UH, THAT, THAT RANKED HIGH JUST FROM THE COORDINATION EVALUATION PERSPECTIVE, WHAT WOULD NEED TO BE UNDERTAKEN, UM, THAT RANKED HIGH FOR 1 0 6, 4 F AND THEN MODERATE FOR, UH, COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL IMPACTS.
AGAIN, JUST BECAUSE INTRODUCTION OF AN ELEVATED, UH, INTERSECTION INTO A CURRENTLY AT GRADE AND MOSTLY LEVEL INTERSECTION.
UH, SO THAT GAVE IT A RISK ADJUSTMENT OF EIGHT, FINAL SCORE OF 2 64, AND THEN THE ELEVATED BYPASS WAS RANKED HIGH ACROSS THE BOARD.
AGAIN, ESSENTIALLY DRAWING A BARRIER BET IN THE STONY COMMUNITY, UM, CREATES A, A PRETTY HIGH CONCERN FOR COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL
[01:15:01]
IMPACTS.AND THEN THE, UH, ELEMENTS WE TALKED ABOUT FOR SECTION 1 0 6 AND FOUR F UH, DEFINITELY, UM, HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO AFFECT HOW THE NEVA DOCUMENT IS FINALIZED.
SO THAT GAVE IT A, A RISK ADJUSTMENT OF, UH, NINE AND A FINAL SCORE OF 1 53.
SO THE ADJUSTED RANKS FOR OUR, FOR ALTERNATIVES FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL PERSPECTIVE FOR, UH, ALTERNATIVE ONE HAD THE LOWEST, UH, SCORE OR THE HIGHEST IF YOU WANNA, UH, THE BEST SCORE.
AND THEN ALTERNATIVE TWO CAME IN IN SECOND.
AND THEN, UM, ALTERNATIVE FOUR, THE ELEVATED BYPASS CAME IN THIRD, AND THEN THE ECHELON CENTER TURNED OVERPASS ALTERNATIVE THREE, UH, CAME IN, UH, WITH THE MOST, UM, CONCERNS FROM AN ENVIRONMENTAL, UH, STANDPOINT.
SO I KNOW THAT'S A LOT TO THROW YOU GUYS IN, KIND OF, UM, KIND OF OVER, ALL OVER THE PLACE.
BUT, UM, I'M HAPPY TO ENTERTAIN ANY QUESTIONS, UH, EITHER NOW OR EVEN AFTER THE PRESENTATION QUESTIONS.
SO I'LL THROW IT TO KATE HERE FOR WRAP UP.
UM, DID, CHARLES DID HAVE A QUESTION, KATE, SORRY ABOUT THAT.
UM, WAS ANYTHING DONE ABOUT NOISE? THE NOISE IS CERTAINLY A CONSIDERATION, RIGHT? BUT AT THIS HIGH LEVEL, HIGH LEVEL REVIEW, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE, IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT CAN BE TUNED IN ON JUST BECAUSE SO MUCH IN THE NOISE ANALYSIS VARIES ON HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL ALIGNMENT, AND WE'RE JUST NOT AT THAT PHASE.
WELL, ONE, IT'S OUTSIDE OF, OF THE SCOPE OF WHAT WE'RE DOING, BUT TWO, YOU NEED TO HAVE A, A, A GOOD HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL PROFILE LAID OUT.
UM, AND THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THE, UH, STATE'S NOISE MODEL TO TAKE OVER AND ADD THESE ELEMENTS INTO THAT NOISE MODEL AND RERUN IT TO DETERMINE WHETHER IT'S ADDITIONAL IMPACTS.
UM, WE HAVE LOOKED AT, UM, WHAT WAS IN THE EA FOR NOISE.
UM, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE THERE BEING AN APPRECIABLE CHANGE, UM, FOR NOISE HERE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, I CAN'T SAY THAT WITH CERTAINTY WITHOUT BASICALLY TAKING OVER THE STATE'S NOISE MODEL AND UPDATING IT FOR OUR STUFF.
BUT THEN IN ORDER TO DO THAT, YOU KNOW, I NEED TO HAVE ELEVATIONS OF, UM, THE ADDED ELEMENTS SUCH AS, YOU KNOW, THE BYPASS LANE ACROSS, UM, CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY TO FIGURE OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD BE THE NOISE CHANGE BECAUSE OF THIS ADDED FEATURE.
SO IT IS, THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
UM, IT IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD NEED TO BE TAKEN INTO CONSIDERATION WITH WHATEVER ALTERNATIVES ARE ADVANCED OUT OF THIS PROCESS, THIS HIGH LEVEL PROCESS.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS REALLY FACTORED AS PART OF THE HIGH LEVEL REVIEW.
[c. Update on Delivery of Report of Findings for System Assessment]
OKAY, KATE, I THINK YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND TAKE OVER.IF YOU GO TO THE LAST SLIDE, NATE.
THIS IS A, UM, TOTAL PICTURE OF ALL THE DIFFERENT RANKINGS, RIGHT? WE STARTED THE CONVERSATION TALKING ABOUT TRAFFIC MOVED THROUGH RIGHT AWAY, ENVIRONMENT SAFETY, BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN IMPACT, COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT WE HAVE ALIGNED FOR AESTHETIC AND THEN ASSUMED COST RELATIVE TO ONE ANOTHER, AND USING A SIMILAR RANKING SYSTEM, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF TOTALED EVERYTHING UP AND THEN SAW WHERE THE, WHERE THE CHIPS FELL.
AND ALTERNATIVE ONE AND FOUR WERE TIED WHEN WE CONSIDER ALL OF THESE POINTS EQUALLY.
AGAIN, CHAD JUST EXPLAINED THAT HE DID HIS ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT WEIGHT, UH, SCORING WITH SOME SLIGHT WEIGHTING CONSIDERATIONS.
UH, OTHER WEIGHTING FACTORS REALLY WEREN'T INCORPORATED INTO THIS OVERALL TABLE, AGAIN, BECAUSE IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF, A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO A LOT OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE, AND WE WERE TRYING TO DO OUR BEST TO KEEP IT, UM, AS, AS UNBIASED AND, UH, YOU KNOW, EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IF, IF YOU WILL, AS POSSIBLE FOR EACH OF THE ALTERNATIVES.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS, THIS IS HOW OUR ANALYSIS FELL OUT.
ALTERNATIVE ONE AND FOUR ESSENTIALLY
[01:20:02]
TIE, YOU CAN SEE THAT ACROSS VARIOUS CATEGORIES, THEY ALL SCORE DIFFERENTLY, BUT WHEN YOU TAKE A, A TOTAL PICTURE OF THEM AT THIS HIGH LEVEL, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE DON'T SEE MUCH, UH, OVERALL IMPACT OR DIFFERENCE.OBVIOUSLY, ALTERNATIVE FOUR IS GOING TO HAVE A, A HIGHER COST AND POTENTIALLY A GREATER IMPACT ON THE AESTHETIC.
BUT THEN ALTERNATIVE ONE HAS, UM, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT CATEGORIES WHERE IT PERHAPS IS LESS DESIRABLE THAN ALTERNATIVE FOUR.
SO OUR PATH FORWARD FROM HERE, OUR INTENT IS THAT THIS IS THE CLOSE OF OUR ANALYSIS FOR TASK THREE, AS NATE WAS DESCRIBING AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PRESENTATION.
AND TASK FOUR FOR OUR WORK INVOLVES PICKING ONE ALTERNATIVE TO MOVE FORWARD INTO VISIM ANALYSIS, WHICH IS FURTHER CALIBRATING ONE OF THESE ALTERNATIVES.
IT REALLY IS GOING TO, UM, YOU KNOW, FINISH OUT THE LAST FIVE TO 10% OF CONFIDENCE THAT WE, UH, WOULD LIKE TO HAVE FOR ONE OF THESE ALTERNATIVES.
SYNCHRO IS A GREAT TOOL, BUT IT, UH, YOU KNOW, ADMITTEDLY HAS SOME LIMITATIONS, AND THOSE WOULD ALL BE CLARIFIED AND CERTAINLY ALL THE I'S DOTTED AND T'S CROSSED WHEN WE PUT THIS INTO A
SO, AS OUR SCOPE IS WRITTEN, WE, UH, YOU KNOW, THOUGHT AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS PROCESS THAT THERE WOULD BE ONE CLEAR WINNER TO MOVE FORWARD INTO TASK FOUR TO PUT INTO A VISTA MODEL.
SEEING NOW THAT WE HAVE TWO TIED ALTERNATIVES, UM, YOU KNOW, NATE AND I WERE TALKING BEFORE THIS MEETING, AND WE CERTAINLY THINK THAT WE COULD MOVE BOTH ALTERNATIVE ONE AND ALTERNATIVE FOUR FORWARD INTO TASK FOUR OF OUR SCOPE OF WORK.
THAT WOULD JUST MEAN THAT WE MAY NOT HAVE AS MUCH FLEXIBILITY TO DO, UH, MULTIPLE ITERATIONS OF DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS AS SOME OF THE OTHER INTERSECTIONS WE HAVE NOT YET CONSIDERED, SUCH AS INGO RUN OR INE CIRCLE.
HOWEVER, UM, YOU KNOW, BASED ON OUR INITIAL ANALYSIS OF THOSE LOCATIONS, THEY DON'T SEEM TO HAVE AS MANY CONGESTION PROBLEMS AS THIS PART OF THE CORRIDOR WE'VE BEEN FOCUSED ON THUS FAR.
AND WE DON'T THINK THAT WOULD, UM, BE, BE NECESSARY, I GUESS, TO HAVE, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, A HIGH LEVEL OF MULTIPLE, UM, YOU KNOW, ITERATIVE ALTERNATIVES AT THOSE, UH, LOCATIONS.
SO THAT IS, UH, I GUESS WHERE I WILL LEAVE IT AND OPEN IT UP TO QUESTIONS, DISCUSSION.
UM, AND THEN BEFORE WE CLOSE THE MEETING OUT, WE WILL WANT A DETERMINATION ON IF WE'RE MOVING FORWARD WITH ONE ALTERNATIVE OR TWO INTO TASK FOUR.
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, READY? SO GONNA GO BACK TO THE QUESTION I ASKED EARLIER, AND THAT IS ABOUT THE IMPACT TO THE LAND.
IT'S, IT'S TOUGH TO MAKE A DECISION ON 1, 2, 3, OR FOUR WITHOUT KNOWING WHAT THE IMPACT IS ON BOTH THE COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT AND THE, AND THE ACQUISITION OF, OF ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY, IF IT'S TOWN OWNED LAND, IF IT'S, UH, STONY LAND, WHAT IS IT THAT'S GONNA, BIG DECIDING FACTOR AS TO WHICH ONE I WOULD RECOMMEND GOING FORWARD.
AND THERE IS A LOT OF INFORMATION TO DISSEMINATE FROM THIS.
UM, THAT'S JUST SOME INITIAL THOUGHTS THAT I HAVE.
YEAH, AS FAR AS WHO OWNS WHAT ON THE NEW RIGHT OF WAYS, GENERALLY, AND, AND THIS MAINLY AFFECTS ALTERNATE TWO AND THREE, 'CAUSE ALTERNATE ONE AND FOUR OBVIOUSLY HAVE VERY LITTLE OR NO RIDE, NEW, NEW RIDE OF WAY, BUT GENERALLY THE, ANY OF THE NEW RIDE OF WAY ALONG THE, UH, THE PARKWAY IS PRIVATE LAND.
AND THEN ON THE AT, AT SQUIRE POPE, THE NORTH SIDE IS PRIVATE, THE SOUTH SIDE IS CITY OWNED PRIMARILY.
AND THEN AT SPANISH WELLS, IT'S MOSTLY CITY OWNED.
THE PROBLEM WITH THAT COMET IS, UM, MOSTLY BUT NOT DEFINITIVE.
AND THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE THE QUESTION COMES IN, INTO PLAY, BECAUSE REALLY WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE IS, IS WHAT IS THE TRUE IMPACT, UM, FOR THE RESIDENTS IN THAT AREA AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR MITIGATION.
AND, AND THEN TAKING THAT AT THE SAME TIME AND SAYING, WHAT IS DETERMINED TO BE BEST FOR STONY AND THE BEST FOR THE REST OF ELTON HEAD ALL GOES INTO THAT EQUATION, TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT.
SO THERE'S STILL SOME QUESTIONS THAT HAVE TO BE ANSWERED IN MY MIND BEFORE I CAN MAKE A DECISION ON WHICH ALTERNATIVE TO THIS.
WE CAN CERTAINLY ADD THAT CLARIFICATION IN THE REPORT.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE ARE GOING TO STEP THROUGH ALL OF THIS INFORMATION THUS FAR HAS BEEN PRESENTED TO THIS COMMITTEE IN PRESENTATION FORM, BUT WE ARE GOING TO DOCUMENT IT INTO A REPORT, AS NATE MENTIONED AT THE BEGINNING OF
[01:25:01]
THIS PRESENTATION.AND I BELIEVE, AS LAUREN INDICATED DURING THE DISCUSSION, WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE THAT CLARIFICATION EXPLAINED IN THE REPORT AND DOCUMENTED IN WHICHEVER WAY YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE IT, SO THAT YOU'RE ABLE TO MAKE YOUR DECISION.
AND IF THIS GROUP IS NOT COMFORTABLE, UM, YOU KNOW, MOVING FORWARD IN A CERTAIN DIRECTION AT THIS TIME, YOU WOULD RATHER WAIT AND SEE THE REPORT.
WE ARE CERTAINLY HAPPY TO, HAPPY TO DO SO.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, AWAIT, YOU KNOW, WAIT FOR YOU TO HAVE THE CHANCE TO REVIEW THAT MORE DETAILED DATA BEFORE WE MOVE FORWARD.
WHAT I MIGHT NEED TO KNOW IS A TIMEFRAME, HOW THAT WOULD ADJUST THE TIMEFRAME AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
LAUREN, HOW QUICKLY CAN WE DELINEATE THE
SO I CAN GIVE YOU YOU APPROXIMATE NUMBERS OF WHAT IS CITY OWNED AND WHAT IS PRIVATE.
UH, BY THE BEGINNING OF NEXT WEEK, BY NEXT MONDAY, WE CAN HAVE THAT POSSIBLY SOONER.
UM, MAYOR, I'LL TRY TO GET IT SOONER.
AND IF YEAH, WE, IF I CAN, WE CAN CERTAINLY GET THIS.
AND AM I ON HERE? UM, CERTAINLY GET THIS AND QUANTIFY THE PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE.
IS THERE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO KNOW THAT OPTION ONE AND FOUR, WHICH, UM, LOCK MEER HAS IDENTIFIED AS SORT OF TIED FOR THE LEAD? IS THERE ENOUGH INFORMATION IN THIS KNOWING THAT ALTERNATIVE TWO HAS ONE, WAS IT 1.1 AND ALTERNATIVE THREE HAS 1.4 ACRES OF ADDITIONAL IMPACT? AND, AND I WANNA POINT THIS OUT BECAUSE THE TOWN OWNED PROPERTY THAT'S WITHIN THE TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY DESIGNATION, THERE'S NO DISTINCTION WHEN IT GOES FORWARD TO FEDERAL HIGHWAYS, WHETHER IT'S TOWN OR PRIVATELY HELD, THERE'LL BE CONCERN ABOUT JUST ADDITIONAL IMPACT WITH THAT ENTIRE, UM, HIGHER, UH, DESIGNATED AREA.
IS THERE ENOUGH CONFIDENCE TO ELIMINATE ALTERNATIVE TWO AND THREE, OR DO WE NEED TO HAVE, DO YOU NEED TO HAVE THAT SPECIFIC? YEAH, HERE'S WHAT I'M SEEING IS, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT, BASED ON THE SCORES THAT ARE UP HERE, WE'VE GOT 19, 21 AND 19, THE THREE THAT ARE VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER.
AND THE DRIVING FACTOR IS THAT COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT, WHICH IS THE LAND ACQUISITION, UM, AT A FOUR.
BUT NOT KNOWING WHAT THAT REALLY IS DEPRIVED OF, UM, KIND OF TELLS ME, OKAY, IF IT'S, IF IT'S MOSTLY TOWN OWNED LAND, THAT'S A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION THAN IF IT'S, IF IT'S STONE OWNED LAND.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT'S MISSING IN THAT, IN THAT QUALIFICATION OF FOUR, UM, BECAUSE IT'S NOT TAKING INTO THE REAL, REAL EFFECTS TO THE STONY COMMUNITY ON THE PRIVATE OWNERSHIP SIDE.
THAT, THAT'S WHERE I HAVE A, A QUESTION.
UH, AS I'VE TRAVELED THE WORLD, I'VE SEEN MANY BRIDGES THAT ARE VERY, VERY AESTHETIC PLEASING AND, YOU KNOW, UH, AND TO RATE THAT FOUR, I THINK IF, YOU KNOW, IF THAT HAD A ANOTHER RATING, WE'D, WE'D SUDDENLY LOOK AT OPTION FOUR AS THE CLEAR CUT, YOU KNOW, THERE WOULD BE, I WOULD CHALLENGE YOU TO GO BACK AND RETHINK THAT.
AND I, I THINK WHERE WE'RE COMING AT FROM THAT AESTHETIC IS KIND OF WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM THE GROUP IN PREVIOUS MEETINGS, THAT SOMETHING ELEVATED IS, IS, IS NOT, UH, IN, IN LINE WITH THE CURRENT, UH, UH, COMMUNITY THERE.
AND THAT'S MORE OF WHERE IT'S AN AESTHETIC IMPACT.
IT'S A CHANGE, NOT NECESSARILY BAD OR GOOD, BUT JUST DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT, MAYBE IT CHANGES WHAT'S NEEDED TO GET RID OF THE GRIDLOCK THAT WE SAW A WEEK AGO.
AND, AND, AND THAT GETS INTO HOW MUCH YOU WEIGHT EACH ONE OF THESE CATEGORIES.
YOU KNOW, MAYBE YES, IF YOU COMPARE THEM, MAYBE IT, YOU KNOW, FOUR IS WORSE, AESTHETICALLY, POTENTIALLY, BUT HOW MUCH DOES THAT WEIGH COMPARE TO THE OPERATIONAL BENEFITS? AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT REALLY, IT'S NOT IT US DOING THE STUDY, IT'S REALLY, IT, IT'S THE COMMUNITY NEEDS TO MAKE THAT DECISION, NOT US.
AND THERE'S ONE WHAT WE VALUE MORE.
THERE'S ONE OTHER ASPECT THAT THAT REALLY GOES INTO IT.
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE LEAST EXPENSIVE VERSUS THE MOST EXPENSIVE, BUT WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT PERCENTAGE, YOU KNOW, DELTA IS.
AND THAT IN ITSELF COULD BE THE KICKER.
SO, YOU KNOW, DOES THAT MOVE IT TO WHERE TWO COMES INTO PLAY MORE?
[01:30:01]
UH, THERE'S JUST A LITTLE DANGLING ITEMS THAT AREN'T BEING ANSWERED NOW TO BE ABLE TO, TO REALLY SAY WHICH ONE, YOU KNOW, THE TRUE SCORING EFFECTS ARE, IN MY MIND, IN MY MIND.NUMBER TWO, UH, IS I THINK, UH, I WOULD RATHER SEE TWO OVER NUMBER ONE REASONS.
I THINK IT'S, UH, NUMBER FOUR AND NUMBER TWO IS THE WAY I, AND EVERYTHING I SEE AND THE WAY I RATE IT.
CAN'T, CAN'T WE WAIT UNTIL, YEAH, I'D MIKE? YEAH, FOR ME, I'D LIKE TO KNOW THE IMPACT ON TIMING, UM, BECAUSE I KNOW THE COMMITTEE PREVIOUSLY WHEN, WHEN ASKED ABOUT CRITERIA AND HOW TO EVALUATE ALTERNATIVES, ONE WAS MINIMIZE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS.
AND I THINK, UM, THEY'VE DONE A GOOD JOB IN LOOKING AT ALL OF THE ITEMS THAT GO INTO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.
THERE WAS, UM, CONSENSUS TO TRY TO MINIMIZE ANY ADDITIONAL PROPERTY IMPACTS, WHETHER THEY'RE, THEY WERE PRIVATELY, UH, OR PUBLICLY HELD.
SO I KNOW THAT THAT'S PART OF THIS EVALUATION.
YOU KNOW, THE HARD PART ABOUT THE COST, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THEY WOULD BASICALLY HAVE TO OUTLINE, UH, A DETAILED, UM, SORT OF PROJECT.
WE, THE, WE'RE LOOKING AT ORDER OF MAGNITUDE, BUT, BUT IT, IT WOULD BE NICE TO KNOW IF THERE IS THE CHEAPEST, SAY THE CHEAPEST OPTION IS X, IT'S X PLUS 10% OR 20% TO GIVE AN IDEA, WE KNOW THAT THE CURRENT PROJECT AS, UH, CONTEMPLATED, UM, AND RECOMMENDED BY THE COUNTY IS SOMEWHERE IN THE $425 MILLION RANGE.
AND SO IF THAT'S OPTION, UM, ONE THEN IS OPTION TWO FOR 5,500.
SO, UM, WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT THAT ORDER, ORDER OF MAGNITUDE.
UM, I THINK WE HAVE TO, SO QUESTION TO LOCK MUELLER IS WHAT, WHAT DOES THAT DO TO, TO TIMEFRAME? BECAUSE IN ORDER TO GET THE DOWNSTREAM INTERSECTION AND IMPACTS THE GOAL WAS TO LOCK IN ON AN ALTERNATIVE FOR THEM TO BUILD INTO THEIR VISTA MODEL TO BEGIN THAT ADDITIONAL WORK.
SO, SO LAUREN, YOU MENTIONED IN REGARDS TO THE RIGHT OF WAY, THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE CAN GO AND JUST, WE CAN DELINEATE, I KNOW THAT WE DON'T HAVE THE GIS PARCELS, BUT BEING ABLE TO KNOW WHICH PARCELS ARE PUBLIC VERSUS PRIVATE YEAH.
YEAH, WE CAN APPROXIMATE THAT AND GET THAT, GET THAT PRETTY QUICK.
AND THEN WE'VE, YOU KNOW, WE'VE, WE'VE REQUESTED THE, UH, THE MORE UPDATED UNIT COSTING, SPEAKING TO SEAN'S MORE UPDATE ESTIMATE OF 425 MILLION.
THE, UM, IF WE KNOW THAT THE CURRENT COST ESTIMATED FOR ALTERNATIVE ONE IS 425, UM, DO YOU FEEL THAT WE HAVE ENOUGH THAT WE CAN GIVE THAT X PLUS A CERTAIN PERCENTAGE? UM, MAYBE EXPEDITE THINGS.
I MEAN, WE CAN TAKE A SHOT AT IT AND, UH, I MEAN, I, I CAN USE COMPARISONS OF JUST IN GENERAL AT GRADE PAVEMENT VERSUS ELEVATED TO GET THOSE, UH, GET THOSE DIFFERENCES.
YOU KNOW, IT'LL BE, UM, WE'LL BE, UH, WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, LOCAL INFORMATION WILL BE TAKEN, YOU KNOW, DOING SOME APPROXIMATIONS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, BUT IT SHOULD GIVE WHAT THEY'RE LOOKING FOR.
CAN I ASK THE COMMITTEE, UM, WHICH SPECIFIC CRITERIA THAT YOU WANT THE INFORMATION? IT SOUNDS LIKE OBVIOUSLY THE RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS, UH, UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THAT BREAKDOWN'S BOTH PUBLIC AND PRIVATE, AND THEN IT SOUNDS LIKE COST SOME, SOME, SOME EVALUATION OF COST.
UM, ON THE OTHER CRITERIA, ARE YOU SATISFIED AESTHETIC IS GONNA BE, IT'S SORT OF A JUDGMENT, RIGHT? DO DO, DO I, WOULD I LIKE A ELEVATED BYPASS IN THE MIDDLE OF A, IN A COMMUNITY? PROBABLY NOT, BUT I DO UNDERSTAND THAT SOME BRIDGES LOOK NICE, RIGHT? UM, BUT, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW TO GIVE MORE INFORMATION.
THAT'S A LOT OF PERSONAL OPINION ON THAT PART OF IT, BUT COST AND RIGHT OF WAY IMPACT? YES.
ANY, ANYTHING ELSE THAT WOULD BE, WELL, THEY DID THE, THEY DID THE, UH, TRAFFIC OPERATION, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER OF SECONDS AND ADD OR EITHER ADDING TO OR, OR CUTTING FROM THE, ANY DELAY THROUGH THAT QUARTER.
[01:35:01]
I MENTIONED EARLIER, IS THE PEDESTRIAN CROSSING, UH, BECAUSE THAT'S WHERE WE'VE HAD OVER THE YEARS AND MANY RIGHT.INJURIES AND WHATNOT, IF THEY COULD TAKE A FLAG AT THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT DOES THE TUNNEL PUT A TUNNEL IN WHEN YOU'RE DOING ALL THE WORK OUT THERE, DIFFICULT TUNNEL WITHOUT DOING ANY WORK, THAT BECOMES VERY COSTLY.
YEAH, I, I GUESS MY, MY CONCERN ABOUT A TUNNEL IN THIS AREA IS JUST THE VIABILITY OF BEING ABLE TO BUILD ONE WITH THE WATER TABLE AND EVERYTHING.
IT, IT, I NOT BEING AN EXPERT ON CONSTRUCTION IN THIS AREA, I, I DON'T IT, I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT GOING UNDER IS REALLY A VIABLE OPTION.
MAYBE IT'S, LAUREN, DO YOU THINK IT'S FAIR TO SAY THAT THAT COULD POTENTIALLY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY TO BE ABLE TO FIT THAT IN? IT WOULD DEFINITELY REQUIRE ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY, BECAUSE EITHER, EITHER IF YOU GO UP OR UNDER, BECAUSE YOU'VE GOTTA GET BACK DOWN TO GRADE, AND RIGHT NOW ALL THE RIGHT OF WAY IS BEING USED UP BY ROADWAY.
THEY'RE NOT PROVIDING ADDITIONAL RIGHT OF WAY FOR THAT.
SO IT WOULD TAKE SOME ADDITIONAL RIGHT AWAY.
NOW, WOULD IT BE A LOT? PROBABLY NOT, BUT IT WOULD, WOULD TAKE SOME.
AND BASED ON THE, THE COMMENTS THAT THAT WERE MADE DURING THE PRESENTATION, UM, I DON'T THINK THAT'S A DIFFERENTIATING FACTOR BETWEEN ALTERNATIVES, WHICH IS REALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO LOCK IN.
SO WE CAN MODEL THE, THE DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS AND, AND FINALIZE THIS INITIAL STEP.
UM, THAT, THAT COULD BE A GREAT RECOMMENDATION AT THE END TO SAY, TO CONSIDER, UM, RATE SEPARATED BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN.
OH, HAVE, HAVE YOU DONE PEDESTRIAN STUDIES? WE, WE SPOKE TO THE, UM, TO PEDESTRIAN BIKE AND SAFETY IMPACT EARLIER ON, ON KATE'S SLIDES EARLIER IN THE PRESENTATION.
IF WE WANTED TO GO BACK TO LOOK AT SOMETHING SPECIFIC, OR ACTUALLY WE HAD A, WE HAD A GRADING SYSTEM FOR HOW WE FELT THAT EACH ALTERNATIVE, YOU KNOW, SOME, YOU KNOW, THE, UM, THE ONES WHERE, SO THE ALTERNATIVE ONE, IT WAS MORE WIDE OPEN.
THERE WASN'T ANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR REFUGE ISLANDS, WHEREAS THE, UH, ALTERNATIVES TWO, THREE, AND FOUR PROVIDED THAT FEWER CONFLICT POINTS AND ADDED THE BIKE SAFETY.
WE DID, WE DID SPEAK TO THAT EARLIER.
WE CAN GO BACK TO THAT IF YOU'D LIKE COMING IN MUFFLED TO MY EARS.
I'M, I'M SORRY, I THOUGHT YOU, I THOUGHT YOU MEANT HOW WE DID WE ADDRESS THE BY PEDESTRIAN IMPACT AND, AND SAFETY OVERALL.
BUT YOU'RE ASKING DID WE HAVE THE ACTUAL PEDESTRIAN NUMBERS? DID YOU HAVE, DO YOU HAVE THAT, THE, THE DATA, MICHELLE AND KATE? DO WE HAVE THE, WITH THE TRAFFIC COUNTS, WAS THAT IN THERE OR DID WE JUST USE CONSERVATIVE NUMBERS? WITH THE SYNCRO MODELING, WHEN WE DID OUR ANALYSIS, WE ASSUMED WE WOULD BE PROVIDING PEDESTRIAN ACCESS ALONG THE ENTIRETY OF THE CORRIDOR.
UM, THE NUMBER OF PEDESTRIANS DID NOT CHANGE THE TYPE OF FACILITY THAT WE PROVIDED.
WE ASSUMED THAT ANY PEDESTRIAN THERE WAS IMPORTANT AND NEEDED EQUAL ACCESS.
SO THE, THE NUMBER OF PEDESTRIANS AT A SPECIFIC LOCATION, UM, YOU KNOW, DID NOT CHANGE OUR INSISTENCE ON TRYING TO PROVIDE AS MUCH PROTECTED ACCESS AS POSSIBLE AT EACH OF THESE ALTERNATIVES.
IS THAT IT ON PEDESTRIANS THE, UH, THE TRAFFIC COUNTS THAT WE DO? UM, WE DO 'EM MANUALLY.
WE ALSO DID A COUPLE OF SPECIAL COUNTS.
THEY'RE ALL VEHICULAR MOVEMENTS, INCLUDING BIKE AND PAD MOVEMENTS AT EVERY INTERSECTION.
SO YES, SIR, THOSE WERE ALL PROVIDED TO, TO LOCK MUELLER.
SO ONE OTHER THING ON, ON THE COMMUNITY AND SOCIAL IMPACT ON THE, ON ALTERNATIVE NUMBER TWO, IF YOU KNOW IT'S RATED AT A FOUR, THEN I UNDERSTAND WE CAN GO BACK AND LOOK AT THAT.
BUT, UM, IF THERE'S A WAY TO DECREASE THAT NUMBER, YOU KNOW, WHAT IS IT, WHAT CAN, WHAT CAN BE MITIGATED TO MAKE THAT LESS OF AN IMPACT, UM, WHICH WOULD IMPROVE THE SCORING ON NUMBER TWO? SO I JUST, I, I LOOK AT IT AND I, I GO, WHAT, WHAT IS THERE ELSE THAT CAN BE DONE TO IMPROVE THESE, SOME OF THESE NUMBERS? UM, AND I, AND I SEE MR. BOXLEY BACK THERE, AND I'M SURE HE'S GOT SOME THOUGHTS RUNNING THROUGH HIS HEAD AS TO, YOU KNOW, WHAT KIND OF MITIGATION WITH A BOW TIE COULD BE DONE IN THESE AREAS, YOU KNOW, TO, TO MAKE THEM MORE FEASIBLE.
OBVIOUSLY THERE'S GONNA BE MORE TRAFFIC, BUT HOW DO WE, WHERE DO WE AND WHAT DO WE DO TO, TO, TO MAKE IT BETTER AND TO SEE IF IT'S A BETTER OPTION? SO I BELIEVE A DRIVING FACTOR OF THAT SCORE WAS MORE
[01:40:01]
OF THE RIGHT OF WAY THAT WAS GOING TO BE REQUIRED IN ADDITION TO THE ADDITIONAL ATTORNEY MOVEMENTS GOING INTO THE COMMITTEE.AND CHAD HAD, I BELIEVE ON ONE OF HIS SLIDES, THE MITIGATION MEASURES THAT, THAT HE FORESAW AS A POTENTIAL FOR THOSE.
[5. Appearance by Citizens]
I TELL YOU WHAT, WHY DON'T WE, UM, NOT, NOT FINISH UP ON THIS RIGHT NOW, BUT, UM, I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO APPEARANCE BY CITIZENS.'CAUSE WE'RE HAVING A LOT OF THOUGHTS AND I'M CERTAIN THAT THAT Y'ALL ALL AS WELL.
SO LYNN, OR YOU WANNA PULL UP THE TIMER SO WE CAN, UM, GO AHEAD AND GO TO, ARE Y'ALL OKAY WITH THAT? GO TO APPEARANCE BY CITIZENS READY? OKAY, MR. BAYER, THANK YOU.
UM, I THINK YOU'RE ACTUALLY ON A GOOD TRACK.
UH, I WANNA REMIND YOU THAT YOU'RE NOT COMPARING APPLES WITH APPLES.
ALTERNATIVE ONE DOES NOT CARRY SUFFICIENT TRAFFIC BECAUSE IT STOPS THE SPANISH WELLS ROAD AND IT COMPLETELY AVOIDS CRITICAL CONNECTIONS, WHICH YOU'LL SEE IN A MOMENT CONTRIBUTE TO A LOT OF DELAY.
UH, I USE GOOGLE TRAFFIC, FOR EXAMPLE, TO COMPARE, UH, ALTERNATIVE SOMETHING LIKE ALTERNATIVE FOUR A BYPASS TO THE SITUATION TODAY.
AND I SENT YOU COPIES OF THAT 14 MINUTES.
ANYTHING THAT IS NOT ALTERNATIVE ONE AND DOES HAVE A GOOD CONNECTION TO THE CROSS ISLAND AND LOCAL 2 78 IN BOTH DIRECTIONS WILL IMPACT WORKER IN AND OUT TRAFFIC AND SAVE ON THE ORDER OF 14 MINUTES.
AND I'LL SHOW YOU MY CALCULATION MUCH MORE THAN THE 330 SECONDS.
SO THAT SHOULD BE ONE OF THE CRITERIA THAT YOU USE IN DIFFERENTIATING BETWEEN PLANS.
DOES IT REALLY SAVE A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF TIME AND SHOW THE CALCULATIONS? UH, SIMILARLY, I'VE, UH, STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND THE FORECAST NUMBERS LOCKE MILLER IS USING.
THEY'RE NOT PUBLISHED ANYWHERE.
UM, I ATTACHED SOME S-E-D-O-T CURVES SHOWING WE HAVE 3000 VEHICLES PER HOUR ONE WAY TODAY DURING OUR PEAK HOURS.
WE HAVE VARIOUS IDEAS FOR GROWTH RATES, BUT IT'S GONNA GROW FROM 3000 TO 3,500 OR 3,700, OR MAYBE EVEN 4,000.
YOUR CALCULATIONS FOR 2045 HAVE TO INCLUDE THAT, AND WE WANT TO SEE THE CALCULATIONS.
UM, THERE WAS ANOTHER INTERESTING UNEXPECTED FINDING.
I USED WAYS TO TRY TO GET FROM THE, UH, FIRE STATION ON, UH, CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, UH, TO MOSS CREEK LIGHT.
AND I'LL SHOW YOU THAT IN THE PICTURE HERE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, THE CALCULATION SHOWED THAT I TOOK THE BACK ROADS IN STONY AS THE FASTEST WAY TO GET THERE.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT, TO AVOID THAT WESTBOUND INTERSECTION AT THE MERGE BETWEEN 2 78 AND THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, THAT INTERSECTION IS LEFT OUT OF SCD T'S CALCULATIONS.
IT'S NOT INCLUDED IN ALTERNATIVE ONE.
SO ALTERNATIVE ONE GETS A FREE RIDE WHEN IT SHOULDN'T.
IT'S MUCH SLOWER THAN IS ADVERTISED.
UM, I'M GLAD YOU'VE, UH, UH, REACHED THE BYPASS, UH, CONCLUSION.
UM, I THINK YOU NEED TO INCLUDE HORIZONTAL BYPASSES AS WELL.
I'VE GOT A FIVE FOOT MAP HERE OF THE LAND INVOLVED, AND ALMOST ALL OF IT IS TOWN OWNED AND A LITTLE BIT IS SOUTH THE S-C-D-O-T OWNED.
SO THERE'S A LOT OF LAND IN HERE TO USE.
AND FOR THAT, THAT WHICH ISN'T, WE OUGHT TO PAY WHATEVER IS REQUIRED TO GET IT BECAUSE A HORIZONTAL BYPASS IS VERY EFFECTIVE AND COULD BE BEAUTIFUL ATTACHED.
IN YOUR SUMMARY HERE, A PICTURE OF A BYPASS IN BOSTON, IT'S BEAUTIFUL.
GET MKSK, WHO DOES A GOOD JOB TO WORK ON IT TO MAKE IT THE MOST BEAUTIFUL, EFFECTIVE, EFFICIENT, STONY PRESERVING BYPASS WE CAN GET.
ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENTS? YES, SIR.
STEVE ROBINSON, UH, AND NIGO RUN.
UM, A COUPLE THINGS, UH, IN ANSWERING WHAT THE CONCERNS WERE OF ALAN, WHICH ARE GOOD, BUT THEY'RE, UH, I I THINK IF YOU LOOK AT ALL, ALL THE DATA THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED TODAY BY THIS CONSULTING FIRM, LET'S JUST SAY THAT THE MAJORITY, 95% IS CITY OWNED.
SO WHAT ARE YOU STILL GONNA GO WITH ONE OF THE ONES THAT, SOMETHING OTHER THAN, UH, FOUR, UH, OR ONE, UM, IF YOU FIND THAT OUT, IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT IS THE REASON? IT'S NICE TO KNOW AND I THINK YOU SHOULD KNOW, BUT IF IT'S GONNA HOLD STUFF UP,
[01:45:01]
I DON'T THINK IT'S THAT IMPORTANT.I THINK IN THE HIERARCHY OF THE RANKING THAT IS WAY DOWN HERE IN SOME REGARDS.
NUMBER TWO, I'VE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THIS BOW UH, BOW TIE NUMBER TWO SITUATION, AS I'VE SAID IN IN PAST, UH, MEETINGS OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.
I URGE WHOEVER FROM THE COMMITTEE FLY UP TO INDIANAPOLIS, FIND OUT WHAT THEY DID, UH, ON 96TH STREET ON KEYSTONE BOULEVARD, ON ROUTE 37 FROM FISHERS TO, UH, NOBLESVILLE, BIG, BIG ROADS.
AND PRIOR TO FINISHING THAT, THEY DID TRY WHAT YOU CALL THE BOW TIE, THEY CALLED IT, IT WAS, IT WAS SOME OTHER DEAL THAT ACTUALLY ORIGINATED IN MICHIGAN, THE BIGGEST FAILURE PUBLICLY THAT THEY EVER DID.
OKAY, WHERE YOU GO STRAIGHT AND YOU HAVE TO COME TURN AROUND TO TURN TO TURN LEFT.
THE THING THAT I'M SEEING HERE IS THOUGH, UP THERE, EVEN TWO THINGS.
ONE, MOST PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO.
SO CONSTANTLY PEOPLE WERE TURNING LEFT ANYWAY AGAINST THE LAW.
NUMBER TWO, PEOPLE WHO FROM OUT OF TOWN ABSOLUTELY DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT.
BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THIS BOW TIE, AS YOU CALL IT, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ROUNDABOUTS.
INDY DOESN'T HAVE ROUNDABOUTS.
YOU GO STRAIGHT AND THE ROAD GOES STRAIGHT AND YOU HAVE A TURN LANE, A LANE, YOU'RE ONLY GONNA PUT A LANE IN AND YOU HAVE A LIGHT THERE.
AND AS SOON AS IT HAS A ROAD, UH, UH, CARS, IT'LL TURN AND THEY'RE GONNA TURN AROUND AND COME BACK.
OKAY? YOU DON'T NEED A ROUNDABOUT, YOU JUST NEED A TURN LANE ON GUMTREE ROAD AND A TURN LANE ON THE, THE OTHER ROAD.
SO THAT'S GONNA BE COST EFFECTIVE, LESS PROPERTY INVOLVED, AND YOU'RE GONNA ACCOMPLISH THE SAME THING.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT I JUST WANTED YOU FOLKS TO, TO UNDERSTAND.
YOU DON'T NEED ROUNDABOUTS ON THAT BOW TIE.
I'M ACTUALLY GOING TO, UH, COVER THE POINTS THAT I SUPERSEDED MYSELF, UM, UH, RESPONDING TO LOCK MUELLER'S, UH, STATISTICS LAST TIME.
SO, UH, STARTING WITH 0.2, UH, I ATTENDED A TOWN MEETING AT THE HILTON HEAD LIBRARY SEVERAL WEEKS AGO.
IT WAS EXTREMELY EVIDENT THAT THE MAJORITY OF THE GULLAH GEECHEE COMMUNITY WHO RESIDE IN THE STONY AND OTHER NATIVE VIOLENT AREAS DO NOT WANT ALL OF THIS CONSTRUCTION, NOT ONLY ON 2 78, BUT ALSO ON THE SIDE ROADS SUCH AS SQUIRE, POPE AND SPANISH WELLS AND WILDHORSE.
THAT IS BEING PROPOSED AS A PART OF THIS HUGE PROJECT, AS A WAY OF MINIMIZING THE CONSTRUCTION ON THESE EXISTING ROADS.
I WOULD URGE YOU TO CONTINUE TO PURSUE THE CONCEPT OF A BYPASS, WHICH WE DID TODAY.
UH, WHETHER HORIZONTAL IS PROPOSED BY MR. BEAR OR ELEVATED AS PROPOSED, UH, BY THE CONSULTANT.
IN RECENT CONVERSATIONS WITH GULLAH RESIDENTS, UH, IT BECAME APPARENT THAT THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT CONTAINS NUMEROUS, UH, INACCURACIES, UH, PARTICULARLY IN THE STATEMENTS THAT WERE TAKEN FROM GULLAH RESIDENTS WHO WERE NOT EVEN MADE AWARE THAT THEY WERE BEING INTERVIEWED FOR INCLUSION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS GOING TO BE CHALLENGED BY GULLAH RESIDENTS.
NUMBER THREE, THE MAJORITY OF THE HILTON HEAD RESIDENTS ARE CLEARLY NOT IN FAVOR OF AN 11 LANE, 130 FOOT WIDE SUPER SLAB AS BEING THE ENTRANCE TO OUR BEAUTIFUL ISLAND AND COVERING UP A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF PINKNEY ISLAND, OUR ADJACENT NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE.
I DOUBT THAT A PROJECT OF THIS MAGNITUDE WILL EVEN WITHSTAND PROPER ENVIRONMENTAL SCRUTINY, UH, AND WE ARE PURSUING THAT, UM, THAT, UH, ISSUE SEVERAL YEARS AGO.
SENATOR TOM DAVIS, AS YOU MAY RECALL, STATED TO THE HILTON HEAD TOWN COUNCIL THAT WHEN THAT THEN S-C-D-O-T DIRECTOR CHRISTIE HALL SAID THAT THIS IS A HILTON HEAD PROJECT, AND THAT IF THE RESIDENTS OF HILTON HEAD DON'T WANT IT, IT WILL NOT BE BUILT.
IT DOES NOT APPEAR THAT THE VOICES OF HILTON HEAD RESIDENTS ARE BEING HEARD.
WHETHER THAT BE THE MEMBERS OF THE GULLAH COMMUNITY OR OTHER RESIDENTS, PLEASE DO SO.
OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? ANYONE ELSE? OXLEY GOOD AFTERNOON COMMITTEE.
UH, THOMAS BOXLEY, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE GULLAH GEECHEE HISTORIC NEIGHBORHOODS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
UM, WE'VE HEARD A LOT OF INFORMATION TODAY.
[01:50:01]
URGE THE COMMITTEE TO DEFINITELY, UM, ERR TOWARDS THE SIDE OF NOT ACQUIRING MORE PROPERTY FROM PROPERTY OWNERS IN THE STONY COMMUNITY.THIS IS SOMETHING THAT IS A REOCCURRING, UM, A REOCCURRING STATEMENT THAT I HEAR IN, IN THE CONVERSATIONS THAT I'M HAVING WITH COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
UM, ALSO I SEE, UM, UM, SAFETY, SAFETY IS ALSO, UH, AS A, AS A MAJOR COMPONENT OF, OF THIS PARTICULAR PROJECT THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED AT, AT A VERY HIGH LEVEL.
UM, AS WE KNOW, WE'VE HAD A COUPLE OF SAFETY ISSUES IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS, UM, AND WE WERE IN A, IN A MEETING EARLIER TALKING ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, JUST THE, THE NEED FOR CROSSWALKS AND OTHER MEANS BY WHICH PEDESTRIANS AND BIKERS CAN ACTUALLY SAFELY CROSS THE ROADWAY THERE.
SO, UH, I KNOW IT'S NOT A DIFFICULT, I MEAN, NOT AN EASY DECISION.
MATTER OF FACT, IT'S PRETTY DIFFICULT.
UM, BUT I, I WILL URGE YOU TO, UH, TO TO BE SURE AND CONSIDER THE RESIDENTS IN THE STONY COMMUNITY THAT HAVE GIVEN US SO MUCH IN, IN THE PAST, UM, AS WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS PROJECT.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS? YES, MA'AM.
I, I WAS SITTING AND LISTENING AND, UM, AS I HEAR ALL ABOUT THE BYPASS, I WAS JUST REALLY HAPPY TO HEAR ABOUT THAT AND THE FOCUS ON THAT, BECAUSE THAT GIVE US AN ALTERNATIVE RATHER THAN COMING JUST, YOU KNOW, TAKING, UM, OUR HERITAGE, UH, ON STONY, BECAUSE I FEEL ONCE YOU OPEN THE DOOR ONE TIME, THERE MIGHT BE OTHER DOORS AFTER THAT.
WHEN THEY SEE ONE DOOR SWING SO EASILY, THEN THAT GIVE YOU THE IDEA.
OR WE CAN PROBABLY DO THAT ELSEWHERE AS WELL.
SO, UM, I'M GRATEFUL THAT YOU ARE LISTENING AND NOT ONLY LISTEN, BUT DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
OKAY? AND, UM, AND IF YOU CAN TAKE ANOTHER ROUTE TO MAKE ALL THIS HAPPEN, THEN PLEASE DO.
OKAY? I'M REMINDED ABOUT SOMETHING THAT Y'ALL CAN READ THIS WHEN YOU GET HOME.
THIS IS FIRST CAME, UM, CHAPTER 21, WHERE THE KING IHA WANTED NIBO LAND BECAUSE HE WAS RIGHT NEXT TO HIM, NEXT TO HIS PALACE.
AND WHEN HE CONSULT HIM ABOUT THE LAND HE WANT, HE ASKED HIM FOR IT TO GIVE HIM HIS LAND.
SO THEN HE WANNA SWAP WITH HIM, AND THEN HE SAID, NO, WELL THEN I'LL BUY IT FROM YOU.
BUT, UM, BUT ANYWAY, THE MAN DIDN'T WANT TO DO EITHER BECAUSE THE LAND WAS SO PRECIOUS TO HIM BECAUSE THE LAND WAS HIS HERITAGE FROM HIS ANCESTORS.
AND OF COURSE, THE KING ED WAS SO SAD THAT HE DIDN'T GET WHAT HE WANTED.
HE USED TO GETTING EVERYTHING HE WANT.
AND THEN WHEN HIS WIFE, JEZEBEL, WHEN SHE GOT HOME, SHE WANTED TO KNOW WHAT'S WRONG AND HE TOLD HER WHAT WAS WRONG.
SO SHE TOLD HIM, WELL, YOU, YOU, YOU SIGNED A LETTER THAT I'M GONNA WRITE AND I'M GONNA GET IT FOR YOU.
SO SHE HAD THE MAN KILLED FOR HIS LAND, OKAY? THAT GOD SAID HIS PROPHET TO TELL HE HAD, BECAUSE YOU DID WHAT YOU DID.
THE DOGS ARE GOING TO LICK YOUR BLOOD AND THE DOG IS GOING TO EAT YOUR WIFE.
OKAY? BECAUSE HE DID WRONG AND HE DIDN'T LISTEN 'CAUSE GOD DIDN'T WANT HIM.
SO MY, MY QUEST TO THE MAYOR AND THIS CON THIS, THIS COMMITTEE IS PLEASE LISTEN TO OUR PEOPLE.
WE ONLY HAVE WHAT GOD BLESS US WITH AND OUR ANCESTORS LOOK OUT FOR US LONG BEFORE WE EVEN GOT HERE.
THEY BOUGHT LAND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD A PLACE TO LIVE HERE ON HILTON NET ISLAND.
SO WE WERE BLESSED WITH THIS LAND, WE SHARED IT WITH EVERYBODY.
SO LET US ALL COME AND ENJOY AND DON'T OVER ADVERTISE.
WHY ARE WE ADVERTISING SO MUCH WHEN WE ONLY KNOW HILTON HEAD IS, BUT SO BIG WHEN WE STILL INVITING PEOPLE TO COME? SO WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET ENOUGH? AND I HOPE AND PRAY THAT WE WILL LISTEN TO WHAT THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HURTING GOT TO SAY.
AND WE CAN ALL ENJOY THIS LAND IN THE FUTURE.
ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER PUBLIC COMMENT? ALRIGHT, SEE, KNOW, WE'LL, WE'LL BRING IT BACK FOR, FOR SOME DIRECTION.
UM, I I THINK THAT WE ALL AGREE THAT WE NEED SOME, A LITTLE BIT OF DIF ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BEFORE WE DETERMINE WHICH VESSELS
[01:55:01]
TO RUN.UM, WOULD Y'ALL AGREE WITH THAT? YES.
SO THE, THE SOONER YOU CAN HAVE THAT BACK TO US AND IF WE CAN NOT NECESSARILY NEED TO SET UP A, A MEETING, BUT IF WE COULD REACH OUT AND GET AN OPINION, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WOULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, NOT TO TRY TO HIDE ANYTHING FROM THE PUBLIC OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT, BUT WE'RE JUST TRYING TO, TO MOVE ALONG.
UM, I JUST A JUST A MAYBE JUST A QUICK POLL RIGHT OFF THE BAT, WHICH, WHICH TWO WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE? WELL, I'M TALKING ABOUT OF OF THE CURRENT MODEL? YEAH.
OF THE CURRENT, YOU KNOW, FOUR ALTERNATIVES.
OF, UH, OF ALL THE ALTERNATIVES.
I'M ALSO NUMBER FOUR AND NUMBER TWO.
SO I I I'M LEANING TOWARDS A TWO AND A FOUR OR A MODIFICATION OF TWO, UM, IS WHAT I'M LEANING TOWARDS.
NUMBER TWO, I HAVE TO AGREE WITH THE GENTLEMAN WHO'S MM-HMM,
IT'S, THEY'RE NOT, THEY'RE NOT, SO I MEAN THAT'S ONE THING I HAVE ELIMINATED NUMBER TWO, BUT THAT'S, YEAH, BUT THAT'S JUST, BUT I NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
I'M JUST PUTTING THAT OUT THERE.
SO, SO IT'S, IT'S PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE AND WE CAN DO AGAIN, THE RIGHT OF WAY PRETTY QUICKLY.
I'VE DONE IT SCRATCHED UP LOOKING AT THE MAP AND IT'S MOSTLY TOWN PROPERTY, BUT, BUT I I, I DO THINK WE OWE IT TO YOU THE EXACT ACREAGE.
SO WHEN YOU WERE LOOKING AT NUMBER TWO, DID YOU ALSO LOOK AT THE, ANY STATES NEW JERSEY THEY HAVE, YOU KNOW, THE J OR THE HOOK, SO YOU GO BY AND, AND MAKE A, A RIGHT HAND TURN INSTEAD OF THE LEFT TURNS.
IS THAT, UH, INSTEAD OF GOING ALL THE WAY DOWN THE STREET AND COMING BACK, UH, TO LOOK AT THAT, THAT WAS DEFINITELY ONE THAT WAS INCLUDED IN PREVIOUS SUBMITTALS.
AND IN DECEMBER WE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A, A MEETING WITH YOU ALL JUST RECEIVING DIRECTION FROM YOU.
UM, DEFINITELY INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS, BUT SEEKING MAYBE FROM A HIERARCHY STANDPOINT, WHAT WAS MORE PALATABLE VERSUS, UH, NOT AS MUCH.
AND THE, UM, NON-STANDARD LEFT TURN.
I KNOW IT COULD BE PERCEIVED AS A, THE, THE BOW TIE IS BEING A NON-STANDARD LEFT TURN, BUT SOME, THE J TURN AS YOU SAID, OR JUNK HANDLES OR THE MEETING LEFT TURNS, THERE WAS A STRONG OPPOSITION IN THE COMMITTEE MEETING TO WHERE THERE WASN'T ANY DESIRE FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THAT.
SO THAT'S WHY THAT WAS NOT INCLUDED.
AND I HAD A, I HAD A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT HE WAS ASKING ABOUT.
ARE YOU, WERE YOU ASKING ABOUT, YOU ACTUALLY LIKE VEER OFF AS A RIGHT TURN AND KIND OF CURL AROUND AND THEN YOUR TRUCK HANDLE GOING BACK STRAIGHT? YEAH.
YOU, YOU, YOU GO BY THE, THE INTERSECTION TAKE A RIGHT HAND OR, OR IT'S BEFORE THE INTERSECTION.
YOU, EITHER WAY, YEAH, IT'S EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER YOU MAKE A RIGHT TURN AND YOU, YOU COME BACK INTO TRAFFIC THAT'S CROSSING OVER, YOU JUST HAVE TO MERGE INTO THE TRAFFIC AND, AND NOT GOING QUARTER MILE DOWN SOME STRAIGHT STREET TO MAKE A A, A TURN AND COME BACK.
AND IT'S REAL QUICK AND SIMPLE.
UH, YEAH, SO LIKE A TRADITIONAL CLOVER INTERCHANGE KIND OF IF YOU SEE, BUT LIKE HOW MOST INTERCHANGES ARE THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES KIND OF DOING THAT, UH, THAT MOVEMENT.
AND THAT WAS CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE CONSIDERED, BUT THAT FOOTPRINT, UM, IS LIKE THE ADDITION OF THAT ROADWAY IN QUAD IN A QUADRANT TO MAKE THE TURN AS YOU'RE SUGGESTING.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ABLE TO USE ANY OF THE EXISTING ROADWAY ALIGNMENT.
IT WOULD'VE REQUIRED A LOT MORE RIGHT AWAY.
AND SO BECAUSE OF THOSE REASONS, WE UM, DECIDED NOT TO MOVE THAT FORWARD AS ONE OF OUR ALTERNATIVES FOR CONSIDERATION BECAUSE WE COULD GENERALLY ACHIEVE THE SAME THING WITH THE BOW TIE.
AND THE BOW TIE LARGELY STAYED WITH AN EXISTING ROADWAY FOOTPRINTS.
ANYBODY HAVE ANY NEW BUSINESS? SO MARK OR MAY 8TH IS OUR NEXT MEETING, UM, IF WE WAITED UNTIL MAY 8TH TO MAKE THIS DECISION AS TO WHICH VSM TO RUN, WHAT DOES THAT DO TO A TIMELINE? UH, IF YOU COULD PROVIDE THAT INFORMATION, I KNOW YOU, YOU NEED TO RUN SOME SCENARIOS, BUT THAT THAT'LL HELP IN DETERMINING THE PACE AT WHICH WE MOVE.
CAN WE LOOK AT THAT, SEAN? WE,
[02:00:01]
WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT IT, BUT I, I DO WANNA HEAR FROM LAMEER.SO WE HAD A MEETING LAST WEEK TO TALK ABOUT, UM, BEING IN A POSITION FOR THE, WHAT WE CALL THE EXPANDED STUDY AREA.
AND I DO WANNA POINT OUT ALTERNATIVE ONE AS IDENTIFIED HERE IS NOT THE S-C-D-O-T OR COUNTY MOSS CREEK TO RIGHT BEFORE THE SPANISH WELLS INTERSECTION.
IT IS MOSS CREEK ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE GUMTREE INTERSECTION.
THAT'S WHAT LOCK MUELLER HAS BEEN EVALUATING WHEN THEY TALK ABOUT THIS MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE.
THAT'S WHAT IT'S BEEN FROM THE BEGINNING.
UM, SO IT DOES INCLUDE, AND IF YOU LOOK AT WHAT THEY PRESENTED, IT INCLUDED SOME RECOMMENDATIONS AT THE GUMTREE INTERSECTION.
UM, BUT IN ORDER TO MOVE FORWARD TO GET THESE FINDINGS THAT WE NEED FOR THIS AREA AND THEN THE DOWNSTREAM FINDINGS, WE, WE WERE LOOKING FOR A DECISION ON AN ALTERNATIVE TODAY, UM, DELAYING THE ABILITY TO DO THE VISIM.
UM, IT'S PRETTY INTENSE OF A OPERATION TO DO IT AND GET THE EVALUATION, SO I'LL LEAVE IT UP TO THEM TO, TO LET YOU KNOW THE OVERALL IMPACT ON SCHEDULE.
UM, BUT THE PLAN WAS TO BRING A FINAL REPORT TO THE COMMITTEE IN JUNE, UM, SO THAT WE COULD MOVE, MOVE THINGS FORWARD.
BUT I THINK MAYBE ONE WAY WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, IT, IT SEEMED, IT SEEMED TO BE, THERE WAS A CONSENSUS ON WANTING TO UNDERSTAND OR HAVING A MODEL ASSOCIATED WITH ALTERNATIVE FOUR, IF THAT'S MY UNDERSTANDING.
PERHAPS WE COULD FORWARD WITH ALTERNATIVE FOUR AND THEN PROVIDE YOU THE RIGHT OF WAY INFORMATION FOR, UM, NUMBER TWO.
SO THAT WAY WE CONTINUE MOVING FORWARD AND THEN GET YOU THAT INFORMATION WITH REGARDS TO COST AND THEN, UM, RIGHT OF WAY.
SEAN, WHAT'S YOUR THOUGHT ON THAT? UH, ONE, I WANNA GET YOU THE INFORMATION TO MAKE A DECISION ON THE ALTERNATIVE AS SOON AS, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
UM, ALTERNATIVE FOUR IS A SIGNIFICANT DEVIATION OVER WHAT IS CURRENTLY BEEN PROPOSED, BEEN EVALUATED, BEEN VETTED, BEEN SHARED PUBLICLY.
AND SO, UM, I'M NOT, I'M NOT POSITIVE YET ON THE TIMEFRAME IMPLICATIONS.
AND, AND, AND, AND THE ONE REASON WHY I WANNA KNOW WHAT THE COST VARIANCE IS.
IF IT'S, IF WE'RE AT $420 MILLION AND IT ADDS ANOTHER A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS, I'M JUST USING NUMBERS THAT MIGHT PERSUADE ME AWAY FROM IT.
I, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THE FLYOVER SIDE, YOU KNOW, JUST FROM AN AESTHETICS ENVIRONMENTAL SIDE, I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THAT.
UM, BUT I'M TRYING TO BALANCE EVERYTHING AS BETWEEN MOVING TRAFFIC SAFETY, BUT ALSO KEEPING THE CHARACTER OF OUR ISLAND.
UM, THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE DO THAT.
SO I DON'T WANNA SPEND MONEY ON RUNNING THIS ON OPTION FOUR IF IT IS TOTALLY NOT FEASIBLE, BUT I ALSO DON'T WANNA RUN IT ON SOMETHING THAT ISN'T PROVIDING THE RIGHT SOLUTION.
SO, AND, AND I UNDERSTAND, AND I, I DON'T WANNA ALSO RUN THE RISK THAT IF THERE'S A PROJECT THAT HAS SIMILAR BENEFITS AND UM, AND OUR LOCAL POSITION IS 150% THE COST THAT THE, THAT THE RESPONSE IS WELL THE TOWN, THE DELTA.
UM, AND I ALWAYS HATE TO ASK FOR AN ADDITIONAL MEETING, BUT I THINK IF, IF WE CAN HAVE THIS INFORMATION, UM, GET IT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.
I MEAN, I'M NOT EVEN THINKING TOO, AS SOON AS WE HAVE IT, I'LL, I'LL WORK WITH NATE, MY TEAM TO GET IT AND THEN WORK WITH YOU TO SCHEDULE A MEETING.
LET, LET, LET'S DO THAT BECAUSE I, I LIKE THE, THE IDEA OF PUTTING IT ON THE TABLE IN FRONT OF EVERYBODY, SO LET'S DO THAT.
SO YOU'LL GET BACK WITH US ON THAT.
UM, THANK Y'ALL FOR ANOTHER GREAT PRESENTATION, LYNN.
I DID NOT ASK IF THERE WERE ANY COMMENTS SUBMITTED THROUGH THE PORTAL.
[6. Adjournment]
ALL RIGHT, WE'RE ADJOURNED.[02:05:03]
YOU ARE WATCHING BEAUFORT COUNTY TV.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.
FORT 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 PUNTE 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 HA 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 SOUTH.
THERE'S SOMETHING GEOLOGICALLY DIFFERENT, OR ONE MIGHT SAY MAGICAL ABOUT PORT ROYAL ROYALS OUT.
SO SPANISH SAILORS BEING THE BEST IN THE WORLD IN THEIR TIME, FOUND THIS PLACE VERY EARLY, KNEW THAT FOR THE SPANISH EXPLORATIONS OF THE AMERICAN SOUTHEAST, THIS WOULD BE THE ENTRATA, THE ENTRANCE.
AND SO THEY BUILT A CITY ACROSS THE RIVER, UH, ACROSS THE SOUND FROM WHERE WE ARE ON PARAS 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 CANON AID, 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 DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
THIS HARBOR THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT WAS FILLED WITH SHIPS.
THERE 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.
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 BE 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
[02:10:01]
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 A 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 CUTTING 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 WOULD 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 SORT OF LIKE CORDITE IS INVENTED NOW, AND IT'S STILL A WIDELY USED MILITARY EXPLOSIVE.
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 OF 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 THEM 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 OR 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 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 PARAS 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 NAVIES 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 DOCKS SOUTH OF NORFOLK.
IN FACT, IT IS THE ONLY DRY DOCKS SOUTH OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, THAT'S CAPABLE OF TAKING THESE NEW MODERN BATTLESHIPS AND 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.
[02:15:01]
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.
THEY CANNOT BE ALLOWED TO STAY LIKE THAT.
AND THEY MADE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FORTIFICATION AND IMPROVEMENTS.
THEY 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 BUFORT IS NOT ON THE LIST.
IT'LL TAKE INTERNATIONAL EVENTS TO BRING BUFORT 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 SBY.
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 TAKEN 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 FREMONT.
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 IMMEDIATELY BEGAN CONSTRUCTION OF WHAT WOULD BECOME FORT FREMONT.
THE LARGE BATTERIES WOULD HOUSE THE LARGE GUNS BATTERY FOR THE RAPID FIRE GUNS.
A 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.
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, UM, EXPLORER, AS ARMY FORTS WERE GENERALLY NAMED FOR ARMY OFFICERS.
UH, AND HE WAS, UH, CONNECTED LOCALLY.
UH, THIS WAS, 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, BATTERIES, UH, FORT, UH, FOR
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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 ANCE 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 NANCE 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 IN OF GOD 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, IN PRACTICE SKILLS IN ARTILLERY MINE 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 AT, 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 FREMONT.
WHEN EVENTUALLY THE DECISION WAS MADE TO MOVE A DRY DOCK AND THE COALING STATION AND THE NAVY STATION UP TO CHARLESTON, THEN THIS FORT NO LONGER BECAME SIGNIFICANT.
THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT HERE THAT WAS TO BE PROTECTED.
AND AT THAT POINT, 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 DREDGE 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
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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'S 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, AND THE FRIENDS OF FORT FREMONT AND BEAUFORT COUNTY HAVE PRESERVED IT BEFORE 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 FORT.
MOST IMPORTANT, WE'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR CREATIVE WAYS TO ENHANCE THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE.
THE FIX IT TICKET IS ACTUALLY REALLY GREAT 'CAUSE IT GIVES SOME ANIMAL OWNER A CHANCE TO FIX THE PROBLEM BEFORE WE ACTUALLY GIVE THEM A TICKET.
UM, AND IT RANGES FROM ANYWHERE FROM LICENSING AN ANIMAL, UM, VACCINATIONS, UH, FOR RABIES, WHETHER AN ANIMAL IS RUNNING AT LARGE, UM, UM, AND ESPECIALLY FOR THE PIT BULLS BECAUSE IT'S MANDATORY FOR THEM TO GET NEUTERED.
SO IT GIVES THE OWNERS A CHANCE TO GET THEM NEUTERED, GET THEM FIXED BEFORE WE ISSUE THEM A TICKET.
ALSO, YES, WE HAVE NOTICED THAT OUR POPULATION NUMBERS HAVE GONE DOWN, UM, YOU KNOW, GREATLY.
UM, JUST THE ANIMAL, THE, THE, THE AMOUNT OF ANIMAL THAT WE INTAKE HAS GONE DOWN.
NOW, IF ANYONE NEEDS ASSISTANCE WITH FIXING, YOU KNOW, GETTING THEIR ANIMALS SPAYED OR NEUTERED, UH, PLEASE REACH OUT TO, UM, BEAUFORT COUNTY AND WE CAN ASSIST THEM, YOU KNOW, THE BEST THAT WE CAN IN MAKING SURE THAT THEIR ANIMAL IS FIXED AND UP TO DATE, UM, PER OUR CLINIC.