[00:00:01]
CLOSED CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY BUFORT COUNTY.
[1. Call to Order]
GOOD AFTERNOON.I'D LIKE TO CALL THIS MEETING TO ORDER, IF WE COULD TURN THAT DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT.
THE HILTON PARKWAY GATEWAY CORRIDOR INDEPENDENT REVIEW ADVISORY COMMITTEE, WEDNESDAY, JUNE 12TH, 2024.
DO WE HAVE ACCESS TO TURN THAT DOWN JUST A LITTLE BIT? YEAH.
FIRST WE'LL START OFF WITH THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES, UH, FOR THE MEETING ON APRIL 22ND, 2024 AND MAY 8TH, 2024.
[2. Approval of the Minutes]
DO WE HAVE A MOTION? WE HAVE SOME COMMENTS.WE'VE GOT A MOTION BEFORE WE APPROVE.
I READ THROUGH ALL THE, UM, THE LONG MINUTES AND, UM, OOPS.
I READ THROUGH THE, UH, ALL THE MINUTES, AND THERE ARE A FEW POINTS THAT I'D LIKE TO, UH, FOLLOW UP ON.
UM, ONE WAS THAT, UM, UH, THE, UM, THERE WAS GONNA BE, UM, UH, IT WAS GONNA BE LOOKED IN AND INTO WHAT, UM, MADE THE, THE, UM, THE EIGHT PEOPLE GO TO COLUMBIA AT THE TIME, UM, BASED ON THE FACT THAT WE HAD APPROVED THAT AT THE, AT THE MEETING.
UH, WHEREAS AT THE MEETING WE ONLY SAID, OH, LOOK AT THE, LOOK AT THE TOTAL AMOUNTS.
AND THAT WAS GOING TO BE REVIEWED.
LOOKED INTO, HAS THAT BEEN DONE AT ALL? YES, THAT WAS REVIEWED AND, AND THERE WAS A VIDEO THAT WAS SENT OUT, UM, TO ALL COMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT SHOWED THAT.
BECAUSE I DON'T RECALL THAT WAS THE INTENTION, BUT, UH, OF SENDING A WHOLE BUS BUSLOAD OF PEOPLE UP TO COLUMBIA AT THE TIME.
UM, WELL, IF I GO BACK AND CLARIFY, BECAUSE
[3. Unfinished Business]
THAT REQUEST WAS MADE AT THE, THE MEETING I SENT TO THE ENTIRE COMMITTEE, THE, UH, RECORD OF THE MEETING, UM, WHERE THE REQUEST TO REACH OUT TO BOTH YOU FOR COUNTY AND S-C-D-O-T WAS MADE, UM, THAT IT WAS IMPORTANT, UM, TO DO THAT.UH, THERE WAS NO RECOMMENDATION ON, YOU KNOW, FROM THE COMMITTEE AS TO HOW THAT ENGAGEMENT WAS TO TAKE PLACE.
UM, AND SO THE INFORMATION WAS SHARED WITH BUFORT COUNTY.
IT WAS SHARED WITH S-C-D-O-T, AND A MEETING WAS HELD IN COLUMBIA WITH S-C-D-O-D-O-T AND THE COUNTY, UM, TO GET FEEDBACK AS REQUESTED BY THE COMMITTEE THEN, UM, OKAY, SO THE OTHER POINTS FACT THAT I, I DISAGREE WITH THE FACT THAT LATER
SO, I MEAN, I THINK THAT THAT TRIP WAS INITIATED, UH, UNDER A DIFFERENT DIRECTION THAN, UM, THAN THIS CORRIDOR COMMITTEE INTENDED TO.
AND I JUST WANT TO NOTE THAT FOR THE RECORD, IT ALSO SAYS IN THE MINUTES THAT, UM, SEAN COLLIN HAD ASKED LAMU TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ALTERNATIVE ONE, UH, WITH DESIGN MODIFICATION TO CONSIDER, BASED ON THE FEEDBACK RECEIVED FROM S-E-O-D-T AND I, I WONDER HOW THAT HAPPENS.
UM, WE HAVEN'T REALLY DECIDED ON ALTERNATIVE ONE, UM, AS THE, THE, THE FAVORITE, UH, ALTERNATIVE.
SO HOW CAN YOU DIRECT SOMEBODY TO DO THAT? WELL, I, I GO, GO AHEAD, SEAN.
SO LOCK MUELLER AGAIN, AND THEIR INDEPENDENT REVIEW HAS PERFORMED THE SCOPE OF WORK RECOMMENDED BY THE COMMITTEE AND APPROVED BY TOWN COUNCIL.
THEY PRESENTED FOUR ALTERNATIVES TO THE COMMITTEE AT THE REQUEST OF THE COMMITTEE.
AND I WAS CLEAR, AND WE CAN WATCH THE VIDEO IF WE NEED TO, I WAS CLEAR TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS COMMITTEE SUPPORT TO SHARE THOSE ALTERNATIVES AND THE EXPRESS OR SOUTHERN BYPASS OPTION WITH S-C-D-O-T AND B BEFORE COUNTY THAT OCCURRED.
UM, THE DOCUMENTS WERE SHARED WITH BOTH BEAUFORT COUNTY AND S-C-D-O-T WITH A REQUEST TO PROVIDE RESPONSES, UM, AND THEIR OPINION AND
[00:05:01]
FEEDBACK ON THE ALTERNATIVES THAT WERE PRESENT.SO FOUR FROM LOCK MUELLER AS WELL AS THE SOUTHERN BYPASS WE RECEIVED IN WRITING FROM THE DEPUTY SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION, ROBERT PERRY, THE OTS POSITION ON THE FOUR ALTERNATIVES AND THE SOUTHERN BYPASS.
THEY WERE NOT SUPPORTIVE OF ALTERNATIVE TWO, THREE OR FOUR FROM LOCK MUELLER, NOR WERE THEY SUPPORTIVE IN ANY WAY OF THE SOUTHERN BYPASS ALTERNATIVE THAT WAS PRESENTED.
BASED ON THAT INFORMATION AND FEEDBACK THAT I SHARED WITH THE COMMITTEE, WE MOVED FORWARD WITH ALTERNATIVE ONE AS THE, THE VIABLE OPTION THAT WAS, UM, INCLUDED IN THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM LOCK MEER.
SO, BUT IN, IN ESSENCE, IT'S DONE ON SCTS DIRECTIVE, NOT ON, ON, UM, ON THE COMMITTEE'S DIRECTIVE.
AND THE OTHER THING IS THAT, AND WE'LL GET BACK INTO THIS LATER, IS THAT THE, THE, THE SECOND AL, UH, SOUTHERN BYPASS ALTERNATIVE, WHICH IS A, UH, UM, A SOLUTION THAT HAS NO IMPACT ON STONY, IT HAS NO, UH, IMPACT ON RIGHT AWAYS.
IT HAS A INSIGNIFICANT ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, DOESN'T, UM, AFFECT, UH, HONEY HORN AND IT TIES IN DIRECTLY WITH THE, WITH THE COSIGN PARKWAY IS, IS HAS NOT BEEN PUSHED, UM, BY THE TOWN EITHER.
AND I, WE HAVE TO GET BACK TO THAT LATER ON IN THE PRESENTATION FROM, UH, NICK.
BUT I'M HAPPY IF, MAYOR, I DON'T WANNA DEBATE AT THIS POINT, BUT I'M HAPPY TO RESPOND.
I, I WOULD HOLD OFF BECAUSE YEAH, WE CAN DISCUSS IT LATER.
BECAUSE WE'RE JUST TRYING TO APPROVE THE MINUTES AS TO WHAT WAS SAID AND WHAT WAS DONE AND RIGHT, NOT RIGHT, RIGHT, RIGHT.
SO, SO WE'VE GOT A, A MOTION, WE HAVE A SECOND.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF APPROVING THE MINUTES, PLEASE SIGNIFY BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND OPPOSED.
THERE'S FOUR TO ZERO UPDATE ON PROJECT PROGRESS.
CAN I MAKE ONE, ONE SUGGESTION? UH, ALAN CAN WE, UH, APPEARANCES BY CITIZENS IS AFTER WE ARE ALL DONE, AND I THINK THAT'S AT THIS LAST MEETING, UM, WE NEED TO HEAR FROM CITIZENS BEFORE WE EVEN START TO CONSIDER RESOLUTIONS AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
SO I, I PROPOSE THAT WE MOVE ITEM FIVE AFTER ITEM THREE.
IS THERE A SECOND TO THAT MOTION? SURE.
ALL THOSE IN FAVOR, PLEASE SETTLE BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED, IT GETS, GETS MOVED TO THE END STATES AT THE END.
IF IT'S A DRAW, IT'S AT THE END APPEARANCE BY CITIZENS.
UM, WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE, THIS IS OUR 10TH MEETING OF THE ADVISORY COMMITTEE.
UH, NOW THAT WE'VE HAD LOCK MEER ON BOARD, UH, WE HAD, UM, SEVERAL MEETINGS STARTING LAST SPRING TO OUTLINE THE, UM, RFQ AND SCOPE OF WORK, UH, TO PUT OUT A CONTRACT TO SOLICIT A, UH, CONSULTANT TO DO THIS WORK.
BUT WE'VE HAD 10 PUBLIC MEETINGS.
UM, LOCK MUELLER HAS BEEN WORKING THROUGH THE APPROVED SCOPE OF WORK, UM, INCLUDED WITHIN THEIR CONTRACT AND TO DATE HAS PROVIDED A SERIES OF PRESENTATIONS AND FINDINGS, UH, RELATED TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF THAT CONTRACT AND SCOPE OF WORK.
UM, TODAY THEY'RE GONNA FOCUS ON THE DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS, WHICH WERE THE NEXT, UH, PART OF THEIR EVALUATION, UM, AND COMPLETE THE FINDINGS AS OUTLINED IN THE CONTRACT TO PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT WOULD POSITION THE TOWN TO MAKE A DECISION ON THE, UH, GREATER PROJECT.
UM, SOME ADDITIONAL WORK ON INTERSECTION ALTERNATIVES FOR DOWNSTREAM INTERSECTIONS WILL BE COMPLETED, UM, AND PRESENTED IN, UH, TO TOWN COUNCIL, UH, UH, AT A LATER DATE.
BUT THIS INCLUDES THE FINAL FINDINGS, UM, THAT WERE IN THE CONTRACT AND PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE.
UM, I'LL, I'LL HAVE, UM, NATE GO THROUGH AND PROVIDE A PROJECT PROGRESS, UM, AND THEN JUMP INTO THE AGENDA IF THAT MAYOR, I'LL HAVE HIM GIVE HIS PROGRESS, UM, ON THE PROJECT.
AND THEN WE'LL JUMP INTO THE AGENDA ITEMS ON THE, ON THE MEETING.
AND IF I COULD JUST, I WANNA CLARIFY SOMETHING WHILE I WAS TALKING TO, TO MR. ADVOCATE, THERE WILL BE AN OPTION FOR PUBLIC COMMENT PRIOR TO US TAKING A VOTE ON THAT RESOLUTION.
UM, BUT APPEARANCE BY CITIZENS WILL STILL BE AT THE END.
UM, MAYOR PERRY, MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE, THANK YOU FOR HAVING US ONCE AGAIN.
IT'S A PLEASURE TO BE BEFORE YOU.
TEAM MEMBERS JOINING US TODAY, A LOT OF FAMILIAR FACES,
[00:10:01]
KATE SWINFORD, MICHELLE ROMINE, AND CHAD COSTA.WE HAVE THEM AVAILABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS RELATED TO THOSE SUBJECTS, UM, AS NEEDED DURING THE COURSE OF THE PRESENTATION.
THE AGENDA THAT WE'D LIKE TO FOCUS ON TODAY IS TO GIVE YOU AN OVERALL UPDATE ON THE PROJECT'S PROGRESS, AND THEN MICHELLE'S GONNA GIVE A PRESENTATION THAT OUTLINES, AS SEAN ALLUDED TO, THE IMPACTS THAT WE HAVE FOUND FOR ALL OF THE DOWNSTREAM INTERSECTIONS THAT ARE INCLUDED.
A TASK FOUR, IN OTHER WORDS, THE INTERSECTIONS DOWNSTREAM OF GUMTREE, AS WELL AS, UH, DOWNSTREAM OF THE CROSS ISLAND, ALL THE WAY DOWN TO SEA PINE CIRCLE.
UM, TO REITERATE WHAT SEAN SAID, THESE ARE, THESE CONSIDER THE SELECTION OF ALTERNATIVE ONE WITH MODIFICATION OF HAVING A SINGLE EASTBOUND LEFT TURN IN A SINGLE SOUTHBOUND RIGHT TURN IN SQUIRE POPE ROAD, DEVELOPING A VISIM MODEL, OPTIMIZING THE TIMINGS, CONSIDERING THE ADAPTIVE SYSTEM FROM BLUFFTON ALL THE WAY THROUGH TO GUMTREE.
BUT THEN ALSO WITHIN THAT VISIM MODEL, WE ARE INCORPORATING THE INTERSECTIONS REMAINING WITHIN THE STUDY AREAS ALL THE WAY DOWN TO INDIGO RUN, THEN ALL THE WAY DOWN TO C PINE CIRCLE.
BUT THE DIFFERENCE THERE IS THAT THOSE ARE JUST IMPACTS.
WE HAVE NOT WENT THROUGH THE MITIGATION STRATEGIES AS AS OF YET.
WE JUST WANT YOU TO SEE WHAT THE TIMINGS WOULD BE AT THOSE INTERSECTIONS UNDER THEIR EXISTING GEOMETRY ITEMS THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON SINCE WE LAST MET.
DEVELOPING, UH, AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT THOSE IMPACTS WOULD BE.
WE DEVELOPED AN ACCOMPANY TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM THAT, UM, IS IN PART AND PARCEL WITH WHAT THE ITEMS THAT MICHELLE IS GOING TO BE SPEAKING TO TODAY.
THAT IS CONSIDERED AN INTERIM LOVABLE OF TASK 4.4.
THE FULL VERSION OF THAT DELIVERABLE WILL INCLUDE THE MITIGATION STRATEGIES AS WELL.
WE'VE CONTINUED, ARE IN THE PROCESS OF EVALUATING MITIGATION STRATEGIES.
AND THEN WE'VE ALSO PUT TOGETHER A, A, UH, A SINGULAR PDF THAT HAS ALL OF OUR SUBMITTED DELIVERABLES TO DATE, UM, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE COMMITTEE.
BUT THEN ALSO TOO, AS WE BEGIN ENGAGING THE COUNCIL MEMBERS, THEY HAVE ALL OF THE DOCUMENTS ALL IN ONE PLACE.
SO IF THEY'RE LOOKING AT THE SCOPE, THEY CAN SEE, HAVE YOU MET THIS TASK DELIVERABLE? AND THEY CAN SEE THAT WE HAVE, SO FROM ALL TASK ONE THROUGH THREE AND A PARTIAL OF THE FIRST DELIVERABLE FOR FOUR, WE HAVE COMPLETED.
FROM AN OVERALL STANDPOINT, I WOULD ESTIMATE THAT WE ARE 75% COMPLETE, GIVEN THAT WE ARE, UH, WELL WITHIN, UH, COMPLETION OF TASK FOUR TASK ONE.
THE ONLY REMAINING ITEM THAT WE HAVE IN OUR SCOPE IS JUST TO BE ONE COORDINATION MEETING WITH TOWN STAFF, AND THEN WE CAN CONSIDER THAT 100% COMPLETE TASK TWO, AS WE MENTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES, THAT IS A HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLETE.
TASK THREE, WE'RE CONSIDERING 90%.
THE REASON FOR THAT IS WE HAVE PROVIDED YOU THE DELIVERABLE FOR THAT.
HOWEVER, WE WILL BE SUBMITTING AND PRESENTING SOME OF THOSE FINDINGS TO MEMBERS OF COUNCIL WHEN WE ENGAGE THEM FORMALLY FOR THE FIRST TIME NEXT WEEK.
AFTER THOSE MEETINGS, WE WILL BE ABLE TO CONSIDER TASK THREE A HUNDRED PERCENT COMPLETE TASK FOUR.
WE THINK WE'RE ABOUT HALFWAY DOWN WITH THAT BECAUSE WE HAVE UNDER, WE HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT THE IMPACTS ARE GONNA BE AND WE'RE WORKING THROUGH MITIGATION STRATEGIES FOR THOSE.
AND THEN SIMILAR TO WHAT WE PROVIDED TO YOU IN TASK 3.6, THE SUMMARY OF FINDINGS MEMO, UM, AGAIN, LET'S LABELED AS TASK 4.4 IN OUR SCOPE ADDENDUM.
WE HAVE AN INTERIM VERSION THAT WE HAVE SUBMITTED, UH, TO YOU TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACTS, UM, EARLIER THIS WEEK.
BUT WE'LL FINAL THAT OUT TO HAVE THE MITIGATION STRATEGIES INCLUDED, UM, TO FORMALIZE THAT DOCUMENT.
AND THEN WE'LL BE PRESENTING THAT TO MEMBERS OF COUNCIL AS WELL.
AND THEN TASK FIVE IS JUST THE SUMMATION OF EVERYTHING WE'VE DONE TO DATE TO PUT INTO ONE COMPREHENSIVE DOCUMENT TO MEMORIALIZE OUR WORK.
AND THAT'LL BE AFTER, UM, COMPLETION OF TASK FOUR.
SO DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS ON THE PROGRESS THAT WE'VE MADE THUS FAR? ANY QUESTIONS? I'M JUST WONDERING, UM, WE SEEM TO BE, UM, RUSHING TOWARDS THE FINISH LINE NO MATTER WHAT.
AND, UH, PARTS OF YOUR, OF YOUR, UH, UM, WORK ARE NOT FINISHED.
DO YOU EXPECT THINGS TO BE FINISHED BEFORE THE 17TH OF JUNE OR IS IT GONNA TAKE MORE TIME? UH, WHAT ARE YOU REFERRING TO THAT'S NOT COMPLETED? SORRY, WHAT ARE YOU REFERRING TO THAT'S NOT COMPLETED? WELL, YOU MENTIONED OVER THERE 75% COMPLETE, 50% COMPLETE 75 IF YOU CONSIDER THE 75, IF YOU CONSIDER THE ENTIRE PROJECT, THE GOAL OF THE MEETINGS THAT ARE GONNA TAKE PLACE ON MONDAY.
AND THEN THE NEW COUNCIL MEETING DATE OF JUNE 20TH IS TO ENGAGE THE, THE COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THE FIRST TIME AND TO LET THEM KNOW AND ASK ANY QUESTIONS OF ANY PROJECT OR ANY WORK THAT WE'VE COMPLETED FROM TASKS ONE THROUGH THREE, WHICH AGAIN, WE PROVIDED THE FORMAL DELIVERABLE FOR TASK THREE AT THE LAST MEETING.
AND THEN WE'VE ALSO PROVIDED TO THEM THAT
[00:15:01]
INTERIM FINDINGS FOR IMPACTS THAT, UH, KATE, I'M SORRY, MICHELLE IS GONNA BE SPEAKING TO TODAY.SO WE HAVE COMPLETED ALL OF THE SUBJECT DELIVERABLES UP AND THROUGH TASK THREE, AND WE'VE GOT AN INTERIM DELIVERABLE READY FOR DISCUSSIONS WITH COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR TASK 4.4.
UM, BEFORE WE, UH, TRANSITION TO MICHELLE TO GO INTO THE FINDINGS FOR THE DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS, WE DID WANT TO, UH, PAUSE JUST A MOMENT AND, AND KATE'S GOING TO, UH, TAKE A FEW MOMENTS AND HIGHLIGHT SOME, WHAT WE'RE CALLING REVIEW ITEMS THAT WE FELT WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO REEMPHASIZE, YOU KNOW, OUR METHOD OF OPERATIONS AS WE'VE PROGRESSED THROUGH THE PROJECT, AS WELL AS ANSWER, UM, A COUPLE QUESTIONS THAT WE'VE RECEIVED RELATED TO LEVELS OF SERVICE CRITERIA AND THE GENERATION OF OUR BASE TRAFFIC DATA.
SO KATE, IF YOU COULD JOIN IN.
UM, YOU KNOW, KNOWS NATE REITERATED EARLIER.
WE ARE, UH, CERTAINLY HAPPY TO BE HERE AGAIN WITH YOU TODAY.
UM, I FIRST WANT TO JUST REVIEW, UM, YOU KNOW, THE INDEPENDENT STUDY GOALS AS WE UNDERSTOOD THEM AT THE OUTSET OF OUR TASKS, WHICH IS TO REVIEW THE, UH, WORK THAT HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY DONE BY OTHER PARTIES, INCLUDING A-C-D-O-T IN BEAUFORT COUNTY.
UM, TRY AND SEE IF WE AGREED WITH THE METHODS AND METHODOLOGIES THAT WERE, UH, UNDERTAKEN TO ARRIVE AT THOSE CONCLUSIONS OF THOSE STUDIES.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, IF WE PERHAPS DIDN'T FIGURE OUT ANY ITEMS, WOULD WE CHANGE SOMETHING? UH, WE DID FIND ONE OF THOSE ITEMS WITH THE GROWTH RATE THAT WE PREVIOUSLY HAVE DISCUSSED.
UM, EVEN WITH, UH, CHANGE IN THE GROWTH RATE, OUR SUGGESTED CHANGE IN THE GROWTH RATE, UH, WE ULTIMATELY DID NOT FIND, UM, YOU KNOW, VERY MUCH DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN, UH, THE RESULTS OF PRIOR STUDY EFFORTS AND THE RESULTS OF OUR STUDY EFFORTS WITH RESPECT TO, UH, PREVIOUSLY CONSIDERED ALTERNATIVES.
UM, SO AS FAR AS AN INDEPENDENT STUDY GOES, UH, YOU KNOW, WE BELIEVE THAT WE, WE ACHIEVED THAT ITEM, UH, WITHOUT, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE INPUT LOCK.
MUELLER WAS NOT A PARTICIPANT IN THE MEETING WITH S-C-D-O-T.
WE HAVE NEVER COORDINATED DIRECTLY WITH S-C-D-O-T.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO PLEASE REGISTERED THAT OUR ANALYSIS OF ANY OF THAT PRIOR WORK THAT HAS BEEN DONE TRULY WAS INDEPENDENT AS INTENDED, UH, WITH OUR SELECTION, HAVING NO PRIOR RELATIONSHIP WITH S-C-D-O-T OR ANY OF THEIR, UM, EMPLOYEES AND STILL THROUGH THIS PROCESS, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE MAINTAINED THAT INDEPENDENCE BY, BY NOT ENGAGING IN ANY OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS.
THE REST OF OUR SCOPE, UH, REALLY WAS FOCUSED ON TRYING TO BRING NEW IDEAS TO THE TABLE.
UH, WERE THERE IDEAS THAT PREVIOUSLY WERE CONSIDERED THAT MAYBE WEREN'T GIVEN AS MUCH CONSIDERATION THAT WE THOUGHT WERE GOOD IDEAS? AND MAYBE DO WE HAVE IDEAS OF OUR OWN THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE FOR CONSIDERATION? AND AGAIN, WE BELIEVE THAT WE CERTAINLY DID THAT WITH, UH, YOU KNOW, ALTERNATIVES TWO, THREE, AND FOUR.
UH, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, I KNOW THAT THERE ARE LOTS OF CERTAINLY, UH, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF OPINIONS, UH, YOU KNOW, ON, ON VARIOUS SIDES FOR, FOR THIS ISSUE.
AND I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT OUR PLACE IN THIS IS TO PROVIDE FACTS AND OUR, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR INDEPENDENT ANALYSIS TO, TO PROVIDE THOSE FACTS AND HOPEFULLY HELP, UH, HELP THESE GROUPS MAKE THEIR DECISIONS.
SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAPPY TO CONTINUE, UH, YOU KNOW, ANY, ANY NEW FACT FINDING MISSIONS, UM, YOU KNOW, AS DIRECTED AND APPROVED.
UH, BUT OUR CURRENT WORKING SCOPE THAT HAS BEEN BEEN APPROVED AND OUR CURRENT MISSION, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT WE HAVE SET THE PATH THAT WE'VE SET DOWN.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE BELIEVE THAT WE, WE HAVE DONE THAT TO, UH, YOU KNOW, CERTAINLY THE, THE BEST OF OUR PROFESSIONAL ABILITY.
UH, MOVING ON TO THE NEXT ITEM, UH, THE REPORTED RESULTS IN MANY OF OUR DOCUMENTS, REFERENCE LEVEL OF SERVICE.
AND I KNOW THERE ARE A FEW QUESTIONS, UM, THAT HAVE CONTINUED AS TO THE DIFFERENCES IN THE LEVELS OF SERVICE.
UM, YOU KNOW, A THROUGH F WHAT, UH, REALLY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE OR NOT.
AND I JUST WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY OR JUST REVIEW, REVIEW THIS, THIS THOUGHT.
UM, YOU KNOW, LEVEL SERVICE CERTAINLY IS ONE OF THE METRICS THAT WE USE TO ANALYZE DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES AND ASSESS IF WE CONSIDER SOMETHING ACCEPTABLE OR NOT.
OR CONSIDER SOMETHING, UH, YOU KNOW, THAT PROVIDES A LEVEL OF IMPROVEMENT OR NOT.
BUT IT'S ONLY ONE METRIC OF A THREE-PRONGED APPROACH.
AND WHEN WE INITIALLY STARTED TALKING ABOUT, UM, EXISTING LEVELS OF SERVICE THAT WE HAVE ON THIS CORRIDOR, I WENT INTO THIS DISCUSSION, BUT THAT WAS A FEW MEETINGS AGO.
SO WE FELT IT WAS PERTINENT TO REVIEW IT TODAY.
UM, YOU KNOW, JUST TO KIND OF BRING IT BACK TO THE TOP OF EVERYBODY'S MIND LEVELS OF LEVEL OF SERVICE IS ONLY ONE OF, OF A THREE-PRONGED APPROACH IN OUR MIND FOR HOW WE, HOW WE ANALYZE IF A, IF AN ALTERNATIVE OR A CERTAIN APPROACH IS, UM, YOU KNOW, ACCEPTABLE.
THE OTHER TWO PRONGS ARE Q AND THEN VOLUME
[00:20:01]
TO CAPACITY RATIO, WHICH DISCUSSES LANE CAPACITY.SO Q LENGTH IS THE RESULTING, UH, YOU KNOW, LENGTH OR NUMBER OF CARS THAT WILL BE STACKED WAITING FOR THEIR TURN TO, YOU KNOW, ENTER THE CORRIDOR PROGRESS DOWN THE CORRIDOR IF THEY'RE WAITING AT A SIGNAL.
VOLUME TO CAPACITY RATIO SPEAKS TO LANE CAPACITY.
AND THAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, IF YOU LOOK THROUGH OUR TABLES, THAT WILL BE THE, THE DECIMAL NUMBER.
UM, AND IF IT'S LARGER THAN ONE, THAT MEANS THAT THE VOLUME IS, IS GREATER THAN THE PHYSICAL LANE CAPACITY PROVIDED THAT PARTICULAR APPROACH.
IF IT'S LESS THAN ONE THEORETICALLY, IT MEANS THAT THERE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, PLENTY OF PAVEMENT SPACE THERE FOR THE VEHICLES THAT ARE TRYING TO ACCESS THE APPROACH AND, UM, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY EXCESS CAPACITY, UH, IN, IN SOME OF THEIR SITUATIONS.
SO I, I JUST WANT TO, YOU KNOW, GO OVER THOSE TOPICS BRIEFLY THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE LOOK AT THESE ALTERNATIVES AND TRY AND ASSESS 'EM AND COMPARE THEM AGAINST ONE ANOTHER, WE'RE NOT ONLY LOOKING AT LEVELS OF SERVICE, WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT QUEUING THAT IS RESULTING FROM THE CONFIGURATION AS WELL AS THE LANE CAPACITY, WHICH IS THE VOLUME CHECK CAPACITY OR V TWO C RATIO THAT WE SHOW IN SOME OF THOSE TABLES.
AND EVEN IF A LEVEL OF SERVICE ON A SIDE STREET MAY BE, YOU KNOW, IN THE D LEVEL OR THE E LEVEL, IF THE Q IS REASONABLE, YOU KNOW, LESS THAN A HUNDRED FEET AND THE VOLUME TO CAPACITY RATIO IS, YOU KNOW, BELOW ONE OR WELL BELOW ONE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT THAT WOULD BE AN ISSUE THAT I CONSIDER ACCEPTABLE.
UH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE THE ONLY REASON THAT A VEHICLE WOULD BE WAITING THERE THAT LONG, UM, IS REALLY DUE TO SIDE STREET TRAFFIC.
NOT NECESSARILY ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE, UH, OR EXCUSE ME, THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE WAITING DUE TO MAINLAND TRAFFIC.
UH, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT WAITING 'CAUSE THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG NECESSARILY WITH THE GEOMETRIC CONFIGURATION OF THE SIDE STREET.
SO I WANTED TO BRIEFLY, UH, REVIEW THOSE TOPICS AS WE CONSIDER SOME OF THE OTHER IMPACTS THAT MICHELLE'S GONNA PRESENT, UM, AFTER THIS.
SO IF WE GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, NATE, THERE'S ONE MORE THING I WANT TO REVIEW WITH EVERYBODY, WHICH IS OUR, OUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE PRESENTED THESE NUMEROUS TIMES IN VARIOUS FASHIONS, WHETHER IT BE SLIDESHOW, UH, YOU KNOW, PRESENTATIONS TO THIS COMMITTEE OR, UM, YOU KNOW, INCLUDING GRAPHICS IN THE APPENDICES OF PRESENTATIONS WE'VE GIVEN TO THE COMMITTEE OR INCLUDED IN VARIOUS REPORTS.
UH, BUT AGAIN, WANT TO REITERATE THAT ALL OF OUR HOURLY VOLUMES THAT WE ARE USING WERE COLLECTED IN 2023, AND THAT HAS BEEN THE BASIS FOR ALL OF OUR SCENARIOS.
THESE ARE HOURLY VOLUMES, NOT JUST DAILY VOLUMES.
UH, YOU KNOW, WE DO LOOK AT BOTH OF THOSE SETS OF DATA FOR DIFFERENT THINGS, BUT THE MAIN BULK OF OUR ANALYSIS HAS BEEN BASED ON HOURLY VOLUMES.
UM, AND SPECIFICALLY WE USE THE 30TH HIGHEST DAY FOR TRAFFIC VOLUMES TO ENSURE THAT THE ANALYSIS WE ARE CONDUCTING IS RESPONSIBLE, UH, RESPONSIBLY REFLECTS PEAK CONDITIONS, AND IT DOES NOT OVER OR UNDERESTIMATE ANY OF THE TRAFFIC VOLUMES.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE SHE DROPPED.
MICHELLE, WHILE WE'RE WAITING ON KATE, WOULD YOU MIND, UM, GO AHEAD AND FINISHING OUT THIS SLIDE? YEAH, I CAN TAKE OVER FROM HERE.
SO I BELIEVE WHAT KATE WAS SAYING IS THAT WE WERE USING THE 30TH HIGHEST DAY FOR OUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES, AND THAT HELPS.
I'LL LET HER, I THINK SHE'S ABLE TO JOIN AGAIN.
CAN YOU HEAR US, KATE? HI, UH, CAN YOU ALL HEAR ME AGAIN? YES.
MY COMPUTER CRASHED, BUT I HAVE CALLED IN ON MY PHONE, SO I HOPE THAT THIS AUDIO IS STILL STILL OKAY FOR YOU ALL.
UM, SO I BELIEVE I CUT OUT TALKING ABOUT, UM, HISTORICAL TRAFFIC VOLUMES, THE 30TH HOUR, A DT, UH, THE 30TH, UM, HIGHEST HOUR FOR TRAFFIC VOLUMES.
UM, SO JUST REITERATING THAT OUR, OUR HOURLY VOLUMES THAT WE USED WERE INDEED FROM MARCH OF 2023, WE LOOK AT HOURLY AND A DT VOLUMES.
WE DID NOT JUST LOOK AT A DT VOLUMES FOR ANY PART OF THIS ANALYSIS.
WE USED THE 30TH HIGHEST DAY FOR TRAFFIC VOLUMES TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE NOT OVER OR UNDERESTIMATING THE PEAK.
AND IT IS A RESPONSIBLE REFLECTION OF WHAT WE CAN EXPECT, UH, YOU KNOW, IN OUR NO BUILDING AND IN FUTURE SCENARIOS.
AND WE DID A LOT OF CONFIRMING, UH, CROSS-CHECKING WITH HISTORICAL S-C-D-O-T DATA THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE DATA WE WERE PRESENTED TO USE, UH, YOU KNOW, IT DID ALIGN WITH THAT 30TH HOUR, UM, FOR ALL THE VOLUMES THAT WERE COLLECTED
[00:25:01]
WITHIN THE ENTIRE 12 MONTH, UM, PERIOD BEFORE AND AFTER THEY WERE COLLECTED.SO WE ARE, WE ARE CONFIDENT THAT THE HOURLY VOLUMES WE WERE USING, UH, FOR THIS ANALYSIS ARE SOUND.
UM, THERE ALSO HAVE BEEN A FEW REQUESTS TO DO STRESS TESTING OR SENSITIVITY ANALYSIS WITH VARYING GROWTH RATES OR VARYING YEARS.
UM, AND I JUST WANT TO REVIEW THAT, UH, OUR FUTURE ANALYSIS WAS PER OUR SCOPE PREDICATED ON ONE GROWTH RATE, WHICH, UH, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE EXPLAINED IN PRIOR PRESENTATIONS.
YOU KNOW, WE FELT, UH, DIFFERENT GROWTH RATE WAS MORE APPROPRIATE THAN THE ONE USED IN SOME OF THE PRIOR STUDY EFFORTS.
AND USING THAT SINGULAR GROWTH RATE, WE WERE GOING TO ANALYZE A FUTURE YEAR OF 2045 AND ANY YEAR PRIOR TO 2045, UM, YOU KNOW, WOULD, WOULD THEORETICALLY BE USING LOWER TRAFFIC VOLUMES.
SO YOUR YOUR WORST CASE SCENARIO IN OUR ANALYSIS IS, IS WHAT WE ARE SHOWING YOU IN THE 2045 SETTING.
SO ANY OF THE YEARS PRIOR THAT ARE IN QUESTION, YOU KNOW, WHAT ABOUT 2030 OR 2035 OR 2040, ALL OF THOSE YEARS WOULD SHOW BETTER RESULTS THAN WHAT WE ARE SHOWING YOU.
2045 IS A, IS A WORST CASE SCENARIO FOR OUR ANALYSIS.
SO I WANT TO WANT TO CLARIFY THAT, THAT THERE WOULD NOT BE, UM, YOU KNOW, WORSE, WORSE RESULTS POTENTIALLY, UM, YOU KNOW, IN ANY OF THE YEARS LEADING UP TO 2045 AND THE FUTURE RESULTS THAT WE ARE REPORTING, UM, ARE ARE CONSERVATIVE, CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATE IN THAT SENSE.
SO AGAIN, I APOLOGIZE FOR MY TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES.
UM, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, I'M, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER THEM.
OTHERWISE I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MICHELLE TO REVIEW THE DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS.
ALRIGHT, DO WE HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? KATE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY.
BEFORE I GET INTO THE DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS, I'M ACTUALLY GONNA BUILD OFF OF SOME OF WHAT KATE SAID.
WE HAVE PROVIDED SOME EXCERPTS OF OUR TRAFFIC VOLUMES TO HELP SHOW THE HOURLY VOLUMES WE USED IN OUR ANALYSIS.
AS KATE MENTIONED, ALL OF THE TRAFFIC VOLUMES WERE PROVIDED AS PART OF THE COMMITTEE MEETING ON MARCH 27TH, AS WELL AS WITHIN OUR CORRIDOR ALTERNATIVES ANALYSIS MAM MEMORANDUM, WHICH WE SUBMITTED ON MAY 3RD.
I'M GONNA FOCUS JUST WEST OF INTERSECTION NINE, WHICH IS SQUIRE POPE.
AS SHOWN IN THE COLUMN ON THE LEFT, WHICH IS OUR MORNING PEAK HOUR, WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 2,800 VEHICLES TRAVELING IN THE EASTBOUND DIRECTION.
THIS INCLUDES THOSE 156 LEFT TURNS THAT'S SHOWN IN THE INTERSECTION, NINE BOX IN THE TOP LEFT, THE 2,620 THROUGH VEHICLES AND THE TWO RIGHT TURNING VEHICLES IN THE EVENING, WHICH IS IN THE RIGHT COLUMN JUST WEST OF SQUIRE POPE.
AT INTERSECTION NINE WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 3000 VEHICLES TRAVELING IN THE WESTBOUND DIRECTION.
NOW THIS INCLUDES THE 2,687 THROUGH VEHICLES AS WELL AS THE TWO NORTHBOUND LEFT TURNS AND THE 341 SOUTHBOUND RIGHT TURNS TO GET TO THE VOLUMES JUST WEST OF SQUIRE POPE.
NOW THESE VOLUMES SHOWN HERE ARE THE TRAFFIC VOLUMES THAT WE USED IN THE 2023 EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS.
AND YOU CAN GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE TOO PLEASE.
WE THEN TOOK THOSE VOLUMES AND GREW THEM BY OUR DETERMINED GROWTH RATE OF 0.56%, AGAIN, JUST WEST OF INTERSECTION NINE AT SQUIRE POPE.
WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 3,150 VEHICLES TRAVELING IN THE EASTBOUND DIRECTION DURING THE MORNING AND IN THE EVENING.
WE HAVE APPROXIMATELY 3,400 VEHICLES TRAVELING IN THE WESTBOUND DIRECTION AND THESE VOLUMES WERE USED FOR THE 2045 SCENARIOS.
AND AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST AN EXCERPT FROM SOME OF THE MAJOR INTERSECTIONS WE'RE LOOKING AT.
ALL OF THE TRAFFIC VOLUMES FOR ALL OF THE INTERSECTIONS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED.
OKAY, NOW I'D LIKE TO PRESENT OUR FINDINGS TODAY ON TASK FOUR FOR OUR SCOPE OF SERVICES.
WE PREVIOUSLY ANALYZED FOUR ALTERNATIVES INTENDED TO IMPROVE THE OPERATING CONDITIONS ALONG US 2 78 BETWEEN MOSS CREEK DRIVE AND GUMTREE ROAD.
AFTER REVIEW AND OF THE FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION WITH S-C-D-O-T LOCK MUELLER WAS DIRECTED BY THE TOWN OF HILTON HEAD ISLAND TO PURSUE ALTERNATIVE ONE SC DOT MODIFIED RECOMMENDED PREFERRED WITH ADDITIONAL MODIFICATIONS TO PROVIDE A SINGLE EASTBOUND LEFT TURN LANE AND A SINGLE SOUTHBOUND RIGHT TURN LANE AT US 2 78 IN SQUIRE POPE.
AS YOU MAY RECALL, THE SD DOT ALTERNATIVE INCLUDED TWO EASTBOUND LEFT TURN LANES AND TWO SOUTHBOUND RIGHT TURN LANES.
OUR MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE RUN REDUCES EACH OF THESE TO JUST ONE LANE.
WE HAVE NOW EVALUATED THE IMPACTS
[00:30:01]
THAT THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE WOULD HAVE ON THE ENTIRE PROJECT STUDY AREA AND ARE WORKING TO DETERMINE WHAT, IF ANY IMPROVEMENT SHOULD BE MADE TO ACCOMMODATE THE 2045 FORECASTED TRAFFIC EAST OF GUMTREE AND A LONG CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY.SO THIS ANALYSIS INCLUDES THE ENTIRE STUDY AREA AS SHOWN HERE.
OUR PREVIOUS ANALYSIS FOR THE ALTERNATIVES ONLY INCLUDED THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN MOSS CREEK AND GUMTREE.
WE HAVE NOW EXTENDED OUR STUDY TO THE INTERSECTION INTERSECTION INTERSECTIONS ALONG US 2 78 THROUGH INDIGO RUN, AS WELL AS ALONG THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY TOWARDS SEA PINE CIRCLE.
WE HAVE PROVIDED TRAVEL TIME RUNS FOR THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE.
AGAIN, THIS INCLUDES THE SC DOT ALTERNATIVE AS WELL AS A SINGLE EASTBOUND LEFT TURN LANE AND SOUTHBOUND BRIGHT TURN LANE AT SQUIRE POPE.
BEFORE WE GET INTO THE NUMBERS ON THE SLIDE, I WANNA CLARIFY THAT THESE VALUES ARE FROM VM.
WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED THE 2045 NO BUILD TRAVEL TIMES AND THE VALUES SHOWN IN THIS TABLE FOR THE 2045 NO BUILD MATCH, WHAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED FOR THAT SCENARIO.
HOWEVER, WE HAVE NOT YET PRESENTED THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE TRAVEL TIMES THE TRAVEL TIMES WITH RESPECT TO THE ALTERNATIVES THAT WE HAVE PREVIOUSLY PRESENTED WERE COMPLETED USING SYNCHRO, NOT VI.
THE INTENTION OF THOSE SYNCHRO TRAVEL TIMES WAS TO SERVE AS A COMPARISON BETWEEN EACH OF THE ALTERNATIVES WE EVALUATED.
SO ALTERNATIVES ONE THROUGH FOUR.
THEY WERE NOT INTENDED, INTENDED TO SERVE AS FINAL TRAVEL TIME CALCULATIONS AS THOSE VALUES WERE TO BE CALCULATED USING VIM AS PART OF TASK FOUR THAT WE ARE NOW IN.
WE ALSO NOTED PREVIOUSLY THAT WE WOULD EXPECT THE VIM RESULTS TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE PRONOUNCED WHEN COMPARED TO THE SYNCHRO.
AND THIS IS BECAUSE VIM IS A MICRO SIMULATION TOOL WHICH IS ABLE TO ACCURATELY REPLICATE INDIVIDUAL VEHICLES AND THEIR INTERACTIONS WITHIN SOME COMPLEX TRAFFIC STREAMS BETTER THAN SYNCRO.
AS SUCH, OUR FINAL TRAVEL TIME RESULTS FOR THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE, AGAIN, ASSUMING NO CHANGES ALONG US 2 78 EAST OF GUMTREE OR ALONG CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY TOWARDS SEA PINES ARE PRESENTED IN THIS TABLE.
THESE VALUES DO INCLUDE A THOROUGH EVALUATION AND OPTIMIZATION OF THE ADAPTIVE SIGNALS ALONG US 2 78 WITHIN THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE INTERSECTIONS TO HELP US ENSURE THAT THE SIGNALS ARE OPERATING AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.
AS SHOWN UNDER THE 2045 NO BUILD SCENARIO, IT IS EXPECTED THAT IT WOULD TAKE APPROXIMATELY 26.3 MINUTES TO TRAVEL EASTBOUND ALONG HILTON PARKWAY BETWEEN MOSS CREEK AND INDIGO RUN.
DURING THE A M PEAK HOUR, IT'S EXPECTED THAT THE TRAVEL TIME FOR THE EASTBOUND DIRECTION IN THE MORNING PEAK HOUR WILL BE REDUCED TO APPROXIMATELY 10.5 MINUTES.
UNDER THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE, UNDER THE 2045 NOBU SCENARIO, IT IS EXPECTED THAT IT WOULD TAKE APPROXIMATELY 25.7 MINUTES TO TRAVEL WESTBOUND ALONG HILTON PARKWAY BETWEEN MOSS CREEK AND INDIGO RUN DURING THE PM PEAK HOUR.
IT'S NOW EXPECTED THAT THE TRAVEL TIME FOR THE WESTBOUND VEHICLES IN THE P IMPACT PEAK HOUR WILL BE REDUCED TO APPROXIMATELY 10.3 MINUTES UNDER THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE.
AND AGAIN, THESE TRAVEL TIMES WERE CALCULATED USING VIM.
WE ARE CONSIDERING THAT THESE ARE THE, THAT THESE ARE GOING TO BE FINAL TRAVEL TIMES FOR THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE.
ONE, ASSUMING NO CHANGES ALONG US 2 78 EAST OF GUMTREE OR ALONG THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY.
AS WE CONTINUE IN OUR WORK TO MITIGATE INTERSECTIONS EAST OF GUMTREE OR ALONG CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY THROUGH THE SEA PINE CIRCLE AS NEEDED, THE RESULTS SHOWN FOR THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE AND THOSE TWO COLUMNS THERE MAY CHANGE TO REFLECT SOME OF THOSE IMPROVEMENTS.
SO WE'VE PROVIDED SOME VIDEOS HERE TO HELP YOU VISUALIZE THE 2045 MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE.
AGAIN, WE HAVE NO IMPROVEMENTS ALONG US 2 78 EAST OF GUMTREE OR ALONG CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY.
SO THIS IS IN THE MORNING IN THE EASTBOUND DIRECTION ON HILTON PARKWAY.
SO AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THE SIX LANE SECTION IS OPERATING ACCEPTABLY.
UH, WE'RE NOT SEEING ANY QUEUING BACK TOWARDS FROM WHAT WE SAW IN THE 2045 NO BUILDS AS WELL AS IN SOME OF THE EXISTING CONDITIONS AS WE GO TOWARDS THE NEY WILDLIFE REFUGE.
THIS RIGHT AND RIGHT OUT IS NOW ALSO OPERATING WELL.
AND YOU CAN SEE AS YOU LOOK IN THE VIDEO, THE PLATOON OF THOSE EASTBOUND VEHICLES, THERE'S QUITE A FEW EASTBOUND VEHICLES, BUT THE SIX LANE SECTION IS ABLE TO, UH, ACCOMMODATE THEM.
[00:35:01]
YOU CAN SEE HERE THEY'RE ABLE TO HIT THE GREEN LIGHT AT CROSS TREE, WHICH HELPS THE PLATOON CONTINUE THROUGH.IT'S A STEADY STREAM OF EASTBOUND VEHICLES IN THE MORNING.
AND THEN AS WE START APPROACHING SQUIRE POPE, WE CAN SEE THAT IT'S OPERATING PRETTY WELL.
UH, THE CHANGES WITH THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE ARE IN THIS POINT IN TIME.
AGAIN, THIS VIDEO IS JUST ONE SNAPSHOT.
IT'S NOT REFLECTIVE OF THE ENTIRE HOUR, BUT YOU CAN SEE GENERALLY EVERYTHING IS WORKING WELL.
UH, THE PLATOONS ARE TYPICALLY ABLE TO, AT LEAST IN THIS AREA, THEY ARE ABLE TO CLEAR WITHIN ONE CYCLE LENGTH.
AND NOW WE'RE GETTING INTO THE IMPACTS STARTING DOWNSTREAM HERE.
SO WE DID HAVE IMPROVEMENTS AT GUMTREE, WHICH ARE REFLECTED HERE, AND THEN YOU CAN START TO SEE HERE THOSE DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS AS YOU LOOK TOWARDS PAST GUMTREE UP TOWARDS WILBORN ROAD.
WE ARE STARTING TO EXPERIENCE SOME QUEUING AT THIS POINT.
YOU CAN SEE SOME LONG CUES AT WILLBORNE AND JARVIS PARK ALSO THROUGH PEMBROKE AT THIS POINT TOO.
YOU CAN SEE A CONSTANT STREAM OF VEHICLES AND THERE YOU CAN SEE THE SIDE STREET IS LARGELY ABLE TO CLEAR.
AND THEN AS WE MOVE FORWARD, GRANTED WE DON'T HAVE THAT PLATOON AT THE MOMENT.
'CAUSE AGAIN, THIS IS JUST ONE INSTANT TIME.
YOU CAN SEE THAT PLATOON AHEAD AND IT'S LARGELY DISA DISSIPATED BY THE TIME IT HITS INDIGO RUN.
SO WE DO TEND TO SEE A LOT OF THE IMPACTS OF OUR MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE, ONE CENTERED AROUND PEMBROKE AS THAT TRIES TO ACCOMMODATE THAT ADDITIONAL TRAFFIC.
SO WE CAN MOVE TO THE NEXT VIDEO AS WELL.
AND THIS IS ALONG, UH, THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY HERE AT ARROW ROAD.
SO THIS IS AGAIN, DURING THE MORNING, WE'RE HEADED SOUTHBOUND HERE.
AS YOU CAN SEE, THERE'S QUITE A FEW SOUTHBOUND VEHICLES AT THIS POINT IN TIME.
THE SIDE STREETS ARE ABLE TO MAKE IT, UH, MAKE THEIR TURNS, BUT I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE LATER ON, ON THE IMPACTS TO THOSE SIDE STREETS.
ONE THING THAT YOU WILL START TO NOTICE AS WE APPROACH THE TARGET ROAD IS THAT THIS SOUTHBOUND QUEUE BEGINS TO QUEUE PAST THIS INTERSECTION.
AND THAT IS SOME, ONE OF THE FINDINGS THAT WE FOUND SO FAR IS THE ROUNDABOUT AT SEA PINE CIRCLE REALLY STRUGGLES TO ACCOMMODATE THE VOLUMES UNDER THE 2045 SCENARIO.
AND YOU CAN SEE THAT RIGHT HERE.
SO WE HAVE THE SOUTHBOUND QUEUES EXTENDING PAST TARGET AND EVEN PAST SOME OF THE OTHER INTERSECTIONS AS WELL.
AND AGAIN, I'LL GO OVER THOSE RESULTS SOME MORE IN DETAIL AFTER THIS.
BUT THIS KIND OF CAN HELP YOU VISUALLY SEE SOME OF THE STRUGGLES THAT THIS ROUNDABOUT IS HAVING.
SO WE HAVE THE SOUTHBOUND TRAFFIC WITH A LONG QUEUE.
WE ALSO HAVE THE EASTBOUND TRAFFIC THERE SHOWING A LONG QUEUE AS WELL.
OKAY, THEN WE CAN GO TO THE NEXT VIDEO, WHICH SHOWS THE PM PEAK HOUR.
SO WE'RE BACK TO HILTON PARKWAY ON THIS ONE, STARTING AT INDIGO RUN.
AND THIS IS THE PM PEAK HOUR FOR THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE.
SO WE CAN START TO SEE, AGAIN, STARTING AT PEMBROKE AND WILBORN, SOME QUEUING AGAIN, THEY'RE LARGELY ABLE TO CLEAR THE INTERSECTIONS WITHIN ONE CYCLE LENGTH HERE, BUT THIS IS SOME OF THE DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS THAT WE HAVE NOTICED IS THERE ARE SOME LONGER QUEUES.
LET'S SEE THE STEADY WESTBOUND TRAFFIC HERE, AND WE'LL TRY TO FOLLOW THIS PLATOON A LITTLE BIT.
THEY WERE ABLE TO CLEAR GUMTREE ROAD AND NOW WE'RE SHOWING SPANISH WELLS.
SO YEAH, AS YOU LOOK FORWARD IN THIS, YOU CAN SEE A STEADY STREAM OF WESTBOUND TRAFFIC AND THEY'RE LARGELY ABLE, UH, THANKS TO THE HELP OF THE ADAPTIVE SIGNALS AND THE EXTRA CAPACITY OF THE SIX LANES, THEY'RE LARGELY ABLE TO FLOW FREELY THROUGH THIS AREA.
AND THAT AGREES WITH THE TRAVEL TIME RUNS THAT I JUST PREVIOUS I JUST PRESENTED TO YOU.
UH, ONCE THEY START HITTING THE GREENS, WE'RE ABLE TO GET THEM THROUGH THESE INTERSECTIONS NOW,
[00:40:19]
AND THIS WILL FOLLOW THROUGH TO MOSS CREEK.SO AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, UH, LARGELY EXPECT EXPECTED TO OPERATE ACCEPTABLY ALL THE WAY FROM BEGINNING AT OUR GUMTREE THROUGH MOSS CREEK.
HERE YOU CAN SEE THE PLATOON IS STARTING TO CLEAR FROM THAT SIGNAL, WHICH JUST TURNED GREEN.
AND THEN WE HAVE ONE MORE VIDEO FOR YOU, WHICH IS THE PM ALONG CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY.
AND HERE AT THE VERY BEGINNING, YOU CAN ALREADY SEE SOME OF THE QUEUING, UH, THAT WE'RE REALIZING IN THE 2045 SCENARIO AT SEA PINE CIRCLE.
SO BOTH OF OUR EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND DIRECTIONS ARE REALLY STRUGGLING TO GET INTO THIS ROUNDABOUT DUE TO THE LARGE NUMBER OF VEHICLES ENTERING IN.
THEY JUST CAN'T FIND A GAP TO GET IN THERE.
BUT ONE THING THAT'S DIFFERENT HERE IN THE PM AS IT IS IN THE AM IS WHILE THERE'S QUEUING ISSUES AT THE ROUNDABOUT, AS YOU'VE SEEN ALONG CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, PALMETTO BAY AT THIS POINT, UH, THERE'S NOT TOO, TOO MANY ISSUES HERE.
FROM WHAT WE CAN SEE IN THE PM, THE QUEUING ALL HAPPENS, YOU KNOW, OUTSIDE OF IT.
WHEREAS OPPOSED TO IN THE MORNING THERE WAS QUEUING SOUTHBOUND ALONG THIS ROAD BECAUSE THE ROUNDABOUT WAS PUSHING IT HERE, HERE IT'S THE OTHER DIRECTIONS THAT ARE HAVING SOME IMPACTS, UH, JUST BECAUSE OF THE DIRECTION OF THE FLOOR, UH, OF THE FLOW IN THE AM AND THE PM, WE WOULD EXPECT THAT.
AND AS I'LL GET INTO A LITTLE BIT LATE LATER, ANY IMPROVEMENTS TO SEA PINES WOULD HELP MITIGATE ALL OF THESE ISSUES THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.
OKAY, SO NOW TO PUT SOME NUMBERS TO THIS, THE OPERATING CONDITIONS RESULTS FROM VIM FOR THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE ARE PROVIDED IN THESE TABLES.
HERE WE HAVE INCLUDED THE OPERATING CONDITIONS FOR EACH INTERSECTION IN THE APPENDIX OF THIS PRESENTATION FOR REFERENCE.
HOWEVER, WE'VE PROVIDED THE RESULTS FOR INTERSECTIONS OF NOTE HERE, SOME OF OUR KEY INTERSECTIONS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.
SO AS SHOWN HERE, THE INTERSECTIONS BETWEEN SQUIRE, POPE AND GUMTREE ARE EXPECTED TO OPERATE ACCEPTABLY OVERALL DURING THE AM AND PMP HOURS, EACH OF OUR SIGNALIZE INTERSECTIONS IS EXPECTED TO HAVE AN LOSD OR BETTER, WHICH IS OUR TARGET LOS, FOR AN INTERSECTION OVERALL.
AND THE INDIVIDUAL APPROACHES ARE EXPECTED TO OPERATE WITH A-L-O-S-E OR BETTER.
AND AS KATE MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, THAT'S TYPICALLY CONSIDERED ACCEPTABLE DURING PEAK HOURS FOR SOME OF THE SIDE STREET UH, APPROACHES.
BUT WHILE THE INTERSECTIONS OVERALL ARE EXPECTED TO OPERATE ACCEPTABLY, THERE ARE A FEW MOVEMENTS WHICH WE'VE CALLED OUT HERE THAT ARE EXPECTED TO EITHER EXPERIENCE LONG DELAYS RESULTING IN AN LOSF FOR THAT SPECIFIC MOVEMENT.
AGAIN, NOT NECESSARILY FOR THE APPROACH OR FOR THE INTERSECTION OR MAYBE SOME LONG CUES HERE.
SO AT SQUIRE POPE, I'LL, I'LL FOCUS HERE FOR A MINUTE BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE WE PUT IN ONE EASTBOUND LEFT TURN LANE AND ONE SOUTHBOUND RIGHT TURN LANE.
AND WE WORKED A LOT ON THIS INTERSECTION, ESPECIALLY WITH RESPECT TO THE ADAPTIVE SIGNALS TO HELP, UH, YOU KNOW, MAKE THIS INTERSECTION RUN AS EFFICIENTLY AS POSSIBLE.
BUT EVEN STILL, WE ARE EXPECTING THAT THE EASTBOUND LEFT TURN WOULD FAIL DURING OUR A M PEAK HOUR.
UH, YOU KNOW, THAT'S LARGELY DUE TO THE DELAY AT THAT POINT.
AND THEN THE SOUTHBOUND LEFT TURN PART OF THE CAPACITY WITH THE SOUTHBOUND APPROACH, THERE IS ALSO EXPECTED TO FAIL DURING THE PM PEAK HOUR AND THE SOUTHBOUND RIGHT TURN, WE'RE EXPECTING TO HAVE SOME LONG QUEUES OF OVER 500 FEET DURING THE PM PEAK HOUR AT SPANISH WELLS.
UM, AGAIN, LARGELY JUST DUE TO, UH, THE WAY THE INTERSECTION AND THE TIMINGS, EVERYTHING, ALL OF THE EASTBOUND WESTBOUND AND SOUTHBOUND LEFT TURNS ARE EXPECTED TO FAIL DURING PEAK HOURS.
BUT IF WE LOOK AT THE APPROACH OVERALL, THE APPROACHES ARE OPERATING ACCEPTABLY AT LOSE ARE BETTER.
THESE ARE JUST SOME MOVEMENTS THAT WE WANTED TO CALL OUT HERE TO BRING TO YOUR ATTENTION AS YOU'RE MAKING YOUR DECISIONS.
AND THEN AT GUMTREE WE HAVE, HAVE THE WESTBOUND LEFT TURN IS ALSO EXPECTED TO FAIL DURING THE A M PEAK HOUR.
AND THAT'S A LOT OF TIMES LARGELY JUST WAITING FOR THE SIGNAL TO GIVE THEM THE GREEN.
THAT'S WHATEVER COMES TO THE LEFT TURN'S FAILING.
THAT'S USUALLY WHAT IT'S DOWN TO.
SO ON THIS SLIDE HERE, AGAIN, WE CAN SEE OVERALL, IF WE LOOK AT THESE BLACK BOLDED NUMBERS FOR THE INTERSECTIONS THAT ARE SIGNALED, WE'RE EXPECTING THEM TO OPERATE ACCEPTABLY.
EACH OF THE INTERSECTIONS SHOULD HAVE AN LOSD
[00:45:01]
OR BETTER.GENERALLY EACH OF THE APPROACHES WILL ALSO HAVE AN LOS EAR BETTER.
THERE IS THE EXCEPTION HIGHLIGHTED IN RED FOR THE NORTHBOUND APPROACH AT WILBORN ROAD AND JARVIS PARK.
AGAIN, BEFORE I GO ANY FURTHER, WE HAVE MADE NO MODIFICATIONS TO THESE INTERSECTIONS HERE.
THE INTERSECTIONS IN THE SLIDE PREVIOUSLY HAD THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE IMPROVEMENTS.
THESE INTERSECTIONS HAVE NO IMPROVEMENTS TO THEM.
THIS IS, YOU KNOW, KIND OF A NO BUILD OF THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE.
I ALSO HIGHLIGHT, CAN I ASK YOU A QUESTION? YES.
UM, SO HOW DOES THIS DIFFER FROM WHAT WE HAVE TODAY? THESE HAVE THE 2045 TRAFFIC VOLUMES IN THEM.
SO YOU, YOU ARE OPERATING WHAT, ON 4,000 VEHICLES PER HOUR AROUND THAT NUMBER IN THIS SECTION? I CAN PULL IT UP.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE OUR 2023 EXISTING TRAFFIC COUNTS AND THEN 0.56 ANNUALLY ROAD, UH, I ANNUALLY GROWN UP FROM THERE.
I CAN GET THOSE NUMBERS FROM YOU, BUT YOU WOULD HAVE TO GIVE ME A MOMENT TO PULL IT UP.
WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND IS WE, EXCEPT FOR THE ADAPTIVE TRAFFIC SYSTEM, THERE ARE NO CHANGES, UM, IN THE ROADWAYS OR LEFT HAND, LEFT HAND TURN THE RIGHT HAND TURNS.
IT'S JUST THE SAME THING WE HAVE TODAY, RIGHT? CORRECT.
AND THAT WAS IN A, IN AN EFFORT TO SHOW YOU IF YOU MAKE ALL OF THESE IMPROVEMENTS, UH, WEST OF GUMTREE, WHAT'LL HAPPEN IF YOU DO NOTHING ESSENTIALLY TO THE INTERSECTIONS EAST OF GUMTREE? SO WE HAVEN'T MADE ANY PHYSICAL CHANGES.
WE HAVEN'T, YOU KNOW, ADDED LANES, CHANGED LANES.
WE HAVEN'T DONE ANYTHING OF THAT.
YOU KNOW, WE DO HAVE YOUR ADAPTIVE SIGNALS IN HERE, UH, AND THE 2045 TRAFFIC VOLUMES.
BUT OTHERWISE THIS ASSUMES ESSENTIALLY YOU DO NOTHING ON THESE INTERSECTIONS.
BUT WE INTEND TO CONSIDER IMPROVEMENTS AS A NEXT STEP THAT'S JUST YES.
YES, THIS IS, UM, OUR INITIAL FINDINGS FROM WHAT WE, WHAT WE'VE SEEN SO FAR.
SO WE HAVE A FEW CALL OUTS HERE.
UH, WE ARE FINDING THAT THE WESTBOUND LEFT TURN AT JARVIS PARK IS EXPECTED TO FAIL DURING THE A MP HOUR AND THEN THE EASTBOUND LEFT TURN AND NORTHBOUND THROUGH IS EXPECTED TO FAIL DURING THE PM PEAK HOUR OF INDIGO RUN.
UM, I ALSO HIGHLIGHTED HERE AND KATE HAD MENTIONED IS, YOU KNOW, LOS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE CONSIDER WHEN WE'RE LOOKING AT THESE RESULTS, BUT IT'S NOT EVERYTHING.
AND ESPECIALLY AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, SOMETIMES IF IT'S JUST ONE MOVEMENT THAT WILL FAIL, IT MIGHT NOT NECESSARILY DICTATE THE, YOU KNOW, OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE ENTIRE INTERSECTION.
IT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE LOOK AT, BUT NOT EVERYTHING.
I DID HIGHLIGHT HERE SOME CUES WHICH WE'RE SEEING MAY EXTEND TO THE NEXT INTERSECTION.
AND THIS IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE ALSO LOOKING AT AS WE EVALUATE SOME POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENTS HERE.
SO THE EASTBOUND APPROACH AT JARVIS PARK AND PEMBROKE, AND WE WE'RE SEEING SOME OF THIS IN THE VIDEOS, IS EXPECTED TO QUEUE BEYOND THAT INTERSECTION ITSELF.
IT IS LARGELY FOCUSED ON THOSE TWO INTERSECTIONS.
BY THE TIME IT GETS TO CENTRAL AVENUE AT 15, THE QUEUES ARE STARTING TO DIS DISSIPATE.
THERE'S ENOUGH ROOM BEFORE THE SIGNAL INDIGO RUN FOR EVERYTHING TO KIND OF, YOU KNOW, GO THROUGH.
BUT WE ARE STARTING TO SEE SOME QUEUING ISSUES AT JARVIS PARK IN PEMBROKE.
AND THAT'S SAME FOR THE WESTBOUND DIRECTION WHERE WE'VE HIGHLIGHTED AT JARVIS PARK THAT QUEUE OF 1,202 FEET.
AGAIN, THESE ARE THE MAXIMUM VIEWS I WANNA MAXIMUM QUEUES, UH, THAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.
SO THIS IS KIND OF THE WORST, WORST CASE OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING ON THESE INTERSECTIONS HERE.
AND THEN I'VE ALSO CALLED OUT THE C PINE CIRCLE.
AND AS YOU SAW IN THE VIDEO, THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF CUE QUEUING THAT WE'RE SEEING AT THE CIRCLE.
AND AS WE'RE EXPECTING IN 2045, AGAIN, WE'VE MADE NO MODIFICATIONS TO THE LANES HERE OR TO, YOU KNOW, ANY OF THE STRIPING.
THIS IS, YOU KNOW, ASSUMING IT IS AS IT IS TODAY, ONLY WITH THE 2045 TRAFFIC VOLUMES.
AND YOU CAN SEE IN THE MORNING WE HAVE SOME APPROACHES FAILING.
IT'S THAT EASTBOUND APPROACH AND THAT'S WHAT WE SAW IN THE VIDEO.
THE SOUTHBOUND APPROACH IS NOT FAILING.
HOWEVER, WE SAW LONG CUES FOR THAT SOUTHBOUND APPROACH.
AND THOSE CUES THEN HURT THOSE SIDE STREET APPROACHES AS THEY STRUGGLE TO FIND A GAP IN THOSE QUEUE LINKS BECAUSE OF THE ROUNDABOUT TO MAKE A LEFT TURN OUT OF AN UNSIGNED APPROACH.
SO SOME OF THOSE INTERSECTIONS FURTHER NORTH THOUGH, UH, FURTHER NORTH LIKE JANESSA, AS THOSE QUEUES IN THE SOUTHBOUND APPROACH EXTEND ALL THE WAY BACK THERE, THEY START TO STRUGGLE TO MAKE A LEFT TURN OUT.
SO WE WOULD ASSUME, OR WE WOULD SAY WHENEVER WE IMPROVE THIS ROUNDABOUT, THAT A LOT OF THOSE ISSUES THAT WE'RE SEEING WOULD BE MITIGATED SIMPLY BY FIXING THIS ROUNDABOUT.
WE MIGHT NOT ACTUALLY NEED TO LOOK AT OR IMPROVE ANY OF THOSE OTHER INTERSECTIONS.
BUT AGAIN, WE'RE STILL TESTING SOME IDEAS HERE.
[00:50:07]
SO AS FAR AS NEXT STEPS, UH, WE'VE SHOWN YOU THE RESULTS OF THE MODIFIED ALTERNATIVE ONE AND WE'VE SHOWN YOU KIND OF THE IMPACTS THAT IT'S HAVING ON THE INTERSECTIONS DOWNSTREAM OF GUM GUMTREE ROAD AND CROSS ISLAND ISLAND PARKWAY.I'VE HIGHLIGHTED A FEW THINGS FOR YOU TODAY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT FURTHER TO SEE, YOU KNOW, WHAT IF ANY IMPROVEMENTS WE COULD MAKE THAT MIGHT HELP THEM OUT.
AND THESE IMPROVEMENTS INCLUDE RECONFIGURING INTERSECTIONS OR, YOU KNOW, TURN LANES POTENTIALLY TO IMPROVE SOME EFFICIENCY THERE.
UH, WE MAY ALSO LOOK AT THE ADDITION OF LANES TO HELP IMPROVE CAPACITY, BUT THEN MOST CERTAINLY WE ARE LOOKING AT IMPROVEMENTS TO THE SEA PINES ROUNDABOUT AS WE'VE SEEN THAT THAT ROUNDABOUT IS REALLY, UM, PERFORMING THE WORST OUT OF ALL THE STUDY INTERSECTIONS AT THIS POINT.
SO WE'RE GONNA BE LOOKING AT THAT CLOSELY.
AND THAT'S EVERYTHING THAT I HAVE FOR YOU.
SO I'M HAPPY TO, WE'RE HAPPY TO TAKE QUESTIONS I QUESTIONS FROM THE COMMITTEE.
SO WITH THESE, YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THESE IMPROVEMENTS, UH, ON THAT, UM, PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE FROM S-C-D-O-T.
UM, WHEN YOU, HAVE YOU EVALUATED THAT? HAVE YOU PUT IN ALL THESE DIFFERENT IDEAS TO SEE WHAT THAT WOULD DO TO, UM, THE TRAFFIC VOLUME? SO THE TRAFFIC VOLUMES WOULD STAY THE SAME? THAT'S KIND OF ONE THING THAT'S HELD THROUGH THE ENTIRE, THE FLOW STUDY.
WE HAVE PUT IN ALL OF THE SC DTS, UH, MODIFIED PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE, ALL OF THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS THAT CAME OUT OF THERE, THAT IS NOW IN OUR VIS MODEL AS WELL AS THE MODIFICATIONS WE MENTIONED, SQUARE POPE NOW IS ONLY GONNA HAVE THAT ONE EASTBOUND LEFT TURN LANE AS WELL AS THE ONE SOUTHBOUND RIGHT TURN.
AND WE ALSO HAVE THE IMPROVEMENTS AT GUMTREE, WHICH WE RECOMMENDED AS PART OF OUR TASK THREE IN THERE.
AND THOSE ARE THE ONLY IMPROVEMENTS RIGHT NOW THAT ARE IN ARVIS MODEL.
WE HAVE STARTED TO MODEL, UH, SOME POTENTIAL IMPROVEMENT FOR THE OTHER INTERSECTIONS DOWNSTREAM AND SEA PINES.
WE JUST HAVEN'T FINALIZED THOSE MODELS TO PRESENT RESULTS YET.
AND WHAT ABOUT WHEN YOU GO WESTBOUND FROM THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY ONTO THE BUSINESS 2 78, THAT'S RIGHT NOW IS ONE LANE.
HAVE YOU TESTED ON THE MODEL WHAT IT WOULD DO IF YOU HAVE TWO LANES COMING DOWN INTO 2 78? NO, WE LEFT THAT THE SAME.
WHY NOT? IF I MAY ASK? I BELIEVE FROM WHAT WE'RE SHOWING HERE, IT'S NOT NEEDED.
THE, THE WIDENING AND THAT'S, CAN YOU CLARIFY THE LOCATION AGAIN? I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE THAT RIGHT MICHELLE.
I THINK WHAT HE'S REFERRING TO IS, AS YOU COME OFF OF THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY AND GET READY TO GET ONTO WILLIAM ME PARKWAY, THERE'S PAVEMENT THAT HAS BEEN STRIPED TO DIRECT EVERYBODY INTO ONE LANE AS YOU ENTER ON INTO WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY.
DIETRICH IS ASKING IF WE MODELED IT AS TWO LANES, AND I REMEMBER, WAS IT JIM YOU'D MENTIONED THAT SPOKE, SPOKE WITH DARREN HISTORICALLY THAT IT USED TO BE TWO LANES, BUT THEN THERE WAS A CONCERN WITH WEAVING TRYING TO GET UP TO THE NEXT ONE.
AND IT WAS, UM, PROBLEMATIC CAUSING ACCIDENTS AND THAT'S WHY IT WENT DOWN TO ONE LANE.
SO IT HAS NOT BEEN TESTED IN THE, IN THE YOUR VSIM COURSE MODEL.
WE MODELED WHAT WAS THE S-C-D-O-T.
BUT TO, TO CLARIFY, MICHELLE, YOU'RE THE VSIM MODEL IS SHOWING THAT IT FLOWS APPROPRIATELY.
AND WE CAN GO BACK TO THOSE VIDEOS TOO.
'CAUSE IT SEEMS A VERY OBVIOUS AS WELL MM-HMM,
SO I'M JUST WONDERING WHY THAT WASN'T REALLY WELL AS WE IMPROVED THE INTERSECTION OF SPANISH WELLS, THAT THAT HELPED A LOT.
YOU KNOW, WE WEREN'T SEEING A LOT OF THE SAME QUEUING CONGE AND CONGESTION AS YOU'RE SEEING TODAY.
AND AS WE SAW IN THE, IN THE 2045, NO BUILD, UH, THIS YEAR WE'RE IN THE PM.
NOW IF YOU HAVE A, A A THREE LANE BRIDGE WITH A BREAKDOWN LANE, UM, HOW DO YOU MODEL THAT IN, INTO THE OVERALL TRAFFIC FLOW? IF YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THAT GO INTO, UM, TWO LANES, UH, OR THREE LANES INITIALLY IN TWO LANES, DOESN'T THAT CREATE A, A FORM OF CONGESTION? I'M SORRY, IN OTHER WORDS, IS THERE A REAL NEED FOR THREE LANES AND A BREAKDOWN LANE OR TWO LANES AND A BREAKDOWN LANE THAT CONVERTS INTO A, A REGULAR ROADWAY DURING PEAK HOURS? IN OTHER WORDS, UH, WHAT, WHAT'S YOUR ARGUMENT FOR HAVING, DANG IT, THREE LANES AND A BREAKDOWN LANE? CAN YOU, HAVE YOU EVALUATED THAT? DO YOU HAVE
[00:55:01]
A CONCLUSION ON THAT? I THINK WE'RE TRYING TO GO BACK TO TOPICS WE'VE ALREADY COVERED.UM, IN OUR DISCUSSIONS UP TO THIS POINT, THERE IS NOT A PROPOSED SITUATION WHERE THE BRIDGE WOULD BE THREE LANES IN EACH DIRECTION FLOWING INTO A TWO LANE IN EACH DIRECTION RECEIVING ROADWAY, UM, AS YOU INDICATED, THAT WOULD CAUSE CONGESTION.
AND THAT'S NOT WHAT ALTERNATIVE ONE SUGGESTS.
ALTERNATIVE ONE SUGGESTS THAT THE ON GROUND ROADWAY ALSO BE WIDENED TO BE, UM, YOU KNOW, THREE LANES IN EACH DIRECTION TO RECEIVE THE, THE PROPOSED BRIDGE LANES.
SO NO, THAT WAS NOT MODELED, BUT THAT'S NOT CURRENTLY AN ALTERNATIVE THAT IS BEING PROPOSED.
YEAH, I THINK EVERYBODY'S A BIT OF A TRAFFIC ENGINEER AND UH, BUT WE ARE REALLY, WE ARE NOT.
AND SO, UM, BUT THE, FROM A NOVICE POINT OF VIEW, YOU WOULD THINK THAT IF YOU HAVE THIS SLAB OF A BRIDGE COMING DOWN WITH THREE LANES HAVING TO FORCE ITSELF INTO A SMALLER ROADWAY, UM, THAT, THAT CREATES ISSUES.
NO, I DON'T THINK THAT'S A PROPOSED SOLUTION.
UH, I KNOW, BUT I MEAN, WE'D LIKE TO HAVE YOUR VIEW ON THAT AND AS A CONSULTANT, UH, CERTAINLY YES.
OUR VIEW IS THAT THAT WOULD NOT BE, UM, THAT CERTAINLY WOULD, WOULD NOT BE, UH, AN AN AGREEABLE FINAL SOLUTION.
UM, ALL THE SOLUTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED THAT WE'VE MODELED IN ANY OF THE ALTERNATIVES ONE THROUGH FOUR THAT YOU'VE SEEN, OR ALTERNATIVE ONE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT SPECIFICALLY TODAY, UH, THEY, THEY WOULD NOT HAVE THAT CONDITION.
THEY WOULD HAVE THE THREE LANES IN I IN EACH DIRECTION ON THE BRIDGE, AND THAT WOULD MEET UP WITH THREE LANES IN EACH DIRECTION ON THE ROADWAY ON THE GROUND.
AND NOW WE ARE, THAT'S BE ON THE TOPIC.
YOU HAVE, YOU HAD THE EXPERIENCE OF CONVERTING ONE BREAKDOWN LANE INTO A REGULAR ROADWAY DURING PEAK HOURS ON ANOTHER PROJECTS.
AND HOW DID, HOW DID THAT WORK IF YOU HAVE THAT DONE? UH, THAT WAS NOT A SITUATION THAT WE MODELED HERE.
UM, BUT IF THE SUGGESTION IS TO HAVE THE, A BREAKDOWN LANE IS YOU ARE REFERRING TO IT OPEN ON THE BRIDGE FOR HOURS DURING CONGESTION, BUT THEN, UM, YOU KNOW, KIND OF CLOSING IT WHEN THERE ARE NON-PEAK HOURS, UH, YOU STILL ARE GOING TO REQUIRE A THREE LANE ROADWAY SECTION OF THE MAN WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY TO HANDLE ALL OF THAT CONGESTION TRAFFIC.
SO IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE THREE LANES, YOU KNOW, IN EACH DIRECTION, SO A TOTAL OF SIX LANES FOR THE, THE MAIN PART OF THE ROADWAY THAT'S ON THE GROUND, UM, YOU KNOW, OUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION WOULD BE IT DOES NOT MAKE SENSE TO HAVE A TWO LANE BRIDGE, UM, MEET UP WITH THAT.
AND IF YOU NEED THREE LANES TO, TO MEET THE CONGESTION, UH, YOUR, YOUR MAIN PINCH POINT IS, IS AT THAT BRIDGE.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO IF YOU HAVE A, A THREE LANE ROADWAY THAT FUNNELS INTO A A TWO LANE BRIDGE, IT, IT WORKS BOTH WAYS.
YOU KNOW, YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT HAVING A A SIX LANE BRIDGE FUNNEL INTO A FOUR LANE ROADWAY SECTION.
IT WOULD WORK THE OPPOSITE WAY AS WELL.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE THINK THAT IT IS MOST PRACTICAL AND, UM, YOU KNOW, BEST ENGINEERING JUDGMENT TO HAVE THE BRIDGE IN THE ROADWAY CROSS SECTION MATCH EACH OTHER.
UH, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT YOU JUST TALKED ABOUT.
WOULD THE, WHY WOULDN'T THE APPROACHES TO THE BRIDGE HAVE THE SAME CONFIGURATION AS THE BRIDGE? THEY SHOULD, YES.
SO THEN WHY COULDN'T THAT BREAKDOWN LANE AS, UH, DIET IS SAYING, UH, CONTINUE AS, AS AN EMERGENCY LANE? I'M NOT SURE.
I THINK IT, I THINK IT DOES UNDER, WELL, YOU JUST SAID THAT WE HAVE THREE LANES IN A BREAKDOWN LANE ON THE BRIDGES ON, ON, ON A BRIDGE GOING ACROSS.
SO YOU, YOU SAID THAT WOULD BE THE SAME ON THE APPROACHES.
SO WHY WOULDN'T YOU CONTINUE THE EMERGENCY LANE, LET'S SAY DURING THE, UH, PEAK HOURS IN, IN THAT, IN THAT FRAME FRAMEWORK? UH, I, I THINK, I THINK OUR TERMINOLOGY IS PERHAPS A LITTLE DIFFERENT, BUT I DO BELIEVE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE SAME THING.
WHAT, UM, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN REFERRED TO AS A BREAKDOWN LANE ON THE BRIDGE, UM, IN TECHNICAL TERMS IS A SHOULDER THAT IS WIDE ENOUGH FOR AN EMERGENCY, AN EMERGENCY VEHICLE TO PASS BY AND, UH, IN A CRASH INCIDENT.
SO THERE ARE ALSO SHOULDERS PROPOSED FOR THE REST OF THE ROADWAY OFF OF THE BRIDGE.
SO THERE'S SHOULDERS ON THE BRIDGE AS PROPOSED.
THERE'S SHOULDERS OFF OF THE BRIDGE AS PROPOSED.
I DO BELIEVE THAT THE CURRENTLY PROPOSED ALTERNATIVE, UM, YOU KNOW, THE CROSS SECTIONS MEET UP, THE LANES MEET UP, THE SHOULDERS MEET UP, UM, YOU KNOW, I I, THAT IS WHAT IS CURRENTLY PROPOSED TO BE PROVIDED AS PART OF THIS ALTERNATIVE ONE.
[01:00:02]
SO WHAT WOULD BE THE WIDTH OF THE SHOULDER C THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, IS A DESIGN DETAIL THAT IS FINALIZED IN DIFFERENT PHASES OF THE PROJECT? UM, AND THAT IS A STANDARD THAT WOULD BE DETERMINED BY THE S-C-D-O-T MANUALS.WHAT, WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES THE MANUAL SAY? AND I, AND I CAN HANDLE THAT.
SO THE ORIGINAL DESIGN, UH, THAT WAS PRESENTED FOR THE, FOR THE BRIDGES INCLUDED THREE 12 FOOT LANES IN EACH DIRECTION.
IT INCLUDED 10, UH, TWO 10 FOOT SHOULDERS OR BREAKDOWN LANES IN EACH DIRECTION.
UM, THAT COMES FROM THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY.
WHICH YOU ARE PROBABLY AWARE OF.
UM, THERE WAS A REQUEST TO REDUCE THE TWO BREAKDOWN LANES OR SHOULDERS FROM BOTH AT 10 FEET TO REDUCE THE INTERIOR ONE TO SOMETHING LESS THAN 10 FEET.
AND IN THE CURRENT, UM, IN THE CURRENT VERSION THAT'S BEEN PRESENTED BY S-C-D-O-T IN THE COUNTY BACK IN MARCH OF 22, AND WHAT'S CURRENTLY INCLUDED IN THE DESIGN IS ONE 10 FOOT SHOULDER ON THE EXTERIOR SIDE OF THE BRIDGE IN EACH DIRECTION AND ONE SIX FOOT INTERIOR SHOULDER, UM, ON THE INTERIOR SIDE IN EACH DIRECTION ON THE BRIDGE.
SO WITH THE TOWN'S INPUT FROM 2021 THROUGH DESIGN MODIFICATIONS IN 2022, THE OVERALL BRIDGE WIDTH SHRUNK BY FOUR FEET IN EACH DIRECTION, EIGHT FEET TOTAL.
AND IN THE MULTIPURPOSE PATHWAY, 14 FEET TO 12.
SO THERE'S BEEN A REDUCTION IN 10 FEET OF BRIDGE WIDTH OVER THE ORIGINAL, UM, VERSION THAT WAS SHARED IN JULY OF 2021.
SO THERE'S A 10 FOOT SHOULDER ON THE RIGHT HAND SIDE, 10 FOOT SHOULDER ON THE RIGHT SIDE, AND SIX FOOT SHOULDER ON THE LEFT SIDE.
AND THAT WOULD CONTINUE IN, INTO THE, ONTO THE LAND.
UM, THERE'S A LITTLE MORE WIDTH NEEDED I THINK ON, UM, ON THE BRIDGE, THE SHOULDER ON THE INTERIOR.
UM, AS YOU MOVE ON, THERE'S MORE ROOM TO GET AROUND VEHICLES, RIGHT? UM, BECAUSE THERE'S NO, UM, YOU DON'T HAVE THAT SAME CONDITION AS YOU DO ON THE BRIDGES.
BUT YES, THERE ARE SHOULDERS ON BOTH THE INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR OF THE ROADWAY, UM, THROUGH THE BALANCE OF THE PROJECT.
SO THEN JUST AGAIN, CONTINUING WITH DIETRICH'S QUESTION, THEN WHY WOULDN'T THAT FOURTH LANE A RIGHT HAND SHOULDER CONTINUE AS A, AS AN EMERGENCY OR A BREAKDOWN LANE OR AS A, UH, AN ADDITIONAL LANE DURING PEAK HOURS OFF, OFF THE BRIDGES? THERE'S O OTHER ACCESS POINTS THAT OCCUR UP OUTSIDE OF THE BRIDGE THAT REQUIRE MOVING ACROSS THOSE LANES.
SO IF YOU ARE, UM, USING 'EM ONLY FOR PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC, THERE, THERE'S SOME CONCERN ABOUT USING THEM AND OFF PEAK HOUR WHEN YOU'VE GOT ACROSS TO ACCESS OTHER POINTS ALONG THE CORRIDOR AS WELL.
SO AGAIN, THE, THE THREE LANES IN EACH DIRECTION ARE WHAT HAVE BEEN RECOMMENDED BY THE SEVERAL DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF THE ENGINEERING STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE.
UM, REVERSIBLE LANES HAVE BEEN LOOKED AT, AND I DO UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION ABOUT UTILIZING THE, THE BREAKDOWN OR, OR LARGER SHOULDER FOR A PEAK HOUR, UM, OR A PEAK HOUR, UM, IMPLEMENT IMPLEMENTATION.
UM, AND THAT IS, IS NOT, IS NOT SUPPORTED, UM, FROM WHAT'S BEEN PRESENTED TO, TO THIS POINT.
I ALWAYS SAY WHERE, WHERE THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY AND WHAT'S NOT SUPPORTED.
WHAT DO YOU MEAN IS NOT SUPPORTED? WELL, AS I UNDERSTAND FEDERAL HIGHWAY, I'LL JUST USE THE CRAZY CRAB.
IF, IF THAT WAS A A THROUGH LANE FOR INBOUND IN THE MORNING, THEN YOU, YOU WOULD BE PREVENTED TURNING INTO THE CRAZY CRAB OR ANY OTHER PLACE BECAUSE THERE'D BE NO TURNS.
ALL TRAFFIC HAS TO KEEP GOING.
AND FEDERAL HIGHWAY SAYS NO TO THAT CRAZY CRAB DOESN'T HAVE BREAKFAST.
I, IT, IT, IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE CRAZY CRAB.
IT COULD BE, IT COULD BE THE HOUSE ALONG THERE OR HOUSES, ANY OF THOSE.
YOU'RE NOT, YOU, YOU WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO, AS I UNDERSTAND THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY, YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO MAKE ANY TURNS IF YOU HAVE A THROUGHPUT, UH, ROADWAY.
IF IT'S A SHOULDER, YOU CAN MAKE A TURN.
I'LL ALSO JUST ADD THAT AT SOME POINT THE TRAFFIC WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MERGE BACK INTO A REGULAR, YOU KNOW, QUOTE UNQUOTE REGULAR, YOU KNOW, ALL THE TIME.
THIS IS A TRAVEL LANE RATHER THAN JUST, YOU KNOW, A BREAKDOWN LANE OR A PEAK HOUR LANE.
AT SOME POINT IT WOULD REQUIRE A MERGE BACK ONTO THE REGULAR ROADWAY IF THE SHOULDERS ARE USED IN THAT PURPOSE.
[01:05:01]
MERGING OF A LARGE VOLUME OF VEHICLES IS AN UNSAFE CONDITION THAT ALREADY EXISTS IN SOME AREAS ON THE CORRIDOR.SO TO INCREASE THE INSTANCES OF REQUIRING PEOPLE TO MERGE, UM, YOU KNOW, WOULD POTENTIALLY HAVE A, A NEGATIVE SAFETY IMPLICATION FOR THE CORRIDOR.
OR THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT COIN IS THAT IF PEOPLE WOULD EXPERIENCE THAT MERGE, IT'S DIFFICULT TO GET IN.
THERE'S TOO MUCH TRAFFIC, I'M NEVER GONNA GET OVER IN THAT LANE.
YOU WOULD NOT HAVE FULL UTILIZATION OF THAT LANE.
AND THEN IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU DON'T HAVE THE CAPACITY THAT YOU REALLY THINK YOU DO.
SO IF YOU HAVE TWO LANES IN A BREAKDOWN LANE AND YOU TURN THE BREAKDOWN LANE INTO A REGULAR ROADWAY, THERE'S THREE LANES.
IF YOU HAVE THREE LANES IN A BREAKDOWN LANE, EITHER WAY IT HAS TO MERGE IN THE END INTO TWO LANES.
I MEAN, THAT PROBLEM DOESN'T GO AWAY.
SO THE, THE, THE SIZE OF THE BRIDGE IS OF GREAT CONCERN TO A LOT OF RESIDENTS ON THE ISLAND.
AND SO I THINK, UM, WE NEED TO EXPLORE REALLY, UM, WHETHER THAT'S A REAL POSSIBILITY.
I MEAN, TO HAVE TWO LANES IN A BREAKDOWN LANE, SO SIX LANES IS A HELL OF A LOT DIFFERENT THAN HAVING A HUGE SLAB COMING ACROSS FROM THE MAINLAND.
AND SO IF THERE'S ANY WAY THAT WE CAN WITH TODAY'S TECHNOLOGY, UM, HAVE TWO LANES IN A BREAKDOWN LANE, HAVE THE BREAKDOWN LANE A BIT WIDER SO IT CAN BE TURNED INTO A, AN ADDITIONAL ROADWAY, I THINK THAT'D BE A, A PRETTY GOOD SOLUTION.
BUT THE BREAKDOWN LANE WOULD HAVE A JERSEY BARRIER ON ONE SIDE OF IT, CORRECT? SORRY, THE BREAKDOWN LANE WOULD HAVE A JERSEY BARRIER ON ONE SIDE OF IT.
I'M NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE JERSEY BARRIER.
SO ESSENTIALLY THE, THE CONCRETE LIKE ABUTMENT, RIGHT? SO IF PEOPLE UTILIZE THAT AS A TRAVEL LANE, THEY'RE GONNA BE TRAVELING 45 MILES AN HOUR ON ONE SIDE BEING THAT FAR AWAY FROM A CONCRETE STRUCTURE, AND THEN IN BETWEEN ANOTHER CONSISTENTLY FULL TRAVEL LANE.
AND SO THOSE ARE INTENDED TO BE, AGAIN, IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS, NOT TO HAVE PEOPLE DRIVING 45 MILES AN HOUR ADJACENT TO A CONCRETE ABUTMENT THAT'S, UH, INCHES AWAY FROM THEIR VEHICLE.
SO THAT'S WHAT KATE'S ALLUDING TO IS WE DO NOT FEEL THAT'S A SAFE CONDITION TO CONSIDER.
SO, I MEAN, SO WHAT, WHAT CAN YOU DO? I MEAN, HOW CAN YOU MAKE THAT, IF I, IF I COULD JUMP IN WHAT, JUST FOR ONE OTHER POINT.
SO WE'VE HAD 1100 UM, COLLISIONS IN THIS CORRIDOR SINCE 2016.
THE MAJORITY OF THOSE COLLISIONS OCCURRED DURING PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC.
AND SO IF YOU'RE USING THE, UM, THE BREAKDOWN LANE AS A THROUGH TRAFFIC DURING THE PEAK HOUR, YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE EMERGENCY LANE FOR EMERGENCY VEHICLES TO ACCESS.
IT'S BEING U UTILIZED FOR TRAVEL FOR FLOW.
SO YOU'VE ELIMINATED THE ABILITY TO PROVIDE EMERGENCY ACCESS OR FOR EXISTING TRAFFIC TO MOVE AROUND AN INCIDENT BY UTILIZING THAT DURING THE TIME WHEN YOU NEED IT THE MOST.
SO THE, AND THEN THAT'S WHY FEDERAL HIGHWAYS HAS THE REQUIREMENT TO HAVE THE BREAKDOWN LANE WHEN THEY BUILD BRIDGES AT, UM, AND, AND HAVE, UM, THE CONFIGURATION THAT IS REQUIRED FOR THE CAPACITY ON THE BRIDGE.
YEAH, BUT YOU CAN, I MEAN, CHARLIE, YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT, ABOUT BRIDGES AND ROADS.
I MEAN, I, I I WOULD LIKE TO SEE, UM, THE TOWN REALLY, UM, FIND A SOLUTION TO THIS KIND OF A THING RATHER THAN, UM, TRYING TO CONSTANTLY AIM FOR THIS EIGHT LANE, UH, BRIDGE.
I MEAN, IF THERE IS A WAY THAT WE CAN REDUCE THE SIZE OF THE BRIDGE, IT BECOMES MUCH MORE PALATABLE TO MOST OF OUR RESIDENTS.
AND SO IF YOU HAVE LANE INDICATORS OR, UH, I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU, WHAT YOU CAN, UH, PUT IN AS ROAD FURNITURE TO, TO MAKE THAT A A POSSIBILITY, HAVE WE REALLY EXPLORED THIS? I THINK THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT.
ANYONE? YEAH, I HAVE ONE, ONE ADDITIONAL COMMENT.
SO UTILIZING A A THIRD LINE DURING PEAK HOUR, UH, WAS DISCUSSED EARLY THROUGH THIS PROCESS.
WE'RE IN YEAR SEVEN OF DISCUSSIONS, UM, ON THIS PROJECT.
THE, UM, ONE OF THE BIGGEST ISSUES IS DURING NON-PEAK HOURS, WELL, ONE, NOT HAVING THE EMERGENCY LANE WE NEEDED THE MOST DURING PEAK HOURS IS A SIGNIFICANT REASON WHY IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE TO UTILIZE THAT LANE DURING PEAK HOUR DURING NON-PEAK HOURS.
THE ABILITY, IF THERE, UNLESS THERE'S A PHYSICAL BARRIER, THE ABILITY
[01:10:01]
TO KEEP PEOPLE OFF IT THAT HAVE DRIVEN IT IN PEAK HOUR TRAFFIC TO TO NOT UTILIZE THAT DURING OFF PEAK HOUR IS A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE.AND THAT WAS BROUGHT UP THAT WITHOUT A SIGNIFICANT ENFORCEMENT PRESENCE OUT THERE, UM, YOU ARE GONNA HAVE A THREE IN, IN ESSENCE, PEOPLE USED IN THREE LANES, UM, AT ALL TIMES.
SO, UM, IT HAS BEEN EVALUATED.
I THINK THE, THE PEAK HOUR USE OF AN EMERGENCY LANE VERSUS HAVING AN EMERGENCY LANE WHEN YOU NEED IT IS A SIGNIFICANT REASON TO MAKE SURE THE BREAKDOWN LANE IS PART OF THE BRIDGE DESIGN.
IT'S EASIER TO SHOOT IT DOWN THAN TO BE CREATIVE ABOUT IT.
AND I MEAN, IF YOU'VE EVER, EVER BEEN ON THE BQE AND THERE'S A, THERE'S AN ACCIDENT THERE AND THAT'S PRETTY INTENSE TRAFFIC.
THEY, THEY FIND A WAY AROUND IT.
WHY CAN'T WE THINK CREATIVELY ABOUT, UH, AND I'M REALLY LOOKING AT M MULLER ABOUT, UH, MINIMIZING THE WIDTH OF THE BRIDGE.
WE, WE'VE INDICATED THAT THREE TRAVEL LINES, DEDICATED TRAVEL LINES ARE NEEDED.
AND AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION IS THAT IF YOU ARE TO ECHO WHAT SEAN SAID IS IF WE QUOTE UNQUOTE ALLOW PEOPLE TO UTILIZE A, A BREAKDOWN LANE AS A THOROUGHFARE LANE 45 MILES AN HOUR OR MORE ON A CONSISTENT BASIS WITH A, A CONCRETE ABUTMENT ADJACENT TO THEM, YOU ARE GOING TO LEAD TO MULTIPLE ACCIDENTS, IN MY OPINION.
I THINK IT'S AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE CONDITION.
SO THEN IF YOU USE THAT TRAVEL LANE TO ABIDE BY FEDERAL HIGHWAYS REQUIREMENTS, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO PROVIDE SOME TYPE OF SHOULDER BECAUSE THEY'RE NOT GONNA ALLOW YOU TO HAVE A TRAVEL LANE RIGHT NEXT TO A ROADWAY ABUTMENT.
SO THEN YOU STILL HAVE TO EXTEND OUT FROM THAT TRAVEL LANE.
AND THEN YOU'RE ESSENTIALLY A THREE LANE SECTION.
THE QUESTION WOULD BE, WHAT'S THE ALLOWABLE SHOULDER WIDTH THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE ON A CRITICAL BRIDGE LIKE THIS? AND THAT'S WHY THEY'VE ARRIVED AT, IT SOUNDS LIKE THEY'VE ACCOMMODATED A, A LOWER INTERIOR SHOULDER, BUT THEN THEY ARE MAINTAINING STANDARD ROAD DESIGN OUTSIDE SHOULDERS.
I DON'T WANNA BE THE DEATH, UH, UH, NATE, BUT SO HOW LONG DOES A BREAK, HOW WIDE DOES A BREAKDOWN LANE HAVE TO BE IN ORDER TO BE LET IT BE CONVERTED INTO A ROADWAY DURING PEAK HOURS? WHAT FEDERAL HIGHWAYS WOULD ALLOW FOR A BRIDGE TO BE A YEAH, I THINK THERE'S A, A DIFFERENTIATION NEEDS TO BE SAID BETWEEN A, A REGULAR OR IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
AND I THINK THAT IN MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION, IT NEEDS TO BE MOVING FORWARD IS AN EMERGENCY SITUATION, NOT A LANE THAT WOULD BE USED AS A THOROUGH FARE ON A DAILY BASIS DURING PEAK HOURS.
SO HERE'S MY QUESTION TO YOU AND MAH, CAN THEY, UH, BECAUSE WE ARE SORT OF, I'M PUTTING YOU ON THE SPOT, SORRY.
BUT MAYBE, UH, CAN YOU, UM, DISCUSS THIS WITH YOUR COLLEAGUES AND SEE IF THERE IS A SOLUTION TO IT? BECAUSE I THINK IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING, UH, MR. MAYOR AS WELL TO, TO FIND WAYS TO REDUCE THE SIZE OF THAT, THE WIDTH OF THE, OF THE BRIDGE.
'CAUSE IT'S GONNA HAVE A LOT OF PUSHBACK FROM MANY, MANY PEOPLE.
IT'S, IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THOSE DISCUSSIONS HAVE BEEN HAD THAT THEY'VE BEEN AMENABLE TO REDUCING THE, EVEN FURTHER THAN WHAT'S BEEN IN MARCH, THE MARCH 22.
THEY'VE REDUCED THEM DOWN TO WHAT THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE, AND WE FEEL THAT THERE NEEDS TO BE THREE DEDICATED TRAVEL LANES.
SO IT'S REALLY A FUNCTION OF WHAT IS ACCEPTABLE FROM A SHOULDER STANDPOINT.
AND THEY PROVIDED THAT INPUT TO SEAN.
WHAT WOULD BE THE EFFECT OF WHAT LANE WIDTH, THE JERSEY BARRIER NEXT TO A 10 FOOT LANE? WHAT WOULD BE THE EFFECTIVE, UH, LANE WIDTH OF A, OF A BARRIER NEXT TO A 10 FOOT LANE? THE, TO THE RIGHT SIDE, IF IT'S A 10 FOOT, THAT SOUNDS APPROPRIATE TO ME BECAUSE AGAIN, IT'S FOR EMERGENCY SITUATIONS FOR PEOPLE TO PULL OVER TO GET OFF OF THE TRAVEL STREAM.
10 FEET IS A, THINK OF A PARKING STALL IS ABOUT, A PARKING STALL IS PROBABLY ABOUT EIGHT FEET IN WIDTH.
10 FEET IS THE MINIMUM TRAVEL LANE WIDTH THAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND IN A SLEEPING NEIGHBORHOOD CORRIDOR.
SO IF YOU THINK ABOUT A 10 FOOT ON A HEAVILY CONGESTED BRIDGE, THAT'S ABOUT THE MINIMUM THAT, THAT I WOULD FEEL COMFORTABLE RECOMMENDING.
I CANNOT SPEAK WITH SPECIFICITY ON WHAT THE FEDERAL HIGHWAYS IS.
I DON'T HAVE THAT DOCUMENT IN FRONT OF ME.
I'M JUST SPEAKING BASED ON PAST EXPERIENCE AND A JERSEY BARRIER.
SO WHATEVER, IF YOU PUT A JERSEY BARRIER UP, YOU'RE, YOU'RE ALREADY LOOKING AT A FOOT AND A HALF, YOU HAVE TO ACCOMMODATE.
AND I, I, I APOLOGIZE FOR MAYBE THE MISNOMER, THE JERSEY BARRIERS THAT JUST CAME TO MIND IN, IN MY WORLD, THOSE ARE THE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE CONCRETE BARRIERS THEY PUT DURING TEMPORARY CONSTRUCTION, RIGHT? ESSENTIALLY THAT'S A, A BRIDGE ABOVE IT, A CONCRETE BRIDGE ABUTMENT IS PROBABLY THE BEST TERMINOLOGY.
WE HAVE JERSEY BARRIERS THAT THEY ACTUALLY SLIDE BACK AND FORTH DURING.
SO, AND YOU SEE THAT UP NORTH QUITE A BIT.
BUT STILL THEY'RE, THEY'RE 18 INCH OF BASE.
AND THERE'S TRAFFIC RIGHT NEXT TO THEM, BUT USUALLY IN SLOWER
[01:15:01]
CONDITIONS, THEY'RE PUT UP IN TEMPORARY TRAFFIC CONTROL CONDITIONS WHERE THE, THEY'RE REDUCED DOWN TO 30, 35 MILES AN HOUR.NOT ON THE FORMER TAPAN Z BRIDGE.
NO, BUT IF YOU GO TO TYPICAL CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES, THE, THE TYPICAL WORK ZONE SPEED LIMIT IS 35 MILES AN HOUR OR LESS.
AND IF JERSEY BERRIES ARE PUT UP ON OUR ROADWAY, THEY HAVE TO HAVE A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE AWAY FROM A MORE HEAVILY TRAVEL CORRIDOR.
THAT DISTANCE, I CAN'T SPEAK TO, HONESTLY, DON'T HAVE THAT MANUAL IN FRONT OF ME, BUT I THINK IN THIS SITUATION, IF THE CONCERN IS TO HAVE A NARROW FOOTPRINT, UM, AGAIN, THAT, THAT'S OUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION ON THE MATTER, WHAT'S YOUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION ON THE, UH, 10 FOOT, 12 FOOT BIKE LANE? IS THAT NECESSARY? THE MULTI-USE PATH THAT'S BEING PROPOSED, RIGHT? RIGHT.
IT'S IT BEING THERE, OR WHAT, WHAT ARE YOU REFERRING TO? OH, WHAT'S THE PURPOSE OF IT OTHER THAN, OR IT'S, IT'S THERE FOR THE, THE, UH, BICYCLISTS OR, OR PEDESTRIANS.
AND SO WHAT IS IT, I MEAN, IS WHAT'S YOUR OPINION ON THAT? IS IT, SHOULD IT, SHOULD IT BE, SHOULD IT STAY? IS IT WORTH BUILDING IT OR IS IT SOMETHING THAT IS EXPENDABLE? I THINK THOSE ARE OVERARCHING GOALS THAT REALLY AREN'T PERTINENT TO THIS STUDY.
I THINK FROM SPEAKING FROM A, A RESIDENT STANDPOINT, I THINK IT'S A VERY UNIQUE IDEA THAT'LL BRING GREAT BENEFIT.
BUT THAT'S MY PERSONAL NOT PROFESSIONAL OPINION.
I THINK THERE, AGAIN, THERE'S OTHER OVERARCHING THINGS THAT WENT INTO THE DESIGN OF THAT, THE INTENT OF IT.
BUT TO SAY THAT, I'M NOT GOING, GO AHEAD, SEAN.
I DIDN'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT YOU TODAY.
I, UM, I HATE TO GO BACK TOO FAR IN TIME, BUT THERE WAS A PREVIOUS, UM, US 2 78 CORRIDOR COMMITTEE APPOINTED BY COUNCIL, UM, THAT HAD 26 PUBLIC MEETINGS.
AND THEN THE RECOMMENDATIONS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN DISCUSSION, UH, FROM THAT COMMITTEE AND THEN, UM, TO TOWN COUNCIL INCLUDED THE PROVISION OF A MULTIUSE PATHWAY ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THE BRIDGE.
UM, IT'S BEEN, IT'S INCLUDED, UH, FOR THAT REASON.
UH, BUFORT COUNTY HAS A BUFORT COUNTY CONNECTS PLAN, UH, WHICH IS AIMED TO PROVIDE ADDITIONAL CONNECTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE COUNTY.
AND ONE OF THE GOALS IN THAT PLAN WAS TO CONNECT HILTON HEAD WITH THE MAINLAND OF BEAUFORT COUNTY.
UM, AND THE PATHWAY ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE OF THAT BRIDGE IS A WAY TO DO THAT.
SO FROM A TRAFFIC FLOW FROM AN ENGINEERING, THERE'S A BIKE AND PED FACILITY NEEDED TO ACCOMMODATE THE CONGESTION, UM, AND ADDITIONAL CAPACITY NEEDED, NO, BUT THERE WAS A LOT OF PUBLIC INPUT THAT LED TO IT BEING INCLUDED INTO THE CURRENT DESIGN.
DO YOU HAVE ANY MORE? I HAVE FEW POINTS.
UM, SO I'M STILL, UM, CONFUSED ABOUT WHERE ALL OF THIS IS HEADING.
AND, UM, THE FACT THAT WE ARE, UM, HAVEN'T REALLY DELVED INTO, UH, MANY OF THE, OF THE ISSUES.
MY OBVIOUS REMARK IS THAT WE HAVE, IN MY OPINION, TWO OPTIONS.
ONE IS ALTERNATIVE, ONE, WHICH DOESN'T CHANGE MUCH IN THE OVERALL LAYOUT OF THE ROADS, AND, UH, EXCEPT THAT WE HAVE, UH, NEW BRIDGES.
AND THEN, UH, THE SECOND OPTION IS TO HAVE THE NEW VERSION OF THE SOUTHERN BYPASS.
NOW I KNOW THAT THIS HAS BEEN DISCUSSED MANY TIMES, BUT THE NEW VERSION OF THE, OF THE BYPASS, UH, AND I'M, UH, NUMBER ONE IS THE FACT THAT IT HAS ZERO IMPACT ON STONY.
WE DON'T HAVE TO GO INTO MITIGATION, UH, EXERCISE.
UM, WE DON'T TOUCH ANY OF THE STONY LAND.
NUMBER TWO, WE DON'T HAVE, UH, ANY ISSUES WITH RIGHT OF WAY.
IT'S, IT'LL BE A SEMI ELEVATED, UM, UH, BYPASS.
UM, IT HAS VERY LITTLE, ALMOST INSIGNIFICANCE, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT.
IT DOESN'T GO INTO A HONEY HORN AND IT CONNECTS DIRECTLY INTO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY.
SO, BUT THE LIFE OF ME, I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THIS ISN'T, UH, EMBRACED
[01:20:01]
BY MANY PEOPLE, UM, UH, ESPECIALLY, UM, UM, THAT, THAT OUR, OUR TOWN GOVERNMENT AND ADMINISTRATION, UM, IF YOU PUT THAT NEXT TO THE ALT, THE ALTERNATIVE ONE THAT DOESN'T CONNECT INTO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, IT HASN'T, DOESN'T HAVE ANY CHANGES.IT HAS ACTUALLY VERY FEW MODIFICATIONS ON THE, UH, WHAT WE HAVE TODAY.
UM, SO HERE WE HAVE A CHANCE TO, UH, TO CHANGE THAT, ESPECIALLY SINCE 50% OF THE TRAFFIC GOES OVER THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY.
WHY DON'T WE HAVE A, UH, IN OUR, IN THIS EXERCISE, A DIRECT CONNECTION INTO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY? IT IS, IT IS REALLY BEYOND ME.
AND, UM, UH, I'M ALSO CONFUSED BECAUSE, UH, NOW I HEAR OF DIFFERENT PLANS BEING FLOATED AROUND, UM, WITH THE TOWN COUNCIL, UM, THAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN PRIVY TO.
UM, IT'S SORT OF JUMPING THE GUN ON, ON, ON, ON MANY LEVELS.
AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT, UH, THE RESIDENTS WHO ARE REALLY, THE, THE PEOPLE THAT WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT, UM, WILL HAVE QUESTIONS AND WILL HAVE PUSHBACK ON, ON THESE THINGS.
SO TO ME, UM, A SEMI ELEVATED SOUTHERN BYPASS TYING DIRECTLY INTO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, TAKING 50% OF THE TRAFFIC OFF, UH, THE 2 78 BUSINESS, UM, IT'S SUCH A LOGICAL WAY TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR ON WHY WE ARE NOT MAKING THAT A SERIOUS ALTERNATIVE.
THE OTHER ALTERNATIVES THAT ARE BEING PRESENTED, THE TOTALLY ELEVATED HIGHWAY IS TO ME, UM, A BIT OF A PIE IN THE SKY.
AND THE OTHER ALTERNATIVES WERE REALLY JUST DARE TO FILL, FILL THE MISSION OF, OF LOOKING AT FOUR ALTERNATIVES.
SO, UM, AND I WOULD WELCOME TO HEAR FROM, FROM YOU, MR. MAYOR OR FROM EDUARDO OR, OR CHARLIE, UH, ON, ON, ON, ON YOUR VIEWS ON THIS.
THIS IS WHY WE HAVE TO ACTUALLY HAVE A DIALOGUE RATHER THAN HAVE A A ONE-WAY COMMUNICATION.
I'LL ASK Y'ALL IF YOU HAVE ANY COMMENTS ON THAT.
FIRST, I, I, I THINK, UH, THE SOUTHERN CROSSWAY, OR WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT, HAS SOME INTRIGUING POINTS TO IT.
HOWEVER, I PUT ON MY CONTRACTOR'S HAT AND THOUGHT ABOUT MY EXPERIENCE ON ALASKAN PIPELINE AND A FEW OTHER BIG PROJECTS, AND I PICKED UP THE PHONE AND CALLED A GOOD FRIEND WHO HAS BEEN IN ELEVATED HIGHWAYS DOING PILING, AND HE WALKED ME THROUGH THE STEPS.
I'VE NEVER BID ON ONE, BY THE WAY, IF I WAS A CONTRACTOR, I WOULD TAKE THAT PROJECT IN A HEARTBEAT, COST PLUS I CAN SEE CHA-CHING CHA-CHING.
I WOULD MAKE MONEY, I COULD RETIRE, UH, AND, AND MY WHOLE CREW WOULD RETIRE.
UH, WE, WE HEARD THAT THE ELEVATED HIGHWAY WAS GONNA BE THE MOST EXPENSIVE.
WELL DOUBLE THE PRICE TO DO WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, DIETRICH, BECAUSE NUMBER ONE, YOU'RE GONNA PUT CRANE MATS DOWN TO GET OUT INTO THAT, UH, AREA WHERE IT'S SE YOU CALL SEMI ELEVATED.
ANYTHING IS ELEVATED, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO GO DOWN.
I WAS TOLD THAT, UH, THE BLUFFTON PARKWAY, UH, THEY HAD TO GO 30 FEET.
SO IF YOU USE THAT AS A, AS A GUESSTIMATE, YOUR, YOUR PILLARS ARE GONNA, AFTER 30 FEET, BEFORE YOU'RE GONNA HIT WHAT THEY CALL IT WOULDN'T BE SOLID ROCK, BUT IT WOULD BE LOAD-BEARING MATERIAL.
AND AGAIN, TO GET THE MACHINERY OUT THERE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE PUTTING DOWN CRANE MATS, WHICH IS VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE.
THEN WHEN YOU GET TO WHERE YOU'RE GONNA LAND, UH, IF YOU USE HONEY HORN AS AN EXAMPLE, IN TALKING TO PEOPLE, AND I'VE BEEN OUT WHEN THE CONCOURSE HAS BEEN AT HONEY HORN, OR EVEN NOW WHERE THEY PARKED 18 WHEELERS TO BRING THE CARS IN, YOU NOTICE AFTER THEY LEAVE, THERE'S, THERE'S THREE TO FOUR INCH RUTS FROM THOSE TRAILERS.
SO DEFINITELY HONEY HORN, AND YOU TAKE IT FURTHER SOUTH, THE LAND HAS GOTTA BE SIMILAR.
SO IN A QUICK ESTIMATE, YOU COULD HAVE UP TO WHAT, 30,000 CUBIC YARDS MATERIAL YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO EXCAVATE.
THE SOUTHERN PART OF THE ISLAND.
UM, I DON'T KNOW, MAYBE SOMEONE, UH, THE REST OF THE ISLAND WANTS TO STOCK 30,000, UH, CUBIC YARDS FOR US.
NOW, YOU TAKE THAT OUT, YOU BRING IN THE SAME AMOUNT, UH, WHICH HAS GOTTA BE WHAT THEY CALL STRUCTURAL FILL.
SO EVERY, EVERY POINT I'VE MADE IS CHACHING, CHACHING, CHACHING, THE,
[01:25:01]
THE CASH REGISTER'S GOING UP AND UP AND UP.SO, IN MY MIND, RIGHT AWAY, IT'S GOT SOME, SOME GOOD IDEAS TO IT, BUT BOY, I DON'T KNOW IF THE TAXPAYERS WANNA PAY THAT MONEY.
UH, I, I CERTAINLY WOULD VOTE AGAINST THAT BECAUSE OF THE CROSS.
AND THAT ONE OF THE THINGS IS MY BIGGEST CONCERN, THAT THERE'S NO CONSIDERATION FLOATING THIS OUT THERE, THAT THERE'S BEEN NO SOIL TESTING.
WE HAVE TO GO BASED ON WHAT WE GENERAL KNOWLEDGE OF THE COMMUNITY.
AND I DON'T THINK IT'S A VIABLE SOLUTION.
AND YOU, YOU HARDLY GOES IN, GO INTO WETLANDS.
UM, IT ACTUALLY ALSO OPENS IT UP.
UH, YOU CAN MAKE, TURN IT INTO A TOLL ROAD.
SO, UH, UH, BECAUSE IT'S A NEW ROAD, APPARENTLY UNDER, UM, IT'S A LONG, YOUR STAND AT TOLL ROAD HAS TO GO BE BEFORE THE STATE LEGISL TO BE APPROVED.
UH, IT DOESN'T INFRINGE ON, ON HONEY HORN.
UH, THE ONLY THING THAT THAT NEEDS TO BE FIGURED OUT IS HOW YOU MERGE IT BACK GOING WESTWARD BACK ONTO THE 2 78.
SO YOU DON'T WANNA HAVE IT RUN ALL THE WAY ON 2 78.
YOU WANNA HAVE IT MERGE IN, AND THERE WILL BE TWO LANES WITH A, WITH A MIDDLE BREAKDOWN.
SO, UM, YOU, YOU'RE MISSING MY POINT, DIETRICH.
I SAID IT HAS VIABLE SOLUTIONS.
MY POINT IS THE COST TO BUILD THIS, I WOULD TAKE IT AS A CONTRACTOR COST PLUS 10 15, AND I WOULD BECOME A MILLIONAIRE BECAUSE IT IS GONNA BE VERY, VERY EXPENSIVE.
WELL, WE, WE NEED TO PUT THE NUMBERS ON IT, BUT, UH, UM, I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S SECONDARY.
I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH, WITH AT LEAST CONSIDERING, UH, A STUDY OF IT.
UH, IN FACT, AT THE LAST MEETING, WHICH I WAS IN HERE, I UNDERSTAND, I, I OFFERED A PROXY AND, AND I UNDERSTAND IT WAS, UH, LEGALLY, LEGALLY IN INCORRECT OR SOMETHING TO DO A PROXY FOR US AS A COMMITTEE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
ANYWAY, UM, YEAH, I, I, I WAS, I'M SUPPORTIVE OF DOING AN, AN EVALUATION OF THAT SUBTLY BYPASS, UM, JUST JUST TO JUSTICE, TO PUT IT TO REST OR TO PUT IT TO FRUITION.
WELL, I, I, I THINK YOU'RE INCORRECT IN, IN, UM, SAYING THAT IT DOESN'T AFFECT MANY PROPERTIES BECAUSE, UM, THE WAY IT'S DRAWN OUT, IT AFFECTS ABOUT, UH, 11 ADDITIONAL ACRES OF LAND AND HAS ADDITIONAL IMPACT ON RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES AND BUSINESSES.
THAT'S THE, BUT NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
UM, YOU KNOW, EVERY TIME WE TURN AROUND, THERE IS ANOTHER PRESENTATION THAT IS BEING GIVEN TO TRY TO STEER YOUR, YOUR THIS DESIRE TO MOVE IT FORWARD, BUT WITHOUT THE REALITY.
AND AGAIN, YOU'VE SAID IT BEFORE, YOU'RE NOT TRAFFIC ENGINEERS, UM, BUT YOU MOVE IT IN SUCH A WAY THAT IT BENEFITS, UH, YOUR POSITION.
UM, AND, AND I'M JUST, I'M, I'M BEING IN BETWEEN ON THIS, BUT AS IT IS DRAWN OUT, UM, THROUGH MKSK, IT SHOWS IT HAVING A GREATER IMPACT INTO THE COMMUNITY, INTO THE, INTO THE TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTIES.
AND I KNOW PEOPLE SAY THAT, WELL, SOME OF THAT IS TOWN OWNED, BUT IT WASN'T ALWAYS TOWN OWNED.
SO WE'VE GOTTA PAY ATTENTION TO TCP, UM, BECAUSE IT IS HISTORICAL PROPERTY AND CULTURALLY SENSITIVE PROPERTY.
SO THE IMPACT IS MUCH GREATER THAN GOING THROUGH ALTERNATIVE MODIFIED NUMBER ONE.
THIS DRAWING IS THE OLD ONE, HUH? SO THE, THE, THE LATER VERSION, AGAIN, THE, THE CHANGED, THERE'S ONLY ONE VERSION THAT IS AN IMPROVEMENT ON THIS, WHICH HAS, UH, RUNS CLOSER TO THE 2 78.
I MEAN, FOR GOD'S SAKE, I MEAN, WE HAVE TO REALLY, UH, TAKE THIS SERIOUS.
I MEAN, IT'S A, IT'S A, A VERY GOOD SOLUTION.
UM, AND FROM WHAT WE, AS, AS, AS, UH, WE HAVE DONE, WE HAVE LOOKED AT EVERY SINGLE PROPERTY THAT WOULD BE IMPACTED NOT ONLY FOR THIS SOUTHERN BYPASS, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE PROJECT.
UM, AND WE KNOW, WELL, WE DON'T KNOW BECAUSE THE FINAL DESIGN'S NOT DONE YET, BUT WE HAVE A GOOD INDICATION AS TO THE AMOUNT OF PROPERTY THAT IS REQUIRED FOR EVERY AREA.
AND THIS BYPASS, WHETHER THIS DESIGN OR ANOTHER HAS GREATER IMPACT THAN ALTERNATIVE NUMBER ONE.
EITHER YOU, EITHER YOU OR ME ARE ILL-INFORMED.
YEAH, IF I COULD JUMP IN AND, AND LISTEN, I APPRECIATE THE, UM, INPUT FROM THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP, UM, AND ALL OTHERS THAT HAVE PROVIDED INPUT.
[01:30:02]
WE NEED TO STOP, UM, MAKING STATEMENTS THAT ARE, THAT ARE NOT BASED IN FACT, UM, I'VE HEARD THAT THE SOUTHERN BYPASS, AND THIS WAS PROVIDED BY THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP, I KNOW IT'S CHANGED.I I DON'T WANT TO BE, PLEASE LET ME FINISH.
WELL, I MEAN, YOU'RE THROWING THINGS OUT THAT ARE, UH, UNTRUTHS AND I, I HAVE A, I I WILL ONLY STATE FACTS AND PLEASE, I, WITH RESPECT, OH, DON'T PULL THE WOOL OVER MY EYES.
WELL, I HEARD A COMMENT THAT THERE ARE NO IMPACTS FROM THIS PROJECT.
THERE NO IMPACT ON, I, I'M, I'M, I'VE GOT POINTS THAT YOU MADE NO IMPACTS.
NO, RIGHT, NO IMPACT ON STONY LAND.
DON'T, DON'T LOOK AT THAT DRAWING.
AND WE'VE, WE'VE DISTRIBUTED THE OTHER DRAWING TO THE TOWN COUNCIL.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE, YOU'RE MISSING THE POINT THAT EVERYTHING IN THAT PURPLE SHADED AREA IS WITHIN THE TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY.
IT IS COMPRISED OF BIG AND LITTLE STONY COMMUNITIES.
ANY IMPACT WITHIN THAT AREA, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT'S TOWN OR PRIVATELY HELD, IS AN IMPACT TO THAT TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY.
SO WE CAN'T SAY THERE ARE NO IMPACTS.
THERE ARE IMPACTS THAT WOULD BE A NEW ROADWAY ALIGNMENT OUTSIDE OF THE WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY CURRENT RIGHT OF WAY THAT WOULD IMPACT PROPERTIES.
AT THE REQUEST OF THE COMMITTEE, WE HAD LOCK MUELLER DO AN EVALUATION OF THIS CONFIGURATION.
IT WAS PRESENTED TO THE COMMITTEE.
THERE WERE ADDITIONAL EIGHT PRIVATE PROPERTIES IMPACTED, I BELIEVE, WITH THEIR OWN ASSESSMENT AND UP TO ADDITIONAL SIX ACRES OF PROPERTY THAT BASED ON YOUR, THAT'S BASED ON THE OLD ONE.
LOOK, I DON'T WANNA GET INTO A CONTEST WITH YOU HERE.
I I, I AM ASKING FOR SOME RESPECT HERE.
THERE ARE IMPACTS IN STONY THAT THERE'S NO RIGHT OF WAY NEEDED TO DO THIS PROJECT.
ALL OF THAT REQUIRES RIGHT OF WAY, A NEW ROADWAY IS GONNA REQUIRE DEDICATED RIGHT OF WAY TO INSTALL THE PROJECT.
IT MEANS IF YOU IMPACT ONE SQUARE FOOT OF THAT PROPERTY, NOT IF IT IMPACTS THE AREA WHERE THEY HOLD FESTIVALS.
THIS, I KNOW IT'S BEEN CHANGED, BUT THIS CONFIGURATION, UM, WOULD NEVER BE PERMITTED IN THAT ALIGNMENT.
IT NEEDS TO TIE BACK INTO THE BUSINESS ROUTE IN CROSS ISLAND, UM, AND WOULD REQUIRE AN OVERPASS OF SPANISH WELLS AND TIE BACK, PLEASE.
YOU'RE READING FROM THE WRONG CHART.
IT DOES IMPACT HONEY HORN, WHICH IS ANOTHER FOUR F RESOURCE, THE ENTIRETY OF THAT PURPLE.
UM, TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY IS A FOUR F RESOURCE.
ANY IMPACTS WITHIN THAT AREA ARE CRITICAL TO BEING ABLE TO GO THROUGH THE NAPPA PROCESS.
ONE CHARGE AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF THE SCOPE OF WORK THAT THIS COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED AND TOWN COUNCIL APPROVED WAS THAT IT HAD TO MAKE IT THROUGH THE NEPO PROCESS.
BLACKMAILER DID AN EVALUATION, AND I CAN LET THEM SPEAK AND, AND ELABORATE ON IT.
THEY GAVE YOU A VERY DETAILED BREAKDOWN OF THE RISKS AND THE ABILITY FOR THE SOUTHERN BYPASS TO BE CONSIDERED AND GO THROUGH THE NEPA PROCESS AND GAIN AN APPROVAL.
THEY ALSO SUBMITTED A TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM, WHICH IS INCLUDED IN THE PACKET, UM, ON MAY 13TH WITH THEIR POSITION ON, UM, ON WHY THEY DIDN'T BELIEVE AN ADDITIONAL MODELING OF THIS WAS NECESSARY.
TOLL ROAD, CAN WE GO BACK TO THE OTHER GRAPHIC NAME? I'M SORRY.
I WOULD NOT PAY A TOLL TO BYPASS A COUPLE HUNDRED FEET OF ROADWAY.
I DO NOT EXPERIENCE CONGESTION BETWEEN SQUIRE, POPE ROAD AND SPANISH WELLS ROAD.
AND I COME THROUGH AND CONNECT TO THE CROSS ISLAND.
IT'S ALREADY SIX LANES IN THAT SECTION.
IT'S ALREADY SIX LANES IN THAT SECTION.
THAT IS NOT A SECTION WHERE THE CURRENT PROJECT IS EVEN ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL CAPACITY.
SO I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE ALL MOVING FORWARD WITH, UM, SOME SPECIFIC FACTS HERE.
LOCK MEER SAID IT'S ABOUT ANOTHER SIX PLUS OR MINUS ACRES BASED ON WHAT WE HAVE ON THE SCREEN.
AT THE REQUEST OF MR. BEAR, HE HAD ASKED MKSA TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE ALIGNMENT.
I HAD THEM DRAW UP WHAT THEY THOUGHT WAS A, A ALIGNMENT, UM, THAT WAS MORE PALATABLE.
I OFFERED TO MEET WITH MR. BEAR AND THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP AND HAD A MEETING, UH, SCHEDULED
[01:35:01]
FOR MONDAY, AND HE DECLINED.EXCUSE, WE DIDN'T CALL FOR THAT MEETING.
HE'S TRAVELING, SO DON'T, DON'T GIMME THAT.
AND, AND HEY, I PLEASE SOME RESPECT, SORRY, PLEASE, PLEASE, SOME RESPECT.
I'M JUST MAKING SOME FACTUAL STATEMENTS HERE.
I OFFERED TO GO THROUGH WITH MR. BEAR, THIS ITERATION AND THE LATEST ONE THAT WAS SUBMITTED ALONG WITH WHAT M-K-S-K-R CONSULTANT HAD COME UP WITH, SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND WHEN WE'RE IN, OUT IN PUBLIC, WHEN WE'RE SAYING THERE ARE NO IMPACTS TO STONY, THAT NO RIGHT OF WAY IS NEEDED.
THERE'S NO IMPACT TO HONEY HORN, THAT YOU CAN INCLUDE A TOLL TO HELP PAY THE ADDITIONAL COST.
A LOT OF THAT INFORMATION IS NOT ACCURATE, AND IT'S A SHAME THAT WE ARE HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT TRYING TO FIT A SOLUTION THAT'S ON THE SCREEN HERE OR SOMETHING CLOSE AS THE SOLUTION, AND THEN RE AND TRY TO ENGINEER BACK INTO IT.
WE'VE HAD LOCK MEER DO AN INDEPENDENT ASSESSMENT, INCLUDING END-TO-END DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS.
THEY HAVE DONE IT WITHOUT BIAS.
AND, UM, AND WITHOUT ANY OUTSIDE INFLUENCE, THEY'VE PERFORMED THE SCOPE OF WORK THAT WAS APPROVED BY THE COMMITTEE AND BY TOWN COUNCIL AND PRESENTED THEIR FINDINGS.
I'LL LET THEM SPEAK ON WHETHER OR NOT THEY WOULD, IN THEIR PROFESSIONAL OPINION, SEE ANY REASON TO ADVANCE THIS.
BUT YOU'VE ASKED, THEY'VE, THEY'VE RESPONDED, AND I WANNA MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE HAS A UNDERSTANDING OF THE FACTS ABOUT IMPACT, WHAT THE FLOOR F RESOURCE MEANS.
IF YOU, IF YOU HAVE ANY MORE IMPACT WITHIN THAT TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY, WHICH USED TO BE ALL OWNED OR ALMOST ALL OWNED BY NATIVE ISLANDERS.
AND THE FACT THAT THE TOWN HAS GOT, UH, HAS PROPERTY IN THAT AREA DOESN'T CHANGE THE DESIGNATION.
AND IT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN, YOU CAN TRY TO WEAVE A ALIGNMENT IN JUST DOWNTOWN PROPERTY TO IMPLEMENT A PROJECT AND SAY THERE'S NO IMPACT.
SO THOSE ARE MY COMMENTS, AND THANK YOU, SIR, FOR THE TIME.
AND IF YOU'LL, IF YOU'LL ADDRESS THAT FOR, FOR EVERYBODY'S BENEFIT, UM, CHAD, CAN YOU HEAR ME ADDRESS IT WITH, WITH THE RIGHT INFORMATION AND, AND, UM, SO IF I PUT THESE TWO AGAINST EACH OTHER, ALTERNATIVE ONE, WHICH TO ME, UM, IS SAME OLD, SAME OLD EXCEPT FOR, UH, AN 11 LANE BRIDGE, UM, IT DOESN'T, HAS NOT PROVEN TO DO ANYTHING TO US, AND I PUT IT AGAINST AN IDEA THAT ACTUALLY IS, UH, IS NOVEL AND, UH, UM, SOLVES PROBLEMS, THEN WHY ARE WE NOT ALL SORT OF CHASING AFTER THAT TO SEE IF IT REALLY WORKS? BUT THERE IS SO MUCH PUSHBACK FROM THE TOWN THAT, UM, I DON'T KNOW WHY, UH, THEY, THEY IGNORED HIS PLANS.
NO IMPACT ON STONY, NOT NO IMPACT ON, ON HONEY HORN, NO ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT, ON AND ON AND ON.
IT GOES TO ME AND THE COST FACTOR, WE HAVE TO FIGURE IT OUT.
UM, YOU KNOW, ON A, ON A, ON A, ON A $423 MILLION PROJECT, UM, IT'S A DROP IN THE BUCKETS, CHAD.
AND I'M GLAD THAT THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE FROM THE TOWN COUNCIL HERE BECAUSE IT'S AN IMPORTANT THING, UH, TO DECIDE UPON.
IT'S NOT SOMETHING WE NEED TO SORT OF, UH, TALK OVER AND, AND, AND PUT AWAY.
IT'S, IT'S TOO BIG OF A THING AND THE WRONG DECISION ON THIS THING IS GONNA COME BACK TO HAUNT YOU, EVERYONE.
I, I THINK THERE HAS BEEN A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF, UH, HOMEWORK DONE LOOKING INTO THIS, UM, FROM THE ENGINEERS THAT UNDERSTAND WHAT IT TAKES TO DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS.
AND AS YOU HAVE STATED BEFORE, Y'ALL ARE NOT HIGHWAY ENGINEERS.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I I, I, I LEAN TOWARDS THOSE CONSULTANTS AND PROFESSIONALS THAT HAVE A, AN UNDERSTANDING IN HOW TO LOOK AT THESE.
UM, THAT THAT'S WHAT I HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT AN ENGINEER BY ANY MEANS.
AND, AND I LOOK AT THIS AND I SEE A GREATER IMPACT TO THE COMMUNITY, UM, FOR LESS THAN A MILE.
AND I MEAN, IT IS STONY PROPERTY.
AND SO IF YOU, IF YOU TAKE IT A LEVEL UP, IT'S REALLY, UM, WE HAD THE DISCUSSION IN THE PAST.
IF WE DON'T CARE FOR OUR COMMUNITY, WE MIGHT AS WELL GO, UH, MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE.
AND HERE, UH, OUR TRADITIONAL, UH, COMMUNITY IS IMPORTANT.
THIS ALTERNATIVE WILL NOT AFFECT THEM.
THE OTHER ONES, YOU HAVE 21 PROPERTIES THAT YOU AFFECT.
[01:40:01]
ARE WE NOT TAKING THAT SERIOUSLY? AND I, I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.OH, OH, WE ARE TAKING, I'M, WE ARE TAKING THAT VERY SERIOUSLY, AND THAT IS WHY THERE'S AN ALTERNATIVE MODIFICATION OF NUMBER ONE, WHICH IS ALMOST TO A ZERO IMPACT.
UM, IT IS CONTINUALLY BEING LOOKED AT IN ADDRESS.
HOW DO YOU THINK ZERO IMPACT THEN? I MEAN, WHAT'S ZERO IMPACT? I MEAN, AREN AFFECTING 21 PROPERTIES, AREN'T YOU HAVING A MITIGATION EFFORT GOING ON TO TO, TO, UH, WE ARE LOOKING AT IT.
IT, IT, NOTHING IS DESIGNED YET.
AND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, LISTEN, NOTHING IS DESIGNED YET, AND WE'RE WORKING HARD WITH, WITH THE, THE STONY RESIDENTS.
WE'RE WORKING HARD WITH EVERYBODY THAT, AND REALLY IT'S STAFF TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT WHATEVER, UH, HOWEVER THEY'RE AFFECTED IT, IT'S MINIMALIZED.
UM, AND IT IS A CONSTANT CONVERSATION.
THERE IS NO DESIRE TO TAKE ANY ADDITIONAL LAND, LIKE, LIKE THIS PROPOSAL DOES.
THIS PROPOSAL DOESN'T TAKE ANY ADDITIONAL LAND.
I, I'M SORRY, I I SEE THAT IT DOES, IF YOU CONSIDER LAND THAT'S ACQUIRED BY THE TOWN, WHICH IS STILL, UH, THAT WHERE TCP THERE, THERE ARE NO BUILDINGS ON IT.
UH, AS INFRINGEMENTS ON, YOU'RE CUTTING PEOPLE'S PROPERTIES IN, IN, IN HALF HERE, YOU'RE CUTTING AWAY ACCESS.
UM, AND DIETRICH, IF, IF, IF I OWN THAT PROPERTY AND, AND IT'S GOING TO THE, TO THE STATE TO BUILD A HIGHWAY, OR IF THE TOWN OWNS THE PROPERTY AND IT'S GOING FROM THE STATE, THAT IS A TRANSFER A PROPERTY THAT IS A RIGHT OF WAY.
I MEAN, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW TO EXPLAIN IT ANY SIMPLER FROM, FROM I LEARNED THAT, YOU KNOW, 10 YEARS OLD WHEN I WAS LEARNED THE SURVEY, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TAKING THIS PIECE OF PROPERTY AND YOU'RE CHANGING THE NAME.
THAT'S A CHANGE OF, OF RIGHT OF WAY.
OKAY, BUT I HAVE A QUESTION FOR, UH, SEAN.
IF WE WENT WITH THIS FROM MY UNDERSTANDING OF BOTH EPA FEDERAL HIGHWAY, WE START BACK AT SQUARE ONE WITH PERMIT PROCESS.
IS THAT NOT CORRECT? IS, UH, I KNOW CHAD WITH LOCK MEER, WHEN THEY PRESENTED THE FINDINGS, AND HE CAN PROBABLY SPEAK TO THIS, HE DID A RISK ASSESSMENT THAT WAS INCLUDED IN EVALUATION OF THIS.
UH, AND HE MENTIONED THIS WOULD BE A SIGNIFICANT CHANGE, LIKELY REQUIRING THE EIS, UH, WHICH WOULD FURTHER DELAY THE PROJECT.
YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALK ABOUT ACCESS, I MEAN, THIS IS THE LOCK MUELLER EVALUATION, NOT, NOT SEAN'S EVALUATION.
UM, IF YOU LOOK AT THE DOTS THAT ARE, UH, PINK, UM, ON THE SOUTHERN SIDE, YOU CAN SEE THAT, YOU KNOW, BY HAVING, AND AT ONE POINT, THIS WAS AN AT GRADE BYPASS UNTIL IT WAS POINTED OUT THAT THERE'S A LOT OF PRIVATE PROPERTY OWNERS THAT, UM, THAT HAVE PROPERTY ALONG THE, THE WATERFRONT, AND THEN IT BECAME AN ELEVATED BYPASS.
YOU LOOK AT ALL THE PINK PROPERTY PINK DOTS ON THAT SCREEN THAT WOULD NOW HAVE AN ELEVATED ROADWAY THAT WOULD, THEY'D EITHER HAVE TO DRIVE UNDER OR, OR DEAL WITH IN, IN THEIR CURRENT LOCATION.
SO AGAIN, I THINK IF YOU ASK THE PROPERTY OWNERS THERE, IS THERE AN IMPACT? THE ANSWER WOULD BE YES.
AND THERE'S CERTAINLY A PHYSICAL IMPACT JUST IN RIGHT OF WAY ALONE TO BE ABLE TO EXECUTE A PROJECT, WHETHER IT'S DRAWN LIKE THIS OR SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT ALIGNMENT.
UM, AND, AND THIS WAS EVALUATED BY LOCK MUELLER.
IT WAS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR ADVANCEMENT BY LOCK MUELLER.
AND I KNOW THE REQUEST KEEPS COMING IN TO LOOK AT IT AGAIN AND HAVE LAMEER LOOK AT IT AGAIN, AND I'LL HAVE THEM SPEAK TO WHETHER OR NOT THEY BELIEVE IT SHOULD BE EVALUATED.
MY STUDY INDICATES IN, IN TALKING, BEEN IN THIS BUSINESS A LONG TIME.
I KNOW A FEW EPA AND I KNOW A FEW FEDERAL HIGHWAY PEOPLE THAT IF, IF YOU START FROM SCRATCH, EPA IS SEVEN TO 10 YEARS, FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE, I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT IF WE GO WITH SOMETHING LIKE THIS, I, IT, I SAID IT INTRIGUES ME.
WE'RE LOOKING AT EPA STUDIES SEVEN TO 10 YEARS BEFORE WE GET THE OKAY.
FEDERAL HIGHWAY, FIVE YEARS FOR THEM TO EVEN GET IT THROUGH THEIR SYSTEM.
I MEAN, INTRIGUING, BUT IS IT AN EASY FIX? I DON'T KNOW.
SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTION, UM, DIETRICH IN TERMS OF MAYBE WHY WE HAVEN'T EVALUATED EVEN MORE THOROUGHLY, AND THEN I'M GONNA GO THROUGH JUST A FEW BULLET POINTS THAT I'VE WRITTEN DOWN, BUT THEN CHAD'S ON THE CALL AS WELL, AND HE'S GOING TO ELABORATE ON SOME OF THE ENVIRONMENTAL POINTS THAT I'M GONNA MAKE THAT WERE MAYBE GLEANED FROM THE LAST PRESENTATION.
SO JUST FROM A, STARTING AT THE VERY BEGINNING OF,
[01:45:01]
OF THIS PROCESS, WITHIN THE REQUEST OF QUALIFICATIONS, THERE WAS A DESIRE TO MAKE SURE THAT THE FIRM THAT WAS SELECTED HAD SIGNIFICANT NEPA EXPERIENCE, THAT WE UNDERSTOOD THE PROCESS, UM, OF WHAT GOES INTO IT.AND I, MY HOPE IS THAT THROUGHOUT THE COURSE OF THE PROJECT, WE'VE CONVEYED CLEARLY THAT WE'D HAVE A VERY THOROUGH UNDERSTANDING OF, UM, ALL THINGS NEPA.
UM, THIS IS BY NO MEANS OUR FIRST CORRIDOR PROJECT.
I THINK THAT DURING OUR, UH, INTERVIEW, WE WOULD SHARE WITH YOU THAT WE'VE PERFORMED 26 CORRIDOR STUDIES IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS, MANY OF WHICH HAVE THE NEPA PROCESS.
UM, CHAD, THIS IS WHAT HE NEPA IS WHAT HE LIVES AND BREATHES EVERY SINGLE DAY.
SO WE HAVE TRUE THOROUGH NEPA EXPERIENCE THAT WE'RE BRINGING TO THE TABLE.
WHEN WE MET IN DECEMBER, DURING OUR COMMITTEE MEETING, IF YOU RECALL, OUR TEAM SOUGHT FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMITTEE TO HELP US PROVIDE A HIERARCHY OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF TREATMENTS, WHAT WAS MOST PALATABLE, WHAT WAS LEAST PALATABLE IN TERMS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF IMPROVEMENTS, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE FIGHTING, WE'RE LOOKING TO REDUCE CONGESTION WITHOUT INCREASING CAPACITY.
SO THERE WAS, YOU KNOW, UNIQUE TURNS, UH, CIRCUITOUS MOVEMENTS, GREAT CHANGES, UM, VARIETY OF DIFFERENT ITEMS, UM, BUT AT THE TOP OF THE LIST, AND IT WAS VERY CLEAR FOLLOWING THAT MEETING, WAS THAT RIGHT OF WAY PUBLIC, PRIVATE DIDN'T MATTER.
THE GOAL WAS TO MINIMIZE RIGHT OF WAY WHEREVER POSSIBLE.
AND THEN THAT WAS REITERATED IN THE FEBRUARY 12TH MEETING WHERE DIET, IF YOU RECALL, YOU'D MENTIONED THAT MAYBE FOR THE GROUP TO CONSIDER A MOTION TO NOT TO HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE THAT INCLUDED NO RIGHT OF WAY IMPACTS AT ALL IN COMPARISON, LIKE THROUGH STONY.
I BELIEVE THE SED E'S ALTERNATIVE WAS ABOUT THREE, JUST UNDER THREE AND A HALF, I THINK, ACRES THROUGHOUT STONY.
AND I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY WHERE YOU WERE GETTING AT, WHERE YOU WANTED TO SEE NO, NO RIGHT OF WAY AT ALL.
AND SO WHEN WE, AND AT BY THAT FEBRUARY 12TH MEETING, WE HADN'T DEVELOPED THE ALTERNATIVE.
SO WHEN YOU HEAR AT THE 12TH THAT NO RIGHT OF WAY IS DESIRED AND REEMPHASIZED BY THE COMMITTEE THAT SEEK TO LIMIT RIGHT OF WAY AT ALL POSSIBLE, THAT'S WHAT KIND OF GUIDED US.
AND SO WHEN WE CAME UP WITH OUR ALTERNATIVES OF TWO, THREE, AND FOUR, UM, WE, I DON'T HAVE THE SLIDE WITH ME, BUT I THINK EVEN THE MOST IMPACTFUL RIGHT OF WAY OPTION WAS A LITTLE OVER AN ACRE BEING ADDED TO WHAT THE SCTS ALTERNATIVE WAS GOING TO GO THROUGH HERE TO THE POINT OF THE DESIRE TO HAVE, UH, AN OPTION TO MAXIMIZE THROUGHPUT, HAVE A DIRECT CONNECTION TO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY.
OUR ELEVATED BYPASS PROVIDED THAT WE ALSO ADDRESSED ISSUES AT GUMTREE ROAD.
AND IS THAT, WAS THAT AN EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE OPTION? ABSOLUTELY.
IS IT, UH, PROBABLY AESTHETICALLY A PLEASING TO SOME PEOPLE? PROBABLY NOT.
BUT WHAT WE WANTED TO DO IS PROVIDE YOU WITH INFORMATION TO GIVE THAT BYPASS OPTION.
I KNOW THAT MR. BEARER HAD PROVIDED, UM, THESE DIFFERENT OPTIONS THROUGHOUT THE COURSE, BUT AGAIN, TO BE TRANSPARENT WHEN WE RECEIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMITTEE THAT LIMITING RIGHT OF WAY IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE.
THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE REASONS WHY DURING WE DID NOT GET INTO THE ENVIRONMENTAL COMPONENT OF IT.
UM, AS WE HAD SHARED, AS WE SHARED ON MAY 8TH THAT WE DID AT THAT TIME, WE JUST MOVED FORWARD WITH THE ALTERNATIVES IN AN INDEPENDENT FASHION.
UM, SO I THINK NOW, IF WE KIND OF FAST FORWARD TO THE INFORMATION THAT WE SHARED AT THE LAST MEETING, AGAIN, WE HAD THIS UP ON THE SCREEN, A LOT OF, UM, A LOT OF DISCUSSIONS ARE BEING HAD ABOUT THE RESIDENTS, YOU KNOW, NORTH OF STONY AND THE IMPACTS THAT ARE BEING MADE HERE.
UM, THE ORIGINAL S-C-D-O-T STUDY WAS ABOUT 3.44, AND THEN AS, UM, SEAN MENTIONED, THEY HAVE LOOKED TO REDUCE THAT BY AT, UH, SQUIRE POPE ROAD GOING DOWN TO A SINGLE EASTBOUND LEFT AND A SINGLE SOUTHBOUND RIGHT TO I BELIEVE, ALL PROPERTIES IN THE NORTHWEST QUADRANT.
CORRECT, AS YOU GO WEST OF BEING ABLE TO MINIMIZE THE RIGHT OF WAY.
UH, CORRECT SHIFT TO THE LEFT TURN RIGHT.
WAS THERE A, DO YOU HAVE LIKE A NUMBER OF HOW MUCH THAT REDUCED BY CHANCE OR, UH, THE TOTAL ACREAGE BASED ON ASSESSMENT REDUCED IT FROM, UH, 3.4 WAS AS, UM, NATE MENTIONED TO 2.89 TOTAL ACRES IMPACTED.
UM, THE ORIGINAL, UM, THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL THAT WAS PRESENTED FOR THE FIRST PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE WAS, UH, 4.77 ACRES REDUCED DOWN TO 3.4 ACRES WITH INPUT FROM THE TOWN, UM, AFTER THE FIRST ITERATION.
AND WITH THESE DESIGN MODIFICATIONS THAT MAY, NATE MENTIONED DOWN TO TWO, 2.89.
SO FROM, FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, AGAIN, JUST REITERATING THE SOUTH SIDE IS ALSO TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY AS THE MAYOR ALLUDED TO, LIKE, IT, IT, IT'S THIS ENTIRE ENTIRE AREA IS CONSIDERED TCP AND FROM THE FEDERAL HIGHWAY'S PERSPECTIVE, FROM NEPA RIGHT OF WAY IS RIGHT OF WAY.
IT DOESN'T MATTER IF IT'S PUBLICLY OR PRIVATELY OWNED, IT'S JUST, THAT'S JUST THE WAY THAT IT IS.
[01:50:01]
ELABORATE THAT HERE ON JUST A MOMENT.UH, BUT WE, WE PROVIDED OUR THREE ALTERNATIVES IN ADDITION TO PER OUR SCOPE AGREED UPON SCOPE.
AND WE, WE FELT LIMITED BALANCE, BEST BALANCE IN OUR OPINION, THE TRAFFIC OPERATIONS AND LIMITING RIGHT OF WAY PRESENTED THOSE.
UM, AND EVEN THOUGH THE EVALUATION OF THE CUR OF THE SOUTHERN BYPASS WAS NOT IN OUR SCOPE, WE FELT THAT THERE WAS BENEFIT TO THE GROUP ON MAY 8TH TO GO AHEAD AND PERFORM A CURSORY EVALUATION OF GRANTED THAT THAT OPTION, IT WAS ONE THAT WAS DIFFERENT THAN WHAT YOU PROVIDED TO US ON MAY 8TH.
UM, BUT WE BORE THAT COST EVEN THOUGH IT WASN'T IN OUR SCOPE JUST TO PROVIDE BENEFIT TO THE GROUP.
AND SO WHEN WE STEPPED THROUGH THAT, UM, AND I'LL, I'LL CHAD TO MAYBE HIT ON JUST SOME OF THE HIGH POINTS AGAIN, CHAD, BASED ON MAYBE SOME OF THE DISCUSSIONS THERE HAD TODAY.
UM, BUT I FEEL THAT WE WERE, WE WERE PRETTY CLEAR IN THAT IT, IN ECHOING EVERYBODY ELSE, THIS IS TC PROPERTY RIGHT OF WAY IS RIGHT OF WAY.
IF, IF WE ARE NOW DOWN TO APPROXIMATELY 2.89 ACRES ALONG WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY OF TCP, IF YOU COMPARE THAT TO NOW SIX ACRES THAT ARE BEING IMPACTED, WHETHER OR NOT, AND I'VE WATCHED THE VIDEO, UM, IN PREPARATION THIS MEETING, UM, I KNOW THAT DIETRICH PROVIDED A, AN UPDATED ALIGNMENT AND I ASKED LAUREN AND CHAD TO JUST GIVE THEIR INITIAL THOUGHTS.
IF IT HUGS WILLIAM HOME PARKWAY, YOU MAY SWAP OUT THIS RELOCATION FOR THIS RELOCATION.
AND SO SUBSTANTIALLY SPEAKING, IT WILL BE THE SAME AMOUNT OF ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS THAT CHAD HAS SPOKEN TO.
ALL OF WHICH IN OUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION, WE DID NOT FEEL, WE CAME TO THAT MEETING SAYING THAT WE DID NOT FEEL THAT THE DOT I'M SORRY THAT THE FEDERAL HIGHWAYS WOULD MOVE IT FORWARD BECAUSE IT WAS TOO IMPACTFUL.
IT'S AVOID, MINIMIZE AND MITIGATE.
AND WE FELT THAT THAT WOULD NOT HOLD TRUE.
SEAN, THE DAY OF THE MEETING, 15 MINUTES BEFORE WE STARTED, HE HAD A, WROTE A LETTER OF THE REVIEW THAT S-C-D-O-T DID, AND THEY HAPPENED TO HAVE JUST THE EXACT, A LOT OF THE SAME POINTS THAT WE HAD BROUGHT FORTH.
SO WE DID OURS INDEPENDENTLY OF THAT CURSOR EVALUATION.
AND SO FOLLOWING THE VOICE VOTE, UM, WE CHECKED WITH SEAN AGAIN TO GO TO THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL OF EVALUATING THE ALTERNATIVES SUCH AS WE DID FOR ALTERNATIVES TWO THROUGH FOUR.
WE BORE THE COST BEFORE, BUT THAT THAT WAS A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF MONEY TO GO INTO THAT GREAT LEVEL OF DETAIL WITH THIS NEW ALIGNMENT.
AND SO WE SHARE WHAT THAT COST WOULD BE WHEN ANTICIPATED TIMEFRAME WOULD BE TO COMPLETE THAT, AND THAT WE WOULD NEED TO RECEIVE FORMAL DIRECTION FROM TOWN COUNCIL TO BE COMPENSATED FOR OUR TIME.
WE WERE NOT GIVEN DIRECTION TO DO THAT.
UM, BUT THEN IN THIS MEMO THAT, UM, WE, I PROVIDED TO SEAN AFTER THE MAY 8TH MEETING, MORALLY MORE JUST SUMMARIZING THE SLIDES THAT WE HAVE BEFORE, I, WE, WE DO NOT FEEL THAT S SC THAT THE F-F-H-W-A AND S-C-D-O-T WILL ALLOW IT TO MOVE FORWARD.
THEY HAVE INDICATED THAT IT WILL GO UP TO AN, UH, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, UM, DELAYING, DELAYING FURTHER THE PROJECT.
AND TO BE, TO BE COMPLETELY TRANSPARENT, WE, WE DO NOT FEEL IT'S A GOOD USE OF THE TOWN'S RESOURCES WHEN IN OUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION THEY WILL NOT ALLOW IT TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO THAT, THAT'S KIND OF A SUMMATION OF WHY, BUT CHAD, COULD YOU, UM, I HAVE THIS SLIDE UP.
IS THERE ANYTHING THAT MAYBE HAS BEEN SAID TODAY, UM, THAT YOU COULD MAYBE RE-EMPHASIZE OR SOMETHING THAT'S WORTH BRINGING UP THAT MAYBE PROVIDES CLARIFICATION? THANKS, NATE.
UM, I DON'T KNOW, UH, YOU, YOU AND, UH, SEAN DID A GREAT JOB CAPTURING THE POINTS HERE, SO I DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH I CAN ADD.
UM, DEFINITELY WOULD HAVE MORE IMPACT ON STONY 'CAUSE AS YOU GUYS CORRECTLY POINTED OUT.
SECTION FOUR F DOES NOT TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION AND WAY PUBLIC AND PRIVATELY OWNED LAND ANY DIFFERENTLY.
UH, SO TO THAT REGARD, YOU'D BE ADDING ABOUT SIX ACRES OF ADDITIONAL RIGHT AWAY FROM THE STONY PROPERTY INTO THE PROJECT, INCORPORATING THAT INTO A TRANSPORTATION FACILITY.
UH, BUT THE OTHER THING TO CONSIDER WHEN YOU DO THAT IS IT'S NOT JUST AT THAT SIX ACRES WITH THE SOUTHERN BYPASS, BUT IT'S THAT SIX ACRES NEEDS TO BE ADDED ON TO THE RIGHT OF WAY FOR THE REST OF
[01:55:01]
THE PROJECT TOO.THIS IS, THIS WOULD ONLY BE A PIECE OF THE OVERALL PROJECT.
THERE'S OTHER AREAS, I BELIEVE WITHIN ESTONIA, OUTSIDE OF THE SOUTHERN BYPASS LIMITS THAT WOULD STILL HAVE, UH, RIGHT AWAY ACQUIRED FROM IT.
SO, UH, THAT'S, THAT SIX ACRES IS ONLY A SMALL PIECE OF THE OVERALL, ACTUALLY I SHOULD SAY IT'S A LARGE PIECE OF THE OVERALL RIGHT AWAY REQUIRED FROM THE TCP.
UM, I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE YOU HELPFUL TO JUST STEP BACK.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A LOT OF TALK.
UH, NATE TALKED ABOUT THE, THE QUALIFICATIONS FOR THIS CONTRACT, MEANING, MEANING THAT, UH, THE CONSULTANT WAS GOING TO PROVIDE GUIDANCE AS TO WHETHER SOMETHING COULD FILL THE NEPA PROCESS.
AND I THOUGHT IT'D BE WORTHWHILE JUST TO PROVIDE A HIGH LEVEL REVIEW OF NEPA AND IT'S, IT'S FLOW, IT'S PROCESS FLOW.
UM, SO WITH ANY PROJECT HAVING FEDERAL OVERSIGHT, IT ENTERS A NEPA REVIEW.
AND ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS YOU DO IN THAT NEPA REVIEW IS ESTABLISH A PURPOSE AND NEED, WHY YOU NEED TO DO SOMETHING.
UH, S-C-D-O-T AND THEIR CONSULTANT ESTABLISHED A PURPOSE NEED.
IT WAS APPROVED BY FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION.
THAT PURPOSE NEED FOCUSED ON REDUCING CAPACITY ON, UH, US 2 78 AND SAFETY, UH, OR REDUCING CONGESTION, SORRY, ALONG US 2 78 AND SAFETY CONCERNS.
UM, AND THEN ALSO THE, THE, UH, STR STRUCTURAL DEFICIENCY OF THE BRIDGES.
UM, AFTER YOU ESTABLISH A PURPOSE AND NEED, YOU DE YOU DEVELOP ALTERNATIVES TO FIND ALTERNATIVES AND START EVALUATING WHETHER THEY MEET THE GOALS OF THE PURPOSE AND NEED AND SCREEN THEM DOWN INTO A HANDFUL THAT'S REASONABLE AND PRUDENT TO ADVANCE.
THIS IS PRETTY MUCH WHAT S-C-D-O-T IS DID AS PART OF THEIR EA THEY STARTED OUT WITH A NUMBER OF ALTERNATIVES THAT THEY EVALUATE FROM A HIGH LEVEL PERSPECTIVE, WHITTLED 'EM DOWN TO A SMALLER RANGE TO CARRY THROUGH MORE TECHNICAL STUDIES, UH, BECAUSE THEY SAID THESE WERE FEASIBLE AND PRUDENT TO CARRY FORWARD.
NOW, AS PART OF THIS TECHNICAL ANALYSIS, YOU LOOK AT ATLAND IMPACTS, UH, CULTURAL IMPACTS, ALL THAT STUFF, UH, HUMAN AND NATURAL RESOURCE IMPACTS HOW THESE ALTERNATIVES AFFECT, UH, THOSE RESOURCES.
THE BIG KEY ONE HERE, AND WE'VE TALKED ABOUT A LOT DRILLING DOWN INTO THIS, IS SECTION FOUR F.
SO AGAIN, SECTION FOUR F, IT'S REALLY, I'M GONNA BE BE APPLE TO TRANSPORTATION AGENCIES, FEDERAL HIGHWAY, UH, F-A-A-F-T-A AND FRA.
AND WHAT IS OF CONCERN IN THE LAW? WHAT THE LAW SAYS IS THAT FEDERAL HIGHWAY AND DOT AGENCIES CANNOT APPROVE THE USE OF LAND FOR PUBLICLY OWNED PARKS, RECREATIONAL AREAS, WILDLIFE AND WATERFOWL, REFUGES FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HISTORICAL SITES, UNLESS THERE IS A NO FEASIBLE PRUDENT AVOIDANCE ALTERNATIVE TO THE USE OF THE LAND.
I THINK THAT'S OBVIOUSLY CLEAR THERE ISN'T HERE.
UM, ADMINISTRATION DETERMINES THE USE OF THE PROPERTY WILL HAVE A DI MINIMUS IMPACT.
SO DI MINIMUS MEAN VERY SMALL AMOUNTS OF EFFECT TO THE SECTION FOUR RESOURCE.
AND I WOULD NOTE THAT THAT'S WHERE S-C-D-O-T AND FEDERAL HIGHWAYS ARE LANDING RIGHT NOW WITH STONY AS THEY'RE SAYING IT'S A, UH, DI MINIMUS IMPACT.
AND THAT WAS BASED ON THAT FOUR POINT.
LET'S SEE, WHAT DID I, DID I HAVE THAT IN HERE, NATE? SECTION FOUR FI DON'T THINK I HAD THE ACREAGE IN THIS SLIDE, BUT UH, I THINK IT WAS LIKE 4.3 ACRES OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT AND THE TWO RELOCATIONS, AND THEY THOUGHT THAT WAS A DI MINIMUS STILL.
UM, ANY MORE THAN THAT IS GONNA CARRY IT INTO A HIGHER LEVEL OF ANALYSIS.
AND AS NATE POINTED OUT, S-E-D-O-T ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WOULD LIKELY KICK THE NEPA EVALUATION UP TO AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE, UH, MANY MORE MONTHS, MAYBE EVEN YEARS TO GET THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UM, SO I THINK, I THINK THE, UH, BOTTOM LINE HERE IS, YEAH, IN OUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION, YOU KNOW, WE COULD LOOK AT THE SOUTHERN BYPASS MORE, BUT I DON'T THINK THE END RESULT IS GOING TO CHANGE BECAUSE YOU ALREADY HAVE
[02:00:01]
IT AN ALTERNATIVE IDENTIFIED BY S-C-D-O-T THAT THEY CAN POINT TO YOU AND SAY, WELL, WAIT A MINUTE, WE HAVE SOMETHING THAT MEETS THE PURPOSE AND NEED OF THE PROJECT AND DOES NOT IMPACT OUR FOUR F RESOURCES, OR WE'VE MINIMIZED, WE'VE TAKEN ALL APPROACHES TO MINIMIZE IMPACTS TO THESE FOUR F RESOURCES.UM, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF YOU LOOK AT IT AS IT STANDS RIGHT NOW, 4.3 ACRES IS WHAT I THINK IT WAS, UM, THAT'S LESS THAN THE SIX ACRES THAT WOULD BE ADDED WITH THE, THE SOUTHERN BYPASS.
SO THAT'S A MINIMIZATION EFFORT THERE.
I JUST, MY PROFESSIONAL OPINION IS BETTER HIGHWAY S-C-D-O-T AND YOU KIND OF CLEAN CAN GLEAN THIS FROM THEIR, UH, LETTER WOULD NOT ENTERTAIN THIS OPTION FOR FURTHER ADVANCE.
AND JUST A COUPLE POINTS OF CLARIFICATION, CHAD, ONE, ONE PART OF THIS IS WITH RIGHT OF WAY IS THAT WITHIN, WITHIN THE WILLIAM HILL PARKWAY CORRIDOR, THE THE RIGHT OF WAY IS ALREADY REALLY A TRANSPORTATION USE, WHEREAS IF YOU WERE TO GO WITH A NEW ALIGNMENT SOUTH OF WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY, YOU WOULD NEED TO CHANGE IT FROM A NON TRANSPORTATION USE TO A TRANSPORTATION USE, AND THAT'S ANOTHER RED FLAG.
I MEAN, I I, I'D HAVE TO LOOK AT ALL THE RIGHT OF WAY THAT'S BEING ACQUIRED.
I MEAN, ANYTHING OUTSIDE OF WHAT WOULD BE A TRADITIONAL STREET INFRASTRUCTURE LAYOUT OR THAT'S ALREADY CLASSIFIED AS A TRANSPORTATION FACILITY WOULD BE FOR F LAND ACQUIRER WOULD BE A CONCERN.
NOW, YOU CAN CERTAINLY ACQUIRE LAND WITHIN THE TRANSPORTATION, UM, FOOTPRINT, I'LL SAY, AND NOT HAVE IT BE AN ISSUE BECAUSE IT'S NOT CONVERTING.
WHEN I SAY THE WORD USE THAT'S TALKING ABOUT CONVERSION FROM A NON TRANSPORTATION USE TO A TRANSPORTATION USE.
IT'S ABOUT INCORPORATING ELEMENTS OF THE FOUR F RESOURCE INTO A TRANSPORTATION FACILITY.
WHEN YOU DO THAT, WHEN YOU CONVERT SOMETHING FROM NON TRANSPORTATION TO A TRANSPORTATION USE AND IT'S, IT HAS FEDERAL OVERSIGHT OR AT LEAST FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION OVERSIGHT LIKE WE DO HERE OR FEDERAL HIGHWAY, THEN FOUR F BECOMES AN ISSUE.
AND THEN ONE FINAL ITEM, THE, THE, THE HONEY HORN PLANTATION IMPACTS REFERENCE.
THAT WAS BECAUSE LAUREN'S DETERMINATION WAS THAT IN ORDER TO, FROM ALIGNMENT STANDPOINT GEOMETRICALLY, WE WOULD NEED TO TIE DIRECTLY ONTO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY WITHIN THE HONEY HORN PLANTATION AREA.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE DENOTATION IS COMING FROM.
IT, IT'S NOT SHOWN ON THAT RUDIMENTARY SKETCH THAT WE HAD UP BEFORE HERE, BUT YEAH, THAT, UM, BUT THERE WOULD HAVE TO BE SOME TO TIE BACK INTO THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY, YOU'D HAVE TO BASICALLY FOLLOW THAT BLUE LINE SOMEHOW THAT WOULD BE OUTSIDE OF WHAT WOULD BE CONSIDERED THE EXISTING TRANSPORTATION FOOTPRINT.
UM, SO YOU'D BE ACTUALLY INCORPORATING NONT TRANSPORTATION FOUR F LAND INTO A TRANSPORTATION FACILITY.
NOW, ONCE, ONCE YOU, UH, DIRECT THE LINE BACK NORTH AND CONNECT ACTUALLY INTO WHERE IT SAYS APPROXIMATELY REQUIRED TIE IN POINT, UM, THAT WOULD NOT BE AS MUCH OF A CONCERN, UH, BECAUSE THAT IS ALREADY WITHIN A TRANSPORTATION, UH, ELEMENT, WHICH IS JUST FOR REFERENCE WITH OUR ELEVATED BYPASS.
UM, THAT WAS THE REASON THAT, AND WE NOTED THAT IT WOULD IMPACT THE HONEY HORN PLANTATION, BUT THAT'S WHY WE SAW IT AN OPPORTUNITY TO UTILIZE THIS AREA THAT WAS ALREADY DESIGNATED AS A TRANSPORTATION LAND USE.
I MEAN, IS YOUR COLLEAGUE STILL LOOKING AT THAT CHART RATHER THAN THE NEW ONE? I'M SORRY? IS YOUR COLLEAGUE WHO'S, UH, IS HE, I DON'T KNOW THIS SLIDE, THESE PLANS OR THE NEW ONE WHERE THE, THE TRACK IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AS, AS I MENTIONED BEFORE, THE, WHEN YOU PROVIDED THAT, UM, PRIOR TO THE LAST MEETING, THERE WAS A NEW ALIGNMENT, BUT AS YOU SAID, IT, IT HUGS, MORE HUGS, THE WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY CORRIDOR.
BUT IF YOU LOOK AT THAT, YOU'RE STILL WITHIN ALL THAT TCP AREA, THE RELOCATIONS, IF LIKE, SAY WHERE THE OLD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL IS SHOWN, IF YOU MOVE THAT UP, THEN THOSE GREEN DOTS THAT ARE A PRIVATE PARCEL THAT ARE JUST SHOWING AS PRIVATE PARCEL
[02:05:01]
IF YOU BRING THAT UP.SO NOW YOU ARE IMPACTING THEM FROM A RELOCATION STANDPOINT, BUT REGARDLESS, YOU'RE STILL CUTTING SIX ACRES WITHIN A TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY.
IT IS STILL RIGHT OF WAY FOR ALL THESE REASONS.
SO NO MATTER WHAT ALIGNMENT IS THROWN THROUGH THERE, THESE HURDLES WILL REMAIN VALID THAT WE'RE OUT AND WITHIN AND WITHIN THE OLD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PARK.
THAT'S A SEPARATE
WELL, I'M OF THE UNDERSTANDING THAT, UH, IT'S ONLY 0.4 ACRES THAT WE INFRINGE UPON, UM, ON THE WETLANDS.
AND, UM, THE OTHER THING I WANT TO ADD IS THAT I GET, I'M, UH, OF THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THE, UH, MANY PEOPLE IN THE STONY COMMUNITY PREFER, UH, THE SOUTHERN BYPASS OPTION, THE, THE, THE LATER ONE.
AND SO I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT WORKING FOR S-C-D-O-T, WE'RE NOT WORKING FOR INTEREST GROUPS, GIC, UH, HOSPITALITY, THE CHAMBER OR, OR OTHER PEOPLE WHO TRY TO, TO, UH, UH, COME UP WITH OPINIONS.
WE ARE HILTON HEADS AND WE ARE, WE, WE WANT TO HAVE THE BEST SOLUTION FOR HILTON HEADS, NOT FOR CDOT, NOT FOR ANYBODY ELSE.
AND I THINK THAT WE'RE PUTTING THE HORSE IN FRONT, THE, THE CART IN FRONT OF THE HORSE WHEN WE TRY TO CRITICIZE EVERY ELEMENT THAT WE, EVERY, EVERY HURDLE THAT WE HAVE TO OVERCOME, RATHER THAN PUTTING IT FORWARD AS A, AS A REALLY FANTASTIC ALTERNATIVE.
AND, UM, I DON'T GET THE FUZZY FEELING THAT WE ARE, THAT PEOPLE ARE HERE, ARE, UH, REALLY BEHIND IT.
IT'S, IT'S MORE HOW, HOW DO WE KILL IT RATHER THAN HOW DO WE MAKE IT WORK? AND SO, UM, I'M STILL UNCONVINCED THAT THAT'S THE S-C-D-O-T ALTERNATIVE ALTERNATIVE IS REALLY THE BEST WAY FORWARD BECAUSE IT DOESN'T DO ANYTHING.
SO WHAT, SO I UNDERSTAND DIETRICH, ARE YOU SAYING THAT THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'VE SPOKEN WITH, THEY, THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THE, THE RIGHT OF WAY TAKINGS ALONG WILLIAM HILL PARKWAY WOULD BE SLIVERS ALONG, ALONG WILLIAM HILTON PARKWAY, THAT THEY WOULD PREFER TO HAVE SOMETHING THAT GOES COMPLETELY THROUGH RELOCATIONS WITHIN TRADITIONAL CULTURAL PROPERTY AS OPPOSED TO, AND MORE ACREAGE VERSUS LESS ACREAGE OVERALL ALONG AN ALREADY EXISTING ROADWAY? THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE SAYING.
SO, AND THEN DON'T, DON'T KILL IT.
DON'T KILL THIS PLAN BECAUSE IT'S A VIABLE PLAN.
AND THERE ARE MANY, MANY PEOPLE, WE HAD 11,000 SIGNATURES ON THE, ON THIS PETITION, WHO WE DON'T WANNA SEE THIS FROM THE, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING.
WE'VE, WE'VE BEEN NOT, THIS IS NOT, UH, FOR
AND, AND PEOPLE NEED TO REALIZE IT.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, FROM, FROM THE VERY BEGINNING, WE'VE, THIS, EVERYTHING'S BEEN AN INDEPENDENT VIEWPOINT.
AND THEN I KNOW THAT THERE'S BEEN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT, UM, WITH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE PREVIOUSLY SUBMITTED CRO FINDINGS IS THERE'S, UH, MAYBE A SENTIMENT THINKING THAT THERE'S NOT ENOUGH, UH, BENEFIT OR REDUCTION IN CONGESTION, UM, WITH SCD T'S ALTERNATIVE.
AND, YOU KNOW, GRANTED, THIS IS ALL NEW INFORMATION THAT WE PROVIDED TO YOU ALL TODAY, BUT I THINK WHAT, WHAT MICHELLE WENT THROUGH WAS, YOU KNOW, SUB SUBSTANTIALLY IMPACTFUL REDUCTIONS WITH THE VISIM MODELING.
SO I THINK THE, IT'D BE A MISNOMER TO SAY THAT IT HAS NO POSITIVE IMPACT AT ALL.
UM, AND I KNOW THAT'S IN NEW INFORMATION HAS JUST COME TODAY, BUT I, I DON'T THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A, A TRUE STATEMENT TO SAY EITHER.
BUT WE'VE, AGAIN, WE'VE WENT BEYOND OUR SCOPE TO PROVIDE THESE CURSORY EVALUATIONS AND, UM, THAT'S OUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION.
CHARLIE, I THINK YOU WERE ABOUT TO HAVE A COMMENT.
YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO SAY, I, AT THE MAY 8TH MEETING, I WASN'T HERE.
SO I KIND OF TAKE BACK MY COMMENT THAT I MADE EARLIER.
ABOUT, ABOUT THE FACT THAT I THINK THIS, THIS THING SHOULD BE STUDIED.
YOU'VE ALREADY STUDIED IT CORRECT.
BUT, BUT YOU DID, BUT IT WAS EVEN, IT WAS OUTTA YOUR SCOPE.
RIGHT? AND, AND IT'S, AND IT'S MORE OR LESS YOU, YOU CAN'T, YOU CAN'T GO ANYWHERE.
CAN'T BE DONE IN, IN, IN OUR OPINION, THERE'S NO ALIGNMENT THAT WILL CHANGE.
OTHER COMMENTS? SO, SEEING NONE, UM, SEAN, DO YOU HAVE THE, UH, THE, UH, CONSIDERATION OF A RESOLUTION? DO YOU HAVE THAT VERBIAGE IN FRONT OF YOU? AND WE WILL OPEN UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT AFTER THAT IS READ NO, NO, NO, NO, NO.
THERE, THERE'S ANOTHER LOOP ON THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE UP BY, UM, WINDMILL HARBOR.
A LOOP THAT YOU SHOWED IT ON THE, UH, MEANDERING PATH OR THE MEANDERING ALIGNMENT.
[02:10:01]
REALIGNMENT UP THERE? THAT WAS JUST MORE TO PROVIDE MORE OF A MEANDERING AESTHETIC FEEL AS WE, AS YOU GO OFF.SO, SO AS IT GOES THROUGH DRINKINGS ISLAND.
THAT, THAT WAS, UM, PREVIOUS COUNCIL'S, UM, DESIRE TO KIND OF SEPARATE THE ROADS A LITTLE BIT.
THAT'LL BE, THAT'LL BE, UM, REVIEWED AND LOOKED AT TO SEE IF IT MAKES SENSE TO DO THAT.
YEAH, SO FAR I CAN, UH, JUMP IN.
JUST TO PROVIDE A MORE UNDULATING ROADWAY.
THAT'S WHAT PREVIOUS COUNSEL HAD APPROVED TO, TO MOVE FORWARD.
UM, BUT IT, IT'S GONNA COME BACK FOR A DISCUSSION AGAIN.
YEAH, THAT'S, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE THE NEED, YOU KNOW.
IT, IT MAY NOT ULTIMATELY END IN THAT CONFIGURATION, BUT THAT WAS BASED ON DIRECTION, UM, ADOPTED BY COUNCIL ON OCTOBER OF 2021, UM, AS AN A RP BROKER, UH, EGA MEMBER I REMEMBER PIECE OF PROPERTY, RIGHT? SURE.
I READY TO MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM? YEAH.
UM, ATION OF RESOLUTION TO ACCEPT FINDINGS OF THE WILLIAM HILTON, UH, GATEWAY CORRIDOR INDEPENDENT END-TO-END ANALYSIS.
SO, UM, I JUST WANTED TO, TO WALK THROUGH THE PROCESS.
UM, THE, THE RESOLUTION, UM, THAT CREATED THE COMMITTEE REQUIRED THE COMMITTEE TO SECURE A CONSULTANT, UM, TO ADOPT A SCOPE OF WORK, RECOMMEND AN RFQ TO TOWN COUNCIL.
UM, THE COMMITTEE HELPED SELECT A CONSULTANT.
UM, AND SO I JUST WANNA GO THROUGH THE RECITALS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE GONE THROUGH EVERYTHING.
BUT ON FEBRUARY 21ST, 2023, UM, THE TOWN COUNCIL AUTHORIZED CREATING THE APPOINTMENT AND APPOINTMENT OF THE GATEWAY CORRIDOR COMMITTEE ON MAY.
UH, AND, AND AS PART OF THAT, IT WAS TO, UM, OUTLINE THE SCOPE OF WORK AND RFQ, RECOMMEND A COUNCIL, AND THEN SELECT AND PROCURE A CONSULTANT TO DO THE INDEPENDENT REVIEW BASED ON, UH, AGREED UPON SCOPE OF WORK.
UM, ON MAY 12TH, THE COMMITTEE RECOMMENDED UNANIMOUSLY A SCOPE OF WORK TO BE INCLUDED IN THE RFQ ON JUNE 6TH.
TOWN COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY ADOPTED A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE SCOPE OF WORK AND THE REQUEST FOR QUALIFICATIONS, UM, BE SOLICITED TO ATTRACT QUALIFIED CONSULTANTS.
ON AUGUST 28TH, THE COMMITTEE UNANIMOUSLY RECOMMENDED THE TOWN NEGOTIATE A CONTRACT WITH LOCK MUELLER GROUP ON OCTOBER 12TH, TOWN COUNCIL, OR I'M SORRY, TOWN, EXECUTED A CONTRACT WITH LOCK MUELLER GROUP TO PERFORM THE INDEPENDENT AND END END ANALYSIS.
UM, SINCE THAT TIME, UH, THE COMMITTEE HAS HELD 10 PUBLIC MEETINGS BETWEEN NOVEMBER 3RD AND TODAY, JUNE 12TH TO RE RES TO REVIEW THE CONSULTANT'S FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE WILLIAM OAK PARKWAY GATEWAY CORRIDOR INDEPENDENT END-TO-END ANALYSIS, AS WELL AS RECEIVE PUBLIC INPUT.
UM, UH, AS OF TODAY, THE CONSULTANT HAS DELIVERED AND PRESENTED TECHNICAL REPORTS, UM, AND DELIVERABLES AS OUTLINED IN THE CONTRACT SCOPE OF WORK.
AND SO AT THIS, AT THIS POINT, I'M ASKING FOR CONSIDERATION FROM THE COMMITTEE TO ACCEPT THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, OF THE WILLIAM MILTON PARKWAY GATEWAY COURT OF CORRIDOR, INDEPENDENT END-TO-END ANALYSIS DELIVERED BY THE CONSULTANTS.
AND THEN SECONDARILY, UM, UM, AUTHORIZING THE TOWN MANAGER TO USE THIS FOR, UH, FUTURE PLANNING PURPOSES AS WELL.
IS THERE A MOTION COMMENT BEFORE WE GO? WE'LL, LEMME GET TO A SECOND FIRST.
NO MOTION TO MOTION? NO SECOND, UNLESS I CAN'T, I CAN'T MAKE THE SECOND.
ADAM, I'LL PASS THE GAVEL TO YOU.
AND I'M GONNA MAKE THIS, PARDON? YOU CAN ASK
AND, UM, I, I WILL MAKE THAT MOTION TO SECOND IT.
[02:15:02]
WE'LL OPEN IT UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.WELL, BEFORE THAT, I WOULD JUST HAVE, HAVE A WARNING MARK.
UH, UM, ALAN, I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE VALUE IS OF THIS RESOLUTION, WHY WE HAVE TO HAVE A RESOLUTION IN THE FIRST PLACE.
IF, IF WE CAN'T HAVE PROXIES, IF WE CAN'T HAVE OFFICIALLY APPOINTED CHAIRMAN, IF WE ARE JUST A COMMITTEE, UH, THERE'S NO LEGAL STANDING.
WHY DO WE HAVE TO HAVE A RESOLUTION IN THE, IN THE RESOLUTION THAT CREATED THE COMMITTEE? UM, THE FINAL, UH, ELEMENT WAS TO, UM, TO WORK WITH THE CONSULTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE PERFORMING, UM, IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE AGREED UPON SCOPE OF WORK, AND THAT THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE CONSULTANTS AND, UH, AND THE COMMITTEE WOULD COME THROUGH STAFF TO TOWN COUNCIL.
SO I'M ASKING NOT WHETHER OR NOT YOU AGREE WITH THE FINDINGS, BECAUSE THAT WAS NOT WHAT WAS ASKED.
IT WAS, DO YOU ACCEPT THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN DELIVERED FROM THE CONSULTANT? WELL, NOT YET.
I MEAN, UH, TO ME, WE'RE NOT DONE.
SO, AND THEN TO JUST AUTHORIZE THE TOWN MANAGER TO, TO TAKE THIS AND RUN WITH IT AND, AND USE IT AS THE BIBLE FOR, FOR NEW ROADWAYS AND BRIDGES, I THINK IS, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GETTING AHEAD OF OURSELVES.
SO I DON'T, I DON'T SUPPORT THIS.
I DON'T WANNA PUT MY NAME TO IT, AND I WANT THE RECORDS TO REFLECT THAT I, THAT I DON'T, I, MY OBJECTION IS THAT I DON'T THINK ENOUGH EMPHASIS WAS PLACED ON THE ACTUAL STRUCTURES ALL ALONG.
WE'VE, WE'VE DEALT WITH THE, EVERYTHING FROM THE, UH, WINDMILL HARBOR IN INLAND.
THERE WAS NOTHING REALLY TALKED ABOUT AS FAR AS THE BRIDGES GO.
AND I, I, I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION WE WERE GONNA DEAL WITH THAT.
I ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT IT ALL ALONG.
AND, UH, THAT'S ONE OF MY OBJECTIONS THAT I AM NOT REALLY, UH, READY TO ACCEPT YOUR STUDY IN THAT IT JUST DIDN'T, IT DIDN'T DEAL WITH THOSE, WITH THE STRUCTURES.
I KNOW THAT YOU WEREN'T PRESENT AT THE LAST MEETING, BUT I DID PROVIDE A PRETTY DETAILED ANALYSIS OF WHAT WE, UM, OF OUR REVIEW OF THE SEISMIC STUDY AND DID AN ANALYSIS, OUR, UH, REVIEW OR OUR OPINION OF THE RETROFIT AND REHAB VERSUS BUILDING NEW.
AND WE PROVIDED THAT AS A SUPPLEMENTARY THAT YOU DID, RIGHT? THAT YOU DID I READ THAT, BUT I'M, I'M SAYING THAT TO ADDRESS THE ACTUAL WIDTH OF THE BRIDGES, THE, UH, WHETHER, WHETHER IT'S, IT'S, YOU HAVE TO ABLE TO REALLY REPLACE THEM OR NOT.
I SUGGESTED WHEN I MET, UH, THE MAYOR HERE AT, AT OVER THE WEEKEND, UM, AT A, AT A EAST HARDWARE
THE CURRENT BRIDGES, THE CURRENT BRIDGES 36 FEET WIDE, RIGHT? IT'S, IT'S WIDER THAN THAT WITH THE JERSEY BARRIER AND THE SHOULDERS.
WELL, WITH 38 TO 40 FEET WITH A, I THOUGHT IT WAS BETWEEN THE BARRIERS WAS 36 FEET.
AND I SAID, WHY COULDN'T WE PUT THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC ON THAT THEN? AND AGAIN, YOUR YOUR QUESTION ABOUT, THAT'S WHY I ASKED YOU ABOUT EFFECTIVE LANE WIDTH.
WHEN YOU HAVE A, A LANE RIGHT UP AGAINST THE BARRIER, WHAT'S, WHAT'S THE EFFECTIVE LANE WIDTH? I DON'T KNOW.
DOES IT CUT, CUT IT DOWN TO 10 FEET? THEORETICALLY, BUT, UM, SO ANYWAY, I, I DIDN'T GET FULL ANSWERS ON, ON THAT WHOLE SITUATION.
AND THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I, I, I, I POSED IT, AT LEAST WITH THE MAYOR, UH, OVER THE WEEKEND, WHETHER SINCE I WAS SAYING, WELL, WE, WHY, IF WE CAN'T WIDEN THE BRIDGES BECAUSE OF THE RESTRICTIONS THAT, THAT YOU FOUND, UH, THEN WHY COULDN'T WE JUST PUT THREE LANES ON THE BRIDGE TEMPORARILY AND AND WE COULD ADDRESS THE APPROACHES ACCORDINGLY WITH, UH, BY HAVING THREE LANES, AGAIN, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT THE EXISTING STRUCTURES? EXISTING STRUCTURES? RIGHT.
UTILIZE THE EXISTING STRUCTURES, REHABILITATE THEM AS NEEDED.
NOW I GOT GRANTED THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE SEISMICALLY, UH, YOU KNOW, CORRECT.
BUT THEY'VE BEEN, THEY'VE BEEN IN THE USE NOW FOR SOME 40 YEARS, SO WHY COULDN'T THEY CONTINUE TO BE IN USE FOR THE NEXT 20 UNTIL WE GET ANOTHER STRUCTURE BUILT ON THE SOUTHERN BASED ON THE FINDINGS OF THAT SEISMIC STUDY? IT'S THAT NOW THAT THE FINDINGS HAVE BEEN MADE KNOWN, THE DO NOTHING OPTION OF NOT SEISMICALLY RETROFITTING THEM IS NOT AN OPTION.
AND SO YOU HAVE TO BRING THEM UP TO SEISMIC RETROFITTING.
AND THEN THAT WAS PART OF MY PRESENTATION IS THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THAT LIFECYCLE COST ANALYSIS, THERE'S A DELTA, UM, BETWEEN THOSE AND PULL THOSE UP.
IN FACT, LET ME FIND MY MOMENT HERE.
SO THIS IS JUST A COPY OF THAT STUDY.
[02:20:01]
WHICH WAS A RETROFIT OR REHABILITATION OPTION, THE, UM, WHEN YOU CONSIDER EVERYTHING INITIAL FUTURE USER MAINTENANCE COST, IT'S 248 MILLION.BUT AGAIN, THESE ARE JUST REHABILITATION COSTS.
THEY DO NOT INCLUDE SEISMICALLY RETROFITTING COSTS AS COMPARED TO $182 MILLION IN 20 $20 TO BUILD NEW, OVER A SHORTER TIMEFRAME.
SO NOW THAT THAT SEISMIC DEFICIENCIES ARE THERE, THOSE HAVE TO BE DONE NOT JUST THE STRUCTURAL REHABILITATION, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE TO BRING UP THE SEISMIC RETROFIT STANDARDS.
SO, SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT IT'S HOW MANY, HOW MANY MILLION I, WHICH I READ THAT, BUT I FORGET IT.
SO OPTION ONE WAS CONSIDERING A NEW THREE LANE, WHAT THEY'RE CALLING A LIFELINE STRUCTURE TO, UM, LET ME, YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T REHABILITATE THEM AND MAINTAIN TRAFFIC AT THE SAME TIME ON THEM.
SO OPTIONS ONE AND TWO WAS PROPOSING A NEW EASTBOUND STRUCTURE WIDE ENOUGH TO ACCOMMODATE FOUR LANES, TWO WAYS IN EACH, TWO LANES IN EACH DIRECTION DURING THE TEMPORARY CONDITIONS WHILE RETROFITTING WAS TAKING PLACE ON THE EXISTING STRUCTURES.
UM, WHILE THOSE RETROFITS ARE TAKING PLACE, THE EASTBOUND BRIDGE WOULD BE USED AS THAT, THAT LIFELINE ALLOW THE WORK TO BE TAKING PLACE.
ONCE ALL THE RETROFITS WERE COMPLETED, THEN THEY WOULD MOVE THE TRAFFIC BACK FROM, SO SORRY, THAT LIFELINE WE THEN CHANGE INTO, LET ME PULL UP THE, THE CROSS SECTION OF IT SO YOU CAN SEE WHAT THEY'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THE RETROFITTING TAKES A PLACE UNDERNEATH THE BRIDGE.
SO HERE'S, HERE'S WHAT THIS NEW QUOTE UNQUOTE LIFELINE STRUCTURE WAS GOING TO LOOK LIKE.
THIS IS PROVIDING THE TEMPORARY, UM, CROSS SECTION WHILE REHABILITATION EFFORTS WERE TAKING PLACE ON THESE EXISTING BRIDGES.
YOU HAVE TWO LANES IN EACH DIRECTION MIMICKING WHAT YOU HAVE TODAY.
ONCE ALL THE REHABILITATION WAS COMPLETED, THEN THIS NEW EASTBOUND LIFELINE STRUCTURE PROVIDES YOU YOUR THREE TRAVEL, THREE DEDICATED TRAVEL LANES AND SHOULDERS ON EITHER SIDE.
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN OPTIONS ONE AND TWO WAS THAT IN OPTION ONE, THE WESTBOUND STRUCTURES OVER SKULL CREEK AND MACKEY WERE JUST GOING TO BE REHABILITATED.
OPTION TWO, THEY WERE GOING TO REPLACE THE BRIDGE OVER MACKEY, AND THAT WAS THE DELINEATION BETWEEN THE TWO.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE DIFFERENTIAL AND COST, YOU CAN SEE THAT OPTION ONE, YOU'RE REHABILITATING EXISTING STRUCTURE, SO YOUR INITIAL COST IS LOWER, CORRECT.
BUT THEN YOU'RE GONNA HAVE FUTURE MAINTENANCE COSTS BECAUSE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO REPLACE THAT BRIDGE 20, 25 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.
UM, USER COSTS WERE, I DON'T HAVE MY NOTES FOR, FOR WHAT THAT WAS.
THAT INCLUDES, YOU KNOW, TIME DELAY FOR, UH, MOTORISTS AND SOME OTHER ITEMS, AND THEN MAINTENANCE COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THAT.
OPTION TWO WAS MORE OF A FRONT END COST BECAUSE YOU'RE GOING TO BE REPLACING THE WESTBOUND MACKEY STRUCTURE AND THEN JUST REHABILITATING THE SKULL CREEK.
AND YOU CAN SEE FUTURE COSTS IS LESS BECAUSE NOW IN THE FUTURE YOU'RE JUST REPLACING ONE BRIDGE VERSUS THE OTHER.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE MAINTENANCE COST, YOU MAY WONDER WHAT THE DIFFERENCE IS WITH THIS NEW STRUCTURE.
IT'S BECAUSE THE EXISTING STRUCTURES HAVE A SUBSTANTIAL AMOUNT OF STEEL IN THEM, UM, WHEREAS THERE'D BE LESS STEEL, UM, STEEL BASED STRUCTURES AND MORE CONCRETE.
AND SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE TOTAL OVERALL COST, 20, $20 WITHOUT COST TO SEISMICALLY RETROFIT, ONE OF THESE, WHICH IS JUST GONNA BE A HIGHER DELTA WHEN YOU COMPARE IT TO BUILD NEW, UM, YOU KNOW, 50, 50 PLUS MILLION HERE, 40 PLUS MILLION HERE, AND IT'S GONNA TAKE LONGER TO CONSTRUCT.
SO HOW DID THE INITIAL CONSTRUCTION COST? WHERE ARE THOSE NUMBERS COME FROM? WHERE'S THE BREAKDOWN ON THAT? UM, WE CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THE SEISMIC STUDY THAT WE WERE PROVIDED.
NO, IS THAT, IS THAT OUT OF THE SEISMIC STUDY OR CORRECT, YES.
IN OTHER WORDS, YOU JUST ACCEPTED THAT AS AN, AS A ACCEPTABLE NUMBER.
PART OF PART OF THE SCOPE WAS WE HAVEN'T BEEN PROVIDED ANY HISTORICAL DATA LIKE COST BREAKDOWN FROM THE DOT.
THAT'S ONE THING THAT, UM, IS VERY DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN.
AND SO PART OF THE SCOPE WAS TO TAKE THIS AT AND PROVIDE OUR PROFESSIONAL OPINION.
DID IT MEET, DID IT APPEAR TO MEET STANDARD ENGINEERING PRACTICES? DO THEIR FINDINGS APPEAR VALID? SO YOU, LEMME UNDERSTAND YOU TOOK THAT NUMBER 130,000 OR 130 MILLION RATHER, 129 MILLION, WHATEVER, UH, AS
[02:25:01]
GOSPEL BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T CHECK, WE, WE WERE NOT ASKED TO GO BACK BECAUSE WE WOULD HAVE TO GO BACK THROUGH AND IT, PARDON ME, GO BACK THROUGH AND DO AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF CRITIQUING ON A DESIGN THAT WE HAD NO PART OF.WE FOCUSED ON, GET THOSE NUMBERS FROM DOT, WE GOT THE ALL BREAKDOWN ON THAT 129 MILLION.
WE COULD LOOK IN THE STUDY, BUT WHAT WE'RE FOCUSING ON IS JUST THAT THESE RIGHT HERE, WHICH MAKES INTUITIVE SENSE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE A, A LOWER INITIAL COST AT THE FRONT END BECAUSE YOU'RE REPLACING LESS STRUCTURES.
THIS IS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BECAUSE YOU'RE REPLACING ALL OF THE BRIDGES.
[5. Appearance by Citizens:]
YES, SIR.UM, THE FIRST THING I'D LIKE TO SAY IS THAT THE, UM, PLEASE, PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME AND, AND ASK, OH, SORRY.
UM, THE, THE, SO, UH, S-C-D-O-T LETTER, THE 2ND OF MAY DID NOT SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE FEDERAL HIGHWAYS.
ON THE CONTRARY, IT LAID OUT IN SEVERAL PARAGRAPHS WHY THEY DON'T WANT TO SPEAK TO FEDERAL HIGHWAYS.
SO I'VE HEARD TODAY SEVERAL PEOPLE MAKE COMMENTS THAT THE FEDERAL HIGHWAYS WOULDN'T ACCEPT CERTAIN THINGS NOBODY ACTUALLY KNOWS.
UM, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS COMMITTEE WOULD PASS A RESOLUTION OR CONSIDER RESOLUTION, I SHOULD SAY, UH, TO ACCEPT A REPORT THAT HASN'T YET BEEN FINALIZED.
UH, NATE EARLIER ON SAID THAT ON TASK FOUR, I BELIEVE YOU'RE ONLY 50% ARE OVERALL COMPLETE.
SO UNTIL YOU CHAP SEE THE FINAL REPORT, I THINK THE WISDOM AS YOU SHOULD HOLD BACK ON YOUR OWN JUDGMENT.
UH, THIRDLY, UM, I THOUGHT THE, UM, THE SIMULATION ON THE VIDEOS IS VERY IMPRESSIVE, ALTHOUGH I HAVE TO SAY IT DID CONFUSE ME.
IF YOU LOOK AT THE, UH, VOLUME TRAFFIC VOLUMES OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS, UH, YOU, YOU CAN SEE THAT THE, THE CHANGE OF TRAFFIC ON ISLANDERS IS WELL WITHIN, UH, BELOW IN FACT THE FORECAST ESTIMATE OF OF NATE'S TEAM.
BUT ONE THING THAT'S VERY STRIKING THAT WHEN THE TOLL, UH, DROPPED, UM, THE TRAFFIC OVER THE CROSS ALLEN PARKWAY, UH, IN ONE MONTH INCREASED BY ABOUT 80,000 VEHICLES.
AND SO THE TRAFFIC GOING OVER THE CROSS ALLEN PARKWAY HAS INCREASED IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS BY WELL OVER A HUNDRED THOUSAND VEHICLES PER MONTH.
UM, AND I SUSPECT THAT IF YOU LOOK FORWARD THE GROWTH GOING TO THIS CROSS ALLEN PARKWAY, IT WILL BE GREATER THAN THE GROWTH OF THE TOTAL COMING ONTO THE ISLAND.
AND I WONDER WHETHER THAT HAS AN IMPACT ON ACTUALLY THE DESIGN BECAUSE THE S-C-D-O-T, UH, WAY BACK AT THE BEGINNING AND HAVE MAINTAINED IT SINCE, HAVE ACTUALLY NOT LOOKED AT THE, UH, INTERSECTIONS, UH, BEYOND, UH, SPANISH WELLS.
AND THEY DECLINED TO GIVE AN OPINION ABOUT THE IMPACT ON THE DESIGN OF THE GROWTH IN DESIRE OF TRAFFIC TO GET TO CROSS ALLEN PARKWAY.
IN OTHER WORDS, WHAT I'M TRYING TO SAY, UM, A WAY OF GETTING TRAFFIC TO THE CROSS ALLEN PARKWAY WITHOUT GOING THROUGH STONY IS VERY DESIRABLE, I THINK, FOR THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN STONY.
UM, PARTIALLY BECAUSE I THINK THE VOLUME OF TRAFFIC GOING TO SOUTH ISLAND PARKWAY IS GOING TO INCREASE IT FASTER THAN 0.56 PER ANNUM.
AND SO I THINK, UM, YOU, YOU, YOU WE'RE BEING SOLD SHORT HERE, UH, TO, FOR PEOPLE TO SUGGEST THAT A SIX LANE HIGHWAY DRIVEN THROUGH STONY IS A SOLUTION TO OUR CONGESTION WHEN IT PATENTLY ISN'T.
UH, THANKS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK.
I'VE LIVED IN, UH, HILTON HEAD PLANTATION FOR, UH, 34 YEARS, AND I'M THE CHAIR OF THE TOWN'S HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE, BUT I'M NOT HERE SPEAKING AS A MEMBER OF THAT COMMITTEE, BUT AS AN INDIVIDUAL, THE HOUSING ACTION COMMITTEE OBVIOUSLY ISN'T TAKING UP THESE ITEMS ABOUT THE, THE ROAD SYSTEM, UH, THAT YOU'RE, YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT TODAY.
BUT, BUT THERE IS A CONNECTION.
UH, HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION ARE ALL PART OF PRESERVING OUR QUALITY OF LIFE ON THE ISLAND FOR THE LONG TERM AND MAINTAINING OUR ECONOMIC VITALITY FOR THE LONG TERM.
AND I'M FRANKLY, EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTED TO SEE ISSUES BEING BROUGHT
[02:30:01]
UP AGAIN TODAY THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN, THAT, THAT REALLY WERE RESOLVED THREE, FOUR OR FIVE YEARS AGO IN THIS PROCESS.AND, AND NOW FOLKS ARE ASKING AGAIN TO TALK ABOUT WHETHER THE BRIDGES OUGHT TO BE TWO LANES EACH DIRECTION OR THREE, AND WHETHER WE OUGHT TO PICK A WHOLE NEW ROUTE, UH, THAT SOMEBODY SKETCHED UP.
UH, AT THIS POINT, THOSE SEEM TO ME TO BE MORE LIKE DELAY ISSUES THAN, THAN REAL ISSUE WHEN, WHEN WE'RE AT A TIME THAT THE ROAD GETS MORE EXPENSIVE EVERY DAY, WE WAIT TO BUILD IT.
AND OUR QUALITY OF LIFE AND OUR ECONOMIC VITALITY ARE MORE UNDER THREAT EVERY DAY THAT WE WAIT TO, TO BUILD THIS ROAD.
UH, AND, AND THE BRIDGES THAT CONNECT IT.
UH, SO I I AM VERY MUCH IN FAVOR OF SOLVING THE ISSUES, UH, THAT REMAIN, UH, NOT NOT SPENDING TIME CHASING THESE RED HERRINGS THAT ARE, THAT ARE BEING, BEING BROUGHT UP, UH, THAT WE SOLVE THOSE ISSUES ONE AT A TIME AND BUILD THE ROAD AND BUILD THE BRIDGES AND HELP TO GUARANTEE OUR, OUR, OUR FUTURE VITALITY.
AS A, AS A COMMUNITY, UH, I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT TO SOLVE THE ISSUES FOR THE STONY RESIDENTS.
UH, THE STEVE BEARER PLAN DOES THE OPPOSITE OF THAT IN, IN, IN MY VIEW, AND, AND SHOULD BE REJECTED OUT OUT OF HAND.
UH, BUT THOSE FOLKS NEED TO BE TREATED VERY FAIRLY ECONOMICALLY AND FOR THE LONG TERM, UH, AFTER THE ROAD IS BUILT.
UH, THEY, THEY NEED TO BE SUPPORTED.
UH, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS, BUT THAT'S DOABLE.
AND THERE, THERE ARE SEVERAL ISSUES REMAINING TO BE SOLVED.
THEY CAN BE SOLVED, THEY SHOULD, SHOULD AND MUST BE SOLVED QUICKLY BEFORE THE ROAD GETS ANY MORE EXPENSIVE.
AND BEFORE WE LOSE ANY MORE OF OUR QUALITY OF LIFE HERE, THANK YOU.
CHRIS RUFFNER, WINDMILL HARBOR.
UM, I DON'T REALLY HAVE ANYTHING PREPARED.
I'VE JUST BEEN SKETCHING STUFF AS I'VE HEARD PEOPLE TALK.
UM, I'M ORIGINALLY FROM CHICAGO AND THAT'S THE FIRST, IT'S THE WORST TRAFFIC DELAYS IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, OR NO, IT'S IN THE US SECOND IN THE WORLD.
AND, UM, THERE'S TWO SEASONS THERE AND IT'S CONSTRUCTION IN WINTER.
SO TRUST ME, YOU, NOBODY HERE KNOWS THE FIRST THING ABOUT, UNLESS YOU'VE COME FROM A BIG CITY ABOUT TRAFFIC, THE TRAFFIC HEARS NOTHING IN COMPARISON.
SO, UM, WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT.
ALSO, IF YOU GO TO A SURGEON, HE'S GONNA WANNA DO SURGERY.
SO IF WE'RE GOING TO, YOU KNOW, JUST GO BACK TO, UM, THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION FOR EVERYTHING, OF COURSE THEY WANNA BUILD ROADS.
AND A LOT OF THESE PEOPLE ALSO BEING FROM CHICAGO, ARE GETTING KICKBACKS FROM PEOPLE THAT ARE GIVING THEM, UH, WHEN THEY AWARD THESE PROJECTS, UM, THEY'RE MAKING A TON OF MONEY, UH, IN A BACK ROOM SOMEWHERE.
SO YOU HAVE TO KEEP THAT IN MIND.
WE DO HAVE A BEAUTIFUL ISLAND.
I AGREE WITH THE LAST GENTLEMAN THAT WE DO NEED TO GET SOMETHING DONE, BUT IT DOESN'T MEAN, UH, I'VE JUST, TODAY I HAVEN'T BEEN REALLY INVOLVED.
I'M LIKE A MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK HERE, BUT I JUST TRIED TO QUICKLY, LIKE AN HOUR BEFORE, PRINT OUT SOME STUFF.
AND I'M SEEING ALL KINDS OF PLACES LIKE LOS ANGELES, WHICH HAS REALLY BAD TRAFFIC AND OTHER PLACES THAT SPENT LIKE $66 MILLION IN STUDIES AND THEIR PROJECTS WERE GOING TO COST BILLIONS.
AND THEY DECIDED TO SCRAP THEIR PROJECTS BECAUSE THEY LEARNED THAT BUILDING MORE ROADS DOES NOT NECESSARILY, UH, DECREASE TRAFFIC.
AND IT CREATES INDUCED DEMAND.
IT'S, IF YOU BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.
UM, WE'RE GONNA JUST HAVE MORE PEOPLE THAT MAYBE WEREN'T COMING ON THE ISLAND, UM, DURING THE PEAK HOURS BECAUSE OF THE TRAFFIC.
THEY'LL SAY, OOH, NEW ROADS, OR, YOU KNOW, WE GOT AN EXPANDED ROAD, IT LASTS FOR A LITTLE BIT OF TIME.
IT WORKS AT FIRST, AND THEN PEOPLE COME BACK.
AND THERE'S PLACES LIKE SINGAPORE THAT HAVE, UM, ADDRESSED THESE ISSUES, OR YOU HAVE ONE OR TWO LANES REVERSED DURING PEAK HOURS, AND THEN MAYBE THE REST OF THE DAY WHEN IT'S NOT BUSY, THOSE CAN BE USED FOR, YOU KNOW, BUSES THAT BRING A LOT OF PEOPLE.
UM, AT THE SAME TIME, MAYBE WE OFFER INCENTIVES TO, UM, BUSINESSES
[02:35:01]
THAT CAN, UM, PAY PEOPLE, UM, TO COME, OR THEY CAN STAGGER THEIR HOURS IF WE GIVE THEM A TAX INCENTIVE TO STAGGER THEIR WORK HOURS OR THEY, WE CAN HELP CONTRIBUTE FOR PEOPLE TO WORK DURING NON-PEAK HOURS.YOU KNOW, I'M FRANK BEL AND UH, I WAS IN THE ORIGINAL, UH, GATEWAY QUARTER COMMITTEE, SO I HAVE SOME SKIN OF THE GAIN.
WHEN I WAS IN THE COMMITTEE, MY HAIR WAS GRAY, IT'S WHITE.
UH, THIS HAS BEEN AN ENDLESS DEBATE AND WE SOLVED A LOT OF THESE PROBLEMS BACK THEN.
WE SPENT A WHOLE YEAR ON IT, 15 OF US, AND THEY'RE COMING BACK AGAIN OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN.
AND WE SHOWN NO MANY PROGRESS.
WHAT, WHAT'S HAPPENED? WHAT'S THE IMPACT ON OUR COMMUNITY? WELL, FIRST OF ALL, LET'S LOOK AT THE PEOPLE.
1100 PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS.
THAT'S 1100 PEOPLE WHO ARE INVOLVED IN SOME TRAUMATIC EXPERIENCE.
AND YOU DON'T BLAME 'EM 'CAUSE THEY'RE SO FRUSTRATED BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL TRYING TO COMPETE.
THAT ROAD DOES NOT WORK AS IT IS RIGHT NOW.
IT IS AT CAPACITY AND THE SLIGHTEST PERTURBATION RESULTS IN A CRASH.
AND IF THERE'S A CRASH, PEOPLE ARE TIED UP FOR HOURS.
MY HOMEMAKER, MY HOMEMAKER COMES IN AND, AND IT'S TAKE, IT TAKES TWO HOURS ON AVERAGE TO GET IT SOMETIMES TO GET TO MY HOUSE.
IT'S JUST, IT'S UNACCEPTABLE AND IT'S BEING HELD UP A LOT BY THIS VERY HARRING DISCUSSION.
THE SECOND THING, SO THERE'S 1100 PEOPLE WHOSE LIVES ARE BEING AFFECTED MANY MORE, AND PEOPLE JUST AREN'T COMING HERE.
TRY TO CALL AND GET A PLUMBER, TALK ABOUT LEVEL OF SERVICE, GO TO A RESTAURANT, GO TO ALMOST ANY PLACE WHERE THERE PEOPLE WORKING.
THE PEOPLE ARE ON THE MAINLAND BECAUSE THEY DON'T COME HERE ANYMORE.
MY FRIENDS IN CALTON RIVER, THEY DON'T COME HERE TO GET THEIR NAILS DONE.
THEY DON'T COME HERE TO GO TO RESTAURANTS BECAUSE OF TRAFFIC.
THEY'RE NEVER, THEY'RE GONNA MISS THEIR APPOINTMENTS.
THE DOCTORS ARE HERE, ARE NOW OUT IN THE MAINLAND BECAUSE THE JOBS ARE OUT THERE BECAUSE WE ARE MESSING AROUND.
WE'RE ASKING ALL THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT THIS AND THAT, AND WE'LL BE HERE FIVE YEARS FROM NOW, THE CURRENT TRACK, IF WE DON'T GET, GET GOING HERE, MAKE A DECISION.
THE IMPACT ON COMMERCE, WHAT'S HAPPENED ON THIS? IT'S REALLY, IT'S REALLY, IT'S IT, THE MAINLAND IS, IS GROWING LIKE LEAPS AND BOUNDS.
18,000 PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE HIRED BY HYUNDAI.
25,000 PEOPLE IN THE JASPER PORT.
15,000 NEW HOMES ARE GOING IN.
WHERE ARE THEY GONNA GET THEIR PEOPLE? ARE THEY GONNA COME HERE AND GO THROUGH THAT TWO HOURS OF DELAY? AND IF YOU TRY TO GO WITH THE EXISTING BRIDGE AND HAVE ONE LANE GOING THROUGH ONE LANE, HOW'S THAT GONNA WORK OUT? YOU KNOW, AND THE VIEW, OH, THE VIEW IS TOO WIDE.
THE WA THE VIEW PE PEOPLE DON'T LOOK AT THE ROAD, THEY LOOK AT THE VIEW.
THAT'S WHAT THEY LOOK AT, YOU KNOW, AND WE HAVE OUR TRAFFIC ENGINEERS, EVERYTHING.
MAKE IT FASTER, MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT.
WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE A COMPLETE STREETS COMMUNITY.
WE'RE GOAL LEVEL BY CONFRONTING COMMUNITY.
WE HAVE 36 BUSINESSES WHO DEPEND ON RENTING BIKES AND SELLING BIKES TO PEOPLE.
THOUSANDS OF THEM JUST THINK IF THEY WEREN'T HERE, IF THEY WERE IN THEIR CARS, WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM.
WE DIDN'T HAVE THIS TREMENDOUS AMENITY THAT WE HAVE FOR RECREATION AND COMMUNITY.
SO PLEASE MAKE THE MIND UP AND GET ON WITH IT.
I MEAN, IT'S, THIS IS ENDLESS AND WE ALL KNOW WHERE IT COMES.
I CAN'T SEE WHO THAT IS BACK THERE.
IT'S GOTTA GET DONE AND COME, COME UP TO THE MICROPHONE.
PLEASE, SIR, STATE YOUR NAME AND, AND ADDRESS IF YOU WOULD.
ALTERNATIVE ONE IS THE ONLY VIABLE SOLUTION.
UM, THERE'S A, A MINORITY OF PEOPLE THAT ARE ADAMANT AGAINST IT.
THEY OPPOSE IT, BUT THEY'RE ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACKS.
THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE IMPACTS.
SOME OF YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND THE IMPACTS, BUT YOU ASK THE QUESTIONS, YOU KNOW, IT'S GOTTA BE 12 FOOT LANES, CAN'T BE WIDER, IT'S TOO EXPENSIVE, BUT YOU GET NARROW, YOU GET 11 FOOT LANES AND PEOPLE ARE GONNA GO SLOWER AND IT'S GONNA CAUSE MORE CONGESTION.
EVEN ON THREE, WE HAVE THREE THROUGH LANES EACH DIRECTION SO THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ALTERNATIVE ONE ADDRESSES ALL THESE.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE POSTED SPEED LIMIT'S GONNA BE.
WHAT IS IT, 55? IS IT GONNA REMAIN 55 ON THE BRIDGES? I THINK THERE'S A DESIRE TO MAKE IT CONSISTENT.
SO YOU KNOW, THAT'S GONNA CAUSE CONGESTION.
YOU KNOW, THE SLOWER PEOPLE GO, THE MORE CONGESTED IT BECOMES.
UM, AND THAT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN ANY CROSS SECTIONS.
AND YOU HAD, YOU SHOWED A CROSS SECTION OF A TEMPORARY
[02:40:01]
BRIDGE, UM, THAT WOULD ANSWER A LOT OF QUESTIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, MAN, PEOPLE WOULDN'T BE ASKING IT.DOES IT HAVE TO BE 12 FOOT LANES? UM, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S GOT QUESTIONS, PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, S-C-D-O-T IS TALKING ABOUT BREAKDOWN LANES.
WHAT'S THAT? JUST A 10 FOOT SHOULDER, THEY SHOULD CALL IT A 10 FOOT SHOULDER.
AND YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S STANDARD FOR A, YOU KNOW, FOR THAT AMOUNT OF TRAFFIC AND THE SPEED LIMIT, A 10 FOOT SHOULDER OUTSIDE SHOULDER, FIVE OR SIX FOOT INSIDE SHOULDERS, YOU CAN USE THOSE FOR BIKE LANES.
YOU DON'T NEED A DEDICATED 10 FOOT TWO-WAY PEDESTRIAN BIKE LANE.
YOU, YOU CAN DELINEATE THE SHOULDERS FOR BIKES AND PEDESTRIANS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD TAKE 10 FOOT TIMES THE LENGTH.
AND SOMEBODY ASKED, WELL WHERE'D, WHERE'D THEY GET THE NUMBERS? I'VE DONE ESTIMATES FOR BRIDGES.
I USED A THOUSAND SQUARE, A THOUSAND DOLLARS A SQUARE FOOT.
NOW IT'S PROBABLY, THAT WAS 40 YEARS AGO.
NOW IT'S PROBABLY $2,000 A SQUARE FOOT.
SO THAT'S WHERE THE ANSWER COMES FOR THE BRIDGES.
UM, BUT IT'S JUST, IT IS GOTTA BE DONE.
TWO LANES ARE NOT GONNA WORK AND RENOVATING THE, UH, RENOVATING THE BRIDGE ON AN OLD OLD FOUNDATION IS NOT GONNA WORK.
THAT'S JUST GONNA BE THROWING MONEY DOWN THE PIT.
AND THEN THERE'S GONNA, YOU KNOW, BE AT LEAST MANDATORY BRIDGE INSPECTIONS EVERY YEAR THAT'S GONNA COST 50, A HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS.
SO IT'S, YOU KNOW, LET'S GET IT BUILT LIKE THESE GUYS SAID, GET IT BUILT AND GET IT DONE SO WE CAN AVOID THE COST OF BRIDGE INSPECTIONS AND BRIDGE MAINTENANCE AND, AND LIVE.
AND YOU KNOW, THESE PEOPLE THAT SAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, I WENT FROM SO-AND-SO, AND IT ONLY TOOK ME 12 MINUTES, SO IT TOOK HIM TWO OR THREE EXTRA MINUTES.
BUT YOU MULTIPLY THAT BY 10,000 PEOPLE AND YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT MAN, DAYS OF HOURS OF WASTED SITTING ON THE ROAD WHERE PEOPLE COULD BE PRODUCTIVE.
SO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S MEANS TO GET THERE.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE GOT A QUICK CALLING IN 11 LANES THERE, SIR.
YOUR TIME IS UP YOU SOON WHEN SOMEBODY SAYS THAT.
I KNOW THAT THEY'RE AN ARMCHAIR QUARTERBACK AND THEY KNOW NOTHING.
SIR, I NEED TO, TO CATCH YOU OFF.
IF YOU WANNA STATE YOUR NAME, I'D APPRECIATE THAT.
NEXT MS. BECKER AND MY PHONE JUST DIED.
UM, WHO MADE THE FIRST, UM, WHO PRESENTED THIS MOTION? IT WAS READ BY BY, UH, MR. CO IT WAS READ BY MR. SO WHO HAD, THE FIRST, FIRST WAS BY MR. WARNER.
OKAY, THANK YOU FOR THE CLARIFICATION ON THAT.
UM, BUT WHILE I'M UP HERE, I ALSO WANNA MAKE ONE OTHER CLARIFICATION.
AND I WANTED TO THANK, UM, MR. BABEL FROM POINTING OUT THE BEAUTIFUL VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT DRAWS PEOPLE IN.
THAT IS WHAT BRINGS THEM HERE AND KEEPS THEM HERE.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT COMMENT.
UM, WE DON'T WANNA LOSE THAT VIEW AND THAT INTENSE EMOTION ASSOCIATED WITH HILTON HOOD.
BUT SECONDLY, UM, I I WANTED TO ALSO THANK LOCH MUELLER BECAUSE, UM, YOU DID DO AT YOUR OWN TIME AND EXPENSE A CURSORY REVIEW OF THE, OF THE BYPASS THAT WAS IN DISCUSSION IN CONTENTION.
AND I APPRECIATE YOU DOING THAT.
WELL, ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS I HEARD YOU SAID THAT YOU HAD SAID IS THAT YOU ASKED THAT IF THE TOWN WANTED Y'ALL TO MOVE A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, UM, YOU WOULD GIVE AN ESTIMATE OF TIME AND COST ON THAT AND THAT YOU WERE TOLD NO.
NOW I WANNA MAKE A CLARIFICATION HERE THAT AT NO POINT IN TIME DID TOWN COUNCIL, AT LEAST THIS TOWN COUNCIL MEMBER, HAVE ANY ADVICE ON THAT, THAT THAT WAS BEING REQUESTED OR, UM, ASKED TO CONSIDER IT TO GIVE YOU A YES OR A NO ON A THUMBS UP.
AND I BRING THAT UP BECAUSE AT A EARLIER TIME IN THESE DISCUSSIONS, WHEN THERE WAS A DIS UM, A POINT BEING MADE ABOUT THE LENGTH OF TIME THAT IT WOULD GO A LITTLE BIT LONGER THAN PERHAPS WAS PROJECTED.
AND SO ADDITIONAL COSTS MIGHT BE INCURRED.
I HAD A LONG CONVERSATION, UM, WITH OUR SENATOR, UM, ABOUT THAT AND WHERE COULD WE POSSIBLY FIND THE MONEY.
AND HE ASSURED ME THAT IF MORE MONEY WAS NEEDED TO GET THE JOB DONE IN A TIMELY MANNER THAT INCORPORATED EVERYTHING THAT WE WANTED, THE MONEY WOULD BE FOUND.
SO, UM, FOR CLARITY, WHEN YOU ASKED THAT VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION, SAID THAT WE WERE THOROUGH AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE'RE THOROUGH AND I SORT DON'T BELIEVE THAT WE'VE COMPLETED THE TASK AT HAND,
[02:45:01]
UM, TO EVEN BE ABLE TO BE SITTING HERE ASKING FOR A RES VOTE ON A RESOLUTION.BUT BE THAT AS IT MAY, BUT WHEN YOU ASK THAT VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION, UM, THE ANSWER WAS KNOWN IN CLARITY FOR TOWN COUNCIL.
AT LEAST THIS COUNCIL MEMBER WAS NOT ASKED MY OPINION ON THAT MATTER.
SO I'M NOT SURE WHO'S ALL RUNNING THE SHOW, BUT THANK YOU.
COULD I JUST MAKE, JUST, UM, I I CAN APPRECIATE THAT MS. BECKER.
I JUST WANNA READ THE, THE LAST SENTENCE IN THE MEMO THAT I PUT TOGETHER.
MY, MY STATEMENT WAS NOT THE, WHAT I SAID TODAY, BUT IS PENDING A DECISION REGARDING THE SOUTHERN BYPASS.
UM, AS YOUR PROJECTION, WE WILL PROCEED WITH OUR TASK FOUR RELATED MODELING FOR ALTERNATIVE ONE.
UM, ONLY ANY FURTHER EVALUATION OF THE SOUTHERN BYPASS WILL WE PLACE ON HOLD UNTIL DEFINITIVE DIRECTION IS RECEIVED FROM YOU.
AND WE NEVER RECEIVED DIRECTIONS, RIGHT, SO I APOLOGIZE 'CAUSE WE WEREN'T ASKED.
THAT'S MY POINT BECAUSE WE WEREN'T ASKED, OR AT LEAST I WASN'T ASKED.
SO I DON'T KNOW IF YOU GOT A YES OR NO, I'M NOT SAYING THAT.
WHAT I'M SAYING IS YOU ASKED A QUESTION, THE TOWN COUNCIL WHO COULD AUTHORIZE AN ANSWER TO THAT TO BE ABLE TO PROCEED, TO COVER EVERY ASPECT THAT FELT THIS COMMITTEE FELT WAS IMPORTANT, WAS NOT DONE.
AND I'M, UM, CONCERNED ABOUT THAT FOR ONE, A LITTLE BIT UPSET ABOUT IT TOO, QUITE FRANKLY.
UM, AND I HAVE MORE TO SAY, BUT I'M GONNA RESERVE THAT FROM FOR JUNE 20TH.
OTHER COMMENTS FOR THE PUBLIC? YES, SIR.
JUST A REMINDER, STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
GREG WHITAKER TO GOVERNORS LANE.
UH, THANK YOU FOR SENDING THE INFORMATION.
MY UNDERSTANDING THERE WILL BE A PUBLIC FORUM ON MONDAY, IS THAT CORRECT? THAT IS CORRECT.
AT FIVE OR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION WILL BE SHARED.
MM-HMM,
I THINK THE SIMULATION HELPED DRAMATICALLY TO COMMUNICATE WHAT A, A VISION WOULD BE OF THE, UH, A POTENTIALLY UPDATED CORRIDOR.
THE OTHER THING I'D SUGGEST IS, IS COMMENTS SPECIFICALLY ABOUT WHY REVERSIBLE LANES WERE MAYBE CONSIDERED AND THEN DISMISSED.
AND THEN ALSO I THINK ADDRESS COMMENTS ABOUT, UH, COMMENTS ABOUT THE SOUTHERN BYPASS.
I THINK IT WOULD BE GOOD TO COMMUNICATE EACH OF THOSE KEY ELEMENTS ON MONDAY.
SO THE PUBLIC HAS A BROADER VIEW ON THIS DEBATE, AT LEAST IN INFORMED PERSPECTIVE, UH, REGARDLESS OF WHAT THE DECI DECISION IS BY THE COUNCIL.
GRAY SMITH, 11 WEYERS CREEKWAY HILTON HEAD.
I WANNA START OFF WITH A VERY POSITIVE COMMENT.
UH, I HAD TO DROP A CAR OFF AT AUTONATION EARLY THIS MORNING, SO I FOUND MYSELF COMING BACK ONTO, RIGHT, RIGHT AT MOS POINT, UH, MOS CREEK COMING ONTO THE BRIDGE AT 7 24.
UH, THERE WAS STOP AND GO TILL THE MERGE FROM, UH, THE PARKWAY.
AND THEN THERE WAS STEADY, SLOW BUT STEADY PROGRESS ACROSS THE BRIDGES.
IT TOOK ME SIX MINUTES TO REACH LANDFALL AND THEN IT TOOK ME ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES TO GET ONTO THE CROSS ISLAND AND I WANNA COMPLIMENT THE HILTON HEAD ISLAND TRAFFIC, UH, DEPARTMENT BECAUSE I THINK, UH, FROM WHEN I, I I, I GOT STOPPED BRIEFLY AT THE, UH, WINDMILL HARBOR LIGHT FOR ABOUT EIGHT SECONDS.
THERE WERE 16 CARS IN FRONT OF ME, EIGHT ON EACH LANE, AND THEN IT STARTED TO GO AND IT DI DIDN'T STOP UNTIL I GOT TO THE CROSS ISLAND.
AND I THINK THAT'S MOSTLY BECAUSE FROM WHEN I COULD FIRST SEE THE LIGHTS, BOTH, BOTH LIGHTS AT SQUIRE POPE AND SPANISH WELLS STAYED GREEN AND TRAFFIC FLOWED.
AND THAT'S WE'RE, WE'RE IN JUNE.
SO IT'S A PRETTY PEAK TIME OF THE YEAR.
AND, UH, GRANTED MAYBE A LITTLE BIT EARLY, UH, ON THE MORNING COMMUTE, BUT, UM, 11 MINUTES.
AND I, I THOUGHT THAT WAS TERRIFIC AND I THINK IT'S INDICATIVE OF WHAT MANY OF US HAVE SAID ALL ALONG.
IT'S NOT HOW MANY LANES, IT'S HOW FREE FLOWING THE TRAFFIC IS THROUGH OUR CORRIDOR.
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR GETTING, GETTING THAT PROGRESS GOING.
UM, I THINK THAT, UH, IT IS PREMATURE TO, UM, TO UH, APPROVE AND ACCEPT THE FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS BECAUSE AS THE GENTLEMAN SAID, THEY'RE NOT DONE.
UM, THEY'RE WHAT, 70, 50% DONE ON ONE PHASE.
I WOULD UH, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE THE COMMITTEE WAIT AND GET ALL THE ANSWERS AND ALL THE CONCLUSIONS BEFORE
[02:50:01]
YOU ACCEPT IT.I GET THE FEELING, UH, TRYING TO RUSH THIS, TRYING TO GET IT THROUGH.
UM, I THINK, UH, YOU OWE IT TO THE TOWNSPEOPLE OF HILTON HEAD TO GET ALL OUR MONEY'S WORTH FROM THE CONSULTANT.
AND FINALLY, UH, BASICALLY THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE ON THIS ISLAND WHO DON'T WANT AN 11 LANE SINGLE SLAB, SU SUPER HIGHWAY AS THE ENTRANCE TO OUR BEAUTIFUL ISLAND.
THE SECOND THING IS, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU'VE LOOKED AT THIS, BUT INTRINSICALLY IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE FROM A SAFETY FACTOR, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, HURRICANES OR EARTHQUAKES OR SHIPS HITTING THE, THE BRIDGE TO HAVE ONE BRIDGE INSTEAD OF WHAT WE HAVE NOW TWO SEPARATE BRIDGES TO UM, THAT THAT'S MORE OF A SAFETY FACTOR.
RICHARD, BUSY INDIGO RUN SO MUCH TALK ABOUT THE SOUTHERN BYPASS.
AND LET ME BE VERY CLEAR, THE CONSULTANTS, AS IT SAID IN ONE OF THE SLIDES, THEY DID A CURSORY REVIEW.
IT SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME DESIGN AND EVALUATION EFFORTS AS WAS SPENT ON THE OTHER OPTIONS.
THE BYPASS IS ONLY NINE TENTHS OF A MILE LONG, YET IT DIVERTS THE TRAFFIC COMING ONTO THE ISLAND TO HAVE A DIRECT LINK WITH THE CROSS ISLAND PARKWAY WHERE WE KNOW THAT AT LEAST 50% OF THE TRAFFIC IS HEADED.
NOW IT'S OBVIOUS TO ME FROM THE COMMENTS MADE FROM THE CONSULTANT THAT THEY DON'T REALLY LIKE THE PLAN.
THAT WAS A STARTING POINT SUBMITTED BY THE TECHNICAL WORKING GROUP.
IT WASN'T THE END ALL BE ALL, MAKE IT BETTER WORK ON IT.
AND THE CONSULTANTS HAVE SAID IN THIS BURIED SOMEWHERE IN THIS REPORT, UH, 139 PAGES, THAT THEY WOULD DO A FULL EVALUATION OF THE SOUTHERN BYPASS.
IT WOULD COST AN ADDITIONAL BALLPARK, $31,000 AND TAKE ABOUT THREE WEEKS TO COMPLETE.
AND ALL THE TALK FOR MR. COLLIN ABOUT THE IMPACT ON STONY FROM THE UH, SOUTHERN BYPASS AND YET HE ADVOCATES A SIX LANE EXPRESSWAY THROUGH THE CENTER OF STONY.
THAT DOESN'T HAVE AN IMPACT BE REAL.
I RECALL SPEAKING TO THIS COMMITTEE ABOUT SIX MONTHS AGO.
IT WAS THE VERY FIRST MEETING AND I WANTED TO VERIFY EXACTLY WHAT I SAID, BUT THERE WAS NO VIDEO OF THE MEETING.
IN FACT, NO MINUTES OF THE MEETING.
SO HERE'S MY BEST RECOLLECTION, I WANTED TO ASK OUR CONSULTANTS ONE BASIC QUESTION.
HOW DO YOU PLAN TO MAINTAIN YOUR INDEPENDENCE IN THIS PROJECT? GIVEN THE FACT THAT THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, THE UNELECTED GREATER ISLAND COUNCIL, DEVELOPERS, TOWN HALL STAFF AND THE MAYOR HIMSELF HAVE VOICED SUPPORT FOR A MASSIVE BRIDGE AND A SIX LANE EXPRESSWAY THROUGH STONY.
YOU, MR. MAYOR TOLD ME THAT I COULDN'T ASK THE, THE CONSULTANT QUESTIONS.
OUR CONSULTANTS ARE MAKING MORE THAN $420,000 FOR THEIR WORK.
AND I'M PRETTY SURE THAT'S NOT COMMITTEE MONEY.
IT'S BLATANTLY OBVIOUS THAT POLITICAL INTERFERENCE HAS MUCKED UP THIS PROCESS AND THE RESULT IS NOT AS INDEPENDENT AS WE HAD HOPED.
AND IT WAS THE VERY SCENARIO THAT WE HAD FEARED.
IT'S THOUGH WE HAVE WASTED $420,000 OF TAXPAYER MONEY.
AFTER SPENDING ALL THIS MONEY, THE CONSULTANTS ARE ESSENTIALLY RECOMMENDING THE VERY SAME PLAN ADVANCED BY THE S-C-D-O-T WITH A FEW TWEAKS, THE TOWN, INCLUDING THE MAYOR AND TOWN HALL STAFF LED BY MR. COLLIN HAVE RENEGED ON ITS LEAVE NO STONE UNTURNED PROMISE.
BOTH OF THEM WERE AT THE MEETING LAST WEEK, UH, THAT WE HOSTED.
AND YOU SHOULD HAVE HEARD LOUD AND CLEAR HOW THE RESIDENTS FEEL.
IN PARTICULAR THE RESIDENTS OF STONY RUSHING TO APPROVE CLOSE TO A HALF BILLION DOLLAR PLAN ALREADY SENDING ALARM SIGNALS WHILE IGNORING A BYPASS PLAN IS IRRESPONSIBLE VOTE.
ANY, UH, OTHER COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC? YES MA'AM.
HELLO, MY NAME IS KATHLEEN REDMOND AND I LIVE AT UH, 15 HOY PLACE IN TOGO RUN.
I REALLY DIDN'T THINK I WAS GONNA SPEAK BUT FOLLOWING THE MEETING, I JUST WANNA SAY I LOVE OUR ISLAND.
I LOVE COMING ONTO OUR ISLAND AND I WILL BE SO SAD TO SEE A SUPER HIGHWAY, UM, ON OUR ISLAND.
I KNOW NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR THIS, BUT I DID COME FROM THE NORTH AND THE HIGHWAYS THERE ARE TERRIBLE AND THEY
[02:55:01]
KEEP EXPANDING THEM.WE JUST NEED TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING THAT FUNCTIONS.
WE NEED TWO LANES IN EITHER DIRECTION, WE DON'T NEED SIX.
UH, MY ISSUE IS THE 11 LANE SLAB.
MOUNT MONSTROSITY IS WHAT I CALL IT.
I THINK WE ONLY NEED TWO LANES GOING EACH WAY.
AND I'M WITH GRAY WHERE HE SAID TWO BRIDGES, NOT ONE SLAB.
THIS WAS SENT TO UM, NEXT DOOR AND IT'S CALLED THE BROADWAY BRIDGE.
WELL GUESS WHERE IT GOES TO DAYTONA BEACH? IT'S ONLY TWO LANES.
I BELIEVE THERE IS A BREAKOUT LANE OR WHATEVER AND A BICYCLE PLA PATH, WHICH I DON'T SEE WHERE WE NEED THAT EITHER BECAUSE YOU GO ACROSS THE BRIDGE HOW MANY TIMES YOU SEE A BIKE OR EVEN WALKING GOING ACROSS THERE.
AND WE DEFINITELY DON'T NEED THAT PUSH OUT THING THAT I SAW.
THAT IS A POSSIBILITY BECAUSE GUESS WHAT? PEOPLE JUST JUMP OFF THE RIDGE.
IF THEY GO AND WALK ALL ACROSS, THEY RIDE, RIDE THE BIKE, THEY'RE GONNA JUMP OFF THE RIDGE.
BUT ANYWAYS, UM, I AM SO AGAINST TAKING ANY OF STONY AREA AT ALL THAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR, YOU KNOW, QUARTER HERE.
ALL NOTHING BUT GALA COUNTRY, YOU KNOW, OR AREAS AND CELEBRATING THAT.
THAT'S WHAT IS HILTON HEAD ISLAND.
PEOPLE COME HERE AND THEY SAY, OH WELL I HEARD ABOUT THE GALA COMPANY, OUR COUNTRY.
SO THEY WANNA GO SEE, YOU KNOW, THEY GO TO THE MUSEUMS AND WHATEVER AND YOU KNOW, THEY LIKE GOING TO SEE THAT STUFF AND YOU'RE TAKING AWAY SOME OF THE PEOPLE'S PROPERTY.
AND AS I SAID, YOU SEE ALL THIS HERE AND YOU CELEBRATE IT EVERY YEAR AND EVERY, WHENEVER EVERYTHING IS, AND YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT EXCEPT FOR, OH WE'RE GONNA TAKE THIS AWAY BECAUSE YOU KNOW, WE NEED IT FOR THE BRIDGE.
AND I'M SURE THERE IS PEOPLE HERE THAT IS, YOU KNOW, FOR ME SAYING THE SAME THING AND I JUST, I'M JUST VERY UPSET OVER THIS WHOLE THING THAT HAS, YOU KNOW, TAKEN PLACE.
AND I DON'T GET TO COME EVERY TIME, YOU KNOW, HAVING MEETINGS AND STUFF LIKE SOME OF THE PEOPLE I KNOW.
BUT, UM, I THINK THAT YOU SHOULD REALLY, REALLY, REALLY RECONSIDER HAVING A 11 LANE BRIDGE.
AND YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT THE JERSEY THING AND WE DON'T NEED THOSE SLABS.
HOW DO YOU, HOW'S PEOPLE, IF THEY GONNA BREAK DOWN, HOW ARE THEY GONNA GET OVER THERE? IF THERE'S A WALL CONCRETE BRICK WALL THERE, I MEAN SERIOUSLY.
AND I'VE GONE DOWN TO FLORIDA, FOUR LANES, FOUR LANES GOING ON THE MAIN HIGHWAY THERE AND GUESS WHAT? THERE BROKE DOWN AND WE WERE SITTING IN TRAFFIC FOR TWO HOURS, FOUR LANES FOR ONE BREAKDOWN.
THANK YOU MS. ER, APPRECIATE IT.
[b. Consideration of a Resolution to Accept the Findings of the William Hilton Parkway Gateway Corridor Independent End to End Analysis]
SEEING NONE.ANY OTHER COMMUN UH, DISCUSSION FROM THE COMMITTEE? NOPE.
ALL IS IN FAVOR OF ADOPTING THE RESOLUTION SIGNAL BY RAISING YOUR RIGHT HAND.
ALL THOSE OPPOSED, IT IS TWO TO TWO.
[6. Adjournment]
DO WE HAVE ANY APPEARANCES FROM CITIZENS THAT WERE NOT RELATED TO ANY OF THE AGENDA ITEMS TODAY? DO YOU HAVE ANYBODY SIGN UP? NO SIR.WERE THERE ANY PORTAL COMMENTS? NO, SIR.