HomeMy WebLinkAbout04C_Tom Eastwood Email 12_7_221
Bill Hanson
From:Mike G. Hickman <mhickman@m-m.net> on behalf of Mike G. Hickman
Sent:Wednesday, December 7, 2022 8:05 AM
To:Bill Hanson
Cc:Jon Wirth
Subject:FW: Gallatin County Courts - Comments on the Traffic Study
Attachments:20220419_22-0106_L+J-Center_Trip-Gen-Summary.pdf
Just received this from Tom Eastwood. I asked him for help on addressing the traffic comments. The second
table below is the current GCC building (no Sheriff’s Department or City services) compared to traffic counts
taken just prior to the 2016 traffic study. Even accounting for future growth to the year 2036, there’s a net
reduction in traffic generation compared to the year 2015.
Mike G. Hickman, PE
Senior Civil Engineer, Morrison-Maierle
+14069226829 direct | +14065816806 mobile
From: Thomas Eastwood <teastwood@e5engineeringpllc.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2022 5:54 PM
To: Mike G. Hickman <mhickman@m-m.net>
Subject: Gallatin County Courts - Comments on the Traffic Study
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Mike:
My apologies for the late response to your voicemail. Here are thoughts on the TIS comments:
Table 1: April 2022 Update Comparison to 2015 Existing Traffic Conditions
nalysis Case
Independent
Variable Units
Average Weekday
AM Peak Hour Trips
Average Weekday
PM Peak Hour Trips
Average Weekday
Trips
Enter Exit Total Enter Exit Total Enter Exit Total
Current Daily Traffic
December 2015
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
287.60 105 47 152 74 116 190 1,181 1,181 2,362
Current Proposal –
Gallatin County Law
& Justice Center
Campus
(2026 Analysis Year)
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
267.50 98 43 141 69 107 176 1,097 1,097 2,194
Current Proposal –
Net Change from
2015 Existing
Conditions
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
-20.10 -7 -4 -11 -5 -9 -14 -84 -84 -168
Future Growth –
Gallatin County Law
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
321.25 117 53 170 82 130 212 1,318 1,318 2,636
2
& Justice Center
Campus
(2036 Analysis Year)
Future Growth –
Net Change from
2015 Existing
Conditions
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
33.65 12 6 18 8 14 22 137 137 274
First and foremost, the current proposal results in less traffic through the year 2026 than what existed in 2015. That
includes projected employment growth for included agencies at the campus through the analysis year. That in and of
itself negates the need to perform any additional traffic analysis for the facility.
The analyses performed in April of this year also included the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Department. If I understand
correctly, the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Department would be located elsewhere (Laura Louise Lane site?). With that
change, even the 2036 estimated traffic volumes are less than what existed in 2015.
Table 2: Exclusion of Gallatin County Sheriff’s Department from Site
Analysis Case
Independent
Variable Units
Average Weekday
AM Peak Hour Trips
Average Weekday
PM Peak Hour Trips
Average Weekday
Trips
Enter Exit Total Enter Exit Total Enter Exit Total
Current Daily Traffic
December 2015
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
287.60 105 47 152 74 116 190 1,181 1,181 2,362
Current Proposal
without Sheriff’s
Department –
Gallatin County Law
& Justice Center
Campus
(2026 Analysis Year)
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
204.75 75 34 109 53 82 135 841 841 1,682
Current Proposal –
Net Change from
2015 Existing
Conditions
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
-82.85 -30 -13 -43 -21 -34 -55 -340 -340 -680
Future Growth –
Gallatin County Law
& Justice Center
Campus
(2036 Analysis Year)
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
242.00 88 40 128 62 98 160 994 994 1,988
Future Growth –
Net Change from
2015 Existing
Conditions
Budgeted
Full-Time
Employees
-45.60 -17 -7 -24 -12 -18 -30 -187 -187 -374
I can provide further information on an intersection by intersection basis, if needed. Because this is a County facility,
there may be a higher percentage of traffic originating outside the city limits of Bozeman. That traffic is anticipated to
utilize primary routes to get to and from the facility. Additionally, the further intersections get from the site the more
traffic is dispersed throughout the transportation network. Originally provided trip distribution percentages are shown
on Figure 2-3 of the original traffic impact study. This highlights routes where traffic is anticipated to be focused.
3
Aside from this project, a revision to Bozeman’s City Code in regard to traffic impact studies is highly recommended to
provide a more reasonable approach to analyses based on the size of developments. The City of Kalispell standards are
recommended for consideration as they relate to the scale of analyses required.
Tom Eastwood, PE, PTOE – Owner
619 Milestone Drive
Belgrade, MT 59714
406.209.3960 | teastwood@e5engineeringpllc.com