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SOUTHERN GATEWAY (THE VILLAGE LLC) 02/19/2018 REVISED TRAFFIC STUDY CITY OF SAINT ANTHONY WSB PROJECT NO. 2170-300 PAGE 19 TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS Existing and/or forecasted traffic operations were evaluated for the intersections and driveway in the study area. The analysis was conducted for the following scenarios: 1. Existing 2016 2. Projected 2019 Build 3. Projected 2030 No-Build 4. Projected 2030 Build This section describes the methodology used to assess the operations and provides a summary of traffic operations for each scenario. A. Methodology The intersections in the corridor were evaluated during the AM and PM peak hours using Synchro/SimTraffic micro simulation software. The results are derived from established methodologies documented in the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 2010. The software was used to evaluate the characteristics of the roadway network including lane geometrics, turning movement volumes, traffic control and signal timing. In addition, the signal timing parameters for future year conditions were optimized using Synchro. This information was then transferred to SimTraffic (the traffic simulation model) to estimate average peak hour vehicle delays and queues. One of the primary measures of effectiveness used to evaluate intersection traffic operations, as defined in the HCM, is Level of Service (LOS) – a qualitative letter grade, A – F, based on seconds of vehicle delay due to a traffic control device at an intersection. By definition, LOS A conditions represent high quality operations (i.e., motorists experience very little delay or interference) and LOS F conditions represent very poor operations (i.e., extreme delay or severe congestion). Figure 12 depicts a graphical interpretation of delay times that define level of service. The delay thresholds are lower for un-signalized intersections than signalized intersections due to the public’s perception of acceptable delays for different traffic controls as indicated in the HCM. In accordance with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) guidelines, this analysis used the LOS D/E boundary as an indicator of acceptable traffic operations.