[0:07] Good evening everyone and welcome to the virtual public meeting for the US 202

[0:11] and Route 179 roundabout project. My name is Nathan Parish and I am the

[0:19] PennDOT project manager. We also have with us members of the design team

[0:25] including Martin Ziminy who is the project manager and Andrew Thomas uh a

[0:31] transportation engineer. Uh supporting them at Kier's engineering is also HDR

[0:37] ad Marble and Malakin shear. If you have a question for today's

[0:43] meeting please use the Q&A feature located in the top of your screen. You

[0:48] can include the slide number when submitting your questions.

[0:53] For today's meeting, we will cover the project timeline, uh review the project

[0:58] purpose, talk about roundabouts, review safety considerations and the project

[1:03] area. We'll cover the proposed design and operations. We'll have an

[1:08] environmental overview and a traffic simulation of the roundabout. We'll then

[1:12] talk on construction staging and the project schedule and then wrap up with

[1:18] questions and answers.

[1:23] So this is a brief uh timeline for the project.

[1:28] Uh in 2020, Sbury Township completed a study of the US 202 corridor and

[1:34] identified potential improvements. any roundabout was identified as one of

[1:38] those improvements at the US 202 and 179 intersection that led PennDOT to

[1:44] starting preliminary engineering in the spring of 2023.

[1:49] We are targeting fall 2026 for starting final design and then construction

[1:54] starting in the spring of 2028. With that, I'll turn it over to Martin

[1:59] to run through more of the project details.

[2:05] All right, thanks Nate. Me get my video on.

[2:11] All right, so our project location is up here in Soulbury Township. It's at the

[2:17] multi-point intersection of US 202, which also known as Lower York Road and

[2:23] Route 179, also known as West Bridge Street and Kitchen Lane.

[2:28] The uh projects located in Sbury Township within Bucks County.

[2:39] And now here's a general overview map of the project area. The project area is a

[2:46] triangle of the three routes with US 202, Route 179, and Kitchen Lane.

[2:54] The intersections currently signalized with two stop controlled access ramps.

[2:59] And this intersection is a major junction point along US 202 which

[3:04] connects Pennsylvania communities to New Jersey communities.

[3:08] Route 179 West Bridge Street is also a minor arterial between US 202 and the

[3:14] town in New Hope. Uh the intersection also accommodates students commuting on

[3:19] school buses to New Hope Soulbury School District approximately 3/4 of a mile to

[3:25] the east of our project. The total intersection ADT is

[3:30] approximately 24,000 vehicles per day. You can see the various directional

[3:36] vehicle and truck traffic data on the slide as currently shown. Uh the posted

[3:42] speeds in the area currently 45 mph along US 202 and 35 mph along Route 179

[3:50] and Kitchen Lane.

[3:54] And due to the presence of several deficiencies and high traffic volumes,

[3:59] the existing intersection experiences severe congestion and safety issues

[4:03] during the peak hours and also during the summertime.

[4:11] Shown here is an image from the 2007 DVRPC corridor study showing existing

[4:17] and proposed bicycle and trail networks.

[4:22] You can see inside the circle for a zoomedin view of the network map.

[4:29] Soulbury Township recently constructed a new portion of the gateway trail from

[4:34] Sugan Road down to Kitchen Lane and coordination with Soulbury Township is

[4:39] ongoing regarding the preferred alignment and location of the gateway

[4:43] trail through the project limits.

[4:49] Back to our overview map, you can see how the proposed bicycle

[4:54] network shows going through the project area. Solid orange line to the right of

[4:59] the image is the recently constructed trail. The dashed orange line shows the

[5:05] overall proposed trail location, most of which which exists from Logan Square to

[5:10] just north of the recently constructed assisted living center.

[5:15] And later in the presentation, Andrew will show where the roundabout project

[5:18] is able to add trails, sidewalks, and crossings for future connections to

[5:22] township facilities.

[5:26] Now over to Andrew.

[5:31] » Thanks, Martin. Thanks, [clears throat] Nate.

[5:35] » So on this slide, we're focusing on the

[5:39] main purpose of the project. This intersection currently experiences

[5:43] significant congestion and delay particularly during the peak travel

[5:47] times. We have found that these issues are driven by a few key factors. First,

[5:52] there are operational deficiencies, meaning the way traffic moves through

[5:56] the intersection today isn't very efficient due to signal timing, turning

[5:59] movements, and conflicting traffic. Second, there are geometric constraints.

[6:04] The roadway configuration limits how traffic can move through the area and

[6:08] makes it difficult to accommodate current traffic demands effectively.

[6:13] Third, there are safety and capacity gaps. The intersection is handling more

[6:18] traffic than it was originally designed for, which can increase both delay and

[6:22] potential for conflicts. You'll also notice that pedestrian

[6:26] facilities are limited. There aren't many safe and convenient options for

[6:30] walking through the area today, which is something we're looking to improve as

[6:34] part of this project. On the right side of the slide, we're

[6:38] showing existing Q lengths. The colored lines represent how far vehicles

[6:42] typically back up during peak conditions, which you can see Q's extend

[6:46] well beyond the intersection on US 202 and Route 179, reinforcing the

[6:51] operational challenges that currently exist at this location.

[7:01] On this slide focuses on the recent crash history at the US 202 and Route

[7:07] 179 intersection. Over the most recent 5-year period from 2020 to 2024, there

[7:13] were a total of 10 reported crashes. A key takeaway is that the majority 80% of

[7:20] these were Anglo crashes involving turning vehicles.

[7:24] And 80% of these crashes were not related to weather or environmental

[7:28] factors, which suggests that the primary cause are tied to the intersection's

[7:32] design and operations. In addition to the crashes at the

[7:36] intersection itself, there were four rear end crashes and one additional

[7:40] angle crash along northbound US 202 just south of the intersection. These are

[7:46] like likely related to congestion and Q spillback where vehicles are stopping

[7:50] unexpectedly and causing conflicts. Overall, this crash history highlights

[7:55] existing safety concerns particularly related to turning movements and

[7:58] congestion.

[8:04] Why a roundabout? Roundabouts relieve congestion and modal tension. Unlike

[8:09] traditional signalized intersections, roundabouts keep traffic moving

[8:12] continuously, which reduces delays and improves travel times.

[8:17] Roundabouts also improve accessibility and connectivity for all users,

[8:21] including motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists, and trail users.

[8:26] Roundabouts also include a focus on safety. They are proven to reduce both

[8:31] the number and severity of crashes because they naturally slow vehicle

[8:36] speeds as drivers enter and move through the intersection.

[8:40] Roundabouts also reduce the type of crashes that tend to cause the most

[8:43] serious injuries, specifically head-on and right angle collisions.

[8:49] I'll pass it back to you.

[8:54] » All right. Thanks. So to continue this discussion on why a roundabout

[9:00] uh we can talk about the fact that roundabouts are a FHWA proven safety

[9:06] counter measure and they address items in PENDOT strategic highway safety plan

[9:13] and per the graphic on the right per the [snorts] 24 2024 PENDOT study on 47

[9:19] roundabouts the roundabout conversion projects resulted in crashes involving

[9:24] injuries being reduced by 51% with a total number of crashes dropping

[9:30] by 7%. Also of note that 46 other roundabouts

[9:36] have been installed on state routes and our additional data will be soon

[9:40] available.

[9:47] So, roundabouts versus traffic circles. You can see the differences

[9:54] in the slide above shown regarding how roundabouts differ from traffic circles.

[10:02] Roundabouts have a a yield at entry rule, whereas

[10:09] entering traffic at traffic circles may interfere with circulating traffic.

[10:15] Second line down, we have entering traffic at roundabouts is deflected

[10:19] slowly around the central island or as traffic circles have inconsistent entry

[10:24] designs and may allow for higher speed entries.

[10:28] Third line down. Roundabout flares increase capacity at intersections where

[10:33] capacity is needed the most, whereas traffic circles may have poor entry

[10:37] conditions and may not benefit from flare layouts.

[10:46] So, in addition to the roundabout benefits listed on the left,

[10:53] as far as slower speeds go, that equals more time to make decisions, act and

[10:59] react. It is includes less complicated

[11:04] situations to interpret. It reduces the need to judge closing

[11:09] speeds and gaps in fast traffic.

[11:13] And regarding the severity index graphic shown on the right, as your speeds

[11:19] increase, the likelihood of pedestrians surviving a collision decreases.

[11:25] From the 90% survival rate at a 20 mph impact speed,

[11:30] this drops down to a 20% survival rate at a 40 mile per hour impact speed.

[11:40] So here we'll show a graphic from Utah DOT about conflict points. A conflict

[11:45] point is a location where road users paths intersect.

[11:50] The number and type of conflicts directly influence an intersection

[11:54] safety performance. A traditional intersection has a total of 32 conflict

[11:59] in conflict points, whereas translation to a roundabout deletes

[12:06] 24 of those and it only has eight conflict points due to the one or the uh

[12:13] one way.

[12:18] And a roundabout builds around the most severe conflict points by removing those

[12:24] severe crashes such as T-bones and head-on collisions.

[12:33] Now we can talk about the pedestrian crossings at roundabouts.

[12:38] Crosswalks are set back [snorts] one car length from the roundabout.

[12:44] This separates conflicts between the cars and the pedestrians. [snorts]

[12:48] Roundabouts allow drivers to focus on pedestrian and vehicular movement

[12:52] separately. First yielding to the pedestrians and

[12:55] then focusing on the circulating traffic.

[12:59] And roundabouts also allow pedestrians to cross if there is cued traffic.

[13:08] Another design element that improves the safety of the intersection we want to

[13:12] highlight is intersection lighting. As part of the pendant policy, it's

[13:16] recommended to illuminate roundabout intersections. The lighting is proposed

[13:20] to highlight the key features of the roundabout, the entries, the exits,

[13:24] pedestrian crossings, and circulating traffic.

[13:28] The lighting is directed toward the roadway and is contained within the

[13:31] footprint of the roadway with minimal lighting to the surrounding properties.

[13:36] So, as you can see in the photograph, this is an example of an illuminated

[13:40] intersection and crosswalks to improve pedestrian visibility at night.

[13:46] And as our design progresses into final design, design team will coordinate with

[13:50] the township and PennDOT to discuss lighting preferences for pole and

[13:54] mounting types and specifications. This allows the project to install

[13:58] lighting that would be consistent for the area and for the future development.

[14:06] Now we want to show a map of the surrounding area and a couple of

[14:11] roundabouts with similar context to this one. So our project is lo located

[14:16] highlighted in blue. Recently constructed roundabouts are

[14:21] shown in purple. These include the Eastn Road roundabout near Doyle Town,

[14:26] Doylestown and the Porcher Road roundabout near Quakertown.

[14:30] Some roundabouts in design in the area are shown in green. This includes the US

[14:36] 202 in York Road roundabout south of our project in Buckingham Township and the

[14:42] Mincy Trail roundabout near Dublin. Now pass back over to Andrew to talk

[14:47] about the proposed design.

[14:53] Thanks Martin. [clears throat] Now let's get into the proposed design

[14:57] of the project. First, let's take a look at the existing conditions for the area.

[15:02] Again, on the right, we see the signalized intersection of US 202, Route

[15:07] 179, and Kitchen Lane. On the left, we see the signalized intersection of US

[15:12] 202 drive and Logan Square Shopping Center.

[15:20] Now, here's a overall proposed design from a highle aerial view. The first

[15:25] portion is the full reconstruction of the 2021 179 intersection shown within

[15:32] the yellow circle. Now let's focus on the roundabout. Now

[15:39] this slide provides a closer look at the intersection configuration at US 202

[15:44] Route 179 Kitchen Lane. As shown here, the current layout is somewhat complex

[15:50] and can be confusing for drivers, particularly for those unfamiliar with

[15:53] the area. From a safety standpoint, the existing

[15:57] layout creates numerous conflict points, including crossing and left turn

[16:02] movements that are typically associated with the more severe crashes.

[16:07] Overall, this existing configuration and the congestion/confusion

[16:12] creates it creates is one of the primary reasons improvements are being proposed

[16:17] at this location. Here

[16:23] we're showing the proposed design for the intersection. The project proposes

[16:27] construction of a four-legg single lane roundabout.

[16:31] The goal of this design is to improve traffic operations, reduce delays, and

[16:37] address safety concerns we discussed in the previous slides.

[16:42] One important feature of the US 202 is the US 202 northbound bypass lane to

[16:48] direct traffic towards New Hope without entering the roundabout, which helps

[16:53] reduce congestion and keep traffic flowing more efficiently.

[16:59] The project includes opportunities for landscaping within the center island,

[17:04] which will be mounted to obstruct sight lines.

[17:08] This can help create a gateway feel while also reinforcing the roundabout

[17:13] layer layout for drivers. The design also accounts for Soulbury

[17:18] Township's proposed gateway trail connection

[17:22] which supports better multimodal connectivity through the corridor. The

[17:26] graphic also highlights bicycle ramps on the route 179 and kitchen lane legs

[17:33] which provides a transition for bicyclist to choose between entering the

[17:37] roundabout or the sidewalks or shared use path.

[17:43] Lastly, the design includes proposed rain gardens and bioils which are the

[17:49] dark green areas which are intended to help manage storm

[17:53] water runoff from the project area while providing a more attractive roadside

[17:58] environment.

[18:05] How did this footprint come about? As part of roundabout design, one of the

[18:11] main design features is establishing your design vehicle, which is a large

[18:15] vehicle that is likely to utilize the intersection and ensure that the design

[18:20] can handle it within the curve to curve footprint.

[18:24] In this graphic, you will see a few of the turning templates that the the

[18:28] design team has generated to ensure that the footprint accommodates all

[18:32] movements. The key feature here is the truck apron

[18:37] around the center island. The truck apron is a mountable area designed

[18:40] specifically for the rear wheels of larger vehicles. Passenger vehicles are

[18:45] expected to stay within the normal circulating roadway. This allows the

[18:50] roundabout to remain compact enough to slow passenger vehicles while still

[18:55] providing enough space for trucks and other large vehicles to navigate the

[18:59] intersection. As we advance to final design, we would

[19:04] like public input on any unique design vehicles that may need to utilize the

[19:08] intersection. Should you know of any, please submit this when you fill out the

[19:14] comment card on the project website so it can be documented and reviewed by

[19:18] Pendot and the design team.

[19:27] And back to you, Martin.

[19:32] All right, thanks Andrew. So now let's discuss the Q lengths and

[19:37] the intersection improvements within the proposed roundabout and the northbound

[19:42] bypass lane to Route 179. On this slide, we're looking at the

[19:49] expected operational benefits of the proposed improvements. [snorts] The

[19:53] tables show Q lengths in feet and intersection delay in seconds during the

[19:59] AM and PM peak hours for the existing condition and for both the future 2050

[20:04] no build and build conditions. The orange box shows marked reductions

[20:11] in all Q lengths except for a slight increase in the US 202 southbound Q. The

[20:17] largest reduction being US 202 northbound going from 265 feet down to

[20:24] 75 ft in the AM and from 219 ft to 60 ft in the PM. And even though the US 202

[20:31] southbound PMQ increases slightly, the overall PM intersection delay decreases

[20:38] from 215 seconds down to 16 seconds. and the overall AM intersection delay

[20:45] decreases from 90 seconds down to 8 seconds.

[20:51] So, initially the proposed roundabout did not include the bypass lane along US

[20:56] 202 northbound to Route 179, which is projected to continue to experience

[21:01] increased delay in Q lengths if not addressed.

[21:05] and analysis indicates that the addition of a second northbound approach lane for

[21:10] the Route 179 bypass lane traffic substantially reduces delay and Q

[21:15] lengths and improves operations through the roundabout and at the Logan Square

[21:20] Shy Drive intersection. So, as a result, the striping and lane usage from Logan

[21:25] Square Shrive intersection up to the roundabout will be reconfigured, which

[21:31] leads us to the next slide.

[21:41] Go ahead, Andrew. >> Thanks, Mark. So, now we're back out to

[21:46] the zoomed out aerial view from earlier. The yellow oval highlights the portion

[21:52] of US 202 at the SH Drive, Logan Square signalized intersection. This area is

[21:57] outside of the main roundabout reconstruction limits, but is still part

[22:01] of the overall operational improvements.

[22:09] Now we are zoomed into that yellow oval area. This slide shows the existing

[22:14] traffic pattern in this section of the corridor. Today, northbound US 202

[22:20] operates with one through lane, while southbound US 202 has two through lanes

[22:26] through the intersection before merging back down to one shortly after the

[22:30] intersection. On the bottom right side of the graphic

[22:35] shows the newly constructed assisted living facility, which includes

[22:39] designated right turn lanes to serve new access points.

[22:47] Now we're showing the proposed striping changes just south of the roundabout.

[22:52] This intent is to provide two northbound lanes from SH Drive Logan Square

[22:56] intersection toward the proposed roundabout. This helps feed traffic more

[23:01] efficiently into the northbound bypass lane to route 179.

[23:07] To fit these improvements within the existing roadway width, the southbound

[23:11] direction of US 202 will be reduced from two through lanes to one through lane in

[23:17] this section. The design still maintains the necessary

[23:22] turning lanes in both directions. So access to the side streets and adjacent

[23:26] properties is preserves.

[23:35] Back to you, man. All right, talking about operations for

[23:40] this portion of the project. In this slide, we're looking at the

[23:44] expected operational benefits of the proposed improvements.

[23:49] The table show the Q lengths in feet and intersection delay in seconds during the

[23:54] AM and PM peak hours for the existing condition and for both the future 2050

[24:00] no build and build conditions. [snorts] So the green box

[24:05] shows the changes in Q lengths at the Logan Square Shire Drive intersection.

[24:10] Primary focus here was to reduce the very large US 2022 northbound Q lengths

[24:15] in both the AM and PM periods. [snorts] Notice that the US 202 northbound Q

[24:22] lengths goes from 1,045 down to 366 ft in the AM and from 56 ft down to 266 ft

[24:34] in the PM. This is largely due to the change over to two lanes northbound, one

[24:39] lane southbound. Through this portion of the project, all Q lengths drop except

[24:44] for US 202 southbound, which increases in both the AM and PM periods. But

[24:50] overall, intersection delay drops substantially in the AM and the slightly

[24:56] increases slightly in the PM.

[25:04] So as far as environmental goes, of course, PENDOT is following the NEPA

[25:09] process for the National Environmental Protection Agency.

[25:14] As far as key features and importance notes here, uh we have two unnamed

[25:21] tributaries, one at the north and one at the south ends of the project area. The

[25:26] project does not impact Aquaton Creek. As far as wetlands go, no wetlands were

[25:33] identified within the project limits. And flood planes, there are no flood

[25:38] plane impacts.

[25:41] Regarding the Soulberry Gateway Trail, the project results in a

[25:48] section 4F deminimous use to the Soulberry Gateway Trail.

[25:53] As a result of the project, portions of the trail will require

[25:59] relocation. The trail relocation will be

[26:03] incorporated into the Pendot project and [snorts] the project will not adversely

[26:08] impact the trails recreational features and coordination with Soulbury Township

[26:12] is ongoing. This meeting is seeking comment from the

[26:17] public on the project's use of the trail and the potential temporary closure of a

[26:21] portion of the trail while it's realigned.

[26:31] Now we're going to show a simulation of the proposed roundabout design.

[26:36] Keep in mind though that the simulation run is at a slightly increased playback

[26:40] speed. So actual speeds approaching and through

[26:45] the roundabout will be posted and regulated for 25 milesPH.

[26:53] The video is intended to help visualize how traffic would move through the

[26:56] intersection during the PM peak 15minute period. Vehicles will enter the

[27:01] roundabout at lower speeds. They'll yield to circulating traffic and

[27:05] continue through to the desired exit leg.

[27:09] A key feature to watch is the northbound bypass lane. This allows that movement

[27:13] to avoid entering the roundabout and the bypass lane. Vehicles yield to traffic

[27:18] exiting the roundabout before heading to Route 179.

[27:42] » All right. And I'll pass it over to Andrew.

[27:46] Thanks, Martin. [clears throat] So, now we'll walk through the proposed

[27:50] roundabout and how it will be constructed.

[27:54] The project will use phase construction so that traffic can continue moving

[27:59] through the area while the work is underway. During stage one, the

[28:04] contractor will begin with temporary pavement to accommodate shifted traffic

[28:07] for stage two. This will be constructed by closing the shoulder of Route 179 and

[28:14] median of US 202 kitchen lane utilizing short-term

[28:20] uh traffic control.

[28:26] During stage two, the majority of the roundabout construction will take place.

[28:32] Traffic on US 202 will be shifted into one lane configuration using the

[28:37] existing two southbound lanes. Turning movements through the

[28:41] intersection will be controlled with temporary traffic signals and stop signs

[28:45] to maintain traffic flow during construction.

[28:49] Access to nearby properties will remain open during all stages of the projects.

[28:59] and over to stage three. The remaining portions of the roundabout and

[29:03] approaches will be constructed. At this stage, kitchen lane will be

[29:08] temporarily closed and detourred. The detour route is short, approximately 6

[29:14] milesi, and we'll use kitchen lane and Sugan Road to maintain local

[29:19] circulation. This is the final stage of construction

[29:23] and once this work is complete the roundabout and associated roadway

[29:27] improvements will be place will be fully in place and the next slide will provide

[29:32] an overview of the anticipated project schedule.

[29:41] All right, now we can talk about the project schedule overview. On this

[29:45] graphic slashgant chart, you'll see the upcoming design activities and

[29:50] construction activities. So, currently we are in preliminary

[29:56] engineering with environmental studies ongoing and geotechnical testing studies

[30:02] ongoing. Then

[30:06] shortly we will begin our rightaway analysis and acquisition of any

[30:12] necessary parcels and then move on into final design after

[30:18] util and which in which utility coordination and permitting will

[30:23] continue. So final design will should take us through the end of 2027

[30:28] with a

[30:32] project scheduled letting of March 2028 or first quarter and then the

[30:38] construction would take over and duration is based on the layout that was

[30:43] discussed earlier in the presentation. Should the construction phasing need to

[30:47] change this duration will also change. Some other factors that play into the

[30:53] duration of the construction can be utility relocations, fabrication times,

[30:57] and of course weather. Some of these items will be further evaluated in the

[31:02] final design. Currently, the project's expected to let as I said in March 2028

[31:07] with construction completion by the end of the 2029 construction season.

[31:14] And also important to note down at the bottom as far as public involvement

[31:18] notes go, uh, comments can be submitted via the project's website feedback form.

[31:24] It's available, uh, for twoeek period from today, June 9th until June 23rd.

[31:32] And an in-person plans display is also scheduled for Tuesday, June 16th from

[31:37] 5:30 to 6:00 p.m. prior to the board of supervisors meeting at the Soulbury

[31:43] Township Municipal Building. Further details are available on the project

[31:47] website.

[31:53] Back over to you, Nate. >> Thank you, Martin.

[31:58] Uh and so with that, we'll begin to take questions from the attendees. Just a

[32:03] couple reminders that this meeting is being recorded and will be placed on the

[32:06] project web page. There is also a comment form on the project web page

[32:11] where you can continue to provide comments uh about the project. And with

[32:17] that, we'll start to take questions that we received in the Q&A. And so what

[32:22] we'll do is we'll we'll read the question so the the group can hear it

[32:25] and then uh respond. Then if we get additional questions, we'll continue to

[32:30] respond to those as they come in. It looks like right now we have two

[32:33] questions that we received so far. And the first question is, I don't fully

[32:39] understand how the roundabout benefits pedestrian crossing without any timed

[32:45] signal. And I know you can go back to the zoomed in view of the roundabout.

[32:55] » Sure. as Martin's uh getting to that slide.

[32:59] So, the one of the differences between a roundabout and a signal is the distance

[33:06] that a pedestrian needs to cross. When you're crossing a traffic signal there,

[33:12] there may be a a pedestrian crossing manhand or signal that tells you to

[33:17] cross, but it's a significant distance. And during that time, you know, vehicles

[33:22] could be turning left, they could be turning right, they could be traveling

[33:26] through a red light, uh exposing, uh the pedestrian and a potential, uh

[33:31] collision. That's kind of what uh Martin highlighted with his

[33:35] uh figure earlier around conflict points. So, what a what a roundabout

[33:40] does, it kind of separates the intersection from the pedestrian

[33:44] crossing. So, as a vehicle approaches the

[33:48] roundabout, they first encounter the pedestrian crossing. And a pedestrian is

[33:53] crossing a much shorter distance with a roundabout than at a traffic

[33:59] signal. It's typically one lane at a time. So, they will they will view

[34:03] traffic approaching. When there's a gap or a vehicle slows down, they will cross

[34:07] to the center. they then do the same thing um from the center of uh the

[34:13] island to the opposite end of uh to to to the other side of the

[34:18] intersection. So between separating you know once and then once the pedestrian

[34:23] crosses the vehicle can then move forward past the crosswalk and determine

[34:29] if they want to enter the roundabout safely at that point. So it's kind of

[34:32] separating the entrance from the roundabout from the pedestrian crossing.

[34:36] Uh, and it's also creating a a much smaller crossing distance for a

[34:41] pedestrian and vehicles are also moving much slower at a roundabout which

[34:45] improves the safety for pedestrians.

[34:52] Next question. Uh, it seems to me that 202b

[34:56] at I'm not sure what that what that says.

[35:00] This is at LI. Can Square and Sh Drive signal start to accumulate a backlog in

[35:06] traffic? >> I think it's meant to be Logan Square

[35:10] and Shire Drive. >> Yeah. Do you want to take that one then?

[35:13] Uh Martin, talk about the uh cues that we're seeing there.

[35:20] » Sure, I will try. The um focus of the lane switch was for

[35:27] northbound, which has uh a marked marketkedly increased

[35:34] queue and delay currently and is forecast to just get worse heading in

[35:38] the northbound direction. So with the switch for two lanes

[35:43] northbound with the one right lane being the bypass lane as shown to get on to

[35:49] 179 that will reduce the uh delay in Q for northbound

[35:57] whereas the southbound there is a a somewhat of an increase with the change

[36:04] to one lane um mostly for the PM peak But it is less of

[36:12] an increase than it would be if the two the one lane northbound remained

[36:19] through 2050 with no improvements.

[36:24] » Martin, can you go to the overall view of the the intersection and and the

[36:28] corridor itself just kind of highlight we can highlight some of the the

[36:34] changes. Yeah. So what Martin's sharing here is

[36:38] kind of the the Shy Drive intersection and the 179 intersection. What Martin,

[36:42] you know, was saying before is that in the existing condition.

[36:46] Uh there there there's kind of two lanes southbound, one lane northbound, but as

[36:51] we were looking at the roundabout, we we thought it would be best to switch that

[36:54] in the future condition with with with the bypass lane that we're proposing. So

[36:59] it's kind of what Martin was saying. And even though there there may be some

[37:02] small increases in in Q length in the southbound direction because we're going

[37:08] from two to one lane, there's significant savings in cues and delay on

[37:13] the northbound side and for the overall intersection itself. So, even though

[37:17] there's a a tweak to lane configurations, it's really an overall

[37:20] benefit in terms of operations and reduced delay for this little network

[37:25] here by by making that switch um at SH and uh the 179 intersection.

[37:34] If >> I could just chime in briefly as well,

[37:36] this is Ken O'Brien from HDR. Uh that southbound queue is not going to

[37:40] continue to accumulate. That 800 feet is the maximum queue that we expect during

[37:45] the afternoon peak hour. And again, during the morning peak hour, it's only

[37:48] expected to be approximately 300 feet. So, we don't expect it to just continue

[37:51] to build and build. Again, the 800 feet is the maximum that we expect.

[37:56] Thanks, >> K.

[38:04] Uh that is all the comments that we have received so far. Uh so just a quick

[38:11] reminder that the meeting is being recorded. If you have additional

[38:14] comments or feedback on the presentation, there is the comment form.

[38:18] Uh you can also reach out to me around additional information for the product

[38:22] and additional comments. Uh and uh also we'll be at uh the Sbury

[38:28] Township Municipal Building uh Tuesday the 16th from 5:30 to 6 for Inerson's

[38:34] plans display. And uh that concludes our presentation

[38:39] this evening. So thank you everybody.

U.S. 202 and Route 179 Roundabout Project Public Meeting Recording 6-9-26

Transcript