Final Environmental Impact Report - Whittier Bridge/I-95 ...

EEA#14427 DEIR Certificate December 30,2011
• Roadway side slopes: 11.0 acres
• Shared-use path: 2.5 acres
The Preferred Alternative will require a total of approximately 32.2 acres of land
alteration. Previously disturbed areas are located primarily along the relocated 1-95 northbound
roadway both north and south of the proposed 1-95 northbound bridge. The relocation of 1-95
northbound to the east and the addition of the shared-use path adjacent to the 1-95 northbound
roadway would result in approximately 11.8 acres of alteration of previously unaltered land
within the 1-95 ROW between the Pine Hill/Ferry Road bridge in Newburyport to the Exit 58
(Route 110) interchange in Amesbury. Additionally, the 4.3 acres of land alteration required for
construction of the proposed stormwater basins will require alteration of land within the 1-95
ROW (with the exception of a small amount ofland within the Newburyport Water Department
land south of the Merrimack River).
Traffic
The DEIR includes traffic analyses prepared in compliance with the EEAlEOTPW
Guidelines for EIRIEA Traffic Impact Assessments. The DEIR identifies the study area,
describes and analyzes existing conditions, and evaluates the project's impact on traffic
operations. The DEIR includes traffic analyses for each alternative analyzed. It identifies
improvements (mainly widening to a uniform 8-lane configuration) within the 1-95 corridor to
address traffic congestion. The study area includes approximately 3.6 miles of1-95 northbound
and southbound mainlines extending from north of Exit 57 (Route 113) to north of Exit 60
(Route 286) and 11 associated on-and off-ramps. Due to funding constraints for the project, the
study area includes only the 1-95 mainline and intersections associated with interchanges in the
study area.
The DEIR includes a Level-of-Service (LOS) analysis for roadway links within the study
area for the peak-hour conditions of summer Saturday AM northbound and Sunday PM
southbound for existing conditions (2007) and for future (2030) Build and Preferred
Alternatives. The DEIR indicates that the existing infrastructure is operating at a LOS C and D
for all roadway links in the study area. The DEIR analyzed merge, diverge, and weave
operations on 1-95 and associated ramps.
According to the DEIR, the No Build Alternative will have negative impacts on traffic
flow for 2030 traffic projections. Northbound traffic flow will be LOS D or F for all segments
and the segment from the 1-495 on-ramp to Route 286 will be over capacity, resulting in LOS F
at the diverge to Route 286. The saturation on this link will influence not only the travel speeds
between the ramps but will also cause approaching traffic to slow due to reduced speeds created
by the 1-495 merge, creating longer travel times to traverse the study area (9.13 minutes). No
Build southbound peak-hour traffic will be LOS F between Route 286 and 1-495, LOS C
between 1-495 and north of Route 110, and LOS E between north of Route 110 to north of Route
113. The segment from Route 286 to 1-495 will be over capacity, resulting in LOS F for both the
merge from Route 286 and diverge to 1-495. The saturation on this link will influence not only
the travel speeds between the ramps but will also cause southbound mainline traffic approaching
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