3.7 hazardous materials and hazardous waste - Missile Defense ...

Chapter 3—Affected Environment3.12 TRANSPORTATIONThe evaluation of existing roadway and airport conditions is based oncapacity, which reflects the ability of a given roadway or airport toaccommodate vehicular demand and volume.Traffic volumes are typically reported in Annual Average Daily Traffic(AADT) counts, which is the total volume of vehicles per day averagedfor an entire year. These counts are provided upon request from theDepartment of Transportation. A comparison of a roadway’s volume toits capacity is expressed in terms of levels of service (LOS). There aresix levels of service, ranging from A to F, with LOS A representing thebest operating conditions and LOS F the worst (table 3.12-1).Table 3.12-1: Roadway Levels of ServiceLevel ofServiceDescriptionABCDEFPrimarily free flow operations with users almost completely unhindered intheir ability to maneuver within the traffic streamReasonably free flow operations with users' ability to maneuver within thetraffic stream only slightly restrictedStable flow with users' freedom to maneuver within the traffic streamnoticeably restricted; noticeable increase in driver tensionHigh density, but stable flow; speed and freedom to maneuver are morenoticeably limited; reduced level of driver comfort and convenienceUnstable flow; operating conditions at capacity, reduced speeds,maneuverability extremely limited, and extremely poor level of drivercomfort and convenienceBreakdown in vehicular flow with traffic demand exceeding capacity;unstable stop-and-go trafficSource: Compiled from National Research Council, 1994—Highway Capacity Manual.3.12.1 ALASKA INSTALLATIONSRoadway travel in Alaska is limited, with the only highways being in thesoutheastern quarter of the state. Due to the limited amount of roadways,the traffic volume in sparsely populated areas tends to be greater thanexperienced in the lower 48 states. The summer months experience thehighest amount of traffic, due to tourism and good weather. When available,the summer average daily traffic counts were used to determine thelevel of service. Figure 3.12-1 shows the highways within central Alaska.Given the vast area of Alaska and limited road network, aircraft providean alternate means of transportation. This section addresses airportspotentially used by the NMD program. Issues related to airspace usearound potential NMD locations are discussed in section 3.3, Airspace.NMD Deployment Final EIS 3-353