Master Plan - Traffic Impact Analysis

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TRAFFIC IMPACT ANALYSIS OF PROPOSED

CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGE MASTER PLAN DEVELOPMENT

Prepared by Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc.

December 14, 2009

Updated November 9, 2010

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page No. Introduction ………………………………………………………………….………….1 Existing Conditions………………………………………………………….….………..2

Existing Roadway Conditions…………………………………………….………...2 Existing Traffic Volumes……………………………………………….…………..3 Existing Transit Service……………………………………………………….……3 Existing Levels of Service……………………………………………………….....4

Characteristics of Chestnut Hill College Traffic…………………………………………7

Existing College Campus and Population…………………………………………..7 Existing College Daily Traffic Patterns……………………………………………..8 Existing College Traffic Volumes during Commuter Peak Hours……………….....9 Projected Future Campus and Population……………………………………..…….9 Methodology for Projecting Future College Traffic……………….………………10 Future College Peak Hour Traffic Volumes……………………………………….11

Future Traffic Conditions…………………………………………………………….….12 Sugarloaf Hill Campus Driveway Access………………………………………….12 Future Peak Hour Traffic Volumes………………….…………….……………….13 Future Peak Hour Levels of Service………………………………………………..14 Conclusion………………………..……………………………………………………..15

Updated Traffic Impact Analysis of November 9, 2010 Chestnut Hill College Master Plan Expansion Page 1

Introduction Chestnut Hill College (CHC) is located in the Chestnut Hill section, at the northwestern edge of City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. CHC currently has two campuses. The Main Campus is bounded by Germantown Avenue, Northwestern Avenue and the Wissahickon Creek. The Sugarloaf Hill Campus, used as a conference center by Temple University prior to its acquisition by CHC in 2006, is located south of and across Germantown Avenue from the Main Campus. The Chestnut Hill College Master Plan 2008 was developed based on the College’s ambitious strategic plan. Highlights of the proposed Master Plan include:

1. Increase student enrollment headcount from 2,300 to 2,900. The majority of the increase will be made up of undergraduate students.

2. Increase full time staff (including faculty) headcount from 240 to 433. 3. Increase the number of student housing beds from 560 to 1,200. 4. Redevelop the newly acquired Sugarloaf Hill Campus, increasing the gross square foot

area from 46,523 to 344,829 (not including parking structure). 5. Provide new facilities at the Main Campus. increasing the gross square foot area from

617,688 to 839,760 (not including parking structure). 6. Construct new parking structures to increase the number the parking spaces from 616 to

approximately 1,200. Orth-Rodgers & Associates (ORA) was retained by CHC to study the potential traffic impact of the proposed Master Plan expansion. This plan will take years to implement, and it will go through several different development phases. However, this study only examines the future traffic conditions assuming the completion of all the Master Plan development. Accordingly, ORA’s staff conducted the following tasks:

1. Conducted field views and observations to note physical roadway conditions, traffic controls and regulations, and peak period traffic conditions.

2. Conducted manual turning movement counts from 7:00 – 9:00 am and from 4:00 – 6:00 pm at the following locations: o Germantown Avenue and Northwestern Avenue o Germantown Avenue and Rogers Drive o Germantown Avenue and Hillcrest Avenue o Germantown Avenue and Bells Mill Road o Northwestern Avenue and CHC Service Driveway/Lincoln Woods Apartment o Northwestern Avenue and CHC Driveway

3. Placed tube traffic counters across Rogers Road and other campus driveways to obtain hourly entry and exit volumes and establish daily traffic patterns and times of peak campus traffic activity.

4. Estimated the new morning and evening peak hour traffic volumes generated by the expanded population and activity on both campuses.


5. Assigned college traffic to the Master Plan campus site access driveways in accordance with the future parking locations and supply, and determined future morning and evening peak hour traffic volumes at the studied intersections.

6. Conducted analysis to determine future intersection levels of service. 7. Provided recommendations for design of site access.

The remainder of this report details these efforts and the findings of the analysis.

Existing Conditions An analysis of existing conditions in the vicinity of the CHC campuses was conducted in order to provide a base condition for an assessment of the traffic impact of the proposed college expansion. This included field investigations of the surrounding roadways and intersections, and collection of traffic volume data.

Existing Roadway Conditions Germantown Avenue – Germantown Avenue is a community arterial that runs approximately north-south through the study area. Germantown Avenue provides one travel lane in each direction except for the segment between Hillcrest Avenue and Bells Mill Road where there are three lanes: two southbound lanes with one of them a dedicated right turn lane at the intersection of Bells Mill Road, and a single northbound lane. Germantown Avenue also has channelized left turn lanes at some of the signalized intersections: northbound and southbound at Northwestern Avenue, southbound at Hillcrest Avenue, and northbound at Bells Mill Road. There are striped bicycle lanes on both sides of Germantown Avenue but only in the area of the Wissahickon Creek Bridge. The bike lanes do not extend all the way to Northwestern Avenue or to Hillcrest Avenue because left turn lanes are striped at those intersections within the same pavement width. The speed limit on Germantown Avenue is 30 mph with no on-street parking permitted on either side of the roadway. Northwestern Avenue – Northwestern Avenue is a collector roadway that runs east-west. To the west it ends in Fairmount Park; to the east it connects to Stenton Avenue and continues as Wissahickon Avenue into Flourtown. The main campus of CHC is located on the south side of this street. Northwestern Avenue carries one travel lane at each direction and the speed limit is 35 mph. The intersection of Northwestern Avenue and Germantown Avenue is controlled by a two-phase traffic signal. Rogers Drive is the main access to Chestnut Hill College. It provides one entry and one exit lane. The intersection with Germantown Avenue is controlled with a two-phase signal. There is no left turn lane on Germantown Avenue at Rogers Drive. When a vehicle is stopped on southbound Germantown Avenue waiting to turn left, other vehicles sometimes bypass using the bike lane area depending on where the left turn vehicle has stopped. Hillcrest Avenue – Hillcrest Avenue is a local collector roadway that runs east-west and connects Germantown Avenue with Stenton Avenue and Bethlehem Pike. It has one travel lane


plus a striped shoulder in each direction and the speed limit is 30 mph. The T-intersection of Hillcrest Avenue and Germantown Avenue is controlled by a two-phase signal. Hillcrest Avenue provides separate left and right turn lanes at the signal. Bells Mill Road – Bells Mill Road is a collector roadway that runs east-west. West of Germantown Avenue, it provides one travel lane each direction and connects Germantown Avenue with Ridge Avenue. Bells Mill Road is one of a limited number of bridge crossings of the Wissahickon Creek, and the road runs through Fairmount Park. The speed limit is 30 mph. At the Forbidden Drive trail in Fairmount Park, Bells Mill Road is Stop sign controlled. Cars must stop for pedestrians, cyclists and horseback riders crossing the road. East of Germantown Avenue, Bells Mill Road is a one-way eastbound street connecting to Stenton Avenue. The intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bells Mill Road is controlled by a three-phase traffic signal. Northbound Germantown Avenue left turns to west Bells Mill Road have a leading left turn arrow (northbound through and right turn traffic also has a green light during this phase), followed by a phase for all movements on Germantown Avenue, then a phase for Bells Mill Road. During the Bells Mill Road phase, southbound Germantown Avenue right turns have a right turn arrow.

Existing Transit Service SEPTA runs the Route L bus on Germantown Avenue in the area of CHC. The route extends from the Plymouth Meeting Mall to Chestnut Hill and then to Broad and Olney Streets. Stops are posted at Northwestern Avenue, Rogers Drive, and Bells Mill Road. CHC runs an intercampus shuttle between the Sugarloaf Hill Campus and the Main Campus. It is anticipated that once good walking routes connecting the two campuses are constructed as proposed in the Master Plan, walking will be the primary mode of travel between the two campuses and shuttle service will be more limited.

Existing Traffic Volumes Tube traffic counters were placed on Germantown Avenue from Tuesday September 15 through Thursday September 24, 2009 to capture daily traffic volumes and travel patterns along the roadway. In addition, manual vehicle turning movement counts were conducted on Thursday September 10 and Tuesday September 15, 2009 from 7:00 – 9:00 am and 4:00 – 6:00 pm at the following locations:

o Germantown Avenue and Northwestern Avenue o Germantown Avenue and Rogers Drive o Germantown Avenue and Hillcrest Avenue o Germantown Avenue and Bells Mill Road o Northwestern Avenue and CHC Service Driveway/Lincoln Woods Apartment o Northwestern Avenue and CHC Driveway


Existing intersection turning volumes during the peak hours are illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The recorded traffic data reveal that Germantown Avenue experiences a distinct peaking in volume during commuter rush hours. On Germantown Avenue, the traffic peak hours occur 7:30 am – 8:30 am in the morning and 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm in the evening. The hourly two-way traffic volume on Germantown Avenue varies between 1,200 vehicles and 1,700 vehicles during the peak hours. The heaviest travelled segment of Germantown Avenue is the one between Hillcrest Avenue and Bells Mill Road. In this segment, the southbound traffic volume is always higher than northbound volume, because of westbound vehicles turning left from Hillcrest Avenue to southbound Germantown Avenue and then turning right to travel west on Bell Mill Road (whereas eastbound Bells Mill Road traffic can continue straight across Germantown Avenue). Bells Mill Road west of Germantown Avenue carries a morning peak hour total traffic volume of 1,350 vehicles, with about 750 vehicles travelling eastbound approaching Germantown Avenue. During the evening peak hour, the total traffic volume on Bells Mill Road is about 1,400 vehicles with 800 vehicles travelling westbound away from Germantown Avenue. Northwestern Avenue east of Germantown Avenue carries a total of about 650 vehicles during both peak hours, split about evenly by direction. The majority of vehicles on Northwestern Avenue turn right onto Germantown Avenue to travel north; the reverse left turn from Germantown Avenue into Northwestern Avenue is also very heavy. Northwestern Avenue west of Germantown Avenue ends in Fairmount Park and carries a low traffic volume of about 100 total vehicles during each of the peak hours. Hillcrest Avenue carries a higher volume of traffic in the westbound direction than it carries eastbound. About 650 westbound vehicles and no more than 330 eastbound vehicles travel on Hillcrest during both the AM and PM peak hours. This is due to the fact that Bells Mill Road between Bethlehem Pike and Germantown Avenue is one-way eastbound. The majority of westbound vehicles on Hillcrest Avenue turn left on Germantown Avenue. Field observations reveal that most of these left turning vehicles from Hillcrest Avenue then turn right onto Bells Mill Road to continue traveling west towards Ridge Avenue.

Existing Levels of Service

While traffic volumes provide an important measure of activity on the area roadway system, evaluating how well that system accommodates those volumes is also important (i.e. a comparison of peak traffic volumes with available roadway capacity). By definition, capacity represents the maximum number of vehicles that can be accommodated, given the constraints of roadway geometry, environment, traffic characteristics, and controls. Intersections generally control capacity in road networks because most conflicts exist at these points between through, crossing, and turning vehicles. Because of these conflicts, congestion is most likely to occur at intersections. Therefore, intersections are studied most often when determining the quality of traffic flow on a roadway network.


An unsignalized intersection on a through route is seldom critical from an overall capacity standpoint. However, it may be of great significance to the capacity of the minor cross route and it may influence the levels of service on both. In analyzing intersections, it is assumed that the major street through movement and the right turn are unimpeded and have the right-of-way over all side streets and left turns from the major street. All other movements through the intersection cross, merge with, or are affected by other flows. A descriptive mechanism (Level of Service) has been developed for unsignalized intersections which indicates average delay at the intersection on a scale from ‘a’, indicating an average delay between zero and 10 seconds, to ‘f’, indicating an average delay greater than 50 seconds. Table 1 summarizes unsignalized intersection level of service criteria.

Table 1: Levels of Service and Expected Delay for Unsignalized Intersections1

Level of Service Expected Traffic Delay Average Total Delay (Seconds/Vehicles)

a Little or no delay ≤10.0 b Short traffic delays 10.1 to 15.0 c Average traffic delays 15.1 to 25.0 d Long traffic delays 25.1 to 35.0 e Long traffic delays 35.1 to 50.0 f Very long traffic delays >50.0

At signalized intersections, factors that affect the various approach capacities include width of approach, number of lanes, signal ‘green time’, turning volumes, truck percentages, etc. However, operation at capacity can be less satisfactory since substantial delays or reduced operating speeds are likely. Delays cannot be related to capacity in a simple one-to-one fashion. It is possible to have delays in the Level of Service ‘F’ range without exceeding roadway capacity. Substantial delays can exist without exceeding capacity if one or more of the following conditions exist:

o Long signal cycle lengths o A particular movement experiences a long red time o Progressive movement for a particular lane group is poor

Table 2 summarizes the level of service criteria for signalized intersections. In general, Level of Service ‘D’ is considered acceptable in an urbanized area.

1 Transportation Research Board, Special Report 209, Highway Capacity Manual, Third Edition, published by the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2000


Table 2: Level of Service and Expected Delay for Signalized Intersections2

Level of Service

Description Average Total Delay (seconds per

vehicle)

A Very low delay, good progression; most vehicles do not stop at intersection. ≤ 10.0

B Generally good signal progression and/or short

cycle length; more vehicles stop at intersection than Level of Service ‘A’ .

10.1 to 20.0

C Fair progression and/or longer cycle length; significant number of vehicles stop at intersection 20.1 to 35.0

D

Congestion becomes more noticeable; individual cycle failures; longer delays from unfavorable

progression, long cycle length, or high volume/capacity ratios; most vehicles stop at

intersection.

35.1 to 55.0

E

Usually considered limit of acceptable delay indicative of poor progression, long cycle length, or

high volume/capacity ratio; frequent individual cycle failures.

55.1 to 80.0

F

Could be considered excessive delay in some areas, frequently an indication of oversaturation (i.e.

arrival flow exceeds capacity), or very long cycle lengths with minimal side street green time.

Capacity is not necessarily exceeded under this level of service.

> 80.0

The capacity analysis for the study area intersections was performed using Synchro Version 7 for signalized and unsignalized intersections. Figures 3 and 4 illustrate the existing peak hour levels of service. During the morning peak hour, all movements at each of the study intersections are operating at good service levels except for three movements. The southbound Germantown Avenue left turn at Hillcrest Avenue is operating at LOS ‘E’ with average delay per vehicle of more than a minute. The southbound Germantown Avenue through movement at the intersection of Bells Mill Road operates at LOS ‘F’ with 111 seconds delay. This delay means that about half the drivers making this movement do not get through on the first green. This is because the through movement is only getting 22 seconds of green time out of the 80-second total cycle. The Bells Mill Road eastbound approach to Germantown Avenue experiences long delays and queues.

2 Transportation Research Board, Special Report 209, Highway Capacity Manual, Third Edition, published by the Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2000


During the evening peak hour, there are three movements operating at undesirable service levels. The southbound Germantown Avenue left turn at Hillcrest is operating at LOS ‘F’. At times, the left turn vehicle queue extends beyond the provided storage lane and extends onto the through lane, thus blocking all southbound traffic. The westbound left turn from Hillcrest Avenue is operating at Level of Service ‘E’ and a long queue of left turn vehicles is constantly observed during the evening peak hour. Finally, eastbound Bells Mill Road approaching Germantown Avenue experiences queues that at times extend to Forbidden Drive. Field observations showed some other notable conditions:

• During the evening peak hour, at times a long line of westbound vehicles on Bells Mill Road was observed extending from the Stop sign at the Forbidden Drive pedestrian crossing. The queue can extend back to the signalized intersection of Germantown Avenue and prevent vehicles from turning into Bells Mill Road. When this occurs, a queue can quickly form on southbound Germantown Avenue in the exclusive right turn lane. This issue appears to be seasonal and weather limited, since it is related to a high number of joggers, cyclists and horseback riders on the Forbidden Drive trail during the PM commuter peak hour.

• The southbound through lane of Germantown Avenue at Hillcrest Avenue leads into the

right lane of the two southbound lanes approaching Bells Mill Road. The right lane becomes an exclusive right turn lane at the intersection of Bells Mill Road. Motorists sometimes appear to be “trapped” in the right turn lane trying to merge back to the through lane. This slows down traffic progression and can cause backup on both of the southbound lanes between Hillcrest Avenue and Bells Mill Road. This situation could be improved by revising the pavement markings and placing another lane designation sign closer to Hillcrest Avenue.

Characteristics of Chestnut Hill College Traffic Existing College Campus and Population Chestnut Hill College has two campuses, Main Campus and the Sugarloaf Hill Campus. The Main Campus is located on the east side of Germantown Avenue and north of the Wissahickon Creek. The Sugarloaf Hill Campus is located on the west side of Germantown Avenue and south of the Wissahickon Creek. Currently, the Sugarloaf Hill Campus is still under renovation and provides housing to about 60 undergraduate students. In the Fall Semester of Year 2009 – 2010, the total number of students enrolled is 2,300 (900 undergraduate students plus 1,400 graduate and continuing studies students). Out of the 900 undergraduate students, 560 live on campus. There are 74 full time faculty and 166 full time staff.


Existing College Daily Traffic Patterns The Main Campus has three driveways, one on Germantown Avenue and the other two on Northwestern Avenue. Rogers Drive on Germantown Avenue serves as the College’s main entrance and carries the highest traffic volumes throughout the day. The driveway located across from the Lincoln Woods Apartments is used by service vehicles and carries the lowest volume among the three. The third driveway connects to the internal parking lots and provides an alternative access point to Rogers Drive. The Sugarloaf Hill campus presently has three driveways. On Bells Mill Road there is a driveway located approximately 60 feet from Germantown Avenue. There is a driveway to Germantown Avenue about 80 feet west of Bells Mill Road. The third driveway is a one-way entry-only driveway located 540 feet west of Bell Mill Road and 300 feet east of Hillcrest Avenue. Automatic Traffic Recorders (ATR) were placed on the campus driveways (except for the Main Campus service drive) to measure the daily campus traffic volumes and patterns. The data reveal that the college daily traffic has three significant peaks. The school morning peak hour is from 9:00 to 10:00 am when faculty, staff, and students arrive. The school evening peak hour is from 5:00 to 6:00 pm when daytime students and staff are leaving while students attending evening classes arrive. The third peak occurs from 8:00 to 9:00 pm when the evening students and faculty leave. The morning school traffic peak hour occurs about one hour later than the morning commuter peak hour on Germantown Avenue, while the afternoon school peak hour is the same as the commuter peak. The graph below illustrates the CHC traffic pattern throughout a typical weekday.


For purposes of the traffic analysis, the critical time period is the weekday afternoon commuter peak hour (5:00 – 6:00 pm). During the 8:00 – 9:00 pm evening school exiting peak, traffic volume on Germantown Avenue is much lower. Weekends are not critical for the traffic analysis because weekend traffic volume on Germantown Avenue is relatively low, and traffic generated by a weekend event at the Sugarloaf Hill Campus would also be lower than the college weekday peak.

Existing College Traffic Volumes during Commuter Peak Hours Based on the traffic counts conducted at all the school driveways of both campuses, there are 145 entering vehicles and 34 exiting vehicles during the morning commuter peak hour. Rogers Drive carries about 65% of the traffic while the non-service driveway carries 25%. During the evening peak hour, there are 251 entering vehicles and 154 exiting vehicles. Rogers Drive carries 80% of the school traffic while the non-service driveway carries 15%. It can also be seen that the school generates much more traffic during the evening commuter peak hour than during the morning peak hour. The great majority of the peak hour traffic is currently generated at the Main Campus. Sugarloaf Hill Campus currently generates no more than 30 vehicles total during either of the peak hours.

Projected Future Campus and Population According to the Master Plan, development will occur at both campuses but the majority of new facilities will be located at the Sugarloaf Hill Campus. The future Sugarloaf Hill Campus will host residential halls, academic buildings, and a 450-space parking garage. With the Master Plan development in place, the College is expecting to increase its undergraduate student population from existing 900 to 1,500. 80% or 1,200 of these undergraduate students will live on campus. The number of full time faculty and staff will grow accordingly from existing 240 to 433. This is to maintain the ratio of one faculty to 12 undergraduate students. However, for the graduate and continuing studies programs, the number of students is expected to remain about the same as today’s 1,400. Table 3 illustrates the comparison between the existing population and the future population of different categories.


Table 3: Comparison of Existing and Future College Population

Category Existing Population

Future Population % Increase

Undergraduate 900 1,500 67%

Faculty/Staff 240 433 80%

Graduate/Continuing Studies 1,400 * 1,400 0%

* 1,400 is the headcount, or number of individual students registered, not the number of students that come to campus on a given day. Many graduate/continuing studies students take only one class per week.

Methodology for Projecting Future College Traffic To project the future college peak hour traffic volume, it is assumed that the CHC travel patterns will remain the same as today. Therefore, the future college traffic was increased in proportion to the college Master Plan population increase. The school traffic during the morning commuter peak hour is a combination of faculty, staff, and undergraduate students. Faculty and staff will have a higher percentage population increase than students, but the faculty/staff rate was applied to all morning traffic in order to be conservative. The future morning entering and exiting peak hour traffic volumes were increased by 80% over the existing counts. During the evening peak hour, the entering traffic is mainly from graduate or Continuing Studies students, whose population will remain constant. The evening peak hour school exiting traffic is mainly from faculty and staff getting off work, as well as some day students. The future evening entering peak hour traffic was kept at the same level as existing, but the exiting peak hour traffic was increased by 80%. This methodology is summarized in the following Table 4.

Table 4: CHC Trip Increase over Existing with Completion of Master Plan Development

Entering Exiting

AM Peak Hour 80% 80%

PM Peak Hour 0% 80%


Future College Peak Hour Traffic Volumes Applying the aforementioned methodology results in projected future peak hour CHC traffic volumes as illustrated below in Table 5. With completion of the Master Plan development, it is projected that the total traffic generated by CHC will increase over today’s levels by 80% in the morning peak hour and by 30% in the evening peak hour.

Table 5: Future CHC Trip Projection (Vehicles in Peak Hour)

Existing Future Total Entering Exiting Entering Exiting Increase

AM Peak 145 34 262 61 144

PM Peak 251 154 251 278 124

Based on the parking demand study by Chance Management Advisors, the master plan parking demand will total 1,097 vehicles (daytime) and 898 vehicles (evening), which includes a parking demand of 232 spaces for junior and senior resident students. Freshmen and sophomore students will not be permitted to bring a car to campus. With the proposed 1,200 space parking supply, the daytime occupancy will be 91% and the evening occupancy (during classes) will be 75%. For purposes of the traffic study, we have assumed that 80% (186 spaces) of resident student parking will be assigned at Sugarloaf campus, with the remaining 20% (46 spaces) at the Main Campus. Applying equal occupancy rates at both campuses, it is estimated that about 25% of commuter (commuter student and faculty/staff ) parking will take place at Sugarloaf Campus. This is because of the lower parking supply and the amount of residential parking at Sugarloaf. The breakdown of the distribution to each campus is shown in the table below:

Table 6: Future Trip Generation/Distribution Methodology Based on Parking Allocation

CHC Sugarloaf Total Parking Supply 750 63% 450 38% 1200 Parking Demand (day) 1097 Parking Demand (night) 898 Assume 80% resident parking @ Sugarloaf Resident parking 46 20% 186 80% 232 Assume equal occupancy @ both campuses Daytime parking demand (91% occupancy) 683 - 414 - 1097 Resident parking 46 20% 186 80% 232 Commuter parking (AM) 637 74% 228 26% 865 Evening parking demand (75% occupancy) 560 - 338 - 898 Resident parking 46 20% 186 80% 232 Commuter parking (PM) 514 77% 152 23% 666


The total future college traffic is then distributed between the Main and Sugarloaf campuses as follows: Table 7: Future Trips by Campus AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour In Out Total In Out Total

Future Trip Projection (Table 5) 262 61 323 251 278 529

Using commuter traffic % by campus in Table 6 CHC 194 45 239 193 214 407

Sugarloaf 68 16 84 58 64 122

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate projected college traffic movements for the AM and PM peak hours.

Future Traffic Conditions

Sugarloaf Hill Campus Driveway Access The three existing driveways that serve the Sugarloaf Hill Campus are not suitable to support increased traffic activity. The driveways are too close to the intersection of Germantown Avenue and Bells Mill Road, and queues at the traffic signal block exits from the driveways. None of the existing driveways is at a location that is suitable for a traffic signal. It is recommended that the existing driveways be closed. The driveway on Germantown Avenue closest to Bells Mill Road should be retained as an emergency access only. An extensive study was performed to determine the best location for a new main access driveway. The location must be suitable for a traffic signal, must provide acceptable traffic operations within the existing constraints of Germantown Avenue and its other existing signals, and the driveway must be able to achieve acceptable alignment and grades to its destinations within the Sugarloaf Campus. Traffic analysis and simulations show that the best location for meeting all these criteria is on Germantown Avenue opposite Hillcrest Avenue. The driveway will form a fourth leg to what is now a “T” intersection. The following improvements to the intersection are recommended in order to provide for the new driveway:

1. The Sugarloaf Hill driveway should provide on entry lane and two exit lanes: an exclusive left turn lane and a lane for through and right turn movements.


2. A left turn lane for motorists travelling north on Germantown Avenue to turn into the Sugarloaf Hill Campus should be created within the existing street width. This is accomplished by reallocating 125 feet of the center lane on Germantown Avenue south of Hillcrest Avenue that is now used by southbound traffic to create a 75-foot long full width left turn lane with 50 foot taper.

3. On Hillcrest Avenue, the existing right turn lane would also provide for straight through movements into the new driveway.

4. The traffic signal should be upgraded in several ways: • Since the left turn from Hillcrest Avenue to eastbound Germantown Avenue has

such a high volume, it is recommended that the traffic signal provide a long advance left-turn phase for Hillcrest Avenue before the signal turns green for the CHC Driveway.

• Detectors should be installed for the CHC driveway. This phase will not appear when there is no vehicle present.

• A left turn signal arrow is recommended for the southbound left turn into Hillcrest Avenue, to prevent the left turns from backing up into the through lane. A detector is recommended for this phase.

• A pedestrian crosswalk should be striped across Germantown Avenue on the north side of the intersection. Pedestrians would cross Germantown Avenue on the Hillcrest Avenue eastbound advance left-turn phase, which provides ample time for the crossing. Pedestrian signal heads should be included for all crosswalks in the upgraded signal.

5. The traffic signal at Hillcrest Avenue should be interconnected and coordinated with the signal at Bells Mill Road. This will improve the level of service on Germantown Avenue at Bells Mill Road.

Future Peak Hour Traffic Volumes Comparison of traffic counts along Germantown Avenue conducted in Years 2006 and 2009 shows no significant change in traffic volumes along Germantown Avenue during the last several years. Therefore, for the purposes of projecting future traffic, the new CHC traffic was added to the 2009 volumes. The existing directions of approach and departure to Chestnut Hill College, as described below, were used to distribute the projected college traffic onto the roadway network: o 34% from / to the north on Germantown Avenue; o 25% from / to the south on Germantown Avenue; o 26% from / to the east on Northwestern Avenue or Hillcrest Avenue; o 15% from / to the west on Bells Mill Road.


Applying this distribution to the future total trip generation for each campus (from Table 7) results in the AM and PM peak hour college trips illustrated in Figures 5 and 6. Figures 7 and 8 illustrate the projected total future peak hour traffic volumes at the study area streets and intersections with full development of the CHC Master Plan.

Future Peak Hour Levels of Service Capacity analysis was conducted of the study area intersections with the projected future traffic volumes. Roadway and signal improvements were assumed to be in place as described in this report section on ‘Sugarloaf Hill Campus Driveway Access’ (page 12). Figures 9 and 10 illustrate the future peak hour Level of Service of the studied intersections. The comparison of existing and future intersection overall average level of service (with average delay in seconds) is summarized in Table 8. Table 8: Level of Service Comparison – Signalized Intersections on Germantown Avenue

Intersection AM Peak Hour PM Peak Hour Existing Future Existing Future

Northwestern Avenue C(21) B(18) B(17) B(17)

Rodgers Drive A(3) A(5) A(9) A(9)

Hillcrest Avenue C(25) C(27) E(69) D(55)

Bell Mill Road D(46) D(38) C(23) C(20) It can be seen that, with the optimized signal timings and lane reassignment (but no widening for new travel lanes), all intersections will operate at good service levels comparable to their existing conditions during both peak hours. All intersections will operate with an overall Level of Service “D” or better during both peak periods. In addition to levels of service, queue lengths were examined to check that the queues do not exceed the available storage. On Germantown Avenue between Bells Mill Road and Hillcrest Avenue, the expected queues in both directions will have adequate room to store. The queue in the southbound Germantown Avenue left turn lane at Hillcrest Avenue will sometimes exceed the available 180 feet of storage in the PM peak hour and extend into the through lane (as happens today). The average left turn vehicle queue is projected to be 130 feet. The left turn lane could be lengthened by reconfiguring the lanes within the existing road width without pavement widening; this would involve some reconstruction of the Belgian block median area. Some community members indicated in previous public meetings they are not in favor of that improvement.


Conclusion From a traffic perspective, the impacts of the Master Plan development of Chestnut Hill College are low. Of today’s undergraduate population of 900 students, 560 live on campus and 340 are commuters. The Master Plan will house 80% of undergraduate students on campus, so that while the undergraduate population will increase to 1,500, the number of commuting undergraduates will decrease from today’s number to 300 students, resulting in a decrease in student trips. The parking supply will increase, but that is largely to correct an existing deficiency in parking supply and to account for a future increase in upper-class resident students. These students, while they may have a car on campus, will not be making trips during the commuter peak hours. The graduate and continuing studies student population is expected to remain at today’s levels and the numbers of students arriving at campus during the PM commuter peak hour will not increase. The primary means of transportation between the Main Campus and the Sugarloaf Hill Campus will be by walking. The AM campus entry and exit traffic and the PM exiting traffic were increased by 80% of today’s counted levels, based on the projected percentage increase in faculty and staff. This is a conservatively high estimate, since existing peak hour traffic includes an unknown number of commuter students, and the number of commuter students will decrease, not increase, in the future. Even so, the projected traffic increase at most intersections averages 4%. For overall network traffic operations, the best location for the new Sugarloaf Hill Campus driveway is on Germantown Avenue opposite Hillcrest Avenue. The levels of service generally remain the same as existing at all intersections. Except for certain specific movements during the PM commuter peak hour, all movements at all intersections will operate at good levels of service during all times. Future Levels of Service at Hillcrest Avenue will not degrade from existing Levels of Service with signal optimization and phasing changes. In conclusion, with the proposed site access and traffic improvements, the Master Plan development of Chestnut Hill College will provide acceptable and safe traffic operations, as well as safe pedestrian movements and intersection crossings.

Orth-Rodgers & Associates, Inc.TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS AND PLANNERS

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PEAK HOUR

7:30 - 8:30 AM9/10/09

9260212

146483

12

251

25 76

14 32 6

PEAK HOUR9/10/097:30 - 8:30 AM

867

641

675

Existing AM Peak Hour Traffic VolumesChestnut Hill CollegePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 1


20

09

_1

25

_F

igs.

cd

r

RO

GE

RS

DR

IVE

NO

RT

HW

ES

TE

RN

AV

EN

UE

GERMANTOWN

AVENUE


HIL

LC

RE

ST

AV

EN

UE

BE

LL

S M

ILL

RO

AD

Sugar Loaf

Hill


LEGEND


120

468

216

597

103

537

PEAK HOUR

5:00 - 6:00 PM9/10/09

PEAK HOUR9/10/09

5:00 - 6:00 PM 24433128

25400709 15

529

213

1

640

336 588

1134

837

578

341

585

531

133440

73750

46 48

702

80

17

0 312

7

23 332 4

261230

715

340 7

PEAK HOUR

4:45 - 5:45 PM9/15/09

PEAK HOUR9/15/09

5:00 - 6:00 PM

PEAK HOUR

5:00 - 6:00 PM9/15/09

8037426

253723

9

212

25 94

10 26 6

PEAK HOUR9/10/095:00 - 6:00 PM

596

985

322

366

Existing PM Peak Hour Traffic VolumesChestnut Hill CollegePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 2

60

42


20

09

_1

25

_F

igs.

cd

r

RO

GE

RS

DR

IVE

NO

RT

HW

ES

TE

RN

AV

EN

UE

GERMANTOWN

AVENUE


HIL

LC

RE

ST

AV

EN

UE

BE

LL

S M

ILL

RO

AD

Sugar Loaf

Hill


LEGEND


A(#) - SIGNALIZED LEVEL OF SERVICE (DELAY IN SECONDS)

a(#) - UNSIGNALIZED LEVEL OF SERVICE (DELAY IN SECONDS)

D(3

5)D

(39)

C(25)

E(72)

B(15)

B(1

4)C

(30)

b(14)

b(14)

a(0)

a(0)

A(3)

A(3)

a(1) b(14)

OVERALL A(3)

OVERALL C(25)

OVERALL D(46)

C(29)C(27)

F(111)A(4)

D(5

0)

D(50)A(9)

B(22)A(6)

B(1

7)

C(2

5)

OVERALLC(21)

Existing AM Peak Hour Levels of ServiceChestnut Hill CollegePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 3


20

09

_1

25

_F

igs.

cd

r

RO

GE

RS

DR

IVE

NO

RT

HW

ES

TE

RN

AV

EN

UE

GERMANTOWN

AVENUE


HIL

LC

RE

ST

AV

EN

UE

BE

LL

S M

ILL

RO

AD

Sugar Loaf

Hill


LEGEND




D(54)A(5)

C(21)C(20)

B(19)

OVERALL E(69)

OVERALL C(23)

F(364)

C(26)

B(1

3)E

(61)

C(2

8)C

(31)

b(12)

b(13)

a(0)

A(5)

A(9)

a(1) b(12)

OVERALL A(9)

a(1)

Existing PM Peak Hour Levels of ServiceChestnut Hill CollegePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 4

C(29)B(16)

B(11)A(7)

B(1

5)

C(2

3)

OVERALLB(17)

C(2

6)


20

09

_1

25

_F

igs.

cd

r

RO

GE

RS

DR

IVE

NO

RT

HW

ES

TE

RN

AV

EN

UE

GERMANTOWN

AVENUE


HIL

LC

RE

ST

AV

EN

UE

BE

LL

S M

ILL

RO

AD

Sugar Loaf

Hill


LEGEND


NOTE:

THESE VOLUMES INCLUDEEXISTING CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGETRAFFIC AS WELL AS TRAFFIC FROMMASTER PLAN EXPANSION.

Total College Trips262 enter(61) exit

(10)

45

(5)

13

(30)

136

68

(16)

78(5)

5820

(12)

(18)

(3) (2)

(2)

9

7 4

(8)

(2)9 38

(3) 7

7827

(18)20

21

47

(11)

21

(5)

(9)

39

66

(15) (15)

(9) 39

66

(17)

1178

(4)

(21)

89 (5)

(5)

(6)

Future AM Peak Hour College Traffic VolumesChestnut Hill CollegePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 5


20

09

_1

25

_F

igs.

cd

r

RO

GE

RS

DR

IVE

NO

RT

HW

ES

TE

RN

AV

EN

UE

GERMANTOWN

AVENUE


HIL

LC

RE

ST

AV

EN

UE

BE

LL

S M

ILL

RO

AD

Sugar Loaf

Hill


LEGEND


NOTE:

THESE VOLUMES INCLUDEEXISTING CHESTNUT HILL COLLEGETRAFFIC AS WELL AS TRAFFIC FROMMASTER PLAN EXPANSION.

(55)

45

(9)

11

(150

)

137

58

(64)

79(18)

5816

(63)

(87)

(7) (2)

(12)

7

7 4

(43)

(12)7 38

(7) 7

7922

(87)16

20

45

(50)

20

(22)

(42)

38

63

(69) (69)(42) 38

63

(81)

1174

(14)

(95)

85 (18)

(22)

(24)

Total College Trips251 enter(278) exit

Future PM Peak Hour Traffic VolumesChestnut Hill College

College

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 6


20

09

_1

25

_F

igs.

cd

r

RO

GE

RS

DR

IVE

NO

RT

HW

ES

TE

RN

AV

EN

UE

GERMANTOWN

AVENUE


HIL

LC

RE

ST

AV

EN

UE

BE

LL

S M

ILL

RO

AD

Sugar Loaf

Hill


LEGEND


10

45

5

13

30

136

68

16

78694

58547

12 18

302

200

33

3 323

9

527

1 4

8234

238

287 7

131

563

27

96456

20

204

21 453

380

295

49

52

678

232

631

751

463

733

5826451466 20

042

013

1

37531165

9261112

146523

12

251

25 76

14 32 6

876

681

5 5 6

Future AM Peak Hour Traffic VolumesChestnut Hill CollegePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 7


20

09

_1

25

_F

igs.

cd

r

RO

GE

RS

DR

IVE

NO

RT

HW

ES

TE

RN

AV

EN

UE

GERMANTOWN

AVENUE


HIL

LC

RE

ST

AV

EN

UE

BE

LL

S M

ILL

RO

AD

Sugar Loaf

Hill


LEGEND


57

45

9

11

150

137

58

64

79458

58765

63 87

702

80

17

0 312

7

23 332 4

431230

738

340 7

120

457

22

216635

16

60 20 537

345

383

60

42

617

358

854

574

341

585

56225439733 15

929

212

3

24440121

8040926

253723

9

212

25 94

10 26 6

631

985 18 22 24

Future PM Peak Hour Traffic VolumesChestnut Hill CollegePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 8


20

09

_1

25

_F

igs.

cd

r

RO

GE

RS

DR

IVE

NO

RT

HW

ES

TE

RN

AV

EN

UE

GERMANTOWN

AVENUE


HIL

LC

RE

ST

AV

EN

UE

BE

LL

S M

ILL

RO

AD

Sugar Loaf

Hill


LEGEND




D(4

5)D

(45)

C(3

1)C

(33)

C(25)

B(11)

C(24)

B(16)

C(2

1)D

(44)

b(14)

b(14)

a(0)

a(0)

A(5)

A(3)

a(1) b(12)

OVERALL A(5)

OVERALL C(27)

OVERALL D(38)

C(34)D(53)

D(49)A(7)

D(5

1)

C(22)A(10)

B(13)A(6)

C(2

3)

D(3

8)

OVERALLB(18)

Future AM Peak Hour Levels of ServiceChestnut Hill CollegePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 9


20

09

_1

25

_F

igs.

cd

r

RO

GE

RS

DR

IVE

NO

RT

HW

ES

TE

RN

AV

EN

UE

GERMANTOWN

AVENUE


HIL

LC

RE

ST

AV

EN

UE

BE

LL

S M

ILL

RO

AD

Sugar Loaf

Hill


LEGEND




D(4

3)E

(59)

C(2

6)C

(32)

E(57)

B(20)

E(78)

C(33)

B(1

8)E

(76)

c(16)

c(18)

a(1)

a(0)

A(5)

A(6)

a(1) b(12)

OVERALL A(9)

OVERALL D(55)

OVERALL C(20)

B(19)B(19)

C(23)A(8)

D(3

5)

B(20)B(12)

A(9)A(6)

C(2

2)

D(4

0)

OVERALLB(17)

Future PM Peak Hour Levels of ServiceChestnut Hill CollegePHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

FIGURE 10

Documents

Master Plan - Traffic Impact Analysis