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L4. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS 4.4 TRANSPORTATION AND CIRCULATION LL {L 4.4 TRAFFIC AND CIRCULATION[ L 4.4.1 INTRODUCTION I The analysis presented herein addresses potential project impacts on traffic operating conditions at area intersections and on area roadways, on traffic safety, and on roadway structural integrity. The analysis focused on AM peak-hour conditions because project-generated traffic would be substantially lower during the PM peak hour(which generally occurs between 4:00 PM and 6:00 PM). In addition, 24-hour machine counts performed on area roadways indicates that truck traffic originating from the existing mining sites in the project area is negligible during the PM Lpeak hour relative to the AM peak-hour volumes. 1 4.4.2 SETTING L ROADWAY NETWORK LThe project area is predominately served by two-lane rural roads. These roadways are typically unimproved and lack curbs and sidewalks. The 680-acre project site is located southeast of the intersection of Blewett and Koster Roads. A number of other sand and gravel quarries exist in the vicinity of the site, and each of these operations are identified in the Section 6.2 of this report. The traffic resulting from existing and permitted gravel mining traffic was considered in all analysis scenarios. Figure 4.4-1 shows the roadway network in the project vicinity. La Regional Roadway Access LRegional access to the project site is provided by Interstate 5 (I-5),I-580, and State Route (SR) 132. I-5 is a four-lane freeway that runs north-south on the west side of the area,connecting L with the cities of Tracy and Stockton to the north and with Merced County to the south. The freeway interchange at SR 132 serves the project site. Average Daily Traffic (ADT) on I-5 is approximately 16,000 vehicles near the SR 132 interchange(Caltrans Traffic Data Unit, 2002). 1- 5 intersects with I-580 just west of the project site, with I-580 providing regional access to points west in the San Francisco Bay Area. I-580 has four lanes and carries an ADT of approximately 22,000 vehicles in the project vicinity (Caltrans Traffic Data Unit, 2002). SR 132 is a two-lane east-west highway,providing access to the City of Modesto to the east; SR 132 connects with I-5 and I-580 at freeway interchanges northwest of the project site. Short sections of SR 132 near its interchanges with I-5 and I-580 are constructed as a four-lane divided expressway. The ADT on L SR 132 in the project area is approximately 18,000 vehicles;peak-hour traffic flow is highly directional, with an approximate 10/90 eastbound/westbound split in AM peak-hour traffic L (Caltrans Traffic Data Unit,2002). l This section was prepared using,in pan,analysis conducted by Peters Engineering Group,presented in a March 2004 report. L I RMC Pacific Vernalis Quarry Mining and Reclamation Project 4.4-1 ESA/203015 Administrative Draft EIR March 2004