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Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Report Page IV.B-1 Forward Inc. Landfill 2014 Expansion Project B. TRANSPORTATION AND CIRCULATION This evaluation of transportation and circulation updates the 2013 Forward Landfill Expansion Project EIR's environmental setting and impacts analyses to take into account the proposed -- changes to the Expansion Project. This section is based on a transportation study conducted for the 2013 Project for Forward, Inc.by Republic ITS (2012,updated 2013), which was peer- reviewed for the County by an independent traffic consultant(PHA Transportation ._ Consultants) as well as by County Public Works Department traffic engineers. That study was revised in preparation of the Final EIR (2013). It has been updated again to reflect current conditions and the 2014 Expansion Project by PHA Transportation Consultants (PHA, 2014). The impacts and mitigations in this section replace those in Section IV.B of the 2013 EIR. Setting This section describes the traffic-related environmental setting in the vicinity of the project site. — The background condition of existing traffic conditions is the "setting" for CEQA purposes. This condition assumes operation of the existing Forward Landfill for the life of the existing permits (see Project Description for a full discussion of permitted development). The following is a description of existing conditions. Existing Roads The project site is located on Austin Road with access via the other roadways described below. The regional roadway network is indicated on Figure IV.B-1. _ Austin Road The main entrance to the landfill is located on Austin Road, as shown on Figure IV.B-1. Austin Road is a two-lane,north-south collector road that extends from Mariposa Road south toward Lathrop. It provides direct access to the project site as shown in Figure IV.B-1. Although there was no posted speed limit sign (allowing for a 55 mph speed limit), most motorists were observed traveling at about 50 mph during field visits by Republic ITS. After the 2012 Republic ITS study was prepared, the California Health Care Facility on Austin Road north of the landfill was completed, and a signalized intersection was installed at the facility's entrance on Austin _ Road between Arch Road and the landfill. State Route 99 State Route 99 (SR 99) is a major regional north-south freeway approximately one mile west of the project site, which provides access to all major cities in California's Central Valley. The southern terminus of SR 99 is approximately 25 miles south of Bakersfield, where it merges with — Interstate 5 (1-5);the northern terminus is near Red Bluff,where it again merges with 1-5. In the project vicinity, SR 99 is a four-lane divided freeway (two lanes each direction). Access between Route 99 and the project site is provided via an interchange at Arch Road and, to a lesser extent, interchanges at French Camp Road and Mariposa Road. Mariposa Road Mariposa Road is an east-west two-lane collector that runs between downtown Stockton and Escalon. The road serves agricultural, industrial, and residential developments. The posted speed limit along the roadway is 50 miles per hour(mph)near SR 99 and 55 mph near Austin J