LOWER SAUCON TWP., Pa. — A traffic engineer who did traffic studies for the owners of Bethlehem Landfill testified this week they found a proposed expansion would generate "no corruptible crash patterns."
But under cross-examination, the engineer also said his analysis didn't comment on possible wear and tear on existing roads.
- Thursday's hearing was all about the expansion's potential transportation impact
- Timothy Kramer of Pennoni Associates was assigned to complete the impact study
- Residents, opposing legal counsel are concerned about the amount of data compiled, safety
On Thursday, Timothy Kramer, a traffic engineer in the transportation division of Pennoni Associates, testified he was involved in preparing a transportation impact analysis of the proposed expansion.
Lower Saucon Township is holding the hearings on the expansion, which would double the size of a nearby landfill and extend its remaining life from six years to 20 or 30.
In October, the landfill asked the township to rezone more than 200 acres of farmland for light industrial use.
Landfill attorney Maryanne Starr Garber asked Kramer what he looks for in preparing a traffic analysis for a project such as the proposed expansion.
“[The goal was] to evaluate the existing roadway network around the landfill, and to determine if the expansion project would have any impacts or negative effects on the roadway network.”Timothy Kramer, project engineer with Pennoni Associates
“We look for project location, proposed access points, what the surrounding roadway network is, also the size and type of the use that’s planned for that development,” Kramer said.
Garber then referred to the highway occupancy permitfor the access road involved in the proposed expansion.
Kramer said his organization has requested a review of the permit and a response from the state Transportation Department, but hasn't heard back yet.
A typical Tuesday
Kramer said the goal of the transportation impact analysis is “to evaluate the existing roadway network around the landfill, and to determine if the expansion project would have any impacts or negative effects on the roadway network.”
He said his organization studied Applebutter Road from the property limits of the landfill to Shimersville Road, choosing not to include the intersections of Route 412 and Shimersville Road, or Route 412 and the Interstate 78 interchange.
“We used our engineering judgment to find an appropriate scope for this project, given that the operations were not changing, as well as the multi-million dollar improvement that PennDOT had constructed along the 412 corridor that were designed for larger trucks as a result of the adjacent developments,” Kramer said.
“We typically evaluate the weekday a.m. commuter peak hours, which are 7-9 a.m., and the afternoon p.m. peak-hour period, which is between 4-6 p.m."Timothy Kramer, project engineer with Pennoni Associates
Kramer told Garber, “We typically evaluate the weekday a.m. commuter peak hours, which are 7-9 a.m., and the afternoon p.m. peak-hour period, which is between 4 and 6 p.m.”
Kramer said the study counted traffic from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Nov. 1 at the study area intersections. He said the study was conducted on a Tuesday because it’s “an average weekday,” usually not influenced by holidays or unusual events.
The analysis says three periods were evaluated: 2022 existing conditions, with a recorded volume that day of 1,414 tons; 2022 existing conditions at the existing maximum daily volume of 1,800 tons; and 2032 future conditions at the maximum daily volume of 1,800 tons.
Other factors, considerations
From there, Kramer testified, his organization performed a field view from Applebutter Road to Shimersville Road, to the property limits of the landfill, evaluating road conditions, signage and its placement, along with pave marking conditions.
Pennoni said he also requested 2016-21 crash data from PennDOT to evaluate numbers as they pertained to Shiversville Road to the eastern limits of the landfill driveway.
Based on the analysis by Pennoni, there were “no corruptible crash patterns.”
Applebutter Road also was deemed sufficient for roadway sight distance, Kramer said.
The only roadway improvement planned by PennDOT that Kramer addressed was a resurfacing scheduled for 2029 for the area of Shimersville and Applebutter roads.
He said some alligator cracking east of Applebutter and the landfill driveway was the result of a drainage issue, and the roadway still “appeared to be operating and designed as needed.”
Cross-examination questions
Gary Asteak, legal counsel for some neighbors of the landfill, asked Kramer if the analysis took into account trucks accessing the landfill from the east and the west.
Based on the daily count of the entire study area, there were 23 vehicles — “lights, mediums and articulated trucks” — coming from the east and 166 from the west, Kramer said.
He said trash trucks would be included in the medium and articulated vehicles, and as lights would be small box trucks or personal vehicles.
The totals included 49 lights from the west and nine lights from the east, 63 mediums from the west and 13 mediums from the east, and 54 articulated trucks from the west and one from the east.
Asteak questioned how Pennoni ended up with the numbers — asking whether people were physically out on site the entire day counting trucks.
Kramer answered that Imperial Traffic and Data Collection compiled the numbers using cameras. He said there was no specific certification that came along with the numbers.
When Asteak asked Kramer if there were any specific developments in the Lower Saucon Township area taken into account in the study, Kramer answered that they added none, but used PennDOT's background growth factor in the results.
Asteak asked if Kramer or his organization had consulted with any of the locals or truck drivers who regularly use the roadways. Kramer answered that anecdotal evidence isn’t something typically used in transportation analysis.
Kramer later said Pennoni “did report on the condition of the existing roadway, but we did not make any comments, or otherwise, on the continued wear and tear.”
Thoughts from residents
Attorney Michael Corriere, who represents Hellertown and Northampton County, asked Kramer about the tonnage data compiled in the study.
“We just applied the 20% growth factor, which is the difference between 1,414 and 1,800 [tons],” Kramer said. “So that assumes that your average, your distribution of vehicles using the landfill, is going to stay the same. You’re effectively increasing all of them at the same rate.
“We’ve seen the same distribution, percentage of vehicle size and average weight of the landfill.”
He added that the maximum weight on a single truck that they noticed in the results was 25-26 tons.
Russ Sutton and Cesar Medina, who live near the landfill, both questioning the amount of data taken in for the analysis.
“When it comes to traffic, again, because we’re looking at an average weekday, many drivers have identical commuting patterns and times. You don’t benefit as much from counting multiple days in the road to try and get more data."Timothy Kramer, project engineer with Pennoni Associates
“When it comes to traffic, again, because we’re looking at an average weekday, many drivers have identical commuting patterns and times,” Kramer said. “You don’t benefit as much from counting multiple days in the road to try and get more data.
“We’re looking at an average commuter weekday, average commuter peak hours, for commuters who can use the same direction, the same route around the same time every day.
"So unless there’s an extenuating circumstance or event, we typically do our studies on one day of data.”
The hours of operation for the landfill, trash truck access point, as well as the trips back and forth made by trucks are expected to remain the same, he said.
