Walter Strawn Post Closure Cree Ee ire)wae Seamamae FOR This page is intentionally left blank. June 24,2015 |oe Sool srapes POR Contents 1 Introduction cna eases 7 r sa 1 2 Laraway Road Operations before Closure. 3 3 Laraway Road Operations after Ciosure.... 5 3.4 Traffic Data. 5 3.2 Traffic Operations. ° 3.3. Leraway Road Queues. 9 4 Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road Operations before Closure. wn 44° Traffic Data, dat setiaoe be : 15 42 Traffic Operations. 15 5 Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road Operations after Closure 5.1. Traffic Data. 52 Traffic Operations... 53 Arsenal Road at EWvood Intemational Port Road Queue Analysis 6 Overweight/Oversize Truck Route ...0nn - : seen 61 Policy and Ordinances 25 62 _ International Shipping Containers. 29 63 Industry Survey miniiitiaraicaiurninssncenin OD J COMCHUBIONS enn enonenn 3 74 Lareway Road ee so 34 7.2. Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road 33 73° Summary 4 Tables Table 1. LOS and Delay before Closure - Wednesday, January 14, 2018... . 4 Table 2. Common Hourly Data... = Sait Table 3. LOS and Delay before Closure — Tuesday, December 2, 2014 16 Table 4. LOS and Delay after Closure ~ Tuesday Apri 7, 2016, 23 Table 5. Class | and Class | Truck Routes. 25 Table 5. PM Peak Hour LOS by Movement and Overall Intersection at Laraway Road and IL $3 Before and After the Walter Strawn Drive Closure. 4 Table 7. Change in Delay (PM Peak Hour) by Movement and Overall Intersection Before vs. After at Laraway Road and IL 53. 32 Table 8. Change in LOS by Movement and Overall Intersection at Arsenal Road and Elwood International Port Road Before and After the Walter Strawn Drive Closure 3 ‘Table 9. Change in Delay by Movement and Overall Intersection at Arsenal Road and Elwood ‘Intemational Port Road Before vs. After Closure of Walter Strawn Drive 34 une 24, 2015 | 4Walter Strawn Post Ciosure Operational Analysis Figures Figure 1. Location Map Figure 2. Average Daily Traffic on Laraway Road Figure 3, Average Daily Truck Traffic on Laraway Road... Figure 4, Laraway Road Hourly Volumes... Ss Figure 5. Laraway Road Hourly Truck Volumes... Figure 6. ADT at Arsenal Road ané EMvood Intemational Pot (EIP) Road Figure 7. Truck ADT at Arsenal Road and Elwood International Port Road Figure 8. Elwood International Port Road North Leg Hourly Volumes Figure 9. Elvood Intemational Port Road South Leg Hourry Volumes. Figure 10. Arsenal Road West Leg Hourly Volumes... Figure 11. Arsenal Road East Leg Hourly Volumes : 2 Figure 12, Emvood International Port Road North Leg Hourly Truck Volumes. - Figure 13. Evood Intemational Port Road South Leg Hourly Truck Volumes. 21 Figure 14, Arsenal Road West Leg Hourly Truck Volumes... Figure 15. Arsenal Road East Leg Hourly Truck Volumes. Figure 16, Class | and Class I! Truck Routes... W | dune 24,2015vom geataiaaee EDR Appendices Tuesday, December 2, 2014 ..oo nnn ninennnnn : A Traffic Data At-A9 HES 2010 RepOMS. om eit. A40-AA7 Wednesday, January 14, 2016 B Traffic Data... B41 -B-7 HCS 2010 Reports... 88-820 Thursday, March §, 2015.0... ' c Traffic Data heii ee i Ne c4-c7 HCS 2010 Reports c-8-6-20 Wedd; MarCH11; 2096 5saninsininn iin nin tins tg Traffic Data D-4-D7 HOS 2010 REpOMRE noone D-8-D-20 ‘Thursday, March 12, 2016. 36 Traffic Data EA -ET HES 2010 Reports. E-8-E20 ‘Saturday, March 14, 2015. ar ee F Traffic Data a sit ssicpanins A SE HCS 2010 Report... ‘Thursday, April 30, 2015... 3 ace Traffic Data . Sat ar ssn 4 = GT HGS 2010 Reports. 68-620 Friday, May 1, 2015 ee aaa area Traffic Data ie HA-H7 HCS 2010 Report. He -H-20 Monday, May 4, 2015 ee : ena Traffic Data HCS 2010 Repors. 18-120 Tuesday, April 7, 2015, J Traffic Data a io Ja HCS 2010 Reports. 8-420 uve 24,2015 |‘Walter Stavn Post Closure Operational Analyse Glossary Average Daily Traffic (ADT) ~ The average 24-hour volume at a given location over a defined time period less than one year, a common application is to measure an ADT for ‘each month of the year. Level of Service (LOS) — Operating conditions are graded in terms of LOS, which assigns a letter from A to F based on the Highway Capacity Manual (HCM) 2010 methodologies, and consider speed, delay, trafic interruptions, safety, driver comfort, and convenience. LOS A is the highest (best traffic flow and least delay), LOS E represents saturated or at capacity conditions, and LOS F is the lowest (oversaturated conditions). For signalized intersections, LOS is calculated for lane groups, intersection legs, and the intersection as a whole. The LOS analysis for signalized intersections was based on average total vehicle delay (in seconds of delay per vehicle). Delay can be a result of one or any combination of the following: high volumes entering the intersection, poor signal phasing, a lack of or inadequate number of auxiliary lanes, etc, Analyses also took into consideration the need to maintain any existing and proposed pedestrian crossings. The HCM 2010 definition for the various LOS and corresponding delay for signalized intersections is summarized in the table below. A 0-10 B > 10-20 o > 20-35 D > 35-55 E > 55-80 F >80 Peak Hour — The single hour of the day that has the highest hourly volumes. Typically, a peak hour during the morning and evening rush is identified to account for variability in travel patterns between the morning work commute and evening commute. Generally, the AM peak hour occurs between 6-9 AM and the PM peak hour occurs between 3-6 PM. On a case-by-case basis as needed a Midday peak hour may also be identified for locations where the land use can generate a larger volume of traffic at a specific location. Wy | dune 24,2015,Wate Gremio sabes FOR This page is intentionally left blank. ne 24,2008 |v1 “ate Sool eyes POR Introduction ‘The at-grade Union Pacific (UP) crossing of Walter Strawn Drive west of the IL 63, intersection was closed on January 28, 2018. Prior to its closure, Walter Strawn Drive to 1L 53 was the only locally permitted overweight truck route access for the CenterPoint Intermodal Center (CIC) properties. The current temporary permitted overweight truck route is Arsenal Road providing access to I-55. Traffic that used Walter Strawn Drive in the past now needs to use either |-55 to Arsenal Road or IL 63 to Laraway Road, The closure of Walter Strawn Drive has raised the questioned as to where trafic is now going. Increased use of Laraway Road is not preferred due to the presence of Laraway Elementary School on Laraway Road. However, as extrapolated from pre-closure data of December 2, 2014, approximately 60 percent of the total traffic utilizing Walter Strawn Drive at IL 53 traversed to and from the north along IL 53, depicting a preference of CIC traffic to have access to the northeast. The December 2014 traffic data is provided in ‘Appendix A. There is no other access to the northeast from the CenterPoint Properties except via Laraway Road. ‘The purpose of this report is to determine: 1) ifthe closure of Walter Strawn Drive has resulted in an increase in traffic on Laraway Road west of IL 63; and if there is an increase in traffic 2) does the increased volume affect the intersection of Laraway Road with IL 53 or the operations on Laraway Road west of IL §3; 3) do the travel patterns and, ‘operations change at the Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road intersection; ‘and 4) what are the current overweight truck policies. The location of the Laraway Road section, the IL 53 intersection, and the Arsenal Road at Elwood Intemational Port Road intersection evaluated are shown in Figure 1 June 24,2018 | 4Water Strawn Post Closure Operational Analysis fs Laraway Road aie 63 Figure 1. Location Map 2 | June 24,20152 vote sromona ayes POR Laraway Road Operations before Closure The most recent available turning movement data for the IL 53 and Laraway Road intersection were collected on Wednesday January 14, 2015, prior to the closure of Walter Strawn Drive, and obtained from Sam Schwartz Engineering 2.1 Traffic Data ‘Tratfic data were collected from 6-9 AM and 3-6 PM; Midday data (9 AM 3 PM) were not collected. The AM and PM peak hour data reflects 47 percent and 44 percent truck traffic, respectively. With the lack of 12-hour count data, Average Dally Traffic (ADT) was ‘not calculated for Laraway Road in January 2015. The AM and PM peak hour total and. truck turning movement summary and raw traffic data are provided in Appendix B. 2.2 Traffic Operations Utilizing traffic signal timing data from IDOT, an operational analysis was conducted for the intersection using HCS 2010. The evaluation of operations at the intersection before Walter Strawn Drive closed is summarized in Table 1. The overall intersection operated at LOS C in the AM and PM peak hours. All individual movements at the intersection operated at LOS D or better, with the exception ofthe left turn moverents on the north and south legs, which operated at LOS E during the PM peak hour. On Laraway Road, the highest entering volume occurred on the west leg at the left turn movement and resulted in approximately 35 seconds of delay on average with LOS C. During the PM peak hour, the volume turning left from the west eg resulted in a queue that exceeds the length of the turn lane by approximately 150 feet. The Max Queue is the calculated length of queue from the Highway Capacity software for which the queue spillover from tum lanes is not accounted. Meaning that the actual queues for tur lanes could be longer than calculated and the turn lane queue extends into the through lane, thus blocking progression and increasing delay of the through movement. The HCS reports summarizing the results of the operational analysis are provided in Appendix B. June 24,2015 | 3‘Water Sawn Post Closure Operational Analysis Table 1. LOS and Delay before Closure - Wednesday, January 14, 2015 a ee Soo West. Let East Len South Let 4 | dune 24,2016 eel AM Peak Hour En 07) 637) czas) 0459) (604) c(222) c(e24) (49.8) c@35) (24.3) (94) © (344) D (404) © (45) D625) E618) c (262) (265) (61.2) car) cara) 6 (938) 370 160 118 125wae Sroial ayee FOR Laraway Road Operations after Closure Since the closure of Walter Strawn Drive on January 28, 2015, multiple data were collected at the IL 53 at Laraway Road intersection. The data were collected for various reasons, specifically: 1) in response to Laraway Elementary School indicating additional traffic on Laraway Road after the closure of Walter Strawn Drive, 2) to determine if funeral processions impacted trafic operations, and 3) to determine if and why traffic eastbound on Laraway Road resulted in long queues. Those dates collected were: ‘+ Thursday, March 5, 2015 ~ Manual 12 Hour ‘+ Wednesday, March 11, 2015 — MioVision Video 24 Hour Thursday. March 12, 2015 ~ MioVision Video 24 Hour + Saturday, March 14, 2015 - MioVision Video 24 Hour + Thursday, April 30, 2015 ~ MicVision Video 10 Hour * Friday, May 1, 2016 - MioVision Video 10 Hour + Monday, May 4, 2015 — MioVision Video 10 Hour During the data collection process, it was discovered that Brandon Road, west of IL §3, was closed February 14 and reopened on April 1, 2015. The closure resulted in modified travel patterns which may not be representative of actual conditions due to the closure and detour of Brandon Road. Overall, data vary daily and monthly. Specifically, the adjacent land use is industrial and, intermodal and itis expected that deliveries and shipping schedules vary month-to-month and day-to-day. Due to the variations, traffic cannot be compared on a one-to-one bas but by trends. A common practice is comparing traffic from Tuesday through Thursday of a typical week. Weekend, Monday, and Friday data are generally not representative of typical daily traffic. Traffic data collected on Monday or Friday are included in the trend analysis and generally result in outlying data; which may not necessarily be true for this land use. Detailed analysis of ADT, peak hour volumes, and operations relative to every day of data collected are detailed in the Appendices. 3.1. Traffic Data 3.1.1 Average Daily Traffic For each weekday of data collected, the Laraway Road ADT is shown in Figure 2 and the Laraway Road Truck ADT is shown in Figure 3. ADTs for March 2016 may not be representative of actual conditions due to the closure and detour of Brandon Road Overall, the ADTs indicate that traffic and truck volumes on Laraway Road increased during the period of data collection, which is after the closure of Walter Strawn Drive. June 24,2018 | 5Walter Strawn Post Closure peratonal Anatysis Laraway Road ADT $9000) p@—— 10000 | g E 2000 | 83/5/2015 2 53/11/2015 | or ome 9311272015 F 000 | waps0r2015. | g 5/1/2015 2000 5/4/2015 Wiest Leg Figure 2. Average Daily Traffic on Laraway Road Laraway Road Truck ADT 6000 : 83/5/2015 3/1172015 93/12/2015 94/30/2015 5/1/2015 95/4/2015 West Leg 6 | June 24, 2015 Figure 3. Average Daily Truck Traffic on Laraway Roadweno sectors sabes FOR 3.1.2 Hourly Traffic Volumes Figure 4. Laraway Road Hourly Volumes charts the hourly trafic of the data collected. Included in this chart is the data and resultant trend line of a roadway with typical ‘commercial/residential trafic. The typical trend line reflects an AM peak hour occurring between 7 and 9 AM and a PM peak hour occurring between 4 and 6 PM. The midday volumes between 9 AM and 4 PM are generally lower than the AM and PM peak hours, and a trough shape is created. Due to the adjacent land use, the hourly data on Laraway Road forms an AM peak before 7 AM and a PM peak between 1 and 3 PM. The midday traffic either gradually increases throughout the day to become the day's PM peak or forms a mesa instead of the trough. This graph shows how the traffic is unique to the land use and how traffic grows throughout the day and peaks outside of typical peak hours. Analysis of traffic during typical roadway peak hours for an intermodal land use is not enough to evaluate effects of traffic on the roadway network, ‘The trends of the data collected are similar with an overall increase in volume on Laraway Road in April. The peaks and valleys of the hourly data are similar for each day of data collected regardless of the volume, Some peaks and valleys are distinctly similar, while others may not be as sharp or may occur at a different time interval. Figure 5 ‘depicts the hourly truck volumes for the corresponding hours shown in Figure 4. Overall ‘ruck traffic volumes show similar peaks and valleys when compared to each other and indicate an overall increase in truck trafic on Laraway Road, Laraway Road (West of IL 53) 900 800 700 600 500 400 300 200 100 Volume 2-way Hour! *500] 600] 7:00] 600 | G00 | o0d] T100]F200] 700 | 200 | 00] 400 | 500 | B00 ‘am ant | am | amt | aMt [ant [aM | PM | pm | Pat | Pat | Pat | PML | PM | PML a6 Typical [110 | 208 | 360_| 396 | 263 | 200"| 280 | 298 | 243 | 205 | 44a | 525 | 575 a] ——iraaors| | aat | 632 | 527 I ‘at | 587 | 444 aan 376 | 62 | 514 | 472 | 448 | 464 | 505 | Gat | 625 | 4am | «27 [500] | arias | Bae [aie | 520 | 506 [625 | 979 | 591 | 622 | 505 | 625 | 59m | 456 | sor | 278 | 205 = wrarios| 289 [447 [50s | 0 | 525 [575 [619 | 610_| 607 [670 | 620 | 465 | «26 | 200 | 230 ——ana015 Tis [riz | 646} 708 | 766 [750 | 712 [810] vem} 758] | Figure 4. Laraway Road Hourly Volumes. dune 24,2018 | 7Waller Strawn Post Closure ‘Operational Analysis Laraway Road (West of IL 53) . 700 Ee 3 2 800 3 400 = 300 To e 100 ao "500 ] 600 [7.00 | 809] So0 [1009] 100) 00] To | Zo0] 800] «00 | 500] G00 | 7.00 ‘aw | aut | ‘aa | 200 [aut |x | AM | PM] PM | Pat | Pu | PM | PM | PA | Pat [wane] a7 | as 168 wai [HT | a3 [——ssr2015 | [196 [ asi | ara | S08 | S66 | a0] S66 | 962 | 366 | 320 | 270 | 210 (——artr201s| 138 | 08 | 355 | 440 | 421 | 900-| 476 | 400 | 407 | 446 | 544 | 200 | 244 | 76 | 148 [——araaors| 114 | 212 | 333 | 421 | 42 | abe | 525 | 475 | 471 | 500 | 501 | 200 | 220 | vat | 729 —saor076| 64 | 470 | aaa | 677 | 617 | 633 | 613 | 648 | 434 | 357 Figure 5. Laraway Road Hourly Truck Volumes ‘Since the data was collected during different time frames, the common hourly data totals for all of the data were examined in further detail. Common hours of data are the hours of 7 and 8 AM and 3 and 4 PM and then 9 AM to 2 PM and are summarized in Table 2. Table 2. Common Hourly Data January 14 2167 March § 1916 March 11 272 March 12 2191 April 30 2975 May 1 3044 May 4 2441 i 1302 1425 1425 1705 1643 1487 2886 3531 3618 4484 4545 4037 rr Ho 3228 January and March Total data are very similar during the AM and PM hours with an ‘overall increase after March. The data that vary the most s the Midday data. As Previously noted in Figure 2, the ADT increased over time after the closure of Walter Strawn Drive. The ADT increase is supported by Table 2 in that the typical AM and PM hourly data does not vary significantly but that the Midday data has increased steadily since the closure of Walter Strawn Drive. If only the AM and PM data were obtained the increase in ADT would not have been supported. The Midday Truck data also indicates an increase in the volume of trucks on Laraway Road, 8 | June 24,2015,roe genetics BOR 3.2 Traffic Operations Knowing that there is an increase in overall traffic and truck traffic, the data were further analyzed to determine if a change in operations is associated with the change in trafic volumes. Analysis of each independent day of data is detailed in the Appendices. All the March data had similar peak hour volumes and reflected similar operational results with slight increases in delay when compared to the pre-closure data. However, the truck percentages increased, which is reflected by longer maximum queues ‘experienced on the west leg to the intersection. In all cases, the Midday peak results in operations worse than the PM peak In general, as the ADT increases and as the truck percentages increase, the west leg, and more specifically, the eastbound to northbound left turn operation deteriorates and the queues increase in length ‘The April 30 data are the first data collected after Brandon Road re-opened and the detour was removed. Typical travel patterns and volumes are considered to be re- established. The total and truck volumes of the entire intersection for April 30 are higher than any previous date. There is a change in the overall operations and queues of the intersection, with an increase in overall intersection delay from five to ten seconds. The west leg of the intersection, Laraway Road, declines from LOS G (34.4 seciveh) in December 2014 to LOS F (80.2 sec/veh) in April 2015 with the queue increasing from 370 feet to 910 feet. Fridays do not generally reflect typical volumes and patterns and were not included in the data comparison; however, its important to note that the operations and queues of the Friday data collected were significantly worse than the Tuesday-Thursday results, The west leg left turn delay increased to 107.3 seclveh and the queue for the same movement increased to 1,028 feet 3.3. Laraway Road Queues The above stated Max Queues are the calculated length of queue from the Highway Capacity software for which the queue spillover from turn lanes is not accounted Meaning that the actual queues for turn lanes could be longer than calculated and the tum lane queue extends into the through lane, thus increasing delay of the through movement, Itwas observed that the left turn queue does block the through lane and vehicles were driving on the shoulder to proceed fo the through lane at the intersection The length of queue also extends past the right-invright-out exit drive of the Fuel and Food Truck Stop. The result is vehicies exiting the Fuel and Food either blocking the through lane to access the left turn lane or waiting forthe left turn traffic to allow them to enter ‘There are three access drives to Laraway Elementary School located approximately 1,500 feet, 1,875 feet, and 2,150 feet west of the IL 53 intersection. To verify the reported increase in queues that are affecting the access drives to Laraway Elementary School and to assess ifthe increase in queues are influenced by any funeral processions, video footage was recorded on Thursday April 30, Friday May 1, and Monday May 4, 2015. The Abraham Lincoln Cemetery owners reportedly stated that Friday and Monday are the busiest days for burials, A recorder was located at Hoff Road June 24,2015 | 9Water Strawn Post Closue Operational Analysis to determine the time of occurrence for a funeral procession. Other recorders were located at the UP railroad at-grade crossing on Laraway Road and at the Laraway Road and IL 53 intersection to determine the extent to which vehicles eastbound on Laraway Road queued and what the possible causes were, if any. All observations are recorded in sections 33,1, 3.3.2, and 33,3, ‘Although funeral processions did not appear to have a significant effect upon the queues that formed on Laraway Road, it was found that rail occurrences did impact the queues. ‘The UP rail serves both freight traffic and Amtrak passenger traffic. As the roadway traffic is expected to vary month-to-month and day-to-day, similarly the freight traffic on the UP rail will vary month-to-month and day-to- day. The Amtrak traffic is on a regular schedule, The UP grade crossing is approximately 2,600 feet west of the IL 53/Laraway Road intersection, The data reflects that under high traffic volume situations, queues form up to the UP grade crossing. Concurrent trains or long freight trains result in intersection queuing west of the UP grade crossing, (Observations show the queuing can be a result of the combination of the railroad gates being down and higher trafic volumes on Laraway Road during certain peak periods. During train occurrences vehicles are held west of the UP grade crossing. Once the Vehicies west of the UP grade crossing are released the queue is one large platoon of Vehicles proceeding to the intersection at IL 53 at the same time. The large platoon of vehicles results in a queue that extends to or beyond the UP rail and it takes a few cycles to recover back to expected queues. Typically platooning is smaller and arrival of vehicles at the intersection is random and able to be accommodated within the designated cycle. IDOT personnel have reported observing the westbound traffic queue extending from the UP grade crossing to and through the IL 53 intersection during a train occurrence. The presence of queues in both directions can be disruptive to ingress and egress of Laraway Elementary School 3.3.1 Union Pacific (UP) Railroad Video Review — April 30, 2015 The 10-hour video was reviewed. Times when railroad gates were down and when queues backed up from the eastbound leg of the IL 53 intersection tolpast the railroad tracks were recorded. In addition, observations were also recorded regarding possible causes of queuing by review of the railroad and Laraway Road and IL 83 intersection videos. The following lists all observations made during the 10-hour video and any correlation between queuing, the railroad tracks, and the Laraway Road and IL 53 Intersection that could be made, * Gates down 8:02:13 ~ 8:03:17 AM ‘+ Gates down 6:53:10 8:53:59 AM Gates down 9:48:57 - 9.52:18 AM © Gates down 10:14°11 -10:13:58 AM 40 | dune 24,2015ve Sesion aie KOR + Queuing to/past tracks at 10:27:21. Queuing may be a result of higher traffic ‘volumes on Laraway Road and platooning of vehicles as a result of the railroad gate being down for nearly three minutes. Queue continues to clear then builds back up to tracks until 10:36:00. + Gates down 10:32:33 - 10:33:39 * Queue eastbound to/past tracks occurs at 11:01:19 AM and at 11:06:15 AM. Both times the queue extended to the tracks only once and then cleared closer to the intersection, No reoccurring queues. Traffic volumes on the west leg are higher during the 11:00 to 11:15 AM period, Queue build up may be result of traffic volumes. * Gates down 11:23:40 - 11:24:29 AM + Funeral Procession 11:41:25 ~ 11:42:32 AM + Gates down 1:21:25 ~ 1:31:22 PM — Queuing occurred in the eastbound direction at the intersection of IL 63 and Laraway Road consistently until 2:36 PM to the tracks once gates were lifted ‘© Funeral Procession 2:00:18 - 2:01:37 PM ‘+ Gates down 2:19:10 ~ 2:20:00 PM ‘+ Gates down 3:06:30 ~ 3:08:03 PM ‘+ Queuing eastbound to/past tracks 3:13:02 PM, cleared around 3:16 PM. Queuing ay be result of a combination of the gates remaining in the down position for {wo and a half minutes and higher traffic volume between 3:00 and 3°15 PM + Gates down 3:24:05 — 3:24:57 PM + Gates down 3:26:00 ~ 3:29:27 PM — Upon gates lifting, a queue formed eastbound at the intersection that extended to and past the railroad tracks, ‘Queues would clear then build up again past the tracks continuously until 3:44 PM, The queues may be a result of the rail gates being down three times in 30, ‘minutes, resulting in platoons forming west of the gates, coupled with an increase in eastbound traffic 3.3.2 Union Pacific (UP) Railroad Video Review — May 1, 2015 ‘The 10-hour video was reviewed. Notes regarding times when railroad gates were down, and any queuing noted backing up from the eastbound leg of the intersection to/past the railroad tracks were recorded. In addition, observations were also recorded regarding possible causes of queuing by review of the railroad and Laraway Road and IL 53 intersection videos. The following lists all observations made during the 10-hour video and any correlation between queuing, the railroad tracks, and the Laraway Road and IL 53 intersection that could be made. Gates down 8:01:38 — 8:02:44 AM Gates down 8:58:16 - 8:59:09 AM © Gates down 10:27:20 - 10:28:20 AM June 26.2015 | 44\Watar Straw Post Closure (Operational Analysis 3.3.3 Gates down 10:57:34 ~ 10:58:37 AM Gates down 11:00:03 - 11:00:53 AM Gates down 11:01:18 ~ 11:04:58 AM Gates down 11:35:49 - 11:36:53 AM Funeral Procession 11:43:38 ~ 11:45:30 AM Funeral Procession 12:05:43 — 12:05:53 PM Funeral Procession 12:43:30 ~ 12:43:54 PM Gates down 1:08:32 ~ 1:18:22 PM Funeral Procession 1:36:38 - 1:37:08 PM Funeral Procession 1:58:54 ~ 2:06:05 PM Gates down 2:54:55 ~ 2:55:48 PM Gates down 3:21:62 ~ 3:24:02 PM Gates down 3:49:08 ~ 3:50:18 PM Gates down 4:53:24 ~ 4:54:34 PM Union Pacific (UP) Railroad Video Review - May 4, 2015 ‘The 10-hour video was reviewed. Notes regarding times when railroad gates were down and any queuing noted backing up from the eastbound leg of the intersection to/past the railroad tracks were recorded. In addition, observations were also recorded regarding possible causes of queuing by review of the railroad and Laraway Road and IL $3 intersection videos. The following lists all observations made during the 10-hour video and any correlation between queuing, the railroad tracks, and the Laraway Road and IL. '53 intersection that could be made. 42 | dune 24,2016 Gates down 7:20:04 — 7:21:06 AM Gates down 8:05:16 ~ 8:06:23 AM Gates down 8:54:37 ~ 8:55:26 AM Funeral Procession 8:58:11 ~ 9:07:43 AM Funeral Procession 10:20:14 — 10:26:51 AM Gates down 10:27:24 ~ 10:28:28 AM Funeral Procession 10:48'52 ~ 10:48:07 AM Gates down 11:29:09 - 11:30:03 AM Gates down 12:59:57 ~ 1:00:53 PM Funeral Procession 1:32:50 ~ 1:33:28 PM Funeral Procession 2:15:33 2:16:15 PM Gates down 3:03:02 ~ 3:04:09 PMwt Srenoalseages POS + Gates down 4:08:39 - 4:24:24 PM — Upon gate lif, the queues that developed {rom the gate down time cleared through to the eastbound leg of the intersection at IL 53. A queue formed that neared the tracks but never reached the tracks or extended beyond = Queue formed to and past tracks at 4:39:44 PM. Queue cleared and did not reform. tune 24,2016 | 13Walle Strawn Post Closure Operational Analysis This page is intentionally left blank. 14 | dune 24, 2015vate Staion Anames POS Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road Operations before Closure ‘The most recent available turning movement data for the IL §3 and Laraway Road intersection were collected on Tuesday December 2, 2014, prior to the closure of Walter Strawn Drive, as collected by HDR through Miovision video data collection 4.1 Traffic Data 4.1.1. Peak Hour Volumes From the 12-hour traffic count an AM, Midday, and PM peak hour was identified. The AM and PM peak hours were identified as the morning and evening 1-hour period with the highest volumes entering and exiting the intersection combined. The Midday peak hour was identified as the peak hour with the highest percentage of trucks entering and exiting the intersection, which tended to occur during the midday hours. The AM, Midday, and PM peak hour total and truck turning movement counts and the raw traffic counts are provided in Appendix A. 41.2 ADT ‘The 12-hour count data collected at the intersection on Tuesday, December 2, 2014 were entered in the IDOT Report Worksheet and used to estimate the ADT at the intersection, The IDOT Report Worksheets are provided in Appendix A. 42 Traffic Operations ‘An operational analysis was conducted for the intersection using HCS 2010. The evaluation of operations at the intersection before Walter Strawn Drive closed is ‘summarized in Table 3. The overall intersection operated at LOS C during each peak hour evaluated. All movements at the intersection operated at LOS C or better with the exception of the north leg and east leg left turn movements which operated at LOS F for all hours. The resultant LOS F is in part due to low volumes that perform these movements. Green time is allocated to the heavier volume movements resulting in longer waits for the east leg and the north leg left tum movement. The HCS reports ‘summarizing the results of the operations analysis are provided in Appendix A. ‘The table includes the calculated length of queue from the Highway Capacity software for which the queue spillover from turn lanes is not accounted. Queues do not appear to be of concern at this location; however itis known from the Laraway Road analysis that observed queues are longer than the calculated queues. supe 24, 2018 | 15Wao Strawn Post Closure Operational Analysis Table 3. LOS and Delay before Closure - Tuesday, December 2, 2014 ‘AM Peak ros eran ceteris Hour Hour Hour Go C261) cG08) c (04) 8108) 8 (137) 3 (148) (128) B (144) c(t.3) 215 F (102.9) F (106.1) F (158.4) 20 (175) (16.3) 3 (183) 8 (176) 3 (16.3) 3 (183) (303) cars) cers) 170 (20.4) (174) 8 (167) F (102.9) F (975.6) F (103.7) 5 6 (266) 0 (259) (7.5) 8 (160) (01) c(t.) 80 (21.2) (249) © (23.8) 16 | dune 24, 2015sprataines: FOR Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road Operations after Closure Since the closure of Walter Strawn Drive on January 28, 2015 traffic data was collected only once at the Arsenal Road at Elwood Intemational Port Road (EIP) intersection on. ‘Tuesday April 7, 2015. The hourly and ADT tratfic data is summarized in Appendix J. 5.1 Traffic Data ‘The pre-Walter Strawn Drive closure data was compared to the post-Walter Strawn Drive closure data. 5.1.1 Average Daily Traffic ‘The ADT by leg of the intersection is shown in Figure 6 and the Truck ADT by leg of the intersection is shown in Figure 7. The data refiect an overall growth in traffic by leg at the intersection as well as a significant growth in truck traffic by leg Arsenal Road at EIP Road +6000 = 5 10000 he 12/2/2014 m4712018 ° | North South East West Leg jure 6, ADT at Arsenal Road and Elwood International Port (EIP) Road Arsenal Road at EIP Road 0000, $$$ 8000 6000 4000 wtarai2014 a 4/7/2015 North South East West Leg Truck ADT Figure 7. Truck ADT at Arsenal Road and Elwood International Port Road dune 24, 2015 | 47Witter Strawn Post Closure Operational Analysis 5.1.2 Hourly Traffic Volumes. Figure 8 through Figure 11 chart the hourly traffic by leg of the data collected, These graphs reflect how the overall volume has increased with the greatest hourly changes ‘occurring midday. The data shows that increases in traffic due to the closure of Walter Strawn Drive occurs on the north leg between 11:00 AM and 1:00 PM, on the south leg between 7:00 AM and 3:00 PM, on the west leg between 7:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The traffic increases on each of these legs of the intersection as expected; however, it appears that the rerouted traffic generally chooses Arsenal Road over Laraway Road ‘The east leg of the intersection shows a slight overall increase in total traffic with a spike from 10:30 to 11:30. The AM and PM peak hour trends are common with the midday traffic fluctuating EIP Rd (North of Arsenal Rd) tm 3 600 a) 3 = 400 & & 200 & 200 Far ra0y ean wan roaay van se00] Loo] Zan [0 [| Sap " ‘aM_| AM | All| alt | AM | AM| PM PM | PHM | PM | P| PLA [——vaae0%a ars | 312 | 266 | 265 | 900 | 21 | 34% | S56 | 476 | 504 | 458 | soe (—Ssa01s [ave | air | 7 | 376 | 500 | 460 | 565 | 516 | 642 | 654 | 360 | 3 Figure 8. Elwood International Port Road North Leg Hourly Volumes 48 | June 24,2018Water Svaun Post Cosre YQ Operator Aras EIP Rd (South of Arsenal Rd) 1000 = 200 g S e00 = = 700 i 600 & zs - < 300 E06 EO | F900 EO | 000] 00] 00] 00] Z0| HON] 00 fae | at | at | | sn | ‘sn | ‘AM P| P| P| P| PM (areas as [sia | oar [ae [ate [oe | [see [re [ar [0 [ast [arrenis | sar oso oon | ore | oe | ros [oo | se | oz | os [oss | ose] Figure 9. Elwood International Port Road South Leg Hourly Volumes Arsenal Rd (West of EIP Rd) 1100 z 5 1000 $ zs ar) = 2 Z 700 é F 600 4 500 aa [500] 7H] eo | Boo [000] 1700] 00] 19] 2a0 | 50] aD fa | as |‘ | ‘ant | 908 | ‘AM | "AM | Pot | Pa | eH | Pie | PM [——vaaaia| 736 | 708 | 570-| os | 268 | aro | ozs | 052 | 72a | Tat | 056 [eon [——aracis [ere | 70 eet | ror] 772 | res ger | oro | vos [1055] 1008] 728 Figure 10. Arsenal Road West Leg Hourly Volumes June 24,2018 | 19Walter Stayn Post Cosure Operational Analysis Arsenal Rd (East of EIP Rd) 200 5 $ 2 150 3 2 Zz 100 6 a 50 | 500 ] 600 | 700 | Go | 300 | 10:00] Tr00] 00] TOO] 200 | 360 | woo fam va | av | ant | aM [au | at | Pat | pu | pw | oe | Pee [——wwarora| 10 | 115 | 99 | 06 | oo | 71 | 05 | m4 | e5 | 192 | r00-| vat —araois soe | vit | 75 | 69 | 78 | 7a | wor | a7 | ir | a81 | 195 | 119 Figure 11. Arsenal Road East Leg Hourly Volumes Figure 12 through Figure 15 chart the hourly truck traffic by leg of the data collected. An ‘overall increase in truck trafic is shown in each chart. The data shows that increases in truck traffic due to the closure of Walter Strawn Drive occurs on the north leg between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM, on the south leg between 7:00 AM and 4:00 PM, and on the ‘west leg between 7:00 AM and 1:00 PM. The truck traffic increases on each of these legs of the intersection as expected; however, it appears that the rerouted truck traffic, ‘generally chooses Laraway Road over Arsenal Road. The east leg of the intersection does not reflect a specific pattern but it does reflect an increase in truck traffic. It Suggests that trucks are using un-permitted routes. EIP Rd (North of Arsenal Rd) 2 Oy 5 ar) s 3 400, £ aed =) ae z & 100 ‘6:00 | 7:00 | 6:00 | 9:00 | 10:00]17:00] 12:00] 1:00 | 2:00 | 3:00 | 4:00 | 5:00 fut | it | at || ant | ae | | P| Pa | Par | Par | (Seaeaaea sar [arr [ate [ano | ao | aot | aaa [aoe [er [aoe | 286 [a7 [—arraors [aoe [arr [ate [ara | aaa | ses | aoo-[ 50 | aor | aaa | 360 [27a Figure 12. Elwood International Port Road North Leg Hourly Truck Volumes 20 | June 24, 2015wee Sremcawayes POS EIP Rd (South of Arsenal Rd) $990 te 3 10 z 00 = 500 2 400 ae) 200 55] 05] 800] 80] ToaH|rro0] TaN] 150] aB0 30 | 400 Ba fae | || ae | | Ase] | fe | br | bw ow | a (——saraeata | a61 [aon [ata 339 [ 428 | 477 | «00 | 422 | 450 | 400 | 374 | 303 (Sarre [aes [se [sr | s-[ oor | oe ee | Yar [Tae | | ar | 8 Figure 13. Elwood International Port Road South Leg Hourly Truck Volumes Arsenal Rd (West of EIP Rd) ‘800 § 70 3 Se E500 2 400 = (30 a 20 ‘500 ] 7.00 | 600 | 800 | TOGO] Fr00] TON] 10 | B00 | So | oD | SoD fam | aM | alt | aM | 'am’| ane [Pat | pw | pm | Put | PM | Po [waza 27s | ais | 365 | 30s | 65 | 605 | 480-| 82 | 24s | ai | 37 | 201 [——arraois [308 | 46s | 463 | a51 | 64s | 686 | 746 | 600 | Gea | 031 | 552 | 422 Figure 14, Arsenal Road West Leg Hourly Truck Volumes tune 24,2015 | 24Walter Sawn Post Closure Operational Analysis Arsenal Rd (East of EIP Rd) 2.way Hourly Truck Volume ‘aut | aM | AM | AM | AM | Au | PM | PM | pM | PM | PM | PM wopefe[m{7}2;ulelels anos [7 [oe fe fio fs | ar | at | | at | ar | ‘00 | 7-00 | 800 | 800 ] 10:00] 17-00] 1200] 1.00] 200 | 3:00 | «00 | S00 4 Figure 15. Arsenal Road East Leg Hourly Truck Volumes 5.2. Traffic Operations Knowing that there is an increase in overall traffic and truck traffic, the data were further analyzed to determine if a change in operations is associated with the change in traffic volumes, ‘An operational analysis was conducted for the intersection using HCS 2010. The evaluation of operations at the intersection after Walter Strawn Drive closed is ‘summarized in Table 4, The overall intersection operated at LOS C in the peak hours evaluated. There are several changes in LOS for individual movements from LOS B to LOS C and LOS C to LOS D. The movements which change in LOS are: ‘+ west leg left turn ‘+ east leg thru and shared thrulright turn ‘+ south leg left and shared thrulright turn = north leg thru This change in LOS is expected from the increased volumes of the south leg left turn movement and the north south through movements as a result of the Walter Strawn Drive closure, ‘The east leg and north leg left turn movement continues to operate at LOS F with a significant increase in delay. These volumes are generally lower than all other movements and therefore green time is limited for these movements. Green time is, allocated to the heavier volume movements resulting in longer waits for the east leg and the north leg left tum movement. The HCS reports summarizing the results of the operations analysis are provided in Appendix J. 22 | une 24,2015vate Sremccaaes FOS Table 4. LOS and Delay after Closure - Tuesday April 7, 2015 - eee " ce eon ia B (19.4) B(18.3) aan ‘South: C314) 2135.4) 2139.6) 375 C08) Gi2is) Ga25) Thu (322) 255) b1404) Overall Intersection © (25.0) (© (29.1) (32.9) LUnderin reflects change in level of service The table includes the calculated length of queue from the Highway Capacity software for which the queue spillover from tum lanes is not accounted... The calculated queue for the west leg right turn movement exceeds the available storage by 15 feet and all queues have nearly doubled from the calculated queues of the before closure of Walter ‘Strawn Drive analysis. It is known from the Laraway Road analysis that observed ‘queues are longer than the calculated queues. 5.3. Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road Queue Analysis Queves, as calculated by the Highway Capacity software, do not appear to be of concern at this location. Yet, the calculated length of queue from the Highway Capacity software does not account for queue spillover from tum lanes. Also, as evident from the queue analysis of Laraway Road, there are instances in which the actual queue can be longer than the calculated queue, To verify the queues, a site visit was conducted on June 23, 2015. The observations were performed from 11:30 PM to 12:30 PM, the time frame in which the trucks appear to be highest in the midday. The west leg left tum is a dual tum lane. The left tun had one instance of seven (7) trucks with one (1) car and two instances of ten (10) trucks with one (1) car in a 15 minute period. Generally the trucks utilized the right hand left turn lane. The car, when not blocked by the queue of trucks in the right hand lane, would proceed tothe left hand left turn lane. In each of these instances the left turn green time would clear no more than six trucks, resulting in four trucks waiting for the next left tum signal phase. The observed queue for these instances was 580 feet long. During the same time frame the queue for the west leg right turn was 715 feet with 10 trucks June 24,2018 | 23Water Strawn Post Closure Operations! Analysis ‘The south leg left tur is a dual tum lane, The south leg left turn operated much the ‘same as the west leg left turn such that trucks preferred to utilize the right hand left turn lane. At most four trucks would use the right hand left turn lane before choosing the left hand left turn lane. During the time frame of the observation it was routine to have five to six trucks present. At most four trucks from the queue would be served by the allocated green time, The queue of the trucks was routinely observed at 350 feet ‘The observations refiect that actual queues are longer than the calculated queues. This occurs because the software program cennot emulate driver behavior. In this case, it has been found that truck drivers prefer the outside dual left turn lane which may not be the most efficient use of the turn lanes. 24 | dune 24,20156 ‘ows Sremenalseayse POS Overweight/Oversize Truck Route linois truck routes are designated on the Getting Around Ilinois website and are broken into Class |, Class Il, and Class Ill truck routes. Class | designated truck routes have limited access and ere typically divided highways; Class Il designated truck routes are ‘ot interstates and typically have the same restrictions as Class |; and Ciass Ill designated truck routes permit 80,000 pound trucks but will have truck limits on vehicle ‘width and total length. Permits for overweight and overheight limits are required for Class | and Class Il routes. The designated truck routes are listed in Table 5. Truck routes are also shown by jurisdiction in Figure 16. Table §. Class | and Class | Truck Routes fn 1-89 (IDOT) 1183 (07) Laraway Road 55 (IDOT) {by Will County 2/16/1989) ‘Arsenal Road (TEMPORARY) (by Wil County 2/28/2015) Walter Strawn Drive (by Vilage of Etwood June 2012) wood Intemational Port Road south of Arsenal Road (by Vilage of Eiwood June 2012) CConter Point Drive (6y Vilage of Ehwood June 2012) Mississippi Avenue extending approximately 2.000 feet east of Center Point Drive (by Vilage of Ehvood June 2012) CenterPoint Way (private ~ open tothe public) Etwood International Port Road north of Arsenal Road {private — open tothe public) With the closure of Walter Strawn Drive, itis unclear where the overweight trucks are traveling, 61 Policy and Ordinances The Illinois Vehicle Code (ILCS) states the legal limits of wheel and axle loads and gross weights in Section 5/15-111. Subsequently, Section 6/15-301 discusses Permits for Excess Size and Weight. 625 ILCS 5/15-301 (a) states: “The Department with respect to highways under its Jurisdiction and local authorities with respect to highways under their jurisdiction may, in their discretion, upon application and good cause being shown therefor, issue a special permit authorizing the applicant to operate or move a vehicle or combination of vehicles of a size or weight of vehicle or load exceeding the maximum specified in this Act or ‘otherwise net in conformity with this Act upon any highway under the jurisdiction of the party granting such permit and for the maintenance of which the party is tune 24,2016 | 25‘Water Strawn Post Closure Operational Analysis responsible”......No state or local agency shall authorize the issuance of excess size or weight permits for vehicles and loads that are divisible and that can be carried, when divided, within the existing size or weight maximums specified in this Chapter.” 6.1.1 State of Illinois Through the iliinois Administrative Code (92 Ill Adm. Code Part $64) Ilinois adopts the policies as stated in the ILCS 6/75-301 and thus overweight loads to a maximum of "120,000 pounds for a six axle semitrailer and 100,000 pounds for a five axle semitrailer are pertitted on state maintained truck routes. IDOT has permitted and continues to permit overweight trucks on IL 53, 55, and I-80 following the Il, Adm. Code. 6.1.2 City of Joliet ‘Truck routes for roadways owned and maintained by the City of Joliet are discussed in the City of Joliet Municipal Code, Chapter 19 (Motor Vehicles and Traffic), Article | (Vehicle Code), Division 2 - Truck Routes. The code states that: ‘+ Laraway Road is not noted as a truck route in the code. * Section 19-16 “Origin of truck traffic; destination points” states “trucks may deviate from an established truck route to the nearest destination point and return to the truck route by the shortest permissible route.” + The City Manager has the authority to classify or deciassify roads as locally designated highways otherwise known as truck routes Contrary to the City code, Laraway Road is categorized as a Class Il route and on the IDOT Getting Around ilinois truck route map. State permits for overweight loads are applicable to Leraway Road since the City does not have a permit program, Regardless of the Class II designation, it is implied under Section 19-16 that trucks may deviate from the IL 53 truck route via Laraway Road to the CenterPoint Way truck route to perform their business. It has been reported that the City of Joliet has allowed overweight trucks on Laraway Road if carrying a state permit. There are ambiguities in the ordinance and inconsistencies between the Code and the IDOT truck route map in regard to overweight vehicle use of Laraway Road. The City of Joliet recently stated its intent to restrict divisible overweight trucks from using roadways under the City of Jolie's jurisdiction. There appears to be flexibility in the ordinance for the City Manager to take action in determining overweight usage of Laraway Road. Once the temporary permit period for Arsenal Road expires and the city acts on its intent to limit divisible trucks, overweight vehicles would be isolated to/from the CIC absent any jurisdictional or policy change of the roadways connecting to the CIC. 26 | June 24,2015vom szatars ED BR CLASS | AND CLASS lI TRUCK ROUTES Figure 16. Class | and Class Il Truck Routes une 24,2016 | 27water Sawn Post Closure Operational Analyeis 6.1.3 Village of Elwood ‘The Village of Elwood has adopted the ILCS 5/15-301 as noted in Ordinance 1004 and permits trucks over 80,000 pounds on their designated truck routes. In a review of the Village's Comprehensive Annual Report, it typically budgets $72,000 in collected fees for overweight vehicle permits. In FY2013, it collected $80,386 and in FY2014 it collected $76,992, 6.1.4 Will County Historically, Will County has not accepted state permits for overweight vehicles on Arsenal Road. Acknowledging that no designated overweight truck route was in place for the CIC, Will County has through Ordinance 15-53 temporarily implemented permits for Continuous operation of oversize - overweight vehicles carrying containers for international shipping. The temporary permits were issued starting Monday, February 23, 2016 and are issued as follows + Maximum weight 82,000 Ibs. gross on § or more axies; + Valid for a daily, weekly or monthly permit; and + Fora fee of $60.00, $250.00, or $500.00 per permit From 2/23/15 to 3/10/15, a period of 16 days, the WCDOT had issued 238 limited, continuous overweight permits. Of those permits, 28 were daily, 9 were weekly, and 200 were for monthly. ‘The temporary permit period was set to expire on May 23, 2015. The permit period has been extended to July 22, 2015. Previous to, and still applicable, Will County has adopted State of Illinois size, weight, load and permits procedures as local Ordinance 02-289 and amended the weight, load, and permits via Ordinance 08-200. Ordinance 08-200 has become more stringent than ‘the state policy and will only permit limited continuous operations of agricultural ‘commodities with a weight restriction of 80,000 Ibs., containerized grain toffrom CenterPoint Intermodal Center (CIC) to 88,000 Ibs., and overweight loads in relation to ‘construction equipment, equipment for manufacturing, and self propelled cranes that ‘cannot be broken down to legal limits, No other containers, other than grain containers, are permitted by Will County to/from CIC beyond 80,000 Ibs. However, per 625 ILCS 5115-301 (a), they have the authorization to permit overweight containers other than grain. in 2014, Will County permitted countywide a total of 14,115 oversize/overweight permits with 10,759 permits for containerized grain. From January 28, 2015 to February 10, 2015 since the closure of the UPRR crossing at Walter Strawn Drive, Will County has permitted countywide @ total of 8.443 oversize/overweight permits with 8,340 permits for containerized grain. It is assumed that the increase in permits is for containerized grain infout of CIC. 28 | sune 24, 2015ote retin secnes FOR 6.1.5 CenterPoint Properties The only roadway which allows overweight trucks without permit is CenterPoint Way. CenterPoint Wey is a private roadway under the jurisdiction of Center Point Properties. Center Point Properties has designed their roads accordingly to accommodate ‘overweight trucks. CenterPoint Way is located between roadways under the jurisdiction of the City of Joliet and Will County, While the roadway is private, public use of the road is allowed without permit. 6.2 International Shipping Containers Of specific interest to the intermodal community is how the oversize/overweight policy applies to shipping containers. The General Provisions as included on the permit form of IDOT and Will County state: Containers for International Shipping: For a shipping container to be considered a non- divisible load and eligible to be hauled under an IDOT OS/OW permit, it must be in a sealed shipping container for intemational shipment and in route for import or export toffrom a foreign country. Upon request from law enforcement, the driver must present documentation, such as a bill of lading or manifest that specifically ties the sealed container being moved to the container listed in the documentation through the unique container number (consists of 4 letters and 7 numbers). The documentation must also clearly state the foreign country destination or origin of that container. Failure to produce such documentation shall result in the load being considered a divisible load and ineligible to be permitted. Regardless of the general provision for intermational shipping containers, Will County has stated on their website the following statement regarding overweight loads: “Permits may be issued for an overheight and overweight load providing it consists of one abject that cannot be reasonably dismantled or disassembled.” Will County, while not clearly defined anywhere, applies the above General Provision of Containers for International Shipping toward grain containers only. Other commodities are not considered, ‘The term “reasonably dismantied and disassembled” is not defined in the ILCS. It also does not state that the load must be one object. Per the definition provided by IDOT regarding non-divisible loads, as long as there is a customs seal or a private seal, the loads are eligible for permitting ‘The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) does not issue permits for oversize or overweight vehicles. This is a state option. However, the FHWA defines non-divisible loads as; Permits may be issued by the States without regard to the axle, gross, or Federal bridge formula requirements for non-divisible vehicles or loads. Non-cdivisible is defined as any load or vehicle exceeding applicable length or weight limits which, if separated into ‘smaller loads or vehicles, would: 1. Compromise the intended use of the vehicle, i¢., make it unable to perform the function for which it was intended I. Destroy the value of the load or vehicle, /.., make it unusable for its intended purpose; or sume 24,2015 | 28Walter Strawn Post Closure (Operational Anas il, Require more than 8 work hours to dismantle using appropriate equioment. The applicant for @ non-divisible load permit has the burden of proof as to the number of work-hours required to dismantle the load. States may also define intermodal shipping containers as non-divisible, but are not required to. ‘The general provision of the IDOT permit for international shipping containers states their preference to define intermodal shipping containers as non-divisible. 6.3 Industry Survey Permits are required to be obtained by the trucking company, not by CIC, LPC, or JIT. HDR surveyed three randomly selected trucking companies that use the CIC on a daily basis, The trucking companies surveyed ship commodities and intermodal transports. ‘The commodities hauled included: frozen meat/seafood, lumber, steel, sheet metal, die blocks, and refrigerated containers. The loads ranged from 92,000 to 100,000 pounds, ‘The average number of overweight loads per hauler to or from CIC in 2074 was 1,750. ‘The overweight load is a one-way trip in or one-way trip out ‘Applying the average number of overweight loads per year (1,750) to each of the 31 tenants of the CIC results in a total of 54,250 overweight loads per year. This averages to approximately 175 overweight trips per day (assuming 313 hauling days). The 2014 calculated ADT from December 2014 data on Walter Strawn Drive was approximately 7.400 vehicles. The percent of overweight trucks accounts for approximately 2.4 percent of the daily trafic or approximately 178 trucks per day 30 | June 24, 2015wate Sree seyes FOS Conclusions The purpose of this reports to determine: 1) ifthe closure of Walter Strawn Drive has resulted in an increase in traffic on Laraway Road west of IL §3; and 2) if there is an increase in trafic, does the increased volume affect the intersection of Laraway Road with IL 53 or the operations on Laraway Road west of IL §3; 3) do the travel patterns and ‘operations change at the Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road, and 4) what are the current overweight truck polices. TA Laraway Road ‘The data collected on Laraway Road indicate a gradual increase in daily traffic and truck traffic after the closure of Waiter Strawn Drive, The data collected have been influenced by a construction detour. During construciion detours, traffic volumes and travel patterns are generally modified. The April data occurs after the conclusion of the detour and traffic is expected to be normalized. The April data reflects increases in overall and percentage of truck traffic on Laraway Road. ‘The increase in trafic and change in composition of trafic has resulted in a decrease in level of service for the west leg eastbound to northbound left turn movement from LOS D to LOS F as shown in Table 6. Table 6 represents the PM peak hour only, not the Midday due to unavailable data for January. Generally, all other movements of the intersection continue to operate at similar levels of service, Table 6. PM Peak Hour LOS by Movement and Overall Intersection at Laraway Road and IL 53 Before and After the Walter Strawn Drive Closure tee AFTER 3/5, West Thigh Be Tek Thnu/Right Saath Thvu/Right Worth Thru/Right Overall une 24,2016 | 31‘Water Staw Post Closure Operational Analysis Table 7 depicts the delay associated with each movement of the intersection of Laraway Road at IL 63. The change in delay for the west leg left turn is significant from a 36 second delay to 2 100+ second delay. While the overall LOS of other movernents does not change as noted in Table 6, there is some additional delay experienced at the intersection to those movements because of the increase in traffic on the west leg of Laraway Road. Table 7. Change in Delay (PM Peak Hour) by Movement and Overall Intersection Before vs. After at Laraway Road and IL 53 tee BEFORE AFTER. Movement apa West | ett 3a Theu/Right 404 east [ett 345, Theu/Right 525 South | Lett sus Th 262 ‘Thru/Right 265 North Ter 12 Tew ma Thru/Right 24 Overall 338 ey ‘The increase in time of delay subsequently results in lengthened queues. The ‘operational analysis has calculated queues for the west leg left turn to exceed, in some circumstances, 1,000 feet. To substantiate the operational queues, data were collected at the UP grade crossing to determine if and why long queues would occur. On the days of data collection, there were numerous occurrences of queues meeting or exceeding the distance to the UP grade crossing, The lengthy queues occurred primarily in the afternoon between 1 and 3 PM, the time when truck volumes are at their peak. Though not documented, IDOT personnel have observed westbound queues occurring from the UP grade crossing up to and beyond the IL 53 intersection ‘The Laraway Elementary School access drives are located approximately between 1,500 and 2,150 feet west of the IL 53 intersection and approximately 800 feet east of the UP ‘grade crossing. Because queues form eastbound and westbound on Laraway Road between the UP grade crossing and the IL 53 intersection during train occurrences and when heavy volumes occur, itis assumed that access to the schoo! is impacted. 32 | dune 24,2018,wae Seemnecatwayes PIS 7.2 Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road ‘The data collected at the Arsenal Road at Elwood Intemational Port Road intersection indicate an increase in daily traffic and truck traffic after the closure of Walter Strawn Drive. Traffic has increased in the north-south thru movements and the north leg left tum movement. ‘The increase in trafic has resulted in a decrease in level of service from LOS C to LOS D for the west leg left turn movement, the south leg left tum, and the north leg thru movement as shown in Table 8. Other movernents that decrease in level of service from LOS B to LOS C are the east leg thru and thru/right movement and the south leg thrulright movement. The changes in LOS are due to the increased volumes in the north-south thru movements and the north leg left tum movement. Table 8. Change in LOS by Movement and Overall Intersection at Arsenal Road and Elwood International Port Road Before and After the Walter Strawn Drive Closure AM. Midday Table 9 depicts the delay associated with each movement of the intersection of Arsenal Road at Elwood Intemational Port Road. While there are very low volumes served by the east leg left turn and north leg left turn movements, the increase in delay is significant. The movements with expected volume increases, north-south thru and south leg left turn result in delays increase up to 12 seconds. Additionally, a volume increase is not experienced of the west leg left tum movement yet the delay increases. This is because the volume increases of the other movements require additional signal green time. The green time is taken away from the west leg left turn movement, tune 24,2015 | 33‘Water Strawn Post Closure Operations! Analysis Table 9. Change in Delay by Movement and Overall Intersection at Arsenal Road and Elwood International Port Road Before vs. After Closure of Walter Strawn Drive AM __Midday PM. Leg | Movement | 12/2 a7 122 an we | an Left 264 30.8 30.4 Thu 108 137 aaa West _| Right 128 144 213, Left 102.9 4064 1584 Thu. 125, 168. 183 East_| ThumRight 178. 163 183) Let 303 275 m3 south | thumight | 20.1 174 167. Left 1029 3756 1037 ThrwRight | 266 259 25 North _| Right 160 20.4 210 Overall 242 24.0 key The increase in time of delay subsequently results in lengthened queues. The queues are calculated to double from the pre-closure to post-closure of Walter Strawn Drive. A site visit was conducted to very the calculated length of queue. It was found thal actual {queues are longer than the calculated queues. In part, due to driver behavior and the use of the dual left turn lanes 7.3 Summary ‘As a result of the closure of Walter Strawn Drive traffic has increased on Laraway Road and queues do affect the operations of both Laraway Elementary School and the Fuel and Food Truck Stop access drives. Queues are not found to be a product of funeral processions for the Abraham Lincoln Cemetery, but a result of train occurrences coupled with high trafic volumes. Traffic has increased at the Arsenal Road at Elwood International Port Road intersection with the closure of Walter Strawn Drive. Not only has traffic increased due to being the only truck access point to the development south of Arsenal Road, but travel patterns have changed, There is an increase to the already high turning volumes of the south leg left tun and the west leg right tum and a new ‘emphasis to the north-south thru movements. Both the Laraway Road at IL 53 and ‘Arsenal Road at Elwood Intemational Port Road intersections operate acceptably overall; however, the high volume movements are beginning to degrade. As of December 2014 the UP Center was at 50% capacity. As the CenterPoint Intermodal Center with the UP and BNSF faciities continue to grow, traffic wil increase and operations will degrade further. As volumes increase coupled with the high truck volumes the safety of the roadways degrade 34 | June 24, 2015wate Seeaccaiwagas FIR ‘The one aspect of traffic that is not able to be documented is the impact of overweight vehicles. Will County is issuing temporary permits for overweight vehicles on Arsenal Road from Elwood International Port Road to I-55. Even with this temporary permit in place the traffic on Laraway Road has still increased. Trucks are bypassing the I- 55/Arsenal Road interchange to traverse northeasterly to IL 83. It is unknown if the increase in trafic to Laraway Road is due to unpermitted overweight trafic, haulers adjusting their fleet to compensate for not using overweight vehicles due to a temporary permit on Arsenal Road, seasonal fluctuations, or just general growth within CenterPoint Properties. The destination of trucks is IL 53. One route, Laraway Road, is not sufficient access to IL 53 for the CIC properties Review of the truck ordinances reflects inconsistency and uncertainty of policies in providing overweight truck access to the CenterPoint Intermodal Center. It is still unclear as to whether overweight trucks were using Laraway Road prior to the closure of Walter Strawn Drive or if the current increase in truck traffic is @ result of overweight trucks now using Laraway Road instead of Walter Strawn Drive. Other than the closure of Walter Strawn Drive, there is no discemable explanation that can be extracted from the traffic data for the increase in trafic on Laraway Road. AAs previously stated, one truck access to IL 53 is not sufficient based upon the truck demand of the CIC. Additionally, one truck access to the CIC properties south of Arsenal Road is not sufficient Consequently, restricting truck traffic to the Arsenal Road/I-55 interchange is not sufficient. These developments comprise the largest inland port in the county and current access is insufficient to serve these facilities June 24,2018 | 36