Traffic

Below is a summary of the Bureau of Land Management’s key findings regarding traffic and Over The River, as described in the Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

During the Over The River installation and removal periods, the Final Environmental Impact Statement concludes that:

• “Overall, impacts to local businesses and commercial traffic as a result of traffic delays during installation and removal would be negligible to minor and short term due to the limited time frame of construction activities and the implemented traffic management measures.” (Chapter 4-132)

• Occasional single-lane closures will occur on US Highway 50 during the installation period.  Occurring only on weekdays, these temporary lane closures would involve no more than a 400-foot stretch of the highway in any 10-mile section. One lane of traffic will remain operational at all times; the project will never shut down both lanes of traffic in any location at the same time. (Appendix D: Transportation and Traffic Report)

• Each lane closure is estimated to cause an average delay of 3 minutes per vehicle. When combined, these delays are estimated to cause “approximately a one percent increase in overall travel time for the 28-month (installation) period.” (Appendix D: Transportation and Traffic Report)

• Lane closures would be avoided during the high-traffic summer months, with a few exceptions during the year of the exhibition. (Appendix D: Transportation and Traffic Report)

During the exhibition period, the Final EIS concludes that:

• During the peak weekend periods of the two-week exhibition period, travelers can expect a maximum travel time increase of 17 minutes in the westbound direction and 11 minutes in the eastbound direction for the full 42-mile drive from Parkdale to County Line. This would be the worst-case scenario, and delays would be far less during the non-peak weekdays of the exhibition. (Appendix D: Transportation and Traffic Report)

This means that for the full duration of the project, including installation (28 months), exhibition (two weeks), and removal (3 months), there are expected to be 32 total hours (all on weekends from 9 am to 5pm during exhibition) when traffic would be significantly impacted. At all other times there are expected to be either no impacts or minor delays related to the project.

Click here to download a printable fact sheet about traffic and Over The River.