HomeMy WebLinkAboutHEARTHFIRE (HOFFMAN) PUD - PRELIMINARY (REVISED) - 31-95A - CORRESPONDENCE - CITY STAFFobstruct the public travel way. The public street must be kept passable for all
vehicles at all times. If the traffic circle is obstructed, vehicles may be forced to
travel the wrong way around the circle. To compound the unsafe nature of this
problem is the lack of visibility to see oncoming vehicles as described above.
Fencing, landscaping, guy wires - The appurtenances associated with the
presence of the drilling rig and any fencing or landscaping is of concern as a
roadside hazard to vehicles. Proper setback from the curb to these feature may
increase the size of the traffic circle even further which would worsen the
problems described above related to a large diameter traffic circle.
Location of utilities - No documentation or design has been presented to show
how close water lines, sewer lines, gas lines, and other utilities can be
constructed and maintained in relation to the drilling rig. I contacted Webb
Jones of the ELCO water district about this last week, and have not heard back
from him. I have nothing from the applicant to document that the utility
companies have informed of the oil well's presence. The current preliminary
utility plans show a water line and a sewer line going directly beneath the
proposed traffic circle. In addition, regardless of the presence of the oil well,
utilities often have a problem with going under landscaped areas instead of
staying under the roadway.
• Pavement design - Due to the additional loading of vehicles servicing the oil
well(s), the design of the pavement section for all streets utilized by this
equipment will have to include analysis and design based on this type of traffic
in addition to that normally included in residential street design.
These are the comments I have at this time based on the level of detail and information
provided to date. Jim Sell stated in our meeting last month that, based on their
negotiations with the oil company, the oil well(s) on the site would probably be removed
by the time the P.U.D. would be submitted for final approval. If that is the case, I
suggest that the applicant design their preliminary plan as if the oil well(s) are not
there. In that case, the traffic circle can be eliminated or reduced to a functional and
safe size. The engineering staff would then feel comfortable with the preliminary
layout.
.tion Services
Engineering Department
MEMORANDUM
DATE: January 22, 1996
TO: Steve Olt, Senior Planner
FROM: Kerrie Ashbeck, Civil Engineer
RE: HOFFMAN P.U.D.
The following is a brief summary of the concerns the Engineering Department has with
respect to the proposed traffic circle around the existing oil well:
• Diameter - I have been told that any public right-of-way must be 75' away from
the rig, therefore the minimum diameter of the traffic circle would have to be
150'. Such a large diameter will make it more attractive for drivers to take the
shortest route to their street, alley, or house instead of going all the way around
the traffic circle. Thus, vehicles will be traveling the wrong way around the traffic
circle and there are likely to be unsafe conflicts between vehicles in the traffic
circle and/or those trying to enter the roadway. Such a large diameter makes it
very difficult to see other vehicles and to anticipate what other drivers are going
to do. The traffic volumes are low enough that it will be very tempting for drivers
to disregard the proper direction of travel around the traffic circle, yet the traffic
volumes are high enough that there are likely to be frequent and dangerous
conflicts.
• Sight distance - It is anticipated that the rig will need to be fenced in for safety
reasons and/or heavily landscaped to mitigate its presence. Both measures will
virtually obstruct any sight distance across the traffic circle as does the presence
of the rig itself. Since there are multiple points of access into the traffic circle,
including streets, alleys, and driveways, it is critical that drivers can see other
vehicles in or entering the roadway. Even on much smaller diameter traffic
circles sight distance has been found to be a major problem. Also, if drivers can
see vehicles in or entering the circle, they are more likely to follow the correct
direction of travel around the circle.
Servicing of the oil well - There is a concern that vehicles servicing the rig will
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