Traffic Impact Assessment (RoadNet 2015) - …...Traffic Impact Assessment The Ranch Poultry...

Appendix D

Traffic ImpactAssessment (RoadNet 2015)

Traffic Impact Assessment

The Ranch

Poultry Production Complex – Farm 1

at

Tysons Road (nr Kidman Way),

Tabbita, NSW

for

Scolexia Pty Ltd

18 September 2015

The Ranch Poultry Production Complex – Farm 1 Traffic Impact Assessment Tysons Road (nr Kidman Way), Tabbita for Scolexia Pty Ltd ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

15022G Page 2 of 54 pages Date 18/09/2015 FINAL

Document Control Sheet

Document Status DRAFT FINAL DRAFT FINAL REVISED FINAL

Version 1 2 3 4

Date 13 August 2015 20 August 2015 31 August 2015 18 September 2015

Issued to Adam Williams, SLR Consulting

Adam Williams, SLR Consulting



Prepared By Steve Manton Steve Manton Steve Manton Steve Manton

Reviewed By John Weatherall John Weatherall John Weatherall Craig Frazer

Prepared by: RoadNet Pty Limited

8 Sixth Avenue PALM BEACH QLD 4221 07 5525 7377 [email protected]

L12, 1 Pacific Highway NORTH SYDNEY NSW 2060 02 9959 1080 [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]�

mailto:[email protected]�



CONTENTS

1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................................................................. 5

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS ..................................................................................................................................... 7 2.1 The Site ........................................................................................................................................................ 7

2.2 Existing Road Network ................................................................................................................................. 8

2.3 Existing Land Use ....................................................................................................................................... 14

2.4 Existing Traffic Volumes ............................................................................................................................. 14

2.5 Background Traffic Growth ......................................................................................................................... 17

2.6 Existing Pedestrian and Cyclist Facilities ................................................................................................... 17

3. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ........................................................................................................................... 18 3.1 Development Description ........................................................................................................................... 18

3.2 Vehicular Access and Internal Road Layout ............................................................................................... 19

3.3 Pedestrians, Cyclists and Public Transport ................................................................................................ 19

3.4 Development Traffic Generation ................................................................................................................. 19

3.5 Future Design Year Volumes...................................................................................................................... 23

3.6 Heavy Vehicle Routes Servicing Development .......................................................................................... 26

4. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STUDY AREA ............................................................................................ 27

5. ACCESS REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT ............................................................. 31 5.1 Kidman Way / Tysons Road Intersection .................................................................................................... 31

5.2 Access Road and Driveway to Development .............................................................................................. 36

5.3 Internal Access Requirements .................................................................................................................... 38

6. CONSTRUCTION STAGING AND TRAFFIC ..................................................................................................... 39

7. IMPACTS ON ADJOINING ROAD NETWORK .................................................................................................. 41 7.1 Kidman Way ............................................................................................................................................... 41

7.2 Heavy Vehicle Routes used by Development ............................................................................................. 42

7.3 Intersections ............................................................................................................................................... 42

7.4 Pedestrians and Cyclists ............................................................................................................................ 43

7.5 Impacts during Construction ....................................................................................................................... 44

7.6 Cumulative Impacts of Developments ........................................................................................................ 44



8. CONCLUSIONS ................................................................................................................................................. 46

9. RECOMMENDATIONS ...................................................................................................................................... 49

APPENDICES

APPENDIX A ............................................................................................................................................................... 50 PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT LOCATION AND LAYOUT ..................................................................................... 50

APPENDIX B ............................................................................................................................................................... 53 KIDMAN WAY / TYSONS ROAD INTERSECTION - TURN PATH ASSESSMENT ............................................... 53



1. INTRODUCTION

RoadNet Pty Ltd has been engaged by Scolexia Pty Ltd (Scolexia), on behalf of VOAG 1 Pty Ltd (VOAG 1) to prepare a Traffic Impact Assessment (TIA) for a proposed poultry development, referred to as The Ranch Farm 1, located within a rural property in the area known as Tabbita in south-western New South Wales (NSW). The site is located within the Carrathool Local Government Area (LGA) approximately 2.5 kilometres (km) north-east of Tabbita, 20km south-east of Goolgowi and 26km north-west of Griffith. Access to the site is proposed via the adjoining Tysons Road and Kidman Way (B87). The location of the site is shown in Figure 1.1.

Figure 1.1: Locality Plan (Source: Google Maps)



VOAG 1 is proposing three new farms at Tabbita, including The Ranch Farm 1 (the subject of this TIA), as part of “The Ranch Poultry Production Complex”. This Complex will also comprise The Ranch Farm 2 and The Ranch Farm 3. Each farm will be the subject of a separate development application and a separate Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to be lodged consecutively with Carrathool Shire Council (Council). This TIA report examines the potential impacts of traffic generated by The Ranch Farm 1 proposed development on the existing traffic movements on Tysons Road, Kidman Way and adjacent areas. It also examines the cumulative impacts of all three farms (i.e. The Ranch Poultry Production Complex) when operating concurrently. This assessment is prepared in accordance with relevant Council and Roads and Maritime Services (RMS) standards. The following tasks have been undertaken in the preparation of this report:

• Site inspection, review of existing traffic information and collection of additional traffic data through traffic surveys to establish existing operating conditions along Tysons Road, Kidman Way and other relevant roads in the vicinity of the proposed development;

• Assessment of traffic generation to and from the proposed development during its construction and operation;

• Assessment of background traffic growth;

• Determination of future traffic volumes with and without the proposed development;

• Examination of the potential impacts of the additional traffic generated by The Ranch Farm 1 on the operation of the external road network, including Tysons Road and Kidman Way;

• Identification of access requirements for The Ranch Farm 1 proposed development; and

• Consideration of the cumulative impacts of The Ranch Poultry Production Complex when all three farms are operating concurrently, in conjunction with other known developments in the study area.

As discussed above, an EIS is being prepared (by SLR Consulting Australia Pty Ltd (SLR)) to accompany the development application for The Ranch Farm 1 proposed development, which in turn will be informed by this TIA. As part of this process a Briefing Paper was prepared by SLR to inform relevant government agencies of the proposed development, and in response to this the Secretary’s Environmental Assessment Requirements (SEARs) for the Development have been received. The key issues in relation to transport and road traffic that were identified in the SEARs are summarised in Table 1.1 below, which also shows the location in this report where each of the issues is addressed.

Aspect – Transport and Road Traffic Where addressed in this report

details of road transport routes and access to the site Sections 2, 3.2, 3.6 and 5

road traffic predictions for the development during construction and operation; and

Sections 3.4, 3.5, 4 and 6

an assessment of impacts to the safety and function of the road network; and the details of any road upgrades required for the development

Sections 7,8 and 9

Table 1.1 – SEARs relating to Transport and Road Traffic for The Ranch Farm 1



2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

2.1 The Site

The proposed development site referred to as The Ranch Farm 1 is located between Goolgowi and Griffith in south-western NSW, approximately 2.5km north-east of Tabbita. Access to the site during both its construction and operation is proposed via a new internal access road that connects to Tysons Road. Tysons Road is an existing local rural road that connects to Kidman Way (B87) at its western end and Back Hillston Road, another local rural road which runs along the site’s eastern boundary, at its eastern end. A plan showing the proposed access arrangements is provided in Figure 2.1. A larger version of this plan is provided in Appendix A.



The proposed farm will comprise of 8 tunnel-ventilated, fully-enclosed, climate-controlled poultry sheds with associated support infrastructure and staff amenities. The proposed development is to be located on existing Lot 79 in Deposited Plan (DP) 720259, which comprises of approximately 40.6 hectares (ha) of vacant rural land. Access to the development during its construction and operation will be achieved via a new internal farm access road connecting to Tysons Road approximately 1km to the east of Kidman Way, near the boundary with the adjacent Lot 47 in DP756045. All movements to and from the site will occur via this new site access onto Tysons Road and the existing Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection.

2.2 Existing Road Network

2.2.1 Kidman Way is a state-controlled rural highway running north-south through southern NSW, extending from Bourke at its northern end all the way to its connection to the Newell Highway at the southern end near Jerilderie, a total distance of approximately 640km. It is a designated B-Double route and also an approved Road Train route. Within the study area it intersects with the Mid-Western Highway (B64) at Goolgowi via a large rural roundabout, as well as with Burley Griffin Way (B94) at Griffith and the Sturt Highway (A20) near Darlington Point.

Kidman Way (B87)

Of particular relevance to this study, Kidman Way provides access to Griffith, being the area’s major centre, as well as to the poultry industry operations located near Hanwood approximately 6km south of Griffith. Kidman Way between Goolgowi and Griffith is a 2-lane, 2-way rural highway with 3.5m sealed lanes, sealed shoulders typically varying in width between approximately 0.5m and 1.0m and grassed verges. To the south of Griffith the lane widths are similar but the shoulders are narrower and generally less than 0.5m wide (except where the road has more recently been upgraded). The speed limit varies along the route, with a maximum posted speed limit of 80 or 100km/h occurring outside of the urban areas and 50km/h (or 40km/h at school zones on school days) within the urban areas of Griffith, Hanwood and Darlington Point. The speed limit near Tysons Road is 100km/h. Photos of Kidman Way taken near its intersection with Tysons Road at Tabbita (between Goolgowi and Griffith) are provided in Figures 2.2 and 2.3.

Figure 2.2: Looking north along Kidman Way at Tabbita (Tysons Road on RHS)



Figure 2.3: Looking south along Kidman Way at Tabbita (Tysons Road on LHS)

2.2.2

Tysons Road is a local rural road extending in an east-west direction from Kidman Way at its western end to Back Hillston Road at its eastern end, a total distance of approximately 2.6km. It crosses the Temoro – Roto Railway Line approximately 150m to the east of Kidman Way. This railway line, which is a branch line from the Main South Railway (which runs between Sydney and the NSW state border with Victoria at Albury), once accommodated passenger services but is now only used infrequently for freight haulage (mainly wheat) and is closed beyond Hillston (to the north of Goolgowi).

Tysons Road

Tysons Road is sealed and unlinemarked from its intersection with Kidman Way up to the railway crossing and then beyond for a further 135m up to the existing access driveway to the adjacent ROTY Grain Store depot (i.e. a total length of approximately 285m). Beyond this point it is an unsealed (dirt) road up to its intersection with Back Hillston Road. There is an access road / turnaround area located approximately 50m east of the Kidman Way /Tysons Road intersection on the northern side of Tysons Road, which appears to have previously been used to service GrainCorp’s Tabbita Silo located near the northeast quadrant of the intersection (see Figure 2.2) which is currently closed. Tysons Road has no intermediate connections with other local roads and, apart from a small number of rural farm accesses, it was observed to provide access to only one other development approximately 750m east of the railway line, namely Northern Riverina Grains P/L. The proposed access to The Ranch Farm 1 development site would be located approximately 100m to the east of this access. Between Kidman Way and the proposed site access Tyson Road has a width of approximately 7m (sufficient to accommodate 2-way traffic) except near the intersection with Kidman Way where it widens out to 11m or more to accommodate the turn paths of larger vehicles. There is no posted speed limit on Tysons Road and the open road speed limit of 100km/h therefore applies. Figures 2.4 to 2.9 show the general layout of Tysons Road at various locations.



Figure 2.4: Tysons Road looking north-east from Kidman Way (nr access to GrainCorp’s Tabbita Silo)

Figure 2.5: Tysons Road looking east at railway level crossing

Figure 2.6: Tysons Road looking west at railway level crossing



Figure 2.7: Tysons Road looking east near end of seal (access to ROTY Grain Store on LHS)

Figure 2.8: Tysons Road looking east from access to Northern Riverina Grains P/L (proposed site access to be approx. 100m further to the east on LHS)

Figure 2.9: Tysons Road looking west near proposed site access (RHS)



2.2.3 Back Hillston Road is another local rural road extending in a north-south direction from Kidman Way near Tabbita (approximately 3.5km south) at its southern end, to Bunda N Road and thence Rankins Springs Road near Hillston at its northern end, a total distance of approximately 67km. It crosses the state-controlled Mid-Western Highway (B64) at a point approximately 15km northeast of Goolgowi, but otherwise intersects with only a few local rural roads including Tysons Road at its southern end. It appears to have a similar formation width to Tysons Road and is an unsealed (dirt) road. There is no posted speed limit on Back Hillston Road and the open road speed limit of 100km/h therefore applies.

Back Hillston Road

Figures 2.10 to 2.11 show the general layout of Back Hillston Road in the vicinity of Tysons Road.

Figure 2.10: Back Hillston Road looking north in vicinity of Tysons Road

Figure 2.11: Back Hillston Road looking south in vicinity of Tysons Road



2.2.4 The existing intersection of Tysons Road with Kidman Way is located approximately 19km south-east of Goolgowi and is illustrated in Figures 2.12 to 2.13 below. Tysons Road meets Kidman Way on a straight and flat section of road and offers a reasonably good level of visibility in either direction. The intersection is sealed but unlinemarked and is controlled by a give way sign. No turn bays are provided at the intersection, however, a wide sealed shoulder in the form of a Basic Right Turn (BAR) treatment is provided on the northbound carriageway of Kidman Way to allow through traffic to pass a vehicle waiting to turn right at the intersection (see Figure 2.2). The intersection mouth is quite wide to accommodate the turn path requirements of large heavy vehicles generated by existing developments that currently use the intersection or previously used it (in the case of GrainCorp’s Tabbita Silo). Details of a turn path assessment undertaken at this intersection for the proposed development are discussed in Section 5.1.1.

Kidman Way / Tysons Road Intersection

Figure 2.12: Tysons Road approach to Kidman Way (GrainCorp’s Tabbita Silo access on RHS in foreground)

Figure 2.13: Tysons Road viewed from Kidman Way (GrainCorp’s Tabbita Silo access on LHS)



2.2.5 Approximately 190m to the south-east of Tysons Road, Kidman Way intersects with the next side road called Glen Roy Street on its western side. Glen Roy Street is a local unsealed rural road which forms an uncontrolled T-intersection with Kidman Way. No widening or turn bay provision is provided at this intersection.

Adjacent Intersections on Kidman Way

Approximately 400m further to the north-west of Tysons Road, Kidman Way intersects with Tabbita Lane on its western side at a Give-way controlled T-intersection that includes left and right turn bays on Kidman Way in an AUL/CHR configuration. Tabbita Lane is a 2-lane 2-way sealed rural road running east-west which provides a connection at its western end to the Mid-Western Highway west of Goolgowi via Carrathool Road, thereby providing an alternative route for locally-generated traffic that avoids the need to travel via Goolgowi.

2.3 Existing Land Use

The long-standing and existing use of the development site is associated with traditional agricultural production, primarily dryland cropping. The primary land use for the surrounding neighbourhood is also traditional agricultural production. Additional land uses within the area include a privately owned and operational silo on Tysons Road (ROTY Grain Store depot), located approximately 1.8 km south-west of the Development Site, GrainCorp’s Tabbita Silo which is currently closed, located near the intersection of Tysons Road with Kidman Way, and JBS Australia’s Tabbita Feedlot (cattle feedlot) approximately 13kms to the west of The Ranch Farm 1 development which is accessed from Tabbita Lane. The Ranch Farm 1 development is removed from any urban areas. Council has advised that Tabbita, which is located approximately 2.5 km south-west of the Development Site, comprises five residences.

2.4 Existing Traffic Volumes

2.4.1 Existing traffic volumes along Kidman Way in the vicinity of the proposed development have been derived from traffic data provided by Roads and Maritime Services (RMS). RMS has a mobile counting site (station no. 95255) on Kidman Way located approximately 700m south of Tysons Road. There are no major roads located between the count site and Tysons Road, hence the traffic volumes and daily traffic flow profile at the count site are expected to be representative of what also occurs on Kidman Way near its intersection with Tysons Road.

Kidman Way near Tysons Road

The most recent traffic data available from the RMS mobile site dates back to the period from Tuesday 22 November 2011 to Tuesday 13 December 2011. The information provided to RoadNet includes hourly traffic volumes in each direction of travel for each day of the week and daily volumes in each direction for each of the 12 different vehicle types in accordance with the Austroads method of classification. The data shows relatively low traffic volumes on Kidman Way over the survey period. Average traffic volumes during the weekdays were approximately 1,100 vehicles per day (two-way), reducing at the weekends to provide an overall 7-day average daily volume of 987 veh/day (two-way).



A summary of the average hourly traffic profile for each direction of travel over the survey period is provided in Figure 2.14 below.

Figure 2.14: Average hourly traffic volumes on Kidman Way (from RMS data)

Analysis of the data indicates:

• Traffic volumes along Kidman Way generally increase during the morning to a peak of 75veh/hr between 8-9am and 9-10am, and then remain at a level between 60 and 70veh/hr during the middle part of the day before peaking again in the afternoon to 81veh/hr between 4-5pm. The volumes then reduce again with an overnight low of 3 veh/hr recorded between 1am and 4am.

• Existing traffic volumes during the development peaks for The Ranch Farm 1 proposed development (i.e. around 7am and 4pm, corresponding to the start and end times for the daily farm workers shift) are approximately 51veh/hr and 81veh/hr respectively.

• There is some variation throughout the day between northbound and southbound volumes, however, the directional split for the full 24 hr period is approximately 50:50.

• Heavy vehicle numbers contribute up to approximately 20% of the total daily traffic volumes, however, during the night-time the proportion of heavy vehicles is expected to be much higher.

• Weekday traffic volumes were observed to be slightly higher than weekend volumes over the survey period.

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An on-site traffic count was also conducted on Kidman Way at the intersection with Tysons Road as part of a site visit on the afternoon of Thursday 4 June 2015 between 3:30pm and 5pm. The count indicated a two-way peak hour volume along Kidman Way of 110veh/hr between 3:45 and 4:45pm, including 22 heavy vehicles. Only 2 vehicles were observed to turn into Tysons Road and 1 vehicle out during the entire survey period (i.e. 1.5hrs). The volume of traffic observed along Kidman Way from the traffic survey is a little higher than that identified from analysis of the RMS traffic data for the same time period, although the overall order of magnitude is similar. Given the different times of year associated with each survey and the different baseline assumptions (i.e. average 7-day traffic volume vs weekday spot count) this is to be expected. However, since the hourly volumes are so low the differences are insignificant. Importantly, the survey indicates that there is very little traffic currently using Tysons Road via its intersection with Kidman Way during the afternoon peak period. This is consistent with site observations which confirm a limited number of existing and operational access points along the length of Tysons Road as previously discussed in Section 2.2.2. For the purpose of this assessment, the highest average hourly traffic volume of 81veh/hr in 2011 (41veh/hr southbound, 40veh/hr northbound) identified from analysis of the RMS data has been used, with an allowance for traffic growth as discussed in Section 2.5, to represent the future traffic volumes along Kidman Way at the Tysons Road intersection during each of the development peak hours. This equates to examining the worst case (highest hourly volume) scenario on a typical (average) day. In addition, a nominal allowance of 1veh/hr turning into Tysons Road from each direction and 1veh/hr turning out of Tysons Road in each direction) during the development peak hours has been assumed, and 10veh/hr in and out (i.e. each way) over a full day. These assumptions reflect the very low background traffic volumes observed to be currently using this road.

2.4.2

Existing traffic volumes along Kidman Way have also been examined at other locations within the study area based on traffic data provided by RMS. A summary of those sites and the most recent period(s) for which traffic data is available is provided below (Station no. 95255 discussed in the previous section is included for comparison):

Kidman Way – other locations

• Station no. 95255 (Tabbita) – 24/7/2010 to 10/08/2010 and 22/11/2011 to 13/12/2011.

• Station no. 95374 (west of Griffith) – 25/7/2010 to 12/08/2010.

• Station no. 95641 (south of Willandra Avenue, Griffith) – 25/7/2010 to 10/8/2010.

The average daily traffic volumes and proportion of heavy vehicles recorded at these sites for each of the time periods specified are summarised in Table 2.1 below.



Year Average Daily Traffic Volumes (veh/day) and % Heavy Vehicles

Station No.

95255 (Tabbita) 95374 (west of Griffith) 95641 (south of Griffith)

2010 816 (13.5%) 2,667 (11.7%) 5,800*

2011 987 (19.6%) - -

*Estimated from axle count of 6,743 axle pairs using factor of 0.86

Table 2.1 Average daily traffic volumes on Kidman Way These numbers may have increased a little between the time the surveys were conducted and now, however, they are expected to be broadly representative of the existing traffic conditions along Kidman Way. The data indicates that the average daily traffic volumes along Kidman Way are quite low, ranging from approximately 1,000 veh/day in the vicinity of Tabbita (i.e. near the proposed development site as previously discussed in Section 2.4.1) to between approximately 3,000 and 6,000 veh/day within the immediate vicinity of Griffith depending on the location. Corresponding numbers of heavy vehicles range from approximately 200 to 300 veh/day based on the available data.

2.5 Background Traffic Growth

A background linear traffic growth rate of 1.5% per annum (applied from the base year of 2011 for the traffic data) has been adopted for both the peak hour and daily volumes for the purposes of this assessment. Given the rural nature of the location of the proposed development and the relatively low levels of development occurring as a whole within the region, a growth rate of 1.5% per annum over the longer term is expected to provide a conservative basis against which the potential upgrades required on the external road network as a result of the proposed development can be assessed. Note that a separate assessment of the cumulative impacts of not only The Ranch Farm 1 development, but also other developments recently completed (such as the Jeanella Poultry Production Complex) or proposed which have/will add additional traffic to the local road network, is provided in Section 4.6. This includes the other two farms proposed as part of The Ranch Poultry Production Complex.

2.6 Existing Pedestrian and Cyclist Facilities

Given the rural location for this development proposal, all access to and from Tysons Road and the proposed site is expected to be via vehicle. No pedestrian or cyclist movements have been observed to currently occur in the area and none are expected as a result of the proposed development.



3. PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

3.1 Development Description

VOAG 1 intends to develop an intensive poultry broiler production complex (The Ranch Farm 1) comprising of 8 tunnel-ventilated fully-enclosed climate-controlled poultry sheds where broiler birds will be grown for human consumption. The conceptual layout of the proposed development is shown in Appendix A. The key development elements of the proposed farm include:

Table 3.1 Summary of The Ranch Farm 1 Proposed Development

Development Characteristic Proposed Development Purpose Birds grown for human consumption

Number of poultry sheds 8, each measuring 176m long by 18m wide (3,168m2)

Type of poultry sheds Tunnel-ventilated, fully-enclosed, climate-controlled Maximum shed population 50,000 birds Maximum farm population 400,000 birds

Maximum bird density within sheds 18 birds per square metre (and will not exceed a density of 34kg/m2)

Hours of operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Production cycle length Approximately 9 weeks (63 days), comprising 7.5 weeks (53 days) of bird occupation and a 1.5 week (10 days) cleaning phase.

Number of production cycles per year Approximately 5.7 on average The proposed poultry development will operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Each of the proposed poultry sheds will have the capacity to house a maximum of 50,000 broilers at any one time, equating to a total farm population of 400,000 broilers. The proposed disturbance footprint of The Ranch Farm 1 development will be relatively small at approximately 7ha and the commercial activities associated with the poultry operation will be largely confined to this area. In addition to poultry shedding, The Ranch Farm 1 will include:

• The construction of two (2) dwellings within The Ranch Farm 1 site comprising of one residential dwelling and one rural workers dwelling, to accommodate the farm manager and assistant farm manager; and

• The construction of ancillary infrastructure and improvements required to support the poultry production operation.



3.2 Vehicular Access and Internal Road Layout

Entry to The Ranch Poultry Production Complex which includes The Ranch Farm 1 will occur via a suitable all-weather access road connecting to Tysons Road within the Carrathool LGA. The internal access road will run parallel to the fenceline along the side of Tysons Road and then north parallel to Back Hillston Road to The Ranch Farm 1. A conceptual layout of the access road and other internal roads servicing the development is provided in Appendix A. The Ranch Farm 1 development will include a one-way system to enable traffic to enter, exit and manoeuvre around the poultry sheds for loading, unloading and servicing activities in a forward direction, thereby minimising the potential for traffic conflict and noise. The roads will be constructed as all-weather rural-type roads able to carry the anticipated heavy vehicle movements. Parking will be available adjacent to the sheds to accommodate staff and visitor movements.

3.3 Pedestrians, Cyclists and Public Transport

No provision is made for external pedestrians, cyclists or public transport connections due to the remote location of the site.

3.4 Development Traffic Generation

3.4.1 While the proposed poultry development will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the majority of activities will occur between 7.00am and 7.00pm, with the exception of the removal of birds which will occur between 8pm and 2pm when it is cooler and the birds are more settled.

Traffic Generating Sources

There will typically be one daily shift for farm workers between 7:00am and 4:00pm each day. It is estimated that approximately 45 percent of the total daily traffic generation will comprise of heavy vehicles (primarily either semi-trailers or rigid trucks), while the remaining traffic will be light vehicles (predominantly cars).

It is expected that the majority of light vehicles will travel to and from Goolgowi and the Griffith area (particularly the latter where the majority of the local population resides) via Kidman Way to access the site. Most inbound light vehicles will turn right into Tysons Road from Kidman Way and left into the proposed site access road connecting to The Ranch Farm 1, while traffic exiting will turn right out of the site access road and left onto Kidman Way from Tysons Road.

Light Vehicles

Some staff movements may have an origin or destination from/to points to the west of Goolgowi such as the area around Gunbar, and would therefore be expected to use the shorter, more direct route provided by Tabbita Lane to travel to/from the site rather than travelling via Goolgowi. However, in practice the distance involved (e.g. approximately 46km from Gunbar) is expected to limit the number of such movements. An allowance for some movements arriving and departing via Kidman Way to the north of Tysons Road has



been made in the traffic calculations, which allows for this option as well as the option of traffic arriving/departing from/to Goolgowi. While Old Hillston Road and its connection to Tysons Road theoretically provides an alternative route for light vehicle traffic originating from locations further to the east of Goolgowi such as Rankin Springs, in practice very little traffic would be expected to travel this distance (approximately 60km) to access the site on a regular basis. Even then, the majority of that traffic would still be expected to use the higher standard and faster State Highway network (i.e. the Mid-Western Highway and Kidman Way) to access the site rather than the lower standard, slower dirt road option that Old Hillston Road offers. For the purpose of this assessment, all traffic movements to and from the development site are therefore assumed to occur via Kidman Way and its connection with Tysons Road. The following issues have been considered when estimating traffic generation.

• Most staff will travel to and from the site by car.

• The number of staff is likely to vary seasonally i.e. there will be busy times when additional labour will be called upon.

• The distance from towns to the site is likely to result in the occurrence of some car-pooling during busier times.

• Staff numbers are low in relation to the number of birds on the site. It is proposed that there be: - 1 full-time farm manager who lives on site.

- 1 full-time assistant farm manager.

- 2 full-time equivalent farm hands.

Trucks will travel to and from the site on a daily basis via the Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection. All trucks will be directed to use Kidman Way to access the site. Practically all truck movements will be to and from the direction of Griffith and Hanwood (approximately 6 kilometres south of Griffith on Kidman Way) i.e. to/from the south-east. This means that they will turn right into Tysons Road from Kidman Way and left out. The operational activities associated with these movements include:

Trucks

• Delivery of the shed floor bedding material in rigid trucks from a storage facility located near Hanwood, to the south-east of the site;

• Delivery of day-old chicks from Baiada’s hatchery facility located approximately 3 kilometres west of Griffith on Snaldero Road in insulated pantechnicon trucks (south);

• Delivery of feed from Baiada’s feedmill facility located approximately 1 kilometre south of Hanwood on the corner of Kidman Way and McWilliams Road in semi-trailers (south);

• Delivery of bulk liquid petroleum gas (LPG) from Griffith in rigid trucks (south);

• Removal of birds to Baiada’s processing complex located approximately 1 kilometre south of Hanwood on the corner of Kidman Way and Murphy Road in semi-trailers (south);

• Removal of shed floor litter (spent bedding material) in semi-trailers to various locations;



• Removal of dead birds to Baiada’s processing complex, which includes a protein recovery/rendering plant, located approximately 1 kilometre south of Hanwood on the corner of Kidman Way and Murphy Road in rigid trucks (south); and

• Removal of general garbage in rigid trucks to disposal facilities located within the vicinity of Griffith (south).

The traffic volume calculations used in the traffic assessment are based on the largest truck being a semi-trailer. However, it is possible that future contractors may use B-Doubles to service the site, which would reduce the overall number of trips used in this traffic impact assessment. Heavy vehicle trips will be mostly spread over the nine week production cycle and will be distributed relatively evenly over the predicted delivery hours.

3.4.2

Traffic generation for a typical 9 week production cycle and annually (based on 5.7 production cycles per year) has been based on data provided by SLR Consulting. A summary of the traffic generation for The Ranch Farm 1 is provided in Table 3.2 on the next page.

Traffic Generation volumes



Table 3.2 – Traffic Generation per Production Cycle and Year for The Ranch Farm 1 development

Daily traffic generation and hourly volumes have been calculated on the basis of 3 full-time equivalent staff. A few trucks will come and go as they are spread evenly throughout daylight hours. The calculations are imprecise but only small numbers are involved. On average there will be 14 movements per day (6 of these trucks). The peak generating hours of the development will occur at the start and finish of the shift. It is estimated that there would be 4 trips in the AM peak hour and 4 trips in the PM peak hour.

Activity Vehicle Type

Vehicles (Two Way Trips)

Traffic Per 9 Week Production Cycle

(Trips)

Annual Traffic - 5.7 Production Cycles

(Trips)

Heavy Vehicles

Delivery of shed bedding material Twin axle rigid truck 15 (30) 86 (172)

Delivery of chicks Twin axle rigid truck 6 (12) 34 (68)

Delivery of feed Semi-trailer 46 (92) 262 (524)

Delivery of fuel Rigid tanker 1 (2) 6 (12)

Delivery of gas (LPG) Rigid tanker 2 (4) 11 (22)

Removal of birds Semi-trailer 40 (80) 228 (456)

Removal of birds – catching equipment transporter

Semi-trailer 11 (22) 63 (126)

Removal of birds – catching staff Bus 11 (22) 63 (126)

Removal of shed litter material Semi-trailer 20 (40) 114 (228)

Shed wash down equipment transporter Semi-trailer 2 (4) 11 (22)

Removal of dead birds Twin axle rigid truck 13 (26) 74 (148)

Removal of garbage Rigid truck 9 (18) 51 (102)

Heavy Vehicle Sub-Total 176 (352) 1,003 (2,006)

Light Vehicles

Staff visits Car 192 (384) 1,094 (2,188)

Tradesman Ute/Van 9 (18) 51 (102)

Catching equipment maintenance Van 4 (8) 23 (46)

Shed litter material removal contractors Car 10 (20) 57 (114)

Shed wash down contractors Car 4 (8) 23 (46)

Light Vehicle Sub-Total 219 (438) 1,248 (2,496)

TOTAL 395 (790) 2,251 (4,502)



It is also assumed that approximately 70% of vehicle movements generated by the development will be into the site in the morning, with 30% out, while the situation will be reversed in the afternoon (i.e. 30% in and 70% out).

Vehicle Type Vehicles Per Day

(Vehicle Trips) AM Peak Hour

Movements PM Peak Hour

Movements

Cars (LV) 4 (8) 3 (2 in, 1 out) 3 (1 in, 2 out)

Heavy Vehicles 3 (6) 1 (1 in, 0 out) 1 (0 in, 1 out)

Total 7 (14) 4 (3 in, 1 out) 4 (1 in, 3 out)

Table 3.3 – Traffic Generation per Day and in each Peak Hour for The Ranch Farm 1

For the purposes of analysis it is assumed heavy vehicle trips will be spread evenly over the 9 week cycle and will be distributed evenly over the predicted delivery hours. As discussed previously, a number of the heavy vehicle movements will be undertaken outside of normal working hours. Transporting live chickens is more appropriate when temperatures are cooler and the birds are more settled.

3.5 Future Design Year Volumes

A design horizon of 10 years from opening of the proposed development, which will be 2016 for The Ranch Farm 1 development, has been adopted to assess the potential impacts of the development with respect to any intersection upgrade requirements. Accordingly, a design year of 2026 has been adopted to determine the future traffic volumes. Average daily and peak hour background traffic volumes along Kidman Way obtained from the 2011 RMS data, as discussed in Section 2.4.1, were factored up to 2026 using a linear growth rate of 1.5% per annum as discussed in Section 2.5. Existing background traffic volumes to/from Tysons Road were assumed to remain unchanged. The peak and daily traffic volumes generated by The Ranch Farm 1 development, which are summarised in Table 3.3 above, were superimposed with these volumes to provide the resulting future design year volumes. Figures 3.1 and 3.2 show the estimated daily traffic volumes and volumes at the peak generating times of The Ranch Farm 1 development for the design year of 2026, including the counted volumes (with allowance for future traffic growth) on Kidman Way. Some provision for traffic movements generated by the proposed development arriving and departing from the north on Kidman Way has been included in the daily distribution, however, as previously discussed the majority of traffic is expected to arrive/depart from/to the south. Note that Figures 3.1 and 3.2 show traffic generated by The Ranch Farm 1 development only. A separate analysis of the cumulative traffic generated by The Ranch Poultry Production Complex as a whole (i.e. all 3 farms), and the potential cumulative impacts arising from this traffic, is provided in Section 4 and Section 7.6 respectively.



Figure 3.1 Future peak hour

traffic volumes on Kidman Way and Tysons Road, including estimated traffic generated by The Ranch Farm 1 development.



Figure 3.2: Future daily

traffic volumes on Kidman Way and Tysons Road, including estimated traffic generated by The Ranch Farm 1 development.



From Figures 3.1 and 3.2 it can be seen that the future traffic volumes, in terms of both background traffic and traffic generated by the development, are very low. The resulting forecast traffic is expected to be able to be easily accommodated by the surrounding road network.

3.6 Heavy Vehicle Routes Servicing Development

Heavy vehicles will generally travel to and from the proposed development site from facilities in and around Griffith and Hanwood (6km south of Griffith) on a daily basis. Vehicles accessing facilities in Griffith will travel between the site and Griffith via Kidman Way and will then be dispersed through the local road network. Similarly, delivery of day old chicks will occur in articulated or rigid trucks via Kidman Way from a facility located approximately 3km west of Griffith. Vehicles travelling to Hanwood will travel via Kidman Way south to Griffith, and then continue through Griffith to Hanwood via Kidman Way. The reverse will occur when travelling from Hanwood to the development site. Figure 3.3 shows the existing heavy vehicle route through Griffith via Kookora Street and Willandra Avenue.

Figure 3.3 – Heavy vehicle route through Griffith Kidman Way is currently designated as a B-Double route. It is also an approved Road Train Route. As discussed in Section 2.4.2, the daily volumes along this route are currently low, ranging between approximately 1,000veh/day and 6,000veh/day depending on the location which includes approximately 200 to 300 heavy vehicles. The additional 6 heavy vehicle trips per day (1 in each of the peak hours for the development) along Kidman Way is not expected to have any significant traffic impact, with the route having adequate facilities to accommodate the heavy vehicles generated by the proposed development. While the current assessment of traffic volumes generated by the development is based on the assumption that the largest vehicles servicing the development will be semi-trailers, it is possible that future contractors may use B-Doubles. The current heavy vehicle route servicing the development is suitable for this purpose.



4. OTHER DEVELOPMENTS IN THE STUDY AREA

As previously discussed in Section 1, The Ranch Farm 1 represents one of three separate farms being proposed for development in the study area as part of The Ranch Poultry Production Complex. Each farm will be the subject of a separate development application and a separate EIS to be lodged consecutively with Council. The locations of the three farms, which are being referred to individually as The Ranch Farm 1, The Ranch Farm 2 and The Ranch Farm 3, are shown in Figure 4.1 below. All three farms will be accessed via the same internal site access road connection onto Tysons Road which has been described previously.



Each of the three farms that comprise The Ranch Poultry Production Complex will be of the same size (i.e. 8 poultry sheds, each with a maximum shed population of 50,000 birds resulting in a maximum farm population of 400,000 birds) and will have the same operational characteristics. The traffic generation associated with each of the three farms will therefore be the same as shown previously in Table 3.3 for The Ranch Farm 1. The total traffic generation arising from the three farms collectively is summarized in Table 4.1.

Vehicle Type Vehicles Per Day

(Vehicle Trips) AM Peak Hour

Movements PM Peak Hour

Movements

Cars (LV) 12 (24) 9 (6 in, 3 out) 9 (3 in, 6 out)

Heavy Vehicles 9 (18) 3 (3 in, 0 out) 3 (0 in, 3 out)

Total 21 (42) 12 (9 in, 3 out) 12 (3 in, 9 out)

Table 4.1 – Traffic Generation per Day and in each Peak Hour for The Ranch Poultry Production Complex (i.e. all three farms collectively)

In addition to The Ranch Poultry Production Complex, at the time of writing this report the following developments had either recently been approved and constructed, or had been proposed (SEARS requested/issued):

• Jeanella Poultry Production Complex (ProTen Holdings P/L) - approved by Council in 2012 and constructed in 2013. This site is operational and is located on the northern side of the Mid-Western Highway, approximately 6km south-west of Goolgowi. It is accessed directly from the Mid-Western Highway and comprises of 24 poultry sheds accommodating up to 1,360,800 birds. It’s commencement of operations post-dates the most recent period for which RMS was able to provide traffic data on Kidman Way (i.e. 2011, as previously discussed) and its traffic generation therefore needs to be included when considering the potential cumulative impacts of the proposed development with other known developments in the study area.

• Jeanella South Poultry Production Complex (ProTen Holdings P/L) – an application for this proposed development has recently been lodged with Council. It is located on the southern side of the Mid-Western Highway, approximately 7.5km south-west of Goolgowi and 1.5km south of the existing Jeanella Poultry Production Complex. Access to the development once operational will be provided from Merrondale Lane onto the Mid-Western Highway, west of the existing access to the Jeanella Poultry Production Complex. The development proposal comprises of 16 poultry sheds able to accommodate up to 856,000 birds.

• Maylands Poultry Farm (Lemic Holdings P/L) – approved by Council in August 2015. It is located on the southern side of the Mid-Western Highway, approximately 7km north-east of Goolgowi. Access to the development once operational will be provided from Youngs Lane onto the Mid-Western Highway. The development will comprise 24 poultry sheds able to accommodate up to 1,360,800 birds.

• Tabbita Poultry Farm 1 (Riverina Poultry P/L) – this proposed development is currently being assessed by Council. It is located on the northern side of Tabbita Lane to the west of its intersection with Kidman Way at Tabbita, approximately 8km south-east of Goolgowi. Access to



the development once operational will be provided via Tabbita Lane and Kidman Way. The development proposal comprises of 20 poultry sheds able to accommodate up to 51,000 birds each, equating to a maximum population of approximately 1,020,000 birds.

• Tabbita Poultry Farm 2 (Riverina Poultry P/L) – this proposed development is also currently on public exhibition and is located on an adjoining lot to Tabbita Poultry Farm 1. It is located on the northern side of Tabbita Lane to the west of its intersection with Kidman Way at Tabbita, approximately 8km south-east of Goolgowi. Access to the development once operational will be provided via Tabbita Lane and Kidman Way. The development proposal comprises of 20 poultry sheds able to accommodate up to 51,000 birds each, equating to a maximum population of approximately 1,020,000 birds.

Each of these developments, including the developments associated with The Ranch Poultry Production Complex, is/will be serviced by vehicles that collectively use common sections of roads within the study area for the delivery and removal of the raw input materials and production outputs. Tysons Road, and Kidman Way to the north and south of Tysons Road, are of particular interest to this study. Estimates of the traffic generation for The Ranch Poultry Production Complex were developed in Table 4.1. An assessment of the traffic generation for each of the other developments listed above was produced separately (in some cases by other parties) as part of their traffic impact assessment reports and has been extracted from those reports without change for the purposes of this assessment. Details of those reports (in italics) are as follows:

• Jeanella Poultry Production Complex: Traffic Impact Assessment – Proposed Poultry Broiler Production Complex, Goolgowi, NSW (RoadNet, May 2012)

• Jeanella South Poultry Production Complex: Traffic Impact Assessment – Proposed Jeanella South Poultry Production Complex at Mid-Western Highway, Goolgowi (RoadNet, 30 July 2015)

• Maylands Poultry Farm: Traffic Impact Assessment – Proposed Maylands Poultry Farm at Mid-Western Highway, Goolgowi (RoadNet, 18 June 2015)

• Tabbita Poultry Farm 1: Proposed Poultry Farm Development, Tabbita Lane, Tabbita, Traffic and Parking Assessment Report (Varga Traffic Planning Pty Ltd, June 2014)

• Tabbita Poultry Farm 2: Proposed Poultry Farm Development, Farm 2, Tabbita Lane, Tabbita, Traffic and Parking Assessment Report (Varga Traffic Planning Pty Ltd, July 2015)

The following table summarises the total projected traffic generated by each of the developments, including the three farms that make up The Ranch Poultry Production Complex, and the corresponding volumes using common sections of Tysons Road and Kidman Way. The distribution of traffic for the 3 farms that make up The Ranch Poultry Production Complex is assumed to be the same as that adopted for The Ranch Farm 1 (refer Figures 3.1 and 3.2). For the other developments, as an approximation for the purpose of this assessment it is assumed that all movements have an origin or destination to the south (i.e. in and around Griffith).



Development Site

Estimated Daily Traffic Generation (two-way) – veh/day (Heavy Vehicle volume in brackets)

Total Generated

Traffic

On Tysons Road (east of Kidman Way)

On Kidman Way (north of Tysons Road)

On Kidman Way (south of Tysons Road)

The Ranch Poultry Production Complex - 3 farms

42 (18) 42 (18) 6 (0) 36 (18)

Jeanella Poultry Production Complex (existing)

38 (26) - 38 (26) 38 (26)

Jeanella South Poultry Farm 26 (16) - 26 (16) 26 (16)

Maylands Poultry Farm 38 (30) - 38 (30) 38 (30)

Tabbita Poultry Farm 1 44 (28) - 44 (28) 44 (28)

Tabbita Poultry Farm 2 44 (28) - 44 (28) 44 (28)

Cumulative Volume 42 (18) 196 (128) 226 (146)

Table 4.2 – Cumulative Traffic Generated by Known Developments in Study Area

Based on the above assessment the known developments collectively result in an additional 42 trips per day on Tysons Road, 196 trips per day on Kidman Way to the north of Tysons Road (108 trips per day north of Tabbita Lane after removing trips generated by Tabbita Poultry Farms 1 and 2, which have an origin or destination on Tabbita Lane) and 226 trips per day on Kidman Way to the south of Tysons Road. The existing volumes of traffic currently using these roads are low as previously discussed in Section 2.4.1 and the additional traffic generated by these developments is not expected to have any significant impact on the operation of these roads. An assessment of the cumulative impacts of the developments is provided in Section 7.6.



5. ACCESS REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT

5.1 Kidman Way / Tysons Road Intersection

5.1.1 Access to The Ranch Poultry Production Complex, which includes The Ranch Farm 1 development, is proposed via a new access road connecting to Tysons Road approximately 1km east of the existing Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection.

Intersection Layout Requirements

The proposed access road is sufficiently removed from the State Highway road network to allow adequate room for traffic generated by The Ranch Farm 1 development and also The Ranch Poultry Production Complex as a whole to manoeuvre or queue on the side road without impacting on Highway traffic. The distance available between the existing railway level crossing on Tysons Road and Kidman Way (approximately 150m) is also concluded to be adequate to safely accommodate any queuing that might occur. The proposed development will generate just 14 trips per day including 6 heavy vehicle movements, and 4 trips (1 heavy vehicle) during the development peak hours. The corresponding volumes for The Ranch Poultry Production Complex (i.e. the 3 farms combined) are 42 trips per day including 18 heavy vehicles, and 12 trips (3 heavy vehicles) during each of the development peaks. These volumes are still very low and, given the low background traffic volumes currently occurring on Tysons Road and the low traffic volumes predicted to occur on Kidman Way near Tysons Road in the future, they are not expected to cause any significant operational issues (delays or queuing) at the Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection. The requirements for the layout of the Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection have been assessed using intersection warrants prescribed in Austroads Guide to Road Design, Part 4A: Unsignalised and Signalised Intersections (AGRD Part 4A). The assessment has been based on the 2026 forecast peak hour traffic volumes for two scenarios:

1) The Ranch Farm 1 development considered in isolation; and 2) The Ranch Poultry Production Complex (i.e. the 3 farms collectively).

The distribution of the combined traffic volumes generated by the latter scenario at the Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection was assumed to be the same as for The Ranch Farm 1 development in isolation.

The results are illustrated in Figure 5.1 on the next page. Note that the highest point shown in each pair of dots provided for the left turn requirement and right turn requirement respectively represents the value associated with The Ranch Poultry Production Complex as a whole (i.e. corresponding to the highest combined peak hour turn volume).



Figure 5.1: 2026 Access Turn Warrants (Extracted from Figure 4.9 from Austroads Guide to Road Design, Part 4A: Unsignalised and Signalised Intersections)

Figure 5.1 indicates that under both of the scenarios considered, the layout required at the Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection should include a basic right turn treatment (BAR) and a basic left turn treatment (BAL). This is the minimum intersection requirement indicated in AGRD Part 4A, and would typically be applied to any new intersection constructed on the State-controlled road network. Figure 5.1 also shows that, as a result of the low turning volumes predicted to be generated under both scenarios in conjunction with the low through volumes on Kidman Way, there is significant room for the major road hourly traffic volume to increase before a higher level of intersection treatment would be required. In particular, even if the additional traffic arising from all of the other known developments discussed in Section 4 was added, the hourly traffic volume along Kidman Way would still only increase by approximately 20veh/hr (i.e. approximately 10% of the additional daily traffic volume estimated in Table 4.2), which is insufficient to trigger the need for a higher order of intersection treatment. The existing intersection layout includes a BAR treatment, however, no BAL treatment is currently provided. Given the very low volume of left turning traffic predicted to be generated by The Ranch Farm 1 development, the requirement to provide a BAL treatment could be considered excessive to mitigate its traffic impacts alone. However, it is acknowledged that The Ranch Poultry Production Complex when considered as a whole will potentially generate additional left-turning traffic (albeit still only of a very small magnitude) and it is recognized that the provision of a BAL treatment would provide some safety benefits to through traffic travelling southbound on Kidman Way. On balance, therefore, it is recommended that the requirement to implement a BAL treatment be adopted at the Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection, which will then supplement the BAR layout already provided.



The BAL treatment requires sufficient widening for through vehicles to pass turning vehicles. An indicative diagram for the treatment is shown in Figure 5.2 below, which has been extracted from Figure 8.2 of AGRD Part 4A.

Figure 5.2: BAL Treatment (Extracted from Figure 8.2 from Austroads Guide to Road Design, Part 4A: Unsignalised and Signalised Intersections)

In conjunction with the proposed change to include a BAL treatment, the upgraded intersection layout will need to maintain the existing lane widths commensurate with Kidman Way’s designation as an approved B-Double and Road-Train route. It will also need to be wide enough to safely accommodate the simultaneous turning paths to/from Tysons Road of the largest vehicles expected to service the site. While this is currently assessed to be semi-trailers, future contractors may choose to use B-Doubles. Swept path assessments will need to be undertaken as part of the design development for the proposed intersection upgrade layout to ensure that the required turn paths can be accommodated by the design. Based on a preliminary assessment of the existing intersection layout which is reproduced in Appendix B of this report, the intersection appears to have sufficient width to accommodate the turn paths of B-Doubles turning right in and left out of the intersection (i.e. the major movements predicted to occur at the intersection). However, minor widening may be required at the mouth of the intersection to ensure that a suitable linemarking design can be achieved (see further below). “Trucks Turning” warning signs are currently provided along with “Side Road on Straight” symbolic warning signs on each of the Kidman Way approaches to the intersection, which is considered to be an adequate level of advance warning signage for this intersection. An intersection name sign is also provided opposite the intersection at the ‘top of the T’ which, although relatively inconspicuous to approaching traffic due to its size, appears to meet the required signage standards. For traffic approaching Kidman Way from Tysons Road, a “T-intersection Ahead” symbolic warning sign is provided in advance of the intersection and a bidirectional hazard marker sign exists at the ‘top of the T’. The intersection is controlled by a Give Way sign, however, no hold line is provided (instead, a continuity line



extends across the full width of the intersection) and no linemarking is provided on the side-road. It is therefore recommended as part of the intersection upgrade that appropriate linemarking be installed to ensure traffic enters and leaves the intersection in an orderly fashion.

5.1.2 Sight distance has been checked along Kidman Way to ensure there is sufficient forward visibility to hazards ahead for drivers travelling in either direction along Kidman Way in the vicinity of the intersection with Tysons Road. This is particularly important for traffic travelling northbound on the approach to the intersection, to ensure that a vehicle waiting to turn right into Tysons Road in the absence of any right turn lane provision (i.e. under the BAR layout that is currently provided) can be seen a sufficient distance in advance by approaching traffic. Sufficient advance sight distance to traffic entering from the side road is also important.

Sight Distance

There are two different types of sight distance that have been assessed as part of this proposal:

• Stopping Sight Distance (SSD), which applies to road design in general and represents the distance required to enable a normally alert driver, travelling at the design speed on wet pavement, to perceive, react and brake to a stop before reaching a hazard on the road ahead. It is numerically equivalent in length to the Approach Sight Distance required at intersections, but uses a less conservative (and more practical) object height of 0.2m as opposed to 0m in conjunction with a car driver eye height of 1.1m for assessing whether it can be achieved in practice.

• Safe Intersection Sight Distance (SISD), which applies to intersection design and represents the minimum sight distance that should be provided along the major road at any intersection. It is typically applied with a 5m offset (minimum 3m) along the minor road from the major road edgeline in order to assess the visibility splay requirements to achieve inter-visibility between traffic waiting on the minor road and traffic approaching the intersection from either direction on the major road. A driver eye height of 1.1m and object height of 1.25m is used for the assessment. An extract from Figure 3.2 of AGRD Part 4A illustrates the typical application below.

Source – Figure 3.2 - Austroads Guide to Road Design Part 4A: Unsignalised and Signalised Intersections

Figure 5.3: Measurement of Safe Intersection Sight Distance AGRD Part 4A states that the SISD model should also be applied to ensure there is adequate visibility between vehicles approaching on the major road and vehicles turning right from the major road for BAR turn treatments; and also between vehicles turning right from the major road and oncoming major road vehicles



at all types of right turn treatments. Figure 3.3 from AGRD Part 4A illustrates the application of the SISD model to an intersection on the outside of a horizontal curve, which is typically the worst case due to the impact on visibility of obstructions such as trees that can occur on the inside of a curve. While this horizontal alignment does not occur on the immediate approaches to Tysons Road, the principle has been applied in the same way to ensure the SISD requirements applied in this manner can also be met.

Figure 5.4: Application of SISD model for minor roads intersecting on the outside of horizontal curves Stopping Sight Distance (SSD) along Kidman Way has been checked for cars and trucks in accordance with Austroads Guide to Road Design Part 3: Geometric Design, Tables 5.4 and 5.5, based on a design speed of 110km/h for cars (10 above posted speed of 100km/h on Kidman Way to allow a factor of safety) and an operating speed of 100km/h for trucks, and using a maximum reaction time of 2.5s. No grade correction was applied since the road is relatively level on each approach. Using the speed, grade and reaction time values specified above, a desirable minimum SSD of 209m is required for both cars and trucks on each approach. This requirement is achieved in both directions. The SISD requirement based on the same assumptions with respect to design speed, grade correction and reaction time is obtained from Table 3.2 of AGRD Part 4A. This indicates that 300m SISD is required. This requirement also appears to be achievable to/from the south. However, trees north of the Tysons Road intersection on the eastern side of Kidman Way, in conjunction with the upstream southbound approach geometry required to accommodate the existing right turn bay into Tabbita Lane, potentially limits the visibility able to be achieved in practice for southbound traffic. As part of the intersection upgrade to accommodate the BAL treatment, it is therefore recommended that the visibility splays be checked and vegetation trimmed if necessary to maximize the visibility to/from the Tysons Road intersection that can be achieved from this approach. It should be noted that the extent of SISD required is sensitive to both the design speed and reaction time assumed. A reduction of 10km/h in the assumed design speed (i.e. from 110km/h to 100km/h which is the posted speed limit) reduces the SISD requirement to 262m for a reaction time of 2.5s. If the reaction time is



also reduced to 2.0s, the SISD requirement reduces further to 248m. The provision of advance warning signage for the intersection, as currently provided on both the eastbound and westbound approaches, would be expected to improve the reaction time for approaching motorists and thereby reduce the SISD requirement in practice.

5.2 Access Road and Driveway to Development

Access to The Ranch Poultry Production Complex, which includes The Ranch Farm 1 development, is proposed via a new two-lane, two-way internal access road connecting to Tysons Road approximately 1km east of the existing Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection. The exact location of the access road will be subject to detailed design, but the indicative location is shown on the plans in Appendix A. The section of Tysons Road adjacent to where the proposed access road will connect is currently unsealed. Traffic entering and exiting the site from/to Kidman Way will be required to travel along approximately 700m of unsealed road, with only the first 285m (approx.) of Tysons Road sealed from its intersection with Kidman Way. However, the unsealed section of road in question was observed from the site visit conducted to be in good condition, and of a width suitable to enable large heavy vehicles up to the size of B-Doubles to safely pass each other. Tysons Road in its current form is therefore considered to be suitable for the scale of The Ranch Poultry Production Complex proposed (which includes The Ranch Farm 1 development) and the level of traffic that it will collectively generate. Provided that the unsealed section of Tysons Road between the end of the existing seal and the proposed site access is suitably maintained on a regular basis, additional work such as sealing of the road is considered to be unnecessary. The future access driveway connecting the site access road to Tysons Road should comply with the minimum requirements of Figure 3.1 of AS 2890.2 – 2002: Parking Facilities – Off Street Commercial Facilities, which details the dimensions of a driveway on a minor road catering for heavy vehicles and articulated vehicles up to 19m in length. That figure is reproduced below as Figure 5.5.



Figure 5.5 Minimum Design for an Access Driveway on a Minor Road catering for HRVs and AVs (Extracted from Figure 3.1 of AS 2890.2 – 2002: Parking Facilities – Off Street Commercial Facilities)

Additional width at the driveway entry should be provided, if required, to accommodate the turn paths of B-Doubles in the future. A swept path assessment of the proposed access should be undertaken as part of the design development to ensure that the proposed design layout can meet the intended purpose. Preferably, the intersection should be constructed as a BAL treatment as per the diagram in Figure 5.2 of this report, which would allow trucks to turn safely into the internal site access road clear of other traffic.



Sight distance at the proposed access driveway will need to be checked once the exact location has been finalised. The SSD and SISD requirements for a 110 km/h design speed (based on an assumed 100km/h operating speed, level grade and a reaction time of 2.5s) are 209m and 300m respectively. Based on observations made during the site visit, Tysons Road has a straight alignment and flat grade in the immediate vicinity of the proposed access point. Sight distance is therefore not expected to be an issue, although some existing vegetation on the northern side of Tysons Road to the west and east of the proposed access road will need to be cut back or removed to achieve the required visibility splays. Access control (Give Way) signage should also be provided at the main access driveway servicing the proposed development site to control vehicles exiting the site.

5.3 Internal Access Requirements

The anticipated internal access arrangement, as shown on the layout plan in Appendix A, will provide adequate and suitable vehicular access to the proposed poultry sheds via the construction of new all-weather crossovers and rural-type roads able to carry the anticipated heavy vehicle traffic. The development will include a one-way system to enable traffic to enter, exit and manoeuvre around the poultry sheds for loading, unloading and servicing activities in a forward direction, thereby minimising the potential for traffic conflict and noise. The one-way system will connect directly to the internal two-lane, two-way access road providing access from the site onto Tysons Road. The internal roads will be constructed to a suitable strength and width to accommodate the expected heavy vehicles. Parking will be available adjacent to the sheds to accommodate staff and visitor movements.



6. CONSTRUCTION STAGING AND TRAFFIC

While construction planning details are still in the early stages for this development, the information in this section seeks to provide a broad outline of the proposed construction activities and timing. A rough estimate of the traffic volumes associated with the most intensive of the construction activities is also provided. The Ranch Farm 1 development, which comprises of 8 poultry sheds and support infrastructure, is expected to take about 6 months to complete and will commence operation in 2016. Access to the site during the construction stage will be provided via Kidman Way and Tysons Road, with the proposed site access road (see Section 5.2) to be constructed into the site from Tysons Road at commencement of the construction phase which will ultimately also be used as the operational access. All construction-related traffic (including light vehicles associated with construction workers) will park within the site during the construction phase. The first stage of construction will comprise of undertaking the site earthworks, for which heavy earthmoving equipment will need to be brought onto site. Once the earthmoving equipment is on site, workers will come to and from the site daily. Following substantial completion of the earthworks, construction of the poultry sheds will commence. Each of the sheds will be 176m long x 18m wide (i.e. they will have an area of 3,168m2) and will be made up of concrete flooring, a fabricated structural steel framework, zincalume corrugated iron roof sheeting, and insulated sandwich panel walls with a non-reflective colour-bond type material. The concrete floor slab will be 100mm thick and will be poured over a duration of approximately 2 days for each shed. It is proposed that the concrete will be transported to the site in ready mix batches. Other building materials will generally be delivered on semi- trailers and in shipping containers over longer periods of time and potentially throughout the duration of the construction period. At this stage no information on quantities is available. Equipment required for the fit-out of each shed will generally be delivered in shipping containers over a period of a couple of weeks and stored on site until needed. Given the limited information available on quantities at this stage it is not possible to accurately determine the construction traffic volumes. However, the most intensive construction activity in terms of truck movements to and from the site is expected to be associated with concrete deliveries. Assuming an average quantity of 6m3 per concrete truck (typical) and a total volume of 3,168m2 x 100mm depth = 317m3 of concrete required per shed, this equates to a total of 53 truckloads per shed (i.e. 106 trips in/out). To complete a slab pour in 2 days would therefore require a total of approximately 53 trips per day or approximately 5 trips per hour (average 2.5 in / 2.5 out) assuming a 10hr working day. This level of activity would only arise during the slab pours. Apart from this there would be the odd truck delivering other materials throughout the course of a typical day and a small number of light vehicle trips, mostly concentrated around the construction shift start and end times, associated with construction workers.



Overall, it is concluded that the construction activities will generate only low traffic volumes, possibly in the order of approximately 10-15 trips per day for The Ranch Farm 1 development excluding concrete deliveries, and will be for a relatively short term (i.e. maximum of 6 months). The impacts arising from construction traffic are therefore expected to be low and any mitigation treatments identified in this report to address the operational traffic impacts of the development are expected to be sufficient to also address the construction traffic impacts.



7. IMPACTS ON ADJOINING ROAD NETWORK

7.1 Kidman Way

The additional traffic generated by the development proposal is minimal and will not have any significant impact on the safety or operation of the external road network. The Ranch Farm 1 development is expected to generate up to 14 vehicle trips per day in total, including 6 heavy vehicle trips per day (approx 1 per peak hour) and 8 car trips per day (approx 3 per peak hour). The majority of this traffic is predicted to use the section of Kidman Way to the south of Tysons Road, with only a very small volume of traffic generated by the development predicted to use Kidman Way to the north of Tysons Road. The forecast background traffic volumes on Kidman Way are low and the additional traffic generated by the development can be easily accommodated. The following table shows the future forecast daily background traffic volumes in 2026 along the section of Kidman Way immediately to the south of Tysons Road, and the additional traffic generated by the development proposal. The table excludes traffic generated by other developments that either currently exist in the area, such as the Jeanella Poultry Production Complex, or which are proposed (including The Ranch Farms 2 and 3, Jeanella South Poultry Farm, Maylands Poultry Farm, Tabbita Poultry Farm 1 and Tabbita Poultry Farm 2) as previously discussed in Section 4. A separate discussion on the cumulative impacts of the proposed development with other developments in the area is provided in Section 7.6.

Future Forecast Traffic Volumes on Kidman Way south of Tysons Road (2026)

Background Traffic Vehicle Trips Per Day

Additional Generated Traffic Vehicle Trips Per Day*

Percentage Increase

Cars HVs Total Cars HVs Total Cars HVs Total

976 243 1219 6 6 12 <1% 2.5% 1% *excludes minor volume of traffic generated to/from Kidman Way north of Tysons Road

Table 7.1 – Percentage Increase in Vehicle Trips on External Road Network from The Ranch Farm 1

Car trips on Kidman Way immediately to the south of Tysons Road are expected to increase by less than 1% with the proposed development, with most of these occurring around the start and end of the farm workers shift (i.e. 7am and 4pm). The increase for heavy vehicles is a bit higher at 2.5%, however, this is due to the relatively low volume of heavy vehicles in the background traffic. The increase in heavy vehicles as a result of the proposed development is still only approximately 1 veh/hr during the peak periods. The volume of background traffic on Kidman Way is higher at locations closer to Griffith as discussed in Section 2.4.2. The percentage increase in traffic arising from The Ranch Farm 1 development will therefore be even less at those locations. Overall, it is concluded that the additional trips generated by the proposed development are minimal and are not expected to have any operational impacts on the external road network. Kidman Way is easily able to accommodate the additional traffic generated by the proposal.



7.2 Heavy Vehicle Routes used by Development

As discussed in Section 3.6, heavy vehicles will generally travel to and from the site from facilities located in and around Hanwood (6km south of Griffith) and Griffith via Kidman Way. The largest vehicles currently expected to service the development are semi-trailers, however, it is possible that future contractors may choose to use B-Doubles. A designated B-double route currently exists along Kidman Way. Kidman Way is also an approved Road Train Route. The daily volume of traffic along Kidman Way is currently low, ranging from approximately 1,000 veh/day in the vicinity of Tabbita (i.e. near the proposed development site) to between approximately 3,000 and 6,000 veh/day within the immediately vicinity of Griffith depending on the location. Corresponding numbers of heavy vehicles range from approximately 200 to 300 veh/day based on the available data. The additional 6 heavy vehicle trips per day (1 in each of the peak hours for the development) along Kidman Way associated with The Ranch Farm 1 development proposal are not expected to have any significant traffic impacts. It is concluded that the routes that will be used by the development are suitable for the types of vehicle movements that will be generated and have sufficient facilities to accommodate the additional heavy vehicles generated by the proposal. No upgrades to roadways or intersections (other than those indicated in this report) are anticipated to be required.

7.3 Intersections

7.3.1 As discussed in previous sections of this report, access to the proposed development and The Ranch Poultry Production Complex as a whole will be achieved via Tysons Road and its existing intersection with Kidman Way.

Kidman Way / Tysons Road Intersection

An assessment of the increase in traffic volumes that will occur on Kidman Way at this intersection was provided in Section 7.1 which concluded that the additional trips generated by the proposed development are minimal and not expected to have any adverse operational impacts on the external road network. It is expected for the low volumes involved that the intersection will continue to operate at a level of service ‘A’ with minimal delays and queuing. Nevertheless, a number of recommendations have been made in this report in relation to improvements and upgrades that can be made to the Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection. These are primarily focused on ensuring that a safe layout is provided for the types of vehicles and movements that will be generated at this intersection not only by the proposed development, but also by The Ranch Poultry Production Complex as a whole. These recommendations include:

• Widening Kidman Way at the intersection to accommodate a BAL type treatment for southbound traffic.

• Widening Tysons Road at the mouth of the intersection, if required, sufficient to accommodate the turn paths of vehicles up to the size of B-Doubles turning in and out of Tysons Road



simultaneously. A swept path assessment will need to be undertaken to confirm this has been achieved once a design is available.

• Linemarking Tysons Road on its approach to the intersection with Kidman Way to include a centreline and hold line for the existing Give Way control, thereby encouraging orderly driver behaviour at the intersection.

• Checking the visibility splays achievable with the upgraded intersection layout and trimming vegetation if necessary, particularly on the eastern side to the north of the intersection, to maximize the visibility to/from the Tysons Road intersection that can be achieved from this approach.

7.3.2 As discussed in Section 5.2, the existing unsealed section of Tysons Road between the end of the existing seal, located approximately 285m to the east of Kidman Way, and the proposed site access approximately 700m further to the east is in good condition and of a width suitable to enable large heavy vehicles up to the size of B-Doubles to safely pass each other. Tysons Road in its current form is therefore considered to be suitable for the scale of The Ranch Poultry Production Complex proposed (which includes The Ranch Farm 1 development) and the level of traffic that it will collectively generate. Provided that the subject section of unsealed road is suitably maintained on a regular basis, additional work such as sealing of the road is considered to be unnecessary.

Proposed Site Access Driveway

The future access driveway connecting the internal two-lane, two-way site access road to Tysons Road should comply with the minimum requirements of Figure 3.1 of AS 2890.2, with additional width provided at the driveway entry if necessary to accommodate B-Doubles (i.e. a swept path assessment should be undertaken to ensure the design of the proposed access is suitable for use by B-Doubles in the future). Preferably the intersection should be constructed as a BAL treatment, which would allow trucks to turn safely into the internal site access road clear of other traffic using Tysons Road. Sight distance at the proposed access driveway location sufficient to meet the SSD and SISD requirements discussed in Section 5.2 should be provided, with existing vegetation on the northern side of Tysons Road to the west and east of the proposed access road cut back or removed if required. Access control (Give Way) signage should also be provided at the access driveway to control vehicles exiting the site.

7.4 Pedestrians and Cyclists

The site is located in a lowly-populated rural area, removed from urban residential areas. It is unlikely staff would travel to the site via bicycle or walking. Therefore the provision of cycle and pedestrian facilities to and from the site is not considered necessary. Within the site adequate provision should be made for pedestrians to move safely around the site.



7.5 Impacts during Construction

As discussed in detail in Section 6, there is not expected to be a significant impact to the external road network during construction of the proposal. Access to the site during the construction stage will be provided via Kidman Way and Tysons Road, with the proposed site access road to be constructed into the site from Tysons Road at commencement of the construction phase which will ultimately also be used as the operational access. All construction-related traffic (including light vehicles associated with construction workers) will park within the site during the construction phase. Construction of the poultry sheds, internal roads and other infrastructure will generate some heavy vehicle movements associated with deliveries of materials, equipment etc. This will also attract construction employee trips to the site. The most intensive construction activity in terms of truck movements to and from the site is expected to be associated with concrete deliveries during construction of the concrete floor slabs for each poultry shed. It is estimated that a total of approximately 53 trips per day, or approximately 5 trips per hour (average 2.5 in / 2.5 out), will occur for a duration of up to two days for the construction of each concrete slab. Apart from this there would be the odd truck delivering other materials throughout the course of a typical day and a small number of light vehicle trips, mostly concentrated around the construction shift start and end times, associated with construction workers. Overall, it is concluded that the construction activities will generate only low traffic volumes, possibly in the order of approximately 10-15 trips per day for The Ranch Farm 1 development excluding concrete deliveries, and will be for a relatively short term (i.e. maximum of 6 months). The impacts arising from construction traffic are therefore expected to be low and any mitigation treatments identified in this report to address the operational traffic impacts of the development are expected to be sufficient to also address the construction traffic impacts. Construction activities at the Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection associated with building the BAL treatment (in particular) may require short term shoulder and lane closures at times. This will be undertaken in accordance with the appropriate traffic control guidelines and by approved traffic control contractors. The impact of this traffic control, in terms of delays and queuing, is expected to be minimal due to the relatively low traffic volumes on this section of Kidman Way as described in previous sections of this report.

7.6 Cumulative Impacts of Developments

Previous sections have primarily considered the traffic impacts of The Ranch Farm 1 development in isolation from other known developments in the area. This section examines the potential cumulative impacts arising from all of the developments. As discussed in detail in Section 4, a number of developments have either recently been approved and constructed, or are proposed (SEARS requested/issued). These developments include:

• The Ranch Poultry Production Complex – Farm 2 and Farm 3.

• Jeanella Poultry Production Complex (existing).



• Jeanella South Poultry Production Complex.

• Maylands Poultry Farm.

• Tabbita Poultry Farm 1.

• Tabbita Poultry Farm 2.

The cumulative volume of traffic generated by these developments on Tysons Road and Kidman Way to the north and south of Tysons Road was previously estimated and presented in Table 4.2. As stated previously, the estimated volumes are based on traffic generation data prepared separately (in some cases by other parties) as part of the TIAs for those developments, and have been adopted without change for the purposes of this assessment. Comparing these volumes to the future background traffic estimated to use these roads in the design year of 2026, the following changes in traffic are predicted:

Future Forecast Traffic Volumes (2026) including Cumulative Traffic Generated by Developments

Background Traffic Vehicle Trips Per Day1,2

Additional Generated Traffic Vehicle Trips Per Day

Percentage Increase

Cars HVs Total Cars HVs Total Cars HVs Total

Tysons Road (east of Kidman Way)

10 10 20 24 18 42 340% 280% 310%

Kidman Way (north of Tysons Road)

978 241 1219 68 128 196 7% 53% 16%

Kidman Way (south of Tysons Road)

976 243 1219 80 146 226 8% 60% 19%

1. Background traffic for Tysons Road estimated based on 2015 site observations. 2. Background traffic volumes for Kidman Way estimated using 2011 traffic count at Tabbita in Table 2.1 and 1.5% p.a. linear growth rate to design year of 2026, with small adjustments

north and south of Tysons Road to allow for estimated background turning volumes. Values south of Tysons Road same as presented in Table 7.1.

Table 7.2 – Cumulative Increase in Vehicle Trips on External Road Network from all Known Developments

The results show that all of the developments collectively still only result in an increase of 16-19% in the total daily volumes on the subject sections of Kidman Way at the future design year of 2026. The forecast percentage increase in heavy vehicle movements is substantially higher at 53 to 60%, however, the resulting volumes are still very low and easily accommodated on Kidman Way which is a designated B-Double and Road Train route. Although there is a substantial increase in the volume of traffic predicted to use Tysons Road when compared to the estimated current usage, the total predicted volume of 62 vehicles per day (20 background trips + 42 generated trips from Farms 1, 2 and 3 of The Ranch Poultry Production Complex) is still extremely low and is not predicted to result in any capacity or operational issues. Based on the information that is available, the cumulative impacts of the known developments appear to be acceptable and do not require additional improvements or upgrades.



8. CONCLUSIONS

The proposed development involves the construction of an intensive poultry broiler production farm referred to as The Ranch Farm 1, comprising of 8 tunnel-ventilated fully-enclosed climate-controlled poultry sheds where broiler birds will be grown for human consumption. The development will be able to accommodate up to approximately 400,000 broiler birds at any one time. Operations will occur 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The proposed development is one of three farms, collectively referred to as The Ranch Poultry Production Complex, which are proposed for development on adjoining lots within the study area. Each farm, which will be of the same size and have the same operational characteristics, will be the subject of a separate development application and a separate Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to be lodged consecutively with Carrathool Shire Council. Access to the proposed development and also The Ranch Poultry Production Complex as a whole is proposed via a new internal two-lane, two-way access road which connects to Tysons Road (a local rural road) approximately 1km east of the existing Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection. It is anticipated that the direction of travel for heavy vehicles and the majority of staff vehicles will predominantly be to and from Hanwood and Griffith to the south via Kidman Way, with most traffic turning right into and left out of Tysons Road at its intersection with Kidman Way. The Ranch Farm 1 development will generate an average of 14 vehicle trips per day (6 heavy vehicle trips and 8 car trips) and 4 trips per hour during the peak generating times of the proposal (1 heavy vehicle trip and 3 car trips). Existing and future background traffic volumes on Kidman Way are relatively low and additional traffic from the proposal can be easily accommodated. It is not expected to cause any significant impacts in terms of road safety or operation. It is proposed that the existing Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection be upgraded to include a BAL type treatment for southbound traffic, to cater for the additional left turning traffic generated by The Ranch Poultry Production Complex as a whole including The Ranch Farm 1. This access type is suitable for the low volume of traffic generated both by the proposed development and the complex as a whole, and for the existing and future low background traffic volumes forecast along Kidman Way. The proposed BAL treatment will supplement the BAR treatment that is already provided at the intersection. Some widening of Tysons Road at the intersection to accommodate the turn paths of vehicles up to the size of B-Doubles may be required. Visibility splays for the upgraded intersection should be checked, particularly to/from the north, and vegetation trimmed if necessary. It is also recommended that Tysons Road is linemarked on its approach to the intersection to include a centreline and hold line for the existing Give Way control, thereby encouraging orderly driver behaviour at the intersection. It is proposed that the existing unsealed section of Tysons Road that exists from a point approximately 285m east of Kidman Way up to the proposed site access road into the development (approximately 700m in length) be retained in its current form. The road currently has a formation width of approximately 7m which is adequate to enable large heavy vehicles up to the size of B-Doubles to safely pass each other. For the volumes of traffic generated by the proposed development and also The Ranch Poultry Production Complex as a whole it is not necessary to seal this section of road. However, it is recommended that the road is maintained on a regular basis to ensure it remains suitable for use by B-Doubles.



The future access driveway connecting the site to Tysons Road should comply with the minimum requirements of AS 2890.2, with additional width provided at the driveway entry if necessary to accommodate B-Doubles (i.e. the largest vehicle that may be required to service the site in the future). A swept path assessment should be undertaken to ensure the design of the proposed access is suitable. Preferably, the intersection should be constructed as a BAL treatment, which would allow trucks to turn safely into the internal site access road clear of other traffic using Tysons Road. Sight distance sufficient to meet the SSD and SISD requirements should be provided, with existing vegetation on the northern side of Tysons Road to the west and east cut back if required. Access control (Give Way) signage should also be provided at the new entrance to control vehicles exiting the site. As mentioned previously the heavy vehicles servicing the site will generally travel to and from facilities in and around Hanwood and Griffith to the south using Kidman Way. Kidman Way is a designated B-double and Road Train route. It is suitable in its current form for the small daily volume of heavy vehicles generated by the development proposal, without the need for further road or intersection improvements (other than those indicated in this report). Internal roads for the development will be constructed to accommodate heavy vehicles and the operation will allow one way traffic flow around the poultry sheds to avoid conflicts in servicing. The one-way system will connect directly to the internal two-lane, two-way access road providing access from the site onto Tysons Road. Construction of the proposed development will generate some heavy vehicle movements associated with deliveries of materials, equipment etc, in addition to generating additional light vehicle trips for staff. The most intensive construction activity in terms of truck movements to and from the site is expected to be associated with concrete deliveries during construction of the concrete floor slabs for each poultry shed. It is estimated that a total of approximately 53 trips per day (approximately 5 trips per hour) will occur for a duration of up to two days for the construction of each concrete slab. Apart from this there would be the odd truck delivering other materials throughout the course of a typical day and a small number of light vehicle trips, mostly concentrated around the construction shift start and end times, associated with construction workers. All constructed-related traffic will park on site. Overall, it is concluded that the construction activities will generate only low traffic volumes, possibly in the order of approximately 10-15 trips per day for The Ranch Farm 1 development excluding concrete deliveries, and will be for a relatively short term (i.e. maximum of 6 months). The impacts arising from construction traffic are therefore expected to be low and any mitigation treatments identified in this report to address the operational traffic impacts of the development are expected to be sufficient to also address the construction traffic impacts. The cumulative traffic impacts of a number of known developments in the study area, including the existing Jeanella Poultry Production Complex, the proposed Jeanella South Poultry Farm, Maylands Poultry Farm, Tabbita Poultry Farms 1 and 2 and The Ranch Farms 2 and 3 (i.e. the other farms proposed as part of The Ranch Poultry Production Complex) have been examined in conjunction with The Ranch Farm 1 development proposal. The analysis concludes that the resulting volumes on the relevant sections of those roads collectively used by some or all of the developments (namely Tysons Road east of Kidman Way, Kidman Way north of Tysons Road and Kidman Way south of Tysons Road) are still predicted to be very low at the design year of 2026 and easily accommodated by these roads. Based on the information available,



the cumulative impacts of the known developments therefore appear to be acceptable and do not require additional improvements or upgrades. Provided the recommendations in this report are met, the proposal is not expected to cause any significant impacts in terms of road safety or operation, and there are no issues associated with traffic to reject the proposal.



9. RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Widen Kidman Way at its intersection with Tysons Road to accommodate a BAL type treatment for southbound traffic.

2. Widen Tysons Road at the mouth of the intersection, if required, sufficient to accommodate the turn paths of vehicles up to the size of B-Doubles turning in and out of Tysons Road simultaneously. Undertake a swept path assessment on the design of the proposed intersection upgrade to confirm this is achieved.

3. Linemark Tysons Road on its approach to the intersection with Kidman Way to include a centreline and hold line for the existing Give Way control, thereby encouraging orderly driver behaviour at the intersection.

4. Check the visibility splays achievable at the Kidman Way / Tysons Road intersection with the upgraded intersection layout and trim vegetation if necessary, particularly on the eastern side to the north of the intersection, to maximize the visibility that can be achieved from this approach.

5. Ensure that the unsealed section of Tysons Road between the end of the existing seal and the proposed site access is maintained on a regular basis to provide a road suitable for use by B-Doubles.

6. Design the future access driveway connecting the internal site access road to Tysons Road to comply with the minimum requirements of AS 2890.2, with additional width provided at the driveway entry if necessary to accommodate B-Doubles. Undertake a swept path assessment to ensure the design of the proposed access is suitable. In addition, consider providing a BAL treatment for traffic turning left from Tysons Road, which would allow trucks to turn safely into the internal site access road clear of other traffic using Tysons Road. Access control (Give Way) signage should also be provided at the new entrance to control vehicles exiting the site.

7. Ensure sufficient sight distance is provided at the proposed access driveway location to meet the SSD and SISD requirements, with existing vegetation on the northern side of Tysons Road to the west and east of the proposed access road cut back or removed if required.

8. Construct the internal roads to a suitable strength and width to accommodate the expected heavy vehicle movements and their turn path requirements.



APPENDIX A

PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT LOCATION AND LAYOUT



Location Plan

“THE RANCH” FARM 1 SITE



The Ranch Farm 1



APPENDIX B

KIDMAN WAY / TYSONS ROAD INTERSECTION - TURN PATH ASSESSMENT



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