HomeMy WebLinkAboutFisher-Letter-Report.pdfOctober 25, 2013
Ms. Marguerite Wells
Enfield Energy LLC
RE: Black Oak Wind Farm
Dear Ms. Wells:
Fisher Associates has prepared this letter in response to comments 14 and 15 from the July 22, 2013 Memorandum
from LaBella Associates to the Town of Enfield (LaBella memo). We have copied the comments directly from the
LaBella Memo and included them in italics below. Following each question, we have provided a response.
Comment 14. It is unclear what proportion of access roads would be surfaced with gravel vs. shale mined on site.
For purposes of evaluating the transportation network, we recommend evaluating and permitting the project
assuming all gravel will be coming from off-site (meaning no on-site shale will be used for the project). Assuming
all gravel will come from off-site will produce a greater number of trips on County and Town roads, thereby
providing a conservative analysis of the project related impacts relative to transportation. That being said, all
remaining responses in this letter assume all gravel will be coming from off-site.
Estimated volume of each material (gravel, shale, sand, or other) required for access road construction.
The current layout for the project includes 2.7 miles of 15-foot wide access roads. Final design of the project will
determine the actual access road thickness required to support the construction traffic. Typically, the access
roadways are between 8 and 12 inches of gravel. Using this assumption, the gravel needed for access roads will be
between approximately 5,300 and 8,000 cy depending on final design of the project.
A table summarizing the estimated number of total truck trips for all deliveries (OS/OW, cement, gravel, shale,
sand).
The following are the assumptions to support the number of truck trips in the table below.
Access Roads are a total of 2.7 miles, 15-foot wide, and 12 inches in depth. Included is a 10% contingency
for miscellaneous final design grading, pull-off and staging areas, substation, and temporary turning radii
Crane Pads are 100’ x 60’ assuming 12 inches of gravel in depth
Foundations will each require 500 cy of concrete
Laydown yard(s) will be a total of 5.4 acres of gravel, 6 inches in depth
Each turbine will require 10 OS / OW loads
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Substation and Interconnect will require 2 OS / OW loads for transformers
Gravel and concrete trucks are standard axle loads and hold 10 cy of material
Material Volume of Material
(cubic yards)
Number of loaded
trucks trips
Gravel 13,512 1,351
Concrete 3,500 350
OS/OW loads 72
Note that the volumes and truck trips are based on the best available assumptions for the project at this time. The
actual volumes and trips will be dependent on final design and the equipment available to the contractor selected
for the project.
Town and County roads travelled by trucks carrying access road materials.
It is anticipated all access road materials will arrive to the project area on NYS Route 79 to Black Oak Road.
Black Oak Road and Connecticut Hill Road are the County and Town roads that will be used by vehicles carrying
access road materials. Black Oak Road is County Road 136 between Route 79 and Connecticut Hill Road. South
of Connecticut Hill Road, Black Oak Road is a Town Road. Connecticut Hill Road is County Road 136 within the
project area.
Existing condition of those Town and County roads and any deficiencies that would affect gravel / shale transport.
Black Oak Road, between NYS Route 79 and Connecticut Hill Road is in poor condition, with one exception
mentioned below. The surface is uneven and exhibits significant longitudinal and alligator cracking. The edges of
the roadway have deteriorated significantly to the point where the white edge line no longer exists. Based on the
cracking, wheel rutting, uneven surface, depressions along the roadway, it appears the subgrade has been
compromised and full depth reconstruction would be required to repair the roadway. The following are
representative photographs of Black Oak Road.
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Black Oak Wind Farm
Black Oak Road, near the intersection with Weatherby Road, was in fair condition. It appeared that this section of
the road received a repair treatment. The driving lanes had evidence of rutting and the roadway edges had begun
to crack, however, this section of roadway was in better shape than the remainder of the County portion of Black
Oak Road. The following is a photograph of this section of Black Oak Road.
Black Oak Road, south of Connecticut Hill Road was in good condition. The roadway showed no signs of distress.
The following is a representative photograph of the Town portion of Black Oak Road.
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Black Oak Wind Farm
Connecticut Hill Road was in poor condition as well, although this segment of County road was in better condition
than the County owned portion of Black Oak Road. Connecticut Hill Road showed evidence of wheel rutting,
longitudinal and alligator cracking, as well as edge line deterioration. The following is a representative photograph
of Connecticut Hill Road.
Based on a review of the roadway surface, it is anticipated that the County owned portion of Black Oak Road will
continue to deteriorate at a rapid rate without a comprehensive roadway reconstruction. Water penetration, freeze /
thaw cycles, along with the truck loads headed to Teets & Son Scrap Metal will deteriorate the surface and
subgrade. If left unimproved for construction of the wind farm, it is likely portions of the roadway may turn to
rubble, similar to portions of the shoulder that have already deteriorated.
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Black Oak Wind Farm
Black Oak Road, south of Connecticut Hill Road, appears suitable for construction with no upgrades necessary to
accommodate construction traffic. Connecticut Hill Road will likely experience increased rutting and cracking
during project construction.
In addition to the roadway surface evaluation, all roadway culverts apparent in the field, were located and
reviewed for the project. A majority of the culverts appeared to be cast iron, in good condition, with sufficient
cover to accommodate the project construction traffic. It should be noted that if no improvements are made to
Black Oak Road prior to construction, the culverts should be monitored to ensure adequate cover is maintained.
Suitability of shale for road bed construction with regards to weight-bearing and surface durability and expected
life of access roads constructed with shale vs. gravel.
As mentioned above, the transportation analysis assumes gravel will be brought in from off-site.
Comment 15. The FEIS should provide information regarding the proposed coordination and permitting for use of
State, County and Town Roads, including a basic list of involved highway departments/other officials (school
officials, emergency responders) based on the expected delivery route as well as the haul routes for access road
materials; the schedule of when in the SEQR/design process these officials would be contacted; a schedule for
preparing Road Use Agreements; and the expected number and type of work permits required.
The following entities (and related permits, as applicable) will be involved in the transportation related
components of the coordination, permitting, and construction of the project:
Town of Enfield & Tompkins County - Road use agreements on Black Oak Road and Connecticut Hill
Road
NYSDOT – NYSDOT Highway Work Permit at NYS Route 79 / Black Oak Road
NYSDOT – Oversize / Overweight permits for turbine components and transformers
Enfield Volunteer Fire Company, Inc. – Local fire department
Odessa-Montour Central School District, Ithaca City School District – Local school districts
The entities above address the transportation, school district, and emergency response officials for the entrance
into and within the project area. The routes from gravel and concrete suppliers will not be known until a
contractor has been selected for the project. Concrete and gravel suppliers are typically located on State routes, or
nearby to State routes, on roadways that have been constructed to withstand the weights of concrete and gravel
trucks. It is anticipated the gravel and concrete trucks will enter the project area from NYS Route 79 at Black Oak
Road. No permits are required for standard concrete and gravel trucks on State routes.
To date, the project has, and will continue to coordinate with the Town and County regarding road use agreements.
This is an open and on-going discussion which will continue up to, and through construction of the project. As
recently as October 24, 2013, a meeting was held with the Town to discuss the road use agreement. From that
meeting, the Town will be developing a framework for the agreement. This agreement will need to be in place
prior to construction.
During final design, a detailed intersection improvement plan will be developed and submitted to NYSDOT for
improvements at NYS Route 79 and Black Oak Road. After a turbine supplier has been selected for the project,
the turbine supplier will procure a hauling company to secure the OS / OW permits for each State along the turbine
component delivery route(s), including the route within New York State.
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Black Oak Wind Farm
Immediately prior to construction, the project will have coordination meetings with both the local emergency
service provider and the school districts. It is not anticipated that the construction or long term operation of the
project will have significant impacts to either emergency services or school bus routes. If there are any impacts,
the most likely impact would be to school bus routes during construction and the project will provide continuous
updates to notify the schools of work sequences and turbine delivery schedules.
Sincerely,
FISHER ASSOCIATES, P.E., L.S., P.C.
Christopher Smith, P.E.
Project Manager