2012-09-06_REVISION - M2008070 (21)

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Milepost SEP 2002 OCT 2005 APR 2007 % Increase 2002 -2007 0.6 401 1077 1671 416 41.5 411 1076 1057 257 RBCR 5 is a paved, 2 -lane road that winds its way parallel to Piceance Creek for nearly 42 miles. It was not constructed to withstand year- round, heavy -truck traffic which it now experiences. Rio Blanco County is currently planning a major upgrade to the entire length of RBCR 5 to provide an adequate and safe roadway consistent with the traffic demands projected to occur in the area. Data in Table 5 was referenced from traffic studies done for the Williams Midstream EA (2008), also written for Rio Blanco County. The data is timely, proximal to the WRC pit and useful as a baseline for analysis of expected traffic impacts from the WRC pit operations. Of particular note are the numbers generated at MP 41.5 on RBCR 5, which are indicative of the number of vehicles turning onto CR 5 from Hwy 64. Also noteworthy in the Williams study were peak traffic periods, which were determined to be 6:15 -7:15 am, 12:15 -1:15 pm and 4:15 -5:15 pm. Table 5: Average daily traffic (ADT) counts for RBCR 5, 2002 -2007 *Table borrowed from Williams Midstream EA, 2008 It is important to note that a gravel pit operation currently exists directly west of the WRC proposed pit with an existing entrance off RBCR 5 immediately across from the WRC location. This is the Connell pit and it is currently operating in its second phase of production, which is expected to last 3 -4 more years. The Connell pit is expected to cease operations and finish reclamation activities within the next 4 -6 years (Madison, Pers. Comm.). If this is indeed the case, then traffic generated by the WRC pit would largely, if not entirely, be offset by the loss of traffic volume due to the closure of the Connell pit at that time. However, traffic impacts over the next 1 -6 year period will be cumulative. For traffic estimates generated by the WRC pit, we used the known number of employees the Proponent will need to operate the pit, the average number of days the pit will be operational annually and the seasonal product delivery fluctuations the Proponent expects based on previous experience (April- October peak, November -March off - peak). We further assumed a worst -case traffic scenario of maximizing delivery of the full 250,000 tons of product annually, as called for in the operating plans filed with the Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety, and further assumed average delivery to occur with tandem dump trucks hauling 15 tons of material /trip. Larger belly -dump trucks would obviously generate fewer trips carrying larger loads. Environmental Consequences of Proposed Action: During the initial construction phase, it is anticipated a maximum of 6 employees will be required. All men will be commuting from Meeker and carpooling since all will be employed by Diamond J Construction. Two men will operate a crusher, one will operate a loader, one will operate a dozer and /or scraper and one person will run the scales. The final man will be a supervisor. Most construction phase work includes stripping overburden and building an adequate access driveway from RBCR 5 to the Phase 2 pit location on the east end of the property. Construction will entail three additional Environmental Solutions, Inc. Page 22 of 30 March 09