§ 4.2.6. Transportation System

Port Trip Generation. The projected 2025 vehicular traffic along the Port's roadways, outlined in Appendix B, is based on the forecast increase in the Port's commodities and proposed cruise ship/ferry activities. In 2014, on an average weekday at the Port, there were approximately 3,200 daily trips, including both cars and trucks, into and out of the access connections (i.e., South Dock Street and Piney Point Road). In 2025, approximately 8,170 trips per day are anticipated to be generated into and out of the Port. Of the 8,170 daily car and truck trips, 1,644 trips are anticipated to support the proposed cruise ship/ferry activities. Historically, 10 percent of the Port's commodity daily activities occurred along Piney Point Road during the peak hour. This pattern is assumed to continue in the future.

The Port proposes to handle cruise ship activities by the year 2025. The number of cruise ship related vehicular trips was calculated based on the Mooring Dolphin Traffic Study, a cruise ship trip generation study conducted in San Diego, California, in October 2012. This study, determined that an average cruise ship generates 0.42 daily trips per passenger when the ship is in port. A 2,000 passenger cruise ship with a total of 3,915 passenger on/offs is anticipated to generate approximately 1,640 two-way vehicular trips per day, with 380 trips, or 23 percent of the daily total, occurring during the peak hour. The San Diego Port's trip generation characteristics are documented in Appendix B.

The surrounding roadways projected traffic is based on a linear interpolation from historical traffic trends and a linear interpolation from the Sarasota-Manatee MPO's 2035 travel demand model. The 2025 traffic projections were reviewed with current traffic volumes to ensure that any anomalies in under/over traffic projections are based on a reasonable rate of growth. The 2025 traffic projections are also documented in Appendix B.

Traffic Service Review and Findings. Port Manatee access connects with U.S. 41 via Piney Point Road and South Dock Street. Although these roadways operate at an acceptable level of service (LOS) today, Piney Point Road is anticipated to need additional capacity improvements in order to accommodate the future 2025 traffic. In addition, both Piney Point Road and South Dock Street will need to be reconstructed to design standards in order to accommodate the increased heavy vehicles (trucks) that frequent the Port.

The projected increase in 2025 traffic volumes on U.S. 41 from I-275 to SR-674 is not anticipated to exceed the capacity of the existing roadway. This is based on a linear interpolation of the existing traffic, historical traffic trends, and the 2035 travel demand model traffic projections. (The more recent 2040 travel demand model had not been released at the time of this update.) The previous Port Manatee Connector PD&E Study conducted by the Florida Department of Transportation was based on a significant increase in population and employment prior to the economic recession starting in 2008. Continuing residential development has been projected for the area north of I-275 and west of I-75, although in the short-term the economic climate has dampened new development activity. With an existing daily volume on U.S. 41 north of I-275 at approximately 10,000 vehicles, future 2025 traffic will increase the traffic on U.S. 41 south of the Port to approximately 18,000 vehicles per day. The 2025 projected traffic volume is within the capacity of the existing four-lane roadway during a weekday and during the peak hour traffic. The LOS along U.S. 41 is anticipated to continue operating at LOS B. The widening of the U.S. 41/Piney Point intersection may be needed to accommodate the increase in traffic should a cruise ship or ferry service be added to the Port's future activities.