BSI assesses estimated traffic flows from casino resort

Best Sunshine International, Ltd., through a consulting agency, has explored improvements to the oft-congested traffic intersection of Beach Road and Cpl. Derence Jack Road.

The intersection, near Best Sunshine’s proposed 14-story casino resort, is estimated to generate an average delay of 18.5 seconds for traffic during its noon peak hour, and 33.5 seconds of delay during the “PM” peak, according to consultants MVA Systra Group.

These estimates, from a traffic study report, were generated to account for the influence of traffic Best Sunshine’s resort on the immediate area of influence around its resort. It accounts for estimated hourly “casino and hotel trip rates” out and into the casino resort, and was completed as part of Best Sunshine’s major siting permit application.

In the traffic study report, the consultants explored two intersection improvement options with the aim to shorten the average delay at the intersection.

For option one, it was proposed to change the intersection control method from priority to signal control.

For option two, the signal control was enhanced with an extra northbound traffic lane at the intersection.

The consultants estimated that with the signals at the intersection, average delays would be 25.1 seconds at noon, and 26.8 seconds in the PM.

With signals plus a wider intersection, the consultants tallied up a 24.5 second delay for the noon peak, and 26.2 average delay for the PM peak.

“With improvement schemes (either Option 1 or 2) in place, it is envisaged that the average delay at the intersection could be improved from some 33 seconds to around 26 seconds during the PM peak,” MVA Systra Group writes.

“During noon peak, the average delays for both Options 1 and 2 is envisaged to be slightly increased by 6 to 7 seconds from the case of no improvement. This is due to the fact that the traffic movements at the intersection would generally experience a longer waiting time resulting from the use of the traffic light,” the group notes.

The report also looked at traffic at the Beach Road/ Micro Beach Road intersection and the Beach Road/ Garapan Street intersections as well as the Beach Road/Cpl. Derence Jack Rd. intersection

Taking the total magnitude of incoming and outgoing traffic at these intersections, the traffic flow of the casino resort will “only account for less than 5 percent to 15 percent of the total traffic at these intersections,” the group concludes.

The group said, as traffic goes further outside the study area, traffic flow of the casino resort would further disperse at various intersections of the Garapan tourist district. The group said the traffic flows of the proposed development expected at these intersections would become lesser as they disperse further away from the study area. “Hence, the traffic impact of the development traffic on intersections outside of the area would be insignificant comparing with the background traffic flow of the intersections,” the group concludes.