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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCape Fear Phase 1 Traffic Technical Memo - Sealed_v1Background & Purpose As part of a campus master plan project, the Cape Fear Academy, located at 3900 College Road in Wilmington, NC is expanding the educational space and adding and upgrading various other facilities on the campus. To minimize the impacts on student instruction, the expansion will be divided into several construction phases. Based on coordination with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), the NCDOT Municipal School Transportation Assistance (MSTA), and Wilmington Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (WMPO), a Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) will be required to analyze and make recommendations for the traffic impact the proposed expansion at full buildout, while technical memoranda will suffice for the interim construction phases. Exult Engineering is in the process of completing the full buildout TIA and is providing this technical memorandum for the first phase of the Cape Fear Academy Expansion to satisfy review agency requirements. This memorandum details the traffic pattern and operations for the current conditions and makes recommendations for the traffic operations during the construction of Phase 1 and following completion of Phase 1. Construction Phase 1 will consist of expanding an existing multi-story structure, referred to as Cameron Hall. As part of this phase, a new two-lane road will be constructed around the perimeter of the existing soccer field that is located on the northeast corner of campus. This field will be used by the construction contractor throughout construction. Current Traffic Pattern and Operations – Figures 1 & 2 Figure 1 provides an overview of Cape Fear Academy’s current traffic pattern for the entire campus.Figure 2 depicts portion of campus that will be modified with Construction Phase 1. The current traffic pattern for Cape Fear Academy consists of all traffic entering via the signalized main entrance on NC 132 (College Road). The ingress is a single lane that makes a right turn to form two lanes of one-way flow. All school traffic travels along a large loop that flows in the counterclockwise direction around the campus. Once traffic arrives at the first internal intersection, located at the southeast corner of the northern parking lot, parents who are dropping off or picking up students in Lower 1, Lower 2, and Kindergarten take the left lane to utilize the northern loading zone. The remaining traffic utilizes the right lane to continue using the main traffic loop. High School students that drive and those with assigned parking spaces in the northern lot, turn left from the loop unopposed into the northern parking lot. All other school traffic continues counterclockwise along the loop. Parents of L1, & L2 and K children that have completed the drop off or pick up, reenter the counterclockwise loop via a stop-controlled internal intersection, located on the northeast corner of the northern lot. All traffic continues around the rear of the campus and those with Elementary, Middle and Upper school children, turn left to utilize Subject:Cape Fear Academy: Construction Phase 1 Traffic Memorandum To:Joe Boyd, PE Withers Ravenel Date:February 24, 2026 From: Chanlin Wong, PE James Kevin Lacy, PE Exult Engineering 203 West Millbrook Road, Suite 200 Raleigh, NC 27609 TECHNICAL MEMORANDUM Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Cape Fear Academy Expansion Phase 1 Operations February 24, 2026 Technical Memorandum 2 the southern drop off and pick-up zone. Based on information provided by the Cape Fear Academy staff, more than 90% of the high school students drive themselves or carpool with another student. As a result, there is a very small number of ninth grade students that use the parent pick-up and drop-off process. The Elementary school parents use the left queue in the southern loading zone, and all Elementary drop-off and pick-up occur on the driver side. Middle and High School parents use the right lane and these drop-off and pick-up occur on the vehicle passenger side. These older students then walk to the crosswalk that has a staff member serving as a crossing guard. This procedure limits interactions between vehicle and students to the controlled crosswalks. Once the students are dropped off or picked up, the vehicles re-enter the two-lane counterclockwise loop and proceed to egress at the main signalized entrance where traffic can use one of three lanes to exit the campus onto NC 132 (College Road). The morning and afternoon school loading operations were observed and documented on two occasions. On Wednesday, October 16, 2024, Davenport Engineering documented the morning and afternoon queues in a technical memorandum. The maximum queue observed in that memo occurred in the afternoon for the Lower/Middle school pick-up and was recorded as 1250 feet for approximately 55 vehicles. This memo is provided as an Attachment. In addition, Exult Engineering observed morning and afternoon queuing on Wednesday, January 28, 2026. The lane utilization for the two lanes along the campus’ internal loop was not balanced; the inner lane had 39 vehicles queued while the outer lane never fully stopped and continued to move slowly with a rolling queueing of an estimated 20 vehicles. The total maximum queue between both lanes observed was 1,460 feet. This maximum queue uses less than 50 percent of the currently available total queue length of the internal campus loop. Based on the observations of the current school loading conditions, more than 2000 feet of remaining queuing space is available before the school campus traffic threatens NC 132 (College Road). The traffic signal controlling the exiting approach of campus runs specific timing plans during the school AM and school PM peak periods to accommodate the school traffic demand. Based on the observations, these timing plans effectively manage the traffic on and off campus. The Davenport queueing memorandum did not document the maximum observed queue developed from the traffic signal. However, Exult Engineering observed that the maximum end of queue exiting the campus was 544 feet, as measured from the stop bar, and occurred at approximately 8:15 am. This maximum queue dissipated after one signal cycle and never reached that extent again. The observed end of this queue was approximately one car length away from the nearest on-campus crosswalk and never extended beyond that crosswalk. Outside of this occurrence, the typical morning queue egressing the campus rarely extended beyond 300 feet, as measured from the traffic signal stop bar. Due to the staggard pick-up times, the afternoon queue egressing the campus does not extend as far as the morning queue. Construction Phase 1 Completion Traffic Pattern and Operations – Figure 3 Figure 3 shows the proposed improvements and associated recommended traffic pattern for the northeast section of campus following completion of Construction Phase 1. Following Construction Phase 1, the existing north-south running road in front of Cameron Hall will extend to the northernmost property line to intersect with a new east- west running road that extends from the northeast corner of the existing parking lot to a new driveway on NC 132 (College Road). The new entrance on NC 132 (College Road) will be added for construction use only during Construction Phase 1. The new driveway will remain in place following Phase 1 for future use but will be secured with a closed gate. The campus roadways for all other parts of campus not shown will remain unaffected by Construction Phase 1. As shown in the Figure, most of the campus’ internal roadways will continue to operate as two-lane with one-way counterclockwise flow upon Phase 1 completion. Construction Phase 1 will result in the creation of a new internal Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Cape Fear Academy Expansion Phase 1 Operations February 24, 2026 Technical Memorandum 3 intersection at the northeast most corner of campus, where the soccer field is currently; however, this intersection is anticipated to have minimal conflicting flow following Construction Phase 1 since the new NC 132 (College Road) driveway will be secured with a closed gate until later construction phases are complete. While Construction Phase 1 will result in new on-campus roadway segments that will provide additional on- campus queueing storage, the efficiency of the school’s current loading and unloading process and current operational observations suggest that additional storage beyond what is proposed is not needed. The proposed Construction Phase 1 improvement will not significantly affect the traffic pattern, flow, or loading and unloading process for the school’s current school operations. With the Construction Phase 1 campus roadways in place, the school’s maximum queues are anticipated to continue to require less than maximum storage available. Construction Phase 1 Duration Traffic Pattern and Operations – Figure 4 Figure 4 shows the proposed traffic pattern on campus for school operations and construction vehicles and materials during Construction Phase 1. This pattern is recommended to remain in place until the completion of Construction Phase 1. During construction, the following traffic pattern related changes are proposed: The existing north-south road that runs in front of Cameron Hall will be extended towards the northernmost property line and will operate as two-lane one-way flow; The existing east-west road from the northeast corner of the northern parking lot will be extended to a new driveway at NC 132 (College Road) with two-lane one-way flow, except for a minor portion of two- way flow (for construction use only) The existing east-west roadway adjacent to the Cameron Hall Expansion will be closed and only used by construction traffic, The outside lane of the north-south roadway along the east side of the northern parking lot will be closed and reserved for construction traffic use, The inside lane on the existing north-south roadway entering campus from the signal will be reversed to allow construction egress traffic. Figure 4 also shows the recommended temporary traffic control devices and their placement for use during the Phase 1 Construction. School Traffic Operations during Construction Phase 1 The traffic pattern during Construction Phase 1 will maintain the key features of the existing traffic pattern. All school-related traffic flows will remain as one way during pick-up and drop-off operations and the total amount of available storage on-campus will essentially remain consistent with existing conditions. Converting the east-west road in front of Cameron Hall to two-way and removing the outer lane of the north-south road along the east side of the northern parking lot will temporarily remove approximately 620 feet of storage. However, new roadways will be provided in place of these changes to essentially replace this missing storage. Also, the existing observations indicate that this storage is not needed. Even throughout Construction Phase 1, the available queue storage will remain more than 1000 feet above the maximum observed queues. Construction Traffic Operations during Construction Phase 1 Construction traffic will be directed to avoid the morning and afternoon school traffic operation peak periods. The new dedicated construction entrance on NC 132 (College Road) will be located approximately 500 feet north of the main signalized entrance and will be closed to all public traffic and school traffic. Having a dedicated construction entrance is expected to further minimize school traffic and construction traffic interaction. The existing east-west roadway along the north side of Cameron Hall Expansion will also be closed for public and school traffic use and Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Cape Fear Academy Expansion Phase 1 Operations February 24, 2026 Technical Memorandum 4 will be signed appropriately. There will be situations where construction traffic may need to use the main entrance, but this use will be limited to outside of school peak hours. Any construction traffic that uses the main entrance will utilize the short north-south two-lane two-way converted roadway segment located along the east side of Cameron Hall Expansion to access the construction zone. Construction traffic will be the only traffic that is permitted to use the southbound direction along this road to egress at the traffic signal. This section will stay marked as a two-way segment for the duration of the construction of Phase 1. The proposed transportation plan minimizes the interaction of construction traffic and school traffic to very low volume periods outside of the drop-off and pick-up times. In addition, the plan is intended to physically separate school and construction traffic as much as practical. There will be some minor interaction between school traffic and construction traffic, primarily with late-arriving parents or early pick-up for appointments with doctors and other routine activities that normally require arriving or leaving school outside of peak periods. This interaction, while minimal, will be similar to normal operations on two lane roads and other traffic situations routinely encountered by drivers. Traffic Control Devices for Construction Phase 1 Recommended traffic control devices to accommodate the proposed changes are also depicted on Figure 4. The road closures should be accomplished using 48-inch wide (minimum) Type 3 barricades with “ROAD CLOSED” signs (R11-2) attached. One barricade should be placed across the appropriate travel lanes at each location. Cones and/or tubular markers should be used to channelize travel ways. Temporary pavement markings with double yellow center lines indicating two-way traffic flow should be provided as shown in Figure 4. Since the marking will be removed once phase 1 is completed, the recommended marking material is traffic paint. A “STOP” sign (R1-1) and a stop line (Stop bar) should be placed along the southbound approach of the first internal intersection adjacent to the traffic signal. This approach will only be used by construction traffic and shall yield to all other traffic at the intersection. Inbound traffic from NC 132 (College Road) and exiting northbound traffic from the school’s loop will always retain the right of way at this intersection. A temporary stop sign should also be placed on the westbound approach of the new northeast most intersection to ensure construction traffic yield to any school traffic. All traffic control-related signs, markings, and traffic control devices should conform to the latest Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Conclusion This analysis suggests that the new campus roadway configuration during construction of and following completion of Construction Phase 1 will not reduce the on-campus available queueing below the maximum observed queues. In addition, the proposed Phase 1 improvements are not anticipated to significantly change the current school-related traffic operation along NC 132 (College Road). The school is recommended to continue its current loading and unloading process, including one-way school traffic flow, two designated loading zones, and the use of staff to assist students and direct parents as needed for loading/unloading during Construction Phase 1. No additional improvements on campus or off campus are recommended to adequately manage the schools’ traffic needs during or following the completion of Construction Phase 1. Traffic analysis and memoranda for subsequent construction phases will be provided, as needed. Please let us know if you have any questions or comments. Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Cape Fear Academy Expansion Phase 1 Operations February 24, 2026 Technical Memorandum 5 Sincerely, Chanlin R. Wong, PE James Kevin Lacy, PE Exult Engineering Exult Engineering cc: Mr. Edward M. Ellison, Head of School, Cape Fear Academy Mr. John Furlough, Director of Operations, Safety, and Security, Cape Fear Academy Mr. Daniel Hood, PE, HICAPS, Vice President and Principal Mr. Dave Smith, CCM, REFP, HICAPS, VP of Construction Management and Building Diagnostics Attachments: Figure 1: Entire Campus – Existing Lane Geometry Figure 2: Construction Phase 1 – Area Existing Lane Geometry Figure 3: Construction Phase 1 Completion – Proposed Lane Geometry Figure 4: Construction Phase 1 Duration – Proposed Lane Geometry On-site Traffic Operations and Site Circulation Technical Memorandum (6/6/2025), prepared by Davenport Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED 02/24/2026 02/24/2026 Existing Lane Geometry Figure 1 Cape Fear Academy Expansion Aerial provided by Google Earth Staff Controlled Crosswalk Staff Controlled Crosswalk Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Construction Phase 1 – Area Existing Lane Geometry Cape Fear Academy Expansion Figure 2 Base Plan provided by WithersRavenel Modified by Exult Engineering Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Construction Phase 1 Completion – Proposed Lane Geometry Cape Fear Academy Expansion Figure 3 Base Plan provided by WithersRavenel Modified by Exult Engineering Gate always remains closed Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Construction Phase 1 Duration – Proposed Lane Geometry Cape Fear Academy Expansion 1 2 1 2 3 1 3 1 2 3 Figure 4 Base Plan provided by WithersRavenel Modified by Exult Engineering Type 3 Barricade with Arrow Panel48" Min with Road Closed Sign R11-2 Cones or Tubular Markers Temporary Pavement Marking throughIntersection (Paint) Note: Diagonals Point to Direction of Travel Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Page 2 06/06/2025 CFA Master Plan Traffic Observations DAVENPORT Project No. 240203 2 3.0 Site Observation Objectives DAVENPORT was tasked to review current traffic conditions, including surface parking demand, circulation patterns, peak hour traffic congestion, or recurring conflicts that would assist the development of the future site access plans for the new campus. In addition, CFA personnel provided context and anecdotal information on the current traffic patterns observed, especially regarding information provided to parents and visitors new to the campus. After consultation with the CFA administration, plans were developed to observe critical elements of the site circulation and identify aspects that could be carried over (or addressed) as part of the master plan development discussion. 4.0 On-Site Observations DAVENPORT visited the campus on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, to observe a typical day’s arrival and departure traffic patterns. Both the morning arrival and afternoon dismissal periods were observed, with personnel stationed at both pick-up zones for the duration of the observations. The weather was clear, dry and cool with excellent visibility. It was noted that the 4th grade students were away on an overnight field trip and therefore not included in the afternoon pick up traffic volumes. Morning observations began at 7:30am and are summarized in Table 1: Table 1 – Morning Site Observations from Wednesday, October 16, 2024 Observation Location Start End Max Queue Dwell Times School Resources Pre-K/Lower School 7:30am 8:20am n/a 30 seconds average per vehicle 1 staff and 1 parent volunteer Lower/Middle/ Upper School 500 feet (21 vehicles) 10 to 35 seconds per vehicle 5 staff, 1 SRO and 2 volunteers Key observations from the morning arrival period: · School resources (staff, SRO and volunteers) are utilized to provide essential traffic control and queue management services, in particular for official crossings and loading/unloading zones. · The morning arrival featured a dual lane operation for unloading; with the curbside lane and adjacent lane used equally to discharge passengers. Bypassing maneuvers were not allowed. · The morning queue was well managed and flowed smoothly, even at maximum length of 21 vehicles (approximately 500 feet, when measured from the first parking station). · Observed dwell times were between 10 and 30 seconds per vehicle for the Middle/Upper School loading area. Longer times (30+ seconds per student) were observed at the Pre-K/Lower School zone. · The longest observed queue on campus was due to the traffic signal at S. College Road · Operations at the Pre-K unloading and loading area had occasional passenger side unloading into a moving traffic lane. · Approximately 20 students were dropped off in nearby Parking Lot #2 (close to the tennis courts) and walked unaccompanied to both school entrances. Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Page 3 06/06/2025 CFA Master Plan Traffic Observations DAVENPORT Project No. 240203 3 Afternoon observations began at 2:15pm and are summarized in Table 2: Table 2 – Afternoon Site Observations from Wednesday, October 16, 2024 Observation Location Start End Max Queue # Loading Stations School Resources Pre-K/Lower School 2:15pm 4:20pm 360 ft 3 vehicles 2 staff and 1 volunteer Lower/Middle/ Upper School 1250 ft at 2:40pm (55 vehicles) 5 vehicles 6 staff, 1 SRO and 2 volunteers Key observations from the afternoon dismissal: · School resources (staff, SRO and volunteers) are utilized to keep students away from conflict points, especially bypass lane(s) and pedestrian crossings. · The afternoon dismissal featured a single lane operation for pick-up, with the outside or adjacent lane(s) used for bypassing maneuvers. · At 2:20pm, there was a standing queue of 14 waiting vehicles, including the 5 reserved stations delineated with traffic cones. · At first bell (2:40pm) there were 55 vehicles in the Middle/Upper School queue, extending to the far side of the gymnasium. There were 8 vehicles in the Pre-K/Lower School queue, extending past the soccer field access. · Two-way radios were used to call for students as cars approached the loading bay. Students were brought from inside building (classrooms) to the outside waiting area. · Pre-K loading operations happened in two stages: one with staff-assisted loading of students, and then parents moving forward to secure young passengers in their car seat(s). · Parking Lot #2 was used during afternoon pick up of approximately 24 Middle/Upper school students. · Pre-K loading and unloading zones largely unused during Middle and High school afternoon dismissals · High school drivers were exiting campus during afternoon dismissal: conflicts between pedestrians crossing to/from Parking Lot #2 and (young) drivers repeatedly occurred. · Parent drivers were not always adhering to traffic rules for pedestrian crossings and/or STOP controls. In general, both the morning and afternoon operated efficiently, with CFA personnel providing clear and consistent direction to both students and drivers. Most unloading maneuvers in the morning were uneventful, as students followed the current practice of exiting the vehicle from the driver’s side when queued in the curbside lane, or exiting from the passenger’s side, when queued in the outside lane. Afternoon pick up activity was less efficient as the arrival of vehicles did not coincide with the students’ availability at the loading zone. For this reason, time and energy was expended to identify, locate and transport specific students from the classroom to the waiting area via two-way radio communication. Considering the volume of vehicles arriving and the number of students loaded, CFA staff was very efficient in maintaining a high level of Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Page 4 06/06/2025 CFA Master Plan Traffic Observations DAVENPORT Project No. 240203 4 coordination. Also, the use of a staggered dismissal time between the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools helped to distribute the loading queues; however, all drivers use the same circulating roadway to exit campus, which led to conflicts between student drivers and student pedestrians while also combining the exit queue for the signalized intersection at S. College Road. 5.0 Capacity Analysis and Throughput projections The longest observed queue occurred during the afternoon dismissal, measuring approximately 1700 feet in length. This queue dissipated quickly as the processing rate of arriving vehicles quickly reduced the wait times between arrivals in line and departures from the loading zone for Upper/Middle School students. For the purpose of determining a throughput volume, the observed queue lengths were recorded in five-minute increments. Table 3: Queue and Dwell Time Observations Arrival Time # Vehicles in Queue Average Dwell Time 7:30am Zero n/a 7:35am Zero n/a 7:40am 3 15 secs 7:45am 3 10 secs 7:50am 5 inside lane/6 outside lane 18 secs 7:55am 10 inside lane/ 3 outside lane 15 secs 8:00am Both lanes full: 21+ vehicles 15 secs 8:05am (1st bell) 14 inside lane/3 outside lane 12 secs 8:10am (2nd bell) 4 inside lane/ 4 outside lane 10 secs 8:15am Zero n/a Table 4: PM Queue Observations Observation Timestamp # Vehicles in Queue 2:15pm 9 veh 2:20pm 14 veh 2:25pm 21 veh 2:30pm 39 veh 2:35pm 51 veh 2:40pm 55 veh 2:50pm Zero – no queue 2:55 pm to 3:10pm - Break - 3:15pm 26 veh 3:20pm (2nd dismissal) 42+ veh Note: Most afternoon loading times exceeded 20 secs; longest observed (1 ½ minutes) Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Page 5 06/06/2025 CFA Master Plan Traffic Observations DAVENPORT Project No. 240203 5 An observed total of one hundred one (101) vehicles were processed in 36 minutes, including the fifty-one (51) vehicles that arrived prior to the 3:20pm dismissal. This rate of arrival and departure equates to a processing rate of approximately one hundred sixty-five (165) vehicles per hour. Note this rate reflects both single lane operation and the random arrival of vehicles. 6.0 Conclusions and Recommendations DAVENPORT recommends Cape Fear Academy continue the current (best) practice of having trained CFA and public safety personnel assist during peak arrival/departure periods. As the number of students (and drivers) increases, we suggest reviewing the procedures regularly and placing relevant information online for visitors to consult prior to visiting the campus. In addition, the following changes are proposed should the updated campus master plan allow: · Create physically separated loading/unloading zones for different driving populations. Specifically allocate surface parking for student drivers away from pedestrian movements and pick-up zones. · Consider physically dividing pickup/drop off zones into two separate loops (Pre-K-Lower School and Middle-Upper School). · Revise all loading zones to require passenger side loading (operate Pre-K and Lower drive aisles in counterclockwise loop). · Separate student parking lot from staff/visitor parking lot to minimize congestion. · Create multiple access points to/from S. College Road to reduce load on the traffic signal, and to the extent possible, vehicular traffic should be kept on the perimeter of the campus. · Consider organizing the student pick up area(s) by age, independent of schedule. This would distinguish the afternoon Pre-K-Lower School and Middle-Upper School dismissal from afterschool care (currently combined) and distribute the afternoon pick up queue(s) more evenly. As the Cape Fear Academy campus master plan is finalized, selected observed practices that support safe and efficient campus access should be retained for an expanded campus population. Other practices that create conflicting movements should be addressed through site design and policy development to avoid retaining known concerns and/or safety issues as the student population increases. At the time of this Memorandum, NCDOT has not restarted the U-55702B (College Road Access Management) project. Cape Fear Academy should remain engaged in the public input process and coordinate with the NCDOT to complement the internal campus circulation plans. When the overall Master Plan moves from concept design to site plan preparation an NCDOT MSTA School Transportation Impact Analysis (TIA) will be required. The TIA will include any proposed changes to the access to College Road that are available at the time of the TIA scoping discussion. Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED Page 6 06/06/2025 CFA Master Plan Traffic Observations DAVENPORT Project No. 240203 6 Campus Map Docusign Envelope ID: 28A6413A-89F7-4227-B379-512CA5BE67ED