Environmental Assessment
Volume C-5.5
Slurry Pipeline
Traffic
It is recognized that the project may have several impacts relating to traffic,
including:
•
increased traffic flows can cause disturbance from dust, noise and
emissions to populations along the roadside, the impacts are stronger
along unpaved roads;
•
increased traffic flows and any increases in speed associated with
improvements to roads made in relation to the project imply an increase
in accidents, to both people and animals;
•
traffic accidents involving transport of industrial goods risk
contamination of land and water resources from spills; and
•
any road construction or improvement will cause temporary delays to
non-project traffic.
There is no Key Question addressed in this section. While changes in traffic are
described, the implications and impacts of changes in traffic are assessed in the
socioeconomic sections.
5.5.5
Changes in Traffic
5.5.5.1 Assessment Methods
The effects of traffic are assessed quantitatively for traffic volume and traffic
accident rates, based on the extrapolation of existing baseline information. The
approximate number of vehicles required for project operation is known and is
used to calculate proportional effects in comparison to baseline conditions.
The effects of traffic on health, safety, vibration, noise and road congestion are
assessed qualitatively.
5.5.5.2 Results
There are potential impacts on traffic as a result of moving materials to the
construction sites to build the pipeline. These would occur along RN2 and any
new or existing access roads. There are unlikely to be significant traffic impacts
associated with operations, unless the construction of access roads induces traffic
for purposes other than the project.
Traffic Volumes
Changes in traffic volumes due to the pipeline are provided based on estimates of
the number of supply trucks and buses (transporting workers) that will be
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