The former Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific railroad runs parallel to Highway 12, which traverses from northwest to southeast. The railroad is currently operated by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Three airports were noted during a desktop analysis in the vicinity of the Project, including: Milbank Municipal Airport, located approximately 22 nautical miles to the east of the Project footprint and operated by the City of Milbank. Sisseton Municipal Airport, a publicly-owned airfield located approximately 30 nautical miles north of the Project area. A small landing strip located in Grant County, just south of the county line on the eastern portion of the Project area. A review of FAA-listed airports did not identify this landing strip. In order to assess the existing traffic and road conditions within the Project area, the Project proponent would conduct a transportation study prior to final design to evaluate roadway safety, traffic capacity, structure inventory, and roadway geometry. The study would include a site visit to evaluate the anticipated delivery path(s) to the construction site, lateral clearances, vertical clearances, intersecting roadway control, speed limits, posted truck size and weight restrictions, major roadway intersection configurations, and primary and alternate route selections. Engineers would drive, measure and survey each potential delivery route to identify any areas of concern, including any bridges, culverts, and areas of poor road conditions. This would also include consultation with the State Department of Transportation and the local municipalities. Potential Impacts of the Alternatives The majority of transportation operations would involve material and equipment being moved to the site during the construction phase. The types and amounts of material and equipment required for construction of the Project would depend on site characteristics as well as the design selected. The following discussion provides a general overview of the expected transportation requirements during development, focusing on the unique considerations posed by the wind turbines, turbine towers, and rigging equipment necessary to erect them. In general, the heavy equipment and materials needed for site access, site preparation, foundation construction, and construction of transmission lines are typical of construction projects and do not pose unique transportation considerations. Typically, flatbed combination trucks would move the
The former Chicago Milwaukee St. Paul & Pacific railroad runs parallel to Highway 12, which traverses from northwest to southeast. The railroad is currently operated by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad. Three airports were noted during a desktop analysis in the vicinity of the Project, including: Milbank Municipal Airport, located approximately 22 nautical miles to the east of the Project footprint and operated by the City of Milbank. Sisseton Municipal Airport, a publicly-owned airfield located approximately 30 nautical miles north of the Project area. A small landing strip located in Grant County, just south of the county line on the eastern portion of the Project area. A review of FAA-listed airports did not identify this landing strip. In order to assess the existing traffic and road conditions within the Project area, the Project proponent would conduct a transportation study prior to final design to evaluate roadway safety, traffic capacity, structure inventory, and roadway geometry. The study would include a site visit to evaluate the anticipated delivery path(s) to the construction site, lateral clearances, vertical clearances, intersecting roadway control, speed limits, posted truck size and weight restrictions, major roadway intersection configurations, and primary and alternate route selections. Engineers would drive, measure and survey each potential delivery route to identify any areas of concern, including any bridges, culverts, and areas of poor road conditions. This would also include consultation with the State Department of Transportation and the local municipalities. Potential Impacts of the Alternatives The majority of transportation operations would involve material and equipment being moved to the site during the construction phase. The types and amounts of material and equipment required for construction of the Project would depend on site characteristics as well as the design selected. The following discussion provides a general overview of the expected transportation requirements during development, focusing on the unique considerations posed by the wind turbines, turbine towers, and rigging equipment necessary to erect them. In general, the heavy equipment and materials needed for site access, site preparation, foundation construction, and construction of transmission lines are typical of construction projects and do not pose unique transportation considerations. Typically, flatbed combination trucks would move the
Summit%20EA%20Final%208-17-15.docx