Transport Impact Assessment

Report Prepared for

Gulf Power Ltd.

NEMA Reference No. NEMA/PR/5/2/6972

Report No. 201004-EIA-004

July 2010
Prepared By: Eng. Mordecai Kere Omenda Maxcad Consulting Engineers P. O. Box 40482 80100 Mombasa, Kenya

Your Health, Safety & Environment Partner

ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

Contents
1 Introduction..................................................................................................................... 3 1.1 1.2 Existing status or Condition .................................................................................... 3 Present Traffic Characteristics ................................................................................ 4 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.2.3 1.2.4 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Traffic Composition .................................................................................... 4 ADT and AADT for Embakasi Machakos turn-off ................................... 5 Traffic Forecasts in AADT .......................................................................... 6 Projected Traffic Loading............................................................................ 7

Description of Road Infrastructure .......................................................................... 8 Location of Employee Residences .......................................................................... 8 Other Transport Infrastructure ................................................................................ 9 Assumptions for Traffic/Transport Impact .............................................................. 9 1.6.1 1.6.2 Proposed Power Station............................................................................... 9 Fuel Supply ................................................................................................. 9

1.7

Traffic/Transport Impacts ....................................................................................... 9 1.7.1 1.7.2 1.7.3 1.7.4 1.7.5 Access Road/ Provincial Road Re-alignment Alternatives ........................... 9 Transport of Components during Construction ............................................ 9 Construction Traffic .................................................................................. 10 Transport of Employees (Operational Traffic) ........................................... 11 Fuel Supply Transportation ....................................................................... 12

1.8 1.9

Conclusions .......................................................................................................... 12 Pictorial Illustrations............................................................................................. 13

1.10 Recommendations ................................................................................................ 14

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

Introduction
Maxcad Consulting Engineers was commissioned by Nutek Solutions Ltd. to undertake a traffic/transportation impact study as part of the environment and social impact assessment for the proposed Independent Power Plant development to be located near Athi River off the Mombasa Nairobi highway (A109), Athi River, in the Republic of Kenya. This report contains a description of the current status of transport environment and infrastructure along the A109, the transport/traffic impact during the construction and operation of the proposed Power Station and access road alternative evaluation. The proposed power plant is to be situated off Mombasa-Nairobi Road at Athi River, a municipal council authority with a population of about 65,000 inhabitants.

1.1

Existing status or Condition

The following section summarizes the present situation as it relates to traffic/transportation for the development of the proposed power plant. The A109 international trunk road links the portal city of Mombasa to Nairobi, the Kenyan hinterland and neighboring countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi. Traffic volumes passing through the highway were gotten from the Ministry of Roads. Traffic on the A109 was studied on the basis of historical traffic data obtained from the Ministry of Roads and traffic surveys conducted by an independent consultant in 2001. Additional traffic surveys were undertaken by the consultant in August 2003 and formed the basis of predicting present traffic characteristics. The latest road traffic on the A109 traffic counts that could be obtained were 24hour (07:00am to 7:00am) at the A104/A109 junction. Seven consecutive day counts were carried out to ensure better accuracy in the calculation of Average Daily Traffic (ADT). Table 1: Traffic Count Locations Point Location

4 main locations 1 2 3 4 Junction of A109/C97 at Machakos turn-off Junction of A109/A104 at Namanga turn-off Weighbridge Station (Km. 5.5 from Embakasi) End of dual carriageway at Embakasi

2 minor locations 5 6 Junction of A109/D527 Junction of A109/D519

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

Throughout the study, vehicle classes contained in table 2 below are recognized. While they are based upon the Ministrys system of classification for road counts, an extra category of vehicles has been added in the LGV class, namely matatus . This class has become broader over the years as matatus have come to include the 3-ton light trucks that are built with a bus body. The class is usually combined with LGV into a heterogeneous mix of vehicles from 0.75 3 metric ton carrying capacity. These are often counted separately in view of their crucial role in public transport. Table 2: Vehicle classification system used by the Ministry of Roads Vehicle Class Cars (C) Description Sedans, 4x4, and station wagons with up to 9 passenger seats.

Light Goods Vehicle Pick-ups, vans, and other goods vehicles of up to 1.5 (LGV) tons carrying capacity (goods vehicles of less than 1,524 kg unladen weight). Matatus (M) Passenger service vehicles of 9 25 passengers. Medium Goods Two-axle trucks, including some light tankers (over 1,524 Vehicles (MGV) kg unladen weight). Heavy Goods Multi-axle trucks and truck-trailer combinations. This is Vehicles (HGV) also a heterogeneous category as there is a multiplicity of configurations. In some studies oil tankers are counted separately in view of the notorious problem of exceeding axle weights and in order to determine competition from the oil pipeline (see later). A separate sub-category was adopted for oil tankers, which are all HGV carrying bulk liquids. Bus (B) Oil Tankers (OT) Vehicles with seating capacity exceeding 25 seats. All goods vehicles carrying petroleum products.

1.2

Present Traffic Characteristics

1.2.1 Traffic Composition Data from all census sites on road A104/A109 for through traffic on the current composition of vehicle types using the road for each class of vehicle are presented in the Table below.
Traffic Composition (%) C Embakasi Weighbridge station 31.4 32.4 1.8 1.3 18.5 20.7 20.1 16.6 1.5 1.5 8.3 8.6 2.2 2.1 10.7 10.8 5.5 6.0 V M LG MG MG HG HG B Mombasa bound Carriageway

Weighbridge station - Namanga

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya
Traffic Composition (%) C Junction Namanga junction - Lukenya junction Lukenya junction Machakos Turnoff Road Section Average Embakasi Weighbridge Stn. Weighbridge Stn. - Namanga Jctn. Namanga Jctn.Lukenya Jctn. Lukenya Jctn. Machakos Turnoff Road Section Average 23.9 22.7 27.6 0.4 0.4 36.5 15.4 17.5 16.8 16.6 0.5 0.3 11.5 12.9 12.4 2.1 2.3 17.3 19.9 19.0 8.1 8.8 7.1 V M LG MG MG HG HG B

Nairobi bound Carriageway 29.1 30.7 23.5 21.9 26.3 1.6 1.5 0.7 0.5 36.3 18.9 20.4 15.6 16.5 20.4 17.8 15.7 15.7 0.5 0.6 0.5 0.5 12.7 10.3 9.2 16.4 12.6 1.6 1.6 2.4 2.9 18.3 12.6 13.1 17.5 21.3 5.0 5.1 7.7 8.1 6.4

The results indicate that the composition of vehicles on all census sites for through traffic varied but the general pattern is that the predominant traffic class for the road is the Passenger Cars category with ratios of 22 32%. When the Light Goods Vehicles are combined (LGV = V + M + LGO), this category becomes the predominant traffic class with ratios of 32 41%. From the above Table, it can be seen that the percentage for the Heavy Goods Vehicles category increases from 13% to 24%. 1.2.2 ADT and AADT for Embakasi Machakos turn-off With reference to the consultants report, the seven-day count at each station was converted to 24-hour counts by multiplying the 12-hour counts by a night-count factor. The 24-hour counts were then divided by the number of count days to get the Average Daily Traffic (ADT). The ADT figures were then multiplied by the mean seasonal adjustment factor of 1.00 for weeks 31 and 32 in which the counts were carried out, as given by the MoR, to obtain the AADT. Table 3: Summarized 2003 AADT values
2003 AADT Link Volumes C LGV V Mombasa bound Carriageway EmbakasiWeighbridge 1996 112 1175 1275 93 528 138 680 357 6354 M LGO MGV MGT MGO HTG HTO B TOTAL

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya
2003 AADT Link Volumes C WeighbridgeNamanga Jctn. Namanga Jctn.Lukenya Lukenya Machakos T/O EmbakasiWeighbridge WeighbridgeNamanga Jctn. Namanga Jctn.Lukenya (D527) LukenyaMachakos T/O LGV V 1904 74 M 1217 LGO 972 MGV MGT 90 MGO 506 126 637 346 5872 HTG HTO B TOTAL

741

13

477

520

15

400

64

619

254

3103

640

10

492

468

350

65

535

250

2819

Nairobi bound Carriageway 2057 1870 110 89 1341 1246 1444 1083 37 34 729 562 110 100 890 801 361 313 7079 6098

698

21

464

468

14

487

70

521

233

2976

625

13

473

449

13

360

83

609

234

2859

1.2.3 Traffic Forecasts in AADT From the design report for project road A109, Year 2007 was assumed as the first year after construction of the project road, i.e. the base year. By applying the established growth rates to the 2003 AADT, and taking into account traffic generation, forecast traffic is shown in the Table below for the 15th year after opening the road to traffic. The Table below is based on the forecast medium (expected) growth rates. Table 4: Projected Traffic Volumes (AADT) for year 2021 Medium Growth Rates
Link EmbakasiWeighbridge WeighbridgeNamanga Jctn. Namanga Jctn.Lukenya ctn. (D527) Lukenya C V M LGO MGT MGO HGT HGO B TOTAL Mombasa bound Carriageway 3704 3368 235 190 3383 3143 3643 2732 72 66 1414 1116 252 229 2041 1837 591 512 15334 13193

1257 949

45 23

1170 985

1181 935

27 21

944 575

161 181

1195 1330

381 454

6361 5452

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya
Link Machakos Nairobi bound Carriageway EmbakasiWeighbridge WeighbridgeNamanga Jctn. Namanga Jctn.Lukenya Lukenya Machakos 3595 3429 239 158 2964 3070 3216 2452 180 175 1024 1005 316 289 1559 1461 584 566 13678 12604 C V M LGO MGT MGO HGT HGO B TOTAL

1334 971

28 18

1203 1024

1312 974

29 14

776 559

147 142

1420 1169

416 485

6664 5356

1.2.4 Projected Traffic Loading Present traffic loadings were computed by applying the equivalence load factors to the present (2003) traffic volumes. Projected traffic loadings were then computed by applying the estimated growth rates to the present traffic loading. The results for the 15-year analysis period to year 2021 at medium (expected) growth rates are shown in the Table below.
Link Cumulative Equivalent Standard Axles Year 2021 at Medium Growth Rate MGT Embakasi Weighbridge (1x106) Weighbridge Namanga Junction (1x106) Namanga Junction Lukenya (1x106) Lukenya Machakos Turnoff (1x106) Embakasi Weighbridge (1x106) Weighbridge Namanga Junction (1x106) Namanga Junction MGO HGT HGO B TOTAL TRAFFIC CLASS

Nairobi bound Carriageway 0.8 10.3 16.5 49.6 6.5 83.8

0.7

11.0

11.9

58.5

5.7

87.8 T0

0.3

7.9

9.2

44.7

5.0

67.1

0.2

6.7

9.4

42.3

4.4

63.0

Mombasa bound Carriageway 0.2 4.1 1.6 22.8 4.1 32.9 T1 0.2 2.9 1.9 16.3 4.0 25.3

0.1

2.1

1.0

14.9

2.9

21.0

T2

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya
Cumulative Equivalent Standard Axles Year 2021 at Medium Growth Rate MGT Lukenya (1x106) Lukenya Machakos Turnoff (1x106) 0.1 1.9 1.0 12.8 2.9 18.7 MGO HGT HGO B TOTAL

Link

TRAFFIC CLASS

For the Nairobi bound carriageway, the cumulative standard axles range between 57.276.0, 63.083.8 and 69.797.0 million for low, medium and high traffic growth rates respectively. The cumulative standard axles exceed the limits of traffic class T1 hence the design traffic loading for the entire length of the carriageway falls under traffic class T0 (over 60 million ESA). For the Mombasa bound carriageway, the corresponding cumulative standard axles range between 17.029.8, 18.732.9 and 20.636.4 million for low, medium and high traffic growth rates respectively for the 15-year period. The dual carriageway shall end at Km. 12+500 just after the Namanga Junction. For the section between Km. 0+000 and this location, the Mombasa bound carriageway shall be constructed to design traffic class T1 whilst the Nairobi bound carriageway shall be constructed to design traffic class T0. Beyond this location where the two carriageways merge, the single carriageway shall be constructed to design traffic class T0.

1.3

Description of Road Infrastructure

The proposed IPP is located about 30km from Makutano junction (junction to Machakos) and about 3km from Athi River town. The road is under construction and currently the contractor is dumping cut to spoil material along the farm near to the boundary to the road reserve. The residential township of Kitengela located on an east-west aligned bituminous road, Embakasi located on a southern-west aligned bituminous road and township of Makutano on A109 bituminous highway. A map highlighting these roads and other transport infrastructure is shown in Appendix W., Figure 4.

1.4

Location of Employee Residences

From the existing travel patterns observed in relation to other factories in Athi River, a clear indication that the major source of employees or their residential areas shall be located in Kitengela, Makutano, Mavoko, Embakasi, Mlolongo and as far as Machakos. This is not expected to change for the operation of the proposed new power station.

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

1.5

Other Transport Infrastructure

There is a multi-products white oils pipeline running parallel to A109 road, but outside the road reserve.

1.6

Assumptions for Traffic/Transport Impact

1.6.1 Proposed Power Station IPP Power Station output is approximately 84 MW. The proposed new power station will require at least one major access road for employees from A109 road to the site. The number of employees and vehicles generated/attracted to the proposed IPP Power Station will be based on the proportion of the power station output. As a result a significant workforce would need to be housed most probably in the expansion of the present residential areas of Athi River, Kitengela or Makutano. IPP Power Station will be cited more or less centrally on the 4 hectare piece of land. 1.6.2 Fuel Supply The HFO supply from Mombasa is infinite in magnitude for the design life of the proposed power station. Fuel oil supply transport will be undertaken in oil tankers via A109 road from Mombasa on Nairobi bound, the estimated number of trucks at normal and peak operating conditions is proposed to be 10 15 tank trucks in number per day.

1.7

Traffic/Transport Impacts

1.7.1 Access Road/ Provincial Road Re-alignment Alternatives The present National highway Road (A109) to Nairobi/Mombasa passes a few meters away from the power plant site. The Road (A109) would have to be realigned and redesigned to accommodate the vehicles which shall be turning to and from the power station with more emphasis on heavy traffic during construction and operation. The Kenya National Highways Authority would have to be consulted to realign the road and provide the design for access junction to the proposed IPP station. 1.7.2 Transport of Components during Construction During the construction phase, each of the seven MSD engines will require to be transported from Mombasa to the power plant site. The frequency of delivery would be no more than 1 every three months. This would require abnormal load transport and the application for the permit to do so is needs to be planned well in advance.

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

Other applications shall involve the following bodies: Kenya Power and Lighting Co. Ltd. to disconnect or cut off or evaluate their electrical wiring cables that would obstruct the Engines being hauled. The evaluation and approvals shall cover the entire route from Kenya Ports Authority to Athi River Kenya Ports Authority Berths can only carry certain loadings spread over the berthing structures. Assessments and approvals shall be sought from Kenya Ports authority as to adequacy for offloading as usually heavy engines on to the berths prior to transportation to Athi River. Evaluation of rail over road bridges near Mombasa in case the option of using Makupa causeway, Mombasa town part of A 109 becomes the approved option if the bridge at Kipevu near Changamwe which is built of masonry with concrete decking topping is found to exhibit inadequate load carrying capacity. 1.7.2.1 Abnormal Load Permit Application The critical part of the Abnormal Load Route Permit application is the survey of the prospective route by a qualified structural Engineer who needs to examine all the bridges/overpasses/underpasses and issue a certificate of compliance for the particular vehicle type/width/length and height. It is estimated that the whole survey and Application procedure may take three to four months to complete, and this would have to be scheduled in the construction programme of the Athi River IPP Power Station. Although the tonnage is significant the low frequency of the trips means that the traffic loading impact is negligible. Close to the construction site, turning radii of 60m is required for the large superlink loads. The transport of components impact is slight, the extent is regional, the duration is very short term, it will definitely occur, its significance is low, and the degree of certainty is definite. 1.7.3 Construction Traffic This traffic relates directly to the traffic expected during the construction of the proposed Power Station itself, which is expected to take place over a period of 12 months. It is anticipated and estimated that the number of construction employees to/from the construction site will be of the order of 600 per day. There is a possibility that a temporary construction camp could be established on the site, to accommodate construction employees. These employees would not need to use the external roads to access the site. It is conservatively assumed that the balance of the construction workers would typically be transported to site by bus. In vehicular terms 12 buses are required and 42 cars are expected to be generated assuming an average occupancy of 1.2 per car. Of this daily construction employee traffic 75% is conservatively assumed to arrive in the a.m. peak hour and depart in the p.m. peak hour.
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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

The magnitude and exact nature of heavy vehicle construction traffic is very difficult to determine. The sources of construction materials, supply of material components and the construction programme all influence the nature and frequency of road-based vehicle transport to/from the site. The source of construction material would mainly be Ruai. The raw materials for the on-site Cement plant will be from East Africa Portland Cement, Athi River. The heavy vehicle construction traffic is assumed to amount to 10 trucks per day. 50% of the trucks are expected to arrive during the A.M peak hour and depart in the P.M. peak. The impact on pavement loading to the surrounding roads may, however, be more significant. Assuming the 10 truckloads per day which are fully loaded inbound (42 tonnes per truck) and empty outbound (2.8 tonnes per truck) translates to 450 tonnes per day along Road A109. This represents a percentage proportion. The accumulative additional axle loading over a sustained operational period is relatively significant. The overall impact of the construction traffic during the construction period translates to advancing the need for pavement rehabilitation and improvement. This situation is the worst-case at point of turning to the proposed power plant from the main road. The effect on pavement loading and subsequent advance of any rehabilitation programme should be mitigated after completion of construction. Such mitigation and associated costs would need to be discussed between IPP management and the Kenya National Highways Roads Authority. The construction traffic impact is moderately severe, the extent is localized, the duration is long term, it will definitely occur, its significance is moderate, and the degree of certainty is probable. 1.7.4 Transport of Employees (Operational Traffic) The additional traffic generated in transporting employees from their residences to work at the IPP Power Station will be expected from major residential areas. In broad terms the nature and magnitude of traffic to the proposed Athi River Independent Power Plant Station is expected to slightly increase with the employee traffic being directed to the location of the new proposed power station site. The effect on pavement loading and subsequent advance of any rehabilitation programme should be mitigated. Such mitigation and associated costs would need to be discussed between the Proponent and the Kenya National Highways Roads Authority. Agreement would need to be reached regarding mandates and responsibility for the road rehabilitation sections of the junction to the IPP on road A109. The negotiation should however also consider the economic growth, job opportunities and increased local economy created by the proposed Power Station.

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

The operational traffic impact is moderately severe, the extent is localized, the duration is long term, it will definitely occur, its significance is high, and the degree of certainty is definite. 1.7.5 Fuel Supply Transportation The fuel supply oil tankers are required to serve the proposed Power Station from pipeline oil pump station located in Mombasa to the Power Station by road using the A109, this is estimated at 10 15 HFO oil tankers per day carrying a maximum of 28m3 (25 metric tons) of fuel daily. Reviewing the projected Traffic Volumes for year 2021 on base traffic census of year 2003, it is concluded that the projected this additional traffic volume on A109 Mombasa- Athi River falls within the traffic growth and should not be considered outside the traffic distribution pattern for highway loading pattern. However, there are other Environmental impacts that shall be of concern. These include Possible increase in dangers due to accidents, oil spills and associated dangers Increased traffic volumes affecting the junction off A109,which will considerably decrease through way traffic capacity even with design of deceleration and acceleration lanes

1.8

Conclusions
The provincial road re-alignment impact is moderately severe, the extent is regional, the duration is permanent, it will definitely occur, its significance is moderate, and the degree of certainty is definite. The transport of components impact is slight, the extent is regional, the duration is very short term, it will definitely occur, its significance is low, and the degree of certainty is definite. The construction traffic impact is moderately severe, the extent is localised, the duration is short term, it will definitely occur, its significance is moderate, and the degree of certainty is probable. The operational traffic impact is moderately severe, the extent is localised, the duration is long term, it will definitely occur, its significance is high, and the degree of certainty is definite.

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

1.9

Pictorial Illustrations
PICTURE NUMBER 1

PICTURE SHOWING SECTION OF A109 LOOKING TOWARDS NAIROBI

PICTURE SHOWING SECTION OF A109 AT THE PROPOSED JUNCTION WHERE THE POWER PLANT ACCESS ROAD IS PROPOSED
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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

1.10 Recommendations
It is recommended that the effect on pavement loading and subsequent advance of any road rehabilitation program should be mitigated after completion of construction. Such mitigation and associated costs would need to be discussed between and the Kenya National Highways Roads Authority. Agreement would need to be reached regarding mandates and responsibility for the roads rehabilitation programme for the point of turnoff to the proposed IPP station. A109 is an international trunk road and the Government policy on such classified roads is that there ought not to be at grade interchanges. However, as it is recognized that traffic supplying fuel to ther plant is envisaged to branch off A109, there shall be need for design approvals for adequate deceleration lane for traffic towards the IPP off Nairobi Bound lane and acceleration lane, off Nairobi Bound lane to accommodate the lorries that have off loaded fuels. Depending on economy of transportation planning, if the option of immediate return for fuel re0filling has to be immediately after discharging at the IPP, then there shall be requirement to accommodate this sudden surge in traffic on one of the Grade separated interchanges within Athi River, which shall be more of a management problem as to efficiency, safety and risk reduction in the entire operation process. The design procedures for horizontal and vertical alignments shall follow the principles or proposals contained in Road designers manual part 3, part of which are replicated hereunder for ease of reference are some of the standards that shall be discussed and approvals sought from the National Highways Authority. Below are some of the proposals contained in the Road designers manual, that may be adopted by the design engineers while pursuing approvals for connections to a109 from the National Highways authority.

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

TYPICAL AT-GRADE JUNCTIONS DESIGN IN ACCORDANCE WITH KENYAN ROAD DESIGNERS MANUAL

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

TYPICAL AT-GRADE JUNCTIONS DESIGN IN ACCORDANCE WITH KENYAN ROAD DESIGNERS MANUAL

THIS OPTION FOR EXIT OFF A109 AT GRADE JUNCTION FROM MOMBASA TRIP AFTER FUELLING PROPOSED EXIT DECELERATION LANE, THE SAME SHALL BE MIRROR REPLICATED FOR ACCELERATION LANE TO A109

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

TYPICAL AT-GRADE JUNCTIONS DESIGN IN ACCORDANCE WITH KENYAN ROAD DESIGNERS MANUAL

THIS OPTION FOR RETURN TO MOMBASA TRIP FOR RE-FUELLING WITHIN THE EXISTING AT GRADE INTERCHANGES

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ESIA Study of the Proposed IPP Power Plant, Mombasa Road, Athi River, Kenya

TYPICAL AT-GRADE JUNCTIONS DESIGN IN ACCORDANCE WITH KENYAN ROAD DESIGNERS MANUAL

THIS OPTION FOR RETURN TO MOMBASA TRIP FOR RE-FUELLING WITHIN THE EXISTING AT GRADE INTERCHANGES

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