Riverfront Square Traffic Impact Study + Parking Consulting

Rendering of mixed-use development and public space with pedestrians — *Image credit: Lotus Equity Group*

Sam Schwartz performed a traffic impact study and evaluated several parking garage designs for the proposed Riverfront Square development in Newark, NJ. The mixed-use project included residential, office, retail, hotel, and performance venue uses as well as a parking structure just south of the NJ Transit rail line.

Sam Schwartz conducted traffic counts to establish existing traffic volumes, used previous reports and ridership data to calculate modal split percentages, performed trip generation in accordance with the ITE Trip Generation Manual, developed existing, no-build, and build traffic volume networks, and performed LOS analysis in Synchro. CAD and AutoTurn were utilized to evaluate the placement of structural elements, parking configurations, directional flow, pedestrian access, vehicular access to the local street network, and emergency access. Work also included evaluating efficiencies of the site’s phased design, developing state-of-the-art parking guidelines, and overall review during the application and development phases.

As anticipated, the proposed site will generate a significant amount of traffic. To minimize the traffic impact on the surrounding roadway network, Sam Schwartz offered recommendations for physical intersection improvements, adaptive signal control installation, enhanced bus stop facilities, enhanced pedestrian connections from the proposed site to the Newark Broad Street train station, and the promotion of public transit and live-work environments.

Markets / Private Development