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Vantage to Pomona Heights Chapter 4 230 kV Transmission Line Project FEIS Environmental Consequences PAGE 4-165 4.7 TRANSPORTATION Transportation impacts could be created as a result of the construction, operation, and maintenance of the proposed Project. The focus of the analysis was on both the potential closure of travel lanes, the direct effects of closures/blockages on other facilities, and physical impacts on existing transportation infrastructure. 4.7.1 Methods and Impact Types 4.7.1.1 Analysis Methods Sensitivity ratings were developed for transportation resources that could be impacted by the proposed Project. Sensitivity is defined as a measure of probable response of a resource to direct and indirect impacts associated with the construction, operation, and maintenance of a transmission line. Sensitivity ratings were assigned to transportation resources within the Project study area. These ratings were based upon a relative evaluation of the resource’s importance and the impact potential that the construction and maintenance of the transmission line would have upon transportation resources for the short-term (construction period) and long-term (operations and maintenance) durations of the proposed Project. The determinations of sensitivity levels included consideration of: • Roadway Classification • Closures/blockages • Present and Future Uses • Traffic Levels • Access Using the framework defined above, the transportation network crossed by the route segments was analyzed and assigned a relative sensitivity rating for potential impacts within the Project study area. Sensitivity ratings were categorized as high, moderate, or low. Table 4.7-1 summarizes transportation resource sensitivity in the Project study area. Table 4.7-1 Transportation Resource Sensitivity Classification TRANSPORTATION RESOURCE SENSITIVITY Interstate and state highways High Private air strips High County and local roads Moderate U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) primary access roads (gravel) Low BLM two-track secondary roads (dirt) Low Private roads Low 4.7.1.2 Impact Criteria Impacts on transportation resources were determined based on duration of impact, type of impact (function and operation or physical), existing traffic levels and traffic level increases based on the proposed Project requirements, potential access impacts, and future use considerations. 4.7.1.3 Impact Types A transmission line is inherently more likely to affect transportation facilities during construction than during operation because there is typically only a minimal amount of surface activity to operate a transmission line, whether it is an overhead line or an underground line, after construction is completed. Direct and indirect impacts could include increases in traffic, detours along some roads, and disrupted access to driveways. Construction of the proposed transmission line is not expected to cause major traffic