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Applicant proposes 18-foot driveway widening, engineers submit turning-movement diagrams
Summary
CLSI engineer Martin Hackett described a proposed widening of the existing driveway to 18 feet with a 20-foot radius, and the team introduced AutoTurn turning-movement diagrams for passenger vans; witnesses said the AutoTurn runs did not account for landing grade or traffic volume.
Civil-engineering testimony at the Carroll County BZA hearing described plans to widen an existing access drive and showed turning-movement diagrams intended to demonstrate that two-way traffic and larger passenger vans could safely enter and exit the site.
Martin Hackett, president of CLSI, authenticated Exhibit 6 as a proposed driveway diagram and said the plan widens the eastern edge of the existing driveway to an 18-foot two-way section, noting existing widths range from about 14 to 17 feet. "The red line reflects the actual widening area, between the existing driveway and where the 18 feet would take place," Hackett said.
Hackett said the proposal includes a 20-foot radius at the driveway end and that an 18-foot width is consistent with road widths and practice in Carroll County manuals for lower-volume roads. "Let me mind you, 18 feet is a number that's established. ... It's right in the Carroll County manual," he testified.
The applicant also sought to admit a turning-movement exhibit prepared with AutoTurn software (Exhibit 11). Counsel for the applicant described AutoTurn as a widely used industry program; defense counsel raised limited authenticity questions but did not object to admission once the engineer explained the program and template vehicle (a 15-passenger/Carroll Transit–type van) used for the simulations. Hackett said the AutoTurn runs were for a passenger van template, not for large tractor-trailers, and that the analysis shows the proposed pavement radii allow safe turning paths for the chosen vehicle templates.
Board members and opposing counsel questioned limits of the AutoTurn output: the software, Hackett acknowledged, does not model landing grade or traffic volume, and those factors would be considered separately in the county review process. He also confirmed that some potential grading work would occur on land within the applicant’s strip and on public right-of-way as shown on the plans, but exact ownership and easement details remain to be verified.
No final county engineering approval or permit was issued at the hearing; engineers and the applicant said detailed construction and grade analyses would be part of later development-review steps if the BZA approves the use.
