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Traffic study: Taco Bell impact will be minimal

Public hearing is Feb. 25 at Town Hall

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The proposed Taco Bell Restaurant will not significantly impact traffic conditions along Wantagh Avenue or Flower Avenue, according to Atlantic Traffic & Design Engineers, Inc. Some of those findings conclude that while Taco Bell will generate additional traffic, as much as 50 percent will be pass-by in nature, meaning that drivers will stop at Taco Bell as they move from multiple retail locations in their daily travels. Additionally, the study found that Taco Bell would generate less traffic compared to a walk-in bank at that site.

ATDE prepared this study for Taco Bell. The fast-food franchise was scheduled to appear before the Town of Hempstead’s Board of Appeals on Feb. 25.

Taco Bell is seeking several variances that would allow it to build a 2,148-square-foot restaurant with 40 seats and a drive-through on the west side of Wantagh Avenue. Presently, there is an empty bank building at 1260 Wantagh Ave. The proposed Taco Bell would be just south of the Post Office.

Under the development proposal, the bank building will be removed. The site will connect to the Post Office and an existing driveway will be modified to allow for cars to exit onto Wantagh Avenue.

The study looked at traffic patterns along Wantagh Avenue and at the intersection of Wantagh and Flower avenues when “traffic experiences are at its highest level,” reads the study. Wantagh Avenue is defined as an urban minor arterial roadway with two lanes in each direction with a two-way center left-turn lane.

Flower Avenue, defined as a secondary road, is across from the proposed Taco Bell. It is an east-west roadway with one lane of traffic in each direction. There is a stop sign at the corner of Flower Avenue at Wantagh Avenue.

Traffic counts were conducted midday during the work week, weekday evenings and Saturday midday peak periods in September of 2014 at the intersection of Wantagh and Flower avenues. Taco Bell is planning on keeping its restaurant open until 2 a.m. and the study did not provide data on traffic counts after the evening rush hour. Additionally, there is no data regarding pedestrian or foot traffic and how that might affect vehicular traffic on Wantagh Avenue.

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