According to design documents for the projects, such as the 1 Nassau Place environmental assessment, the developments will not have a serious impact on the local roads and surrounding communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith modest signal timing modifications at the intersection of Arthur Kill Road and Richmond Valley Road, the Proposed Development would not result in significant adverse traffic impact,\u201d stated the assessment. <\/p>\n
However, Kevin Garcia, senior transportation planner for the nonprofit group New York City Environmental Justice Alliance, said he believes there will be an impact on area roads.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn neighborhoods where we\u2019re seeing these facilities cluster, we are seeing increases in vehicular traffic congestion,\u201d said Garcia.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not just during traditional peak hours, it\u2019s all day, every day that we\u2019re seeing increases in this vehicular traffic,\u201d he continued. <\/p>\n
Overall, Garcia said that many parts of the city have seen an increase in truck traffic, specifically in the last five to six years.<\/p>\n
These increases have been primarily driven by a rise in online shopping and the industries that support it \u2014 like last-mile warehouses and trucking hubs.<\/p>\n
As Garcia explained, these projects usually appear in areas that already have an extensive footprint of industry and pollution, such as bus depots, power plants, and major roadways.<\/p>\n
These developments are also typically located as close as possible to highways, bridges, and major streets, Garcia explained.<\/p>\n
![\"DOT\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/VYL5GUBQF5C25AOI5BK4RQDNSU.JPG\")
A drone image shows the lot of the former Pathmark in Rossville where the Department of Transportation plans to build a construction maintenance operation site. Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)<\/p>\n
The increased truck traffic that typically follows these facilities, he said, places additional stress on both public infrastructure and budgets.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat this is leading to is more wear and tear on our highways, more traffic congestion for everyday people. This is also going to lead to more maintenance on these roads, and the funding [for the maintenance] … comes from taxpayers,\u201d Garcia said.<\/p>\n
As part of the land use process, developers typically assess a project\u2019s impact on the surrounding area, including local traffic. The evaluations are prepared by engineers using real data.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis type of calculation is an estimate based on available data and professional judgment of the traffic engineers,\u201d explained Kelly McGuinness, a transportation planner and director of the transportation research program at Hunter College\u2019s Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute.<\/p>\n
\u201cMuch depends on the specific land use and surrounding use, operational context, empirical data from similar facilities, and some assumptions made by the traffic engineers about travel demand and mode splits,\u201d she continued.<\/p>\n
![\"440](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/1760782224_CVRRHTHE7NAVLK67HEASQH7PSA.JPG\")
An aerial view of 4400 Arthur Kill Rd. in Charleston where a truck stop is being proposed on a 16-acre vacant lot. Friday, Oct. 10, 2025.(Advance\/SILive.com | Jason Paderon)<\/p>\n
The builders behind these industrial projects on Arthur Kill Road, such as the planned freight terminal with space for 184 tractor trailers<\/a>, estimated that the projects will bring a relatively low number of trucks once open. <\/p>\n When planners for the trucking terminal presented their proposal to Staten Island\u2019s Community Board 3<\/a>, they cited a vehicle count from other truck terminal facilities in Queens and the Bronx.<\/p>\n \u201cTraffic engineers had to go out there with a clicker. They found that on a worst-case scenario the [number of] trips during peak hours were like 33 at the worst. So that\u2019s 15 going in, 17 to 18 going out,\u201d explained Phil Rampulla, an urban planner with Rampulla Associates Architects \u2014 the firm that drafted plans for the trucking terminal project.<\/p>\n