Overview
Timmons Group conducted a Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA) for the Catawba Two Kings Casino Resort Development in Kings Mountain to evaluate the effects of the proposed 1,140,154 SF casino on the surrounding road network. The casino includes 6,836 gaming positions, a 600-room hotel, a 3,000-seat showroom, a nightclub, multiple restaurants, and a bar.
Peak-hour turning movement traffic counts were collected during the AM, PM, Friday evening, and Saturday midday peak hours at six off-site intersections and three site driveways. To determine trip generation for the development, trip generation rates were analyzed using gaming positions as the independent variable, referencing data from two casinos in Pennsylvania, two in Michigan, one in Missouri, and existing traffic count data from a casino in Murphy, NC. This data was used to estimate future trip generation, trip distribution, and queue lengths to analyze the impacts of site traffic on off-site intersections.
Several on- and off-site improvements were recommended to accommodate future traffic volumes. The findings and recommendations for roadway improvements were summarized in the TIA, with multiple subsequent traffic analysis memorandums developed to ensure acceptable future operations at the main site driveway intersection with Dixon School Road. These studies were submitted to, reviewed, and approved by NCDOT.
To support projected site volumes, the TIA recommended the construction of a Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) at the Dixon School Road/I-85 interchange, the widening of Dixon School Road, and the addition of multiple turn lanes at the main site driveway. Traffic signals were designed for the DDI intersections and the main site driveway, along with a closed-loop signal system to maintain signal coordination along the Dixon School Road corridor.
