Rowlesburg on the River!

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ROWLESBURG, WV AREA ESTIMATED VEHICLUAR FUEL CONSUMPTION

INTRODUCTION

This report is based on data collected during the months of July, August and September 2011 in the Rowlesburg area. The survey and data collection consisted of (a) a petition asking local area residents and out of town visitors to sign if they would fill up at a Rowlesburg service station, (b) data downloaded from the U.S. Bureau of Census population and households by county, (c) interviews with CSX personnel, Cheat River Limestone personnel, (d) information provided by various organizations regarding events and numbers of visitors to those events, and (e) anecdotal information from local residents regarding truckers living in the Rowlesburg area.

The petition methodology is far more accurate and predictive of future consumer behavior than standard market surveys. The Rowlesburg petitions required a signature. In addition the survey asked how many miles the respondent drove per week and how many times he or she filled up at a service station. Area residents were defined in the study as persons living in the Rowlesburg postal zip code, 26425.

Out of town visitors were defined as persons living outside of the Rowlesburg postal zip code. A total of 66 truckers was included in the analysis of diesel fuel consumption. Two sources were used: Petitions signed by truckers at a local grocery market and a count provided by Cheat River Limestone of stone trucks hauling from the plant. An estimated 40-60 truckers haul from the Cheat River Limestone plant in Manheim on a fairly regular basis. This number is consistent with the National Bridge Inventory count of 78 trucks crossing Cheat River Bridge in Rowlesburg daily. Although not the only route of haulers (some go up Salt Lick before crossing the bridge), the Cheat River Bridge is the primary route.

The other primary source of data was the 2010 U.S. Census. The petitions were used to generate a profile of local area residents and visitors. The profiles were based on the petitions signed by 322 area residents and 452 out of town visitors. Profile data was used to extrapolate to the number of residents identified in the Census, and to the number of visitors identified by several organizations that sponsor summer and year around activities. Those activities draw thousands visitors to Rowlesburg over the course of a year. Those sources included: The Rowlesburg Community Park, the Szilagyi Center, VFW, Ambulance Service and the Volunteer Fire Department.

A summary of survey results is shown in Table 1 below. These numbers are based on certain assumptions. Those assumptions and the calculations behind the numbers are discussed in the next section of the report.

Photos below show available properties in Rowlesburg for a service station. Both would be ideal. The first shows the building at the former Sander's Sawmill. This building was used as a service station and restaurant, and is ready to go! The next location is the corner of Buffalo and Catherine Streets. Traffic must either stop or slow down to negotiate this intersection. All stone trucks hauling from Cheat River Limestone in Manheim must come to a stop at the location. Both locations are on WV 72. This highway from Parsons to Kingwood, 35 miles, has no service station.

SURVEY OF ESTIMATED GASOLINE

AND DIESEL CONSUMPTION IN

THE ROWLESBURG, WV AREA

Rowlesburg Area Total Population: 1,327
Number of Local Vehicles: 1,406
Local Miles Driven Per Month: 1,320,273
Monthly Auto Gasoline Consumption (gals.): 77,512
Monthly Visitors: 2,538
Monthly Visitors’ Gasoline Consumption (gals.): 45,684
Monthly Heavy Trucks Consumption (gasoline): 1,600
Total Monthly Gasoline Consumption (all vehicles
in gals): 124,000
Diesel Trucks Stone Haulers: Est. 40-60 (N=50)
Diesel Trucks Local Independents: 11
Trucks per Day Crossing Cheat River Bridge: 78
Monthly Diesel Consumption (gals.): 118,950
Comparison of comparable towns and traffic (all vehicles):

Rowlesburg Traffic Count: 6390; Service stations: 0*

Tunnelton Traffic Count: 7010 Service stations: 2

Newburgh Traffic Count: 5660: Service stations: 1

Aurora Traffic Count: 5860 Service stations: 1

* 1 Service Station five miles away.

METHODOLOGY

Data Sources and Assumptions

Non-responses. Each petition was numbered and the signatures
counted. If there was not a signature, the respondent was cast out
of the data analysis. Non-responses to various sections of the
petition that were signed, e.g., number of miles driven per week,
were accounted for in the analysis by reducing the N for that
category of response to reflect the number of actual responses.
This is a standard practice in data analysis.

Rowlesburg area population and household figures. This
information comes from the 2010 Census data by tract within
counties. Dr. Darrell Dean, Professor Emeritus, WVU, using s
oftware available for census analysts, assembled the counts
in those tracts.

Data on bridge crossings by trucks. This data comes from the
National Bridge Inventory (NBI), US Department of
Transportation and Federal Highway Administration.

Local area miles driven per month. We multiplied the average
number of reported miles driven (229) from the local petitions by
the number of cars (1,406) estimated from U.S. Census. Data
estimates on number of cars are based on the following: 703
households times the national average number of cars per
household. The national average is 1.9 as taken from the 2001
National Household Travel Survey, person file, U.S. Department
of Transportation. A more recent study by Experian Automotive
found a national average of 2.28 vehicles per household. We
rounded the U.S. DOT number to 2 for ease of analysis. We then
established miles per month by multiplying the weekly total miles
driven by the average number of weeks per month (52/12) times
the number of local vehicles (heavy trucks calculated separately).

Local Resident Gasoline consumption. This number is based on
an average of 18 miles per gallon. We took into consideration that
many of the 1406 estimated vehicles in the local area are pickup
trucks. We also added the estimated gasoline consumption of 6-10
CSX trucks (N=6) that work out of the M&K Junction in Rowlesburg. This data is based on an
interview with the foreman of the section crew that works on
railroad maintenance in the area. We assumed 45-gallon tanks
filled daily 6 times per week. To calculate the gallons per month
consumed for automobiles and light trucks we multiplied the
average gas consumption per week times the average number of weeks per month.

Diesel fuel estimate. We based this on an estimated 50 trucks that
haul out of the Cheat River Limestone Plant (50) plus 11 local
truckers who haul logs, equipment and other loads. We assumed
75 gallons per fill-up with six fill-ups weekly. The number of local
haulers is an estimate based on the signed petitions left at Bell’s
Grocery Store in Rowlesburg and a list of additional truckers, not
on the list, provided by local area residents. It is assumed that the
potential market for diesel in Rowlesburg will grow significantly
in the future. This is based on information collected during
interviews with Cheat River Limestone personnel.

Traffic count data. This sources comes from DOH Traffic counts
in Preston County, 2008. Communities were the following:
Rowlesburg, Tunnelton, Newburgh and Aurora.
These communities were selected because they are of the same
approximate size. All but one of the towns has one or more
in-town service stations. The one that does not is Rowlesburg.

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