Northeast Engineers and Consultants (NE&C) conducted a traffic study to determine the effect of the proposed USS Saratoga Museum on the Quonset Davisville Commerce Park in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The museum foundation plans to move the decommissioned aircraft carrier from Coddington Cove in Middletown, Rhode Island to the carrier pier in Quonset Point as the centerpiece of an Air, Land & Sea Heritage and Technology Park. The Quonset Air Museum and Quonset State Airport are also located in this area. Quonset Davisville is a 3,000-acre former Navy base that is being redeveloped into a port and commerce park by the Rhode Island Economic Development Commission. Approximately 600 acres have been developed and occupied by business and industry. Another 900 acres is available to be developed within the next 15 to 20 years.

As part of this development, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) is planning a new limited access roadway to provide better regional access and improved traffic flow to the Commerce Park. Regional access to the area is provided by Interstate 95, which is located 5 miles away. Route 4, a limited access highway, connects I-95 to Route 403, which provides access directly into the park. Route 403 is a winding two-lane road, which will be replaced with a limited access road as part of the RIDOT plan. US Route 1 passes along the entrance to Quonset Davisville.

As part of the study, existing traffic volumes in the area were assembled and additional traffic counts were made. Future traffic volumes developed for the completion of Quonset Davisville with the proposed road improvements were also reviewed. The number of visitors and traffic volumes associated with the USS Saratoga were based on a market survey and visitor information for the USS Lexington in Corpus Christi, Texas. The market analysis for the Saratoga indicated that it would have 370,000 visitors a year in the first year and 455,000 visitors by the tenth year of operation. Traffic volumes associated with these visitor levels were determined for a busy summer weekday and weekend. Two different scenarios were analyzed one with the existing roadway geometry for the first year and the second with the proposed road improvements during the tenth year. Proposed parking for these two scenarios was also computed.

The museum would initially add traffic to an intersection that already operates poorly. When the new highway is built this problem would be eliminated. Some suggestions were made concerning the proposed limited access highway regarding timing of both the project and of future on and off ramps. The report concluded that the museum is a seasonal attraction that would have its heaviest traffic during the summer months. In addition, the highest traffic volumes occur on the weekend when traffic at the Quonset Davisville Port and Commerce Park is minimal. The heaviest exiting traffic would occur around closing time at 8 PM when weekday traffic from the park would have diminished.