After nearly four hours of testimony from the proponents of a proposed new Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru on Hope Street, the Zoning Board of Review continued the hearing Wednesday night without having heard from any of the dozens of residents there to protest it.

It was the third time the meeting on the controversial donut shop has been delayed.

Three-and-a-half hours were taken up by just two witnesses — a land use planner and a traffic engineer — testifying on behalf of Christopher Prazeres, a Seekonk, Mass. resident who owns nine Dunkin' Donuts, including the existing one in Gooding Plaza. Mr. Prezeres proposes building a free-standing Dunkin' with a drive-thru directly in front of the existing location, facing Hope Street between the Defiance Hose Company and BankNewport.

Area residents protest the drive-thru they say will further exacerbate and already difficult traffic situation around the Hope Street - Gooding Avenue intersection.

The Defiance Hose Company has also expressed concerns about traffic in the area, voting unanimously on Jan. 4 to oppose the donut shop’s construction.

“We have firsthand knowledge of how hard it is getting out of the station today, even with red lights and sirens,” William Van Voast, clerk of the company, wrote in a letter to the editor. “We ask you join along with us to prevent this action from taking place.”

Nearly 100 residents packed Town Hall Wednesday night, patiently waiting through testimony from the two experts. Land use planner Joseph Lombardo testified that the Dunkin' Donuts fits into the town's comprehensive plan, and the surrounding business and residential neighborhood.

"It has passed the scrutiny of the Planning Board and of municipal departments," Mr. Lombardo said, noting the Bristol Planning Board granted unanimous approval last July. "This has been designed to fit in with the character of the commercial area, and mimicks the size of residential homes in the surrounding area."

Traffic engineer Joseph Giordano recapped the traffic study he conducted on a Thursday morning in December 2015. He counted the trips in and out of Gooding Plaza, as well as the number of cars that pass through the intersection between 7:45 and 8:45 a.m., deemed to be peak time for a Dunkin' drive-thru. 

Mr. Giordano estimated there were 109 car trips (55 in, 54 out) at Gooding Plaza. Based on sales data from a similar Dunkin’ Donuts in Warren, the study anticipates the drive-thru would add 78 new trips, for a total of 187 trips (94 in, 93 out).

Despite the increased trips, the Gordon Archibald engineer determined the impact on traffic would be minimal. Wait times at the Hope Street-Gooding Avenue light would only increase an average of half a second per car, the report indicates. Zoning Board Vice Chairman Bruce Kogan noted that wait time accounts only for the first car in line at the intersection, and would compound as cars stacked up.

Many area residents have criticized the timing of Mr. Giordano's study, conducted in the winter instead of the busy summer tourist season when traffic on Bristol roads multiplies. Mr. Giordano said he took the time of year into account, studying Department of Transportation statistics that he said show numbers were similar on the first Thursday in June, and the second Thursday in July as they were the first Thursday in December.

"On balance, the reviewing traffic engineer and I agreed there was no need for adjustments,” Mr. Giordano said.

The traffic engineer drew jeers from residents — many of whom live in the Fales Road neighborhood — when he said the longest wait time he observed to turn left out of Fales Road onto Hope Street was just 80 seconds, and the average was less than 40 seconds. The residents complain of wait times upwards of 10 minutes, especially during the busier afternoon hours.

"I understand people are upset, but the stopwatch doesn't lie," Mr. Giordano said, adding the Dunkin' Donuts would only add 20 cars per hour past Fales Road, minimizing the impact on traffic there.

At 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, attorney William Dennis wrapped up his presentation to the Zoning Board, the second time his presentation has taken up an entire Zoning Board hearing. No one from the public had yet had a chance to speak, and meetings must end at 11 p.m., Mr. Kogan said. The board decided to postpone the public hearing, but struggled to find a date that would work for board members and residents, some of whom said they are preparing to leave town for the winter and won't be back until April.

After debating the next meeting date for about 15 minutes, the board settled on April 13 at 7 p.m.