Eco-Logical Webinar
Eco-Logical Uses in Performance Based Planning
Monday, August 25, 2014
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM Eastern
Presenter: Egan Smith, Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
Presenter: Wood Hudson, Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC)
Presenter: Travis Miller, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI)
Presenter: Margo Lindahl, OKI
Table of Contents
Eco-Logical Uses in Performance Based Planning
Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
Natural Heritage Data - Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments
Eco-Logical Uses in Performance Based Planning
Slide 1: Eco-Logical in Performance-Based Planning
Presenters
- Egan Smith, Federal Highway Administration, Office of Planning
- Wood Hudson, Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
- Travis Miller and Margo Lindahl, Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments
August 25, 2014
Image: Collage of colored photographs of a bridge, a deer, a fish, and a curved rural road from the cover of the report Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects
Images: Logos of Volpe, The National Transportation Systems Center and the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration
Slide 2: Eco-Logical and Performance
- Eco-Logical helps consolidate environmental data from partners
- Intended to help anticipate potential environmental effects of projects in advance
- Connection to transportation planning is critical
- Data collected through Eco-Logical can be used to develop measures, baseline condition, and targets.
Slide 3: Overview of Performance Management
- Broad consensus that performance management is important for accountability and transparency in the transportation industry
- Most agencies track and report various aspects of system and agency performance
- Need to integrate performance management principles into planning and programming
- May be a requirement for a consistent national approach
Slide 4: Performance-based Planning and Programming
- Key role for planning and programming to influence more performance-based decision-making
- FHWA, FTA, AASHTO, APTA, AMPO, NARC and NADO working informally to:
- Define key elements of performance-based planning/programming
- Identify examples of good practice
- Engage with stakeholders and identify key challenges and opportunities for capacity building
Slide 5: MAP-21 Background-Performance
- National Goals - Focuses the Federal aid program on 7 goals supported through the statewide and metropolitan planning process.
- Measures - USDOT to establish performance measures through rulemaking
- Targets - All States, Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), and public transportation agencies required to establish targets for each of the measures established by USDOT.
- Plans - All States, MPOs, and public transportation agencies are required to develop a number of plans to document strategies and investments to address performance needs.
- Reports - All States, MPOs, and public transportation agencies are required to report on progress toward the achievement of their targets.
Slide 6: Key Elements of Performance-Based Planning and Programming
Elements of Performance-Based Planning
- Goals and Objectives
- Performance Measures
- Identify Trends and Targets
- Identify Strategies & Analyze Alternatives
- Develop Investment Priorities
- Investment Plan
- Resource Allocation
- Program of Projects
- Monitoring, Evaluation, Reporting
https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/performance_based_planning/pbpp_guidebook/
Image: Cover of the Performance Based Planning and Programming Guidebook, September 2013
Slide 7: Performance-based Planning and Programming
Image: Illustration of the Performance Based Planning and Program Framework
Slide 8: C02: Performance measures for highway capacity decision making
- Performance Measurement
- Supports collaborative decision-making framework
Structured around 5 broad topics and 18 planning factors →
- Web-based Tool
- Performance measure database
- Supporting case studies
- Integrated with Broader Transportation Database
|
- Transportation
- Mobility
- Reliability
- Accessibility
- Safety
- Environment
- Ecosystems
- Water quality
- Wetlands
- Air quality
- Climate change
- Environmental health
- Economics
- Economic impact
- Economic development
- Community
- Land use
- Archeological and cultural resources
- Social
- Environmental justice
- Cost
|
Slide 9: Performance Measures for Highway
What: Framework and web-based tool for selecting performance measures to evaluate major transportation projects. It details how performance measures can be used in long-range planning, programming, and environmental review/permitting (with a heavy focus on environmental/sustainability measures).
Impact on Practice:Beyond their analytical value, these performance measures form the basis for transparent and objective decisions that help stakeholders understand transportation problems.
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Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
Slide 10: FHWA's Eco-Logical Process: Uses in Performance-Based planning
August 25, 2014
Charlottesville Albemarle Metropolitan Planning Organization (CAMPO) and The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
Image: Aerial photograph of development on the Charlottesville Area
Image: Photograph of a four way intersection
Image: Map of the Charlottesville area showing the MPO boundary, Potential Impact Points, Potential Impact Segments, Interstate and Primary Routes, and Concentration of Resources
Image: Logo of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
Slide 11: MPO Background
- Covers the City of Charlottesville and the urbanized areas of Albemarle County
- Economy centered around the University of Virginia
- Population 122,638 (2010)
- 24,297 Students
- The population is forecasted to grow by 36.8% by the year 2040
- TJPDC encompasses Charlottesville, Albemarle, Nelson, Fluvanna, Louisa, and Greene
Image: Map of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission MPO area with the city of Charlotte highlighted
Slide 12: LRTP Process
The 2040 LRTP is a fiscally-constrained document that outlines the region's long-range transportation vision.
To receive federal funding, a transportation project must be included in the LRTP's project list. On July 23rd, the MPO Policy Board approved amendments to the document based on the Route 29 Solutions project package.
Image: Diagram of the Charlottesville/Ablemarle MPO Long Range Transportation Plan Development Process
Slide 13: Performance Measures
- Map 21
- Establishes a performance based program
- MPO's Approach
- Develop regional specific performance measures
- 16 measures organized into 4 categories
- Apply performance measures to a scenario based approach
- Mobility Measures
- Economic Measures
- Environmental Measures
- Community Measures
Image: Logo of the Charlottesville/Albermarle MPO's Long Range Transportation Plan 2040
Slide 14: Performance Measures
| Measure |
Description |
| Mobility |
| Congestion |
The total percentage of roads that will have a level of service E or F in 2040. |
| Delay |
The total daily hours of delay that congestion will cause in the year 2040. |
| Mode Share |
The percentage of trips across the four main travel modes, automotive, transit, bike and walk for 2040. |
| Vehicle Mobility |
The total system-wide vehicle miles traveled for 2040. |
| Vehicle Crashes |
The total system-wide crashes per year for 2040. |
| Economy |
| Access to Jobs |
The average travel time to work. |
| Transit Accessibility |
The percentage of population and the percentage of employed individuals within the MPO with access to transit. |
| Environment |
| Habitat |
The aggregate impact of projects on natural resources and habitats within 500 foot buffer of project. |
| Air Quality |
The percent change in air quality gases and particulates in tons per year. |
| Water Quality |
The percent change in the amount of stormwater pollutants in tons per year. |
| Flood Plain |
The total acreage of flood plain within a 500 foot buffer of the projects. |
| Historical/Archeological sites |
The total number of historic or archeological sites within a 500 foot buffer of these projects. |
| Community |
| Land Use |
The total number of land parcels within a 500 foot buffer of the potential projects by usage: residential, comm./ind., parks, educ./religious/charitable, and agricultural/undeveloped. |
| Environmental Justice and Title VI: Transit Access |
The total percentage of Environmental Justice or Title VI groups with access to transit: minorities, 65 and older, limited-English speaking, and household income of less than $25,000. |
| Environmental Justice and Title VI: Impacts |
The total percentage of Environmental Justice or Title VI groups potentially impacted due to projects: minorities, 65 and older, limited-English speaking, and household income of less than $25,000. |
Slide 15: Eco-Logical
REF tool:
The Tool is made up of ten environmental spatial datasets which were included at the suggestion of an advisory committee.
- The tool was built using GIS and is designed to function in GIS
- It consists of a rasterized heat map
- Uses existing GIS functions and tools to conduct analyses.
- Made up of 10 different spatial environmental datasets overlaid spatially
- Datasets and attributes ranked then aggregated to form the heat map
TJPDC Eco-Logical Timeline:
- 2009 Green Infrastructure Plan
- 2011 Eco-logical: Integrating Green Infrastructure and Regional Transportation Planning
- 2013-14 Charlottesville Albemarle MPO Long Range Transportation Plan 2040
- 2013-2014 Free Bridge Congestion Relief Project, 2013-2014
Image: The cover of the Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects report
Slide 16: Eco-Logical Datasets
- Built with existing datasets
- Tiered Species Habitat
- Threatened and Endangered Species Waters
- Species observations
- Natural Landscape Assessment Cores and Corridors
- Priority Conservation Sites
- Important Bird Areas
- National Wetlands Inventory
- VCLNA Watershed Integrity Model
- Cold Water Stream Survey
- National Hydrography Dataset
- Ranking system: 2-52
- High scores representing highest value ecosystem
- Prioritizes preservation for ecosystem areas (especially wetlands)
Image: Six maps of the Charlottesville/Ablemarle Area stacked on top of one another showing VANLA Cores, VCLNA Watershed Integrity, Essential Habitat of Tier 1 and 2 Species, NWI Wetlands 200 ft Buffer, Cold Water Streams (Trout Streams) and NDH Streams and Rivers, and Important Bird Areas
Slide 17: REF Tool
Image: REF Base Map showing the MPO boundary in red. Darker green shading represents Higher Habitat Value and the lighter green shading represents Lower Habitat Value.
Slide 18: REF as a Performance Measure
- Quantitative measure
- Score per mile/per acre
- Total impact score
- Provides a way to benchmark projects and scenarios
- Allows for multiple environmental considerations
Image: Map showing the environmental impacts of the Charlottesville/Ablemarle MPO LRTP 2040 Performance Measures
Slide 19: Eco-Logical as a Quantitative Measure
- Calculated a base score per mile of existing and committed projects
- Compared the change in the base score between scenarios
- Expressed as a percent
| Performance Measure |
Base |
Scenario 1A |
| Environmental Measures |
Value |
Unit of Measure |
Value |
% Change |
| Habitat |
1,775.5 |
Eco-Logical Score/Mile |
1,786.9 |
-0.6% |
| Air Quality |
13,321.0 |
Tons/Year |
13,211.0 |
0.8% |
| Water Quality (% change in stormwater pollutants) (tons per year) |
1,079.1 |
Tons/Year |
1,168.3 |
-8.3% |
| Flood Plain (acres of 100 year flood plain affected) |
99.1 |
Acres |
120.2 |
-21.3% |
| Historical (designated historic sites within 500 ft. of projects) |
1,141 |
# of Sites |
1,171 |
-2.6% |
| Archeological (designated archeological sites within 500 ft. of projects) |
264 |
# of Sites |
299 |
-13.3% |
Slide 20: Outcomes and Lessons Learned
- Required more outreach and education than some other performance measures
- Limited resolution (30x30 meter)
- Easy to use and replicate results
- Worked well for bigger projects and not so well on small road improvements
- Interest and understanding among local partners has increased
Image: Cover of the Charlottesville/Albermarle MPO Long Range Transportation Plan 2040
Slide 21: Questions?
Links:
Contact Information:
Wood Hudson
Sr. Environmental Planner
Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
whudson@tjpdc.org
Image: Computer image of a bridge spanning a river
Image: Logo of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission
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Natural Heritage Data - Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments
Slide 22: Natural Heritage Data
Supplemental Information for OKI Environmental Consultations in Regional Transportation Planning
Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments
Image: Photograph of a river in a lush forest
Image: Photograph of a stream in a lush forest
Image: Close-up photograph of grasses in a field
Image: Photograph of a red salamander with black spots
Image: Logo of the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments
Image: Logo of the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 - SHRP2 Solutions: Tools for the Road Ahead
Slide 23: The OKI Region
Images: A collection of photographs surround a county map of the OKI region: Butler, Warren, Hamilton, and Clermont in Ohio; Boone, Kenton, and Campbell in Kentucky; and Dearborn in Indiana. The photographs include two highway bridges over a large river in a city, a multi-use path along a tree-lined river, a wooden footbridge across a pond, a river at sunset dotted with numerous boats and clusters of boats at the edge of a city, people shopping at an open-air plant market, a main intersection of a small town at night, and a row of colorfully painted houses.
Slide 24: OKI Environmental Consultations
Process
- Compare draft plan & environmental resources
- Engage stakeholders
Purpose
- Improve transportation & development decision-making
- Reduce negative & costly environmental impacts
Image: Three OKI Environmental Consultations in Regional Transportation Planning report covers (June 2014, June 2011, and date not visible) stacked on top of one another
Slide 25: Intended Results of OKI's Environmental Consultations
- Better decisions for improving transportation
- Better decisions about how development occurs
- Transportation improvements and development processes that more fully account for their environmental effects and financial consequences
Image: The OKI Regional Transportation Plan 2040: Moving the Region Forward logo
Slide 26: Five Resource Categories
Regionally Significant Environmental Resources
- Regionally Significant Streams
- State Conserved Areas
- Wetlands
- Endangered, Threatened, or Rare Species
- Prime Farmland and Agricultural Districts
Image: Photograph of a river in a lush forest
Image: Photograph of a a muti-use path through woods
Image: Photograph of a stream in a lush forest
Image: Photograph of a red salamander with black spots
Image: Close-up photograph of grasses in a field
Slide 27: Endangered, Threatened, and Rare Species
- 165 local species are listed at federal or state levels as Endangered, Threatened, or Rare (20 of these are also federally listed)
- Nearly 2/3 of the 104 animal species depend on aquatic habitat for survival
- Nearly half of these aquatic species are “critically imperiled” or “imperiled” globally
Image: Photograph of a yellow tree fungus
Image: Photograph of a red salamander with black spots
Image: Photograph of a hawk perched on a weathered wooden post
Image: Photograph of a spotted-yellow turtle
Image: Photograph of a frog
Slide 28: Natural Heritage Data - Data collection
Developed agreements with each Natural Heritage Database authority:
- Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources
- Kentucky State Nature Preserves Commission
- Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources
Image: Logo of the Strategic Highway Research Program 2 - SHRP2 Solutions: Tools for the Road Ahead
Slide 29: Natural Heritage Data - Data consistency
- Distance of records from OKI borders
Data: 5 miles
Map: ½ miles
- Starting Date of records
Data: 1800s,1912,1970
Map: 1965 (50 yrs)
Image: Photograph of a rushing stream in thick woods
Image: Photograph of a spotted-yellow turtle
Image: Photograph of a river bank
Image: Photograph of a hawk perched on a weathered wooden post
Image: Photograph of a frog
Slide 30: Natural Heritage Data - Mapping approach
Aquatic vs. Terrestrial
- Enables some detail on species type without identifying species
- Relevant for bridge or culvert projects
- Enhances map value for conservation planning (habitats)
Image: Photograph of a yellow-crowned heron standing in water
Image: Photograph of two channel darters
Image: Photograph of a rushing stream in thick woods
Image: Photograph of an endangered wild orchid
Image: Photograph of an American badger
Slide 31: (No title)
Image: Two maps, side by side, showing Area with Aquatic Sites in the Natural Heritage Database in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren Counties, OH and Area with Terrestrial Sites in the Natural Heritage Database in Butler, Clermont, Hamilton, and Warren Counties, OH
Slide 32: Integrating with Long Range Transportation Plan
Project Scoring Process: Environmental Impact is 1 of 7 general criteria evaluated
- Avoids environmentally sensitive area(s): 5 points
- Any impact(s) will be mitigated: 3 points
- Impact(s) will not be mitigated: 0 points
Slide 33: 2014 and Beyond…
- Launch of interactive Environmental Resource website
- Integrate Historic Resources Inventory
- Advancing Strategic Regional Policy Plan - Model Ordinance and Best Practice Sharing
Image: Cover of the OKI Environmental Consultations in Regional Transportation Planning June 2014 report
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