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The Regional Outer Loop Corridor Feasibility Study
Slide 1
The Regional Outer Loop Corridor Feasibility Study
Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas
FHWA
Peer Exchange on Using Corridor Planning to Inform
NEPA
December 2, 2009
North Central Texas Council of Governments Transportation Department
Slide 2
NCTOG
Statistics
- Represents 16 counties, 23
ISDS, 165 cities, and 29 special districts (over 12,800 square miles)
- Larger than 34 states in population and 9 in land area
- Represent over 34 percent of the State's economy
- 4th largest
MPA
in the U.S. by population and 2nd largest by area
- 6.1 million people in 2008
- Adding 100,00 per year
- Project to grow to nearly 9 million people by 2030
Slide 3
Regional Outer Loop Corridor Feasibility Study: Purpose and Goals
- Purpose: Evaluate the need and feasibility for a transportation facility to facilitate regional mobility, address increased freight flows, and enhance economic vitality at a regional level.
- Study Goals:
- Identify a 1/2 to 1-mile wide Locally Preferred Corridor (LPC) for further study, which may or many not form a loop or be continuous around the region
- Define Sections of Independent Utility (SIU)
- Identify timing and phasing (i.e., mainlanes, access roads, corridor preservation) for each
SIU
Slide 4
Preliminary Outer Loop Corridors: Dallas Forth Worth Region
This slide shows a map of the Dallas-Fort Worth region and potential location of the regional outer loop corridor.
Slide 5
Study Subarea Map
This slide shows a map of the Dallas-Fort Worth region and the regional outer loop corridor, as divided into 17 different subareas.
Slide 6
Planning and Environmental Process
This slide shows a graphic of the Planning and Environmental Process that NCTCOG is following and where they are in the process.
Slide 7
“Bottom Up Approach” = Integrated Stakeholder Coordination Efforts
- Outer Loop Stakeholder Roundtables (18 meetings to date)
- Regional coordination team of local elected officials and staff
- NCTCOG Public Meetings (13 meetings/open houses to date)
- Outer Loop Corridor Refinement Team (21 meetings to date)
- Technical team composed of NCTOG, FHWA, local
TxDOT
districts,
TxDOT
Texas Turnpike Authority Division, and TxDOT Multimodal Division
- Resource Agencies (State and Federal) (2 meetings to date)
- Early and continuous information exchange and partnership activities to integrate environmental planning factors into all study phases
- Part of NCTOG Transportation Resource Agency Consultation and Environmental Streamlining (TRACES) effort
- Other (74 meetings to date)
- Briefings, presentations, or meetings with elected officials, organizations, property owners, etc.
Slide 8
EPA
Tools to aid project planning and NEPA
Slide 9
Regional Ecological Assessment Protocol (REAP)
Slide 10
This slide shows a map of Texas with ecologically-important areas highlighted.
Slide 11
This slide shows a map of Texas with ecologically-important areas highlighted.
Slide 12
This slide shows a map of Texas with ecologically-important areas highlighted.
Slide 13
Opportunities
- Collaboration
- Cumulative and Single Media Environmental Assessment
- Mitigation
- True Avoidance
- Then Minimization
- Then Compensation
- Restoration Projects
Slide 14
GISST
is a GIS-based tool that uses criteria that are scored to assist in initial assessment of potential environmental impacts.
Slide 15
This slide shows screen shots from the GISST computer tool.
Slide 16
GISST Cumulative
This slide shows screen shots from GISST, highlighting cumulative effects.
Slide 17
NEPAssist
- Facilitates the environmental review process and project planning
- Web-based application
- Draws environmental data dynamically from EPA GIS and other sources
- Provides a preliminary environmental assessment of a project's potential environmental impacts
- Raises environmental issues at earliest stages of project development
Slide 18
NEPAssist
This slide shows screen shots from NEPAssist
Slide 19
Need/Purpose + MTP Goals, Guiding Principles, Objectives, and Measures
This slide shows a chart of example goals, objectives, and measures, and how they are related.
Slide 20
Issue/Concern Tracking and Response
- Over 200 comments documented and included in report to help preserve the project history
- Sample of comments: (an example of comment tracking is provided)
Slide 21
Alternative Development and Documentation — Example
This slide shows an example of how alternatives are being identified for the regional outer loop corridor.
Slide 22
Alternative Development and Documentation — Example
This slide shows an example of how alternatives are being tracked for the regional outer loop corridor.
Slide 23
Feasibility Report Highlight and Status
- Report Outline (an outline of the report is provided).
- Document dates of all information used and comprehensive history of alternative development, analysis, comments, and recommendations based on best available information.
- Status:
- Chapters 1–4, Volume 2 complete
- Chapter 5 and Volume 3 under development
- Revising travel demand model to include 2035 demographics
- Draft Final Report to be completed by Spring 2010
Slide 24
Challenges
- Development of the travel demand model to analyze the project
- Stakeholder and public expectations
- Regional need and purpose versus project level need and purpose
- Previous studies and alignment selection by others
- Use of existing facilities versus greenfield
- Encouraging sprawl versus accommodating growth
- Connection/relationship to the Trans-Texas Corridor
Slide 25
For More Information
Slide 26
For More Information
- Sandy Wesch,
PE,
AICP
- Program Manager
- NCTOG
- Streamline Project Delivery Team
- (817) 704-5632
- swesch@nctcog.org
- Sharon Osowski Morgan, PhD
- Ecologist
- US EPA Region 6, 6EN-XP
- (214) 665-7506
- osowski.sharon@epamail.epa.gov
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