I-25 South Gap Project

Transcription

1 I-25 South Gap Project Monument to Castle Rock I-25 Gap Coalition Meeting April 26, 2018

2 EA Schedule/Key Dates EA Release April 27, 2018 EA Comment Period = 30 days, ends May 28, 2018 Media Briefing April 26, 2018 Hearings May 14 and May 16, 2018 Decision Document = June/July 2018 Design and release of construction Package 1 = as soon as Summer 2018

3 How We Got Here Fall 2016: CDOT started Planning and Environmental Linkage Study for 34 miles of I-25 from Monument to Lone Tree Jan. 2017: CDOT announced acceleration of Design and Environmental Assessment for the Gap with construction ready in November 2019 Summer 2017: Corridor surveys completed Oct. 2017: Identified CMGC Delivery process and Accelerated construction ready date to November 2018 Nov. 2017: INFRA application submitted; two ballot measures pass in El Paso County Dec. 2017: EA Scoping meetings held; CMGC Contractor selected

4 EA Contents CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND CHAPTER 2: PURPOSE AND NEED CHAPTER 3: ALTERNATIVES CONSIDERED CHAPTER 4: DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE CHAPTER 5: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACTS AND MITIGATION CHAPTER 6: STAKEHOLDER OUTREACH AND PARTICIPATION

5 CHAPTER 1 Introduction and Background Corridor Background and Relationship to PEL study How did the Gap project develop? The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in partnership with El Paso County, Douglas County, Pikes Peak Rural Transportation Authority, Denver Regional Council of Governments, Pikes Peak Area Council of Governments; the municipalities of Castle Pines, Colorado Springs, Lone Tree, Castle Rock, Larkspur, Monument, and Palmer Lake; and private economic development organizations throughout the Colorado Springs and Denver regions have come together to advance improvements to a critical stretch of Interstate 25 (I-25) between the Colorado Springs and Denver regions. PEL

6 CHAPTER 2 Purpose and Need Enhance safety, reduce delays, and improve reliability for travel on I-25 through the 18-mile, 4-lane bottleneck (the Gap) between Colorado Springs and the Denver South region. Improvements are needed on I-25 to: Improve safety and incident management Reduce travel delays Improve travel reliability What s a purpose and need? A purpose and need is a guiding statement that provides focus and clarity to the project. It clearly states the problems the project is meant to address and defines the criteria a project needs to meet to be successful. This helps CDOT to identify an alternative that works and to weed out those that don t, resulting in an effective project and efficient use of funding.

7 CHAPTER 3 Alternatives Considered EA Alternatives No Action Express Lane Alternative General Purpose Lane Alternative Many common elements between Express Lane and General Purpose Lane Alternatives

8 CHAPTER 3 What is the Preferred Alternative Express Lanes are the Preferred Alternative: Best meets purpose and need Transportation management and trip reliability thru 2040 Flexibility to adapt to changing conditions and technologies Moves more people with fewer cars with transit / carpooling Always a choice Also improves operations in the GP lanes

9 CHAPTER 4 Preferred Alternative Description New Express Lane each direction Widen shoulders Resurface existing travel lanes Improve vertical and horizontal curves Replace four bridges and improve associated interchange ramps Four new wildlife crossings Southbound truck chain-up station Drainage, lighting, communications, power, walls

10 CHAPTER 4 Preferred Alternative Description Capacity and Safety: Nearly double the pavement in the corridor

11 CHAPTER 4 How Do Express Lanes Work? High Performance Transportation Enterprise (HPTE) Board sets business rules and rates for all Express Lanes Assumptions (common to planning for all Express Lane corridors) Variable congestion pricing Conforms to CDOT policy of throughput maximization Bustang, vanpools, shuttles, and carpools with three or more (HOV3+) are free Revenues stay in the corridor Maintains minimum operating speed of 45 mph Separated from GP lanes by 4-foot buffer Surcharge for trucks (3 axel or more)

12 CHAPTER 4 Preferred Alternative: Funding Total of $350 million preliminarily identified for the Gap project: $250 million State funds conditionally approved $15,000,000 $10,000,000 $10,000,000 $350 Million $15 million El Paso County voter approved measure $10 million Pikes Peak Regional Transportation Authority (PPRTA) voter approved measure $65,000,000 $250,000,000 State Federal El Paso PPRTA Douglas $10 million Douglas County approved $65 million INFRA federal grant from USDOT (decision expected in spring of 2018)

13 CHAPTER 4 Preferred Alternative: Construction

14 CHAPTER 5 Environmental Impacts and Mitigation Presented in a tabular format supported by technical reports and memoranda Issues of most public interest are wildlife movement, open space, visual, noise, and economic impacts Early involvement and cooperation by resource and permitting agencies helped us meet the schedule

15 CHAPTER 6 Stakeholder Outreach and Involvement

16 CHAPTER 6 Stakeholder Outreach and Involvement Table 6-1. What CDOT Heard and How CDOT Responded Topic Tolling How CDOT Responded Evaluated Express Lane and General-Purpose Lane alternatives (Appendix A5). Conducted small listening sessions to understand public questions and concerns with tolling (and other project elements such as additional infrastructure, costs, and funding). Fourth lane Provided capacity improvements within the Gap and designing the Preferred Alternative to not preclude and where possible support constructing a fourth lane in the future. Continue to evaluate additional capacity improvements along the I-25 corridor through the PEL study Transit Allow Bustang, regional bus service, and other vanpools and private shuttle services to travel in the Express Lanes. Expanded Bustang service to include limited weekend service and developing improvements to the Monument ParkNRide (as separate project). Continue to evaluate implementation of other transit and rail improvements along the I-25 corridor through the PEL study. Other priorities Continue to evaluate additional improvements along the I-25 corridor, including but not limited to: additional capacity in the form of truck climbing lanes, a fourth travel lane, auxiliary lanes, frontage road improvements, transit and rail improvements, and improvements to or addition of new I-25 interchanges through the PEL study.

17 APPENDICES Appendix A Project information, such as alternatives analysis, design drawings, and economic impact study Appendix B Environmental reports and mitigation commitments Appendix C Public outreach and meeting summaries

18 EA Public Review Comment Period April 27 May 29, 2018 Purpose: CDOT to present Project and provide public and stakeholders official opportunity for input about the EA and Project Comments can be provided in many formats , online, letters, comment forms Verbal comments at hearing only

19 Public Hearing Oral and written comments accepted; hearing is the only venue for oral comments Oral statements recorded by court reporters, publicly or privately Public comments at microphone (3 minute limit) Comment forms and computer stations for written comments Translators provided Includes presentation and informational materials

20 What happens with comments? CDOT and FHWA will review and consider all comments received before making a final decision about the project. All comments received during the comment period, including at the hearing, will be part of the project record.

21 Decision Document Documents the decision whether to move forward with the Preferred Alternative or No Action Describes any changes to the Preferred Alternative resulting from public or agency input. Provide written responses to all comments received Includes final mitigation commitments (legally binding)

22 Communications in Preparation of EA Hearings Media Briefing April 26 Telephone Town Halls May 1 and May 3 Not formal comment opportunity

23 EA Public Hearings May 14 th Douglas County Fairgrounds May 16 th Liberty High School in CO Springs 5:30 PM to 7:30 PM

24 Questions?