I-270 NORTH EA PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN NEPA Buddy Desai, PE CH2M St. Louis
THE ISSUE US State Departments of Transportation continue to struggle with addressing current and emerging problems with increasingly limited resources Most evident in urban freeway reconstruction projects, which are among the most expensive and difficult projects DOTs complete
MODOT S CHALLENGE TO THE I-270 TEAM NEPA documents have become more complex and develop much more design detail, restricting flexibility Prepare the I-270 North Environmental Assessment that: Identifies a right-of-way footprint that maintains flexibility for design-builder innovation(s) Without requiring an extensive environmental re-evaluation, thus managing risk Decision to define the project s Preferred Alternative through performance measures
PROJECT LOCATION AND PURPOSE AND NEED
PROJECT VICINITY MAP 15-mile corridor with 19 interchanges
PROJECT STUDY AREA MAP
PROJECT ISSUES The specific transportation problems that affect the I-270 North corridor include: Deteriorating pavement and bridges Congestion on interstate Congested interchanges Poor outer road operations Safety concerns Lack of appropriate bike/pedestrian pathways Difficulty in accessing important destinations for highway and transit users Inability to accommodate increased freight movements
PURPOSE AND NEED In very broadest sense, Purpose and Need of I-270 North EA is to: Address aging infrastructure along I-270 Improve mobility and operations along I-270 Achieve consistent accessibility along I-270 Improve safety within I-270 corridor
EXISTING CONDITIONS
EXISTING CONDITIONS SUMMARY Congestion WB in the AM and EB in the PM Lack of freeway capacity and inadequate interchange configurations 29 fatal crashes and crash rates above the statewide average over a 5-year period Limited/disjoined pedestrian facilities on arterials and outer roads; non-ada compliant
FATAL CRASH LOCATIONS
EXISTING CONDITIONS SUMMARY 2-way northern outer road with slip ramps
PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES
MODOT S FLEXIBILITY FOCUS Implementation of non-traditional, innovative contracting methods allows: Accelerate project delivery Reduce cost Improve quality Reduce impacts to the traveling public Maximize value for our customers
MODOT S FLEXIBILITY FOCUS Final design of improvements determined by ensuring adherence to: Functional requirements Goals, constraints, needs, and desires Performance requirements Engineering-oriented statements of what the facility or component must do
PERFORMANCE The term performance has been sprinkled around the transportation industry for some time MAP-21 establishes an outcome-driven approach for highway investment, where states and metropolitan planning organizations shall work to measure, manage, and improve upon the conditions and performance of transportation assets
MAP-21 PERFORMANCE-BASED DECISION-MAKING Safety Reduce fatalities and injuries on all public roads Infrastructure condition Maintain assets to a state of good repair (SGR) Congestion reduction Achieve significant reduction of congestion on the NHS System reliability Improve efficiency of surface transportation system Freight movement and economic vitality Improve connectivity and access; strengthen rural economic development Environmental sustainability Enhance performance while protecting and enhancing the natural environment Reduce project delivery delays Accelerate project completion and promote jobs and the economy
PERFORMANCE MEASURES Performance measures established in collaboration with technical experts MoDOT, St. Louis County, Metro, etc. The Preferred Alternative is defined by how well it meets I-270 performance measures Four main I-270 performance areas: Safety Mobility Accessibility Infrastructure
HOW DID WE GET THERE NEPA requires a Preferred Alternative to be identified and defined in the document The Preferred Alternative was selected and its performance in key areas was documented Any future design changes are deemed acceptable as long as they meet the minimum performance measures exhibited by the Preferred Alternative
I-270 NORTH EA PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE
CORRIDOR WIDE PERFORMANCE MEASURES
PREDICATED CRASHES Reduce total crashes by 2,566 (19.5%) Reduces fatal and disabling crashes by 17 (7.0%)
SITE SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE MEASURES Remove
THE END RESULT Detailed performance measures form technical basis for MoDOT and FHWA to objectively judge the acceptability of significant changes in concepts and/or geometric design refinements offered by design-build teams Maintain MoDOT s desire for maximum flexibility while managing risk
PROJECT MILESTONES November 2016 EA approved December 2016 EA Public Hearing April 2017 Approved FONSI
I-270 NORTH EA PERFORMANCE MEASURES IN NEPA Buddy Desai, PE CH2M St. Louis