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PLANNING AND ENVIRONMENTAL LINKAGES (PEL)

TxDOT Transportation Short Course Environmental Session

October 14, 2015

Sandy Wesch, PE, AICP North Central Texas Council of Governments

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• Regional Ecosystem Framework (REF) • Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) • Congestion Management Process • PEL Work Group • Other Efforts

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• GIS tool to help identify, assess, and avoid environmental impacts

• Enhances multi-agency understanding of critical resource protection areas

• Uses 10 information layers

GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE • Wildlife habitat • Natural areas • Agricultural land

WATER CONSIDERATIONS

• Impaired water segments

• Flood zones • Surface water

quantity • Wetlands

ECOSYSTEM VALUE

• Rarity • Diversity • Ecosystem

sustainability

Regional Ecosystem Framework (REF)

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Green Infrastructure Layers • National Land Cover Database (USGS/DOI) • Vision North Texas (NCTCOG)

Water Considerations Layers • 303(d) List (TCEQ) • Flood Zones (FEMA) • National Hydrography Dataset (USGS) • National Land Cover Database (USGS/DOI)

Ecosystem Value Layers • Regional Ecological Assessment Protocol (EPA Region VI)

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Regional Ecosystem Framework: Composite Map

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Enhanced Ecosystem Approach

Relationships

• Strengthen relationships with resource and regulatory agencies

Resources

• Use REF in pre-NEPA and/or NEPA phase of project development

• Coordinate transportation and resource agency goals

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• Interactive website is undergoing beta testing • Website will allow transportation partners and local

governments to identify potential environmental impacts of transportation projects and potential mitigation areas to offset impacts

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Coming Soon!

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US 77 (N of Waxahachie to Bigham Road) Resource Category Scoring Question Score

Water

Within 1.0 miles of the 100 year flood plain? N Within 1.0 miles of an Impaired Water Segment? N Within 1.0 miles of an NLCD wetland? Y Surface Water Percent 1

Ecology

Within 1.0 miles of a federal/state park or wildlife area? N Within a Priority Conservation Area as designated by The Nature Conservancy? N

Within 1.0 miles of an area with an REF VEIL Diversity score of 5? N

Within 1.0 miles of an area with an REF VEIL Rarity score of 5? N

Within 1.0 miles of an area with an REF VEIL Ecosystem Sustainability score of 5? N

Land Cover

% Wildlife Habitat 5 % Agriculture 2 % Wetlands 1

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Process • A CMP is federally required in non-

attainment areas and metropolitan areas with population exceeding 200,000

• CMP must be developed and implemented as an integrated part of the metropolitan transportation planning process

• RTC policy requires review and application of congestion mitigation strategies when conducting environmental studies and to report the findings back to NCTCOG

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• Supports the need and purpose of the project • CMP has already inventoried major corridors

for: o Alternative roadway infrastructure ,(e.g., parallel

freeway/tollway, frontage roads, parallel arterials, direct connections)

o Modal options (e.g., transit, park-and-ride, HOV lanes, bike options)

o System demand (e.g., peak v/c, truck volume, number of employees, population)

o System reliability (e.g., crash rate, shoulders, truck lane restrictions, ITS) 13

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http://www.nctcog.org/trans/cmp/

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• Includes staff from TxDOT Dallas, TxDOT Fort Worth, NTTA, FHWA, and NCTCOG

• Reviews projects to be environmental cleared in the next two years to help identify issues related to: – Consistency with the MTP and conformity – Completion of CMP – TIP mods – Need for MSAT and EJ Origin-Destination analysis

• Coordination and updates on project information, training opportunities/needs, and major work efforts (e.g., new MTP)

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• Transportation Resource Agency Consultation and Environmental Streamlining (TRACES) – Stakeholder group comprised of transportation, resource, and regulatory agency partners to coordinate transportation and environmental planning efforts in the region. – www.nctcog.org/traces

• Regional Outer Loop PEL Study - Evaluated the need and feasibility for an outer loop around the Dallas-Fort Worth region, as well as identify potential corridor(s) – http://www.nctcog.org/trans/spd/roadway/oloop/index.asp

• Regional Tolling Analysis - Analysis of the proposed expansion of the regional priced (tolled) facility system based on the improvements included in the MTP – http://www.nctcog.org/trans/mtp/2035/documents/RTAJan2014.pdf

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Contact Information: Sandy Wesch, PE, AICP

Project Engineer swesch@nctcog.org

817.704.5632