Floridas Efficient Transportation Decision Making Process

1
Floridas Efficient Transportation Decision
Making Process

• North Carolina Association of Metropolitan
  Planning Organizations
• October 27, 2005

Carolyn Ismart, Florida Department of
Transportation
Environmental Management Office
2
Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM)

• A new integrated approach to transportation
  planning, project development and delivery in
  Florida.
• A collaborative process involving
• FDOT
• Resource Agencies
• MPOs
• The Public
• Committed to at the HIGHEST LEVELS
• Process principles incorporated into formalized
  agreements

3
Streamlining Objectives (TEA 21 Section 1309)
Response to

• Effective/timely decision making without
  compromising environmental quality
• Integrating review and permitting processes
• Early NEPA reviews/approvals
• Full and early participation
• Meaningful dispute resolution mechanisms

4
ETDM

• MOU signed by 24 federal, state and regional
  agency heads
• Partnership with a common set of goals
• Produce good transportation projects that address
  the mobility needs of Florida residents, visitors
  and commerce
• Simultaneously protect the extremely valuable
  environmental resources which make Florida
  unique.
• Do this in a timely manner

5
Goals of The ETDM Process

• Earlier identification and consideration of
  potential environmental and sociocultural effects
  of major transportation capacity improvements
• More efficient planning and project development
• Build on input at each stage
• Dont continue to invest time and money if
  fatally flawed
• Dont continue to address if a non-issue
• Obtain permits earlier

6
How is This Accomplished?

• Early, continuous and interactive involvement of
  resource agencies, public, MPOs and the FDOT
  from the planning phase through NEPA approval and
  permitting.
• Implementation of Planning Programming
  Screens
• Good documentation throughout project life
  project diary stays with project
• Use of the Florida Geographic Data Library (FGDL)
  and GIS based Environmental Screening Tool to
  enhance analyses of impacts and to record results
  and decisions made at every phase.

7
The Problem
FDOT 5-Year Work Program
PDE
DESIGN
PERMITS
Mobility Planning
FDOT
FDOT/MPO
AGENCIES
A 5-year gap before NEPA begins
Late agency involvement
Minimal or No Consideration of Potential
Environmental Effects/Costs Planning Input Often
Not Conveyed to Project Development
8
ETDM Process
Needs Plans
Long-Range Cost-Feasible Plans
Project Development
Design
9
Types of Projects Subject to ETDM Screening

• Major Transportation Projects
• Roadway Projects
• Where capacity is added to an existing road in
  the form of additional through lanes
• New Roadways
• New Interchanges, Interchange modifications
• New Bridges, Bridge replacements, Bridge Projects
  involving additional lanes
• Public Transportation Projects
• Major capital improvements including Intermodal
  Centers, Rail, Transit Centers

10
Planning Screen

• Projects Drawn From
• MPO Long Range Needs and/or Cost Feasible Plans
• Florida Strategic Intermodal System (SIS) Plan

11
Programming Screen

• Projects drawn from either the
• MPO Priority List,
• SIS Cost Feasible Plan,
• Deficient Bridge Replacement List, or
• Other statewide programs
• Projects going through the Programming Screen
  each spring are those that are viable candidates
  for programming in the FDOT 5 Year Work Program
  in the next Work Program update cycle

12
ETAT

• Environmental Technical Advisory Team
• Each FDOT District has an ETAT
• Comprised of representatives from 24 resource
  agencies
• ETAT member speaks for agency responsible for
  interaction with FDOT
• Role shifts from planning phase through permit
  approval
• Planning Screen Recommendations
• Programming Screen NEPA Scoping
• Project Development Coordination
• Approval/Permits Coordination

13
Planning Screen

• ETAT
• Review purpose and need
• Review direct impacts
• Recommend avoidance/ minimization
• Suggest mitigation strategies
• Provide SACIA commentary
• Assess degree of effect
• Coordinate to reduce conflicts

14
Programming Screen

• ETAT
• Update direct impact assessment
• Document degree of effect
• Provide scope for technical studies
• Participate in dispute resolution on significant
  issues
• FHWA/FDOT determines class of action

15
ETDM Community Liaison Coordinators

• Coordinate activities of the process
• Develop and input project data
• Initiate project screens
• Notify ETAT of review readiness
• Ensure timely information flow
• Review ETAT comments and assign summary degree of
  effect
• Prepare summary reports ensure availability to
  ETAT, MPOs and public
• Coordinate dispute resolution
• Provide community outreach

16
Technology Foundation

• Florida Geographic Data Library (FGDL)
• Digital repository of GIS Assets (containing over
  350 data layers)
• FGDL responsible for presentation, storage,
  analysis, and retrieval of supporting data.
• Environmental Screening Tool
• Web-based GIS application designed to Improve
  access to information and provide better decision
  support
• Maintains communication record
• Provides standardized analysis and reporting
  tools

17
FGDL is the ETDM Foundation
ETDM
FDOT/MPO Projects, Plans Community
Characteristics
Resource Agency Data
Florida Geographic Data Library
Performs GIS Analyses
Public Access
Commitments Recommendations
18
Info About the Data

• Data collected from variety of sources federal,
  state, and local government, as well as private
  Industry
• Data Identified by ETAT members to support their
  review process
• 350 plus data layers 425 analysis
• All data has supporting metadata
• Data owners are responsible for correcting errors
• Each dataset on a specific update schedule
  unique to each agency and dataset
• All data retained with project information online
  until 5 years after the final project action

19
EST and FGDL Data Sources

• More than 30 state, federal and local agencies,
  nonprofit organizations and private companies
  have contributed their data to the FGDL.

Bureau of Transportation Statistics Environmental
Protection Agency Federal Aviation
Administration Federal Emergency Management
Agency Florida Department of Environmental
Protection Florida Department of Revenue Florida
Department of Transportation Florida Division of
Emergency Management Florida Fish and Wildlife
Conservation Commission Florida Marine Research
Institute Florida Natural Areas Inventory Florida
Resources Environmental Analysis Center
Florida's 5 Water Management Districts Florida
County Governments National Climatic Data
Center Space Imaging Earth Observation Satellite
Company (EOSAT) SPOT Image Corporation University
of Florida GeoPlan Center US Census Bureau USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service US Fish
Wildlife Service US Forest Service US Geological
Survey 26 Metropolitan Planning Organizations
20
Florida Geographic Data Library (FGDL)

• All Data available online for free
• http//www.fgdl.org
• All data has accompanying metadata
• Continually updating datasets
• Continually acquiring new datasets
• All data sanity checked before made available
• Only Data Not Available are confidential datasets
  e.g. Threatened and Endangered species

21
Step 1. Data Entry
Project Data
MPOs FDOT
Community Characteristics
Resource Agencies
FGDL
Environmental Resource Data
22
Step 2. GIS Analysis
GIS Layers of Projects And Resources
Analysis Results
23
Issues Agencies Comment On

• Aesthetics
• Air Quality
• Coastal and Marine
• Contaminated Sites
• Economic
• Farmlands
• Floodplains
• Historic and Archaeological Sites
• Infrastructure
• Land Use

• Mobility
• Navigation
• Recreation Areas
• Relocation
• Secondary and Cumulative Effects
• Section 4(f) Potential
• Social/Community Concerns
• Special Designations
• Water Quality and Quantity
• Wetlands
• Wildlife and Habitat

24
Degree of Effect
Positive effect on resources
Little adverse effect on resources
Resources are affected avoidance, minimization
options available
ETAT understands project need substantial
interaction required avoidance, minimization,
mitigation
Does not conform to agency requirements
25
Step 3. Project Released for Review
Community Liaison Coordinators
General Public
ETAT Members Community Liaisons
26
Step 4. Summary Report

• Summary of Effects
• Commitments
• Responses

27
Project Development
. . . a change from todays PDE

• NEPA begins at initiation of the Programming
  Screen
• Class of Action Determination made at the end of
  the Programming Screen
• Concepts Scope of improvement have already been
  developed based on comments received during
  screening events
• Technical studies focused, responding to issues
  raised
• Permit basis agreed to in advance
• Some preliminary engineering moved into Project
  Development Phase

28
Project Development (cont.)
. . . a change from todays PDE

• Project Development Summary Report
• Summarizes all activities in PD Phase
• Serves as the documentation for CEs
• Permit Conditions Included

29
ETDM Status
30
ETDM Status
2001
2002
2003
2000
2004
J F M A M J
J F M A M J J A S O N D
J F M A M J J A S O N D
J F M A M J J A S O N D
J F M A M J J A S O N D
ETDM Concept Developed With Agencies
Operating Procedures
Training (ETDM EST)
Task Work Group Develop Process
Performance Measures Development
Initial Screening

• EST Conceptual Design

• Proof of Concept Demonstration

• Requirements Workshops

• Process Simulation

• Demonstration

• Production

31
Status as of 6/15/2005

• 154 projects through ETAT review
• 500 participants
• 150 Trained in Project Input Module
• 150 ETAT reviewers trained
• Preparation for 2006 Work Program
• Programming Screen Event Spring 2005
• Public access site available

32
Floridas ETDM Process

• Benefits

33
Benefits

• Early identification of potential issues and
  possible avoidance/minimization options
• Early identification of community expressed needs
• Integration of agency and community perspectives
• MPO FDOT LRTP processes enhanced by earlier
  understanding of projects potential
  environmental sociocultural effects and their
  associated costs and acceptability
• Projects enter the FDOT Work Program and MPO TIP
  with better definition of issues, feasibility,
  and potential costs.

34
Benefits (continued)

• Agencies and affected community have ready access
  to quality data and feedback
• Project diary follows project through all
  phases
• Focuses project scopes on key technical issues
• Review and permitting processes integrated
• Early NEPA reviews/approvals
• Expected reduction in late project challenges and
  litigation

35
Thank You.

• Carolyn Hyland Ismart
• carolyn.ismart_at_dot.state.fl.us