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Overview of Southwestern Pennsylvania

Commission’s (SPC) 2040 Long Range

Transportation Plan (LRTP)

Presented to Pennsylvania Agency Coordination Meeting

May 27, 2015

Doug Smith & Ryan Gordon

Southwestern Pennsylvania Region

• 10 Counties

• >7,000 Square miles

• 2.66 Million citizens

• 548 Municipalities

• 132 School Districts

• 3 PennDOT Districts

• > 5,300 State-owned Bridges

• 10 Fixed Route Transit Agencies

• 3 TMAs

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SPC Core Functions

• Coordinates Regional Transportation Planning – Federal (U.S. DOT/FHWA/FTA/EPA) – State (PennDOT) – Local/City (Counties & City of Pittsburgh) – Transit (Port Authority & 9 other county providers)

• Develops the Regional Long Range Plan (20+ years) • Develops the 4-Year Transportation Improvement

Program (TIP) • Transportation and Traffic Modeling and Projections • Econometric Forecasting (REMI, Pitt, CMU) • Air Quality Conformity Determination • Digital Orthographic Mapping and Analysis

Various Plan Components

• Population, Household, and Employment Forecasts

• Transportation Needs Assessment & Investment Categories

• Regional Operations Plan • Human Services Coordinated Transportation Plan • Air Quality Conformity Determination for Plan Update

• Report on Environmental Justice from 2040 Plan Update

• Transit, Intermodal, Freight, and Ridesharing Elements • Program of Projects

• Planning and Environmental Linkage Addendum

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Public Involvement Top 10 “Very Important” or “Important”

Performance Measures by Survey Respondents

1. Structurally Deficient Bridge Deck 99.23% 2. Pavement Condition 96.92% 3. Number of Jobs 95.96% 4. Annual Unemployment Rate 95.05% 5. Net Job Creation Rate 94.47% 6. Cost of Living Index 93.30% 7. Means of Transportation to Work 93.26% 8. Median Household Income 93.20% 9. Population Density 92.92% 10. Total Exports 91.75%

Consistent Themes

• Infrastructure Condition / Asset Management

• Safety, Efficiency & System Reliability

• Multimodal Options for Community & Economic Development

Operating 63%

Fleet Good Repair 18%

Infrastructure Good Repair

19%

Transit $1.86 Billion

Capital Maintenance

Bridges 43%

Capital Maintenance

Roadways 33%

Transit 2%

New Capacity

2%

Traffic Operations &

Safety 17%

Freight 2%

Ped/Bike 1%

2015 Adopted TIP (2015-2018)

New Capacity 0%

Highway & Bridge $1.99 Billion

Transportation Investments

Bridge Status: SPC Region 43% of Region’s Highway and Bridge Funds are invested in

Capital Maintenance Bridge

PENNDOT Asset Management Report Card

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Challenges

• Difficult Climate for Long-Range Planning

– Uncertain Federal Funding Levels

– Push for Performance-Based Planning and Shifting Roles of Federal vs. State Government

– Act 89 = major change at state level

– Potential impacts of technology

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Transportation Planning and Environmental Linkage

Aspects of the SPC 2040 LRTP

Presented to PA Agency Coordination Meeting

May 27, 2015

Ryan Gordon, Planner SPC

• PHOTO

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Planning and Environmental Linkage Linking Planning and NEPA

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• MAP-21 requires the MPO to consult with the regulatory and resource agencies “responsible for land use management, natural resources, environmental protection, conservation, and historic preservation concerning the development of the transportation plan,” (23 C.F.R. § 450.322(g))

• Consultations shall involve “comparison of transportation plans to inventories of natural or historic resources, if available.” (23 C.F.R. § 450.322(g)(1))

• Consultations shall involve “comparison of transportation plan with State

conservation plans or maps, if available” (23 C.F.R. § 450.322(g)(2)) • MAP-21 requires “a discussion of types of potential environmental

mitigation activities and potential areas to carry out these activities, including activities that may have the greatest potential to restore and maintain the environmental functions affected by the plan. The discussion may focus on policies, programs, or strategies, rather than at the project level. ” (23 C.F.R. § 450.322(f)(7)) 13

PEL Regulations for Metropolitan Transportation Plans

• Update and expand our spatial data holdings to

include more environmental resource data

• Conduct Early Coordination Efforts with Resource

Agencies (Develop a consultation web site)

• Develop spatial analysis methods to screen projects

based on the environmental resource data sets

• Develop PEL Addendum/Report for the LRP

• Develop planning tools to support PEL initiatives

– Regional ecological framework

– Mitigation planning 14

SPC PEL Approach

Planning and Environmental Linkage Addendum

Outline:

– 1 Introduction

– 2 Regulatory Context

– 3 Agency Consultation

– 4 Resource Inventory

– 5 Existing State Conservation Plans and Maps

– 6 Regional Ecological Framework

– 7 Environmental Screening - Integrated Regional Map

– 8 Potential Environmental Mitigation

- Pilot Wetland Mitigation Planning Tool

– 9 Summary and Next Steps

Consultation Activities

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Consultation Activity Date

Agency Consultation Plan Review with FHWA July 2014

Agency Consultation Invitation Letters Distributed October 9, 2014

Face to Face Consultation Meetings with Agency Representatives from within the SPC Region (US Army Corps of Engineers, PA Department of Environmental Protection, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PA Historic and Museum Commission, Natural Heritage Program)

Late October – November 2014

Phone and/or e-mail consultation with additional agency contacts outside of the SPC region.

Early 2015

Agency Consultation Website established including draft chapters of the environmental Addendum for download

February 18, 2015

Sample Project Screening results posted to the Agency Consultation Website with downloadable preliminary constraints maps.

April 10, 2015

Consultation Meetings with PennDOT Environmental Managers (Districts 10-0, 11-0, 12-0)

April – May 2015

Statewide Agency Coordination Meeting presentation May 27th 2015

LRTP Public Comment Period Comments potentially received on the Draft LRTP from Federal, State, or Tribal Agencies

May 13, 2015 to June 12, 2015

((Consultation Website))

Review what is on the website for download http://www.spcregion.org/lrpenv/ *RETURN TO PP

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Planning and Environmental Linkage Addendum

Outline:

– 1 Introduction

– 2 Regulatory Context

– 3 Agency Consultation

– 4 Resource Inventory

– 5 Existing State Conservation Plans and Maps

– 6 Regional Ecological Framework

– 7 Environmental Screening - Integrated Regional Map

– 8 Potential Environmental Mitigation

- Pilot Wetland Mitigation Planning Tool

– 9 Summary and Next Steps

Linking Planning and NEPA Resource Inventory Mapping

• Sub areas for Inventory maps

• Different Resource Inventory Maps in each Sub area – Streams

– Wetlands Indicators

– T&E Species Indicators

– Farmlands Resources

– Protected Lands

– Historic Resources

– Industrial Areas & Waste Site Indicators

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Planning and Environmental Linkage Addendum

Outline:

– 1 Introduction

– 2 Regulatory Context

– 3 Agency Consultation

– 4 Resource Inventory

– 5 Existing State Conservation Plans and Maps

– 6 Regional Ecological Framework

– 7 Environmental Screening - Integrated Regional Map

– 8 Potential Environmental Mitigation

- Pilot Wetland Mitigation Planning Tool

– 9 Summary and Next Steps

Existing “State Conservation Plans and Maps” • Various state financed (DCNR) River and Watershed Conservation Plans

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/rivers/riversconservation/planningprojects/ • PA DEP Statewide Water Resources Plan, 2010 http://www.pawaterplan.dep.state.pa.us/StateWaterPlan/docroot/Default.aspx • State financed (DCNR) county greenway plans http://www.pagreenways.org/greenwaysnetworks-planning.htm • PA Game Commission and PA Fish and Boat Commission, Pennsylvania Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, 2005

http://www.wildlifeactionplans.org/pdfs/action_plans/pa_action_plan.pdf

• Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania Preservation Plan 2012-2017. http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/preservation_plan/20240

• Associated Conservation Opportunity Areas, 2011 http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/wrcp/wildnotes/winter11/index.html • Pennsylvania Historic and Museum Commission, Pennsylvania Preservation Plan 2006-2011.

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/historic_preservation/3741/preservation_plan/418112 • Western PA Conservancy, PA Aquatic Community Classification, 2007

http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/aquaticsIntro.aspx

• Western PA Conservancy, Conservation Priorities, 2014 http://conservingpa.org/253/preserving-priority-landscapes-2 • DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Statewide Forest Resource Assessment, 2010

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_007864.pdf • DCNR Bureau of Forestry, Pennsylvania Forest Strategies, 2010

http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cs/groups/public/documents/document/dcnr_007996.pdf • Natural Heritage Inventories, County Inventories http://www.naturalheritage.state.pa.us/CNHI.aspx • DCNR Conservation Landscape Initiative Areas http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/cli/aboutcli/index.htm • DCNR Heritage Areas http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/brc/heritageareas/ • PA Fishing and Boating Access Strategy plan http://www.fishandboat.com/accessplan.htm

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Planning and Environmental Linkage Addendum

Outline:

– 1 Introduction

– 2 Regulatory Context

– 3 Agency Consultation

– 4 Resource Inventory

– 5 Existing State Conservation Plans and Maps

– 6 Regional Ecological Framework

– 7 Environmental Screening - Integrated Regional Map

– 8 Potential Environmental Mitigation

- Pilot Wetland Mitigation Planning Tool

– 9 Summary and Next Steps

• Executive Order 13352 on Facilitation of Cooperative Conservation

• Eco-Logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects – Nine Federal Agencies recommend a collaborative, integrated, watershed or regional-scale approach to decision-making during transportation and infrastructure planning

• Many other Regional MPOs and State DOTs utilizing REFs/Integrated maps in LRTPs and mitigation planning

– Atlanta Regional Commission - Michigan DOT – Charlottesville MPO - Oregon DOT – Houston Galveston Area Council - Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

• TRB SHRP2: 2013 Guidance for Integrated Ecological Frameworks

• MAP-21: Optional Regional Programmatic Mitigation Plans

Regional Ecological Framework and Regional Integrated Map

Regional Ecological Framework

WHAT: • REF is a GIS that integrates natural resource inventory data,

conservation priorities maps/plans, which form an eco-logical framework of the region.

WHY: • Establish a region-wide ecological and regulatory basis to

inform planning and assess potential impact. HOW: • Collect/Update available environmental inventory spatial

data. • Aggregate environmental inventory data into a model

showing the relative value and spatial distribution of ecological and regulated natural resources in the region.

• Consultations with resource agencies to refine valuations and improve accuracy of the model.

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Planning and Environmental Linkage Addendum

Outline:

– 1 Introduction

– 2 Regulatory Context

– 3 Agency Consultation

– 4 Resource Inventory

– 5 Existing State Conservation Plans and Maps

– 6 Regional Ecological Framework

– 7 Environmental Screening - Integrated Regional Map

– 8 Potential Environmental Mitigation

- Pilot Wetland Mitigation Planning Tool

– 9 Summary and Next Steps

Project Screenings

• Conducted to compare environmental inventory to a sample of planned transportation projects

• Over 60 environmental inventory data layers (more detailed

than the overview inventory) • Sample projects (Timing and potential Impact)

– Prescreened 150 TYP projects against REF selecting a sample of 55 to conduct detailed analysis

– Project types with the greatest potential to have environmental impacts (Bridges & New ROW projects)

– Realistic new TIP project candidates with PE phases likely to be on the next TIP. Project screening is being conducted at a time when LPN information is most beneficial.

• PennDOT LPN Level 2 screening forms completed on sample

projects

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Aggregated layers and scores

Planning and Environmental Linkage Addendum

Outline:

– 1 Introduction

– 2 Regulatory Context

– 3 Agency Consultation

– 4 Resource Inventory

– 5 Existing State Conservation Plans and Maps

– 6 Regional Ecological Framework

– 7 Environmental Screening - Integrated Regional Map

– 8 Potential Environmental Mitigation

- Pilot Wetland Mitigation Planning Tool

– 9 Summary and Next Steps

Types of Potential Mitigation Activities and Potential Areas to Carry Out Activities

• Photos of mitigation

• Approach to focus on potential strategies and options for mitigation activities for the key resource types in the SPC region

• Focused on a few Resources: – Wetlands – Streams – Threatened and Endangered Species – Cultural Resources – Other Section 4(f) resources – Farmlands

• Created table for each of the resources listed

mitigation options associated with that resource including potential locations and criteria

• Included discussion of Advanced Compensatory mitigation where applicable

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Example of the Potential Mitigation Activities Tables

• Historic Resources (other

resources follow same format)

• “Types of Potential

Mitigation Activities” listed for both individual project and Advanced compensatory mitigation

• Information provided

related to “areas to carryout these activities” 43

Planning and Environmental Linkage Addendum

Outline:

– 1 Introduction

– 2 Regulatory Context

– 3 Agency Consultation

– 4 Resource Inventory

– 5 Existing State Conservation Plans and Maps

– 6 Regional Ecological Framework

– 7 Environmental Screening - Integrated Regional Map

– 8 Potential Environmental Mitigation

- Pilot Wetland Mitigation Planning Tool

– 9 Summary and Next Steps

Pilot Wetland Mitigation Planning Tool

WHAT: A planning tool that will assist in identification of suitable mitigation sites for

selected resources (wetlands). WHY: Meet MAP-21 requirements to identify potential locations for wetland

mitigation. Assist PennDOT and other project sponsors in identifying suitable locations for mitigation sites or bank sites. To assess available data for site suitability to ensure that mitigation decisions are location efficient and maximizing ecological benefits.

HOW: • Utilize existing site suitability methodology and DEP questionnaire to determine

suitability criteria using GIS • Utilizing raster datasets (30 ft resolution) to develop site suitability criteria for

selected resources and selected mitigation goal (e.g.: stream, restoration). • Aggregate suitability criteria data into a model showing the relative value and

spatial distribution of suitable locations for mitigation of the selected resource in the region.

• Conduct Consultations with resource agencies to refine valuations and improve accuracy of the model.

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Example Project Area

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Proximity to existing wetlands

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Areas of Hydric Soils

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In Protected Land or Proximity

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Existing Conservation Easements

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Existing Land Use

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Watersheds targeted for wetland restoration

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Distance from existing streams

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Soil Survey Drainage Class Very Poorly Drained Poorly Drained

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Slope 0 to 2 degrees 2.1 to 5 degrees

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Topographic Wetness Index

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Modeled Suitability for Wetland Mitigation

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Modeled Suitability for Wetland Mitigation Property Parcels

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Modeled Suitability for Wetland Mitigation Property Parcels

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Elevation 1,040 ft

Elevation 2,000 ft

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Modeled Suitability for Wetland Mitigation Property Parcels

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Modeled Suitability for Wetland Mitigation Property Parcels

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• Continue to integrate LPN into the Pre-TIP planning with 2017 TIP update.

• Partnering with our District Environmental Units to pilot validation of the wetland mitigation suitability tool.

• Providing preliminary constraint maps on corridor studies with PennDOT Districts

• Sharing REF with County planners for use in comprehensive plans/greenway plans and project development.

• Collaboration with WPC to conduct a regional update of our Natural Heritage data (pending grant)

• Investigate development of more mitigation planning tools

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SPC PEL Activities - Next Steps

Feedback/Discussion/Questions

Ryan Gordon Planner, SPC

rgordon@spcregion.org http://www.spcregion.org/lrpenv/

Doug Smith Transportation Planning Director, SPC

dsmith@spcregion.org http://www.spcregion.org

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