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HomeMy WebLinkAboutUpdate on North Rouse Avenue ImprovementsRouse Avenue – Bozeman Environmental Assessment STPP 86-1(27)0 CN 4805 As a courtesy to the City Commission, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) would like to share the results of the public comment received on the Environmental Assessment (EA) for the proposed Rouse Avenue improvements between Main Street and Story Mill Road. MDT has been working with your staff for over three years in the development of this proposed project and has held three public information meetings and a formal Public Hearing, in addition to several meetings with the North East Neighborhood Association and various bicycle and pedestrian interest groups. We have also met one‐on‐one with several individual property owners to discuss impacts on individual parcels and will continue those discussions as the project proceeds. Through this collaborative process, we have identified a project that will improve the safety and mobility for all modes of traffic – bicyclists, pedestrians, and motor vehicles – through this corridor. Urban projects like this are not without impact to the adjacent residents and business owners, but our team has made considerable effort to identify potential impacts, avoid those impacts where possible, and mitigate unavoidable impacts to the greatest extent practicable. We received approximately 50 comments from the public and interested agencies during the formal comment period on the EA. We did not receive a formal comment from the City of Bozeman regarding the project outlined in the EA, and would like to afford one final opportunity to the City Council to discuss the proposed project before MDT and the Federal Highway Administration issue our formal finding. Of the 50 comments received, 15 were favorable to the project, nine were unfavorable, and 24 made suggestions on how to improve the design or to minimize impacts. As a matter of context, we provide the following summary of comments received during the formal comment period on the EA: Should extend the urban section (curb‐and‐gutter) from its current terminus at the East Gallatin River out to Story Mill Road Support for bike lanes and boulevard sidewalks Provide design consideration for future transit stops Preserve trees in the corridor Eliminate center turn lanes in southern, residential portion of the corridor Make sure lighting conforms to Dark Skies ordinance Maintain on‐street parking Direct traffic to 7th and Griffin We’re in real‐estate limbo, and need to know when project will move forward Put Bozeman Creek in a pipe Convert corridor into a one‐way couplet Traffic projections do not account for high gas prices, and changing economy and travel patterns 76 Rouse Avenue – Bozeman Preliminary Responses to Comments Page 2 The detailed comments received during the Public Hearing and comment period on the EA will be included in the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) if the project is determined able to proceed. Formal responses will be included for each individual comment in the FONSI. PRELIMINARY RESPONSES TO PUBLIC COMMENTS: The following is a summary of the major themes of comments received on the EA for the proposed Rouse Avenue improvements, and preliminary responses from MDT and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). These comments and responses will be discussed with the City of Bozeman to ensure that the project continues along a supportable path that will provide needed safety and capacity upgrades while minimizing impacts to the surrounding community. A number of suggestions for improvements to the proposed project, alternatives to the proposed project, and concerns for impacts were received. The recurring themes included the following: Suggestion that Rouse Avenue be left as is, and improvements made to other corridors such as Oak and 7th Street. Rouse Avenue is a state primary route. North 7th is an urban principal arterial south of I-90 and an urban minor arterial north of I-90. Griffin is an urban minor arterial, and Oak is an urban collector. North 7th, Griffin and Oak are state urban routes. Improvements in the North 7th, Griffin and Oak corridors are not eligible for the STPP funding that may become available for Rouse. The Montana Department of Transportation cannot defer the responsibility to address the transportation issue in this portion of the community by suggesting state urban routes be improved instead of the state primary routes. Suggestions for different roadway geometric design to minimize impacts. MDT and FHWA recognize the value of both the residents and business owners within this corridor, and the importance of the route as a major transportation corridor in and through the community. The NEPA/MEPA process requires that a balanced and objective analysis of all impacts be considered, and it is for this reason that the preliminary design includes minimized travel lane widths, boulevard and sidewalk widths, and moved forward with a three-lane section rather than a five-lane section as initially proposed. There have been suggestions to turn Rouse into a one-way couplet with an adjacent street to the east or west. While a one-way couplet may provide additional capacity, recent trends in urban traffic engineering are suggesting that communities are less satisfied with the one-way couplets than with standard two-way streets, and are pursuing conversion back to two-way streets. The goal of the conversion projects from one-way to two-way streets includes the desire to improve safety, reduce traffic intrusion into neighborhoods, and slow travel speeds. Most communities have found the one-way couplets to be confusing for motorists (particularly 77 Rouse Avenue – Bozeman Preliminary Responses to Comments Page 3 visitors), less desirable for business and residential access (resulting in cut-through traffic on the linking residential streets), and increased travel distance to an intended destination. For these reasons, a one-way conversion has not been pursued in the Rouse Avenue corridor. There were several suggestions to eliminate the center turn lane in the southern portion of the corridor. According to the FHWA Office of Operations, median treatments for roadways represent one of the most effective means to regulate access, but are also the most controversial. The safety benefits of median improvements have been the subject of numerous studies and syntheses. Studies of both particular corridors and comparative research on different types of median treatments indicate the significant safety benefits from access management techniques. A study of corridors in several cities in Iowa found that two-way left- turn lanes reduced crashes by as much as 70 percent, improved level of service by one full grade in some areas, and increased lane capacity by as much as 36 percent. (Iowa Department of Transportation, 1997, Access Management Research and Awareness Program: Phase II Report). These substantive improvements in both safety and capacity directly address the essential purpose and need for the proposed project, and minimize impacts as compared to other capacity improvements that may include additional through lanes in each direction. Other geometric standards were reviewed and the typical dimensions minimized wherever possible to keep the overall footprint of the improvements as narrow as possible. The table below provides a summary of the minimization efforts undertaken in the proposed Rouse Avenue improvements: MDT Minimum Standards for Urban Minor Arterial Bozeman TPU (Draft) 3-lane option1 Rouse Avenue EA Proposed Improvements (curbed) (uncurbed) Travel lane width 11’ 11’ 11’ 11’ TWLTL width 11’ 11’ 15’ 11’ to 12’* Parking lane width 8’ min. 8’ min. 8’ 8’ Bike lane width 5’ 4’ 5’ 4’ to 5’† Boulevard width - - 6.5’ 5’ Sidewalk width 5’ min. 5’ min. 6’ 5’‡ Notes: 1 The City of Bozeman Design Standards for Arterial Streets follow those outlined in the Transportation Plan. The Design Standards note variable standards for boulevards, and a 5’ minimum sidewalk width, with a 6’ width preferred for arterials. * 11’ from Main to Tamarack; 12’ Tamarack to Story Mill † 4’ when adjacent to parking lane; 5’ when adjacent to curb and includes 1.5’ of curb-and-gutter ‡ ADA minimum is 5’ without passing space As illustrated in the table, the proposed improvements adopted the minimum widths wherever practicable. Suggestion to enclose Bozeman Creek to avoid impacts to residential properties. 78 Rouse Avenue – Bozeman Preliminary Responses to Comments Page 4 During the NEPA/MEPA project development process, several resource agencies were consulted regarding potential impacts to Bozeman Creek. Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks expressed serious concerns about piping such an extensive length of the creek. Several local residents also expressed their concern for piping the creek. Given the level of public concern, the substantial permitting and regulatory hurdles to overcome, and the substantial costs associated with piping the creek, the decision was made to shift the alignment to the east to avoid impacts to this resource. Request to extend the urban section, including sidewalks and curb-and-gutter, out to Story Mill. Funding constraints do not currently allow for a further extension of the urban section to the east. Based on public comment, and the strong preference stated by City Staff, MDT will consider extension of an urban section to Story Mill Road since it will be within the limits cleared under the EA. MDT will work with the City of Bozeman if the project proceeds through final design, and collectively determine whether an urban section would better suit the on-the- ground conditions and is within cost constraints nearer the time of actual implementation. Concern for loss of parking. Approximately 22 homes would lose on-street parking. Only two (2) of those homes would have no alley access and no ability to accommodate parking on the existing lot. MDT will negotiate with each individual landowner during the right-of-way negotiation process to identify reasonable compensation for the loss of property value attributable to the lost parking. Concern for loss of trees. In coordination with MDT, the City of Bozeman arborist will conduct an inventory of trees in the corridor and MDT will work with individual property owners and consider options to avoid healthy trees where feasible and appropriate. This may include leaving existing trees that fall within the “boulevard” area, and appear healthy and able to withstand construction activities, or may include designing the sidewalk to meander farther into a private parcel if the landowner desires protection of the mature vegetation over the loss of additional right-of-way. Concern for loss of affordable housing. Two homes are currently anticipated to be full acquisitions from the project, and another six homes would fall within five feet of the back of the proposed sidewalk. Many of the homes in the Rouse Avenue corridor are rental properties, and used by University students. Few are believed to be low income homeowners. According to MLS listings for Bozeman as of October 2008, there were 16 homes listed in the Bozeman area, and 80 in the greater Bozeman area in the same price range as those impacted within the Rouse Avenue corridor. 79 Rouse Avenue – Bozeman Preliminary Responses to Comments Page 5 Request for flexibility in right-of-way negotiations. MDT does not intend to use eminent domain to acquire any property within the Rouse Avenue corridor, and would do so only after exhausting all other reasonable negotiation opportunities. Right-of-Way appraisals and negotiations can begin once the final right-of-way limits are established but those limits can't be established until until the final design is complete. Once the final design is complete and the necessary right-of-way limits are identified, an appraisal will be prepared to establish just compensation and then right-of-way negotiations can begin. The official right-of-way negotiation process is projected to begin approximately two years from issuance of a FONSI. During the right-of-way negotiation phase, each individual property owner will be contacted. Table 3.1 in the EA identified an approximate distance from the back of sidewalk to the existing structures. Only those structures that were in direct conflict with the estimated right-of-way limits were shown as potential complete acquisitions , but it is anticipated that if the use and value of a parcel is substantially altered by the proposed project, a full acquisition may be appropriate for those residences as well. If during the next year or two, homeowners find that they are unable to sell their homes due to the pending roadway improvements, they may be able to pursue an early acquisition. 80