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HomeMy WebLinkAbout012308 Transportation Coordinating Committee Minutes.docMINUTES BOZEMAN AREA TRANSPORTATION COORDINATING COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 23rd, 2008 ITEM 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ATTENDANCE Chairperson Andy Epple called the meeting to order at 9:35 a.m. on Wednesday, January 23, 2008, in the Commission Room, Municipal Building, 411 East Main Street, and directed the TCC and audience members to introduce themselves. Members Present: Andy Epple, Planning Director, City of Bozeman, Chair Ross Gammon, Maintenance Chief, Bozeman Division, MDT Jon Henderson, Bozeman Area Bicycle Advisory Board Pat Abelin, Citizen Member, Gallatin County Bob Lashaway, Director, Facilities Services, MSU David Smith, Citizen Member, City of Bozeman Rick Hixson proxy for Debbie Arkell, City Engineer, City of Bozeman Al VanderWey, Urban Planning, MDT JP Pomnichowski, Planning Board, City of Bozeman Christopher Scott, Planning Department, Gallatin County Marianne Amsden proxy for Kerry White, Gallatin County Planning Board Ralph Zimmer, Pedestrian and Traffic Safety Committee Lee Provance, Road Superintendent, Gallatin County Jeff Ebert, District Administrator Butte District MDT Rob Bukvich, Bozeman Division, MDT Joe Olsen, Engineering Services Superintendent, Butte District MDT Jeff Kraus, City Commissioner Staff Present: Shoni Dykstra, Recording Secretary John Van Delinder, Street Superintendent, City of Bozeman Bob Murray, Engineer, City of Bozeman George Durkin, Gallatin County Road Office Lt. Rich McLane Guests Present: Cora Helm, MDT, Environmental Services ITEM 2. PUBLIC COMMENT {Limited to any public matter within the jurisdiction of the Bozeman Area Transportation Coordinating Committee not on this agenda. Three-minute time limit per speaker} Chairperson Epple called for public comment, seeing none he closed public comment. ITEM 3. MINUTES OF SEPTEMBER 26, 2007, OCTOBER 24, 2007, NOVEMBER 28, 2007, and DECEMBER 19, 2007 Jeff Ebert noted the following correction under Item 4 and the North Rouse Avenue project the second sentence should begin, “During early review of the EAS”. Seeing no other changes, additions or corrections to the minutes of the special meeting of September 26, 2007, Chairperson Epple announced the minutes are approved as corrected. Since there were no corrections to the minutes of the regular meeting of October 24, 2007, Chairperson Epple announced the minutes are approved as distributed. Since there were no corrections to the minutes of the special meeting of November 28, 2007, Chairperson Epple announced the minutes are approved as distributed. Since there were no corrections to the minutes of the special meeting of December 19, 2007, Chairperson Epple announced the minutes are approved as distributed. ITEM 4. SPECIAL PRESENTATION A. Highway Noise – Cora Helm, MDT Environmental Services Cora Helm of the Montana Department of Transportation environmental services presented information regarding highway noise. Ms. Helm noted she has been working with traffic noise studies for MDT for 14 years, bringing awareness to the local government of the growing noise problem in Montana. She noted federal regulations require MDT to send noise reports to local governments on any project that will increase capacity or shifts the alignment. She noted the federal regulations required mitigation for impacts reaching or exceeding 67 decibels in residential areas. She noted it is a conflict between what is desirable and what is achievable. She noted that at or above 67 decibels is the point when speech between two people outside would experience the need to raise their voices. Ms. Helm noted a more acceptable level of noise from traffic is 60 decibels as it protects speech, outdoor living spaces, quality of life, and sleep. Ms. Helm noted that noise compatible land-use planning opens up opportunities for proactive mitigation of noise concerns. She noted the future noise abatement MDT is facing along interstate 90. She also showed the proposed noise barrier along the Kalispell bypass. She also showed the noise reports for Four Corners North where the possible mitigation of traffic noise would include reducing speeds and increasing setbacks. She also showed the noise report for Cameron Bridge Road, Jackrabbit Lane, and Hulbert Lane. Ms. Helm presented a noise contours study which is the graphic representation of traffic noise impacts along an area. She noted the noise contours assisted local governments who mitigated noise impacts during the planning process. She noted the City of Kalispell has adopted a policy which requires developers to mitigate traffic noise levels above 60 decibels under “public health and safety”. She also noted Kalispell was not allowing the mitigation to be done through the buildings themselves in order to protect the outdoor living spaces. She clarified the decibel level was representative of an hourly average. She noted the noise analysis was usually conducted during the peak hours of travel. Chris Scott sought clarification on the seasonal impacts of traffic noise. Ms. Helm noted different vehicles such as trailers are more common in the summer and snow coverage during the winter do affect traffic noise levels. Mr. Provance wanted to know if it was possible to model the impacts before the development was built. Ms. Helm noted it was possible to predict the impacts a proposed development would have on the surrounding area. Mr. Provance noted it was easier to address the issue upfront rather than after the fact. Ms. Helm noted her office was in the process of developing a tool kit for planners to help them mitigate noise concerns. She noted the kit would include a transportation noise lookup which utilizes traffic counts to project traffic noise impacts. Mr. Krauss sought clarification on the federally set speed standards on the entryway corridors and how noise impacts have been considered in the setting of those speeds. Mr. Ebert noted noise impacts were not taken into consideration at this point. Mr. Gammon noted developers were required to provide a TIS for most projects which would impact noise and adding noise mitigating measures and requirements could feasibly be included. Ms. Helm noted buffer zones are ideal for mitigation, and she also noted not all berms were effective in mitigating noise impacts. Mr. Bukvich wanted to know if railroad noise was taken into consideration in the traffic noise results. Ms. Helm noted the studies only included data with the traffic noise impacts even though there are areas where it is inherently noisier. Ms. Helm concluded her presentation by providing her contact information to any interested parties and stating she would be willing to share with other organizations or present again to the TCC. ITEM 5. TCC MEMBER REPORTS A. Transit Committee Report - None B. I-90/East Belgrade Interchange Report Pat Abelin noted the modeling of the links was completed in order to identify any links which could be dropped to lower costs. Mr. Ebert noted the next meeting concerning the Interchange was going to be held February 11, 2008 at 2:00 p.m. at the airport. C. TSM’s Report – None D. Bike Advisory Board Jon Henderson noted a few devoted cyclists were still out even in the cold weather. He also noted “Bike to Work and School Week” would begin May 12. E. Pedestrian/Traffic Safety Committee Ralph Zimmer noted the committee had three new members for a total of 8 voting members. They are expecting to concentrate on sidewalk issues and to present various projects before the City Commission throughout the year. Other TCC Member Reports - None ITEM 6. OLD BUSINESS Seeing no old business, Chairperson Epple closed this portion of the meeting. ITEM 7. NEW BUSINESS Transportation Plan Update Status Bob Murray presented a brief update on the Transportation Plan. He noted the City Commission presentation on the Update had been moved to Monday, January 28. He noted the level of service discussion from the previous two meetings, and the need for a quorum of the Committee to vote on which standard they would like to adopt for level of service definitions in the Plan. He noted if the Committee voted to use the MDT standards, Staff from both the City and the County should move forward with a recommendation to amend the UDO and update County standards to reflect the adopted language of the Transportation Plan. Mr. Murray stated the language adopted would affect the recommendations made within the Plan. Mr. Provance sought clarification on the language included and how to defer to MDT when it was within their jurisdiction. Chairperson Epple noted it was an automatic deference and did not need to be included in the motion language. It was moved by Mr. Zimmer, seconded by Mr. Lashaway, to use the MDT standard definition of acceptable level of service for the intersection as a whole to be level of service C as the design standard included within the Transportation Plan Update. Mr. Krauss sought clarification if the level of service standard would only apply to the streets under the jurisdiction of MDT. Chairperson Epple noted this recommendation would prompt respective staff recommendations to change regulatory standards on the County level and a revision to the UDO to adopt the language presented in the Transportation Plan Update. Mr. Murray noted the recommendation from the TCC would dictate how the Transportation Plan moves forward regardless of the UDO and the County criteria. Mr. Hixson noted that there would be significant financial impacts to the governing bodies to mitigate level of service on specific maneuvers if mitigation was required after the completion of the development. Mr. Bukvich noted most of the streets which would be impacted are under the jurisdiction of MDT already. The majority voted Aye with Mr. Kruass voting No. The motion carried 14 -1. Other New Business - None ITEM 8. PROJECT UPDATES - Discussion only as needed MSU Projects Update Mr. Lashaway noted the only projects he was aware of that would impact streets were improvements on 11th Avenue from College Street to Cleveland Street and improvements on Cleveland Street from 8th Avenue to 6th Avenue. He noted the budget may require improvements to be held off until 2009, but the decision as to when to proceed would be made within the month. Belgrade Projects Update Mr. Ebert noted there had been an I-90 interchange meeting before Christmas. He noted Gallatin County had made a proposal to provide the White Way Ramp. He noted recommendations on the location of the ramp would be provided by MDT in mid February, but MDT wanted an opportunity to review the entire interchange rather than just the site of the White Way Ramp. He noted there was a project for Pavement restoration on Jackrabbit lane which would include the interchange itself. He noted this included restriping and possible lane reconfiguration within the existing right of way to help the interchange function better as a whole until further improvements could be made. CTEP Projects Chairperson Epple stated the College Street pathway from 11th Avenue to Huffine Lane was pending. He noted Ron Dingman has been working with Planning Staff for request for proposals for design to proceed. He noted the funding was in place and conceptual design work had been done. Mr. Zimmer noted the Ped-Traffic Safety Committee was very interested in getting the project moving forward, and he also wanted to know if the funding was in danger of expiring. Chairperson Epple noted the engineering design needed to be completed this summer in order not to lose the funding. Mr. Lashaway stated MSU would like to be kept informed and involved with the planning process. South 19th Avenue – Main Street to Kagy Boulevard Mr. Ebert noted the bid opening for South 19th Avenue improvements was scheduled for June. He noted the right of way acquisition was going well to date with seven or eight complete parcels already obtained. He noted a discussion of the appraisal with Dr. Rogers on a particular parcel which had been marked as a potential problem. He also noted the issue of irrigation had come up recently which may need to be mitigated by a grade raise. He noted the bulk of the construction would probably occur in 2009. Mr. Gammon noted construction of utilities would probably be done concurrently. Bozeman Intermodal Facility Update Chairperson Epple read the following email from James Goehrung: “Work on the garage continues on scheduled with no major weather delays to date.  We have had to follow-up with some of the subcontractors, like the concrete trucks, that they need to stay off of the residential streets and make their deliveries and exits on the collector streets. “The contract for the parking control equipment, gates, ticket spitters, and pay stations has been approved by the Parking Commission and is being drafted for presentation to the City Commission.  The condominium agreement for the retail spaces associated with the garage is also under attorney review and should be completed this month. “North Black Avenue will remain closed for staging and crane access for construction of the elevator and stair tower on the southwest corner of the garage.  Meetings are scheduled in the near future with Streamline, the Downtown Bozeman Association and the Parking Commission to discuss the design and build-out details of the retail space that will be given over to the restroom and waiting are for the Streamline buses.”    Signal Projects Mr. Ebert noted the only project he was aware of was the intersection of South 19th and Koch. He noted the intersection at College Street and Willson Avenue would probably be a roundabout. He also stated the recommendation for the roundabout had not been presented to the City yet. He stated installation would probably happen during the 2009 construction season. Mr. Zimmer sought clarification when the project would go before the City Commission. Mr. Ebert noted the Commission would probably review the project sometime this spring. North Rouse Avenue Chairperson Epple noted the signal at Rouse Avenue and Griffin Drive is fully operational. Mr. Bukvich noted the signal at Oak Street and Rouse Avenue would not be turned on until striping had been done. Mr. Gammon noted thermal plastic temperature tape would probably be used once the ice cleared off the road. Mr. Bukvich noted final striping would have to wait for the chip sealing to take place. Mr. Ebert noted the draft environmental assessment from Rouse to Story Mill was being prepared for final distribution for the final public comment period. Mr. Olsen noted they were hoping to receive a “finding of no significant impact” by mid-March. Mr. Ebert noted a particular historic structure was no longer a part of the historic inventory which negated the need include mitigation in the EAS. Durston Road Street Improvements - None I-90 Improvements Mr. Ebert stated the only I-90 improvements scheduled for the area was over Rouse in conjunction with the railroad and the abandoned spur line. He noted the improvements were not slated until 2010 and MDT was still discussing possible structures with Montana Rail Link in the event of using the spur line in the future. He also noted the North Seventh interchange rehabilitation with added capacity was slated for 2013. Jackrabbit Lane Mr. Ebert noted Town Pump has purchased the northwest corner of the intersection of Huffine Lane and Jackrabbit Lane to develop a MDT rest area/convenience store. He stated the project probably would not start construction before 2013. Mr. Scott sought clarification if development continued along the corridor if the dates of construction would be moved up. Mr. Ebert noted the design has not started yet, and the property is facing environmental considerations, but the development of the corridor could speed up the process. Mr. Durkin noted a condition on Gallatin Heights mitigated improvements to Jackrabbit. Mr. Bukvich noted the mitigation required only affected the intersection of Valley Center Road and Jackrabbit Lane. Huffine Lane Access Management Mr. Ebert noted MDT has been working with the County’s adopted plan to bankroll money for future improvements to Huffine Lane. He noted a traffic signal at Gooch Hill Road and Huffine Lane is warranted, but the financial backing has not been found for it yet. Mr. Provance noted Gallatin County was waiting for a TIS from Ressler to see if the development could be approved before mitigation took place. Mr. Scott noted Falcon Hollow would also have conditions of approval relating to the intersection improvements. Other Mr. Ebert noted a copy of the Bozeman Urban Fund projects had been handed out to help define project priorities. Chairperson Epple noted those decisions would be driven by the findings of the Transportation Plan Update. Mr. Ebert noted the Bozeman Urban Fund used a constant projection of funding even though a new transportation bill would be adopted in 2009 and could affect the numbers presented. ITEM 9. Election of Officers. It was moved by Mr. Provance, seconded by Mr. Krauss, to nominate Andy Epple to be chairperson of the board for another year. Seeing no other nominations, the Committee voted to elect Andy Epple as chairperson for another year. The motion passed 15 - 0. It was moved by Mr. Provance, seconded by Mr. Hixson, to nominate Ross Gammon to be vice chair of the board for another year. Seeing no other nominations, the Committee voted to elect Ross Gammon as vice chair for another year. The motion passed 15 – 0. ITEM 10. 2008 MEETING DATES AND ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the Committee at this time the meeting was adjourned at 11:14 a.m. _____________________________________________ Andrew C. Epple, Chairperson Bozeman Area Transportation Coordinating Committee