Successes in Stewardship: December 2002 |
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Topics: Interstate Highway System
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Federal Highway Administration
December 2002
Tiering Can Work: Missouri's I-70 Project
| Supported by National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and Council of Environmental Quality regulations, tiering is a flexible option that project sponsors can use to organize decision making for large transportation projects. Tiering integrates the planning and NEPA processes in two phases: a first tier focused on broad, overall corridor issues, such as general location, mode choice, and area-wide air quality and land use impacts, and a second tier focused on site-specific impacts, costs, and mitigation measures. The first tier usually results in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD). The early interagency coordination inherent in tiering allows resource agencies to provide input before broad-based decisions are made. As a result, tiering can improve interagency communication as well as expedite the delivery of projects. |
Interstate 70 stretches across over 200 miles of Missouri and intersects almost every major north-south highway in the state. (MoDOT image) |
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The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Missouri Division are using tiering to address the long range needs of a 200-mile section of Interstate 70 (I-70) in their state. MoDOT chose to use tiering in order to involve and inform the public about project decisions, to address problems before final decisions were made, and to decide promptly whether or not to build a parallel facility. The I-70 tiering process will take approximately four years to complete, rather than the six to seven years complex corridor studies typically take in Missouri. Overall Corridor Decision Making Expedites the Process MoDOT and FHWA focused in the first tier on studying strategies for the entire corridor. Since overall corridor issues were addressed upfront and detailed environmental studies were not conducted too early in the process, MoDOT and FHWA can focus their limited time and resources on analyzing project-specific impacts and issues in the second tier. Earlier discussions will not need to be revisited as broad-based decisions were made in the first tier. |
By studying the collective impacts along the entire corridor in the first tier, MoDOT and FHWA lessened the risk of dividing potentially impacted environmental resources. This helps to prevent one project subsection from impacting another part of the same resource in an adjacent subsection. In addition, opportunities were created to combine mitigation efforts for project subsections. As a result, the second tier will improve and enhance the impact analyses and mitigation efforts. In the second tier, MoDOT and FHWA will study the impacts and alternatives of the first tier strategy for seven corridor subsections, allowing them to address local community concerns and environmental issues in each subsection. If second tier environmental studies occur close to project construction, the need for further studies will be lessened.
The key to successful tiering is acceptance of the process upfront by all involved agencies. MoDOT and FHWA met with state and Federal resource agencies early to discuss tiering the I-70 project process and to foster working relationships based on trust. Involved agencies agreed upfront on the:
By the time the first tier Final EIS was completed, state and Federal resource agencies were already familiar with the document and in agreement regarding the seven subsections of independent utility and their termini for study in the second tier. The strong commitment of state and Federal resource agencies in Missouri is helping the I-70 tiering process proceed smoothly.
In March 2002, MoDOT and the FHWA Missouri Division began the second tier studies by reviewing first tier decisions for their completeness and appropriateness. They are also beginning to analyze in more detail the selected first tier strategy and to expand their public involvement and outreach activities. Second tier studies are scheduled for completion in the summer of 2004.
State Tips for Tiering
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Project BackgroundI-70 is a frequently traveled corridor that intersects almost every major north-south highway in Missouri. Opened in 1965, I-70's safety has become a concern as traffic continues to grow. In 1999, MoDOT conducted a feasibility study to document the condition of the 200-mile stretch of I-70 between Kansas City and St. Louis. MoDOT launched the I-70 Improvement Study in January 2000 to evaluate methods of improving the safety and efficiency of travel on I-70. After several months of analysis and review of public input, MoDOT identified widening and reconstructing the existing corridor as its preferred approach. The I-70 Improvement Study is a First Tier Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and was completed in October 2001. The ROD was published in December 2001. The second tier, Improve I-70, was launched in the spring of 2002 and focuses on seven coordinated but independent studies in distinct geographic areas of the I-70 corridor. The location, design, environmental impacts, and costs associated with the widening and reconstruction strategy selected in the first tier are being analzyed in detail. MoDOT and FHWA anticipate producing two EISs, four Environmental Assessments, and one Categorical Exclusion. For more information, visit http://www.improvei70.org/. |
FHWA-AASHTO Environmental Stewardship Demonstration ProjectsTwenty-two states have registered environmental stewardship demonstrations. To learn more about these projects, visit: www.itre.ncsu.edu/aashto/stewardship/projects.asp
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