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Home My WebLink AboutMeetingExhibitswww.iowacitygateway.org Iowa City GatewayIowa City Gateway Dubuque Street Elevation and Park Road Bridge Replacement Project Open House: 4:30 - 7 p.m. Presentation: 5:30 p.m. with Question and Answer immediately following Welcome!Welcome! www.iowacitygateway.org Please Sign InPlease Sign In We will keep you informed about upcoming opportunities for public involvement, including: • Public meetings • Online surveys • Neighborhood meetings, and • Project progress www.iowacitygateway.org Project LocationProject Location Park Road In coordination with: Meeting PurposeMeeting Purpose We need your input on: • Alternatives selected for further analysis, and • Screening criteria. Project Lead:This corridor carries 25,000 vehicles a day to: • Downtown • University of Iowa Campus • Three area hospitals D u b u q u e S t r e e t www.iowacitygateway.org Flooding in the CorridorFlooding in the Corridor Flash Floods The Iowa City Gateway project is looking at a variety of options to reduce the impacts of ﬂ ash ﬂ oods on Dubuque Street. Flash ﬂ oods cause the majority of the short-term closures of Dubuque Street. Elevate Dubuque Street • Dubuque Street may be reconstructed so that it is higher and better protected from future ﬂ ash ﬂ oods. Improve storm sewers • The current storm sewers are not big enough to handle the storm water that can ﬂ ow into the area during heavy rains. Improvements could include higher-capacity storm sewers and better drainage away from Dubuque Street. Increase storage • The team is looking for opportunities to store local storm water runoff in nearby wetlands and open spaces. During locally heavy rain events, this would give the water a place to drain to and promote inﬁ ltration. During historic ﬂ oods, these areas would be under water, and would not provide storage. Flash ﬂ ooding behind Mayﬂ ower Residence Hall - June, 2010 Dubuque Street during ﬂ ash ﬂ ood - June, 2010 www.iowacitygateway.org Flooding in the CorridorFlooding in the Corridor Historic Floods A key project goal is to keep Dubuque Street open to trafﬁ c during historic ﬂ ood events. New HEC-RAS models • Calibrated with data from 2008 ﬂ ood, • Updated cross sections, and • Incorporated all proposed and constructed ﬂ ood mitigation projects. Key ﬁ nding: • The most signiﬁ cant ﬁ nding in the new hydraulic model was that raising Park Road Bridge will lower the water surface elevation upstream, even with all of the other ﬂ ood projects in place. Because Park Road Bridge played a role in the creation of backwater upstream from the bridge in 2008, it will play an important role in reducing backwater during future historic ﬂ ood events. www.iowacitygateway.org Project OverviewProject Overview This project has three phases, ultimately creating a transportation corridor that will remain open during most ﬂ ood events. 2011 2012 2014 20152013 Overall Project Schedule Phase 1 - Plan/NEPA Phase 2 - Design Phase 3 - Construction Projected Construction Start We are hereWe are here Phase 1 - Plan The planning process, called NEPA is expected to be completed by mid 2012. NEPA is required for all projects that seek federal funds or permits. Phase 2 - Design After the NEPA process is completed, ﬁ nal design work will begin. Detailed design and engineering will take approximately 18 to 20 months Phase 3 - Build Construction could begin as early as the spring of 2014. At this time, the team estimates that work will take approximately two construction seasons. IowaIowa City City 1-Plan1-Plan IowaIowa City City 2-Design2-Design IowaIowa City City 3-Build3-Build www.iowacitygateway.org The NEPA Planning Process Phase 1 of the Iowa City Gateway project will be completion of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) planning process. NEPA is required for projects that will seek federal funds and/or federal permits. Phase 1 - PlanPhase 1 - Plan Data Collection Purpose and Need Development Potential Alternatives Development Public Meeting 1 Initial Alternatives Identified Initial Alternatives Evaluated Public Meeting 2 Recommended Alternative Identified NEPA Document Prepared NEPA Document Review Public Meeting 3/Public Hearing Comments Addressed NEPA Document Finalized Anticipated Federal Approval Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Preliminary Phase 1 Schedule Q1 Q2 2011 2012 T Community Input Agency Review Community Input Impact Evaluation Community Input Purpose and Need 1. Identify required and potential alternatives. 2. Establish primary screening criteria. In March, we heard your feedback on the primary project goals and criteria, the Purpose and Need. Based on that, some alternatives have been screened out and are no longer being considered. 3. Evaluate initial alternatives. Tonight, we need your input on the alternatives being considered and their screening criteria. 4. Recommend alternative. The recommended alternative will be presented to the public, state and federal agencies for review and approval early next year. We are We are herehere www.iowacitygateway.org Project Purpose & Need and Project Purpose & Need and Primary Selection CriteriaPrimary Selection Criteria One of NEPA’s requirements is to establish a formal project “Purpose and Need.” The Purpose and Need serves as the primary criteria for evaluating alternatives. Following input from the March, 2011 public meeting, the Purpose and Need is: Purpose of the Proposed Action The purpose of the proposed action is to provide a reliable multimodal transportation corridor that reduces the impact of ﬂ ooding on the local transportation system and the Iowa River corridor. Need for the Proposed Action • Maximize the reliability of the Dubuque Street Corridor by reducing the frequency and duration of Dubuque Street closures due to ﬂ ooding; and • Maximize the reliability of the Park Road Bridge Corridor by reducing Park Road Bridge closures due to ﬂ ooding and minimizing ﬂ ood backwater rise created by ﬂ ow impedance from the existing Park Road Bridge; and • Address Roadway deﬁ ciencies on Dubuque Street and Park Road. These corridors have existing or potential roadway deﬁ ciencies related to the existing pavement and areas where crash rates are higher than the statewide average. These deﬁ ciencies should be addressed by the proposed alternative improvements. www.iowacitygateway.org Creating A SolutionCreating A Solution NEPA also requires that certain strategies be considered. That includes no major improvements (called the No Build), and looking at ways to change when, how and where people travel (shown as TSM/TDM below), as well as looking at other routes or alternatives. These have been included as potential alternatives. “No Build” serves as the base measurement for other alternatives We need your input: Is this the best alternative to be further developed? What screening criteria are most important to you? Includes scheduled maintenance and rehab projects Improve transit, alternative transportation, traveler information and transportation technologies Raise Dubuque Street and Park Road Bridge No Build Community Input Agency Review Community Input Impact Evaluation Community Input Purpose and Need Raise Dubuqe Street/Park Road ? ? No Build Improve Alt. Routes Raise Dubuqe Street/Park Road NewAlignmentsTSM/TDM Create new alignments (via Foster, Taft Speedway, or through City Park) across the Iowa River, linking to Park Road Dubuque Street/Park Road Ist Avenue/U.S. 6 Corridor Dodge Street/Governor Improve alternate routes (i.e., 1st Avenue in Coralville; Dodge/ Governor Streets) www.iowacitygateway.org Reasonable Alternatives Reasonable Alternatives Based on the initial screening, the “Raise Dubuque Street and Park Road” alternative had the best outcome. Three options have emerged from that alternative: • One foot above the 2008 ﬂ ood level, • One foot above the 500 year ﬂ ood level, or • Combination of one foot above 500 and 100 year ﬂ ood levels. D u b u q u e St r e e t Park Road Dubuque Street Elevations at Mayﬂ ower Dubuque Street Elevations at Park Road www.iowacitygateway.org Reasonable Alternatives - Reasonable Alternatives - Screening CriteriaScreening Criteria Project goals beyond of the Purpose and Need were also presented in March. Tonight, we need additional input on the goals, (which will serve as project criteria). They are shown in alphabetical order. You can ﬁ ll out a comment form, or go to www.iowacitygateway.org by July 30 to give your input on these goals, and more. Your input will help the project team evaluate the alternatives being considered. Bicycles and Pedestrians Does it support current and planned bike and pedestrian connections, including the Iowa River Corridor Trail? Constructability How will trafﬁ c move through the corridor during construction? How hard or easy is it to build? Cost How much does it cost? Emergency Access Does it maintain acceptable emergency access and response times along the corridor during ﬂ ood events? Flood Impacts Does it avoid or reduce the impacts of ﬂ ooding to the Iowa City Gateway Corridor and the surrounding area? Gateway Does it allow visual and physical improvements that highlight the corridor as the City’s gateway? Green Options Does it promote the reuse of materials, conserve natural resources or otherwise support sustainability? Park Road/Dubuque Street Intersection Does it allow for additional turn lanes as warranted to reduce congestion? Parks, Historic Structures and Sites Does it avoid or accommodate those sites as much as possible? Transit Does it support current and planned transit systems and stops? www.iowacitygateway.org Evaluating Alternatives - Evaluating Alternatives - Park Road BridgePark Road Bridge A new Park Road Bridge is a major component of the alternatives under consideration. It will: • Be higher above the river than the existing bridge, • Require raising the intersection of Park Road and Dubuque Street, and • Allow trafﬁ c to use the existing bridge during construction. Bridge types under consideration include: Girder Open Spandrel Arch Cable Stay www.iowacitygateway.org Evaluating Alternatives - Evaluating Alternatives - Park Road BridgePark Road Bridge We need your input on these bridge-speciﬁ c screening criteria, presented in alphabetical order: Construction Closures Does it minimize necessary closures of Park Road, Dubuque Street and/or the Dubuque Street? Construction Location Can it be assembled off site? Cost/Complexity How much does it cost? How complex is it to build? Dubuque Street Elevation How much does raising the bridge impact the Park Road/Dubuque Street intersection? Footprint Can it ﬁ t within the existing site constraints? Maintenance How much will the bridge cost to maintain? Can it be easily expanded or rehabilitated? River Impacts How will construction impact the river? Trafﬁ c Flow How well does it allow the existing bridge to stay open during construction? Speed of Construction How quickly can it be built? Vandalism How well does it minimize opportunities for vandalism to the bridge? Viewshed How well does it compliment and enhance the surrounding area? www.iowacitygateway.org We Need Your InputWe Need Your Input Your input on project criteria will help Iowa City and its partners begin to evaluate the details of the alternatives presented tonight. You can provide your input by: • Talking one-on-one with a team member during the open house. • Asking a question after tonight’s presentation. • Filling out a comment form and leaving it tonight - or mailing it to the address on the form by July 30. • Filling out the online survey posted at www.iowacitygateway.org by July 30. • Submitting a question card. The cards include information on when to expect a reply from City staff. Over the next months, the team will be conducting a detailed evaluation of the alternatives. The team will also be documenting that analysis for review and approval. We will host a public hearing - tentatively scheduled for spring of 2012 - to share that analysis and hear your input on the alternative recommended for construction. Thank you for your time and interest. Thank you for your time and interest.