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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMeeting Presentation-FINAL1Welcome! Public Open House Meeting March 3, 2011 Presentation at 5:30 p.m. •Introduce the project •Explain the process •Hear your feedback on draft project goals •Listen The project is planned to: •Reduce closures of Dubuque Street and Park Road Bridge due to (1) localized flash floods and (2) historic Iowa River flood events •Minimize upstream flood backwater caused by the existing Park Road Bridge •Better serve transit, pedestrians and bicyclists •Preserve and enhance the natural entry to Iowa City from I-80 A history of flooding: •Locally heavy rainfall events cause flooding and closures of Dubuque Street •Severe floods closed Dubuque Street for 54 days in 1993 and for a month in 2008 •The flood of 2008 also closed and inundated Park Road Bridge June, 2010 June, 2008 Park Road These projects will need to be considered: University of Iowa •Hancher Auditorium Replacement •Mayflower Flood Mitigation Project Iowa City •Iowa River Corridor Trail Pedestrian Bridge over I-80 •Taft Speedway Levee Project Iowa DOT •I-80/Dubuque Street Interchange Park Road The city and its partners are working with elected officials and others to identify additional funding to offset construction costs. It is the City’s goal to complete construction prior to the opening of the new Hancher Auditorium in the fall of 2015. In coordination with: Phase 1: Plan The planning process, called a NEPA study is expected to be completed by mid 2012. NEPA is required by the federal government. Phase 2: Design After the NEPA process is completed, final 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. Develop a federally-approved alternative for final design and construction of improvements via NEPA study. The NEPA process will: •Identify a recommended alternative •Provide opportunities for public input into the final concept •Document community impacts, commitments, etc.Community Input Agency Review Community Input Impact Evaluation Community Input Purpose and Need Initial alternatives Reasonable alternatives Preferred alternative Recommended alternative NE P A P r o c e s s / T i m e As soon as the recommendations in Phase 1 have federal approval, work will begin on detailed design. Final design and engineering are anticipated to take 18-20 months. Construction could begin as early as the spring of 2014. At this time, the team anticipates that it will take two construction seasons to complete work. •Conceptual design •A vision for the corridor •Potential impacts, avoidance and mitigation plans •Community •Cultural resources •Natural environment •Coordination with other projects •Project commitments •Cost estimates Develop Purpose and Need and project goals Identify and evaluate reasonable alternatives that meet Purpose and Need and project goals Identify recommended alternatives based on Purpose and Need and project goals; Seek federal approval Receive federal approval Community Input Agency Review Community Input Impact Evaluation Community Input Purpose and Need NE P A P r o c e s s / T i m e Draft Project Purpose: •Provide a reliable multimodal transportation corridor that reduces the impact of flooding on the local transportation system and the Iowa River corridor Draft Project Need: •Maximize the reliability of the Dubuque Street corridor •Maximize the reliability of the Park Road Bridge and corridor •Minimize upstream flood backwater caused by the Park Road Bridge •Minimize flood related closures of Dubuque Street •Minimize flood related closures of Park Road Bridge •Minimize backwater caused by the bridge •Maximize access to downtown, neighborhoods and campus •Maintain emergency access to north Iowa City and Johnson County •Integrate with Hancher and Mayflower improvements •Coordinate with other projects •Accommodate bikes, pedestrians and transit •Provide improved trail connectivity •Maintain parkway and natural features of area •Enhance access to neighborhoods, parks and university facilities •Integrate utility and sewer relocations •Give us input on the draft: •Purpose and Need •Project Goals •Join members of the team at the map to: •Show your ideas •Share your knowledge about the area’s history, uses and needs •Sign up to be on mailing list •Join us for future public meetings •Request a speaker for your organization •Participate in online surveys •www.iowacitygateway.org Please join team members at the maps and boards to ask questions and provide your input.