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I-40 CROSSTOWN EXPRESSWAY NEWS

Volume I, Issue 3 November 1996

SHORT LIST OF ALIGNMENTS TO RECEIVE FURTHER STUDY

Consultants conducting the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) study of the I-40 corridor through downtown Oklahoma City are now concentrating their analysis on two possible alternative "build" alignments. The combined Major Investment Study (MIS) and Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is now entering a critical phase. Preliminary screening and evaluation has eliminated several of the alternative I-40 alignments under consideration. The remaining two "build" alternatives, along with the "No Build" and the Transportation Systems Management alternatives, will now undergo intense evaluation, before a preferred alternative is selected.

Evaluation Process Reduces Number of Build Alternatives

The alternatives under initial consideration were:

• No-Build Alternative -the highway remains as it is, with the necessary maintenance to preserve it for the next 20 years.

• TSM (Transportation Systems Management) manages traffic by reducing single occupant vehicle use, adding high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, flexible employment times, coordination with the Transportation Link, using an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) that provides information to motorists, and pedestrian and bicycle improvements.

• Construction Alternative A -Build alternative existing alignment; construct a parallel "twin" structure immediately south of the existing roadway and upgrade the existing road.

Construction Alternative B - New alignment 300 feet to the south of existing roadway

Construction Alternative C - New alignment 1200 feet to the south (Post Office Alignment)

Construction Alternative D - New alignment 2200 feet to the south (Railroad Alignment)

Construction Alternative E - New alignment 3300 feet south of existing alignment (Park Alignment)

Construction Alternative F - New alignment along Canadian River

Screening Process

Over the past few months, engineers and other professionals from ODOT and the firms of MacArthur Associated Consultants, Ltd. and Parsons Brinckerhoff, the ODOT consultants, carried out a screening process to reduce the number of alternatives that would undergo detailed analyses.

One of the tools used to screen the "build" alternatives was an evaluation of the constructability issues. Each alternative was weighed against the following issues: traffic maintenance difficulties, denial of downtown access, the percentage of elevated structure required, the opportunity for staged construction, water table and 100-year flood problems, required railroad relocation, and required bridge tie-in. Using this screen, Alternatives D, E, and F scored the best on constructability issues.

Then a set of criteria, by which each alternative would be measured, was developed by the study team. These criteria were revised in response to comments and workshop discussion. The criteria are measures to determine how well the alternatives meet local and regional goals and objectives, address known issues, and minimize redundancy.

The goals and objectives were developed early in the study process, using input from the Citizens and Technical Advisory Committees, and from the general public at the first public meeting. The goals and Objectives were grouped under the following headings: performance, cost and cost- effectiveness, financial and institutional feasibility, environmental and community impacts. Each alternative was measured by each criterion.

Evaluation Results

The two advisory committees met jointly in a workshop format and used a screening matrix to measure each of the build alternatives. The results of their evaluation are shown on the Screening Form below:

The joint committee recommended that Alternatives A and B be combined, since distinguishing between them is difficult when considering the whole I-40 corridor.

The committee further recommended that Alternatives A/B and D be moved forward to the next level of analysis, thus creating a "short list" of alternatives to undergo detailed analysis before a preferred alternative is indicated.

What’s Next?

The Citizens and the Technical Advisory Committees will meet again on November 19th at 1:30 p.m. to discuss information gathered on the two short-listed alternatives. A Preferred Alternative should be announced early in 1997.

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement will also be prepared for the short-listed alternatives. This will be reviewed by the joint committee and be available to the general public for review at the office of ODOT's Planning Division, and at the Main and Branch Public library facilities in Oklahoma City.

These reports will be summarized in the fourth (and final) newsletter for this project as well as in the various media outlets in the area. Those on the project mailing list will be notified of the availability of the reports.

A public hearing will be held in the Spring of 1997 to receive formal comment on the proposed project. Advance notice of the date and place of the public hearing will be widely disseminated.

HOT LINE

The I-40 Hot line is 405-848-1440. This line is available 24 hours a day to take your calls regarding the MIS/EIS study.

PROFILE: Meet Lisa Nungesser

Travel is high on the list of things Lisa Nungesser likes to do. So it is fitting that Lisa, Vice President and Senior Transportation Planning Manager for Parsons Brinckerhoff, one of the two lead consulting firms conducting the MIS/EIS for the I-40 Crosstown Expressway, plays a key role in the studies now underway. With 19 years in professional experience and advanced degrees from UT-Austin in Community/Regional Planning/Geography and Environmental Management, she is a natural to help lead this work.

In recent years she served as project manager for the Statewide Intermodal Transportation Plan for Oklahoma and for the Nimitz Highway Improvements Conceptual Study in Hawaii. As deputy project manager for Austin's Transitway Corridor Analysis Project, she supervised all aspects of the work. This entailed extensive public information and community participation, as well as the assessment of six corridors and alternative transportation options.

Earlier, as a transportation researcher for the Texas Transportation Institute, she managed HOV studies, conducted socioeconomic forecasting studies, and highway corridor studies in major urban areas of Texas. Another indicator of her broad experience is her affiliation with professional organizations, including the American Planning Assn., the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Institute of Transportation Engineers, and the Southwest Transit Association.

When she isn't at home in Austin, or in Oklahoma City, or traveling throughout the United States on business, she may be found in such places as Costa Rica, Mexico, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Spain or Portugal. That travel is a strong motivator for two hobbies: learning to speak Spanish and collecting Mexican folk art. At home, she enjoys gardening with native plants, reading, art history study and bird-watching.

To add your name to the mailing list, complete this form and mail to:

David Streb P.E., Planning Division Oklahoma Department of Transportation 200·N.E. 21st Street Oklahoma City, OK 73105-3204

Telephone: 405/521-6916

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