PRESS RELEASE
EASTERN SHORE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS
THE EASTERN SHORE – March 27, 2014 – The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board held a meeting on Wednesday, January 26, 2014, in the Council Chambers at Daphne City Hall in Daphne, Alabama. The Policy Board is the governing body of the MPO.
The first item of business for the MPO Policy Board was consideration of a proposed resolution to add fourteen projects to the visionary/needs project list of the Long Range Transportation Plan. The visionary list is a list of unfunded projects that are recognized needs within the planning area. After considering each of the submitted projects and hearing the recommendation of the MPO Advisory Committees, the Policy Board adopted Resolution 2014-05 adding the fourteen projects to the MPO visionary list.
With the added projects the visionary list now contains thirty-five projects: two in the City of Spanish Fort, seven in the City of Daphne, seven in the City of Fairhope, eight in the Town of Loxley, five for Baldwin County, and six Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) projects. Projects can be viewed on the MPO interactive project map available on the MPO website (http://easternshorempo.org/interactive-map/).
The Policy Board also approved adding a representative of the Baldwin County Board of Education to the MPO Technical Advisory Committee; approved letters supporting grant applications for bike and pedestrian projects in Fairhope, Spanish Fort, Daphne, and Robertsdale; and appointed new members from the Town of Loxley and the City of Daphne to the Citizens Advisory Committee and the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee.
The primary item before the Policy Board was a discussion item regarding where the MPO should focus its future planning efforts. MPO Coordinator Matthew Brown presented maps illustrating the 2010, 2020, and 2040 road network with the roads color coded based on the level of congestion projected by the MPO’s computer model. The computer model outputs predict that by 2020 US Highway 98, Interstate 10, US Highway 90, State Route 59, State Route 181, and US Highway 31 will be facing major congestion issues. According the computer model, in 2040 the entire road network within the planning area will be so congested that the network will be nearly unusable. These computer projections assume that no roadway capacity improvements are made between 2010 and 2040.
The MPO’s computer model generates additional data including the vehicle miles traveled (VMT), the vehicle hours traveled (VHT), and the average speeds for the network in 2010, 2020, and 2040. According to the model, in 2020 a one mile drive will take 5 seconds longer than a one mile drive in 2010. This translates to an additional time cost, in 2020, of $78,427 per day. Over the course of 10 years this additional time will cost the Eastern Shore approximately $120,500,000.
The costs of this lost time will be borne by the entire community. The average person will bear the cost in lost quality of life because they will have less time each week with their families and less time to enjoy leisure activities. The average business will bear the cost in lost profits due to higher freight and service costs and less time for customers to shop. The average consumer will bear the costs in higher costs for consumer goods to compensate for some of the lost business profits. The average local government will bear the cost in lost tax revenues and higher operation costs.
The solution for these capacity issues may lie in increasing the capacity of the existing network. The Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) has five major capacity projects scheduled for the planning area (Phases II, III, and IV of widening State Route 181, Widening US Highway 31, and the County Road 13 Interchange). The first of these improvements is not scheduled until 2021 and the last of these improvements is not scheduled until 2046. The cost of doing these projects at the current scheduled let date is $227.2 million while the 2014 cost of the projects are $117.5 million.
Recognizing that the cost of these projects represents a large sum of money, local officials must consider different options for funding these projects. Though the MPO is one source of funds, the MPO only receives $1.2 million each year.
MPO research indicates that Baldwin County generates approximately $57 million each year in federal, state, and county fuel tax. These funds come back to the County through various revenue streams. Some of the funds go to support infrastructure improvements on the major corridors in the state that Baldwin County relies on to bring people to the area. Some of the federal funds come back with strings attached that require the funds to be used for certain activities such as bike and pedestrian, public transit, safety, etc. Even if an argument could be made that Baldwin County should be receiving a couple million dollars more each year from ALDOT, simply receiving a couple million dollars more each year will not provide sufficient funds for the needed capacity improvements.
Transportation revenue has flattened in recent years because vehicles are becoming more fuel efficient and people are driving less. ALDOT revenue (in terms of buying power) has declined drastically due to inflation and increased construction costs. According to ALDOT’s numbers, the Department’s 2013 budget, adjusted for inflation and increased costs, is less than the Department’s 1991 budget. The local governments cannot count on ALDOT to meet local funding needs. The MPO member governments need to begin investigating creative funding solutions to fund local infrastructure needs.
The MPO presented six different options for consideration by the MPO Policy Board. The options ranged from tackling large projects by teaming up with ALDOT on a 50/50 match to less costly measures related to intelligent transportation system improvements (using technology to help traffic flow more efficiently), eliminating bottlenecks, and leveraging public transit. The MPO did not advocate any particular option. An abbreviated version of Mr. Brown’s presentation will be available for viewing on the MPO website within one week of the Policy Board meeting.
The Policy Board members agreed that future congestion and the lack of ALDOT funds are major concerns for the MPO area. Board members discussed the pros and cons of the various options offered by the MPO and agreed to come back to the next MPO meeting in April with more input on where the MPO should focus its future planning efforts.
The Policy Board considered several other discussion and informational items which can be reviewed in the meeting agenda packet on the MPO website. A transcript of the meeting minutes for the Policy Board meeting is expected to be available on the MPO website in approximately two weeks. Meeting minutes for Advisory Committee meetings are currently available on the MPO website.
The next meeting of the Eastern Shore MPO Policy Board is scheduled for Wednesday, May 28, 2014, at 10:00 AM at Three Circle Church at Fairhope. For more information regarding the Eastern Shore MPO please visit www.easternshorempo.org or email coordinator@easternshorempo.org.
Click the link below to view the Agenda Action Taken for the March 26, 2014, Policy Board meeting. Meeting Minutes are anticipated April 9, 2014.