Archives for May 2021

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING THE PROPOSED DRAFT FISCAL YEAR 2022 UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM (UPWP)

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (ESMPO) has prepared the Draft FY 2022 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for review by the MPO Advisory Committees and Policy Board in July 2021.

The UPWP is the planning and administrative budget of the MPO and details the federally funded transportation planning activities to be undertaken in the Eastern Shore Urbanized Area in FY 2022 by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and the Eastern Shore MPO.

The Draft FY 2022 UPWP will be available for review at the locations listed below from June 2, 2021 through July 2, 2021.  The document may also be viewed on the ESMPO website, www.easternshorempo.org.

The MPO would like input from the public and welcomes written comments during this time. Comment forms will be available at each of the following locations:

Daphne

City Hall, Clerk’s Office

Public Library

Fairhope

Baldwin County Fairhope Satellite Courthouse, Commission Office

Baldwin Rural Area Transportation System (BRATS) Hub

Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce

City Hall, Clerk’s Office

Public Library

Loxley

Town Hall, Clerk’s Office

Public Library

Spanish Fort

City Hall, Clerk’s Office and Public Library

Robertsdale

BRATS Hub and Headquarters

Baldwin County Central Annex II, Highway Department

Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce

Baldwin County Central Annex, Commission Office

Robertsdale Public Library

Baldwin County Library Cooperative

Silverhill

Town Hall

Mobile

Alabama DOT, Region Engineer’s Office

Written comments may be submitted as follows:

U.S. Mail or Hand Delivery:

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

c/o Baldwin County (Fairhope) Satellite Courthouse

1100 Fairhope Avenue

Fairhope, Alabama 36532

Email:

coordinator@easternshorempo.org

Facsimile:

(251) 580-2590

Additional information regarding the document may be obtained by contacting the MPO Coordinator, Sarah Hart Sislak, at (251) 990-4643 or shart@baldwincountyal.gov or by visiting our website at www.easternshorempo.org.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or disability.  Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or those requiring language translation services should contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4643. Asistencia de idiomas está disponible poniéndose en contacto con personal de la MPO en coordinator@easternshorempo.org

MPOs Release Draft Amendments to Long Range Transportation Plans

MOBILE – The Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) today announced they are releasing for public comment draft amendments to their 2045 Long Range Transportation Plans.

In March, local officials unveiled a concept for the first phase of a long-term plan to improve traffic flow and safety on the Interstate 10 corridor.  The concept calls for construction of a bridge over the Mobile River designated for the use of large trucks over 46 feet in length.  These trucks would be prohibited from using the Wallace Tunnel and instead travel over the river on the truck bridge, paying a fee of no more than $15 – a fee that is less than half the charge considered on large trucks in the previous I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway plan that was discussed in 2019.

In addition to the construction of the new bridge, the concept calls for restriping the Bayway to add a third lane in each direction, which would add an estimated 40 percent more travel capacity and help traffic flow more smoothly.

Construction of the truck bridge would also mean the signed hazardous cargo route would no longer have to pass through the Africatown community. 

A federal infrastructure grant of $125 million has been secured for the project, but the MPOs must add the project to their Transportation Improvement Programs soon or lose the grant.  The state is planning to contribute $250 million.

The draft amendments call on the Alabama Department of Transportation to study whether cars could voluntarily use the truck bridge with a fee of no more than $2.

“We are not looking at and will not consider any proposal that would include a toll on existing routes,” said Fairhope Council President Jack Burrell, the Chairman of the Eastern Shore MPO.  “Based on discussions with local officials on the Eastern Shore, we will consider whether ALDOT should study an option to let cars voluntarily use the truck bridge, and what impact that might have.  We also are planning to continue working with federal officials to seek additional funding support.”

The Long Range Transportation Plan “is not proposed as a rigid, inflexible blueprint, but rather is intended to guide decision-makers’ actions within a regional context,” the document states.

Funding for future phases will be identified in coming years.  Each phase of the plan would need approval from both the Mobile and Eastern Shore MPOs before moving forward.

To view the draft amendments, please visit the MPOs’ websites: www.mobilempo.org and www.easternshorempo.org.

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PUBLIC NOTICE

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (ESMPO) has prepared a Draft Amendment to the 2045 Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) regarding the Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project and is seeking input from members of the public on the proposed Amendment.

The Draft Amendment will be available for public comment from May 12, 2021 – May 26, 2021. The document may be viewed on the Eastern Shore MPO website (easternshorempo.org). Printed copies are available upon request by contacting MPO staff at (251) 990-4643 or shart@baldwincountyal.gov.

The ESMPO will host a public meeting to receive comments on the Draft Amendment.

Public Meeting

Baldwin County (Fairhope) Satellite Courthouse, Commission Chambers

May 19, 2021; 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

The ESMPO Policy Board will consider adopting the Amendment at a Special Called Meeting.

Policy Board Special Called Meeting

Daphne City Hall, Council Chambers

June 9, 2021; 10:00 AM

*Meeting agenda will be posted on the ESMPO website fourteen days prior to the meeting.

Additional information regarding this document may be obtained by contacting the MPO Coordinator, Sarah Hart Sislak, at (251) 990-4643 or shart@baldwincountyal.gov or by visiting our website at www.easternshorempo.org.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or disability.  Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or those requiring language translation services should contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4643.

Asistencia de idiomas está disponible poniéndose en contacto con personal de la MPO en coordinator@easternshorempo.org