PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

REQUEST FOR PUBLIC COMMENTS REGARDING

THE DRAFT 2014 BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN TRANSPORTATION PLAN

AND THE FINAL FY2015 UNIFIED PLANNING WORK PROGRAM

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (ESMPO) has prepared the Draft 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan and the Final FY 2015 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) for review by the MPO Policy Board in September 2014. The purpose of the Draft 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan is to develop both long-term and short-term plans to address bicycle and pedestrian needs and impacts on the transportation network.

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 2015 by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) and the Eastern Shore MPO.

The Draft 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan and Final UPWP will be available for review at the locations listed below from August 22, 2014, through September 22, 2014.  The documents 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 location.

Daphne City Hall, Clerk’s Office, Daphne

Daphne Public Library, Daphne

Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, Fairhope

Fairhope City Hall, Clerk’s Office, Fairhope

Fairhope Public Library, Fairhope

Baldwin County Fairhope Satellite Courthouse, Commission Office, Fairhope

Baldwin Rural Area Transportation System (BRATS) Hub, Fairhope

Loxley Town Hall, Clerk’s Office, Loxley

Loxley Public Library, Loxley

Alabama DOT, Division Engineer, Mobile

BRATS Hub and Headquarters, Robertsdale

Baldwin County Central Annex II, Highway Department, Robertsdale

Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, Robertsdale

Baldwin County Central Annex Commission Office, Robertsdale

Robertsdale Public Library, Robertsdale

Baldwin County Central Annex, Baldwin County Library Cooperative, Robertsdale

Spanish Fort City Hall, Clerk’s Office, Spanish Fort

Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, Spanish Fort

Oscar Johnson Memorial Library, Silverhill

 

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 Draft 2014 Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan and Unified Planning Work Program may be obtained by contacting the MPO Coordinator, Matthew Brown, at (251) 990-4640 or msbrown@baldwincountyal.gov.

 

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or family status.  Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or those requiring language translation services should contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

Public Notice

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

POLICY BOARD WORK SESSION

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board will meet on Wednesday, August 27, 2014, at 10:00 AM in the Daphne City Hall Executive Meeting Room at 1705 Main St, Daphne, AL 36526. This meeting will be a work session to discuss establishing a policy dictating the types of projects the MPO will fund.

The proposed agenda for the meeting may be viewed on the Eastern Shore MPO website: (http://www.easternshorempo.org/) fourteen days prior to the meeting. For more information regarding any of the information above, please contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or family status. Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or those requiring language translation services should contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

 

Work Session Agenda

EASTERN SHORE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION
MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE EASTERN SHORE – July 24, 2014 – The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board held a meeting on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, at the Gathering Place in Spanish Fort, Alabama. The Policy Board is the governing body of the MPO.

Mayor Timothy Kant of Fairhope chaired the meeting and welcomed the Policy Board’s newest member, Commissioner Chris Elliott, representing Commission District 2 in Baldwin County.

The Policy Board first considered a discussion item regarding the development of a timeline for the use of MPO project funds. The MPO will receive approximately $15.7 million dollars over the course of several years and is required to schedule or budget these funds through the year 2025. The Technical Advisory Committee asked the Policy Board to establish a policy and parameters within which potential projects can be evaluated. Questions presented by the Policy Board included: Should funds be dedicated exclusively for capacity projects? Should the MPO consider maintenance projects? Should some percentage of funds be set aside for sidewalks? After a brief discussion the Policy Board agreed to hold a special meeting on August 27, 2014, at 10:00 AM at Daphne City Hall. The purpose of the meeting will be to discuss how MPO funds should be spent.

Next the Policy Board considered adding a project to the MPO visionary/needs list for the resurfacing of County Road 13 from US 90 to County Road 64 and from State Route 104 to County Road 48. There was discussion regarding whether the project should include sidewalks or wide shoulders. The Policy Board concluded that the entire project, including wide shoulders and sidewalks, should be added to the Visionary List. If funds are insufficient to construct the whole project, various portions can be removed at that time. The Policy Board agreed to defer discussions relating to funding the project until after the August special meeting. Projects can be viewed on the MPO interactive project map available on the MPO website (http://easternshorempo.org/interactive-map/).

The Policy Board also amended the MPO Visionary List to add a County Road 13 interchange project and to amend the Bayway widening project currently on the list. The decision to add the County Road 13 interchange project came following the recent passage of a resolution by the City of Daphne supporting further investigation into the construction of an interchange at County Road 13. The changes to the Bayway widening project came following new cost estimates from the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) for the portion of the Mobile River bridge project within the Easter Shore MPO Planning Area. The Policy Board unanimously approved both changes to the Visionary List.

The Policy Board reviewed and approved the Draft Fiscal Year 2015 Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) which serves as the planning and administrative budget for the MPO. The document was published for public comment at nineteen different locations throughout the Planning Area. No public comments were received. The final version will be published for public comment in August and September. The Policy Board also authorized MPO staff to seek an opinion from the Attorney General’s office regarding the use of bicycles on sidewalks.

The meeting concluded with a report from MPO staff regarding the Draft Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Plan, developments of regional impact, a property tax flow chart showing the amount of property taxes that go to the roadways, MPO livability indicators, and the possibility of utilizing an Alabama Improvement District to help fund the County Road 13 interchange project.

The next meeting of the Eastern Shore MPO Policy Board is scheduled for Wednesday, August 27, 2014, at 10:00 AM at Daphne City Hall. For more information regarding the Eastern Shore MPO please visit www.easternshorempo.org or email coordinator@easternshorempo.org.

Agenda Action Report

Press Release

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

POLICY BOARD MEETING, TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (TAC) MEETING, CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC) MEETING, AND BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BPAC) MEETING

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board will meet on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, at 10:00 AM at The Gathering Place at 6530 Spanish Fort Blvd, Spanish Fort, AL 36527.

The Technical Advisory Committee will meet on July 16, 2014, at 10:00 AM in the Daphne City Hall Executive Meeting Room at 1705 Main St, Daphne, AL 36526.

The Citizens Advisory Committee will meet on July 15, 2014, at 1:00 PM in the Daphne City Hall Executive Meeting Room at 1705 Main St, Daphne, AL 36526.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee on July 15, 2014, at 10:00 AM in the Daphne City Hall Executive Meeting Room at 1705 Main St, Daphne, AL 36526.

The proposed combined agenda for each meeting may be viewed on the Eastern Shore MPO website: (http://www.easternshorempo.org/) fourteen days prior to the meeting.  For more information regarding any of the information above, please contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or family status.  Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or those requiring language translation services should contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

Meeting Agenda

Public Notice

EASTERN SHORE METROPOLITAN PLANNING ORGANIZATION

MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS

THE EASTERN SHORE – June 13, 2014 – The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board held a meeting on Wednesday, June 11, 2014, in the Commission Conference Room at the Baldwin County Satellite Courthouse in Fairhope, Alabama. The Policy Board is the governing body of the MPO.

The Policy Board began its meeting by considering recommendations from the MPO Advisory Committees following the committees’ review of six options to address the current lack of funding.

• Recommendation 1: Recommend that the Policy Board authorize MPO staff to continue researching the possibility of participating with ALDOT to fund large projects on state and federal roads within the planning area.

 

• Recommendation 2: Recommend that the Policy Board authorize MPO staff to pursue responsive or adaptive traffic signals along US 98.

 

• Recommendation 3: Recommend that the Policy Board authorize MPO staff to continue its research of the Neighborhood Infrastructure Incentive Plan Act of 2011 with the aim of developing a guide that can be followed by homeowners and consultants for funding small local projects.

The Policy Board approved the Advisory Committee recommendations and added language to recommendation number 2 authorizing MPO staff to pursue responsive signals on SR 181 from US 31 to US 90.

The Policy Board then considered a resolution to add two 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. The Policy Board tabled the first project, the resurfacing of CR 13 from US 90 to CR 64 and from SR 104 to CR 48 and requested that the Advisory Committees investigate the possibility of adding sidewalks to the project.

The Policy Board adopted Resolution 2014-09 adding a project to the visionary list that would involve the installation of responsive traffic signals on US 98 from CR 44 to US 31. The Policy Board also adopted Resolution 2014-10 adding a project to the visionary list that would involve the installation of responsive traffic signals on Highway 181 from US 90 to US 31. Responsive signals are traffic signals connected with fiber optic cables or wireless technology that allow the signals to communicate with each other and respond real time to changing traffic conditions. Projects can be viewed on the MPO interactive project map available on the MPO website (http://easternshorempo.org/interactive-map/).

The MPO Coordinator, Matthew Brown, presented the Policy Board with a working draft of the MPO’s Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The LRTP projects transportation decision-making in the Metropolitan Planning Area out to at least a twenty-year horizon. The LRTP is updated every five years and serves as a conduit for public input on a broad range of transportation issues. The LRTP considers all modes of transportation from a regional perspective.

The MPO’s Draft Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) is on schedule to be complete by mid-2015. The plan development process requires MPO staff to continually seek input from committee members and the public. MPO staff patterned the Draft LRTP after example LRTPs provided by the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT). MPO staff is aiming for a document that is user friendly for the public while still meeting ALDOT’s requirements. The MPO plans to place core content in the body of the plan and place ancillary/support content in the appendices. The document will go through several iterations of review with ALDOT. The public can view the documents online (http://easternshorempo.org/working-draft-2040-lrtp/) and provide comments regarding the plan’s contents. The documents will be published for formal review and public comment at a later date.

The Policy Board reviewed several other discussion and informational items which are available in the meeting agenda packet on the MPO website. An Agenda Action Report is currently available 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, July 23, 2014, at 10:00 AM at the Gathering Place in Spanish Fort. For more information regarding the Eastern Shore MPO please visit www.easternshorempo.org or email   coordinator@easternshorempo.org.

Agenda Action Report

Press Release

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization 

 Rescheduled Policy Board Meeting

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board meeting that was scheduled for May 28, 2014, has been RESCHEDULED for June 11, 2014, at 10:00 AM at the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse in the Commission Conference Room at 1100 Fairhope Avenue, Fairhope, AL 36532.

For more information regarding the information above, please contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or family status.  Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or those requiring language translation services should contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

Click here to view the Agenda

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization 

Cancellation of May Policy Board Meeting

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board meeting scheduled for May 28, 2014, has been CANCELED. The meeting will be rescheduled and a Public Notice with new meeting details will be published at a future date.

For more information regarding the information above, please contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

POLICY BOARD MEETING, TECHNICAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE (TAC) MEETING, CITIZENS ADVISORY COMMITTEE (CAC) MEETING, AND BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE (BPAC) MEETING

The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Policy Board will meet on Wednesday, May 28, 2014, at 10:00 AM at Three Circle Church at 10274 Highway 104, Fairhope, AL 36532.

The Technical Advisory Committee will meet on May 21, 2014, at 10:00 AM at Bryant Bank on 1801 US Highway 98, Daphne, AL 36526.

The Citizens Advisory Committee will meet on May 20, 2014, at 1:00 PM at Three Circle Church at 10274 Highway 104, Fairhope, AL 36532.

The Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee will meet on May 20, 2014, at 10:00 AM Three Circle Church at 10274 Highway 104, Fairhope, AL 36532.

The proposed combined agenda for each meeting may be viewed on the Eastern Shore MPO website: (http://www.easternshorempo.org/) fourteen days prior to the meeting.  For more information regarding any of the information above, please contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or family status.  Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or those requiring language translation services should contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

 Click here to view the agenda

PUBLIC NOTICE

Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization

Special Meeting of the Technical Advisory Committee

 The Eastern Shore Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Technical Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday, May 7, 2014, at 10:00 AM at the Fairhope Satellite Courthouse in the Commission Conference Room at 1100 Fairhope Avenue, Fairhope, AL 36532. During this meeting the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) will discuss possible recommendations to be made to the Policy Board at the May 26, 2014, Policy Board meeting. This meeting is in addition to the regularly scheduled May Technical Advisory Committee meeting.

For more information regarding the information above, please contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

Public participation is solicited without regard to race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, disability or family status.  Persons who require special accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act or those requiring language translation services should contact the Eastern Shore MPO at 251-990-4640.

Click here to view the Agenda

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.

Agenda Action Report