MEETING NOTICE INTERMODAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE JANUARY 12, :30 A.M. OKI BOARD ROOM 720 EAST PETE ROSE WAY SUITE 420

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1 MEETING NOTICE INTERMODAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE JANUARY 12, :30 A.M. OKI BOARD ROOM 720 EAST PETE ROSE WAY SUITE 420 PLEASE CONTACT REGINA FIELDS AT (513) IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS

2 ICC MEETING MINUTES

3 MINUTES OF THE INTERMODAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE MEETING NOVEMBER 10, 2015 COMMITTEE MEMBERS Mr. James Fausz, Chair, PDS of Kenton County Mr. James Foster, 2 nd Vice Chair, City of Trenton Mr. John Brazina, City of Cincinnati Mr. Scott Brunka, City of Lebanon Mr. Don Burrell, Cincinnati Cycle Club Ms. Carol Callan Ramler, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, District 6 Mr. Jung Han Chen, City of Oxford Mr. Kevin Chesar, City of Monroe Mr. Taylor Corbett (representing Ms. Evans), Clermont County Planning & Development Mr. Kevin Costello, Boone County Fiscal Court Mr. John Creech, City of Hamilton Mr. Rick Davis, City of Covington Mr. Ron Davis, Butler County Regional Airport Ms. Erin Donovan, City of Fairfield Mr. Matthew Dutkevicz (representing Ms. Lakatos), Butler County Regional Transit Authority Mr. Andrew Fluegemann, Ohio Department of Transportation, District 8 Mr. John Gardocki, SORTA Ms. Lisa Gatwood, Clermont Transportation Connection Mr. Timothy Gilday, Hamilton County Engineer s Office Mr. Adam Goetzman, Green Township Ms. Beth Jones, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Mr. Mike Juengling, West Chester Township Ms. Martha Kelly, City of Cincinnati Mr. Todd Kinskey, Hamilton County Regional Planning Commission Ms. Joy Landry, Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services Ms. Janet LeCount, Colerain Township Mr. J. Allen Messer (representing Mr. Engle), City of Hamilton Ms. Chris Moran, League of Women Voters Mr. John Niehaus, University of Cincinnati Mr. Daniel Rice (representing Mr. Pennington), Boone County Fiscal Court Mr. Steve Sievers, Anderson Township Mr. Dave Spinney, Butler County Transportation Improvement District Mr. Jeff Thelen, Northern Kentucky Area Development District Mr. Reginald Victor, City of Cincinnati Kevin J. Lynch President Mark R. Policinski CEO/Executive Director facebook.com/okiregional twitter.com/okircog 720 East Pete Rose Way, Suite 420 Cincinnati, Ohio Phone: Fax: (513) Serving the Counties of: Boone Butler Campbell Clermont Dearborn Hamilton Kenton Warren

4 Mr. Tom Voss, DHL Global Forwarding Mr. Derek Walker, Dearborn County Planning Commission Mr. Robert Ware, Warren County Planning Commission Mr. Greg Wilkens, Butler County Engineer s Office GUEST Ms. Amanda Baer, RA Consultants Mr. Joe Cottrill, CT Consultants Ms. Susan Daniels, Lawhon & Associates Ms. Jennifer Graf, JMT Mr. Jay Hamilton, Mead & Hunt Mr. Aaron Herzig, Taft Mr. Roger Kuchle, Citizen Ms. Martha Kuchle, Citizen Mr. Daniel Menetrey, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet D6 Mr. Jeff Pietch, Carpenter Marty Transportation Ms. Anne Rahall, TEC Engineering Mr. Nick Voisard, American Structurepoint STAFF Regina Fields Andrew Rohne Andy Reser Bruce Koehler Bob Koehler Robyn Bancroft Mary Luebbers Lorrie Platt Mark Paine David Shuey Travis Miller Alexandria Barnes Jane Wittke Mark Policinski Summer Jones Karen Whitaker Margo Lindahl Marilyn Osborne CALL TO ORDER Mr. Fausz, Chair, called the meeting to order at 9:30 a.m. APPROVAL OF OCTOBER 6, 2015 MINUTES Mr. Fausz, Chair, asked if there were any corrections or amendments to the October 6, 2015 minutes. Mr. Foster moved to approve the minutes as presented. Mr. Victor seconded the motion, motion carried. OCTOBER BOARD OF DIRECTORS ACTIONS Mr. Fausz, Chair, asked the members to review the minutes of the October Board of Directors meeting. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROGRESS REPORT Mr. Fausz, Chair, asked the committee members to review the monthly progress report for October and comment as desired. There being no comments, the progress report for the Transportation Department was accepted. LEGISLATIVE AND TECHNOLOGY UPDATE Ms. Platt reported on legislative update. She said that the long term transportation bill or surface transportation reauthorization and reform (STRR) will provide $325 billion in new contract authority for the 720 East Pete Rose Way, Suite 420, Cincinnati, Ohio 45202, Phone (513) Fax (513)

5 nation s infrastructure and renew the export import bank. This bill contains six years of policy reform, but only three years of funding. She said lawmakers are optimistic they can complete a bill before November 20 which is the expiration of the current extension. Technology Report: Ms. Platt showed a video of a hoverbike vehicle, which will debut in It has 240 HP and can travel up to 45 MPH. The asking price for purchase is $85, REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLAN UPDATE #3 Ms. Luebbers reported on plan update #3/ safety. She said you can access the safety section by clicking on the assumptions tab and scrolling to the safety section on the OKI website. She said every 16 minutes someone dies in a vehicle crash somewhere in the U.S. Fortunately, the number of fatal crashes nationwide has declined for the last several decades. However, the widespread use of cellphones by drivers and especially texting while driving may reverse the trend toward fewer fatal crashes and that drug affected driving is also cited as a significant problem and recent national data shows drugged driving is increasing while drunk driving is declining. You can view the data source by county from years She said to reach the plan s safety goals, OKI will coordinate fully with the individual states and local communities in its planning area and one key component to this coordination effort is the identification of locations where safety needs are greatest in the region. Crash data is used by OKI in its projection prioritization process and assists state and local agencies in pinpointing transportation needs. Ms. Luebbers reported on older drivers who are becoming a particular challenge in maintaining travel safety. She said in 2015 the number of 65+ in the OKI region was 240,000 and that by 2040 the elderly population will top at 420,000. This is a 75% increase and the elderly will constitute 20% of the region s driving population in Mr. Miller provided an overview of the Land Use and The Environment section of OKI 2040 planning assumptions. He explained that OKI has recognized for decades that the relationship between transportation systems and land use is reciprocal meaning, increased land use intensity results in increased demands on transportation facilities and transportation facility improvements are often catalyst for land use changes. He said the Strategic Regional Policy Plan s central focus is on this relationship; includes policy recommendations for transportation, land use, natural systems, economic development, public facilities and housing; and, is incorporated in the OKI 2040 plan. He viewed the various activities and tools associated with the plan s implementation (comprehensive planning guidance for local communities, FIAM, and healthy communities describing work underway in Kenton County in partnership with PDS, Northern Kentucky Health department and others). Mr. Miller explained that understanding future land use demands and patterns require consideration of the needs of our future population demographics of two key generations are highlighted in the plan: baby boomers and millennials. He said statistics are from a recent study prepared by the Demand Institute, a nonprofit organization operated by Nielson Company. Highlights of findings include, majority of baby boomers intend to age in place, nearly ½ of those that do plan to move in the next 5 years, expect to move into a larger home not downsize. According to the same source, 84% of millennials either already own a home or plan to buy a home in next 5 years. Of those millennials planning to buy a home, 48% expect it to be in a suburban 2 P age

6 location. According to ULI research millennials show strong preferences for walkable communities and access to various transportation modes, so transit friendly land use and development patterns remain important community planning considerations to address needs for both baby boomers and millennials. Mr. Miller explained that national policy calls for protecting environmental resources (NEPA National Environmental Policy Act) and FHWA policy clarifies that environmental considerations are to be integrated into every phase of transportation decision making. The OKI 2040 Plan ensures this through what we call our Environmental Consultations process. This process involves both state and local environmental experts and includes the review of state conservation plans and analyzing data received from various sources to identify and consider what we term our regionally significant environmental resources. These include our high quality streams, state conserved areas, wetlands, endangered species, and prime farmland. Mr. Miller demonstrated the Environmental Viewer, embedded in the OKI 2040 plan, which is an interactive map where this information can be viewed. Mr. Miller explained that although this tool has been developed for our consultations process, OKI recognizes there is value in having this information available to our communities and will be maintaining this as a planning resource for anyone interested in using it. REGIONAL AIR QUALITY STATUS REPORT Mr. Reser reported on the U.S. air quality trends He reported that, since 2000, ozone in the OKI region is down 18% and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) is down 35%. He said according to the 2015 American Lung Association Report of all metro regions, Cincinnati is the 23rd most polluted area for ozone (#15 in 2014) and #8 most polluted for PM2.5 (#11 in 2014). He said EPA requires monitors for seven pollutants (criteria pollutants); ozone, PM2.5, PM 10, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, lead, and nitrogen dioxide. Monitors in the region are showing compliance with all pollutants. Formal applications for ozone and sulfur dioxide attainment are pending EPA approval. Additionally, a recent court case has withdrawn the PM2.5 attainment demonstration for the Ohio and Indiana portions of the region. So far in 2015, there have been 9 exceedances of the ozone standard recorded and no exceedance readings of the PM hour average. The region remains eligible for federal congestion mitigation and air quality (CMAQ) funds for transportation. Mr. Reser provided a summary of regional CMAQ dollars, by project type, spent in the region since He also summarized the CMAQ project types programmed in the current OKI Transportation Improvement Program (TIP). He further explained that all nonattainment, and formerly nonattainment areas must continue to demonstrate transportation conformity for the TIP and Plan FEDERAL FUNDS ALLOCATED APPLICATIONS Mr. Paine reported that Resolution will provide funding for qualified applicants seeking funding from the federal section 5310 grant program using funds allocated to the Cincinnati urbanized area. OKI was appointed the designated recipient for the Cincinnati area for the enhanced mobility of seniors and individuals with disabilities program that provides formula funding to improve mobility for seniors and individuals with disabilities. This designation was appointed by the Governors of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana. A ten member oversight team, selected by the Intermodal Coordinating Committee reviewed the applications on October 8, 2015 and recommends these agencies receive Section 5310 federal funds in the following amounts: BAWAC, Inc. ($69,171), Butler County RTA ($240,000), Cincinnati Area Senior Services ($77,007), Clermont Senior 3 P age

7 Services ($389,392), Partners in Prime ($122,373), Sem Villa ($47,200), Senior Independence ($87,550) and Warren Co. Community Services ($55.654). Mr. Gilday moved to recommend approval of Resolution Concerning Selection of Projects to be funded with Section 5310 Federal Funds allocated to the Cincinnati Urbanized Area. Mr. Burrell seconded the motion, motion carried. FY TIP ADMINISTARTIVE MODIFICATION #3 Mr. Paine reported on administrative modification #3 for projects currently listed in the OKI FY TIP. The corrections reflect changes to previously estimated costs or timing for various phases of a project. There is no change of scope associated with the changes and no formal amendment is needed. Administrative Modification #3 lists 8 highway projects in Kentucky and one in Indiana. The modification is due to timing or small funding changes associated with the projects. There are 4 projects in Boone County, 2 projects in Campbell County and 2 projects in Kenton County. Ms. Martha Kuchle read the following statement into the record; TIP 287 is a Federal Highway Administration funded project to align U.S. 25 and Kyles Lane (KY1072) in Kenton County, Kentucky. As part of this effort, KYDOT District 6 has been attempting to acquire 987 sq. ft. of property for the construction of a right turn lane onto Kyles Lane (KY1072) for north bound traffic on U.S. 25. This property is currently owned by the Kuchle Realty Company, leased to Anchor Kentucky Partners, and subleased to Walgreen s Company, which constructed a store in Since this project involves federal financial assistance, the acquisition must comply with the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Property Acquisition Policies Act of 1970 and applicable regulations CFR Title 49, Part 24. District 6 has violated these regulations in its attempts to acquire this property; therefore, continued approval and funding for TIP 287 should be denied. Details of the violations and other concerns are provided below: Part (d) District 6 made an initial offer to Kuchle to acquire the property in August 2014 before an appraisal was conducted in October Furthermore, the appraisal does not take into account the damages to the remaining Kuchle property due to the taking and altering of the building set back and parking ratio. Part (2)(ii) The capitalization rate method of valuation was ignored in the District 6 appraisal and offer to Kuchle. Capitalization rate valuation is the proper and universally accepted method of valuing land under a long term income producing land lease such as the Kuchle property. Part (2) Until Kuchle involved the FHWA regional office in Atlanta, Georgia, in March, 2015, District 6 had told Kuchle that apportioning compensation among Kuchle and co defendants (Anchor Kentucky Partners and Walgreen s Company) was Kuchle s responsibility, rather than District 6 determining the relative compensation due each party. Part (c) Kuchle was not given a reasonable opportunity to accompany the appraiser s inspection of the property. District 6 directed Cincinnati Bell to install a utility pole on the Kuchle property without easement or Kuchle s agreement. Cincinnati Bell proceeded and completed the work. 4 P age

8 The subject turn lane is not in the Kenton County Transportation Plan adopted in 2014 and did not go through a formal planning process. Kuchle was never sent public outreach information or provided opportunity for review of objection. The Kuchle property is in the Brent Spence bridge study area. Part (1)(ii) states; The property to be acquired is not part of an intended, planned, or designated project area where all or substantially all of the property within the area is to be acquired with specific time limits. In addition to Martha Kuchle, Mr. Roger Kuchle spoke to the ICC. Roger Kuchle said he didn t know how the CMAQ money flows but understands it is federal money and it has to follow the federal law and also has to meet Title 49 part He stated it is not being handled that way and he does not know who enforces this. This whole thing came about not following the Kenton County Transportation Plan whose traffic problems are for southbound traffic on U.S. 25 turning onto Kyles Lane. That was what the Kenton County Transportation Plan calls for improvements on. They are working on the south side of U.S. 25 not northbound where statistically there is not a problem. The other thing is I am not sure how this came about. We first heard about this when I talked to our Mayor and said he requested the turn lane and he works directly with district 6 and that OKI and the Kenton County Transportation Plan has nothing to do with it. I filed my complaints with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet. They were ignored. I do not know who enforces federal regulations plus the fact if you refer back to your own study if they want to make an improvement in 1986 there was the Dixie Highway Corridor Study done by the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission and it calls for a turn lane without taking any of the Kuchle property. This plan makes sense. If we had some time for review and objection I would have brought that up. Apparently, they forgot about a study. This was done when Sleepy Hollow Road was improved and the Cloverleaf was changed to a diner, but they never followed through. I just have a couple more items. The CMAQ program [is where this project] is getting the funding from. I realize it s the Kentucky Department of Transportation but it all starts out as federal money. This thing was approved in 2009 when the 5 year spending limitation was passed. That money should go back to the federal government. You all have seen this Brent Spence bridge study area picture [that shows] our property and the Kyles Lane intersection is in that study. I further confirmed this with correspondence I had with FHWA Kentucky David R. Whitworth. The Question was asked if the Kuchle property KYTC is trying to acquire for the turn lane is in the new bridge study area. David R. realty office says the property is in the study area. So how can they do this? I am wrapped up here except for one point which is there is some flaw here as to how this whole place operates because I was told that everything was approved and met all the federal requirements. This is a letter from FHWA Ohio saying generally no areas of statewide metropolitan areas petition planning process have been identified as to failing to comply with federal law and regulations. I couldn t believe it because the one they are doing certainly doesn t comply. So I made the contact with Andy James FHWA Ohio. He said that only covers Ohio [projects and] has nothing to do with Kentucky or Indiana. So I look for approval on that and I find letters from the KYTC of July 26, 2015 and the only thing they say is reviewed [is that the] TIP [is in] compliance for metropolitan planning requirements. Who enforces these federal laws? Thank you. 5 P age

9 Mr. Gilday moved to recommend approval of changes shown in the TIP Administrative Modification #3 as presented. Mr. Sievers seconded the motion, motion carried. FY TRANSPORTATION IMROVEMENT PROGRAM/AMENDMENT #4 Mr. Paine presented a resolution regarding amendment #4 to the Fiscal Year Transportation Improvement Program. The amendment lists 3 highway projects in Ohio, 4 highway project in Kentucky and several Section 5310 projects for Butler County RTA, OKI and SORTA that are recommended for addition or revision in the current TIP. Mr. Paine stated the projects in TIP Amendment #4 were listed on the OKI website for the 14 day required period and that the Interagency Consultation Group received the full 14 day review period for the amendment. Mr. Costello moved to recommend approval of Resolution Concerning Amendment #4 of the Fiscal Years Transportation Improvement Program. Mr. Kinskey seconded the motion, motion carried. OTHER BUSINESS None. PUBLIC COMMENT None. NEXT MEETING Mr. Kinskey moved to cancel the December 8, 2015 ICC meeting. Mr. Voss seconded the motion, motion carried. The next meeting of the ICC is scheduled for Tuesday, January 12, 2016 in the OKI Board Room at 9:30 a.m. ADJOURNMENT A motion was made by Mr. Thelen and seconded by Mr. Kinskey to adjourn the meeting at 10:30 a.m., motion carried. Mark R. Paine TIP MANAGER /rf 11/13/15 6 P age

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29 TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROGRESS REPORT NOVEMBER 2015 Short Range Planning (601) Staff disseminated bike maps to interested citizens. Staff attended the Tri State Trails Executive Committee Meeting. Items discussed were the board structure, ranking for the 2040 Plan and future events. Staff attended the Cincinnati Connects Meeting. Final edits were made to the report and the leave behind map. Staff continued to add bike rack location and pictures to the ARC GIS mobile bike rack app. Staff attended a lockdown meeting with ODOT District 8 and various sponsoring agencies to lockdown FY17 TA projects by date and FY18 projects by quarter. Transportation Improvement Program (602) During November, staff continued to monitor and update highway and transit information contained in the OKI FY TIP. Staff presented Administrative Modification #3 of the OKI FY TIP to the ICC on November 10. The modification included 8 highway projects in Kentucky and 1 highway project in Indiana. On November 12, staff presented Amendment #4 of the OKI FY TIP to the Executive Committee. The amendment included 3 highway projects in Ohio, 4 highway project in Kentucky and Section 5310 projects for Butler County RTA, OKI and SORTA. On November 17, OKI and ODOT hosted lockdown meetings at ODOT District 8 for OKI funded projects with award dates in fiscal years 2017 or Meetings included highway and bicycle/pedestrian projects in Anderson Township, Fairfield, Green Township, the City of Hamilton, Hamilton County, Mariemont, Mason, Middletown, Montgomery and Wyoming. On November 24, OKI met with representatives of the Cincinnati Barge and Rail project to review the current status of the project. The project is currently scheduled to be awarded in April. Surveillance (605.1) Staff updated the TIP layer. Staff completed updating the Environmental Resources Viewer from a Flex based application to JavaScript for the next round of environmental consultations. Staff completed the process of obtaining up to date county level GIS data for the region. Staff updated functional classification on the street centerline file for Boone, Campbell & Kenton Counties per changes requested by KYTC. Staff updated NHD stream data. Staff continued development of the Buffer Index mapping application. Staff is continuing work on the next version of the travel model. Items addressed this month include continuing effort on the ODOT Capacity Calculator (freeway and expressway capacities). Staff began creating a web map to show travel model matrix data. Staff worked with a consultant for the Butler County TID to prepare model inputs for forecast work. 1

30 Staff provided traffic counts and model data for the Bright 74 study. Staff has been receiving traffic count data from TEC and DLZ. Staff collected several pedestrian counts. Staff participated in conference calls with ODOT regarding the Ohio Disaggregate Model System project and worked with data needed for model estimation. On November 9, 2015, staff participated in a Town Hall Meeting webinar in which participants provided feedback on which data tables could be omitted from the Census Transportation Planning Products (CTPP). The Census Bureau, going forward, will provide only one third of the tabulations it had previously provided for the CTPP. Staff continued processing 2015 Quarterly Census Employment and Wages spreadsheet data from the Ohio Department of Transportation, preparing the individual business records for geocoding in ArcMap. The geocoded employment associated with each business will be aggregated into traffic analysis zones (TAZs) to establish estimates of employment for the 2015 base year socioeconomic database. Transportation & Homeland Security No activity this period. Transportation & Homeland Security Staff performed weekly maintenance checks on RAVEN911 data feeds and widgets. Staff continued development of an application that will automate the update process for many of the layers contained within RAVEN911. Staff began work on a motorcade widget for RAVEN911. Staff began updating LEPC facilities in RAVEN911 Long Range Planning: System Management (610.1) Regional Transportation Plan: Staff continues to work on the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, 2016 Update. Safety and environmental/land use planning assumption data was most recently added to the website. Staff have created a public survey that is available on the website ( and made available in paper form. Deadline for the survey is January 8. Staff is also working with local jurisdictions, counties and state DOTs to draft an initial 2040 Plan project list. Coordination and Staff Development: Staff continued to work with ODOT, KYTC, INDOT, transit agencies and local communities to support the project development process. Staff participated in the following training and coordination meetings in November: Warren County Engineer 2040 Plan outreach (11/3/15), CORBA meeting at OKI (11/04/15), Metro Futures (11/5/15), Butler County TID (11/9/15), Clermont County TID (11/13/15), HSSAI Research on Regional Organization Resilience Efforts (11/19/15), Hamilton County Thoroughfare (11/20/15), Hamilton County TID (11/23/15), ODOT I 71 Kenwood Transportation Analysis (11/23/15), CBRT CMAQ project (11/24/15). Congestion Management Process: No activity this period. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): In response to the request for qualifications (RFQ) for consultant services to assist in the update of the Regional ITS Architecture and Strategic Plan, two proposals were received on November 23 rd. Proposals will be reviewed in December. 2

31 Project development activities for future corridor or special studies: Staff continues to coordinate with TANK, SORTA, CTC, the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce to investigate transit improvements in the region. Safety Planning: Staff completed a review of the top crash rate locations to be published for the 2040 Plan and performance measure applications. Project Level Traffic Forecasting: Staff met with ODOT and their consultant to assist in analysis of the I 71 Kenwood Corridor. Regional Freight Planning Staff participated in Federal Highway Administration s (FHWA) Office of Planning s peer exchange on the "Greater Charlotte Regional Freight Mobility Plan" hosted by the Centralina Council of Governments (CCOG) in Charlotte, North Carolina on November 13. FHWA invited OKI and the Broward County (Florida) MPO to serve as peers to CCOG and their regional freight planning partners in the Greater Charlotte Bi State Region for this exchange. As a Peer, OKI staff shared our history and experiences in freight transportation planning over the past decade for the tristate region. OKI hosted and participated in the November CORBA Regional Maritime Committee meeting. Prioritization Process Update No activity this month Environmental Consultations For upcoming environmental consultations on the update of the OKI 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, staff continued to develop tables and maps to identify Regionally Significant Resources, finished contacting state and local agencies for participation in the consultations (finalized mailing list of 76 participants), drafted the script and slides for a December 15 webcast to consultation participants and finalized the survey to obtain input after the webcast. For Taking Root, staff participated in the November 24 Steering Committee meeting and continued to coordinate with the Executive Director. (Taking Root is a campaign to address the need to retain forested area, which is a major issue identified in environmental consultations on the transportation plan.) Long Range Planning: Freight Conference (610.2) Activity for this work element was completed in October. Long Range Planning: Land Use (610.4): November 10 and 12 staff presented the Land Use and the Environment section of the 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan to the OKI ICC and Board. This section concentrates on the land use and transportation relationship. Through November, staff continued to prepare materials for engaging land use and environmental agencies during the FY16 environmental consultations process including materials for a webcast engagement of stakeholders on December 15. In November, staff prepared webcast slides, script, online survey form for participant input following webcast, and confirmed participant contact list for webcast invitation and survey dissemination. November 19 staff participated in the Green Umbrella Transportation Action Team meeting and provided an update of various Team metrics being tracked to measure progress related to the Team s overall goal of fuel consumption reduction. Through November, staff continued to refine and update chapters of the Elements of a Comprehensive Plan document to include LUC Steering Committee comments and suggestions. Staff will disseminate a final draft in December to the steering committee and publish final document early in

32 In November, staff continued analyzing data to test FIAM results using information from PDS and City of Independence for a specific development. This analysis will be used when promoting the Model to other communities and to inform staff of areas of the Model to focus on for future improvement and enhancement activities. November 5 staff presented the Environmental Viewer and its data during a webcast facilitated by FHWA and AASHTO at the request of Michigan DOT staff for staff of COGs in Michigan. OKI was invited to present based on the demonstration provided to FHWA attendees at the Eco Logical Implementation Peer Exchange held at US DOT offices in October. Fiscal Impact Analysis Model (610.5): In November, staff concluded the first test of the FIAM for a single family development in the City of Independence. The test uncovered 6 action items to improve the Model s results. Through November, staff had ongoing communication with PDS regarding interest from 4 additional communities in the FIAM. Staff also met with John Deatrick regarding using the FIAM to analyze the fiscal impact of the Cincinnati streetcar. Fiscal Impact Analysis Model Web Based Maintenance and Startup (611.5): Staff monitored daily back up activities which occurred as programmed. Transportation Services: Participation Plan (625.2): Staff attended the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Meeting which included a presentation on the results of a 2015 Regional Indicators Report regarding how Cincinnati stacks up against (11) of its peer cities relative to Transit. Staff attended the Downtown Residents Council Meeting at which Matthew Andrews and Diego Jordan from the city of Cincinnati presented information about the Eggleston Shared Use Path that ll be developed from East Pete Rose Way and Eggleston up to Eggleston and the Flat Iron Building at 401 Court Street. Staff and members of the OKI Environmental Justice Advisory Committee met with partners for the U.S. Forestry Grant to explore how best to involve low income, minority and underserved communities in the process of implementing the grant. Staff participated in the INDOT Title VI Useful Function Training which was a refresher course on Title VI, General ADA and LEP (Limited English Proficiency) requirements for MPOs (Metropolitan Planning Organizations) and LPAs (Local Public Agencies). Staff attended the Avondale Community Council Meeting at which it was reported that speed bumps will be installed on Ridgeway Avenue along with new lighting to improve safety. Staff attended the Southwest Ohio Chapter Meeting of the Women s Transportation Seminar. Staff participated in the FTA webinar, Reporting DBE Participation, which stressed contracting with certified DBE firms. Staff attended the Over the Rhine Community Council Meeting at which Matthew Andrews gave an update on the community s request that a traffic and safety study be conducted north of Liberty Street in order to identify how best to stimulate economic development in that area of Over the Rhine. Staff ed the presidents of area community councils to inform them of the upcoming survey to update the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan and to ask for their preferred method for communicating with their respective memberships, i.e., Facebook, Twitter and/or Newsletter. Staff then provided the presidents with 4

33 a blurb about the survey for publication in their newsletters along with a link to the survey to post on their websites and the survey s web address to post on their respective Facebook pages. Staff also attended the Pendleton, Pleasant Ridge and Madisonville Community Council Meetings. Special Studies: Regional Clean Air Program (665.4): The smog alert hotline and account was maintained by retrieving messages and responding to those inquiring about the clean air program. Commuter Assistance Services: Rideshare (667.1): Staff continued to process and update applications. 93 matches were attempted in the month of November 56 Carpool matches 21 Vanpool matches 7 Transit matches 9 Park and Ride matches 2,753 commuters are registered with RideShare. Six commuters used the GRH program during the month of November. Vanpooling Staff provided van quotes for commuters interested in the vanpooling program. There are 20 vanpools in operation throughout the region. Marketing Staff continued to participate in Web Ex Presentations reviewing various ridematching platforms. JARC/New Freedom Coordinated Transportation Plan (674.1/674.2) During November, staff continued to monitor the JARC and New Freedom projects in the Cincinnati urbanized area. On November 12, staff presented the recommended Section 5310 projects to the Executive Committee. These projects were recommended from the October 8 Oversight Team meeting and the November 10 ICC meeting: Agency Federal Funds Local Match Total Project Estimate BAWAC $69,171 $17,293 $86,464 Butler County RTA $240,000 $60,000 $300,000 Cincinnati Area Senior Services $77,007 $19,253 $96,260 Clermont Senior Services $389,392 $97,350 $486,742 Partners in Prime $122,373 $30,596 $152,969 Sem Villa $47,200 $11,800 $59,000 Senior Independence $87,550 $21,888 $109,438 Warren Co. Community Services $55,654 $13,914 $69,568 Staff worked with SORTA to ensure that Section 5310 sub recipient agreements for the previous awards were completed and forwarded to SORTA. Six applications needed clarification from American Bus (one of the vendors) and OKI staff sent the additional information requested to the agencies involved. 5

34 Section 5310 Program (674.3) Staff continued to manage the Section 5310 Program for the Cincinnati urbanized area. For Grant OH 16 X012, there was $2,798 in fund drawdowns in late October and $1,375 in fund drawdowns in November for Section 5310 administrative funds. New Freedom Pass Through (674.4) Staff continued to manage the New Freedom sub recipients and OKI Administrative Grants. New Freedom pass through funds are provided to Towne Taxi for a taxi voucher program. During November, $1,471 in New Freedom funds were processed from Grant OH 57 X061 for Towne Taxi. Also during November, $4,962 in New Freedom funds were processed from Grant OH 57 X064 for OKI administration of the New Freedom program. During November, $3,607 in JARC funds were processed from Grant OH 37 X067 and $8,616 in JARC funds were processed from Grant OH 37 X088. Both grants are used for OKI administration of the JARC program in the Cincinnati urbanized area including the update to the current Coordinated Plan. Ohio Exclusive: Regional Transportation Planning Organization Pilot Program (684.4) Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) is developing a regional transportation plan. OKI is providing assistance to OVRDC through a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation. No activity this month. Ohio Exclusive: Eastern Corridor Study (684.9) No activity this period. Indiana Exclusive: Dearborn County Transportation Planning (685.1 CPG): 3C Planning Process Active management of the OKI TIP continued. On November 5, OKI met with the Dearborn County LPA s and INDOT Seymour District Staff to review the status of currently funded projects. These LPA s include the City of Aurora, the City of Greendale and Dearborn County Engineer s Office. Staff continues to coordinate with Dearborn County and INDOT personnel to advance the programming of Dearborn STP and CMAQ projects. Staff continues work on the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, 2016 Update. New data and information are being added monthly to 2040/oki.org as it is developed. Staff presented on safety and land use to ICC and the Board at the November meetings. Staff presented Administrative Modification #3 of the OKI FY TIP. The modification included one highway project in Indiana Des # , a bridge deck replacement project on US 50 in Dearborn County. Amendment #4 of the OKI FY TIP was presented to the Executive Committee on November 12, but there were no Indiana projects included with this amendment. Monthly progress reports were prepared for work elements in the Unified Planning Work Program (on going). Work on the year end progress report and list of obligated projects lists commenced. Air Quality At the request of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, staff revised the previously submitted ozone mobile source emissions inventory for Dearborn County to include mobile emissions by source classification codes. Project Development and Special Studies The Bright/74 Corridor Study Advisory Committee met for the first time on November 18. See report. 6

35 Functional Class, HPMS and CMP Performance measures Staff continues to monitor state and federal activity on the remaining performance measures to address the MAP 21 goal areas of safety, infrastructure condition, system performance, and environmental sustainability. No other activity this month. Travel Model, Data, GIS & Homeland Security Staff has been working on refinements to the travel model that includes the investigation for possible integration of the ODOT capacity calculator into the model. Staff began creating a webmap to show travel model matrix data. Work on truck model refinements continues. Traffic counts are being collected across the region by OKI staff and consultants under contract with OKI. Staff provided traffic counts and model data for the Bright 74 study. Participation Plan Staff remains active in disseminating information about regional transportation projects and DBE opportunities. Fiscal Impact Model The Executive Committee approved the staff request to retain a consultant to maintain the web based Fiscal Impact Analysis Model. Environmental Consultations Staff participated in the October 22 planning meeting for Taking Root Council, reviewed two TR draft publications and coordinated with the Executive Director. (Taking Root is a campaign to address the need to retain forested area, which is a major issue identified in environmental consultations on the transportation plan.) For upcoming environmental consultations on the update of the long range transportation plan, staff researched information needed for updating Streams with Special Significance (formerly Regionally Significant Streams) and other Regionally Significant Environmental Resources. Staff reviewed documents and contacted state staff for data or clarification to identify key resources in updated Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs), recent Integrated Reports (for water quality monitoring and assessment) and state Forest Assessments and Strategies. Staff contacted state agencies and began contacting local agencies to ask for participation in the consultations webinar, survey and session. Staff attended, presented and participated in a panel discussion at a Peer Exchange for Implementing Eco Logical Implementation Assistance Program in Washington, D.C., at U.S. DOT on October Indiana Exclusive: Dearborn County (685.2 STP) The first Advisory Committee meeting was held on November 18. Members of the Advisory Committee include local stakeholders, business leaders, community leaders and INDOT. At the meeting, the purpose and scope of the study was emphasized. Base year traffic, safety, land use and other data was presented for discussion and input. The OKI and the consultant team are collecting and analyzing data. A second Advisory Committee meeting is targeted for late January/early February 2016 and will be followed by the first public meeting. The study website is available at Bright74.oki.org. Kentucky Exclusive: Transportation Planning Activities (686.3) KY 536: The final public open house was held on October 5 from 4 7 pm at the Independence Senior and Community Center with over 170 people in attendance. A 30 day public comment period on the two refined alternatives will end at midnight on November 5, Unified Planning Work Program (695) The FY16 UPWP is in effect. The year end progress report is complete. Work has been completed on the review and update of the metropolitan planning agreements between OKI and partners. 7

36 Monthly progress reports were prepared for work elements in the Unified Planning Work Program (ongoing). Transportation Program Reporting (697.1) No activity this period. Mobile Source Emissions Planning (720.1) Staff presented information on the status of regional air quality during the November 10 th ICC and November 12 th OKI Executive Committee meetings. The presentation included details on the attainment of ozone and particulate matter standards and information regarding regional expenditures of federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funds. An inventory of transportation emissions by county and year was revised. 8

37 DECEMBER TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROGRESS REPORT

38 TRANSPORTATION PLANNING PROGRESS REPORT DECEMBER 2015 Short Range Planning (601) Staff disseminated bike maps to interested citizens. Staff attended the Tri State Trails Executive Committee Meeting to finalize the prioritization list for the 2040 recommendations. Cincinnati Connects released their final report to link the 4 major city trails. Staff continued to add bike rack location and pictures to the ARC GIS mobile bike rack app. Transportation Improvement Program (602) During December, staff continued to monitor and update highway and transit information contained in the OKI FY TIP. Staff prepared Administrative Modification #4 of the OKI FY TIP for the January ICC meeting. The modification includes 3 highway projects in Ohio and 4 highway projects in Kentucky. Staff also prepared Amendment #5 of the OKI FY TIP for the January Board Meeting. The amendment includes 1 highway project in Ohio, 4 highway projects in Kentucky and 5 highway projects in Indiana. On December 3, staff attended the Indiana MPO Council Meeting in Indianapolis. Surveillance (605.1) Staff continued processing 2015 Quarterly Census Employment and Wages spreadsheet data from the Ohio Department of Transportation, preparing the individual business records for geocoding in ArcMap. The geocoded employment associated with each business will be aggregated into traffic analysis zones (TAZs) to establish estimates of employment for the 2015 base year socioeconomic database. Staff participated in a Local Employment Dynamics webinar on December 16, 2015 entitled "Job to Job (J2J): An Introduction to Using the Data sponsored by the U.S. Census Bureau. Staff continued updating NHD stream data. Staff continued development of the Buffer Index mapping application. Staff transferred intersection attributes to the Highway Network nodes. Staff began processing updated crash data records from ODOT & KYTC. Staff developed a JavaScript version of the Project Application Assistant. Staff is continuing work on the next version of the travel model. Items addressed this month include continuing effort on the ODOT Capacity Calculator (freeway and expressway capacities). Staff continued work on creating a web map to show travel model matrix data. Staff worked with a consultant for the Butler County TID to prepare model inputs for forecast work. Staff has received the final traffic count data from TEC and DLZ and has completed processing. Staff collected pedestrian counts and began work on a webmap to show the counts to the public and to stakeholders. Staff participated in conference calls with ODOT regarding the Ohio Disaggregate Model System project and worked with data needed for model estimation. 1

39 Staff attended the Indiana Model User Group meeting and the Ohio Model User Group Meeting. Transportation & Homeland Security No activity this period. Transportation & Homeland Security Staff performed weekly maintenance checks on RAVEN911 data feeds and widgets. Staff continued development of an application that will automate the update process for many of the layers contained within RAVEN911. Staff continued work on a motorcade widget for RAVEN911. Staff continued updating LEPC facilities in RAVEN911. Long Range Planning: System Management (610.1) Staff participated in a Crash Investigation and Reconstruction Technologies webinar sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation on December 16, Regional Transportation Plan: Staff continues work on the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, 2016 Update. A short public survey is available on the website ( until midnight January 8. As of December 14, over 1500 survey responses had been received. Staff is also working with local jurisdictions, counties and state DOTs to draft an initial 2040 Plan project list. Staff is preparing the performance measures element of the 2040 Plan to be presented to the OKI Board in January. Coordination and Staff Development: Staff continued to work with ODOT, KYTC, INDOT, transit agencies and local communities to support the project development process. Staff participated in the following training and coordination meetings in November: Metro Futures (12/03/15), Butler County TID (12/7/15), State of Metro Annual Meeting (12/11/15). Congestion Management Process: No activity this period. Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS): In response to the request for qualifications (RFQ) for consultant services to assist in the update of the Regional ITS Architecture and Strategic Plan, two proposals were received on November 23 rd. Proposals were reviewed in December and both of the qualified respondents will be interviewed in January. Project development activities for future corridor or special studies: Staff continues to coordinate with TANK, SORTA, CTC, the City of Cincinnati and the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce to investigate transit improvements in the region. Safety Planning: Staff participated in a Crash Investigation and Reconstruction Technologies webinar sponsored by the U.S. Department of Transportation on December 16, Project Level Traffic Forecasting: Staff continues to assist ODOT and their consultant in analysis of the I 71 Kenwood Corridor. Staff is also providing assistance to the Butler County Engineer with traffic forecasts for the I 75/SR 129/Liberty Way area. Regional Freight Planning Staff attended the December 1 meeting of the CORBA Regional Maritime Committee s Freight Asset Inventory Task Force. Staff participated in a 12/8 conference call to begin organizing a March 24, 2016 MARAD Strong Ports Workshop to be held in the OKI Board Room. OKI was invited to participate by a CORBA officer. Prioritization Process Update Staff used a customized version of the Project Applicant Assistant for the 2

40 2040 Regional Transportation Plan. Environmental Consultations As a first step in environmental consultations on the 2040 transportation plan update, staff finalized preparations and presented information to participating state and local agencies in a webcast on December 15, followed by a request for responses to a survey for updating information about environmental concerns and progress in addressing them. The webcast provided participants with an overview of the consultations process and the regionally significant environmental and historic resources that are to be compared with the transportation plan in later steps. For Taking Root, staff participated in meetings of the Executive Committee on December 4 and the Steering Committee on December 22, prepared notes from the Steering Committee s November meeting and continued to coordinate with the Executive Director. (Taking Root is a campaign to address the need to retain forested area, which is a major issue identified in environmental consultations on the transportation plan.) Long Range Planning: Land Use (610.4): Through December, staff continued to prepare materials for engaging land use and environmental agencies during the FY16 environmental consultations process including materials for a webcast engagement of stakeholders. The webcast was conducted on December 15. Staff launched an online survey for participant s input following webcast which closed December 31. Staff prepared materials for the Green Umbrella Transportation Action Team presentation to the annual Green Umbrella meeting held December 9. Materials included information on various Team metrics being tracked to measure progress related to the Team s overall goal of fuel consumption reduction. In December, staff finalized the update to chapters of the Elements of a Comprehensive Plan document and disseminated to LUC Steering Committee for final comments and suggestions. Staff will publish the final document early in In December, staff continued communication with PDS regarding interest from 4 additional communities in the FIAM. Staff also met with Amberley Village staff to discuss their potential use of the FIAM. In December, staff updated the Greenspace portion of the website to include current information on the Environmental Consultations process, the Taking Root campaign and to feature the newly developed interactive Environmental Viewer. Fiscal Impact Analysis Model (610.5): In December, staff engaged FIAM partners and UC staff assisting with original FIAM calculation framework to determine best methods of improving the FIAM based on the November test results. Through December, staff continued communication with PDS regarding interest from 4 additional communities in the FIAM. Staff also met with Amberley Village staff to discuss their potential use of the FIAM. Fiscal Impact Analysis Model Web Based Maintenance and Startup (611.5): Staff monitored daily back up activities which occurred as programmed. Transportation Services: Participation Plan (625.2): Staff ed members of OKI s Environmental Justice Advisory Committee to ask them to help spread the word about the 2040 Survey to update the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan and to encourage colleagues, family, friends and neighbors to complete the survey. 3

41 Staff participated in an FHWA webinar, Environmental Justice and Title VI Data Collection and Analysis. Staff made a brief presentation at the Lower Price Hill, South Fairmount, South Cumminsville, Avondale and Mt. Lookout Community Councils, Sayler Park Village Council and the Downtown Residents Community Council. The presentations encouraged everyone to complete the 2040 Survey and postcards with the website address to the survey were also available. Staff also attended the Holiday Meetings of the Community Development Corporations of Greater Cincinnati and the Corryville Community Council and passed out the 2040 Survey postcard. Staff participated in the FTA webinar, DBE Adequate Shortfall Analysis/Corrective Action Plan. Staff participated in the FHWA Environmental Justice Workshop presented by the Mid Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). Staff attended the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Legislative event. Staff attended the State of METRO 2015 Annual Meeting at which (250) 2040 Survey postcards were disseminated among the attendees. Special Studies: Regional Clean Air Program (665.4): The smog alert hotline and account was maintained by retrieving messages and responding to those inquiring about the clean air program. Commuter Assistance Services: Rideshare (667.1): Staff continued to process and update applications. 23 matches were attempted in the month of December 9 Carpool matches 11 Vanpool matches 3 Transit matches 0 Park and Ride matches 2,765 commuters are registered with RideShare. Two commuters used the GRH program during the month of November. Vanpooling Staff provided van quotes for commuters interested in the vanpooling program. There are 20 vanpools in operation throughout the region. Marketing Staff continued to participate in Web Ex Presentations reviewing various ridematching platforms. JARC/New Freedom Coordinated Transportation Plan (674.1/674.2) During December, staff continued to monitor the JARC and New Freedom projects in the Cincinnati urbanized area. On December 10, the Oversight Team met and discussed several items. The group was brought up to date on the existing JARC and New Freedom projects still operating in the OKI region. In addition, there was lengthy discussion on the update to the Coordinated Plan. Staff presented several recommendations for public input including a meeting with transportation users in February The Coordinated Plan is being updated in the current fiscal year and the revised Plan is planned to be presented to the OKI Executive Committee in May

42 Section 5310 Program (674.3) Staff continued to manage the Section 5310 Program for the Cincinnati urbanized area. Staff met with representatives from SORTA on December 4 to review the process for the second round of Section 5310 applications approved for funding. It was decided a meeting with awarded sub recipients will be held in the spring of The meeting would include representatives from the vehicle manufacturers, OKI and SORTA and the sub recipients would be able to complete the vehicle order forms which are used from the ODOT website. In this manner, all parties are available to answer any questions that arise while completing the forms. For Grant OH 16 X012, there were no fund drawdowns in December for Section 5310 administrative funds. New Freedom Pass Through (674.4) Staff continued to manage the New Freedom sub recipients and OKI Administrative Grants. New Freedom pass through funds are provided to Towne Taxi for a taxi voucher program. During December, $3,304 in New Freedom funds were processed from Grant OH 57 X064 for OKI administration of the New Freedom program. During December, $3,871 in JARC funds were processed from Grant OH 37 X088. This grant is used for OKI administration of the JARC program in the Cincinnati urbanized area including the update to the current Coordinated Plan. Ohio Exclusive: Regional Transportation Planning Organization Pilot Program (684.4) Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission (OVRDC) is developing a regional transportation plan. OKI is providing assistance to OVRDC through a contract with the Ohio Department of Transportation. No activity this month. Ohio Exclusive: Eastern Corridor Study (684.9) No activity this period. Indiana Exclusive: Dearborn County Transportation Planning (685.1 CPG): 3C Planning Process Active management of the OKI TIP continued. Staff continues to coordinate with Dearborn County and INDOT personnel to advance the programming of Dearborn STP and CMAQ projects. Staff continues work on the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, 2016 Update. A short public survey is available on the website ( until midnight January 8. As of December 14, over 1500 survey responses had been received. Staff is also working with local jurisdictions, counties and state DOTs to draft an initial 2040 Plan project list. Staff prepared amendment #5 of the OKI FY TIP which will be presented to the ICC and the Board of Directors at their December meeting. The amendment includes 5 highway projects in Indiana. Monthly progress reports were prepared for work elements in the Unified Planning Work Program (ongoing). Work on the year end progress report and list of obligated projects lists commenced. Air Quality No activity period. Project Development and Special Studies The Bright/74 Corridor Study Advisory Committee met for the first time on November 18. See report. Functional Class, HPMS and CMP Performance measures Staff continues to monitor state and federal activity on the remaining performance measures to address the MAP 21 goal areas of safety, infrastructure condition, system performance, and environmental sustainability. No other activity this month. Staff is 5

43 preparing the performance measures element of the 2040 Plan to be presented to the OKI Board in January. Travel Model, Data, GIS & Homeland Security Staff has been working on refinements to the travel model that includes the investigation for possible integration of the ODOT capacity calculator into the model. Staff continued on creation of a webmap to show travel model matrix data. Work on truck model refinements continues. Traffic counts are being collected across the region by OKI staff and consultants under contract with OKI. Staff provided traffic counts and model data for the Bright 74 study. Participation Plan Staff remains active in disseminating information about regional transportation projects and DBE opportunities. Fiscal Impact Model The Executive Committee approved the staff request to retain a consultant to maintain the web based Fiscal Impact Analysis Model. Environmental Consultations As a first step in environmental consultations on the 2040 transportation plan update, staff finalized preparations and presented information to participating state and local agencies in a webcast on December 15, followed by a request for responses to a survey for updating information about environmental concerns and progress in addressing them. The webcast provided participants with an overview of the consultations process and the regionally significant environmental and historic resources that are to be compared with the transportation plan in later steps. For Taking Root, staff participated in meetings of the Executive Committee on December 4 and the Steering Committee on December 22, prepared notes from the Steering Committee s November meeting and continued to coordinate with the Executive Director. (Taking Root is a campaign to address the need to retain forested area, which is a major issue identified in environmental consultations on the transportation plan. Indiana Exclusive: Dearborn County (685.2 STP) The Study Team continues the data collection process. Tentative dates have been selected for the second Advisory Committee meeting and first public meeting. Bright74.oki.org Kentucky Exclusive: Transportation Planning Activities (686.3) KY 536: The Phase Three Public Comment Summary Report was completed and posted to the website. The Study Team is nearing completion of the Final Report which will be posted to the by 12/31/15. OKI will present the study s recommendation to the OKI Board in January for adoption. Unified Planning Work Program (695) The FY16 UPWP is in effect. Initial phases of development of the FY17 UPWP have been initiated. The year end progress report is complete. Work has been completed on the review and update of the metropolitan planning agreements between OKI and partners. Monthly progress reports were prepared for work elements in the Unified Planning Work Program (ongoing). Transportation Program Reporting (697.1) No activity this period. 6

44 Mobile Source Emissions Planning (720.1) EPA released a new version of its motor vehicle emission factor model (MOVES2014a). The new version was installed and tested. Staff generated revised emission factors for the OKI region. 7

45 RESOLUTION KY536 SCOPING STUDY ADOPTION

46 ADOPTION OF THE KY 536 SCOPING STUDY BACKGROUND: KY 536 is widely recognized as a critical east west connector in terms of mobility, connectivity and economic vitality for not only Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties, but the entire region. Phased improvements are being made by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to upgrade and modernize the entire KY 536 transportation corridor. Upon the request of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and on behalf of our three Northern Kentucky counties, over the past 16 months, OKI has led a transportation planning study of the KY 536 corridor from KY 17 in Kenton County to the Campbell County Line. This segment is the only portion of KY 536 for which specific improvements had not previously been identified. The KY 536 Scoping Study has been conducted in three phases and an extensive public involvement process which included the participation and guidance of a very diverse Project Development Team has been at the core of each study phase. During Phase One, the Study Team focused on examining the problems and challenges of the existing roadway and defining the purpose and need for improvements. In Phase Two, the Study Team developed and evaluated multiple preliminary alternatives designed to address the needs and challenges identified in Phase One. The team shared these alternatives with the public and gathered and reviewed the community s input. Using the feedback received, the Study Team has worked in Phase 3 to refine the alternatives and narrow them down from eight to two transportation improvement options. OKI presents the final KY 536 Scoping Study which includes the recommendation of the Off Alignment Alternative in Kenton County from KY 17 to the Campbell County Line for adoption by the OKI Board of Directors. ACTION RECOMMENDED: Approval of Resolution OKI EXHIBIT: (1) Resolution OKI , (2) Study Synopsis of the KY 536 Scoping Study

47 OKI RESOLUTION OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE OHIO KENTUCKY INDIANA REGIONAL COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS CONCERNING ADOPTION OF THE KY 536 SCOPING STUDY WHEREAS, the KY 536 Scoping Study has been prepared by the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet; and WHEREAS, the KY 536 Scoping Study is a multi modal plan that has been prepared under the direction of a Project Development Team representing diverse perspectives in the public and private sectors and included an extensive public involvement effort; and WHEREAS, the KY 536 Scoping Study accounts for other planning initiatives at the municipal, county, regional and state levels; and WHEREAS, the KY 536 Scoping Study has identified transportation improvement recommendations for KY 536 between KY 17 and the Campbell County Line: Now, therefore, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of the Ohio Kentucky Indiana Regional Council of Governments at its regular public meeting of January 14, 2016 adopts the KY 536 Scoping Study; and BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the OKI 2040 Regional Transportation Plan, 2016 Update will consider for inclusion the improvement recommendations as identified by the KY 536 Scoping Study subject to air quality and fiscal constraint requirements. RB 1/14/16 KEVIN J. LYNCH, PRESIDENT

48 Study Synopsis December 2016 Previous Scoping Study In December 2000, a report for the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) entitled KY 237-Camp Ernst Road-KY 536 Corridor Improvements: Boone, Kenton, and Campbell Counties was completed. This document contains the culmination of all roadway improvement and environmental studies for this KY 237-Camp Ernst Road-KY 536 series of east-west roadways through Northern Kentucky. The primary objective of the project was to study and evaluate details of alternate roadway alignments such that a right-of-way corridor may be reserved for the appropriate roadway sections that will improve safety and provide adequate capacity for the year 2025 traveling public. As a result of this 2000 Study, improvement recommendations were developed for the entire KY 237 and KY 536 corridor with the exception of the KY 536 section between KY 17 and the Kenton/Campbell county line. It is for this reason, to identify a recommended alternative for this final, missing piece, that the KY 536 Scoping Study was conducted. Purpose In fall 2014, the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) initiated a scoping study for the KY 536 corridor between KY 17 and the Kenton/Campbell county line. This segment of KY 536 is part of a regional plan to upgrade KY 536 in Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties to improve east-west connectivity in northern Kentucky. The goal of the scoping study was to reach consensus on a recommended alternative that satisfies the purpose and need of the improvements to the corridor. KY 536 Scoping Study Study Area* * Study area includes a one mile radius along the entire segment. The KY 536 Scoping Study is managed by the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) and follows project development guidelines established by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). All documents and maps referenced here are available at:

49 Project Development Team To provide the study with local leadership and input, a Project Development Team (PDT) was created from a vast cross section of community organizations, business leaders and elected officials. Six PDT meetings were held during the course of the study to set goals, provide feedback, gain information from the study team and disseminate information to and from their constituents. Ultimately, the PDT recommended an alternative for KY 536 to advance to a future KYTC project development phase. Phase One: Data Collection The study team accumulated data on existing roadway, utility, and traffic conditions, as well as environmental resources to identify potential red flags. These were developed into separate reports titled Existing Conditions Report, the Environmental Overview/Red Flag Summary and the Purpose and Need Statement. The acquired data was used to catalog existing geometric deficiencies along the route and high crash rate locations. Existing traffic operations were studied to determine how the corridor functions, including the time needed to travel the length of the corridor. The entire corridor suffers from narrow lanes, insufficient shoulders and horizontal and vertical curves that are deficient based upon current roadway standards. These deficiencies lead to crash rates that are multitudes higher in several locations in comparison to similar roadways in Kentucky. These safety concerns cause traffic to operate at slower speeds, increasing the time needed to travel the corridor or avoid the corridor entirely, increasing the traffic volumes on I-275. Traffic analysis shows Level of Service (LOS) D in several segments. The public s feedback on existing conditions of the roadway confirmed the study s data collection and analysis. The review of environmental data helped shape alternative recommendations for KY 536. There are several streams that were taken into consideration when developing the alternatives. White s Tower Elementary School is an important community facility located at the intersection of KY 536 and KY 16. Care was taken to maximize the safety of students, teachers, staff and the general public when developing alternatives. All community facilities, cemeteries, churches, utilities, potential historic properties and other environmental constraints were mapped to minimize potential impacts. Particular attention was paid to farmland, given the agricultural area east of KY 16 and the residents desire to keep the area rural in nature. 2

50 PHASE ONE PUBLIC COMMENT SUMMARY Overall, the public recognizes that improvements are needed along KY 536 between KY 17 and the Kenton/Campbell county line. However, the rationale for why they feel improvements are needed and the extent to which they should occur varied: The majority expressed that improvements are needed to address a variety of safety issues Others shared that improving the flow of local and/or regional traffic was important Although most people agreed that something needed to be done, the public shared several concerns for the Study Team to consider and minimize as roadway improvements were developed: Potential loss of homes and/or property or portions thereof Potential impacts to the natural environmental (vegetation, rivers, endangered species, etc.) Potential impact of increased traffic volumes (to drivers as well as to residents living along KY 536) Potential increase in truck traffic along the route and increases in noise Potential negative impact and/or change to the rural nature of the community Potential unwanted development Phase Two: Draft Alternatives Based upon the data collected in the first phase of the study, a Purpose and Need Statement was developed that outlined the current conditions of the corridor and defined the need for action. Using the information obtained from data collection efforts, the study team developed eight potential alternatives for upgrading KY 536. These alternatives included both on-alignment segments (keeping KY 536 exactly where it is currently located) and off-alignment segments (building new roadway segments). The section between KY 17 and KY 16 is classified by KYTC as urban, meaning curb/gutter and multi-use paths for pedestrians and bicyclists were included in the alternatives. Since KYTC classifies the section east of KY 16 as rural, no curb/gutter and multiuse paths were included. The roadway in this area would have wide shoulders and ditches. Pedestrians and bicyclists could use the wide shoulders to travel the area, as is normal KYTC policy for rural roadways. Alternative 1 was developed for consideration as the No Build. This alternative would only upgrade three curves that exhibit high crash rates. No improvements to the remainder of the corridor would be considered as a part of Alternative 1. Alternative 2 upgraded the entire corridor to current roadway standards, keeping KY 536 in its current location throughout the length of the segment. This alternative did not eliminate the disjointed nature of the existing roadway (six right/left turns needed to travel from KY 17 to the Kenton/Campbell County line). Alternatives 3-8 upgraded KY 536 to modern roadway geometric standards for the entire length of the corridor and eliminated the six turns needed to travel the corridor. The alternatives were presented to the PDT on June 30, 2015 and the general public via a Public Open House on July 6, The information presented included conceptual drawings of each alternative and an Evaluation Matrix that illustrated how each alternative met the goals established for the study. In addition to upgrading the roadway to current standards, Alternatives 3-8 reduced the travel time needed to go from KY 17 to the Kenton/Campbell County line by approximately six minutes. 3

51 Feedback received from KYTC indicated that because of cost considerations for future maintenance, they were concerned about having to maintain two roadways (existing KY 536 and a potential new route). Feedback from the public was captured at the Public Open House. The majority of feedback received centered on three themes: 1. Move the intersection of KY 536/KY 16 away from White s Tower Elementary School for safety of the students 2. Minimize the amount of existing KY 536 that would need to be maintained in addition to the new KY Prioritize saving farmland utilization over residences, with the belief that many affected homes could be rebuilt on their property PHASE TWO PUBLIC COMMENT SUMMARY Phase Three: Alternative Refinement & Final Recommendation Based upon feedback from both PDT and the general public, a ninth alternative was developed that reused more of the existing roadway corridor before deviating to an off-alignment route. On July 31, 2015 the PDT discussed the alternatives and narrowed the nine alternatives to two, an On-Alignment Alternative and an Off-Alignment Alternative. Because KY 536 is part of the regional bicycle plan, they requested that in addition to multi-use paths in the urban section between KY 17 and KY 16, the study team should include a separate multi-use path in the rural section from KY 16 to the Kenton/Campbell County line. The PDT was not comfortable using the roadway shoulders for pedestrians and bicyclists. The study team refined these two alternatives and developed more quantitative impact information, including conceptual cost information for design, right-of-way, utility and construction costs. 4

52 The two, refined alternatives were presented to the PDT on September 25, After discussion regarding the multi-use path in the rural section, the PDT recommended that the Off-Alignment Alternative be advanced to a future KYTC design phase. This was presented at the October 5, 2015 Public Open House and website. After a 30 day comment period, the survey results were tabulated. Sixty-One percent of the public responded with a Strongly Agree or Agree with the PDT recommendation of the Off-Alignment Alternative. A final PDT meeting was held on November 16, 2015 to review the public s support for the Off-Alignment Alternative and conclude the scoping study s public involvement process. As such, the study goal of reaching consensus on a recommended alternative was achieved. Future Considerations As the corridor moves into the next phase of development, engineering and design assumptions made during this study should be continually evaluated. In order to reduce the project s footprint and preserve the rural feel, the following items should be re-visited. These items are based upon PDT and public feedback. Lowering the design speed east of KY 16 from 55 mph to 45 mph due to the close proximity of residences Changing the shoulders in the rural section from 12 feet to 8 feet Modifying the front and back slopes from 6:1 to 4:1 Using a combination of a two-foot paved shoulder and a six-foot stabilized earth shoulder in the rural section to provide the emergency pull-off while minimizing the width of pavement Due to the 6.5 mile length of the corridor and cost considerations, the segment of KY 536 from KY 17 to the Kenton/Campbell County line could be broken into separate projects. For design, right-of-way, and utility relocation activities, one option would be to break the corridor into two projects. Project Phases KY 17 to Staffordsburg Staffordsburg to Campbell County Line Design $800,000 $1,200,000 Right-of-Way $8,000,000 $4,000,000 To further assist with cost, the segment could be broken into three construction projects. This would continue KYTC s priority for progressing from west to east on KY 536 building off of other corridor improvements. Construction costs include a new bridge over the Licking River. Project Phase KY 17 to KY 16 KY 16 to Staffordsburg Staffordsburg to Campbell County Line Construction $12,500,000 $8,540,000 $46,960,000 5

53 Please direct any questions regarding the study to Robyn Bancroft, AICP, OKI Strategic Planning Manager, at or (513) The entire KY 536 Scoping Study is located online at