PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY AND RESPONSES TO COMMENTS

Transcription

1 MAIN/BROADWAY INTERCHANGE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT A Project to Improve the I-76/77 Main/Broadway Interchange and Local Streets from the Ohio Department of Transportation and City of Akron ODOT Project: SUM ; PID PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT SUMMARY AND RESPONSES TO COMMENTS December 2013 Contents: Project Overview Stakeholder and Public Involvement Overview Local Business and Organization Outreach Public Meeting Public Comments Received and Responses to Comments Project Information, Comment Cards Distributed at National Night Out Project Poster at METRO s RKP Transit Center Open M Ministries Hot Lunch Program Outreach and Foyer Display PROJECT OVERVIEW The Main/Broadway Interchange is a vital transportation element in Akron, connecting people to the various assets in the downtown area, including businesses, government agencies, and the University of Akron. As such, it is imperative that the interchange operate efficiently and safely. The current interchange configuration is not meeting these needs due to various existing conditions, including poor geometry. A range of interchange alternatives have been developed and evaluated to determine the improvement which will best serve the area.

2 The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) and City of Akron have developed several alternatives to improve safety, reduce crashes, replace aging infrastructure and provide roadways that meet current design standards. The recommended preferred alternative proposes the following: Reconfiguration of the I-76/77 Main/Broadway interchange ramps. Relocating or modifying sections of South Main Street, South Broadway Street, East South Street, West South Street, Yale Street, Bachtel Avenue, Coburn Street, Russell Avenue, East Voris Street, West Voris Street and Sweitzer Avenue. Permanent closure of the I-76/77 Grant Street/Wolf Ledges Parkway interchange ramps. The proposed project is scheduled for construction in Spring The estimated construction cost is $80 million. STAKEHOLDER AND PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT OVERVIEW ODOT District 4 and URS Corporation conducted a public involvement effort which included additional levels of outreach to ensure inclusion of all populations and neighborhood elements. It was determined that the public involvement outreach would include, at a minimum, one public meeting, business outreach, the distribution of project information/collecting of comments at four locations of National Night Out, and informational sessions at the Open M Ministries. These efforts included the identified low income and minority populations accounting for over 40% of the residents in the project area. URS personnel conducted a field review of the project area to identify businesses, community centers and places of congregation. These locations could be used to reach out to residents and transient populations in the area that might not otherwise participate in the public process. Specifically, it was the goal of ODOT District 4 and URS to go to the stakeholders (both resident and non-resident) in order to get the information out about the project and make stakeholders aware of their opportunity to participate. A discussion of the effort is in the Local Business and Organization Outreach section of this document. A copy of the mailing to the property owners in the area, which included the public meeting notice and methods on how to submit comments, was provided to each business or organization. In addition to business and organization outreach, a local community center was identified. Open M Ministries is a comprehensive, faith-based ministry that helps people throughout the greater Akron area meet the spiritual and physical challenges of living with scarce resources. Open M provides a hot lunch; open to anyone is Summit County, every day from the third Monday of the month to the end of the month. The people served by the Open M may or may not reside in the project area, or have a permanent residence; however, they would certainly be affected by the project and any temporary and permanent detours for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The public involvement effort for this project began with a mailing to the property owners in the area announcing a public meeting and including general information about the project. The limits for the mailing are depicted in Figure 1.

3 Figure 1 - Mailing Limits for Project All public meeting notices were sent via the United States Postal Service by July 10, URS mailed 371 notices to both tenants and property owners. In addition, URS contacted the agencies in Table 1. Table 1 - Additional Stakeholders Akron Bible Church Akron Children s Hospital Akron Fire Department-Haz Mat Bureau Akron General Medical Center Akron Main Post Office Akron Masjid Akron Metropolitan Area Catholic Worker of Akron-Peter Akron Public Schools Transportation Study (AMATS) Maurin Center Child Care Connection Christ Is-Answer Ministries Church of the Good Shepherd City of Akron Engineering Bureau City of Akron Mayor s Office of City of Akron Planning and Urban Economic Development Development City of Akron Police Department Community Drug Board Foundation Community of Christ Church Concordia Evangelical Lutheran Greater Akron Chamber Of Hope Cafe Ministry Church Commerce Marcia L. Fudge, US House of Representatives Metro Regional Transit Authority Mobile Meals Inc Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning and Development Open M Ministries Rob Portman, US Senate Organization (NEFCO) Saints Temple First Born Church Second Baptist Church South Street Ministries St. Mary Catholic Church Summit County Summit County Council Summit County Engineer's Office Summit County Jail Summit County Sheriff's Office Tim Ryan, US House of Representatives Tom Sawyer, Ohio Senate United Disability Services University of Akron Vernon Sykes, Ohio House of Representatives

4 In addition to the direct mailing, ODOT District 4 sent a press release on July 10, 2013 which announced the public meeting and included general information about the project. Prompted by this press release, the Akron Beacon Journal published an article on July 27, 2013 about the upcoming public meeting and the project. LOCAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATION OUTREACH ODOT and its consultant, URS Corporation, reached out to local businesses, other community resources and organizations as well as community leaders for the purpose of engaging members of the public patronizing the businesses and community resources. The goal was to go into the community and talk to business operators and patrons of the businesses in order to provide an additional level of outreach to low income and minority populations in the project area as well as to increase awareness of the upcoming July 25, 2013 public meeting for the project. The businesses identified for outreach were those located primarily along the South Main Street, South Broadway Street, South Street and the Grant Street/Wolf Ledges Parkway bridges over I- 76/77 that appeared to be centers for neighborhood activity and were possible locations where information could be given to individuals working at the business and to patrons of the business. URS Corporation used Google Earth and multiple field visits to identify these locations. On July 19 and 23, 2013, URS staff spoke with owners, employees and patrons of at least 17 businesses and organizations and distributed project brochures and project notices. URS did not obtain names of the individuals in which company personnel interacted as the goal was to build trust and encourage feedback and participation. Businesses and organizations with formal names are listed in Table 2 but URS staff also stopped at several locations to discuss the project and leave materials where obvious community activity was occurring but no formal organization or business existed. When URS staff was passing out project brochures they shared information about the project including the project goal, street closures (both temporary and permanent) as well as how the neighborhood might be affected with property acquisition and construction. URS staff reached out to the following businesses or organizations: Table 2 - Outreach Locations Business or Facility Name Community Drug Board Foundation Mobile Meals Inc St Mary Catholic Church Second Baptist Church South Street Ministries Open M Ministries Akron Masjid Catholic Worker of Akron-Peter Maurin Center Choices Community Social Center Northeast Ohio Four County Regional Planning and Development Organization (NEFCO) Akron General Community Health Center Aldi s (Grocery Store) Address 838 Coburn St 1063 S. Broadway Street 750 South Main Street 690 South Main Street 130 W South St 941 Princeton Street 1147 South Old Main Street 1096 South Main Street 320 E. South Street 180 East South Street 676 South Broadway Street 772 South Main Street

5 BP Convenience Store Downtown Laundromat Tasty Carry-Out Family Dollar Store METRO s RKP Transit Center 778 Grant Street 1035 South Main Street 22 W Long Street 266 East South Street S. Broadway Street & E. Bartges Street There were no concerns identified and no follow-up needed as a result of this outreach. PUBLIC MEETING On July 25, 2013, a public meeting was held for the proposed project. The planned format of the meeting included an open house interspersed with two presentations - each with an opportunity for attendees to speak during an open-microphone session. Additionally, the planned meeting format also offered a question and answer session in which all attendees could ask questions and receive answers in an open setting. Therefore, allowing neighbors and stakeholders to hear each other s comments and information. The meeting was held from 5 pm to 8 pm at the Leggett Community Learning Center at 333 E. Thornton Street, Akron, Ohio The goal of the meeting was to introduce the project by providing a project overview, discussing the purpose and need, illustrating the changes to the existing local roadway network, addressing potential motorized and non-motorized impacts, and providing the public with the opportunity to make comments regarding the project or ask any project-related questions. A total of 72 people attended the meeting. Please note, as attendees joined the meeting they were invited to sign up to speak during the official comment period, and were offered a copy of ODOT s Guidelines for Open Public Comment Period at Public Meetings. The project exhibits showed changes to roadway and ramp alignments, residential and commercial property takes and environmental impacts of the proposed project. PUBLIC COMMENTS RECEIVED AND RESPONSES TO COMMENTS Twelve (12) individuals provided comments or questions through the open-microphone format at the Public Meeting. There were 22 individual questions and the transition between questions was very quick. Only fifteen (15) written comments were received. No Environmental Justice issues were raised as a result of the public involvement activities conducted as part of the proposed project. The comments cover a wide range of subjects, as summarized in the following table. Many of the responses address multiple topics. Comment Topic # of Comments Overall negative, project not needed 1 Impacts to Bus Facilities / Routes / Pedestrian Facilities 5 Inquires about future development impacts 2 Inquires about access to property 15 Comments about design elements 5 Questions about funding 2 Total 30

6 The comments, grouped together by topic, are summarized below, followed by ODOT responses. Copies of all received public comments are included in the appendix. Comment: Two lanes of traffic will not handle the four lanes now heading south on Main between I-77 and Miller Ave. Response: Based upon traffic analysis of future 2035 traffic, the recommended alternative shown has sufficient capacity. Comment: Basically my business is pretty much cut off from the whole business environment- no access from exit ramp to my business. Response: The removal of the Grant/Wolf Ledges Interchange provides enhanced safety on I-76/I-77. The removal of these ramps does impact access to and from the freeway to some properties; however full freeway access is available at the Main/Broadway Interchange, which is only a block away. The reconfiguration of the Main/Broadway roadways provides access to adjoining properties. Properties where access is eliminated due to the reconfiguration will be purchased as part of the project. Comment: What is going to happen to S. Main area from 76/77 to Miller? Right now, it is not downtown and it is not LODO. It is nowhere-land. Response: South Main Street and Broadway will be combined into one roadway in this area. The remaining land will be available for future development. Comment: The project will totally cut my business traffic to zero. This project will decrease the value of my building and business net worth. Response: The removal of the Grant/Wolf Ledges Interchange provides enhanced safety on I-76/I-77. The removal of these ramps does impact access to and from the freeway to some properties; however full freeway access is available at the Main/Broadway Interchange, which is only a block away. The reconfiguration of the Main/Broadway roadways provides access to adjoining properties. Properties where access is eliminated due to the reconfiguration will be purchased as part of the project Comment: My concern is for my home at 929 Yale Street and why the entrance of Yale Street has to be changed encompassing more homes. I know flow of traffic on W. South Street and moving W. South and the ramp at W. South, but I ask for a review of the relocation of Yale Street and 929 Yale Street. Response: Due to the required separation of the ramp from local streets, W. South Street will be realigned. Maintaining Yale Street at its current location would result in a skewed intersection. For safety purposes and to meet current design standards, the intersection needs to be approximately 90, resulting in the relocation of Yale Street. Comment: A roundabout costing approximately a half million dollars is proposed at the intersection of two low volume streets, Bachtel Avenue and West South Street. This office recommends eliminating the traffic circle and replacing it with a Tee intersection. A simple Tee intersection, with Bachtel (a one block long residential street) controlled by a STOP sign would serve the same purpose of serving the residential neighborhood while controlling traffic flows and would save the vast majority of the half million dollars. A tee intersection is cheaper to design, quicker to build, requires less right of way, is easier to maintain (snow plows can spread salt on both lanes of a true street but must drive in circles to treat a roundabout), does not require city maintenance forces to periodically mow the central portion of the circle, and provides access to the larger fire protection vehicles and saves money for other capital projects. Response: This issue will be further studied during the final design phase of the project. Comment: Whether the circle is retained or a tee intersection is built, full pedestrian movements should be provided at this intersection. As designed, pedestrians from West South Street headed toward the new relocated South Main Street are forced to walk three quarters of

7 the way around the traffic circle to continue along on their intended path. The circle option is missing sidewalk in the north east quadrant. This office recommends placing sidewalk and crosswalks across all of the approach lets of the intersection. Response: Pedestrian access will be maintained and details will be addressed during final design. Comment: The project lacks any storm water detention or retention basins. With one hundred years storms occurring more frequently, storm water runoff and the associated flooding are impacting properties miles from where the rainfall is striking the ground. Efforts to slow storm water runoff and improve the quality of the flows entering the streams should be considered on every project. With the number of buildings being removed on this project and the amount of brown fields being created, we recommend the storm water detention / retention basins be incorporated in the detail design of the project. Response: The project is in the early stages of planning and design. Storm water management features will be integrated in the project design in accordance with federal and state storm water management regulations. Comment: The eastern terminus of this project is between Sherman Street and Summer Street. The western terminus of the SUM-I-76/ /12.12 (Johnston Street Relocation) project is just west of the Brown Street overpass. The distance between these two projects is approximately 1500 feet. Will this missing link be repaired, resurfaced, or replaced with either of the two projects or will there be another project sometime in the future to disrupt the traffic on the freeway a third time? This office recommends filling in the missing link and improving the omitted section as a part of either one of these two proposed projects. Response: At this time, the referenced section of I-76/77 is not part of the proposed project. However, ODOT is progressing with the Akron Beltway study and the referenced section will be addressed as part of that study and associated future construction projects. Comment: Near the northern end of the proposed improvements, ODOT and the City of Akron are proposing a Main Broadway Connector Right Turn Lane. This fish hook design creates a sub-standard facility that is inherently unsafe, costly and redundant. The purpose of the ramp is to provide access to West Bartges Street from northbound South Main Street. This access is available by making a right onto West Thornton Street and a left turn onto South Broadway Street. The proposed fish hook ramp has a substandard left turn onto South Broadway Street. The proposed Fish hook ramp has a substandard horizontal curve of nearly 180 degrees and includes a 14.3% uphill grade to get from South Main Street to West Bartges Street. ODOT standards avoid designing driveways with such a steep grade; it seems inconsistent to consider building a public highway connection with such substandard geometrics. The horizontal alignment, the superelevation requirements, the steepness of the ramp, the required grade break at the terminus with West Bartges Street, the poor sight distance looking back over the drivers shoulder to avoid traffic turning left from South Broadway all add up to a poor design. Winter maintenance on this hill will be problematic with snow and ice on such a steep grade. This office recommends against the construction of this substandard feature. Response: After further evaluation and discussion, the fish hook ramp has been eliminated. Comment: Based on your map, you have closed off any access to the business. I have trucks, 45 semi, bringing material for fabrication and taking finished products out. Response: Access issues will be addressed during the right of way acquisition process. The local roadways are being designed to accommodate business needs. Comment: There is also the life safety issue. You have closed any access for fire, medical and police vehicles. Someone didn t think this out. Response: Coordination with the City of Akron has been ongoing throughout the planning process. We will continue to coordinate with City safety forces during final design.

8 Comment: We also spent $750,000 to demolish ½ of the plant and now you want to put a ramp there. Response: This issue will be addressed during the right of way acquisition process. Comment: Suggested sidewalk connections from relocated S. Main Street to Bachtel Avenue and W. Crosier Street. Response: Pedestrian access will be provided on local streets. Details will be addressed during final design. Comment: I request shade trees or other features along sidewalks to shield pedestrians from sun, rain, snow, wind, etc. I often pick the route to my destination considering the weather and the shielding features along the way. Response: These detailed features will be investigated during final design. Comment: Concerned over the steepness of the hill on relocated E. South Street and whether it will be more strenuous to walk along compared to the existing road. Response: The grade meets current design criteria for the roadway classification. Comment: With the pending construction on Broadway, our semi-trucks pull into our rear parking lot. They can turn around if there are no cars in the back lot. We then direct them out into the street and back them up at an angle to the warehouse door. We need to have the tailgate of the truck about 15 feet from the building to turn the forklift around in the parking lot. We can t have the truck up next to the building due to the fact that the truck is taller than the warehouse door and we would not be able to remove the pallets. The front of the semi currently sticks out on the first lane of the road when we back it up. There would need to be about a trucks length of surface for them to pull out on to back it up. Response: Access issues will be addressed during the right of way acquisition process. Comment: My name is Pete Ripplinger. I m with Lithoprint Co. Inc., and I m also on South Main St. I have the same concern as Thybar by being pretty much cut off from the businesses and thrown into the residential area behind me. There s no access to get off the freeway now, and I ve got semi s coming in there every day. They are going to get off the freeway main, go down Main, go down the block, turn around and come back, so I m basically getting cut off. So that s a real concern for me. And also, I don t know if anybody is here from like Grant St. or Wolf Ledges, there s a lot of businesses there that they re going to, like (Sofia s?), they re going to lose a lot of traffic of getting off and on at both Ledges and Grant. I mean, those people pay a lot of taxes to the State to pay for these roads, so that really needs to be addressed. Another issue is when we re out there watching traffic go down one way between four and five-thirty in the afternoon, I don t see any way how two lanes of traffic are going to handle the four lanes that are there now. You ve got the right-hand lane which is going straight down to Old Main, down Ira. There are a lot of cars that go down there, and then in the far left lane, there are a lot of cars turning left on Miller. So, I don t see how two lanes is going to handle that traffic. Those are my comments. Response: The design of the project is based on current geometric and access standards. The additional travel time is not substantial, and access to a public street is maintained. The Grant/Wolf Ledges ramps are being eliminated for safety purposes and to achieve proper ramp spacing. Traffic analysis shows that future traffic operations will be adequate with the proposed lanes. Comment: Scott Grieshammer. I own the property across the street from him. I have all the concerns he has. I have a laundromat at 1035 South Main. I built the laundromat, bought the property about seven years ago. I invested about three-quarters of a million dollars and before I could even open my store, I got a bill for about $3, to re-pave the road, that seemed like it was fine, which I wasn t too happy about. So one question is, do I have to pay for any of this paving when you touch my property? Do I have to pay to have it paved again, number one? Number two: I have a problem that whole area is a wasteland. It seems like Downtown ends at

9 the highway, LODO starts at the other block, and then you got this Oz, where nothing, not a cent, is invested in this area. Now you re cutting us off. I m worried about the safety of my employees, I m worried about that whole area turning into garbage, because I don t see anything happening there, and my customers can t get to me from the North. My customers can t get to me from the East, and I invested a lot of money, and I m not happy, and I m being cut off, and I pay a lot of taxes. I would like then to go back to the signage thing. So, right now you re giving everybody a little expressway to blow right past me and not even know I m there; number one. I think I should get permitted, there should be a sign that everybody knows even down in the little wasteland of an area, number one, and I think there should be some guarantee that the City is going to take care of it. I got an area behind my building, that when the grass gets about that high, they come and mow it. I mean, it s going to get worse when we re out of view. It s not that I m not happy with the project, I m not happy with the fact that I invested all that money into a crappy part of downtown, and now I get isolated even more. Response: Access to a public street maintained, with the project design based on current geometric and access standards. There will be no charge to property owners for these improvements. Land will be available for future development within the project area. Comment: I m Virginia Di Lauro, I m a resident at 65 Bachtel Street and I haven t had much opportunity to figure this up whole thing out, but I can see already that people in my area are part of that garbage, that it s going to be even more land-locked. Right now we have some access from a direct exit from the expressway on the Main exit, which is going to be changed. Pedestrians are really land-locked. We have to walk, or drive out of our way to get downtown, to get anywhere we have to walk. From where I live, I have to go down S. Main Street, to Long St. and then figure a way to get to the other side of S. Main St. People getting on the expressway, or getting off of the expressway are going to have to go out of their way as well. We have enough problems for right now. You know, I m wondering if some better accommodation can be made for us, so we can get to the businesses we want to get to, and they can get to us. Thank you. Response: Access is being maintained and pedestrian access will be provided. Direct access from the freeway cannot be provided under current design standards. Comment: My name is Bill Harper, and I m at the property at Voris and S. Main named Akron Novelty and I ve been in this block. We have a building at Thornton and Main for 25 years, and Urban Renewal took that, that s where all the supermarkets were from, and we moved down to Voris and S. Main 35 years ago. So, I ve been there for 35 years, so I ve been in the area for 60 years. I ve seen a lot of changes. I know the traffic patterns, and my problem is that you re impacting a tremendous amount of businesses. You re wiping out businesses, because a lot of those people will not be able to financially relocate. You re wiping out a lot of residences, and you re coming up with very little improvement to reviving that tribe as far as I m concerned. It s it s a whole lot of money and a whole lot of impact with very little results. Response: Any properties (business or residential) that are being totally acquired will be compensated for both the property and relocation costs. Comment: (Received at District 4 via letter dated July 25, 2013 see attached comments) Metro RTA has several concerns related to the project: a. The Robert K. Pfaff Center serves as the operational hub of the regional transit system. Any direct or indirect disruption of operations could have wide-ranging consequences on the ability to maintain scheduled service. b. There are seven (7) regular routes operating south of the transit center on S. Main and Broadway, connecting to 26 other routes. Disruptions during construction could ripple through the transit system if travel connections cannot be made. c. The 17 Brown/Inman route will be severed by the permanent project-related closure of Johnston Street, causing hardship for customers and negatively impacting a revenue producer. d. The potentially impacted service area includes minorities and populations in poverty in excess of county-wide averages. Transit service changes resulting from project impacts

10 will require Title VI analysis and public outreach, involving increased staff effort and costs. e. The project area has existing urban streetscape, including sidewalks. It is critical that the facilities remain functional during construction and that the urban streetscape is restored upon completion of the project. Response: There will be ongoing coordination with Metro RTA during the final design process, but the following responses are offered: a. The intent of maintenance of traffic operations is to minimize impacts to the traveling public. There is currently no intention of closing either existing S. Main Street or Broadway during construction, and any delays should be minimal, with no operational impacts at the transit center. b. See response to a. c. The closure of Johnston Street is not part of this project. d. This concern appears to be largely related to the closure of Johnston Street, which is not part of this project. e. Pedestrian access will be maintained and details of future access will be coordinated through the final design process. PROJECT INFORMATION, COMMENT CARDS DISTRIBUTED AT NATIONAL NIGHT OUT URS and ODOT District 4 staff worked with Billy Soule, City of Akron Assistant to the Mayor for Community Relations, to provide project brochures and comment cards to be passed out/collected by volunteers at four project-area Akron locations of National Night Out on August 6, National Night Out is an anti-crime and drug prevention effort that brings together citizens, law enforcement agencies, civic groups, businesses, neighborhood organizations and local officials. The four locations are shown in Table 3. Table 3 National Night Out Locations and Sponsors Location Brown Street / S. Akron South Akron, Cole Avenue Summit Lake Area Vernon Odom Blvd. Sponsor(s) Akron Bible Church, E. South Street Neighborhood Watch, Christ is the Answer Church, Hope Café, Kathy s Kitchen South Akron Neighborhood Block Watch OPEN M Ministries Akron Urban League PROJECT POSTER AT METRO S RKP TRANSIT CENTER URS staff arranged to place a 22 x 28 project poster at Metro s RKP Transit Center at S. Broadway Street and E. Bartges Street at the north end of the project corridor. This location receives much traffic as the Transit Center serves as a hub for regular line service buses and passengers. OPEN M MINISTRIES HOT LUNCH PROGRAM OUTREACH AND FOYER DISPLAY URS and ODOT District 4 staff worked with Open M Ministries to reach out to those they serve during their hot lunch program. The primary reason for reaching out to those served by the Open M Ministries was to convey the impacts of the project specifically, how the project would

11 permanently change how they could reach Open M Ministries and how temporary traffic disruptions could affect travels through the project area. On August 29, 2013, the meal service began at 11:30 AM and hosted between 80 and 100 people. URS and ODOT worked to reach community members that may not have a fixed address in the project area but would be affected by the ramp and street closures and relocations. URS and ODOT went to provide displays, hand out project materials and interact with those being served during the meal service. URS staff distributed brochures, comment cards and spoke with interested Hot Lunch participants. Two comment cards were submitted at the Hot Lunch. URS left brochures and comment cards in the Open M foyer from August 29, 2013 to September 24, 2013 for Open M visitors to review. A suggestion box was included so that comment cards could be deposited. The Hot Lunch outreach was repeated on September 24, A total of two comment cards, simply indicating support for the project, were collected from the suggestion box.