Incorporating NEPA into IDOT and MPO Planning Processes

El-Gohary, Nora; Liu, Liang; El-Rayes, Khaled; Lv, Xuan

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/50113 Copy

Description

Title

Incorporating NEPA into IDOT and MPO Planning Processes

Author(s)

• El-Gohary, Nora
• Liu, Liang
• El-Rayes, Khaled
• Lv, Xuan

Issue Date

2014-07

Keyword(s)

• NEPA Process
• IDOT Planning Process
• MPO Planning Process
• Process Integration
• Highway Projects

Abstract

This report summarizes the tasks and findings of the ICT Project R27-132 Incorporating National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) into IDOT and Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) planning processes, which is aimed at assisting IDOT in defining guidelines on how to integrate NEPA into the current IDOT and MPO planning processes for large-scale highway projects. The objectives of the project are to (1) provide a comprehensive review of literature of practices integrating NEPA into transportation planning processes in other states; (2) gather feedback from inter- and intra-departmental staff involved in the IDOT planning process, the MPO planning process, and the NEPA process to evaluate the existing practices of integrating NEPA into transportation planning processes for large highway projects; (3) evaluate the impact of these practices on the project development process; (4) identify (based on 1, 2, and 3 above) the key elements/practices that are needed to successfully integrate NEPA into IDOT and MPO planning processes for large-scale highway projects; (5) develop a Guidance Document on how to integrate NEPA into IDOT and MPO planning processes for large-scale highway projects; and provide recommendations on how to evaluate the integrated process. The implementation of this Guidance Document by MPOs would be voluntary. To achieve these objectives, the research team conducted seven main tasks: (1) literature review; (2) collecting project data for analysis as case studies; (3) conducting interviews for evaluating potential integration practices; (4) analyzing the results of the literature review, case studies, and expert interviews; (5) developing the proposed Integrated IDOT-MPO-NEPA Planning Process; (6) conducting interviews for evaluating the proposed integrated process; and (7) developing the Guidance Document.

Publisher

Illinois Center for Transportation/Illinois Department of Transportation

Series/Report Name or Number

• Illinois Center for Transportation Series No. 14-017
• Research Report No. FHWA-ICT-14-013

ISSN

0197-9191

Type of Resource

text

Language

en

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/50113

Sponsor(s)/Grant Number(s)

Illinois Department of Transportation, R27-132

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