Transportation

520 Mediation Process, Seattle, Washington

State Route (SR) 520 is one of two east-west Lake Washington crossings between Bellevue to Seattle (the other is I-90). Washington’s Senate Bill 6099 required hiring a mediator to assist in developing SR 520 bridge replacement impact plan for Seattle. Mike Hughes and Jody Erikson, of The Keystone Center, began convening a mediation group and oversight committee in June 2007. The mediation process will address environmental, transit, and neighborhood impacts.

I-70 Collaborative Process, Colorado

The Keystone Center has bee selected to help key stakeholders build consensus on a recommended preferred alternative for the I-70 corridor from C470 to Glenwood in order that the agencies can complete the I-70 Mountain Corridor Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement (PEIS) and move forward with a record of decisions.

The Keystone Center is convening a stakeholder group that represents all communities and interest groups along the corridor. The collaborative stakeholder process is part of the public involvement process under the National Environmental Policy Act, and will play a role in the decision-making process for the Final Programmatic EIS. The collaborative stakeholder process was initiated as a result of a number of stakeholder comments and concerns submitted in response to the Draft Programmatic EIS in 2004-2005.

To learn more about the PEIS visit http://www.i70mtncorridor.com/ or call Johanna Raquet 970-513-5800.

South Broadway NEPA Process, Colorado

The intersection of I-25 and Broadway, two miles from downtown Denver, is the site of a major transit hub and zoning for 10 million square feet of mixed-use, transit-oriented development. To address current congestion and find a solution for long-term travel demand, the City and County of Denver began a study of transportation options and asked The Keystone Center to help the Community Consensus Committee build agreement on a set of transportation improvements for a one-mile section of South Broadway.

Since May of 2005, The Keystone Center (Caelan McGee and Jody Erikson) has been assisting the South Broadway NEPA Process Consensus Committee develop a set of improvements to address capacity and safety improvements for pedestrians, bicycles, transit and autos around the I-25/Broadway interchange and the Gates redevelopment area and that promotes the development and use of transit-oriented, civic, and neighborhood places. The Committee consisted of residents, business operators, property owners, the City, Regional Transit District, Colorado Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration. The Committee reached agreement on a recommended preferred alternative on April 19, 2007.

To learn more visit http://www.denvergov.org/Default.aspx?alias=www.denvergov.org/BroadwayNEPA or call Caelan McGee 303-468-8863 or Jody Erikson 303-468-8862.

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St. Croix River Crossing Problem-Solving Process

Two decades ago, the Federal Highway Administration and the states of Wisconsin and Minnesota began planning to build a new bridge across the St. Croix River. After two lawsuits and a series of failed attempts at forging a resolution to the transportation, environmental and historic preservation dispute, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), through the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution, began a mediated process to integrate the needs of all stakeholders and find a solution. The stakeholder process began in June of 2003. In June, 2006, the agencies released the Supplemental Final Environmental Impact Statement and in July the stakeholders held their final meeting.

In November 2006, FHWA signed a Record of Decision (http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/projects/stcroix/
documents.html) describing a new bridge alignment and design, a mitigation package to address impacts to the St. Croix Wild and Scenic River and a plan for future use for the National Register historic lift bridge.

Mike Hughes and Jody Erikson, mediators with The Keystone Center, worked with the St. Croix Crossing Stakeholders from June 2003 to July 2006 to explore stakeholder needs, interests, values, and viewpoints, to generate options that resonate with stakeholder needs, and to rigorously evaluate the alternatives. Stakeholders included 28 members from seven federal agencies, six state agencies, four local governments and eleven private advocacy groups, representing historic preservation, environmental, economic and transportation viewpoints.

Process Documents – Meeting summaries, agendas and documents.

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DOT 107-06, November 20, 2006 Press Release “U.S. Department of Transportation Signs Record of Decision for St. Croix River Crossing Successful Environmental Streamlining Process Moves Project Forward” (for full press release, http://www.dot.gov/affairs/dot10706.htm)

U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters today (November 20, 2006) announced that the Department has signed a Record of Decision (ROD) for the St. Croix River Crossing to connect Washington County, Minn., and St. Croix County, Wis., clearing the way for forward progress on the long-planned bridge.

The Secretary said a unique collaborative process aimed at speeding decisions on important transportation projects around the country led to the breakthrough for the St. Croix River project... “After years in limbo, this project is moving forward because everyone was able to work together, cutting through red tape while at the same time being good stewards of the environment. This project is showing the nation that you can ask hard questions, apply rigorous standards and still make tough decisions in a reasonable amount of time,” Secretary Peters said.

“Today is truly a great day for the states of Minnesota and Wisconsin,” said Frank Busalacchi, WisDOT Secretary. “We have broken through years of gridlock through a stakeholder process that brought all parties together to find a solution that we can all be proud of.”

For more information on the St. Croix River Crossing, visit
http://www.dot.state.mn.us/metro/ projects/stcroix/index.html, or please contact Mike Hughes at 303-468-8861 or Jody Erikson at 303-468-8862.

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