Letter from Both MPOs to ALDOT concerning the I-10 Mobile River Bridge and Bayway Project.
On September 1st, 2021, a letter was submitted to ALDOT from both the Eastern Shore MPO and the Mobile MPO, requesting that ALDOT investigate the possibilities of building the project in less than the three phases.
Subsequently, on December 15th, 2021 another letter HERE was signed by both MPO Chairman asking ALDOT to speed up the process and to:
•Be comprehensive. Our area cannot support a piecemeal plan that will take 25 years or more to complete. We would hope any plan would be completed in about five years once construction begins.
•Free, no toll options. We must have free, no toll options for passengers who do not wish to pay a toll. Unlike the previous plan, we strongly believe the Wallace Tunnel should be toll free as well as the Bankhead Tunnel, Africatown Bridge, and causeway. Under no circumstances should there be a toll on existing infrastructure that continues to be used.
•Significant federal and state funding should be made available to help pay for this project. We must move very quickly to protect $125 mil1ion in federal money that has been dedicated to this project. We anticipate at least $250 million to be contributed from the State of Alabama.
•Toll fees should be significantly reduced. Any tolls that must be charged to pay for infrastructure should be cut by more than half for cars and trucks from the previous plan. We recommend a maximum toll of $2.50 or less on all passenger vehicles if a person chooses to use the new infrastructure, despite the fact that toll-free options remain available. Tolls for 18-wheeler-type trucks should be $15 to $18.
•Local input. We are forwarding to you other requests that have been developed by local officials. At the end of the day, local officials and local citizens must drive the process - not the state or federal government. Through our MPO process we will continue to be involved in this project moving forward and we strongly encourage continued public input throughout the process.
ALDOT has agreed to provide formal updates to both MPO’s every several months. The first update was held July 27th, 2021 at Five Rivers, and the second update was on September 20th, at Five Rivers at 2:00PM in the Theater. The next joint update is to be determined. The slide presentation can be found HERE. The Mobile MPO will house all of the slide presentations from these ALDOT Updates at www.mobilempo.org.
Mobile Area Major Road Plan
There was a stakeholder on November 30th at 2:00 PM in the GMO Building in the SARPC Board Room. There is a questionnaire to be filled out by attendees, that you should have received. If you have not received the questionnaire, please contact Kevin Harrison.
The Steering Committee met last month and some topics discussed included identifying which municipalities have complete Streets requirements, and how to best go about identifying underground utilities and stormwater systems. The consultant and MPO Staff will be setting up individual meetings with leaders from each municipalities in the coming weeks to discuss the plan.
The Plan is for better integration and connectivity of land use and transportation planning, to ensure existing and future on-system corridors are managed and/or preserved as part of the long-range comprehensive planning efforts and as development occurs. A complete Major Road Plan to include regulatory components, current practices, case studies, and guidance for Mobile County and Municipalities within Mobile County. The Plan will include methods and tools for acquiring and preserving right-of-way in the context of expediting the environmental clearance process and review how corridors are prioritized, designated, and adopted for management or preservation. This will require coordination with all planning jurisdictions in Mobile County.
100 % Funding for Resurfacing of Local Roads Through the Mobile MPO with CRRSAA, LINK TO MAP HERE
In accordance with the Highway Infrastructure Program Funds Pursuant to the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2021 (CRRSAA) dated January 15,2021 from the Federal Highway Administration, the Mobile Transportation Management Area (TMA) through the Mobile Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) is apportioned $3,193,942 (FY 2021). ln consultation with the State of Alabama, it is the intention of the Mobile MPO to use the Mobile TMA apportioned CRRSAA funding ($3,193,942) for a one time resurfacing program. This funding can be 100% federal funding with no matching requirements; this presents a rare opportunity for the Mobile MPO.
The cities of Creola, Satsuma, Saraland, Chickasaw, Prichard, Semmes and Bayou la Batre have provided a prioritized list of roads that need to be resurfaced within their jurisdiction. The PE projects (design projects) were sent to FHWA for fund authorization.
Neel Shafer has received the Notice To Proceed on the following seven Projects listed below:
CRSAMB-4921(251) $27,420.00
CRSAMB-4921(252) $32,285.00
CRSAMB-4921(253) $31,456.00
CRSAMB-4921(254) $65,000.00
CRSAMB-4921(255) $53,492.00
CRSAMB-4921(256) $31,124.00
CRSAMB-4921(257) $37,828.00
Soon, the cities will begin to see activities in terms of some survey work, geotechnical work, etc.. on the streets proposed for resurfacing. Also, Neel Shafer will soon begin the process of reaching out and working with the cities to provide the necessary documents required for the federal funds to be spent. This include documents such as the ROW certification, encroachment notices, etc…
As of now, due to the scope of these projects, the proposed letting date is sometime late spring/early summer in 2022, assuming no issues with the city certifications, etc.
Please call Kevin Harrison 706-4635 if there are any questions.
RPO Updates
The South Alabama Regional Planning Commission (SARPC) met recently using the GoToMeeting app.
One item on the agenda was to amend the Fiscal Year 2021 Work Program to include assisting ALDOT by facilitating the public involvement process for ALDOT’s draft Public Involvement Plan for Statewide Transportation Planning.
The purpose of the plan is to implement effective ways for ALDOT to gather information from the public about their transportation needs. The plan is available on ALDOT’s website. All comments must be received on or before October 4, 2021.
ALDOT’s Draft PIP is posted here:
Other items on the agenda included:
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Review and Adopt the Fiscal Year 2022 Work Program which includes a new task of assisting ALDOT by hosting public meetings for the Statewide Long Range Transportation Process
We’re also building an online interactive map of all of the RPO projects. Once it’s complete we will send out a link to all the RPO members and they’ll be able to reference it for grant applications and the like.
Transportation Improvement Program( TIP)
The TIP represents a four year program (2020-2023) for improvements in the various transportation systems located within the Mobile study area as identified in the Mobile MPO's Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP). The LRTP establishes the transportation programs that are needed to meet travel demand by the study year and study area. LRTP projects that become funded are moved into the TIP and submitted to the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT), where they are programmed into the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). For MPO projects, TIP project selection is based on priorities established by MPO member governments and the availability of funds through the Surface Transportation Attributable program. For other projects, ALDOT has discretion of project funding based on availability of funds from various types of funding categories. Most often, projects in the TIP are derived from the LRTP. The TIP guides ALDOT in its annual allocation of funds for transportation improvements and becomes a part of the STIP.
ArcGIS Online is now being utilized by MPO staff to map all federally funded surface transportation projects within our area. Check it out.