Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) is a collaborative approach that transportation agencies use to streamline project development while considering environmental and community goals. This method integrates planning and environmental processes early on, fostering informed decision-making and efficient project delivery. By proactively addressing environmental concerns and stakeholder input during the planning phase, PEL helps to avoid potential delays and conflicts later in the project lifecycle. This article delves into the practical applications of PEL, drawing insights from discussions with various State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and highlighting key strategies for successful implementation.
State DOTs and PEL Implementation: Practical Examples
Several state DOTs have successfully integrated PEL into their transportation planning processes, demonstrating its adaptability and effectiveness across diverse contexts. These examples showcase how PEL can be tailored to meet specific state needs and project goals, ultimately leading to more efficient and environmentally conscious transportation solutions.
Arkansas: Accelerating Project Delivery with PEL and Design-Build
The Arkansas Department of Transportation (ArDOT) utilized PEL for the I-30 Corridor project, a significant undertaking to improve a congested and structurally deficient section of interstate in Little Rock and North Little Rock. Facing challenges such as traffic congestion, safety concerns, and the need to consider diverse alternatives, ArDOT recognized PEL as a valuable tool to proactively identify and address potential issues.
ArDOT strategically chose PEL to expedite project delivery, enhance stakeholder engagement, and ensure comprehensive consideration of environmental factors and a wide range of project alternatives. The PEL study employed a rigorous screening process to narrow down alternatives and actively sought input from the public and a Stakeholder Advisory Group (SAG). This early engagement proved crucial, especially given the complex nature of the corridor traversing a central business district with diverse potential solutions, including heavy rail and elevated lanes.
A key aspect of ArDOT’s PEL approach was the early involvement of resource and regulatory agencies, such as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE). A dedicated PEL working group facilitated ongoing communication and feedback throughout the process, fostering a collaborative environment. This proactive engagement ensured that agency perspectives were integrated early, contributing to a smoother and more efficient project development timeline. The successful application of PEL in the I-30 project demonstrates its effectiveness in facilitating complex projects through early issue identification and stakeholder collaboration.
Key Takeaways from ArDOT:
- PEL effectively facilitated design-build project delivery by proactively addressing potential issues in the planning phase.
- Early and consistent engagement with resource agencies and the public was crucial for project success.
- Combining PEL with design-build methods fostered innovation and efficient project construction within the defined footprint.
Arizona: Flexible PEL Application for Targeted Alternatives Analysis
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) adopts a flexible approach to PEL, strategically applying its principles when appropriate based on project needs. ADOT leverages PEL particularly for narrowing down alternatives and when NEPA funding is not yet secured. This targeted approach ensures that PEL resources are focused where they provide the most value, such as projects requiring in-depth alternatives analysis or those with uncertain scopes.
ADOT developed a PEL checklist and questionnaire, drawing upon best practices from other states and aligning with FHWA guidelines. This tool helps ADOT project managers determine the suitability of a PEL approach, considering factors like the need for alternatives analysis and project uncertainty. While ADOT doesn’t apply PEL universally (e.g., for Categorical Exclusions or Long-Range Transportation Plans), elements of PEL, such as environmental overviews and early agency coordination, are often integrated into their planning studies.
A key tool supporting ADOT’s approach is a Geographic Information System (GIS) that integrates environmental resources data. This GIS tool aids in early data collection and overlaying environmental information with project components. This capability allows for early identification of potential environmental constraints and risks, informing project scope and design from the outset. Examples like the I-10/I-17 “Spine” Corridor Master Plan and the I-11 Corridor Master Plan showcase ADOT’s successful use of PEL principles for effective outreach and streamlined alternatives analysis.
Key Takeaways from ADOT:
- Flexibility in PEL application allows for targeted use where it provides maximum benefit, particularly for alternatives analysis.
- A PEL checklist and GIS tools support informed decisions on PEL implementation and early environmental risk assessment.
- Even without formal PEL, incorporating PEL elements like early environmental overviews enhances planning processes.
Colorado: Institutionalizing PEL with a Comprehensive Handbook
The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has fully embraced PEL, institutionalizing its guidelines and processes into their transportation planning procedures. CDOT views PEL as a strategic method for prioritizing projects, justifying funding requests, and accelerating project delivery timelines. To promote widespread understanding and application, CDOT actively conducts PEL outreach to Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) and other key partners.
CDOT developed a comprehensive PEL Handbook, regularly updated to reflect best practices and lessons learned. This handbook serves as a practical guide for CDOT staff, local governments, and regional planning agencies, providing step-by-step instructions on conducting PEL studies. It outlines key stages, including defining purpose and need, analyzing transportation systems, identifying alternatives, and conducting environmental evaluations. This structured approach ensures consistency and effectiveness in PEL implementation across various projects.
The CDOT Handbook emphasizes the importance of transitioning PEL outputs into the NEPA process, addressing a common challenge in project development. It provides guidance on how to ensure PEL studies remain relevant and useful as projects advance. Furthermore, CDOT fosters strong collaboration with the FHWA Colorado Division Office and maintains partnering agreements with agencies like the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), further strengthening their PEL implementation framework.
Key Takeaways from CDOT:
- A comprehensive PEL Handbook institutionalizes best practices and provides clear guidance for practitioners.
- CDOT’s PEL process emphasizes key steps for effective decision-making and efficient project progression to NEPA review.
- Strong partnerships with FHWA and resource agencies enhance PEL implementation and data sharing.
Montana: Linking Planning and Environmental Reviews through a Business Process
The Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) developed a “Business Process to Link Planning Studies and NEPA/MEPA Reviews” to formally integrate transportation planning with environmental review processes. This process emphasizes early coordination with the public and agencies, strengthening MDT’s planning from the outset. A significant organizational change, moving the environment group into the planning division, further facilitated interagency collaboration.
MDT’s PEL process generates specific outputs directly usable in environmental reviews. Corridor Planning Studies, developed under this process, define project purpose and need, identify travel corridors, screen alternatives, describe environmental settings, and assess preliminary impacts and mitigation strategies. A critical component is a “transition form” that documents key issues for the project development team, ensuring continuity between planning and NEPA phases.
Stakeholder involvement and education are central to MDT’s approach. Public outreach is framed as information gathering, fostering open communication and trust. Routine communication with resource agencies builds strong working relationships, ensuring agency support in developing manageable and fundable project scopes. Close coordination with the FHWA Montana Division Office further contributes to MDT’s success in integrating planning and environmental considerations.
Key Takeaways from MDT:
- A formal “Business Process” effectively links planning studies and environmental reviews, ensuring a streamlined approach.
- Early stakeholder and agency coordination is prioritized, building trust and fostering collaborative project development.
- Specific outputs from the PEL process directly inform and support subsequent NEPA reviews, enhancing efficiency.
Michigan: A Decision-Making Tool for Targeted PEL Application
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has extensively utilized PEL studies since 2013, developing a decision-making tool to guide PEL application and a “How to Guide” for practitioners statewide. MDOT has found PEL particularly valuable for projects with prior studies lacking stakeholder consensus. They also effectively use PEL for operational analyses, such as complete streets plans and road safety audits, demonstrating PEL’s versatility.
MDOT’s decision-making checklist helps determine PEL appropriateness by considering factors like problem definition, the need for alternatives, project type (operational vs. capacity building), and community engagement history. This checklist ensures PEL is applied strategically where it can best facilitate project progress. MDOT’s PEL process is community-focused, aiming to identify acceptable alternatives, secure funding, and define next steps collaboratively.
The Division Street PEL study exemplifies MDOT’s approach, resolving stakeholder disagreements from previous studies through effective public engagement and environmental impact consideration. The I-275 Western Wayne County project highlights PEL’s role in aligning stakeholders and agencies, even leading to project reconsideration due to identified impacts. The I-94 Interchange Improvement project showcases PEL’s ability to streamline NEPA determinations, demonstrating its efficiency for less complex projects.
Key Takeaways from MDOT:
- A decision-making checklist and “How to Guide” ensure strategic and consistent PEL application across projects.
- PEL is effectively used to build stakeholder consensus, particularly for projects with complex histories or diverse perspectives.
- MDOT’s community-focused PEL process streamlines project development and informs efficient NEPA determinations.
North Carolina: Integrating Planning and Project Development for Efficiency
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has undertaken a major “Integration Initiative” to link long-range transportation planning with project development. This initiative aims to create Comprehensive Transportation Plans (CTPs) that comply with federal and state environmental regulations. A multi-agency Integration Team designed this process, identifying key linkages between planning and project development where CTP outputs can inform or initiate environmental reviews.
NCDOT’s Integration Initiative emphasizes front-loading PEL components into long-range planning. This proactive approach results in problem statements that can serve as the basis for project purpose and need, facilitates alternative screening, and helps identify preferred alternatives for NEPA review. NCDOT believes this institutionalized process efficiently compiles information early in the project lifecycle, contrasting with individual studies that provide more detailed information later.
Strong relationships with resource agencies, cultivated through NCDOT’s “Merger Process,” are crucial. This process incorporates agency concurrences throughout planning and environmental review, ensuring early and ongoing agency input. GIS layers, stakeholder lists, and protocols for agency collaboration further support NCDOT’s efficient alternative screening and project development.
Key Takeaways from NCDOT:
- The “Integration Initiative” effectively links long-range planning and project development, streamlining overall processes.
- Front-loading PEL components into planning accelerates project delivery and enhances early decision-making.
- Strong agency relationships and tools like GIS layers facilitate efficient alternative screening and project progression.
Pennsylvania: PennDOT Connects – Integrating Land Use and Community
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) launched “PennDOT Connects,” an initiative driven by a policy emphasizing land use and community considerations in planning. This initiative, grounded in PEL principles, enjoys strong public and local official support. Building upon prior efforts to link planning and NEPA, “PennDOT Connects” strengthens PennDOT’s integrated approach.
PennDOT’s Transportation Program Development and Project Delivery Process, along with Regional Long Range Plan Guidance, are recognized by FHWA as equivalent to the PEL Questionnaire. These frameworks link project planning and delivery to enhance efficiency in program identification, coordination, and advancement. PennDOT’s Project Development Process mandates environmental impact consideration during preliminary engineering, with supporting documentation for later environmental studies.
The Bayfront Parkway Study exemplifies “PennDOT Connects” in action, showcasing extensive community outreach, purpose and need definition, and alternative development. This study highlights the effectiveness of PennDOT’s collaborative approach, incorporating environmental, community, and economic goals early in transportation planning. Strong support from leadership and stakeholder involvement were key to the study’s success.
Key Takeaways from PennDOT:
- “PennDOT Connects” embodies PEL principles, integrating land use, community, and economic goals into transportation planning.
- Existing processes and guidance documents effectively link planning and NEPA, enhancing project efficiency.
- The Bayfront Parkway Study demonstrates successful PEL implementation through community engagement and alternative development.
Utah: Developing and Learning from a PEL Tool
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) developed the Utah Planning and Environmental Linkage (uPEL) tool, a GIS-based system aimed at integrating environmental, community, and economic data early in planning. uPEL was designed to coordinate data sharing with resource agencies and inform various aspects of project development, from NEPA class of action determination to purpose and need development.
While uPEL faced challenges in data specificity and maintaining up-to-date agency data, UDOT’s SR-73 Corridor Planning Study and Wasatch Choices 2040 and 2050 regional visioning projects demonstrate PEL principles in practice. The SR-73 study considered traffic impacts, purpose and need, and alternatives analysis, while Wasatch Choices 2040 fostered inter-agency collaboration and addressed transportation, environmental, and economic needs. These projects, recognized by FHWA as “state of the practice,” highlight UDOT’s commitment to stakeholder involvement and early alternative screening.
Key Takeaways from UDOT:
- Developing PEL tools, even with challenges, demonstrates a commitment to linking planning and environmental reviews.
- Tools require ongoing maintenance and agency coordination to remain effective and provide up-to-date data.
- Projects like SR-73 and Wasatch Choices 2040 exemplify PEL principles through stakeholder engagement and early alternatives analysis.
Washington State: Practical Solutions and Performance Framework for Strategic Investment
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) employs a Practical Solutions Performance Framework to guide strategic investments and plan development, reflecting PEL principles. The I-405 Corridor Program project, led by WSDOT with multiple co-lead agencies, further exemplifies PEL implementation through structured public involvement and a multi-level committee structure involving political, citizen, and technical stakeholders.
WSDOT’s framework prioritizes near-term, low-cost solutions and integrates environmental context into planning to ensure “the right project, in the right place, at the right time.” This approach often focuses on state of good repair projects and facilitates efficient NEPA decisions. WSDOT planning studies incorporate internal environmental priorities, expanded environmental justice analysis, and environmental regulatory screening, demonstrating a comprehensive approach to integrating environmental considerations.
Key Takeaways from WSDOT:
- A Practical Solutions Performance Framework effectively integrates environmental context into transportation planning.
- Structured public involvement and multi-level committees enhance stakeholder engagement in PEL projects.
- WSDOT’s approach prioritizes strategic investments and efficient NEPA decisions through early environmental integration.
Conclusion: Advancing Transportation Planning with PEL
These state DOT examples demonstrate the diverse and effective ways Planning and Environment Linkages can be implemented to enhance transportation planning. By proactively integrating environmental considerations, fostering stakeholder collaboration, and streamlining project development processes, PEL offers a valuable framework for creating sustainable and efficient transportation solutions. The experiences of these states offer valuable lessons for agencies seeking to optimize their planning processes and deliver projects that meet both transportation needs and community and environmental goals. For transportation professionals seeking to enhance their career and project planning skills, exploring resources and tools like a Career Discussion Planning Tool Cdpt can further support professional development in this evolving field.
