July 2010 - DEIS Update
Parks and Historic Places
Public parks, recreation areas, wildlife and waterfowl refuges of national, State or local significance are protected from
impacts associated with federally-funded transportation projects under a federal transportation (USDOT) law commonly referred
to as Section 4(f). Historic sites that are listed on, or are eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places are also
protected under this law.
There are a number of Section 4(f) protected parks, recreation areas and historic sites in the Salem River Crossing Project area.
A Draft 4(f) Evaluation is currently being prepared. It will provide an analysis of impacts (referred to as “uses”) to all
protected resources and make draft determinations as to the nature of the “use.” In general, the Section 4(f) regulation requires
that these protected resources be avoided if at all possible.
The Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation will be available for comment at the same time and in the same manner as the Draft Environmental
Impact Statement (DEIS). However, it is a separate document that addresses a different federal law. The results of the Draft
Section 4(f) analysis could potentially play a substantial role in the selection of a preferred alternative.
Schedule Update
The DEIS will provide detailed analysis of the potential natural environment impacts and will show how the impacts are different
among alternatives. These impacts, as well as any steps to offset the impacts, will be part of the public discussion for
deciding on a preferred alternative.
Since the last update, staff have been working on completing the technical reports on which the DEIS is based. Most of the
reports have been completed and are currently being reviewed and summarized by project staff for inclusion in the DEIS document.
The public will have an opportunity to comment on the DEIS when the DEIS is published this winter. Please watch for future
updates on the Salem River Crossing project and check here for more ways to get involved later this year. If you have
any questions or comments, please
contact us.
May 2010 - DEIS Update
The Natural Environment
When the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is released this fall, it will discuss potential impacts to the
natural environment. Some common questions that the DEIS will answer include:
- How will wildlife or fish habitat be affected by building a new bridge?
- Will air quality in the region be better or worse if a project is built or if construction does not occur?
- Are there any earthquake hazards that we should be aware of before selecting a preferred alternative?
- How will the project affect wetlands, vegetation, and wildlife habitat?
- How will project construction address stormwater runoff?
Schedule Update
The DEIS will provide detailed analysis of the potential natural environment impacts and will show how the impacts are
different among alternatives. These impacts, as well as any steps to offset the impacts, will be part of the public
discussion for deciding on a preferred alternative.
Since the last email update, staff have been working on completing the technical reports on which the DEIS is based.
Most of the reports have been completed and are currently being reviewed and summarized by project staff. The public
will have an opportunity to comment on the DEIS and the impacts to the natural environment, along with other impacts,
when the DEIS is published this fall. Please watch for future updates on the Salem River Crossing project and check
the website for more ways to get involved later this year. If you have any questions or comments, please
contact us.
January 2010 - DEIS Update
Addressing Property Impacts
During a large environmental impact study such as the Salem River Crossing, people often ask how their
property might be impacted. Will there be an impact to their property? Their home or business? Although
the design team has worked hard to minimize property impacts, every alternative will result in some
property impacts.
The draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will cover this subject in the Right-of-Way discussion,
including detailed tables and maps showing the potential physical impacts that could occur and showing
how the alternatives are different from each other. Property impacts are one of many issues that will
be weighed and balanced in the decision of selecting a preferred alternative – the alternative that is
best for the community overall.
When the DEIS is published later this year, ODOT and City of Salem staff will be available to answer
questions about potential impacts to specific properties. They will also be ready to talk about the
process and the rights of property owners of affected properties. This process is governed by a law
called the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Properties Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. The
purpose of the law is to ensure the fair and equitable relocation and reestablishment of persons,
businesses, farms, and nonprofit organizations displaced as a direct result of federal or
federally-assisted programs. You can read more about the law
HERE.
If you have any specific concerns at this time,
please send us a comment.
November 2009 - DEIS Update
Measuring Traffic
When the Salem River Crossing Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is published next year, one
of the key points of the study will be traffic issues. How bad will traffic be if we don't do anything?
How much better will traffic be if we widen the existing bridges or build a new bridge? Will a new
bridge cause people to drive differently? Will there be more traffic on some streets and less on
others? These are some of the questions that we ask (and answer) when writing the DEIS.
We will report on several "traffic measures" for each alternative being studied in the DEIS to help
understand the benefits and costs of each. One of these measures is the Volume to Capacity (or V/C)
ratio. If "ratio" reminds you of learning fractions when you were a kid, you are on the right path.
"Volume" is the amount of traffic (trucks and cars) on the road. "Capacity" is the available space
on the road. We get the ratio by dividing how much traffic there is by how much space (number of
lanes) is available. This tells us how congested the road is during certain hours of the day
(usually we look at the morning or evening rush hour in particular). A V/C ratio of 1.0 (100% full)
is common in urban areas and shows that there is some congestion. A lower V/C ratio, say 0.85 (85%
full) or less, shows good traffic flow since some space is needed for traffic to move freely.
Vehicle Hours of Delay (VHD) is another useful traffic measure. It is a calculation of how much time
drivers lose in congestion compared to a world where there is no congestion. This measure is
especially useful for comparing one alternative to another because it can be measured for a larger
area than a V/C ratio. For example, we will figure out the vehicle hours of delay for all of downtown
Salem and west Salem for each alternative being studied. We will then report which of the alternatives
performs better (or has the least vehicle hours of delay). The V/C ratio and VHD are two traffic
measures that will be reported in the DEIS.
Minimizing congestion for drivers is often the starting goal of a transportation project like this one.
But the question - particularly in an urban area like Salem - becomes: what are the costs and impacts
of building wider roads or bridges to create less congestion? The DEIS will shed light on these
questions. At the same time, there are other options to reduce congestion, such as making it easier to
get around in ways other than a personal car (bus, bike, walking, carpooling). The Salem Alternate
Modes Study (which is separate from the DEIS) is currently looking at these possibilities.
Draft recommendations
are available now and over the next two months these recommendations will be prioritized and a summary
plan will be published.
Progress on the DEIS
We are continuing to make progress on the DEIS document, including significant progress on the many
technical studies. We plan to have it 100% complete next summer. There will be a chance for you to
comment on the document when it is published at that time.
You can also read the November 2009 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
October 2009 - Read the October 2009 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
September 2009 - DEIS Update
While there may not be much in the news these days, there is a lot of work on the Salem River Crossing
Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) going on behind the scenes.
For example, one of the foundations of the study is forecasting future traffic volumes - the number of
cars and trucks expected to use the roadways twenty years from now. This includes the existing bridges,
a potential new bridge, and all the major connecting roadways. The traffic forecasts are key to
understanding the differences among all the alternatives being studied. The range of alternatives
being studied in the DEIS is intended to provide a variety options for handling future traffic needs;
including widening the existing bridges, only building a new bridge, or doing both.
Some of the traffic questions that we ask in the DEIS include:
- What will traffic conditions be like if there are no changes to the river crossings?
- How will the bridge alternatives improve traffic congestion in the future?
- Which locations might have more traffic, and which locations less?
Answers to these questions leads to a number of other questions, including:
- How will the changes in traffic change air quality or noise levels?
- How will changes in traffic impact the local economy?
- How will traffic changes affect neighborhoods on both sides of the river?
The answers to these and many, many other questions will be provided in the DEIS to help interested
citizens and agencies decide which alternative they prefer. Comments about the alternatives will be
collected after the DEIS is published next year.
Look for more about our progress on the DEIS here or join the mailing list to
receive updates via email.
You can also read the September 2009 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
August 2009 - Read the August 2009 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
July 2009 - Read the July 2009 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
June 2009 - DEIS Update and Alternate Modes study
The Salem River Crossing project team is busy working on the
draft environmental impact statement (DEIS).
Soon, we will begin sending email updates describing the
document's progress and how you can get involved once the DEIS is complete.
In the mean time, we'd like to tell you about an important study being conducted in parallel with
the DEIS, called the Salem Willamette River Crossing Alternate Modes study. This study
will identify needs and opportunities for improving transit service across the river in Salem. It will
also cover related needs and opportunities for carpool/vanpool users, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Any
improvements identified will be coordinated with the Salem River Crossing project, as needed.
The first Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC) meeting for the study will be held on Monday, June 22nd
from 4:00-6:00 pm at the Mid-Willamette Valley Council of Governments office (105 High St. SE, Salem).
At this meeting, the Alternate Modes study team will provide an overview of the study, discuss the
current system, and outline potential improvements that will be considered. This meeting is open to
the public and will include a brief period for public comments.
Please watch for future updates on the Salem River Crossing project and check the website for
more ways to get involved later this year. If you
have any questions, please contact us.
Read the project update to learn about the activities from the June.
May 2009 - Read the May 2009 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
April 2009 - Read the project update to learn about the activities from the April.
March 2009 - Read the March 2009 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
January 2009 - Read the January 2009 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
December 2008 - Read the December 2008 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
November 2008 - Read the November 2008 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
October 2008 - Read the October 2008 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
September 2008 - Read the September 2008 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
August 2008 - Read the August 2008 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
July 2008 - Read the July 2008 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
June 2008 - Read the June 2008 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
May 2008 - The Funding Tool is added to the website to help compare and understand the different funding options that are available.
A related survey was taken by over 40 people. Other project activities in May 2008.
April 2008 - Read the April 2008 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
March 2008 - The alternatives that will be studied in the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS) have been refined.
Read the March 2008 project update to learn about the activities from the month.
February 2008 - Read the February 2008 project update to learn about the activities during the month.
January 2008 - Read the January 2008 project update to learn about the activities during the month.
December 2007 - The Task Force and Oversight Team adopt three alternatives for more study.
Read the December 2007 project update to learn about the activities during the month.
November 2007 - Two open houses were held, on Thursday, November 8 at the Highland Elementary Elementary School gymnasium and
Wednesday, November 14 at Roth's Hospitality Center, Oregon Room. Comments were collected about which preliminary alternatives should be advanced to the next phase of the project.
August 2007 - The Task Force and Oversight Team
recommended alternatives (previously concepts) for further study during the next phase of the project. Read the
August 2007 project update to learn about the activities during the month.
June 26, 2007 - Preliminary concepts posted on June 26.
The preliminary concepts also presented at two public open houses, which
approximately 150 people attended.
June 2007 - The second newsletter is sent out to the mailing list.
Read the English or
Spanish versions now.
March/April 2007 - The Task Force recommended and the
Oversight Team adopted the Evaluation Framework for the project.
A mobility threshold will be established following development of the range of alternatives.
February 2007 - CETAS reviewed the draft Purpose and Need Statement.
January 2007 - The Task Force recommended and the
Oversight Team adopted the
Purpose and Need
statement for the project. The public was asked for their opinion in a survey.
December 2006 - The first two open houses attracted over 120 people.
Display boards outlined important information
and a fact sheet was provided in English and
Spanish.
October 2006 - The Task Force held its first meeting.
September 2006 - The Oversight Team approved the
Decision Making Process,
outlining how the project will be run, at its first meeting.
June 2006 - The Salem River Crossing project started the process of producing a design-level
Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The project will use the previous SKATS
study as a starting point.
