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(05/01/08) The US 50 – North Vernon Project Team would like to extend our appreciation to everyone that was able to attend our third Public Open House for the project. This Open House was held on Thursday, March 13, 2008, at the Jennings County High School Auditorium located at 800 W. Walnut Street (US 50) in North Vernon. The purpose of this open house was to present the findings contained in the Preliminary Alternatives Screening Report for the project. This Preliminary Alternatives Screening Report (Final Report) documents the results of the analysis, evaluation and screening of the Preliminary Alternatives considered for the study and presents the findings and recommendations for this phase and subsequent phases of the project development. Approximately 300 people attended this Public Open House. If you were unable to attend any of our Public Open Houses, a copy of the slide presentations from each of the three Public Open Houses is available in the DOCUMENTS Section of the project website. Again, thanks to those of you who were able to attend our any of our Public Open Houses and for your continued involvement in the development of this very important project. We received many written comments from the public and agencies on the Preliminary Alternatives Screening Report. Based on these comments, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), has prepared an Addendum to the Preliminary Alternatives Screening Report for improvements to US 50 in Jackson and Jennings Counties in Indiana (Click here to view the Addendum). This Addendum, as well as documents previously published as a part of the development of this study, are available for review in the DOCUMENTS Section of this project website. The purpose of the Addendum is to document revisions to the US 50 North Vernon Corridor Planning and Environmental Study Preliminary Alternatives and Screening Report dated February, 2008. The report will not be revised; however, the items contained in this Addendum shall serve as updates to the document. The updates contained in this Addendum are based on public and agency comments received during the report comment period which ended on April 4, 2008. The entire Addendum is available for review in the DOCUMENTS Section of this website (Click here to view the Addendum). The Preliminary Alternatives Screening Report contained in the DOCUMENTS Section of the project website has also been revised (Revision Date: May 1, 2008) to include the Addendum, comments received during the comment period (See Appendix A) and meeting minutes (See Appendix A). The following is a summary of the updates contained in the Addendum that should be considered part of the US 50 North Vernon Corridor Planning and Environmental Study Preliminary Alternatives and Screening Report:
(02/25/08) The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), in cooperation with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), has prepared the Preliminary Alternatives Screening Report (Final Report) for improvements to US 50 in Jackson and Jennings Counties in Indiana. The US 50 –North Vernon corridor is approximately 18 miles in length, running from the western terminus at I-65, near Seymour in Jackson County, to the eastern terminus near the Jennings/Ripley County Line, east of North Vernon. This document, as well as documents previously published as a part of the development of this study, are available for review in the DOCUMENTS Section of this project website (Click here to view the document). Copies of the document will be available for viewing after Thursday, February 28, 2008, at the following locations:
The Project Schedule contained on the project website has also been updated to reflect the current status of the project (Click here to view the project schedule). Bernardin, Lochmueller and Associates, Inc. (BLA), the engineering firm chosen by INDOT to conduct the studies, is interested in receiving input from the public on this very important project and the above mentioned document. A Public Open House will be held on Thursday, March 13, 2008, from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. so that residents can learn about the project status and meet members of the project team. The meeting will be held at the Jennings County High School Auditorium located at 800 W. Walnut Street (US 50) in North Vernon. A brief presentation will be given at 7:15 p.m. Project officials from INDOT, the FHWA and BLA will be available for further discussions both prior to and following the formal presentation. Project area maps, displays, and handouts will also be available for public inspection during the open house. Interested persons can review maps of the Preliminary Alternatives and speak with project representatives about specific areas of interest. INDOT would like to encourage the entire community to attend this important information meeting and requests that you please invite others you feel may be interested in this project. In accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, if you have a disability for which INDOT needs to provide accommodations, please contact INDOT’s Public Hearings Office at (317) 232-6601, by Thursday, March 6, 2008. Setting the foundation for this corridor planning and environmental assessment study were traffic concerns in and around the City of North Vernon and along the US 50 corridor from US 31 in Jackson County to Butlerville in Jennings County. These concerns include:
Based on examination of existing and future traffic conditions and on the community and environmental setting, these traffic concerns were translated into five preliminary “purpose and need statements” (project goals):
As the study progresses, these five “purpose and need” statements were subject to refinement on the basis of public and resource agency comment. The potential solutions to the transportation needs in the US 50 corridor that were developed and evaluated for this project included:
For analysis and evaluation purposes, the Study Area was divided into two sections, a Western Section from US 31 eastward to CR 575 W, and an Eastern Section from CR 575 W to the eastern terminus of the project. The dividing line of the two sections, CR 575 W, is the area where the preliminary bypass alternatives around North Vernon begin. For the analysis of impacts related to each of the Preliminary Alternatives, each preliminary alternative was analyzed as either a Western Section or an Eastern Section Preliminary Alternative. Based on the Western and Eastern Preliminary Alternative(s) recommendations, the impacts of any Western Section Preliminary Alternative can be added to the impacts of any Eastern Section Preliminary Alternative to determine a summary of impacts for the entire corridor for any Western and Eastern Section Preliminary Alternative pair. Screening measures were developed to narrow the number of preliminary alternatives under consideration for further analysis, and for use in evaluating the overall performance and impacts associated with each preliminary alternative. The purpose of these screening measures was to evaluate the alternatives to identify the most viable (prudent and feasible) alternative(s) based on achievement of project “purpose and need”, traffic impacts, community and environmental impacts, agency considerations and public input. During this initial screening process, each of the preliminary alternatives developed for the US 50 – North Vernon Study was evaluated to determine if it would be carried forward for evaluation in subsequent NEPA studies. A two-phase process was used to screen each alternative. Phase 1 screened each alternative with respect to purpose and need, while Phase 2 screened alternatives with respect to potential traffic impacts, community and environmental impacts, agency considerations, and public input. Only those alternatives that met the purpose and need of the project in the Phase 1 analysis were advanced to Phase 2 of the screening process. The following Preliminary Alternatives were recommended for further NEPA study that will involve an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS):
FHWA and INDOT recognize that a key component in the success of any transportation project depends on many factors, none of which are more essential than the involvement of the local elected and appointed officials, and community members. By providing your written comments now and as the project continues to the next phase of project development, you can help shape the important transportation decisions being made in your community. We ask that written comments on the items discussed above and presented at the March 13, 2008, Public Open House be provided by April 4, 2008, so that they can be taken into consideration as the project transitions to the next phase of project develop. You can share your written comments with us by submitting them to one of the following:
US 50 – North Vernon Corridor Planning/EA Project (06/15/07) The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has reached a major milestone in the advancement of the US 50 – North Vernon Corridor Planning/Environmental Assessment Study. INDOT and the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have completed and made available for review the “Draft” Purpose and Need Statement and Identification of Preliminary Alternatives for the project. Also available are the Public Involvement Plan and Coordination Plan for the project as well as an updated version of the “Draft” Identification of Existing and Future Conditions and Issues report. These documents are available for review in the DOCUMENTS Section of this project website. The Project Schedule has also been updated to reflect the current status of the project (Click here to view the project schedule). Bernardin, Lochmueller and Associates, Inc. (BLA), the engineering firm chosen by INDOT to conduct the studies on the section of US 50 from I-65 east through North Vernon to the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, is interested in receiving input from the public on this very important project and the above mentioned documents. A public open house will be held on Tuesday, June 26, 2007, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. so that residents can learn about the project status and meet members of the project team. The meeting will be held at the North Vernon Education and Training Center in Elsner Hall, at 1200 W. O&M Avenue. A brief presentation will be given at 6:30 p.m. Project officials from INDOT, the FHWA and BLA will be on hand both prior to and following the formal presentation. Project area maps, displays, and handouts will be available for public inspection during the open house. Interested persons can review maps of the Preliminary Alternatives and speak with project representatives about specific areas of interest. INDOT would like to encourage the entire community to attend this important information meeting and requests you to please invite others you feel may be interested in this project. In accordance with the Americans With Disabilities Act, if you have a disability for which INDOT needs to provide accommodations, please contact INDOT’s Public Hearings Office at (317) 232-6601, by Thursday, June 21, 2007. Setting the foundation for this corridor planning and environmental assessment study are traffic concerns in and around the City of North Vernon and along the US 50 corridor from US 31 in Jackson County to Butlerville in Jennings County. These concerns include:
Based on examination of existing and future traffic conditions and on the community and environmental setting, these traffic concerns were translated into five preliminary “purpose and need statements” (project goals):
As the study progresses, these five “purpose and need” statements are subject to refinement on the basis of public and resource agency comment. The potential solutions to the transportation needs in the US 50 corridor that have been initially developed for this project include:
FHWA and INDOT recognize that a key component in the success of any transportation project depends on many factors, none of which are more essential than the involvement of the local elected and appointed officials, and community members. By providing your comments now and throughout the duration of the project, you can help shape the important transportation decisions being made in your community. We ask that comments on the items discussed above and presented at the June 26, 2007, public information meeting be provided prior to July 13, 2007, so that they can be taken into consideration as the project continues to develop. You can share your comments with us by submitting them to one of the following:
6125 South East Street (US 31 South) (03/05/07) The US 50 – North Vernon Project Team would like to extend our appreciation to everyone that was able to attend our first Public Open House for the project. This Open House was held on Thursday, February 8, 2007, at the North Vernon Education and Training Center, located at 1200 West O and M Avenue in North Vernon. This meeting was held so that the project team could present preliminary information to the public related to the project, to provide the public with an opportunity to meet the project team and to request that the public become involved with the project and assist the project team in developing a transportation solution that best reflects the needs of the US 50 corridor and the community. Approximately 100 people attended this first Public Open House from which we received a great amount of insight and information related to the project study area. If you were unable to attend our first Public Open House, subsequent Public Open Houses will be held as the project develops. Additionally, a copy of the slide presentation from the February 8, 2007, Public Open House is available in the DOCUMENTS section of the project website. Again, thanks to those of you who were able to attend our first Public Open House and please continue to be involved in the development of this very important project. (02/08/07) The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT), in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), have initiated a study of transportation needs/improvements of the US 50 corridor in Jennings and a portion of Jackson County. The US 50 improvement corridor is approximately 18 miles long, running from the western terminus at I-65, near Seymour in Jackson County, to the eastern terminus near the Jennings/Ripley County Line, just east of North Vernon. The objectives of this study are to assess the feasibility of improvements to the US 50 corridor as well as other alternatives for improving mobility and alleviating congestion in the urban area boundary of North Vernon and in the general project vicinity. The US 50 – North Vernon Corridor Planning and Environmental Assessment Project was initiated by the INDOT in October 2006 with the goals of involving the public and leaders of the community in the study process, providing information to build consensus and to “buy in” to the best solution. The study will determine the degree to which potential transportation improvements are:
INDOT selected Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates, Inc. (BLA), an engineering consulting firm located in Evansville and Indianapolis, Indiana, to complete this Corridor Planning and Environmental Assessment Project, which has been underway since October 2006. A Public Open House for the project was held on Thursday, February 8, 2007, at the North Vernon Education and Training Center, located at 1200 West O and M Avenue in North Vernon. This meeting was held so that the project team could present preliminary information to the public related to the project, to provide the public with an opportunity to meet the project team and to request that the public become involved with the project and assist the project team in developing a transportation solution that best reflects the needs of the US 50 corridor and the community. Subsequent Public Open Houses will be held as the project develops. We are very interested in receiving input from the public on this important project. By sharing input throughout the duration of the project you can help shape the important transportation decisions being made in your community. You can share your thoughts with us by making a comment through the project website in the COMMENT Section, participating in future public meetings or by contacting the Project Manager at the following: US 50 – North Vernon Corridor Planning/EA Project Bernardin, Lochmueller & Associates, Inc. ATTN: Carl D. Camacho, P.E. Project Manager 6125 South East Street (US 31 South) Indianapolis, IN 46227 |