Record of Decision New Federal Courthouse

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Record of Decision Attachment C -Agency Comment and Responses 3. ODOT comments -Springfield Ye ~n Department of Transportation 1 1 ~ .. . :. .... .: ... _ .. Region2 f .. ... -IohnA:iGiihnnn.M..a.Go°emar ._..... ..: _. ..:.... ' 455Airpq[tltd.SE,BIdgB - : ~ Sa1emOR9 73 01-5 395- - FAX(503798&2fi30' February 26, 2001 rnxcooe Michael I.cvine (1 "~ 6 ~ ~~~ U 3 Oencral Services Adminfstrauon ~J 400 15~h Street 3W ~ ) ~) { Auburn; Washtngton98001=6599 ' ' "' " ~~ 311BJECT::..New.FedexalCourthouseFinalEnvironmentalimpactStatement. ' .,........_. _.....:. :. , ...:...: Eugene/Springfield, Izne:County, Oregon. . .:..... Dear Mr. I,evitte:" " My Febtuary 2, 2001 letter was confined to comments on the Eugene locations. As we riiscuseed during our February 20; 20D I meeting, this°ktter iacludes commemt on the, proposed Springfield:l2iverfrtmt site. S The Oregon Department ,.::tit Transportation's: (O.DOT1. rev,ew of. data for-fho Springfield ~jte shows Issues similar to those identified by ODOT for the Eugene locations. ODOT therefore continues to have concerns regarding the documentation axing used to justify the federal decision conaietent with rife Natiorial'Eriviroamental'Pglicy Act. ODOT's concerns forthe Springfield site rotate'to'tha operation `of the"' ' ` ' `"" " transportation system aniipublic safety impacts::ODOT does not agree that.the impacts of:anewFederal Courthouse have:beenadequately~titdied and declared;:or that-mitigation is not required: Analysis thetas more-complete should be uadertalten before a final decision is made. Sunilar Ito the Eugene locations; access io the Springfield site is dependent upon state highways. In Springfield; the state highway most-impacted by the proposed'site is the McKenzie Highway (OR-126 Business), a componemt of the - Naticnei Highway System. Asecond-highway, the Springfield-Highway (also known as the Pioneer Parkway); slew fie impacted. Access to the Courthouse via privatevehide, public transit orby foot wiU" atfect the operation and safety of - these facilities. ODOT has identified-the following: 1.: TcafiiaSafety/Crash Data: -The Draft Environmental Impact8tatement s.t (DE1S) states, 'Traffic accident information provided by the Department of Transportation for the City of Springfield (Alternatives 1'and 3) indicates " that aU of the intersections reviewed in.Springfield for~his project have, low accidenttatea (page 176; paragraph 2);" ODOT disagrees with this r«mzwansra taus, : ~ " - - : - PedenlCourttieinat:PB19 - - - - - - 3prinalieW Rrvesfmne site .. : Papa 4 ranclusion: ODOT'a two primary data sources far crash information, the ` Safety Priority Indent System (SP13), and tho State of Oregon's Crash Database show there are traffic safety issues in"alosa.proximity to. tbs. proposed Courthouse ovation. ' Between the Willamette River Bridges and the Springfield Highway, the MaICeuzie Highway is an urban section operating on sons-way couplet. The crash history between January i, 1995 and December 1999 shows'6$ crashes involving 32 injuries. "There were no fatalities:. Angle, turning and yearend incideata account for 929'0 oC the crashes; and abnnat half (47°1oj of s.i fife total crashes were eagle accidents with concentrations at the signalized intersections of Main street/southbound Spring4eldHigltway (1Veat Leg,- : Pioneer Parkway) and Main Strest/MillBtreet. The eight SPIS aitesput.this highway section among she worst ten percent of all:crasit locations in Oregon. This demonstrates that this highway section has trattic ea[oty problems and"contradicts the conclusion reached in-the DEf$. -The potcutiei far crashes at these intersections can be expected W increase with increased traffic volume, particularly with di9'erential increases in tumirtg vehicle volumes associated with travel to end-from the proposed Riverfront site. These circvmatsnces also wniradict fife conclttnion readied in the FEi3 that'witfgauon rcieasures arc not required (page 1361 2. Traffic Oaergtions. "As stated in OD(yfh February 2, 20011etter, Oregon managsea its state Highway system using the policies and standards adopted aspart of the 1949 Oregon Hi¢ttwnv Plan. This:plantatablislies standards W mafritaiit acceptable lovela of mobility on the state highway system ueutg volume/capacirysatios. Within the $ttgetto-3pringGeld area; the mobility standard fox statewide highway$ is 0.85 through the planning hoxtum eetabltslscd in the Regwnal Transportation Plan: 2018. The Vafftc study" : prepared. for the DEIS should havo addressed"thin standard on ODOT- m~naged facilities. Also stated in ODOT's earlier letter; the operations analysis aooomp&ahed during development of the DEIS used-the delay method of:analysi~a technique not acceptable for the Oregon Highway .. System. 3.2 The required technique whr:tt anatyung eigctaUred intersections on the state highway system is SIOCAP2. ODOT conducteei a 3IGCAP2 analysis of the Mafia Strext/Mill Street intersection using the 2003 traffic volume information provided in the Dratt Envlronmentnl ImpactStatetnent (AppaneliatB, Figure 6ff. Mobility at thin intersection is expected to be: 0..83 m 2003-close to the mobility standard"for 2018:. In addition, the calculated storage distances forwestbound traffic on Mom Street show that velticJe queues wilt extend through-the Main 9[mt/Southbound Springfield Highway (West leg,. Pioneer Parkway) intersection. Queued southbotmd traffic ttoxth o[ the Main Stteet/MiU Streit intersection extends. almost the i entire block. Northbound traffic demand on Mitl Street wiU exceed the block length btkwcen Main Street and Yt' Street, causing vehicle queuing to extend onto A' Street. While the lctt turn lane on A` Street appears to be of adequate length to accommodate 2003 vehicle queuing, movement. of