Transportation for Communities - Advancing Projects Through Partnerships
- User Portals
- Applications
Transportation Phases
- Long Range Transportation Planning
- Integrated Programming and Fiscal Constraint
- Corridor Planning
- Environmental Review Merged with Permitting
Applications - Stakeholder Collaboration
Check out the Understanding the Decision Guide page
ENV-3
Approve Purpose and Need/Reach Consensus on Project Purpose
Description: At this key decision the agreed to purpose and need for both NEPA and the Section 404 permitting process are documented. If alternatives do not meet the stated purpose and need they will be eliminated. There should be as much specificity as possible in the purpose and need statement in order to effectively analyze alternatives. For this reason, there is a close link to this key decision and ENV-4 (Reach Consensus on Study Area) and ENV-5 (Approve Evaluation Criteria, Methods and Measures) and some sources suggest combining these decisions. It should also be noted that the purpose and need statement may be modified, or made more specific, as information is developed through the analysis. If there are supporting goals or a secondary purpose, consider agreement and documentation of those at this key decision.
Input from partners and stakeholders is important at this step to substantiate the project purpose and need, to gauge the public reaction to the purpose and need, and to identify any missing aspects of the purpose and need.
There is information developed in prior key decisions that informs this step. In order to effectively execute this key decision there is essential information created at COR-2 which provides the problem statements and opportunities that are relevant to the project.
Purpose
To formally document the purpose and need for the project and supporting goals if applicable.
Outcome
An approved Purpose and Need Statement with supporting goals if applicable.
Partner Roles | ||
|---|---|---|
FHWA |
Decision Maker |
Approves the development of the purpose and need in accordance with federal requirements |
MPO |
Advisor |
Informs project purpose and need based on regional analysis of deficiencies and identified need |
Resource Agency |
Decision Maker |
USACE approves a purpose and need that can be used for Section 404 requirements. Other resource agencies are advisors, supporting a purpose and need that represents the true need for the project and can be supported by all partners. |
State DOT |
Decision Maker |
Ensures purpose and need is supported and documented with agreement by all partners |
Process |
Integration Type |
Integration Description |
|---|---|---|
| Land Use and Smart Growth | Data | • Land use context to be included in the project development process • Data from public involvement related to the land planning process • Data from comprehensive / land use planning; including local land planning activities to support the need for the project, and data from an approved regional land use model, where applicable. |
| Analysis | If smart growth principles will be integrated, analysis demonstrating that purpose and need or supporting project goals account for: • land use patterns and growth forecasts • the performance and safety of the whole system • the need to balance mode choices • the need for greater mobility without expanding the road network • the need for greater accessibility • the impacts of smart growth on travel demand and congestion | |
| Analysis | If smart growth principles will be integrated, analysis demonstrating that project purpose and need or supporting project goals are supportive of: • community visions and plans • growth management • economic development • environmental preservation, conservation, and restoration • the equitable distribution of impacts and benefits • improved quality of life | |
| Air Quality Conformity | Data | Air quality context for the region including conformity status information |
| Natural Environment and the IEF | Analysis From IEF Step 1 - Build & Strengthen Collaborative Partnerships & Vision, IEF Step 2 - Characterize Resource Status & Integrate Natural Environment Plans, and IEF Step 8 - Impl | Data around ecological goals and priorities was collected at ENV-1. The ecological vision and goals coming from IEF Step 1 will be broad and high-level. The result of IEF Sub-step 2h is a combined map of ecological plans with conservation and restoration priorities. Both the high-level vision and goals, and more specific conservation and restoration priorities coming from these two IEF steps should be analyzed in order to develop a purpose and need or supporting goals for the transportation project that is compatible with or complimentary of ecological goals. If the IEF process is complete, the goals incorporated from the completed plan (at IEF Step 8) would inform ENV-3. |
| Capital Improvement | Data | Capital improvement context to be included in the project development process. |
| Safety and Security | Data | Safety and security context to be included in the project development process. |
| Human Environment | Data | Human environment context to be included in the project development process |
| Economic Development | Data | Data from economic development plans to determine and formally document the purpose and need for the project. |
| Greenhouse Gas | Data | Information about GHG emissions reduction goals to determine if the project purpose and need are compatible and complimentary. |
Linkages to other Phases of Transportation Decision Making | ||
|---|---|---|
Key Decision |
What is Linked? |
Purpose of Linkage |
From Long Range Transportation Planning |
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LRP-2 - Approve Vision and Goals |
The vision and goals as approved for the LRTP |
To ensure the approved purpose and need is consistent with the regional transportation vision and goals |
LRP-4 - Approve Transportation Deficiencies |
Information about the transportation deficiencies documented in the LRTP |
To ensure that the purpose and need is consistent with deficiencies in the LRTP. |
From Corridor Planning Studies |
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COR-2 - Approve Problem Statements and Opportunities |
The problem statement and opportunities defined in the corridor plan |
To provide a foundation for the development of the purpose and need |
COR-3 - Approve Goals for the Corridor |
The goals for the corridor |
To inform the purpose and need for the environmental process. |
Policy Questions |
|
|---|---|
Questions about purpose and roles |
Is there agreement to move forward on the Purpose and Need Statement? |
Questions about stakeholders |
Has the purpose and need been made publicly available? |
Questions about the transportation process supporting the decision |
Have all existing and future financing and revenue needs been identified to inform the development of purpose and need for a P3 project? |
Is the need for and purpose of the project apparent and substantiated? Have all the purposes of and needs for the project been included in the statement? | |
Is the purpose and need consistent with current federal regulations? | |
Is the Purpose and Need statement broad enough to address the full range of alternatives that consider both direct and indirect effects? | |
Questions about other phases |
Has information from other planning phases on the decision to develop the project as a P3 been considered? |
Is the purpose and need consistent with the LRTP and TIP (i.e., documentation has been carried forward)? | |
Questions about non-transportation sectors/processes |
Are sub-regional jurisdictions responsible for the GHG emissions and reductions expected from the project? If so, how is their share to be determined (e.g., based on population, VMT, or other activity data) and what local actions can they take to support |
Are there potential non-transportation purposes or benefits that the project might fulfill? | |
Do the purpose and need account for land use forecasts and growth patterns? | |
Do the purpose and need account for the impacts of smart growth on travel demand and congestion? | |
Does the project offer the opportunity to affect transportation-related emissions? If so, what is the emissions reduction that would achieve the purpose? | |
Does the project provide a way to raise revenues or financing for other non-transportation needs? | |
Have any economic investment or other goals been identified that should be considered in the development of the purpose and need for a P3 project? | |
Have ecological goals been identified that should be considered in the development of the purpose and need or supporting goals for the project? | |
Have economic development and competitiveness goals been identified that should be considered in the development of the purpose and need? | |
How can the need to reduce GHG emissions and success at meeting that need be quantified? What tools are available, and what evaluation measures could be used? For example, CO2, CO2e equivalent, GHG per capita, or VMT, as a proxy? | |
Is GHG emissions reduction a motivating factor in the proposed purpose and need? | |
To what extent are smart growth principles to be included in the project? | |
Questions to Gather Stakeholder Interests |
|---|
| Do you see additional needs and/or purposes that are not incorporated? |
| What do you think this project should accomplish? What do you think the outcome of the project should be? |
| What is your reaction to the outlined purpose and need? |
Questions to Incorporate Stakeholder Interests |
|---|
| Are there conflicts in the stakeholder interests that we heard? |
| How were the public, private and general stakeholder comments considered in the development of the purpose and need? |
| Is the understanding of deficiencies met by the P3 project consistent across the public and private sectors? |
| What are the economic and land use related problems and opportunities identified by stakeholders? |
| What is the rational for how we handled information from the stakeholders? How has this been communicated to the stakeholders? |
| What were the stakeholders' comments regarding the Purpose and Need? |
Case Study Example(s): |
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Supporting Data for the Key Decision |
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|---|---|---|
From other phases of transportation decision making |
Long Range Planning |
Data from the long range plan, including: transportation deficiencies, vision and goals, preferred plan scenario, traffic forecasts, roadway and system characteristics, and financial expectations. | Programming |
No Specific Data |
Corridor Planning |
Data from the Corridor Plan: including, problem statements and opportunities, goals for the corridor, traffic forecasts |
Environmental Review |
ENV-4: The study area should be closely related to the purpose and need and may be considered simultaneously |
ENV-5: Evaluation criteria, methods and measures should be closely related to the purpose and need and may be considered simultaneously |
From other sectors and processes |
Land Use and Smart Growth |
Data from comprehensive / land use planning | Data from public involvement related to the land planning process |
Smart growth principles |
Air Quality Conformity |
No Specific Data |
Natural Environment and the IEF |
Combined map of ecological plans with conservation and restoration priorities |
Capital Improvement |
No Specific Data |
Safety and Security |
No Specific Data |
Human Environment |
No Specific Data |
Economic Development |
Data informing economic needs and deficiencies which the project may impact |
Greenhouse Gas |
State and federal GHG-related policy |
Corridor or sketch level analyses of alternatives |
VMT traffic forecasts and road capacity analyses |
GHG emission factors |
Anticipated GHG emission reductions from federal and state measures, as well as complementary local measures |
From the transportation technical process supporting this key decision |
Crash history data | |
Community characteristics data | ||
Context to be included in the project development process | ||
Local land use and economic development plans | ||
From stakeholder collaboration |
Summary of public comments received in response to the purpose and need and justification of how those comments were addressed | |
From public private partnership |
No Specific Data | |
The following is a list of data needed to support the key decision. Practitioners collect this information for decision makers to consider. You may add to this list using the comment box at the bottom of the page. Supporting Tools and Technology | |
|---|---|
Category |
Detail |
Communication |
GIS Tools: Used to display data collected on purpose and need in a spatial/geographical format, to better communicate issues to stakeholders. |
Stakeholder Engagement Tools: Used to enhance the understanding of technical purpose & need issues for both non-technical and non-transportation people. |
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Visualization Tools: Used to display forecasting information on future area conditions in a visual form for decision-makers. |
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Decision Support Tools: Used to summarize key transportation metrics, such as facility performance or user impacts, to quickly communicate issues to decision-makers. |
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Gathering |
GIS Tools: Comment gathering tools |
Key Decision Relationship to Other Topics | |||
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| Topic | Description | ||
| Performance Measures |
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| Streamlining a Bottleneck Project |
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| Visioning and Transportation |
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| Public-Private Partnerships |
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