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ACTT Workshop: Minnesota
June 14-16, 2004, Minneapolis, Minnesota

[Archived] Appendix C (continued): Skill Set Report Forms
Environment

Environment Team
Facilitator: Cheryl Martin, FHWA
Note Taker: Curt Jorgenson, FHWA
FHWA National Experts: Jason Smith, WSDOT
Doug Eisinger, Sonoma Technologies
Brian Smith, NRC-Olympia
Mn/DOT, Local FHWA, or Local Experts: Gerry Larson, Mn/DOT
Klara Fabry, City of Minneapolis
Tom Foley, City of Richfield
Tom O’Keefe, Mn/DOT
Tom Hillstrom, SRF Consulting Group, Inc.
Bruce Irish, Mn/DOT
Environment Skill Set Report
Idea (Short Name) Idea (Detailed Description) Implementation Details (Barriers, Skill Set Coordination, etc.)
AQ.
  • Air Quality Pollutant Issues: Ozone CO, toxics, PM2.5, and Ultra Fine, that needs to be addressed and be aware of.
  • CO (required): Have hot spot analysis.
  • Toxics (Not Required): (Benzene) Need public education in trends. With cleaner vehicles and fuels and moving traffic from local streets and more to the free flow highway. Also construction mitigation with newer equipment fleets and cleaner fuels.
  • PM 2.5 (Not Required): Public education. A hot spot analysis and regional analysis. Also using a qualitative analysis
  • Ozone (Not Required): Regional Transportation plan analysis w/ or w/o the project (emission analysis). Episodic control of construction during high ozone day w/night time activity
  • Ultra Fines (no standards): Acknowledge of the emerging issue of ultra fine as a new problem.
  • Performing a type of public outreach on Air Quality specifically on these types of contaminants, e.g., a brochure, some other type of publication or communication process. Coordinate w/PR.
  • Have construction mitigation incentives/disincentives plan, such as newer construction equipment fleet and using lower sulfur fuels. Coordinate w/contracts.
AQ.
  • Have they facilitated transit properly associated with reducing Air Quality?
 
Noise.
  • Reducing noise during construction.
  • Staging the construction of noise wall in the beginnig of construction or leaving the existing wall in place to reduce noise to surrounding communities. But this is not very constructible, according to construction, but a possible use of a temporary noise wall for early construction to reduce noise.
AQ.
  • Was there proper mitigation of sensitive receptors for air quality?
 
WQ.
  • Evaluation and use of water quality BMPs.
  • Combining different types of BMPs, such as grit chambers, street sweepers, grass medians and ponds.
Other.
  • Wetland mitigation of Minnehaha Creek and partnering with the watershed.
 
Other.
  • Incorporating environmental commitments during a project construction and operation.
  • Placing a listing of the environmental commitments in the contract. Keep staging area away form regulated areas.
Other.
  • Opportunities to enhance the community through this project and have access to cross the freeway by bike/ped.
  • Early Construction of bike/ped facilities.
Other.
  • 66th and Portland need protected left turn lanes for parallel routes.
 
Other.    
WQ.
  • Project Liaison to inform the public specifically Diamond lake community.
 
WQ.
  • Risk at Diamond Lake of a plume entering the lake during construction and operation w/only limited ROW. Even with the grit chambers should there be more restrictive impact mitigation w/o taking more ROW.
  • Have incentive/disincentive coordinated with contract to control pollutant load into the lake.
  • Build the sedimentation pond first in the beginning stages with the to avoid impacts to the lake, if ROW is available.
Noise.
  • Opportunity to implement aesthetic design guidelines w/in Mn/DOT maximum participation, e.g. noise walls.
  • Implement aesthetic design guidelines.
Noise.
  • City noise ordinance is 7pm-7am Mon-Fri, although contracting skill set wants to know if they can build a night. There is a specification and city conflict.
  • Barrier of obtaining a noise permit to have construction a night. Possible solution: coordinate the construction staging then have the noisy part of construction during the noise ordinance time and "quiet work" a night.
 
  • Incentives for construction equipment to have 96.
  • If it clearly stated in specification it can be possible.
AQ.
  • Incentives for congestion management specifically on ozone day.
 
AQ.
  • Disincentive to stop construction or have night time construction for ozone days.
  • This might be highly difficult for construction because it slows production and increase the amount of work hours per days.
WQ.
  • Erosion control incentive to address the minor erosion control work for rapid response for maintenance.
  • Use polyacrylamide (PAM) for erosion control. Use of inlet protection, rock protection.
WQ.
  • Temporary and permanent erosion control plan have minor cost included in the estimate.
 
Noise.
  • Recommend the use of quiet concrete.
  • Use tying design with not so deep grooves in the concrete.
Noise.
  • Noise wall that are ground mounted installation can be easily phased in but if a noise wall transitions to a retaining wall that will not be easy to phase in.
 
Other.
  • Steel box span aesthetics of 27VT5 bridge how sensitive would this be?
 
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Updated: 02/20/2020
Federal Highway Administration | 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE | Washington, DC 20590 | 202-366-4000