Heartland Parkway

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise

Heartland Parkway

Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

May 2007 Table of Contents

Executive Summary...... 2 Introduction...... 3 Description of the Study Corridor...... 4 Possible Phased Implementation of the Corridor...... 4 Typical Section and Interchanges...... 6 Estimated Project Costs...... 10 Travel Demand Modeling (Traffic Projections)...... 11 Turnpike State Model for Traffic Forecasting...... 11 TSM Validation...... 12 Application of the TSM to Heartland Parkway Forecasts...... 12 Results of Traffic Forecasts...... 13 Traffic Effects of the Heartland Parkway on Parallel Untolled Roads...... 15 Cautions and Qualifications for Travel Demand Model Results...... 15 Toll Revenue analysis and Bonding Capacity...... 16 Coordination and Local Support...... 17 Overview of Potential Environmental Impact...... 18 Conclusion...... 20

Exhibits & Tables

Exhibit 1: Heartland Parkway Study Corridor...... 5 Exhibit 2: Typical Section...... 6 Exhibits 3 & 3a: Proposed Interchange Locations...... 8 & 9 Exhibit 4: FY 2015 & FY 2035 Two-Way AADT...... 14

Table 1: Summary of Estimated Costs...... 10 Table 2: 30-Year Toll Revenue Analysis...... 17

Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

Heartland Parkway

Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Preliminary studies by Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise have evaluated the feasibility of toll- funding for a new highway corridor that would traverse Florida’s “Heartland” region south-to- north, generally connecting the eastern Lee County area with the Polk/Osceola County region between Lakeland and Orlando. In the evaluation, a study corridor was established, project cost estimates were completed, traffic and toll revenues were estimated, an environmental overview was performed, and initial coordination was accomplished among governments, stakeholders, and interested parties in and along the corridor. The coordination resulted in considerable support and enthusiasm for development of the corridor among the stakeholders. The environmental overview revealed that, while the environmental issues associated with the project would not be out of the ordinary for a highway project, they would be on a much grander scale than ever encountered in any previous Florida project. Some critics of the project maintain that a new transportation corridor through the Heartland would open up the mostly-agricultural rural area to urban sprawl. The financial evaluation concluded that the project would not be feasible as aTurnpike project, based on statutory requirements. The substantial costs required to implement the corridor would not be sufficiently covered by the predicted toll revenue earnings of the project.

INTRODUCTION

Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise (“the Turnpike”) has evaluated the preliminary feasibility of a new toll- funded expressway corridor which would serve the central heartland of south Florida, extending from Lee County on the south to the Polk /Osceola County area on the north. Named the “Heartland Parkway,” the corridor is an identified long-range transportation need by state transportation officials and local governments in the Heartland. It was one of the “new corridors” included in the “Florida’s Future Corridors Action Plan” published by the Florida Department of Transportation at the end of 2006. Proponents of the Parkway maintain that the corridor would relieve congestion on parallel routes, such as U.S. 17 and U.S. 27; would enhance the heartland economy by increasing commercial and personal mobility; would provide an additional safe emergency evacuation route; and would provide the opportunity to integrate land use and transportation planning in a comprehensive fashion. The methodology for this preliminary feasibility analysis included the following steps:

• Development of a project concept sufficient to prepare a preliminary cost estimate • Travel demand modeling to estimate traffic volumes that would use the toll road • Estimation of the gross toll revenue stream, based on the forecast traffic volumes • Estimation of the net revenue stream by subtracting anticipated operation and maintenance (O&M) costs from the gross revenue estimate • Determination of bonding capacity for the project, based on the estimated net revenues • Comparison of estimated bonding capacity versus costs to determine what portion of overall project costs could be covered by toll revenues

During development of the preliminary feasibility analysis, considerable coordination was accomplished with local elected and appointed officials and other interested parties in and near the Heartland Parkway corridor. A planning-level review of environmental resources in the corridor was also performed. This report summarizes all those activities.

Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY CORRIDOR

Exhibit 1 illustrates the conceptual corridor evaluated in this study. In all, the facility would represent 152 miles of four-lane, limited-access toll road on new alignment through parts of six south-central Florida counties. For the purposes of this study, a corridor of about five miles in width has been identified, as illustrated on Exhibit 1. At its southern terminus, the Heartland Parkway would connect to SR 82 east of Fort Myers near the Lee/Hendry county line and would extend northward generally between the existing alignments of U.S. 17 on the west and U.S. 27 on the east. At its northern terminus, the Parkway would connect with Interstate 4 near the Polk/Osceola county line. Total length of the mainline of the corridor is approximately 140 miles. In Polk County, the corridor would include a “spur” connection to the Polk Parkway at Lakeland. The length of the spur corridor is approximately 12 miles. The conceptualized corridor for the Heartland Parkway study was developed with a Turnpike computer application which uses multiple geographic information system (GIS) map overlays to locate constraints and/or avoidance items for road planning. Examples are wetlands, floodplains, conservation areas, sensitive wildlife habitat, cultural resources, and residential centers, among others. In establishing the corridor location, these areas and resources were avoided to the extent possible. It should be noted that this method of corridor establishment, while appropriate for a preliminary planning/feasibility study, will need to be refined considerably if the project goes forward. Future project development phases would involve closer-scale engineering and environmental impact studies, coordination with regulatory and review agencies, and public involvement to identify and evaluate alignment alternatives.

POSSIBLE PHASED IMPLEMENTATION OF THE CORRIDOR

Projects of substantial length, such as the Heartland Parkway corridor, are typically developed in useable sections, or segments, with initial implementation of those segments which could serve the most traffic. Preliminary studies have indicated a reasonable segmentation or phased development option for the Heartland Parkway would be to initially implement a segment from SR 60 to the north terminus at Interstate 4, with the spur to Polk Parkway. In this report, that potential first phase is referred to as the “northern corridor segment.”

Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

TYPICAL SECTION AND INTERCHANGES

Exhibit 2 illustrates the roadway typical section evaluated in this analysis. The typical section is a rural, limited-access, toll expressway section providing two 12-foot travel lanes in each direction, separated by a 64-foot median with guardrail, paved shoulders inside and outside, and open drainage. All toll collection would be by SunPass and compatible electronic toll collection systems; there would be no toll plazas and no stopping to pay tolls. This typical section, in a right-of-way width of 400 feet, would allow for future widening without the requirement for additional right-of- way acquisition. The 400-foot right-of-way would allow a number of options to the typical section shown, including off-setting the roadways approximately 50 feet to one side or the other of the right-of-way centerline to reserve an envelope for transit and/or utilities along one side of the right-of-way.

Exhibit 2 Typical Section (not to scale)

For this study, interchange locations were assumed as shown on Exhibit 3 and 3a. These include, along the mainline:

• Interstate 4 (half-interchange at northern terminus of corridor) • U.S. 27 • Spur to Polk Parkway (half-interchange) • SR 60 • U.S. 98 • (Polk/Hardee) County Line Road • SR 64 • SR 66 • SR 70 • CR 74 • SR 80 • SR 82 (half-interchange at southern terminus of corridor)

Interchange locations assumed along the spur to Polk Parkway, beginning at the Heartland Parkway mainline, include:

• Heartland Parkway (half-interchange) • SR 655 • U.S. 17 • CR 540 (half-interchange) • Polk Parkway (half-interchange)

Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

Heartland Parkway Corridor Study Exhibit Potential Interchange Locations 3a

Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

ESTIMATED PROJECT COSTS

A preliminary, planning-level construction cost estimate for the northern corridor segment and “spur” to Polk Parkway was prepared, using the Department’s Long Range Estimate (LRE) system. A right-of-way cost estimate for that segment was based on best available information, without title or ownership work, and assuming no donation. With results from the LRE for the northern corridor segment, a “per mile” average cost was developed for estimating the full-length corridor construction cost. Right-of-way costs for the full- length were also estimated using best available information, without title or ownership work, and assuming no donation. Design and construction engineering and inspection (CEI) costs were estimated as 15 percent of construction costs. Table 1 summarizes the project cost estimates for the northern corridor segment and for the full-length corridor.

Table 1 Heartland Parkway Summary of Estimated Costs (2007 Present Day Dollars)

Item Cost Source Assumptions

Northern Corridor Segment (SR 60 to Interstate 4 + "Spur" to Polk Pkwy.) Construction $1,274,460,000 Turnpike LRE 44 mi. / 8 interchanges

Design & CEI 191,169,000 Turnpike Estimate 15% of construction cost

Right-of-Way 352,000,000 Turnpike Estimate No donation assumed

TOTAL $1,817,629,000

Full-Length Corridor (SR 82 to Interstate 4 + "Spur" to Polk Pkwy.) Construction $4,402,680,000 $29 MM/mi. 152 mi. / 16 interchanges

Design & CEI 660,402,000 Turnpike Estimate 15% of construction cost

Right-of-Way 527,000,000 Turnpike Estimate No donation assumed

TOTAL $5,590,082,000

10 TRAVEL DEMAND MODELING (TRAFFIC PROJECTIONS)

A fundamental and most critical aspect of transportation planning is the forecasting of traffic volumes that can be expected to use a planned roadway. Most of the follow-on activities of project planning are based on the traffic forecasts. In the case of toll road planning, the traffic forecasts are the basis for estimating toll revenues that may be expected to help pay for the project. Other important decisions based on traffic forecasts include how many lanes the facility should have, where access should be allowed or restricted, and what will be the proximity effects to adjacent land uses (e.g., traffic noise, air quality).

Turnpike State Model for Traffic Forecasting

Over time, the analytical tools used by engineers and planners to forecast future traffic volumes have evolved into complex computer models, requiring highly-specialized skills, experience, and judgment. Turnpike planners and traffic engineers have developed one of the most sophisticated travel demand modeling applications in use today, specifically for forecasting traffic for projects such as the Heartland Parkway. The model is called the Turnpike State Model (TSM) and its assembly and validation required an extensive year-long effort. The completed model represents an innovative departure from the usual four-step models produced using Florida DOT’s Florida Urban Transportation Model Structure (FSUTMS). TSM is a database model which uses FDOT-supported GIS, Roadway Characteristics Inventory (RCI), Work Program data, and traffic counts together with census block data, population projections provided by the University of Florida Bureau of Economic and Business Research (BEBR), InfoUSA employment data, and employment projections produced by the U.S. Census, Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). The model is made independent of locally-generated land use forecasts and schedules through the use of these datasets and the incorporation of a Land Use Allocation Model (LUAM) to allocate projected growth to specific traffic analysis zones. The Turnpike’s model is particularly well-suited for projects such as the Heartland Parkway for which there were no available standard urban (FSUTMS) models because of its unusual length and location.

11 Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

TSM Validation

The TSM base year model (2004) contains 100,000 roadway links, 11,700 traffic counts, and 27,749 traffic analysis zones. Validation of the TSM involved a matrix estimation procedure to bring a seed trip matrix into agreement with actual base year traffic counts. The seed trip matrix was based on the National Household Travel Survey (NHTS) and U.S. Census Journey-to-Work Survey. The result was a statewide zone-to-zone base year vehicle trip table that substantially surpassed the FHWA-recommended accuracy standards for all links and all volume groups when assigned to the base year highway network. An essential attribute of a statewide model is that it be able to replicate all trip length patterns, especially those pertaining to long-distance trips. Comparison of percentages of total trips traveling distances greater than 25, 50, 150, and 300 miles showed the TSM was able to simulate trip length percentages to within 0.5 percent of the NHTS.

Application of the TSM to Heartland Parkway Forecasts

Traffic forecasts for the Heartland Parkway were produced using the TSM. A summary of details and assumptions for the application includes:

• Annual average daily traffic (AADT) forecasts were made for Year 2015 and Year 2035, with linear interpolation or extrapolation for other years • Tests were made for alternative toll rates, including $0.10, $0.12, and $0.15 per mile to determine which rate may produce the optimum combination of traffic and revenue • Toll rates were assumed to increase by 25 percent every 10 years • Scenarios tested included a SR 82-to-Interstate 4 mainline corridor with and without a spur to Polk Parkway • Also tested was a possible first-phase northern corridor segment, from SR 60 north to Interstate 4, with the Polk Parkway spur • The transportation network of state roads was assumed to have the improvements identified in the FDOT work program through year 2015 • Improvements to local roads were assumed to be implemented if and when traffic volumes on those roads reached 125 percent of capacity during the analysis period • County-level forecasts of population and employment came from BEBR and BEA

12 • Traffic zone forecasts of population and employment were produced using the LUAM • Future year trip tables were developed from traffic zone growth factors using a Fratar model.

Results of Traffic Forecasts

Exhibit 4 summarizes results from the travel demand modeling, showing the Year 2015 and Year 2035 traffic profiles predicted along the Heartland Parkway corridor (and spur to Polk Parkway) for the $0.10/mile and $0.12/mile options. (The $0.15/mile option was dropped from further consideration after early testing showed it would result in lower traffic and revenue estimates across all segments of the corridor.) The model was also used to test the Heartland Parkway corridor without a spur to Polk Parkway. The result showed that the presence or absence of the spur would not make a significant change in the volumes predicted for the Heartland Parkway mainline. While it would not have a great influence on Heartland mainline traffic, the spur would serve a meaningful volume of traffic itself. As summarized in Exhibit 4, the highest forecast traffic volumes are in the northernmost portions of the corridor and along the spur to the Polk Parkway. This is logical, as that is the area along the corridor with the greatest concentration of traffic productions and attractions. In the modeling, the $0.10/mile toll rate produced somewhat higher traffic volumes across all segments than the $0.12/mile rate. Studies showed traffic in the northern corridor segments would be less sensitive to increases in toll rate than in the southern part of the corridor. That is, the model predicted the increase from $0.10/mile to $0.12/mile would discourage a greater percentage of demand in the southern part of the corridor than in the northern part.

13 Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

Exhibit 4 Heartland Parkway FY 2015 & FY 2035 Two-Way AADT

Heartland Parkway Mainline

Location Year 2015 Year 2035 $0.10/mile $0.12/mile $0.10/mile $0.12/mile I-4 38,900 33,500 57,400 52,000 US 27 18,100 14,100 33,800 28,900 Spur to Polk Parkway 17,900 14,000 38,500 32,100 SR 60 16,900 13,200 30,500 22,300 US 98 (Polk) 16,800 13,600 33,900 25,700 County Line Road (Hardee) 16,800 13,600 33,900 25,700 SR 64 2,700 1,900 18,000 10,700 SR 66 2,600 1,500 19,000 11,800 SR 70 2,100 1,400 17,300 10,000 CR 74 1,900 1,700 10,400 6,000 SR 80 700 300 3,700 2,100 SR 82

Spur to Polk Parkway Year 2015 Year 2035 $0.10/mile $0.12/mile $0.10/mile $0.12/mile Polk Parkway 8,900 7,900 23,500 21,500 CR 540 9,400 8,300 24,300 22,200 US 17 4,200 3,100 16,300 14,300 CR 655 300 200 6,300 5,200 Heartland Parkway

14 Traffic Effects of the Heartland Parkway on Parallel Untolled Roads

Results from the traffic modeling were also used to evaluate the Heartland Parkway’s potential for relieving traffic volumes on the primary parallel untolled roadways: Interstate 75, U.S. 17, and U.S. 27. To accomplish this, year 2035 traffic profiles along those other routes were forecast with and without the Parkway in place. The results of the analysis showed that the Parkway would have negligible effect on Interstate 75 traffic, reducing it only by 2-4 percent in the southern part of the corridor, where the Parkway would be physically closest to the Interstate 75 corridor, and affecting it even less in the northern sections, where it would be 40-50 miles distant from I-75. The Parkway’s effect on relieving traffic on U.S. 17 and U.S. 27 would be more significant, although almost entirely limited to the northern sections of those roadways, in the Polk County area. Studies showed that having the Parkway in place in year 2035 would reduce traffic volumes on U.S. 27 in Polk County by 15-30 percent, depending on the roadway segment. The effect on U.S. 17 in Polk County would be relatively more substantial, reducing that roadway’s traffic volumes by 27-46 percent.

Cautions and Qualifications for Travel Demand Model Results

Some qualifications that apply to any travel demand model results should be noted relative to the TSM forecasts for the Heartland Parkway. For example, the forecasts are sensitive to improvements that might be made to the state highway system beyond those programmed through 2015. Potential improvements (or lack of improvements) to local roads could also have an effect. The forecasts are also sensitive to future population growth in the Heartland. If growth should occur in excess of the long-range BEBR estimates, it could influence increased travel demand which, depending on available roadway capacity, could result in higher Heartland Parkway traffic volumes than the model forecasts. In the forecasts, the BEBR mid-range projections for growth were used, as that is the data BEBR considers “most likely to provide an accurate forecast of future population.” Some advocates of redevelopment in the Heartland suggest that the BEBR mid-range projections are too low and that the high-range projections (which are about one-third higher, on average) should be used. The following section discusses what effect using the high-range projections may have on the project’s financial feasibility.

15 Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

TOLL REVENUE ANALYSIS AND BONDING CAPACITY

The results from the traffic forecasting work were used to estimate the toll revenue potential for the Heartland Parkway corridor and to determine what portion of the project costs could be covered by revenue bonds. The basic assumptions and steps involved in arriving at the “bonding capacity” of the project were:

• An open-to-traffic year of 2015 was assumed • For each toll rate scenario (i.e., $0.10/mile and $0.12/mile), a 30-year gross revenue stream was calculated for years 2015-2044, based on the traffic forecasts • A net revenue stream was calculated for each toll rate scenario by subtracting from gross revenues the anticipated costs for operations and maintenance (O&M) of the toll road • The bonding capacity of the 30-year net revenue stream was calculated, assuming a six percent interest rate and following statutory requirements for debt service coverage of Turnpike bonds • Year 2007 estimated project costs were inflated to the anticipated construction start year of 2012, using escalation factors from the FDOT Work Program • The bonding capacity was compared to the estimated project implementation costs to determine the toll funding shortfall

Table 2 presents the results of the steps noted above for the full-length corridor and for the northern segment corridor, for each of the two toll rate scenarios tested.

16 Table 2 30-Year Toll Revenue Analysis (Dollars x 1,000,000)

Full-Length Gross Net Bonding Estimated Toll 1 2 3 Funding Corridor + Spur Revenue Revenue Capacity Cost Shortfall Toll @ $0.10/mile $3,160 $1,911 $1,154 $6,965 $5,811

Toll @ $0.12/mile $2,923 $1,751 $1,115 $6,965 $5,850 Northern Corridor Gross Net Bonding Estimated Toll Funding Segment + Spur Revenue Revenue Capacity1 Cost 2 Shortfall Toll @ $0.10/mile $1,298 $836 $573 $2,265 $1,692

Toll @ $0.12/mile $1,359 $926 $643 $2,265 $1,622

1 Net present value (NPV) of 30-year gross revenue stream 2 Revenue bonding capacity based on the present value (6% interest rate) of a constant Year 22 (statutory test) revenue stream for a 30-year period (2015-2044). 3 Project costs escalated to the anticipated construction start year 2012, using annual inflation factors from the FDOT Work Program. As shown in Table 2, depending on the toll rate, predicted toll revenues would cover 16-17 percent of the project costs for the full-length corridor and 25-28 percent of the northern corridor segment. In either case, the funding shortfall would be substantial, based on Turnpike statutory bonding requirements. In the previous section on travel demand modeling, mention was made of the choice to use the BEBR mid-range population growth forecasts, as that is the recommendation of BEBR. Some Heartland elected and appointed officials and supporters of redevelopment in the region propose the use of the BEBR high-range projections, which are about one-third higher. As can be seen from the analysis summary in Table 2, even if the bonding capacity were increased by one-third, there would still be a toll funding shortfall of approximately $1.4 billion for the northern corridor segment and $5.4 billion for the full-length corridor.

COORDINATION AND LOCAL SUPPORT

During development of the preliminary studies for the Heartland Parkway Corridor, more than 40 briefings were completed for this project (and for a separate-but-related project for a new east-west cross-state corridor). Those briefings were made to local, state, and federal elected/ appointed officials, regional planning agencies, transportation agencies, business groups, and other stakeholders in or near the study corridors. As of this writing, the Turnpike has received written resolutions or letters of support for the Heartland Parkway project from the following: • Highlands County Board of County Commissioners • Hendry County Board of County Commissioners • Hardee County Board of County Commissioners

17 Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

• Glades County Board of County Commissioners • DeSoto County Board of County Commisioners • City of Winter Haven City Manager • City Manager of Haines City • City of Sebring City Council • Board of Directors, Manatee Chamber of Commerce • Board of Directors, Florida’s Heartland REDI, Inc.

The only known denial of support from a local government came when the Collier County Commission, in a 4-1 vote, denied a resolution supporting a feasibility study for the Heartland Parkway. That denial by the Commission came after considerable discussion, including the observation by the county’s Transportation Administrator that the Heartland Parkway corridor would not even extend into the county’s political jurisdiction. One written opposition to the corridor was received in the form of a general protest against development of new corridors. That came from the Vice President of an organization known as 1,000 Friends of Florida, a participant in the development of the 2025 Florida Transportation Plan (FTP). His protest was based on the fact that “statewide criteria” for developing new corridors had not yet been developed with input from interested citizens.

OVERVIEW OF POTENTIAL ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

For this preliminary evaluation of the Heartland Parkway corridor, an overview was made of the potential environmental impacts of such a project. This overview is in no way intended to substitute for or preempt the rigorous environmental impact assessment normally required in later project development stages. Instead, it is meant to be an appropriately-broad evaluation befitting this planning-level analysis. This type of environmental overview normally attempts to identify the general categories of environmental resources that the project could be expected to affect, to help focus the more detailed future environmental studies and/or to timely identify any environmental “fatal flaw” that may be anticipated for a project. The landscape within which the Heartland Parkway study corridor is located is primarily a mix of agriculture and native vegetative communities with scattered areas of residential, commercial, and industrial development. The more developed areas are in the northern corridor section, generally north of SR 60. For much of its length, the corridor lies west of the Lake Wales Ridge, an ecologically important region of Florida known for its rare endemic flora and fauna.

18 As mentioned in the description of the study corridor earlier in this report, Turnpike analysts employed a “constraint avoidance” technique, using a series of geographic information system (GIS) map overlays to locate and identify the many features and resources typically avoided in roadway planning. Among those features are wetlands, surface waters and flood prone areas, developed residential communities, conservation lands, animal and plant habitat of special concern, contamination sites, known historic and archaeological sites, and undesirable subsurface conditions, among others. The involvement with these constraints was minimized to the extent possible as the GIS application program laid out the study corridor. Notwithstanding the avoidance techniques discussed above, it is nevertheless likely that a project of this type and length will impact considerable acreage of wetland areas. Turnpike analyses predict that as much as 250 acres of wetlands may be affected in the northern corridor section (from SR 60 north and along the spur to Polk Parkway) and perhaps twice that much may be impacted through the rest of the corridor. In all, it is likely that 750 acres of wetland impacts would require standard mitigation. Some floodplain areas would also inevitably be unavoidable. Hydraulic conditions no doubt would require some systems to be bridged at specific locations. Approximately two dozen such areas were identified in the environmental overview, with lengths ranging from a few hundred feet to as much as a mile. There are several conservation lands, potential future conservation acquisitions, and Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FFWCC) Strategic Habitat Conservation Areas within a one-mile distance of the study corridor. Threatened and endangered species habitat occurs extensively throughout the corridor. Among the protected species whose habitat could be encountered are the red-cockaded woodpecker, the Florida panther, Audubon’s crested caracara, the Florida scrub jay, the sand skink and blue mole skink, and the bald eagle, among others. Seven known wading bird rookeries are reported within a one-mile distance of the corridor. Perhaps the most frequently-heard criticism of the Heartland Parkway concept is the belief that such a project would have the effect of opening up this rural part of the state to unregulated urban sprawl. Some critics hold the opinion that development of the Parkway would invert the intended relationship of growth planning and transportation. They suggest that plans for land use and growth should come first, followed by the development of transportation infrastructure which would best support the growth plans. The environmental impact issues that would be associated with a Heartland Parkway corridor do not represent any type of impact that is not normally encountered in typical roadway project development. The significant difference is the unusually vast scale upon which the impacts would occur. While methods have been developed and used successfully on other projects to avoid, minimize, and/or mitigate virtually any environmental impact, no project in the history of the state has mitigated for impacts on the scale which would occur with a Heartland Parkway corridor.

19 Heartland Parkway - Preliminary Planning and Feasibility Analysis

While the scale of the Heartland Parkway corridor’s potential impacts seems to present a formidable challenge, some proponents of the Parkway suggest that the size of the project also offers unique opportunities for environmental impact mitigation on a similarly large scale. For example, they describe in principle their concepts for preservation of substantial wildlife habitat and corridors, as well as recreational land potential that could be implemented along with development of the transportation corridor.

CONCLUSION

The results of the Turnpike’s preliminary studies indicate that the net toll revenue stream from a Heartland Parkway toll road would not sufficiently offset indebtedness to meet the state’s statutory test for Turnpike bonds. The projected revenue shortfall for the full-length study corridor is approximately $5.8 billion, or more than 83 percent; for the northern corridor segment and Polk Parkway spur, the shortfall is estimated at $1.7 billion, or approximately 72 percent. While the Heartland Parkway apparently falls well short of the criteria to be a traditional Turnpike- funded project, toll revenues could nevertheless be a part of a finance plan that may also include right-of-way donations, contributions from federal and/or local governments, tax increment financing, private investment with transfer of development rights, and other funding sources. During the development of the Turnpike studies, substantial coordination has been accomplished with elected and appointed officials and other stakeholders within and near the Heartland Parkway corridor. The project is supported a number of resolutions in writing from local Heartland governments and other stakeholders. Opposition has been voiced by some who suggest the project would encourage or allow unregulated sprawl development and environmental impacts on a large scale.