Metropolitan Transportation Plan NewOrleans Urbanized Area F Y 2 0 3 2 Regional Planning Commission Jefferson, Orleans Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St.Tammany Parishes, Louisiana June 12, 2007 Metropolitan Transportation Plan New Orleans Urbanized Area Regional Planning Commission 1340 Poydras Street, Suite 2100 New Orleans, LA 70112 504-568-6611 504-568-6643 (fax) www: norpc.org [email protected] The preparation of this document was fi nanced in part through grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration in accordance with the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Effi cient Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU; P.L. 109-59). Contents Chapter 1 Introduction and Overview of the Planning Process Introduction--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 Transportation Philosophy in SAFETEA-LU---------------------------------------------------------- 3 The Metropolitan Planning Organization----------------------------------------------------------- 4 Statutory Authority for Plan Development---------------------------------------------------------- 5 Hurricane Katrina--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 Metropolitan Transportation Plan-------------------------------------------------------------------- 8 Metropolitan Planning Process----------------------------------------------------------------------- 9 Safety Conscious Planning----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14 Planning for Security of the Transportation Network--------------------------------------------- 15 Smart Growth ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16 Smart Growth Post-Katrina---------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 The New Orleans Urbanized Area--------------------------------------------------------------------- 18 High Priority Funding---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 25 Chapter II Highway and Transit Project Descriptions by Functional Category Overlay Projects on Major Roadways---------------------------------------------------------------- 27 Reconstruction Projects------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28 Highway Safety/Hazard Elimination---------------------------------------------------------------- 29 Intermodal Facilities---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 29 Transit Bus Replacement Program------------------------------------------------------------------ 30 Transit Preventive Maintenance--------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 Transit Capital Facility Investment------------------------------------------------------------------ 31 Transit Connectivity------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 32 Environmental Impact Studies----------------------------------------------------------------------- 34 Transportation Enhancements----------------------------------------------------------------------- 35 Metro Bikeway System-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36 Computerized Traffi c Signal Upgrade and Replacement----------------------------------------- 37 Intelligent Transportation/Incident Management System-------------------------------------- 38 Transportation System Management Projects---------------------------------------------------- 38 Transportation System Preservation---------------------------------------------------------------- 39 Bridge Replacement/Inspection--------------------------------------------------------------------- 40 New Construction/Capacity Increases-------------------------------------------------------------- 40 Almonaster Bridge Replacement-------------------------------------------------------------------- 41 Canal Street Streetcar--------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 42 Desire Streetcar---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 43 Riverfront Streetcar Extension----------------------------------------------------------------------- 44 East-West Corridor Transit Project------------------------------------------------------------------- 44 Earhart Ramp Connector to US 61 and US 90------------------------------------------------------ 45 Florida Avenue Bridge at the IHNC------------------------------------------------------------------ 46 Interstate 10 Bottleneck Elimination & Interchange Reconstruction-------------------------- 47 I-10 East Widening------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 48 West Napoleon Avenue Completion----------------------------------------------------------------- 48 LA 3154 - Relocated Hickory-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 49 I-10 Twin-Span Widening 50 Lapalco Widening------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 50 US 90 at Danziger Bridge----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 51 Peters Road Corridor---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 52 Earhart Corridor--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 53 Causeway Boulevard Widening---------------------------------------------------------------------- 54 Harvey/Lapalco - Harvey Canal Crossing 54 Huey P. Long Bridge------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 55 Severn Avenue /I-10 Overpass----------------------------------------------------------------------- 55 Old Algiers Ramp--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56 I-49S/I-310 Elevated Section-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 56 Widening or Extension of Existing Roadways------------------------------------------------------- 57 Chapter III Highway and Transit Project Funding and Phasing in Federal-Aid Format Appendices A Roadways in FHWA’s Emergency Relief Program B SAFETEA-LU’s Eight Planning Factors C The Metropolitan Planning Process Flowchart D Funding Category Abbreviations E Projects Let to Construction F Financial Constraint Chapter I Introduction and Overview of the Planning Process 1 Introduction A transportation system is a global term describing into the metropolitan planning process with emphasis the network of travel modes for people and goods on vehicle crash reduction and improved pedestrian movement. The nature of the system is to cross local, and bicycle safety. SAFETEA-LU mandates linkages state and national jurisdictions creating a complex, between transportation planning, database systems and interconnected network of facilities requiring an evaluation, and deployment of Intelligent Transportation immense investment from various funding sources. System (ITS) technologies with Homeland Security Transportation needs tend to result in exceptionally preparedness and response. SAFETEA-LU covers the fi ve large infrastructure projects taking a long time to plan, year period FY06 through FY10. Funding over the life of construct, and administer. The transportation system the bill totals $ billion. fulfi lls a public service, requires public revenues to build and maintain, and is, therefore, a shared public asset. The scope of projects included in this Metropolitan Transportation Plan is based on historic revenue Because the transportation system is a public asset, levels. The MTP can not designate a spending program the role and involvement of the federal government in larger than the funds reasonably expected to accrue transportation planning and implementation has always over the next 20 years. It is hoped that this extensive been large. Signifi cant federal legislation, the Intermodal documentation of the planning process employed by Surface Transportation Effi ciency Act of 1991, or ISTEA, the Metropolitan Planning Organization will provide was passed as a comprehensive transportation bill, an improved mechanism for public understanding and funded at $155 billion for six years through September therefore enhance the public’s ability to participate in the 30, 1997. Reauthorization of the bill was suspended planning process. with a six month Continuing Resolution when basic precepts concerning balancing the federal budget and unequal state apportionment’s surfaced. The new bill, The Transportation Equity Act of the 21st Century, nicknamed TEA-21, was approved in March 1998 and authorized through fi scal year 2003. TEA-21 exceeded the previous funding level of ISTEA authorizing $214 billion over the life of the Act and validated a continuing central role for Metropolitan Planning Organizations and a fi nancially constrained long range Metropolitan Transportation Plan, hereinafter known as the MTP. The successor bill to TEA 21 was passed in September, 2005. The reauthorization is known as SAFETEA-LU; an acronym for Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Effi cient, Transportation Equity Act, a Legacy for Users. The latest reauthorization reaffi rms the underlying tenets of the two previous transportation bills while expanding the growing national emphasis on global economic competitiveness through new or improved transportation connections to port and intermodal Regional Planning Commission terminals