STATE OF FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 650-050-38 ENVIRONMENTAL TECHNICAL REPORT COVERSHEET MANAGEMENT 06/29 Community Awareness Plan Florida Department of Transportation District Seven 40TH AVENUE NE OVER PLACIDO BAYOU Limits of Project: FROM 12TH STREET NE TO WEST OF 13TH WAY NE Pinellas County, Florida Financial Management Number: 443600-1-32-01 ETDM Number: 14377 August 2019 The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by FDOT pursuant to 23 U.S.C. § 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2016 and executed by FHWA and FDOT. Community Awareness Plan 40th Avenue NE over Placido Bayou August 2019 City of St. Petersburg Project No.: 18032-110 ETDM No.: 14377 Work Program Item Segment No.: 443600-1 Federal Aid Project Number: TBD The environmental review, consultation, and other actions required by applicable federal environmental laws for this project are being, or have been, carried out by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) pursuant to 23 U.S.C. § 327 and a Memorandum of Understanding dated December 14, 2016 and executed by the Federal Highway Administration and FDOT. Submitted pursuant 49 U.S.C. § 303. Community Awareness Plan 40th Avenue NE Bridge Replacement Table of Contents I. Description of Proposed Improvement ........................................................................... 1 II. Background ...................................................................................................................... 2 III. Project Goals .................................................................................................................... 3 IV. Identification of Agencies and Affected Communities/Public Stakeholders................ 4 V. Outreach Activities ......................................................................................................... 10 VI. Public Outreach Activity Schedule ............................................................................... 13 VII. Coordination Meeting with Local Officials ................................................................... 14 VIII. Analysis and Summary of Public Comments ............................................................... 14 IX. Public Hearing ................................................................................................................ 14 X. Public Hearing Follow-Up .............................................................................................. 15 XI. Evaluation of Public Involvement Program .................................................................. 16 XII. Public Information During Design and Construction ................................................... 16 XIII. Maintenance of Traffic (MOT)/Access Impacts….......…….….…..………………………. 16 Appendices Appendix A Public Agencies Meeting Schedule Appendix B Sociocultural Data Report ETDM #14377 - Alternative #1 April 2019 Cardno i 443600-1_40th Ave NE Bridge Replacement_CAP 190722_updated Community Awareness Plan 40th Avenue NE Bridge Replacement COMMUNITY AWARENESS PLAN 40th Avenue NE Bridge (Bridge No. 157154) Project Development and Environment Study and Design St Petersburg, Florida City of St. Petersburg Project No.: 18032-110 FDOT Financial Project ID No.: 443600-1-32-01 ETDM No.: 14377 Federal Aid Project Number: TBD This Community Awareness Plan is submitted to the City of St. Petersburg Director of Engineering & Capital Improvements for his review and approval. Submitted by: _________________________________ Date: ______________ Ananda Kelley, P.E. Consultant Project Manager Cardno, Inc. Approved by: __________________________________ Date: _______________ Brejesh Prayman, P.E., ENV-SP, M.ASCE City of St. Petersburg Director of Engineering & Capital Improvements ______________________________________ Community Awareness Plan COMMUNITY AWARENESS PLAN City of St. Petersburg Project No: 18032-110 40th Avenue NE Bridge Replacement St. Petersburg, Florida The purpose of this Community Awareness Plan (CAP) is to establish and maintain a strategy for early, meaningful, and continuous public and stakeholder involvement during the design and construction phases. The CAP will document an approach to public outreach efforts, the development process and the resolution of project specific issues during the design phase, and develop and maintain stakeholder support for the project. Because the CAP process is results- oriented, it must be continually re-evaluated throughout the project to ensure that meaningful community involvement is maintained. The objective of the CAP is to identify the means of notifying local governments, affected property owners, tenants, and the public of proposed construction and the anticipated impact of that construction. A schedule of events and list of documentation exhibiting compliance with federal requirements are included. I. Description of Proposed Improvement City of St. Petersburg Project No.: 18032-110 Work Program Item Segment No.: 443600-1-32-01 Federal Aid Project Number: TBD Project Description: This project will replace the existing 40th Avenue NE Bridge (No. 157154) in St. Petersburg, FL. The project limits extend from 12th St. NE to west of 13th Way NE, a distance of 0.15 miles. The existing 40th Avenue Bridge was a two lane facility with a median auxiliary lane and sidewalks that tied into the roadway approaches with similar configurations. However, the bridge was reconfigured as part of a temporary emergency repair. The auxiliary lane in the median and one of the sidewalks are now closed. Vehicular traffic has been diverted to the south side of the bridge and pedestrian traffic has been diverted to the north side of the bridge. The new bridge will accommodate two lanes of traffic, bicycle lanes, and sidewalks. Class of Action: Type 2 Categorical Exclusion 1 ______________________________________ Community Awareness Plan 40th Ave. NE over Placido Bayou (Bridge No. 157154) Bridge Replacement FDOT District 7 Pinellas County St. Petersburg, FL N Project Location Map Project Contact Information For additional information regarding this project contact: Brejesh Prayman, P.E., ENV-SP, M.ASCE Ananda Kelley, P.E Director of Engineering & Capital Improvements Consultant Project Manager City of St. Petersburg Cardno, Inc. One 4th Street North 380 Park Place Boulevard, Ste 300 St. Petersburg, FL 33701 Clearwater, FL 33759 (727) 892-5383 (727) 531-3505 [email protected] [email protected] II. Background This project’s studies consider multiple conceptual design alternatives for a replacement bridge across 40th Avenue NE in St. Petersburg, FL. The current structure, The Nathaniel J. Upham Bridge (Bridge No. 157154), was built in 1960. Widening of the bridge took place in 1991. In 2016, an independent study prioritized the bridges within the City of St. Petersburg for replacement over a 10-year period. At that time, the 40th Avenue NE Bridge – based on routine inspections – was not ranked in need of complete replacement. However, the bridge was in need of routine maintenance. A growing number of area residents and boaters also expressed an overwhelming desire to raise the bridge and organized the “Raze and Raise” bridge initiative. 2 ______________________________________ Community Awareness Plan In August 2017 concrete repairs were underway, and while removing loose concrete, the extensive corrosion of the reinforcing strands in the underside of the bridge center was discovered. At that time, the bridge was temporarily closed and re-inspected. Based on the inspection findings, it was determined the bridge could be safely reopened if traffic modifications were made to take traffic off of the center of the bridge. These modifications included shifting vehicular traffic from the center of the bridge where the corrosion occurred to the outermost edges, reducing travel speed and increasing weight restrictions. These modifications are daily reminders that this bridge is due for a much- needed replacement. The 40th Avenue NE Bridge Replacement project is intended as a safety improvement, and to provide enhanced mobility and accessibility. The funding for this work is provided primarily by the “Penny for Pinellas” one-cent sales tax as a long-term capital infrastructure project. Construction is to be funded by the City in FY 2020 with reimbursement funds identified in FDOT’s Work Program in FY 2022 and FY 2024. III. Project Goals The following goals and objectives have been defined for this project: Key Project Goals: 1. Determine the engineering requirements necessary for the replacement of the 40th Avenue NE Bridge. 2. Determine the factors related to the design and location of the facility including transportation needs, social impacts, economic factors, and environmental effects. 3. Develop cost estimates for each alternative. 4. Evaluate alternatives and recommend a preferred alternative. Key Project Objectives: Safety Enhanced Accessibility Enhanced Mobility Aesthetics 3 ______________________________________ Community Awareness Plan IV. Identification of Agencies and Affected Communities/Public Stakeholders A. Communities: This 40th Avenue NE Bridge (No. 157154) replacement project is located in the City of St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida. Pinellas County is part of the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. St. Petersburg is the largest city with more than 263,000 residents. North of Downtown