SEMCOG, the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments, announces the public comment period for an amendment to the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) for Southeast Michigan.
The proposed changes would add 46 projects, modify the cost or scope of 13 projects, and delete one project from the 2040 RTP and the 2014-2017 TIP. The project lists indicate whether the amendment pertains to the RTP only, the TIP only, or both the RTP and the TIP concurrently.
Forty-four of these additions are Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) projects. CMAQ projects are designed to reduce air pollution from transportation related sources. Currently, the seven-county SEMCOG region is designated as an attainment area for ozone and an attainment/maintenance area for fine particulate matter (PM 2.5). In addition, portions of Macomb, Oakland, and Wayne counties are designated attainment/maintenance for carbon monoxide (CO). Attainment/maintenance areas are those that were originally designated nonattainment for a current air quality standard but have since come into compliance.
Through the projects listed in this amendment, the total amount of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) and oxide-related compounds (NOx) are expected to be reduced by nearly 63,000 tons. The CMAQ projects vary in type of work as well as project scope, including signal timing, transit, and diesel retrofits.
Other projects of note include three safety projects that will add a center turn lane and one congestion relief project that will expand a portion Dequindre Road in Oakland County from two to five lanes.
The amendment process requires all proposed projects to undergo a series of evaluations including identification of financial resources, an air quality conformity analysis, an environmental sensitivity review, an environmental justice analysis, consistency with the regional ITS architecture, and a public comment process. Project details and evaluation results are available online or from the SEMCOG Information Center at 313-324-3330.
Please address written comments to SEMCOG Information Center, 1001 Woodward Avenue, Suite 1400, Detroit, MI 48226; send faxes to 313-961-4869; call 313-324-3330; or e-mail InfoCenter@semcog.org. Comments can be made in person at the following meetings where the amendment will be considered:
Transportation Coordinating Council, Wednesday, July 22, 2015, 9:30 a.m., SEMCOG offices – present and discuss actions, and recommend Executive Committee approval; and Executive Committee, Thursday, July 30, 2015, 1 p.m., SEMCOG offices – discuss amendment and take final action to approve.
Source: SEMCOG