Planning and Environmental Linkages Study

The Herkimer-Oneida Counties Transportation Council (HOCTC) is the designated Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) responsible for regional transportation planning in the Utica urbanized area as well as the remainder of Oneida and Herkimer Counties. HOCTC in partnership with the New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Region 2 is undertaking a Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) study (Study) centered on the transportation corridor at the New York State (NYS) Thruway (I-90/I-790) Interchange 31 at N. Genesee Street (NYS Route 921 C).

HOCTC seeks proposals from qualified firms, individuals, or teams of firms and/or individuals to provide the work outlined in RFP 2022-326

The Study will provide a comprehensive analysis related to the transportation corridor centered on the I-90/ I-790/ NYS Route 49/ N. Genesee Street (NYS Route 921C) interchange in the City of Utica, Oneida County, New York State. The Study is the initial step in the planning and design process for this transportation corridor. The Study will identify the existing safety, mobility, infrastructure, community, economic development, regional connections, environmental, social, equity, and environmental justice conditions. The Study will identify concepts to enhance safety, provide missing link highway connections, and re-establish the corridor to accommodate the traveling public in all modes. The Study will represent a collaborative and integrated approach to transportation decision-making that considers environmental, community, and economic goals early in the transportation planning process, thereby using the information, analysis, and products developed during planning to inform the development of feasible concepts, environmental review processes, and preliminary design. The Study will be completed using the principles and initiatives of the FHWA Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) program.

The objective of this Study is to identify and address current and projected transportation (mobility, safety, and operational) issues within the study area. Ultimately, this effort will produce a PEL study, that includes elements of a Project Scoping Report (PSR) document and will provide feasible concepts to address safety issues for all roadway users, reconnect residential neighborhoods, connect people with employment opportunities, engage functional design, and create an easily navigable interchange between federal, state, and local roadway networks for all users that will support future area development.

The Study will utilize industry best practice transportation planning, analysis, modeling, simulation, and traffic engineering, to understand the current issues. The planning analysis will be used to understand the equity and environmental issues existing and seek ways to mitigate them. The development of feasible concepts will be utilized to evaluate changes to the geometric design of the existing interchange, and corridor traffic flows, and address safety issues. Computerized models will be used to represent the interplay of existing conditions, projected land-use buildout, and future traffic volumes, and incorporate current design standards in the study area.

The Study will use the PEL process to develop, evaluate, and select transportation concepts to address identified needs in the Study Area. PEL will include but is not limited to expanded public outreach, directed outreach to state and federal agencies, documentation consistent with commonly accepted PEL standards, adherence to NEPA standards in review and analysis, development of all PEL documentation for submittal to FHWA, and identification of transportation equity issues within the Study Area.

A draft and final PEL Study will be produced by the selected consultant/consultant team. This final document will be completed in such a format that allows it to be eligible for federal funding and to progress the concepts developed towards engineering design, obtain capital funding, and for specific projects to be placed on the TIP/STIP (pending available funds) for implementation.

The Study will be conducted by the Statewide and Metropolitan Planning Regulation 23 CFR 450 and the provisions linking planning and NEPA presented in Section 450.318 and Appendix A of 23 CFR 450 are to be followed. The Consultant will be expected to understand all parameters of the U.S. DOT Federal Highway Administration Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Program. The design of this Study shall be progressed per the current NYSDOT Project Development Manual (PDM), and appropriate sections of the Federal Aid Policy Guide (FAPG). Additional documents may require an understanding of or compliance with, as they pertain to individual tasks in the scope of work.

The full RFP 2022-326 can be downloaded here: RFP 2022-326

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