To: Eleni Churchill, CCRPC Date: April 8, 2019 Project #: 58179.00 From: David Saladino, P.E., AICP Re: Final Project Scope of Work I-89 2050 Study Chittenden County, Vermont This document outlines the Scope of Work to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Interstate 89 corridor through Chittenden County out to a design horizon year of 2050 and develop a suite of policy, planning, and infrastructure recommendations that align with stakeholder-identified Vision, Goals, and Objectives for the corridor. Scope of Work Task 0 – Project Management & Coordination Ongoing project management, budget and schedule tracking, and team communication and coordination are critical elements to ensure this project proceeds in an orderly and efficient manner. This task includes general project management and coordination tasks, including the following services: › Refine project scope of work and schedule; › Correspond and communicate with project team, committees, and stakeholders; › Coordinate personnel and workload to adhere to project schedule and milestones; › Manage overall Quality Assurance process and oversee Quality Control reviews; › Review project financials, including actual vs. budget by task on a monthly basis; and, › Review monthly project invoices and prepare project summary narrative to accompany invoices. Task 1 – Project Initiation and Kickoff Meetings Task 1.1: Project Initiation and Internal Kick-off As part of this initial task, the VHB Team will hold an internal team kick-off meeting to orient the team to the project and to review key project details including the project Scope of Work, schedule, milestones, and key deliverables. VHB will develop a detailed project base map and key corridor information for use in the initial Technical and Advisory Committee meetings. VHB will also formalize the Process Roadmap and prepare draft study goals in preparation for meetings with the Technical and Advisory Committees. Task 1.2: Technical Committee Meeting #1 The Technical Committee (TC) will convene for a kick-off meeting to discuss the Scope of Work (SOW), roles and responsibilities of the TC, and the upcoming first meeting of the Advisory Committee. Task 1.3: Advisory Committee Meeting #1 The first Advisory Committee meeting will focus on the following major topics: 1) Review of the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) and the need to conduct the I-89 2050 Study; 2) Provide an overview of the I-89
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To: Eleni Churchill, CCRPC Date:
April 8, 2019
Project #: 58179.00
From: David Saladino, P.E., AICP Re: Final Project Scope of Work
I-89 2050 Study
Chittenden County, Vermont
This document outlines the Scope of Work to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the Interstate 89 corridor
through Chittenden County out to a design horizon year of 2050 and develop a suite of policy, planning, and
infrastructure recommendations that align with stakeholder-identified Vision, Goals, and Objectives for the corridor.
Scope of Work
Task 0 – Project Management & Coordination
Ongoing project management, budget and schedule tracking, and team communication and coordination are
critical elements to ensure this project proceeds in an orderly and efficient manner. This task includes general
project management and coordination tasks, including the following services:
› Refine project scope of work and schedule;
› Correspond and communicate with project team, committees, and stakeholders;
› Coordinate personnel and workload to adhere to project schedule and milestones;
› Manage overall Quality Assurance process and oversee Quality Control reviews;
› Review project financials, including actual vs. budget by task on a monthly basis; and,
› Review monthly project invoices and prepare project summary narrative to accompany invoices.
Task 1 – Project Initiation and Kickoff Meetings
Task 1.1: Project Initiation and Internal Kick-off
As part of this initial task, the VHB Team will hold an internal team kick-off meeting to orient the team to the
project and to review key project details including the project Scope of Work, schedule, milestones, and key
deliverables. VHB will develop a detailed project base map and key corridor information for use in the initial
Technical and Advisory Committee meetings. VHB will also formalize the Process Roadmap and prepare draft
study goals in preparation for meetings with the Technical and Advisory Committees.
Task 1.2: Technical Committee Meeting #1
The Technical Committee (TC) will convene for a kick-off meeting to discuss the Scope of Work (SOW), roles
and responsibilities of the TC, and the upcoming first meeting of the Advisory Committee.
Task 1.3: Advisory Committee Meeting #1
The first Advisory Committee meeting will focus on the following major topics: 1) Review of the Metropolitan
Transportation Plan (MTP) and the need to conduct the I-89 2050 Study; 2) Provide an overview of the I-89
Study Scope of Work; 3) Review the study’s Public Participation Plan; and, 4) Review other relevant projects
and processes that will influence this study such as the CIRC Alternatives process and projects.
Deliverables: Study Process Map; Final SOW; Technical Committee and Advisory Committee meeting
agendas, materials and notes.
Task 2 – Analyze Current and Future Base Conditions and Performance
Task 2.1: Gather Data and Information
The data gathering effort will begin during Task 1 and will include a review of relevant studies and reports
provided by the CCRPC and VTrans, including statewide, regional, and local planning efforts, like the ECOS
Plan and MTP, as well as scoping and improvement studies along the corridor, to document previous metrics,
targets, evaluation methods, and recommendations. Beyond previous studies, data and information regarding
existing study area land use, transportation infrastructure, travel patterns, safety, utilities, natural and cultural
resources, and other relevant data will be gathered from a multitude of resources. The team will take
advantage of local knowledge, data resource familiarity, coordination with resource agencies, as well as
innovation in data collection and information access to generate an organized inventory of measurable
condition and performance metrics for the corridor segments, interchanges, and adjacent arterials.
This initial data gathering effort will include the following items:
› Land Use and Socio-Economic Data
• Existing zoning
• Existing land cover and buildings
• Population, employment, and household forecasts
› Transportation Infrastructure (including the entire I-89 corridor plus arterials and intersections ¼ to ½
mile from the interchanges)
• Lane and shoulder geometry
• Presence and length of guardrail and rumble strips
• Traffic control, signage, and signal timing
• Transit routes and stops
• Park and Ride lots and capacity
• Bridge, overpasses and culvert conditions
• I-89 pavement conditions
• Planned and permitted development projects
• Existing and planned Intelligent Transportation Systems
• Other relevant infrastructure
› Travel Patterns
• Traffic volumes and turning movement counts
• Travel times
• Public transit ridership and routes
• Park and ride utilization
• Origins/Destinations of corridor and interchange users
› Safety
• Crash Data (2014-2018)
• High Crash Locations (2014-2018)
› Utilities
• Fiber optics
• Gas
• Electric
• Water/Sewer
› Natural & Cultural Resources
• Water features and river corridors
• Wetlands
• Wildlife crossings and conflicts
• Rare, threatened, and endangered species
• FEMA floodways
› “Big Data”
• Innovative, big data mining approaches may be employed to query other pertinent data resources
available either through federal channels or private enterprises that may be relevant and provide
additional insights. For instance, travel times from the National Performance Management Research
Data Set (NPMRDS), business data from InfoGroup, and demographics from American Community
Survey may provide additional detail that is advantageous to the study.
Task 2.2: Coordinate Resource Agencies and Other Data Resources
We anticipate that coordination with a multitude of agencies will be required to ensure that the most up-to-
date and relevant information regarding the corridor is inventoried. First, relevant data resources available
through online databases will be searched and documented. Then, a series of up to four meetings with agency
representatives will be conducted to review the intentions of the study and discuss other pertinent
information and/or data resources that may be available. These meetings may include coordination with
agency representatives from the following agencies/bureaus or other agencies identified at a later point:
› VTrans Asset Management: To discuss and inventory asset types that VTrans tracks through the I-89
corridor and adjacent arterials, documenting the condition of assets that are critical, high priority, and
require action in the future;
› Maintenance and Operations, TSMO, and ITS representatives: To discuss and inventory the infrastructure
and traffic operations including Intelligent Transportation System plans and projects for the corridor and
adjacent arterials;
› VEM, VTrans EM, VSP, and Highway Safety: To discuss and inventory considerations in safety, emergency
management, preparedness, and response relevant to the corridor; and,
› ANR, DEC, SHPO and Fish & Wildlife: To discuss and inventory sensitive natural and cultural resources
along the corridor.
Task 2.3: Develop Integrated Modeling Suite
The test bed for evaluating alternatives across the future scenarios will be an integrated modeling suite,
comprised of a combination of the following components:
› CCRPC Travel Demand Model
› Vermont Travel Demand Model
› I-89 Corridor Model
› Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Motor Vehicle Emission Simulator (MOVES)
› Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) Interactive Highway Safety Design Model (IHSDM) and
Enhanced Interchange Safety Analysis Tool (ISATe)
A set of preliminary analyses and model development tasks will be focused on identifying and delineating the
geographic study area, determining the degree to which the models should be utilized and/or integrated,
developing the I-89 Corridor Model in the microsimulation environment, establishing model workflows,
calibrating the models to the study corridor, validating the models against current conditions, and evaluating
the base case to establish the current conditions and performance.
Identify and Delineate Study Area
The most up-to-date versions of the CCRPC and Vermont Statewide Travel Demand Models will be acquired
and run for the base year 2015 in TransCAD to serve as the baseline models throughout the life of the study.
Preliminary analyses, including methods like select link analyses and network travel bands, will be conducted
to identify the most common origins and destinations of trips that traverse the I-89 corridor segments and
interchanges, as well as the typical travel time sheds of the most common origins and destinations. The goal
of these preliminary analyses will be to delineate the study area of the corridor, thus setting the geographic
bounds for the purposes of evaluating capacity, safety, environmental, land use and other impacts of the
proposed I-89 alternatives.
Develop the I-89 Corridor Model
A subarea analysis will be conducted in the regional model to provide the foundation for the I-89 Corridor
Model. The subarea analysis will produce the underlying geography and trip patterns for the traffic
microsimulation model. This information will be transferred from TransCAD to TransModeler where the
corridor segments, interchanges, and adjacent arterials ranging from a quarter to a half of a mile from
interchanges will be fully developed to match the existing conditions. The model will be refined to reflect the
geometric characteristics and validated through the data gathering effort. Furthermore, the travel patterns
and traffic operations, including signal timing at ramp terminals and along adjacent arterials, will be coded
into the microsimulation environment.
Establish Modeling Workflow
Once the regional and corridor models are established, the workflows for implementing various alternatives
will be established to ensure consistency across the modeling team. This will include identifying the inputs to
each model test bed that might be adjusted to produce varying outcomes and the outputs from each model
that should be carried forward.
In addition to the regional and corridor models, the most recent versions of MOVES, IHSDM, and/or ISATe will
be acquired. These models will be utilized to evaluate the environmental air quality and safety implications of
proposed strategies or projects. Appropriate workflows for processing outputs from the regional/corridor
models and/or synthesizing other data resources to generate the inputs necessary for the models will be
established. Changes to factors like vehicle speeds, miles of travel, fleet composition, and occupancy resulting
from transportation strategies or projects will be reflected in the MOVES analyses. The predictive safety
methods rely on both physical factors, like number of lanes and length of guardrail or rumble strips, as well as
operational factors, like Annual Average Daily Travel (AADT).
Calibrate Models
In general, calibration of the models will combine the data gathering effort and the development of the
integrated modeling suite. Calibration of the regional model will focus attention on the corridor and leverage
traditional methods, such as validation of the modeled regional travel patterns with observed traffic volume
counts. The corridor model will similarly be calibrated to screenline and turning movement counts. Validation
through other metrics like observed queues and delays may help to further refine the corridor model.
Guidance, like that available from FHWA, for model calibration will be followed. In addition, the MOVES and
IHSDM/ISATe models will be calibrated to Vermont-specific factors.
Task 2.4: Technical Committee Meeting #2
The major goal of this Technical Committee (TC) meeting will be to review project progress to this point;
solicit feedback on the integrated modeling suite to ensure that it has the ability to produce appropriate
operational performance metrics. TC members will also discuss and approve the performance metrics that will
be used in the evaluation of current and future no-build conditions as well as appropriate thresholds for these
measures. Information gathered during stakeholder meetings and focus group sessions will be summarized.
Task 2.5: Evaluate Current and Future Base Conditions and Performance
Evaluate Current Conditions and Performance
Once models are validated, TransCAD and TransModeler will be used to evaluate the current operational
performance. Model runs will evaluate morning and evening peak travel activity for the 2015 base year at the
regional and corridor levels through the established model workflows. Outputs from the regional and corridor
modeling will be used to evaluate capacity issues, energy consumption, emissions, and safety outcomes for
the study area. Initially, the full system will be evaluated for total delay, emissions, fuel consumption, and
number/severity of crashes; interstate corridor segments will be evaluated for volume-to-capacity ratios, levels
of service, travel times, emissions, fuel consumption, and number/severity of crashes; interchanges will be
evaluated for volume-to-capacity, level of service, average delay, queueing, emissions, fuel consumption, and
number/severity of crashes. It is expected that other measures will be included, as identified by the Technical
and Advisory Committees, such as measures of equity, changes to travel times for underserved populations,
and land use.
Analyze Future No Build Conditions
Two future base networks will be developed and analyzed using the modeling suite, including: 1) 2035 MTP
demographics with the current transportation network plus Transportation Improvement Program that are
also ”Front of the Book” Capital Program projects; and 2) 2050 MTP demographics with the current
transportation network plus Transportation Improvement Program that are also ”Front of the Book” Capital
Program projects.
Like the current condition and performance evaluations, the models will be run to evaluate the AM and PM
peak conditions at the full system, corridor segment, and interchange levels, for model years 2035 and 2050.
The results of the future base network modeling will be carried through the established modeling work flow
to measure future base operations, environmental implications, safety outcomes, and other metrics including
asset conditions and land use implications. The evaluations will be summarized in a matrix of deficiencies and
areas of concern. These inadequacies will be documented to identify the most critical issues that will help the
Technical and Advisory Committees develop the draft Vision, Goals and Objectives for the I-89 Corridor.
Task 2.6: Technical Committee Meeting #3
The focus of this meeting will be to review results of existing I-89 corridor conditions and established study
area analyses. TC members will also review results of the future base 2035 and 2050 analyses, identified
issues, and deficient areas. The team will incorporate the TC’s input and make any necessary changes before
presenting to AC.
Task 2.7: Advisory Committee Meeting #2
The Advisory Committee (AC) will be presented with updated, relevant results of the I-89 Corridor existing
conditions as well as the future base 2035 and 2050 analyses. Based on the results of these evaluations and
the identification of issues and deficient areas, the AC will brainstorm on preliminary Vision, Goals and
Objectives for the I-89 Corridor.
A graphic artist, Matt Heywood, will participate in the meeting to develop a visual representation of the
group’s Vision and Goals in real-time.
Deliverables: Project briefings to the AC, TC, and CCRPC on the status of the integrated modeling suite,
including the influence area boundaries. Documentation of modeling outcomes and results from existing
(2015) and future base (2035 and 2050) evaluation of conditions and performance; and identifying deficiencies
and areas of concern along the existing corridor reported in a deficiencies matrix template. TC and AC
meeting agendas, materials, and notes. Vision and Goals graphic representation(s) from the AC meeting.
Task 3 – Corridor Vision and Goals
Task 3.1: Develop draft Vision and Goals for I-89 Corridor
Based on information gathered from the Advisory Committee during their second meeting, the consultant
team will work with the CCRPC and Technical Committee (through email exchanges) to develop the draft
Vision and Goals for the I-89 Corridor that will be presented to the public for their review.
Task 3.2: Public Meeting #1
The first round of public input will be held at up to three locations in the northern, central, and southern
portions of the study area. Each public meeting will begin with an overview of the study followed by a
presentation of existing conditions and future base conditions. Identified current and future issues and
deficiencies will be reviewed and the public will be invited to provide their feedback on I-89 issues as well as
the draft Vision and Goals of the study area. The public will also have the opportunity to review materials and
provide comment online.
A graphic artist, Matt Heywood, will participate in the meetings to develop a visual representation of the
group’s Vision and Goals in real-time. After the conclusion of the AC and public meetings, the artist will create
a composite graphic of the input.
The public will be notified with adequate time prior to the meeting and the meetings will be made available
through online live streaming from the project website. It is likely that some or all of the public meetings will
have a live polling component to ensure that all attendees are provided the opportunity to share thoughts on
the project. Both general and targeted outreach (i.e. to nearby large employers, local listservs, and general
outreach like Front Porch Forum) will be conducted for each of the public meetings.
Task 3.3: Focus Group Sessions – Round #1
Up to four Focus Group sessions will be convened and facilitated to discuss corridor deficiencies and gather
information on current issues with I-89 through Chittenden County. Each group will be asked to discuss
aspects of the corridor and surrounding area as they relate to their respective fields. The groups will also
review the draft I-89 Vision and Goals. The perspectives of each assembled focus group will help to fine-tune
the evaluation categories and set the stage for developing the alternatives. Each session will include a
visioning exercise to articulate how various components of the roadway network are anticipated to operate in
2035 and 2050 and what will need to be done in order to accommodate anticipated changes to technology,
travel behavior, workplace trends, and land use.
The Focus Groups may be comprised of the following groups (to be refined based on input from TC):
• Municipal Staff
• Federal, State, and Local Elected Officials
• Freight and Logistics Providers
• Major Employers (UVM Medical Center, UVM, Global Foundries, Champlain College)
Task 3.4: Future (2035 & 2050) Build Scenario
Building on the comprehensive scenario planning work the CCRPC did for the recent 2018 ECOS/Metropolitan
Transportation Plan (MTP), the future build scenarios will be the adopted MTP scenarios without the 3rd lane
on I-89 between Exits 14 and 15 and the Interchange at VT-116 (Exit 12B). The Future Build Scenarios will
provide the basis for this I-89 2050 Study and all proposed future strategies will be evaluated relative to this
foundational effort. The 2035 and 2050 MTP build scenarios already include robust investments in TDM,
transit and bike/ped improvements, but even with these investments there are still roadway capacity issues
with the transportation network in the county. The Future Build Scenarios will be carried through the
established modeling workflow with deficiencies and areas of concern documented in the deficiencies matrix,
like the 2035 and 2050 Future No Build analyses. These issues will be conveyed to the Technical and Advisory
Committees to further inform the final Vision and Goals of the I-89 Corridor.
Task 3.5: Technical Committee #4
The TC will review input from the first public meeting, Future Build Scenario results, and will revise/refine the
draft I-89 Vision and Goals for the Advisory Committee’s review. The TC will also review and begin to establish
measurable metrics and thresholds within distinct categories such as Mobility and Reliability, Safety, Economic
Sustainability, Equity and Land Use Accessibility, and Environmental Protection. These metrics and thresholds
will be used in the evaluation of the alternatives.
Task 3.6: Advisory Committee #3
The AC will review results from the Future Build Scenario and make any final changes to I-89 Vision and Goals;
review the draft objectives, distinct evaluation categories, metrics, and thresholds that will be used to evaluate
the various alternatives.
Deliverables: Draft and Final I-89 Vision and Goals. Focus Groups, Public Meetings, Advisory Committee, and
Technical Committee meeting agendas, materials and notes. Artist’s composite graphic of Study Vision and
Goals.
Task 4 – Evaluation of New and/or Improved I-89 Interchanges
High level operational analyses of each interchange (existing or new) will be carried out under this task to
identify whether proposed interchange improvements have a significant regional impact on vehicular mobility
in the county. At the conclusion of this task a decision will be made of which interchange improvement(s), if
any, will be carried forward into a full evaluation within one or more of the alternatives.
Task 4.1: Model New and/or Improved Interchanges
Starting with the Future Build Scenario, discrete evaluations for an upgraded Exit 14 interchange, full Exits 13
and 15, new I-89 interchanges with VT116 (Exit 12B), Patchen Road (Exit 14N), and West Milton Road (Exit
17N) will be conducted.
Task 4.2: Land Use Evaluation
Regional (including neighboring counties) land use implications of adding new or upgrading existing
interchanges will be analyzed and quantified. Methods, like select link analyses and network travel bands, will
be employed to identify the spatial implications of new or upgraded interchanges. Typical origins and
destinations of trips that traverse the I-89 corridor segments and interchanges and the typical travel time
sheds for major origins and destinations will be evaluated given the interchange additions or improvements.
It is anticipated that these typical origin/destination travel patterns and travel time sheds will expand or
contract in different geographic regions within and surrounding Chittenden County depending on the
interchange additions or improvements, providing insights on where and how broader land use and
environmental impacts will spread more regionally.
The spatial implications of different additions or changes to the interchanges along the corridor will be
discussed and evaluated by the land use and transportation modeling team. Leveraging the collective
expertise, the team will be tasked with imputing varying growth patterns correlated to the spatial changes and
identifying appropriate metrics for evaluating the land use implications relative to the Future 2050 Build
Scenario. Iterative analyses, with review by the team, will evaluate the implications of varying growth patterns
associated with each interchange addition or improvement by employing metrics like percent future growth in
targeted growth areas (and outside of targeted growth areas), average travel times for underserved or
vulnerable populations (at the Traffic Analysis Zone level), and land area of sensitive natural and cultural
resources potentially impacted by growth.
Land use impacts within Chittenden County due to Interstate or Interchange improvements will be presented
and discussed with municipal planners during a CCRPC Planning Advisory Committee (PAC) meeting. For
scoping purposes, we have assumed that CCRPC will lead and facilitate this discussion with the CCRPC PAC
with consultant team representatives in attendance.
Task 4.3: Technical Committee Meeting #5
The Technical Committee will meet to review modeling and land use impact results with the TC and discuss
how it will be presented to the Advisory Committee at their next meeting.
Task 4.4: Advisory Committee Meeting #4
The AC will review modeling results from the evaluation of new and/or improved I-89 Interchanges. The
committee will discuss which interchange improvements, if any, will be carried forward into a full evaluation
within one or more of the alternatives/strategies bundles. A facilitator will be used to assist with the
discussion.
Deliverables: Modeling results of the different interchange options; TC and AC agenda, presentations, and
meeting notes.
Task 5 – Identify and Evaluate Alternatives
Task 5.1: Identify Preliminary Strategies
The VHB team will identify possible strategies or projects that, when grouped together, will form an
alternative to evaluate. The strategies may address future deficiencies or concerns that align with the future
vision of the corridor. Some of the possible strategies that we anticipate will be part of the discussion include:
• Infrastructure Enhancements
o Additional access points or interchanges
o Interchange improvements
o Widening/lane expansion
o Part-time shoulder use
• Interchanges – Task 4 Recommendation
o Existing interchange upgrades or a possible new interchange