NOACA Governing Board Action: May 11, 2007

NOACA Board Announces Consultant for Avon Interchange Impact Study and Approves Major Planning Documents

At today’s NOACA Governing Board meeting, the Executive Committee reported that NOACA has signed a contract with D.B. Hartt, Inc., in association with subcontractors Silverlode and Oxbow Engineering, to conduct an Impact Analysis for the proposed interchange at I-90 and Nagel Road in Avon, Ohio. The consultant will provide regular update reports to the Executive Committee throughout the study, which is scheduled for completion by the September 14, 2007, NOACA Board meeting.

“We look forward to working with the consultant on this important economic study,” noted NOACA Governing Board President and Cleveland Planning Director Robert N. Brown. “We are pleased that the contract has been signed and the study is underway.” Interested persons may access materials related to the Impact Analysis on NOACA’s Web site:

• Background of the project;
• Common questions about the project;
• Avon Study Team materials; and
• Presentations to the Transportation Advisory Committee and NOACA Board.

• Fiscal Year 2008 Overall Work Program (OWP):
  The OWP describes the projects and programs to be carried out by NOACA staff over one state fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). The OWP includes Transportation Plan implementation, planning for transport of the elderly and physically disabled, traffic and major investment studies, database and transportation model maintenance, the OhioRideshare online carpool service, public outreach, environmental studies, and air quality planning, among other projects.
• State Fiscal Years (SFY) 2008 – 2011 Transportation Improvement Program (TIP):
  The TIP contains federal-aid highway, bikeway, pedestrian and transit projects scheduled to be implemented over the next four years in Northeast Ohio.
• Conformity Findings for SFY 2008 – 2011 TIPs:
  The transportation conformity process ensures that transportation projects meet air quality goals in order to be eligible for federal funding. This report documents conformity findings for the statewide, NOACA, and Akron-area Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs).
• Safe, Accountable, Flexible and Efficient Transportation Equity Act – a Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) Planning Requirements Gap Analysis:
  This document discusses NOACA’s staff analysis of its planning needs related to SAFETEA-LU, and how it has met these needs in order to ensure compliance of the region’s long-range transportation plan (Connections 2030) and the SFY 2008 – 2011 TIP with SAFETEA-LU.
• Participation Plan:
  This plan describes the communications techniques and strategies that NOACA used to make the OWP, TIP and Gap Analysis available for review and comment by the public and other interested parties.