Joe Olson
SW Region Director
December 8, 2014
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History/Background
Next Steps (Planning & Environmental Linkages
(PEL)
PEL Process
Schedule
Questions
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North-South Corridor Study (1998)
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Coulee Connections (2007)
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Local Community Resolutions (2014)
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 Planning
and Environmental Linkages
(PEL) Study
 1-year study to develop a range of solutions that
are supported by a local consensus and meet
WisDOT purpose and need for the La Crosse area
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What is a PEL?
 FHWA's “Every Day Counts” initiative
 Study focused on time efficiency that allows planninglevel analysis and results to be used directly or by
reference in a NEPA study.
 A NEPA study could begin immediately upon successful
completion of the PEL study.
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What are the advantages of a PEL?
 Extensive Outreach
 Enhances Cooperation
 Speeds Project Delivery
 Reduces Cost
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 Comprehensive study of the entire area
 Extensive outreach and coordination
 Opportunity to modify the original purpose and need
 Opportunity to propose new alternatives
 Opportunity to eliminate outdated and unworkable
alternatives
 Aids in the selection of the appropriate type of
environmental document
 Builds trust through a transparent process
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Develop a work plan
Solicit local input
Identify goals and objectives
Develop criteria for strategy evaluation
Develop a range of strategies
Eliminate strategies not meeting criteria
Solidify remaining strategies and seek additional
input
Complete Final Report to document
recommendations
Apply PEL results to environmental document
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Improve multimodal travel and safety in the
La Crosse Area, in a way that supports
economic development, acknowledges
community plans, contributes positively to
the area’s quality of life, and limits adverse
environmental and social effects to the
extent practicable.
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•Improve safety for all travel modes.
• Address infrastructure condition and deficiencies.
• Address system mobility (congestion) for all travel modes.
1.Pedestrian
2.Bicycle
3.Transit
4.Local and regional passenger vehicles
5.Freight
• Limit adverse social, cultural, and environmental effects to the
extent practicable.
• Increase system travel time reliability for regional and local trips.
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• Improve connections across and adjacent to roadways in the
La Crosse Area for all travel modes.
• Enhance efficient regional multimodal access to La Crosse
metropolitan area economic centers.
• Decrease traffic diversion impacts to neighborhood streets.
• Enhance transit ridership and routing opportunities.
• Improve pedestrian and bicycle accommodations.
• Complement other major transportation initiatives and studies
in the La Crosse area.
• Support infrastructure and other measures that encourage
alternatives to single occupancy vehicle travel.
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Study Kick-off (January 2015)
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Develop work plan, goals and criteria (January /
February 2015)
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Public Outreach (January/February – October
2015)
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Final Report (Late Fall 2015)
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Joe Olson
SW Region Director
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