Newsletter - January, 2011
Transportation Enhancement Program
The Transportation Enhancement Program (TEP) is a federally funded program, administered by the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, with the goal of working toward building a more balanced transportation system that includes pedestrians and bicyclists as well as the motoring public. Projects eligible for this program can include safety and educational activities for pedestrian and bicyclists, landscaping and other scenic beautification, historic preservation, acquisition of scenic easements or scenic sites, preservation of abandoned railway corridors, scenic historic highway programs, archaeological planning and research, control and removal of outdoor advertising, environmental mitigation and the establishment of transportation museums.
Monumental Task Committee:
Working to Restore New Orleans’ History
 For more than 20 years there has been a group of faithful volunteers working to preserve New Orleans’ culture and history through maintenance, restora- tion and preservation of monuments: the Monumental Task Committee (MTC). Founded in 1989, the MTC is a volunteer-based, fully incorporated 501(c)(3) organization that uses resto- ration techniques practiced by qualified professional conservators to document, preserve, and restore monuments in the city of New Orleans. Examples of their preservation efforts can be seen at the Henry Clay Monument, the Benjamin Franklin Monument, the Jefferson Davis Monument, and the Ninth Ward Victory Arch.
Restoration of the previously men- tioned Jefferson Davis Monument was the project that brought the original MTC volunteers together. Their success in that endeavor, coupled with a recog- nition of other neglected monuments within the city, led them to stay to- gether to undertake more restorations. However, it quickly became apparent to them that their work in preserving
monuments was a service very much in need.
In a short time, the MTC grew in size and reputation. Their hard work and knowledge of approved monument restoration methods fostered positive relationships with several city agencies and neighborhood organizations. These relationships, along with an unwavering resolve to preserve their city, allowed the MTC to successfully organize after Hurricane Katrina and complete a city- wide survey of all monument locations and their condition. Before this survey, there were approximately 88 identified monuments within the city limits, and afterwards it was revealed that there are actually more than 200 monuments. In addition to the traditional statue and pedestal type pieces, the MTC survey uncovered stone markers, inscribed flagpoles, plaques and other types of monuments.
Currently, as the MTC enters its third decade of service, it plans to undertake a newer and more comprehensive city- wide monument restoration plan. They also will continue to seek out profes- sionals with specific education and experience to aid them in their restora- tion and preservation projects. If you or someone you know would like to help preserve the glorious monuments of New Orleans, please email MTC President Mr. Pierre “Pete” McGraw, at info@monumentaltask.org. Visit their website at www.monumentaltask.org.
Jefferson Parish Drainage Canal Design Competition
 Jefferson Parish continues to focus on enhancing its quality of life in an effort to remain a competitive locus of housing and business investment. Recently, a number of smaller beautification initiatives have been undertaken and the success of these smaller initiatives has led to more ambitious projects. An example is the Jefferson Community Foundation’s (JCF) sponsoring of a beautification competition for innovative ideas and designs to improve the aesthetics of the parish’s exposed drainage canals. JCF is working in cooperation with the East Jefferson Business Association, the Louisiana Chapter of the American
Society of Landscape Architects, the Regional Planning Commission and the Jefferson Parish Public Works Department.
All interested teams will have the opportunity to submit their qualifications. A competition selection committee will evaluate team qualifications and those selected will be asked to focus their design solutions on the West Esplanade Drainage Canal, located between Lake Avenue and Causeway Boulevard, in Metairie, Louisiana. This portion of the canal is approximately 2.4 miles with two lanes of vehicular traffic on either side. It also includes elements typical of canals throughout the parish, such as bridges, drainage pipes, culverts, and residential and commercial areas.
 Design solutions that can realistically be implemented and will make Jefferson Parish canals more visually appealing are the goal of this competition. The selection committee will be looking for qualified teams to provide designs, including landscaping elements, that will transform the visual appearance, of the exposed drainage canals without compromising the functionality of the canal, culverts or pipes. Heavy emphasis will be placed on the feasibility of the design solution, including its compliance with municipal codes and conformity to economic realities.
Cash prizes will be awarded to the top four teams in the competition. The winning proposal will receive a cash prize of $30,000, the second, third and fourth place proposals will receive $5,000 each.
If Jefferson Parish is to remain a community of choice at the regional level, it is imperative that its built environment be updated and improved on an ambitious scale. Precisely because the most difficult infrastructure issue needing to be addressed within the parish is how to beautify the open drainage canals, the business community has made a commitment to offer civic and political leaders a workable, attractive solution that will set the standard for other large- scale improvements.
If you would like more information about the Jefferson Drainage Canal Design Competition, please contact Ms. Patricia Besselman at canaldesign@OpportunityLivesHere. com. Visit the website at http://www.opportunityliveshere.com/canal-design-contest.html.
Southeast Travel Demand Model Update Complete
| Travel demand modeling is the utilization of a computer software package to replicate the “real world” transporta- tion system around us. It can be used to predict future travel patterns and demands based on changes in the transportation system. |
The RPC is very pleased to announce that the Phase 1 update to the Southeast Louisiana Travel Model (SELATRAM) is nearly complete. The update is largely a geographic expansion of the cur- rent southshore model, which consists of Jefferson, Orleans, St. Bernard, Plaquemines and St. Charles parishes, to include four additional parishes: St. John, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington.
An expansion of the existing RPC travel model was undertaken for several rea- sons. Among them, the current model Zones Links Geographic Area (Land) is a true four step, nested-logit model that accounts for transit, and allows for the testing of transit alternatives. After Hurricane Katrina, numerous fixed guideway proposals that sought to cross Lake Pontchartrain or involved longer distance commuter rail projects were promulgated. In response to this, and to make the RPC model more state of the practice, new mode choice nests were developed and included in the model. These include bus rapid transit (BRT), light rail and commuter rail transit, and highway managed lanes nests.
See the two charts below for a com- parison of parameters for the 2004 and 2009 models
Additionally, with the inclusion of St. John and St. Tammany parishes, the model will provide complete coverage of the New Orleans Metropolitan Sta- tistical Area (MSA). Although not part of the MSA, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes were also included for their significant daily journey-to-work volumes entering and leaving the MSA, as estimated by US Census Longitudinal Employer-Household Dynamics. RPC believes it is important to account for this trip-making to and from the MSA, as well as having the ability to assess long range planning initiatives that could directly impact St. Tammany Parish.
Once RPC, working closely with the model developer Parsons Brinckerhoff (lead developer: Bill Davidson), has put the finishing touches on the Phase 1 update, it can begin to focus on a Phase 2 update. RPC believes it is important to undertake a new travel survey as a Phase 2 model update, and will be con- sidering the best way to approach this.
For more information about the SELATRAM please contact RPC Planning Director, Mr. Jeff Roesel at 504-483- 8500.
New Orleans City Park Improvements: Tri-Centennial Place
In November 2005, Congress provided a $1,000,000 earmark for New Orleans City Park roadway improvements. RPC assisted in the delivery of the funds by providing the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (LaDOTD) with a Project Delivery Stage 0 Feasibility Analysis for the project area so that the project could advance appropriately.
In the FY 2010 Omnibus Bill, Congress has provided a $1,948,000 TCSP (Transportation and Community and System Preservation) earmark for the New Orleans City Park infrastructure improvements. RPC is again coordinating the delivery of the funds by acting as a liaison between LaDOTD and City Park, and by accomplishing an updated Project Delivery - Stage 0 Feasibility Analysis. The earmarked funds will be used to provide parking and road improvements for the future Tri-Centennial Place, in the vicinity of the Pavilion of Two Sisters, Sculpture Garden, Peristyle, Storyland, and the new Mini-Golf Course and Splash Park.
For more information about this project please contact Mr. Chris Aghayan at RPC at 504-483-8500.
Annual Obligated Projects - October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010
RPC is the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the New Orleans urbanized area and the Mandeville/Covington and Slidell urbanized areas in St. Tammany Parish. The RPC, acting in its capacity as the MPO, has responsibility for plan- ning, programming, and coordinating federal-aid transportation investments within the urbanized areas.
The Regional Planning Commission is statutorily mandated to assess the transportation and economic development needs and deficiencies of the region with direction from public officials, citizens, modal representatives, local planning departments, and the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development (DOTD). The RPC is assisted in its planning and program- ming efforts by a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) that is comprised of public works directors, planning directors, and transit operators.
In carrying out its transportation planning responsibilities, the RPC prepares an annual listing of federally funded projects that were obligated in the preceding fiscal year. An obligation refers to the funding commitment made by the federal grantor agency (FHWA or FTA) to pay the federal share of a project’s capital or operating cost.
See our newsletter PDF for the partial list of annual obligated projects for the period October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. The list includes projects in RPC’s member parishes – Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard and St. Tammany – and projects in St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes. A brief description is provided as to the nature of the project (i.e., pedestrian path, bike path, overlay, reconstruction, etc.), federal and state funding source, bid letting date, and construction cost.
 Pat Denton A Fond Farewell
Pat Denton, a valued employee with the RPC since 1968, is retiring. Ms. Denton began her career at the RPC as a graphic designer producing hand drawn maps, charts and graphics on various media which were of legendary high quality. Back in the day, when RPC received funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for regional mapping, and the RPC was located at 333 St. Charles Ave. (better known as the Masonic Temple Building), regional data was not just an asset, but a requirement. Ms. Denton was a lead in the graphics department for this important work with a staff numbering up to five. Largely in part to her natural talent and honed artistic skills, attention to detail and expertise in photography, her group was able to prepare products which have not been matched to this day. A great example of this is “The History of Regional Growth” publication. Ms. Denton has also worked to pass on her knowledge to another generation of RPC employees, serving as a mentor to present staff, who strive to produce a portion of the mapping and reporting that was created in those early years. For the latter part of her career Ms. Denton worked on website development, with the same attention to detail, she served as RPC’s webmaster during her last decade at the RPC.
For all her wonderful work, the RPC is most grateful to Ms. Denton for her years of public activism promoting the rights of women and working against discrimination. As noted in the book, Feminists Who Changed America, Pat was a member of the National Organization for Women (NOW) from 1973-1986 and the Louisiana NOW President, as well as a member of the National Chapters of the Women’s Political Caucus (WPC). She was part of the movement to ensure women were eligible for jury duty, and spoke in favor of the Equal Right Amendment (ERA) before the New Orleans City Council, resulting in their passage of a resolution in support of the ERA.
Obviously, her talents, her wit, her insight and professionalism will be sorely missed, but we wish her the best in her well deserved retirement and future in Portland, Oregon: Pat Denton, a fond farewell!
| She also found time to organize and participate in the first women’s photography exhibit in 1975, (“From a Woman’s Darkroom”); write, direct, edit, and produce a video in 1983, (“Feminist! Are you One?”); and then produce yet another photography exhibit in 1998 at the Hanson Gallery (“Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are”). She was also a founding member and board member of the Louisiana Lesbian and Gay Political Action Caucus. |
 Several Transportation Studies Completed in the Region
Over the past several months, work was completed on several planning studies funded by the Regional Planning Com- mission. The results are summarized below.
LA 21 (Boston Street) Covington, Louisiana St. Tammany Parish
The purpose of this study was to evaluate traffic signal operations and develop traffic signal upgrade plans at four intersections on LA 21 (Boston Street) in Covington, Louisiana. The intersections are at Lee Lane, N. Florida Street, N. Columbia Street and N. New Hampshire Street. The corridor is highly congested during peak periods due to the presence of a major regional hospital and several schools in the area.
The proposed recommendations emphasize upgrading the study area intersections with new signal tim- ing and coordination, crosswalks and decorative mast arm signal poles. New handicap ramps and sidewalks are pro- posed in areas where the existing would be impacted by the installation of the proposed signal equipment.
The estimated cost to upgrade the four intersections is $666,656.00.
| Both of these projects are Stage 0 Feasibility Studies which is the first stage in the Department of Transportation and Development’s project delivery process. The purpose of a Stage 0 study is to reach a decision regarding the project’s feasibility and whether it should continue further through the project delivery process. As part of the process, a base of information must be developed so that rational decisions can be made regarding the allocation of available funds among competing projects. The information gathered from the Stage 0 will be used to determine if the project will proceed forward to Stage 1, Planning and Environmental |
LA Highway 434 Corridor Study St. Tammany Parish
The purpose of this study was to identify transportation deficiencies and evaluate a range of improvements to increase capacity of an 8.3 mile section of LA 434 which connects US 190 to LA 36 crossing over Interstate 12 in St. Tammany Parish.
Large scale commercial and residential developments, including a new Folgers Plant and the St. Tammany Heart Hospital, have drawn attention to the need for enhanced traffic safety and op- erational improvements in the corridor. Both short and long-term recommendations for traffic safety, operational and capacity improvements were formulated. Some of the objectives of the project included:
- Providing better access to the area’s primary care hospital for emergency vehicles;
- Replacing an aging, rural roadway and bridge crossing the Lacombe Bayou;
- Identifying viable alternatives and securing required right-of-ways for improvements prior to the adjacent area’s full development;
- Providing improved access to the Abita Springs Airport; and
- Preparing for an increase in trip generation caused by proposed developments.
LA 23 Corridor (Lapalco Boulevard to Engineers Road) Jefferson and Plaquemines Parishes
The purpose of this project was to evaluate adding capacity to a .65 mile segment of Louisiana Highway 23 (Belle Chasse Highway) from Lapalco Boulevard (LA 428) in JeffersonPar- ish to Engineers Road (LA 3017) in Plaquemines Parish.
The improvement will add a through lane in the southbound direction which will drop as a right turn lane at Engi- neers Road (LA 3017). A through lane will also be added in the northbound direction which will continue through the Lapalco Boulevard intersection.
Intersection improvements at both Engineers Road (LA 3017) and Lapalco Boulevard are also included. The proj- ect will include signal upgrades at the following intersections: Behrman Hwy.
/Lapalco Blvd., Rouse’s Entrance, and Engineers Rd./Planters Canal Rd. These upgrades will include the realignment and addition of signal heads, relocation of mast arm signal poles, and the reloca- tion of required signal cabinets and conduit.
In July 2006, a Stage 0 Feasibility Study of the corridor was completed by the RPC. That study found that the major- ity of this widening project could be accomplished within the existing right- of-way, and that there were no adverse environmental impacts anticipated. The need for the project as identified in the Stage 0, demonstrated the following:
- There is currently inadequate roadway capacity;
- Traffic volumes on the corridor are anticipated to continue to increase;
- There is a need to improve traffic operations;
- The widening will sustain known economic development decisions, such as the expansion of the Naval Air Station/Joint Reserve Base in Belle Chasse;
- The project will provide a link to the future replacement of the Belle Chasse tunnel and bridge.
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RPC Newsletter, December 2011
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