PROJECT SCOPING FOR LOCAL AGENCY FEDERAL AID PROJECTS

NEED FOR PROJECT SCOPING

Scoping is the foundation upon which your entire project is built Just as you would not consider building a house without a proper foundation, you should not consider developing a project without a proper scope Your project is only as good as the foundation upon which you built it

Scoping verifies and documents the purpose and need for your project What is the problem? What are the alternatives? What are the impacts? What are the goals of your project?

Benefits of Good Scoping Verifies and fixes the right problem Project is correctly programmed Project is kept within budget and on schedule

Proper Scoping Can Save You Months of wasted time Hundreds of hours of staff time Thousands of dollars in PE costs Millions of dollars in construction costs

GETTING STARTED Project Research Scoping Team Scoping Site Visit Project Prospectus

OFFICE RESEARCH

RESEARCH Project purpose and need statement – What is the problem we are trying to correct Design standards to be used – Does the current alignment meet standards Current and future traffic volumes- Build year and design year

Accident history, accident rate, analysis of accident “hot spots” Existing pavement conditions and preliminary ideas for surfacing treatments Bridge inspection reports and recommended actions Vicinity maps, Right of Way Maps, and as constructed drawings

SCOPING TEAM

MEMBERS Project Leader (Local, ODOT/Consultant) Engineering - Roadway, Bridge, Traffic Right of Way Environmental Utility Specialist Construction Project Management

Additional Members Geo/Hydro Pavements Planning Surveying Rail Safety Public Affairs Access Management

SITE VISIT

Take good notes and document Safety concerns and possible solutions Pavement conditions and surfacing design alternatives Stage construction concerns and alternatives Right of Way impacts and needs

Access issues Utility impacts Pedestrian and bicycle needs ADA needs, ramps, sidewalks, driveways Level of Survey work required

Environmental impacts –Wetlands –Hazmat –Threatened and Endangered Species (ESA) –Historic –Archaeological

PROSPECTUS

PROJECT PROSPECTUS The project prospectus is a tool to convey information about projects to various organization inside and outside of ODOT It starts the process of identifying a problem to be solved and presents ideas on how to solve it

It also contains information on the Project: –Costs –Funding sources –Funding years –Right of Way impacts –Environmental impacts

Part 1 provides information on: The project location Overview of the project Problem statement Proposed solution Cost estimates for PE, CE, Right of Way, and construction

Part 2 defines: Who is responsible for completing different categories of the project design Base design requirements Roadway element widths Structure size and cost Right of Way information

Part 3 – Environmental details: Details environmental impacts Environmental baseline information Required permits, reports and clearances

COST ESTIMATING PE Costs - Identify all tasks that will be involved in developing project, Engineering, Right of Way, Environmental documentation, Utilities, etc. Construction Costs – Identify all project bid items Research recent cost trends and assign reasonable prices to all items.

FEDERAL PROGARAMING Before federal funds can be programmed for the project: –It must be in the STIP –The prospectus must be completed –The project IGA must be completed