Evaluation Process

Rethinking I-94 Evaluation Criteria

Evaluation criteria have been developed for the Scoping Decision Document (SDD) and Tier 1 Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) phases of Rethinking I-94. This is the first step of the alternative evaluation process. The criteria used in the SDD and Tier 1 EIS have been developed concurrently for review and general agreement. Following the Scoping phase, the Tier 1 EIS evaluation will be reassessed to refine criteria as needed.

Groups and categories

There are four main groups of criteria with several categories under each. The four main groups and categories include:

  1. Purpose and need
    1. Walkability and bikeabilty-comfort, mobility and risks for people walking, bicycling and rolling
    2. Safety for people in motorized vehicles-cars freight, and transit
    3. Infrastructure condition-state of repair
    4. Mobility for people in motorized vehicles-cars, freight, and transit
  2. Social, economic, and environmental (SEE)
    1. Environmental justice
    2. Historic/archaeological/cemetery
    3. Section 4(f) (recreational resources)
    4. Section 6 (f) (recreational resources with special federal funding)
    5. Contaminated properties
    6. Right of way
    7. Noise
    8. Water pollution/stormwater
    9. Air quality
    10. Threatened & endangered species
    11. Wetlands
  3. Livability framework (project goals)
    1. Sense of place
    2. Equity
    3. Economic vitality
    4. Public health and the environment
    5. Connectivity
  4. Additional considerations
    1. Cost
    2. Maintenance
    3. Consistency with adopted state and regional plans

Measures

For each subcategory, at least one criteria and measure has been identified to evaluate whether the alternative addresses the purpose and need, impacts SEE resources, or is consistent with the Livability framework. Measurements include a mixture of quantitative and qualitative assessments. For measures with minimum standards, minimum performance criteria have been identified based on MnDOT or FHWA standards. Many of the standards and performance criteria have been documented in subject area technical memos.

Purpose and need, SEE impact items, and goals will be evaluated by either comparing the alternative to the No Build or based on the subcategory’s performance measure. For example, Person Throughput (the number of people who pass a specific point in a defined timeframe) will be calculated for each alternative and documented as to whether it is higher, equal to, or lower than the No Build Alternative.

Evaluation process

Alternatives will first be screened during the SDD Phase to determine whether they have “fatal flaws.” Alternatives with fatal flaws may not be technically or economically feasible, or they may result in SEE impacts that cannot be mitigated. For alternatives that do not have fatal flaws, the evaluation process will be first based upon the ability of an alternative to address the purpose and need criteria. Those that do not pass this screening will be eliminated as they are not “reasonable” alternatives. Alternatives that address the purpose and need will continue forward and will be further evaluated to understand the potential for and magnitude of impacts to SEE resources within the corridor. These impacts will be documented, and alternatives will then be evaluated to determine whether they address the goals and Livability Framework pillars identified in Rethinking I-94 Phase 1 along with several Additional Considerations.

Alternatives in the SDD Phase that best address the purpose and need evaluation criteria, minimize SEE impacts, and perform favorably in terms of goals & Livability and Additional Considerations will move into the Tier 1 EIS. Tier 1 will use the identified criteria and measures to evaluate the remaining alternatives in greater detail. Because more design information will be available, additional purpose and need, SEE impacts, goals (Livability), and additional considerations measures will be incorporated to include items that were not expected to have substantial differences between alternatives in the SDD Phase. Evaluation in the Tier 1 EIS will first be based on addressing purpose and need criteria, followed by minimizing SEE impacts, and then meeting project goals and additional considerations. At the end of the Tier 1 process, an alternative that establishes the corridor footprint will be selected and a program of projects will be developed.

The following flow charts are of step 1 and 2 of this process.

Step 1: Scoping Decision Document (SDD) Phase

Image with the following questions: 1. Does the alternative have fatal flaws? 2. Does the alternative address the purpose and the needs? 3. Does the alternative minimize impacts to social, economic, and environmental resources? 4. Does the alternative advance the project goals and Additional Considerations?


Step 2: Tier 1 EIS Phase

Image with the following questions: 1. Does the alternative address the purpose and the needs? (more criteria and measures added) 2. Does the alternative minimize impacts to social, economic, and environmental resources? (more criteria and measures added) 3. Does the alternative advance the project goals and Additional Considerations? (more criteria and measures added) 4. Selection of a preffered alternative/footprint for the corridor and a program of projects.


Topics not addressed in the Evaluation Criteria

Due to limitations in design detail and existing procedures, there are a variety of topics that are not part of the evaluation criteria or included at this phase of evaluation. In some cases, this is because the level of detail in the design at this stage prevents full investigation of the alternative. In other instances, certain interests are addressed by existing MnDOT standard procedures, and will be implemented where feasible regardless of the selected alternative. More detailed aspects of design and evaluation will be addressed during project implementation in the Tier 2 process for Rethinking I-94.

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