A

  
Alternative

• An alternative is a general roadway alignment that falls within one of the specific corridors for this project

back to top

B

  
Baseline Projects

• Projects to be funded and built by others that are assumed to be complete prior to the completion of SR 509 construction.

back to top

C

  
Corridor

• A corridor is a general path from one point to another.  Originally, this project had three corridors; from the current terminus of SR 509 to Interstate 5 at approximately 208th Street, from the current terminus of SR 509 to Interstate 5 at SR 516, and from the current terminus of SR 509 to S. 272nd Street in Federal Way.  The last corridor described was dropped during the screening process due to very high environmental impacts, family and business relocations, and right of way costs.

Controlled Activity Area

• The controlled activity area is a triangular section of the "Runway Protection Zone" (RPZ), outside of and adjacent to the Object Free Area and the Extended Object Free Area. See Runway Protection Zone for the diagram that further explains this description. Land use in this area is restricted. However, the FAA can review and approve certain land uses such as parking lots.

back to top

D

  
DEIS

• DEIS is an acronym for Draft Environmental Impact Statement

back to top

E

   
EIS

• EIS is an acronym for Environmental Impact Statement

Executive Committee

• A committee that approves all final project decisions, with emphasis on funding issues. This committee is comprised of elected or appointed officials from the project partner agencies. See Executive Committee for the represented agencies and members of this committee.

Extended Object Free Area

• An extension of the length of the Object Free Area beyond the standard, to its maximum feasible limit. All provisions of the Object Free Area apply. See Runway Protection Zone for the diagram that further describes this explanation.

back to top

F

  
FEIS

• FEIS is an acronym for Final Environmental Impact Statement

404 Permit

• A permit required to be issued by the US Army Corps of Engineers whenever a project results in the discharging, dredging, or placing of fill material within waters of the USA or adjacent wetlands. The legal requirement for this permit is Section 404 of FWPCA 33 USC 1344, issued in 1972.

4F Law

• Section 4(f) has been a part of Federal Law in some form since 1966.  It was enacted as Section 4(f) of the Department of Transportation (DOT) Act of 1966 (hence the reference to "Section 4(f)").  Section 4(f) was originally set forth in Title 49, Unites States Code (U.S.C.), Section 1653(f), and applies only to agencies within DOT.  Also, in 1966, a similar provision was added to Title 23, U.S.C., Section 138.  Between 1966 and 1968, the wording in the two provisions was somewhat different.  This led to some confusion since Section 4(f) to all programs of DOT, whereas Section 138 applied only to the Federal-Aid Highway Program.  Consequently, The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968, amended the wording in both sections to be substantially consistent.  Except for the last sentence of the second paragraph (which appears only in Section 138), the two sections read:

"It is hereby declared to be the national policy that special effort should be made to preserve the natural beauty of the countryside and public park an recreation lands, wildlife and water fowl refuges, and historic sites.  The Secretary of Transportation shall cooperate and consult with the Secretaries of the interior, Housing and Urban Development, and Agriculture, and with States in developing transportation plans and programs that include measures to maintain or enhance the natural beauty of the lands traversed.

After the effective date of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1968, the Secretary shall not approve any program or project which requires the use of any publicly owned land from a park, recreation area, or wildlife and waterfowl refuge of national, State, or local significance as determined by the Federal, State, or local officials having jurisdiction thereof, or any land from an historic site of national, State, or local significance as so determined by such officials unless (1) there is no feasible and prudent alternative to the use of such land, and (2) such program includes all possible planning to minimize harm to such park, recreation are, wildlife or waterfowl refuge, or historic sites resulting from such use.  In carrying out the national policy declared in this Section, the Secretary, in cooperation with the Secretary of the Interior and appropriate State and local officials, is authorized to conduct studies as to the most feasible Federal-Aid routes for the movement of motor vehicles through or around national parks so as to best serve the needs of the traveling public while preserving the natural beauty of these areas."

In January 1983, as part of an overall recodification of the DOT Act, Section 4(f) was amended and codified in 49 U.S.C., Section 303.  The wording in Section 303 reads as follows:

(A) It is the policy of the United States Government that special effort be made to preserve the natural beauty of the countryside and public park and recreation lands, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, and historic sites.

(B) The Secretary of the Transportation shall cooperate and consult with the Secretaries of the Interior, Housing and Urban Development, and Agriculture, and with the States, in developing transportation plans and programs that include measures to maintain or enhance the natural beauty of the lands crossed by transportation activities or facilities.

(C) The Secretary may approve a transportation program or project requiring the use of publicly owned land of a public park, recreation area, or wildlife and waterfowl refuge, or land of an historic site of national, or local significance (as determined by the Federal, State, or local officials having jurisdiction over the park, recreation area, refuge, or site) only if -

(1) there is no prudent and feasible alternative to using that land; and

(2) the program or project includes all possible planning to minimize harm to the park, recreation area, wildlife and waterfowl refuge, or historic site resulting from the use.

Section 138 was not amended, so the wording in the two sections is once again different.  The legislative history of the 1983 recodification indicates that no substantive change was intended.  Further, because of familiarity with Section 4(f) by thousands of Federal and State personnel, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) continues to refer to the requirements as Section 4(f).

The statute does not establish any procedures for preparing Section 4(f) documents, for circulating them, or for coordinating them with other agencies.  The statute does not require the preparation of any written document, but the FHWA has developed procedures for the preparation, circulation, and and coordination of Section 4(f) documents.  The purpose of these procedures is to establish an administrative record of the basis for determining that there is no feasible and prudent alternative, and to obtained informed input from knowledgeable sources on feasible and prudent alternatives and on measures to minimize harm.

Numerous legal decisions on Section 4(f) have resulted in a DOT policy that conclusions on no feasible and prudent alternatives and on all possible planning to minimize harm must be well documented and supported.  The Supreme Court in the Overton Park case (Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe, 401 U.S. 402 (1971)) ruled that determinations on no feasible and prudent alternative must find that there are unique problems or unusual factors involved in the use of alternatives or that the cost, environmental impacts, or community disruption resulting from such alternatives reach extraordinary magnitudes.

(From Publication # FHWA-PD-96-031)

back to top

H

   
HOV

• HOV is an acronym for High Occupancy Vehicle.  High occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, commonly called carpool lanes, are lanes reserved for people who share the ride in carpools, vanpools and/or buses or drive a motorcycle.  These lanes are marked with a diamond symbol and HOV signs.  HOV lanes reduce traffic congestion, protect the environment and improve transit speeds. They help highways move more people efficiently. 

HCT

• HCT is an acronym for High Capacity Transit.  High capacity transit is a mode of transportation that provides efficient and fast travel for large numbers of people.  Examples of local high capacity transit include Sound Transit's Tacoma and Seattle Link light rail systems, as well as their commuter rail that travels from Tacoma to Seattle and Everett to Seattle.

Hearing

• A legally required formal public meeting, sometimes utilizing a hearing examiner, with the primary objective to accept and record formal public comment on the project through the aid of a legal court recorder. It usually includes a pre-set agenda, including a formal project presentation by the project sponsor. It also includes a number of project exhibits to aid the presentation.

back to top

O

  
Object Free Area

• The standard area portion of the Runway Protection Zone off the end of, and centered on the centerline of, the airport runway where FAA regulations require the clearing of all above ground objects (above the runway safety area edge elevation), except those placed for air navigation or aircraft ground maneuvering. See Runway Protection Zone for the diagram that further describes this explanation.

Open House

• An informal public meeting, possibly legally required, with the primary object to disseminate project information to the public and accept public comment. At times they include a formal presentation by the project sponsor. It includes a number of project exhibits, and personal conversation between the sponsor and the public as the primary means of information transfer. Written comments are usually accepted, but unrecorded verbal conversation is the primary form of comment.

Option

• An option is a refined alternative which is adjusted to minimize impacts.  Each alternative may have a number of options which affects the surrounding environment differently.

back to top

R

  
Record of Decision (ROD)

• A signed Federal document representing the culmination of the federal environmental document review and approval process, and documenting Federal project environmental approval.

Revised DEIS

• Revised DEIS is an acronym for Supplemental Draft Environmental Impact Statement.  A Revised DEIS provides additional information to a Draft EIS to arrive at a Final EIS which is then reviewed, approved/disapproved by the Federal Highway Administration and other agencies.  If the FEIS is approved, a Record of Decision is issued which outlines the approval of the conclusions reached in the EIS.

Right-of-Way

• Property owned by WSDOT or other public agencies, required solely for placing the roadway and supporting facilities

  
Runway Protection Zone (RPZ)

• The Runway Protection Zone, or RPZ, is a trapezoidal shaped area which has specific land use limitations in order to keep the approach to an airport runway clear of obstacles.  It is comprised of the Object Free Area, the Extended Object Free Area, and the Controlled Activity Areas, as shown in the figure below.

back to top

S

Steering Committee

• A committee responsible for making recommendations to the Executive Committee and project design team on the technical direction and decisions of the project. This committee is comprised of technical professionals from project partner and support agencies, and jurisdictions affected by the project. See Steering Committee for the represented agencies and jurisdictions, and members of this committee.

back to top

T

Transportation Demand Management

• A WSDOT process of creating and developing effective solutions to capacity constraints within the state transportation system. This is largely a planning effort that results in such solutions as land use planning implementation, parking management, high capacity transportation, and high occupancy vehicle systems.

Transportation Systems Management

• The process of collecting traffic data, developing predictive models, regulating access, and providing timely motorist information on traffic conditions to optimize the safety and efficiency of the surface transportation system in a given area ñ usually a large urban area such as the Puget Sound Region.

V

Value Engineering (VE) Study

• A short formal project review, utilizing highly experienced experts in the project field, to try to identify and recommend alternative solutions that will add value to the project, by reducing costs or in other ways. The study follows a formal set procedure for identifying and evaluating areas of value savings, and usually takes place soon after a preferred design is identified and estimated. For large projects, this process is required by most funding sources.

W

Whitepaper

• A formal decision paper that documents a solution to an area of project design. The document describes the decision(s) made and the analysis used in arriving at the decision(s). It also may contain plans, calculations, or other backup supporting the analysis.