CAUTION Macon  

Forest Hill Road - return to Homepage

Macon, Ga

SOS forest

   Macon Citizens request a Public Meeting with Georgia DOT to discuss:  
   Gasoline Fumes and Exhaust Particulates   

   

United States EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) purpose  is to limit harm to American Citizens from  Fossil Fuels  Exhaust Fumes .
Comments below are for PM2.5 conformity on the Forest Hill Road Project in Macon, Georgia.

***** Citizens in Macon request a public meeting to hear both sides of this issue.*****





To: harvey.keepler@dot.state.ga.us,Jennifer.Mathis@dot.state.ga.us
From: Lindsay Holliday <teeth@mindspring.com>
Date:  September 30, 2006 
Subject: Forest Hill Road - Air Quality Oversights by GDOT engineers

Mr. Harvey Keepler
<harvey.keepler@dot.state.ga.us>
State Environment/Location Engineer
Georgia Department of Transportation
3993 Aviation Circle
Atlanta, GA 30336-1593
http://www.dot.state.ga.us/dot/preconstruction/oel/index.shtml
(404) 699-4400
fax-699-4440

Dear Mr Keepler,

In your letter to me (below), It seems that GDOT has ignored the fact that a widened (double sized) Forest Hill Road will surely  Induce Significant Diesel Truck Traffic

Our models estimate 5-7x multiple increase in heavy trucks.  And we estimate an increase in stop+go+idling at new stop lights will release about 35x more Diesel fumes at the Lokchoppee intersection alone.

I have highlighted that portion of Federal Law within your letter.

Please explain this oversight.  

About how much more diesel fumes do your engineers estimate will exhaust at the newly enlarged stoplight intersections?

Thank-you,
- Lindsay
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
 Lindsay  D. Holliday, DMD
(h) (478) 742-8699  3091 Ridge Ave. 31204
(o) 746-5695   360 Spring Street  Macon,  GA  31201 
http://www.hollidaydental.com

blind copies to
www.CautionMacon.org
reference page:
http://www.macon-bibb.com/FHR/Fumes.htm


Letter from Harvey Keepler

August 29, 2006

Dr. Lindsay D. Holliday
360 Spring Street
Macon, GA 31201

Re:
GDOT Project Nos. STP-3213(1), STP-3213(3) & BRMLB-3213(5)
PI Nos. 350520, 351130 & 351135, Bibb County
Public Comment Concerning PM2.5 Air Quality for Forest Hill Road Widening

Dear Dr. Holliday:

Thank you for your response to the June 29,2006 public ad regarding PM2.5 Air Quality for the Forest Hill Road Widening project. Your written comment is appreciated and will be made a part of the official record of the project.

Background of PM 2.5 Air Quality Analysis
On March 10,2006, the V.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published a final rule that establishes the transportation conformity criteria and procedures for determining which transportation projects must be analyzed for local air quality impact in PM2.5 nonattainment areas. Transportation conformity is required under the Clean Air Act section l76(c) (42 V.S.C. 7506(c)) to ensure that federally supported highway and transit project activities are consistent with the purpose of the state air quality implementation plan (SIP). Conformity to the purpose of the SIP means that a transportation activity will not cause new air quality violations, worsen existing violations, or delay timely attainment of the relevant National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). Bibb County is one of 28 counties in Georgia designated by EPA as nonattainment for PM2.5.

Application of the Final Rule
To meet statutory requirements set out by the Clean Air Act, the March 10, 2006 final rule requires PM2.5 hot-spot analyses to be performed for projects of air quality concern. The EPA specifies in 40 CFR 93.l23(b)(1) of the final rule that projects of air quality concern are certain highway and transit projects that involve significant levels of diesel vehicle traffic or any other project that is identified in the PM2.5 SIP as a localized air quality concern.
 

More specifically, the final rule defines projects of air quality concern that require a PM2.s hot-spot analysis in 40 CFR 93. I 23(b)(1) as:

(i) - New or expanded highway projects that have a significant number of or
significant increase in diesel vehicles;

(ii)  - Projects affecting intersections that are at Level-of-Service D, E, or F with a significant number of diesel vehicles, or those that will change to Level-of-Service D, E, or F because of increased traffic volumes from a significant number of diesel vehicles related to the project;

(iii) - New bus and rail terminals and transfer points that have a significant number of diesel vehicles congregating at a single location;

(iv) - Expanded bus and rail terminals and transfer points that significantly increase the number of
diesel vehicles congregating at a single location (new StopLights at Old Lundy and at Lokchopee); and

(v) - Projects in or affecting locations, areas, or categories of sites which are identified in the PM2.s applicable implementation plan or implementation plan submission, as appropriate, as sites of violation or possible violation.


 The Forest Hill Road Widening project was reviewed by the Federal Highway Administration (FHW A) and determined not to be a project of localized air quality concern because it does not fall into any of the above-listed categories, which involve significant levels of diesel traffic. A second review of the project was completed by the Interagency Review Group consisting of representatives from EP A, FHW A, Georgia Environmental Protection Division (EPD) and the local Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO). The Interagency Review Group concurred with FHW A's findings and determined that the project is not of localized air quality concern as defined by the final rule.

Your comments regarding the design of the project have been noted. These and other environmental issues were reviewed and addressed during the National Environmental Policy Act (NEP A) process and documented in the Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). The FONSI was made available for public review and comment before its approval by FHW A in June of 2004. The NEP A process has been completed. The next phase of the project will be right-of-way acquisition, which will commence soon.

If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Mathis at (404) 699-4408.

Sincerely,
Harvey D. Keepler
State Environmental/Location Engineer

HDK/jrn/1c


Various  Comments from Citizens that were Sent To:    Harvey Keepler  <harvey.keepler@dot.state.ga.us>

Mr. Harvey Keepler

State Environment/Location Engineer

Georgia Department of Transportation

3993 Aviation Circle

Atlanta, GA 30336-1593

Dear Mr. Keepler,

In response to the legal ad (scanned here) in the June 26 and the July 6, 2006 edition of the Macon Telegraph:

The Forest Hill Road project requires a qualitative evaluation for a PM-10/Pm-2.5 as provided for in 40CFR93.123. This qualitative evaluation is required because:

1. The project is located in a PM-10/2.5 non-attainment or maintenance area
2. The project is funded by FHWA
3. The project will increase traffic volumes and speed which will contribute to an increase in localizes PM-10/2.5. This hotspot analysis must include the entire project as required by law.
4. The project will make significant changes in the built and natural environment which may change current PM=1-/2.5 dispersal patterns

*Studies have shown that adding lanes to an existing road will actually induce (create) traffic so making Forest Hill Road 4 lanes from Vineville to Wimbish will increase traffic and add PM2.5 to our already unhealthy air in Macon and Bibb County. (Macon had the 24th dirtiest air in the U.S. 4 years ago and we are in non-attainment , according to Federal Clean Air Act guidelines!)

* Automobiles and trucks create the most PM2.5 when they are idling or accelerating from a dead stop at traditional signalized intersections which will continue to exist under the present GaDOT design for FHR.

* The public has asked repeatedly for a more modern design for FHR eliminating traditional signalized intersections and substituting roundabouts which are safer and more fuel efficient, thereby reducing PM2.5 emissions. (Cars traveling through roundabouts emit less PM2.5 because they don't have to stop or idle, which emits more PM2.5 into the air) It also saves fuel which is very expensive these days.

* Over 4/5ths of FHR is within the city limits of Macon and Macon City Council has passed two resolutions asking for a redesign of FHR to include roundabouts with no increase in the number of lanes.

* The traffic counts from GaDOT and the Metropolitan Planning Organization have been inconsistent, but in fact now project a decrease in Average Daily Traffic Volume from year 2025 to year 2030! The accident rate determination for this project also had a 30% overage error.(Please see an included copy of Mr. Tom Scholl’s November, 2001 letter below explaining these inconsistences). Based on these data and the fact that the 2025/30 Long Range Land Use Plan does not show enough projected additional growth within the area of FHR to justify adding more lanes, and since level of service is going to be determined by the back up of automobiles waiting for the "green" light at the proposed traditional and archaic signalized intersections, a more modern design with roundabouts seems to be the most cost saving, safest, and healthy (less PM2.5) alternative to the proposed GaDOT design.

*We are already inundated with PM2.5 from Georgia Power's Plant Scherer so adding more pollution by increasing traffic on Forest Hill Road will not help our health.

* Studies have shown that "suicide lanes" (a continuous middle left turn lane) are dangerous. There is a "suicide lane" in the projected design from Wimbish Road to Northside Drive going past an elementary school street entrance. With the added speed that this will create for FHR there will be more cars pulling into the "middle lane" idling (increasing PM2.5) while waiting for traffic to clear to move into the through lane. A "suicide lane is not designed for that purpose because the practice is dangerous, and in fact, studies have shown that is one of the reasons they are called "suicide lanes."

* The Citizens Advisory Committee of the Macon Area Transportation Study has asked the Policy Committee to redesign any pending projects that have "suicide lanes" (this includes Forest Hill Road), never plan to design or build any more, and to eliminate and redesign any that have already been built.

* There has only been one true public hearing on this project where the residents and neighbors were allowed to speak publicly and that was approximately 4-5 years ago. The other "public" meetings were with appointed "stakeholders" and only they, and not the public, were allowed to speak. The public should have more than a small legal notice in the newspaper for public health issues such as this. A true public hearing about this health issue should be held so that all the residents and neighbors in the affected area can hear each others questions and have them answered.




   GDOT traffic volumes and estimates have been proven wrong time after time. See this page   And another page.



ROUNDABOUTS
http://www.roundaboutsusa.com
http://www.ncdot.org/doh/operations/division14/roundabout/roundabout.htm

The Kansas DOT video - 10 minutes - that you can download for free - The video is more clear than the FHWA one. It is linked from this page:
http://www.ksdot.org/burTrafficEng/Roundabouts/Roundabout_Guide/RoundaboutGuide.asp

Cleaner Air with Roundabouts:
  "Because roundabouts improve the efficiency of traffic flow, they also reduce vehicle emissions and fuel consumption. In one study, replacing a signalized intersection with a roundabout reduced carbon monoxide emissions by 29 percent and nitrous oxide emissions by 21 percent.
8 In another study, replacing traffic signals and stop signs with roundabouts reduced carbon monoxide emissions by 32 percent, nitrous oxide emissions by 34 percent, carbon dioxide emissions by 37 percent, and hydrocarbon emissions by 42 percent.9 Constructing roundabouts in place of traffic signals can reduce fuel consumption by about 30 percent.8,10 At 10 intersections studied in Virginia, this amounted to more than 200,000 gallons of fuel per year.7 And roundabouts can enhance aesthetics by providing landscaping opportunities."
http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/roundabouts.html#5

See a new 2 minute video re: roundabouts at:
http://www.iihs.org/research/topics/roundabouts.html
Click on "Video"




 

Local panel has the power to change the road plan

MATS MEMBERS

MATS Policy Committee: Who's got a seat at the table?

The Macon Area Transportation Study Policy Committee is a group of elected and appointed local leaders that sets road construction priorities. Here is a list of members:

1. Mayor of Macon

2. Mayor of Payne City

3. Chairman of the Macon Public Works Committee

4. Chairman of the Bibb County Commission Public Works Committee

5. Chairman of the Jones County Commission

6. Chairman of the Middle-Georgia Regional Development Commission

7. Georgia Department of Transportation commissioner or his designee

8. Designated Jones County commissioner

9. Chairman of the Macon-Bibb County Planning & Zoning Commission

10. Chairman of the Bibb County Commission

11. Chairman of the Macon Transit Authority

12. Chairman of the Macon Water Authority

13. Chairman of the MATS citizens' advisory committee

14. President Macon City Council

15. Chairman of the Bibb County Commission Finance Committee

16. Designated Jones County commissioner

SOURCE: MATS bylaws

http://www.macon.com/mld/macon/news/local/14084789.htm

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