As the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization. SEMCOG is leading or partnering with other agencies on a variety of environmental topics directly related to transportation planning.
The Federal Highway Administration has developed an Environmental Review Toolkit to help guide and streamline transportation planning and project coordination.
Environmental Topics in Transportation Planning
I-75 Corridor Conservation Action Plan
The I-75 Corridor Conservation Action Plan, funded through the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), is a pilot project led by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), SEMCOG, and the Michigan natural Features Inventory (MNFI), to use the Eco-Logical approach to align environmental priorities with the reconstruction of the I-75 corridor in Monroe County over the next 20 years.
Also called the Western Lake Erie Integrated Ecological Framework. The project identifies conservation priorities, key threats, strategies, and specific actions for conservation and restoration. This conservation action plan highlights the following:
- Partnerships and stakeholder involvement between multiple local, state, and federal agencies.
- Environmental priorities within the project area.
- Implementation strategies at the local and regional scale.
- Conservation planning actions for the I-75 reconstruction project.
The Eco-Logical process and this I-75 Corridor Conservation Action Plan are models for future regional long-range transportation planning efforts.
Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement
Multiple local, county, and state partners participated in the development of the I-75 Corridor Conservation Action Plan in Monroe County. Within this process, a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) guided the development of the plan.
Additionally, stakeholders were engaged throughout the project through public meetings, action teams, and small groups coordinating with the TAC.
TAC project activities included:
- Determining the conservation plan study area;
- Evaluating conditions of environmental priorities;
- Recommending strategies and actions; and
- Communicating with stakeholders about local priorities.
TAC member organizations included:
- Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
- Natural Resource Conservation Service
- Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
- Michigan Department of Transportation
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources
- Michigan Department of Environmental Quality
- Michigan Sea Grant
- United State Army Corps of Engineers
- Michigan Natural Features Inventory
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
- U.S. Department of Transportation
- Federal Highway Administration
- Office of the Great Lakes
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency
- The Nature Conservancy of Michigan
Some of the stakeholders engaged in this process include:
- Monroe County
- Monroe County Business Development Corporation
- City of Monroe
- Monroe County Planning
- Monroe County Road Commission
- Monroe County Drain Commission
- Monroe County Conservation District
- Detroit River-Lake Erie Cooperative Weed Management Area
- Green Ribbon Initiative
- Southeast Michigan Land Conservancy
- Oak Openings CWMA
- The Nature Conservancy of Ohio
- Detroit International Wildlife Refuge
- IHM Sisters
Environmental Sensitivity
An Environmental Sensitivity Analysis is conducted to determine possible impacts from the 2040 Regional Transportation Plan projects on environmentally sensitive resources.
Environmentally sensitive resources generally include:
- Lakes and streams
- Designated trout lakes/streams
- Natural rivers
- Wellhead protection areas
- Sinkholes
- Wetlands, woodlands
How should road projects incorporate these environmentally sensitive resources?
- Integrating Environmental Issues in the Transportation Planning Process: Guidelines for Road and Transit Agencies
- Protect sensitive areas during transportation construction and maintenance activities
- Manage roadside vegetation
Many communities, counties, and watershed groups are leading watershed planning and implementation efforts. Prioritizing preservation and restoration opportunities throughout Southeast Michigan.
Green Infrastructure
The transportation connection to green infrastructure ranges from providing connectivity to natural areas and features for recreational enjoyment. To representing the land use type with the highest levels of impervious cover. Directly impacting the region’s water resources. Green infrastructure, both natural and constructed, can be strategically used along roadway corridors. To provide recreational, social, and aesthetic amenities to surrounding communities. In addition to providing local and regional environmental benefits.
The transportation network is the land use type that generates the largest quantities of stormwater runoff. With more than 100 billion gallons on an annual basis. It also has higher levels of sediment, metals, salts, and deicing materials. The excess runoff combined with the pollutants directly impacts local water resources.
SEMCOG is directly planning two projects that connect transportation, water resources, stormwater management, and green infrastructure. These projects will estimate the amount of green infrastructure required to see a demonstrated improvement in receiving waters.
The EPA Green Infrastructure Target Setting project
The MDOT Watershed Approach to Stormwater Planning project
When evaluating potential locations for green infrastructure along roadways (i.e., creating green streets), many factors are important.
Land Cover within Major Road Rights-of-Way (acres)
| Impervious Surface | Open Space | Tree Canopy | Urban Bare | Water | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Livingston | 2,946 | 2,371 | 1,000 | 3 | 8 | 6,327 |
| Macomb | 6,886 | 4,467 | 897 | 35 | 13 | 12,299 |
| Monroe | 3,303 | 3,021 | 592 | 7 | 11 | 6,933 |
| Oakland | 13,341 | 6,148 | 3,331 | 74 | 29 | 22,922 |
| St. Clair | 3,679 | 3,557 | 605 | 32 | 12 | 7,885 |
| Washtenaw | 5,132 | 4,077 | 1,590 | 16 | 14 | 10,828 |
| Wayne | 20,082 | 7,001 | 2,079 | 103 | 27 | 29,293 |
| Total | 55,371 | 30,642 | 10,094 | 270 | 114 | 96,487 |
The open space areas within the road rights-of-way represent areas of opportunity for green infrastructure. Aligning goals between transportation agencies and watershed groups can lead to multiple benefits:
Integrate stormwater management when adding capacity, paving gravel roads, reconstructing roads, and implementing road diets.- Evaluating green infrastructure opportunities for all publicly funded infrastructure projects, including roadways, water main replacement, and sanitary sewer rehabilitation projects.
- Collaborating on corridor redevelopment activities and using SEMCOG’s Corridor Redevelopment Toolkit to focus on regionally important topics.
- Reviewing traffic models and traffic data. To identify potential road diets that may occur with other local projects. Such as, recreational enhancements or other capital improvement programs.
- Identifying vacant property availability for strategic use in roadway projects.
Green Streets
Green streets are roadways that achieve multiple benefits with a focus on managing stormwater runoff close to the source. Through the use of bioswales, bio-retention, porous pavements, tree trenches, and unique streetscape designs. They reduce the amount of water piped directly to local streams. In addition to providing local temperature mitigation and air quality improvements. When combined with complete streets, these roadways achieve multiple community and regional outcomes.
SEMCOG received a $500,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Agency as part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Four county members: Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, and Wayne. Each received $100,000 of this funding. To design and construct a project demonstrating the use of green infrastructure to reduce roadway runoff. Additionally, SEMCOG developed the Great Lakes Green Streets Guidebook. Which contains a sampling of road improvement projects within the Great Lakes Watershed. That has successfully incorporated green infrastructure techniques to manage stormwater runoff and benefit water resources.
