November 2024 Vol 22 Issue 11

November 2024 Volume 22 Issue 11

We are a voice for our small town, grassroots members who may otherwise not have access to the right audiences, as well as a conduit for industry to come together in support and promotion of transportation improvements.

We are committed to working as an Alliance to improve transportation infrastructure and business networks opportunities, by advocating for appropriate funding levels, so business and industry can thrive.

We are focused on the economic and business interests that are the lifeblood of the region.

Be Sure Newsletter Email is Allowed

As you may have noticed, the monthly Ports-to-Plains Newsletter is sent through our member database. Please be sure the email address pal@memberclicks-mail.net is allowed on your system.

PRESIDENT'S CORNER

Here we are finishing another November getting ready to celebrate Thanksgiving Holiday. College kids are driving or flying home to reunite with family. Produce and commodities are currently moving on our nation’s transportation network in preparation for holiday gatherings everywhere. Whether we celebrate the season with a traditional turkey and dressing dinner or honor our cultural heritage with a unique meal of our ancestors, we sometimes forget how much we depend upon our transportation system to deliver that holiday dinner to our tables. In fact, we are often oblivious to how much effort it takes to get that holiday dinner on the table in addition to the actual meal preparation.

Popular daytime television shows have been tracking the inflation costs associated with feeding a family of ten. Back in 2022, they reported that it cost around $68 dollars. This year they are reporting around $50 dollars or $5 dollars per person. Turkey is cheaper this year, but cranberries cost more due to drought conditions in the harvest areas. What doesn’t get reported is the impact that transportation costs have on those numbers. Tracking the fluctuating prices of inflation is not a bad thing, but what if we were able to make improvements to our transportation network that could reduce the variability of factors that do contribute to those inflated prices. First of all, time is money and the less time those commodities spend on the road translates to cheaper costs at the store. Every bottleneck or barrier that can be removed from the transportation network improves the just in time delivery methods that are utilized today.

Second, having a backup meal plan when the deep fryer burns the turkey might be a good thing. Having a backup route to get commodities to the destination can be just as important too. For example, I opened up my latest magazine from one of my favorite farm implement companies and the first article that caught my attention was about the massive storm event that hit British Columbia a couple years ago and the supply chain disruption that prevented farmers from getting their goods to Vancouver due to massive damage to the transportation network. Farmers talked about the first time in twenty-five years that the chickens didn’t make it to the market. The whole idea of having a resilient transportation network is real and challenging at the same time. Building redundancy into our network becomes imperative as we move forward and evolve our transportation system.

For us faster delivery times and improving resiliency by giving transportation providers choices in their just in time delivery schedules highlights the value of having another highway network upgraded to interstate standards running through the breadbasket of the United States. In the meantime, if you run out of turkey, I bet a steak would taste pretty good too. Please have a safe and happy holiday.

more to come …

Lauren D. Garduño

TxDOT Initiates IH-27 Feasibility Study from Amarillo to Dumas

The Texas Department of Transportation's (TxDOT) Amarillo District is conducting a feasibility study to evaluate the potential upgrade of US 87/US 287 to interstate standards (I-27) from Amarillo to Dumas, covering US 87/US 287 in Randall, Potter, and Moore counties from State Loop (SL) 335 in Amarillo to a logical terminus north of Dumas at US 287.

This feasibility study combines the Future Interstate Section (FIS) #0041- 05 segment and the Dumas City Location Study identified in the I-27 System in Texas Implementation Plan . This study will analyze current and future transportation, safety, and mobility needs along the US 87/US 287 corridor, aiming to identify feasible concepts for upgrading the route to interstate standards.

The Ports-to-Plains Interstate Feasibility Study https://ftp.txdot.gov/pub/txdot/get-involved/statewide/ports-plains/101520-advisory-committee-executive-summary.pdf looked at the feasibility for an interstate highway across the entire Ports-to-Plains Corridor in Texas. The I-27 Feasibility Study from Amarillo to Dumas will analyze current and future transportation needs along the specific US 87/US 287 corridor in Randall, Potter and Moore counties to evaluate concepts for upgrading the route to interstate standards.

The study involves:

Identifying feasible routes suitable for the future I-27 interstate designation
Fostering public and stakeholder engagement
Improving connectivity
Aligning with Ports-to-Plains Corridor Interstate Feasibility Study goals, including:
o Improving freight movement
o Enhancing economic development
o Enhancing safety
o Increasing mobility

In order to assure that citizens along the study corridor have adequate input to the study, a stakeholder working group of local public and private leaders and public meetings will be held. See Schedule below.

Public Meetings Scheduled

Wednesday, December 4, 2024

Public Meeting #1 Dumas

This meeting will be held at: Moore County Community Building 1600 South Maddox Avenue, Dumas, TX 79029
The same information will be presented in both time slots.
- Option 1 Time: 2 to 4 p.m.
- Option 2 Time: 6 to 8 p.m
In case of inclement weather, this public meeting will be held at the same place and times on Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2024

Public Meeting #1 Amarillo

Thursday, December 5, 2024

This meeting will be held at: Diversity Church 5631 Pavillard Drive, Amarillo, TX 79108
The same information will be presented in both time slots
- Option 1 Time: 2 to 4 p.m.
- Option 2 Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
In case of inclement weather, this public meeting will be held at the same place and times on Thursday, Dec. 12, 2024

TxDOT Study Website

The TxDOT Study Website also includes a link to the Online Engagement Site. Direct Link to the Online Engagement Site.

TxDOT is asking the public and stakeholders to share any areas of concern and/or to provide ideas for improving the roadway by placing notes on the map. The public and stakeholders may also point out any features or constraints needed to be brought to TxDOT's attention.

Public Hearing on the HEA - Minatare to US 385 Route and Environmental Assessment Information

Nebraska Department of Transportation held a Public Hearing, on the DRAFT Environmental Assessment and Preliminary Design, seeking input on proposed improvements to approximately 18.5 miles located on US Highway 26 (US-26) and Nebraska Link 62A (L-62A) in Scotts Bluff and Morrill counties in Nebraska on Thursday, November 21, 2024 in Minatare, NE.

The proposed project would expand the existing two-lane highway to a four-lane expressway. The project would start on US-26 just west of Minatare’s Main Street and extend east to the junction of US-26 and L-62A. The project would continue east on L-62A to the junction with US Highway 385.

Heartland Expressway Association (HEA) board was represented by Seth Sorenson, Alliance; Mark Harris, Scotts Bluff County Commission and Deb Cottier, NNDC Chadron. Other HEA members in attendance included Alliance Mayor & Mayor Elect, BBDC director Hannah Robinson, Ports-to-Plains staff Joe Kiely, PADD Director Bryan Venable and of course Doug Leafgreen and Doug Hoevet.

Three alternatives were developed and considered based on input from the public as well as federal and state resource agencies:

2000 Selected Alternative:

The 2000 Selected Alternative, as proposed in the 2000 FONSI, would involve expanding the existing 2-lane roadway to a 4-lane divided expressway by constructing additional lanes along the south side of US-26 from Minatare to CR 36 and along the north side of US-26/L62A from CR 36 to US-385.

Centered Alignment (Full Reconstruction): This alternative proposes constructing a 4-lane divided highway along the center of the existing alignment.
South Offset Alignment Alternative: Additional lanes to be located south of the existing roadway using a 2+2 strategy for widening.
North Offset Alignment Alternative (Preferred): Additional lanes to be located north of the existing roadway using a 2+2 strategy for widening.

CLICK ON Image above to Download/View

FEEDBACK

Comments will be collected through December 6, 2024 and should be submitted to:

Sierra Luhn
NDOT Public Involvement
P.O. Box 94759 Lincoln, NE 68509-4759
sierra.luhn@nebraska.gov
(402) 479-3103

Information regarding the proposed project, including an electronic version of the draft EA is available on the NDOT website at https://dot.nebraska.gov/projects/future-projects/minatare-us-385/. For those without internet access, information may be obtained at NDOT Headquarters: 1500 Nebraska Parkway, Lincoln, NE, 68502 or by contacting:

Doug Hoevet
NDOT District 5 Engineer
doug.hoevet@nebraska.gov
(308) 436-6587

CLICK HERE for Complete Information including the DRAFT Environmental Assessment, the Hearing Handout, and Maps showing the area of construction.

Using the Layers on Interactive Maps

In the October Newsletter it described the Corridor Status Maps for each segment of the North American Corridor: Ports-to-Plains, Heartland Expressway, and Theodore Roosevelt Expressway. The icons on each map represent layers that can be turned off and on to see specific items. Below are the directions on how to turn these layers on and off. The same directions apply to the Ports-to-Plains (PTP), Heartland Expressway (HE) , and Theodore Roosevelt Expressway (TRE) Status Maps including those displayed on the websites of HE and TRE. Use the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Status Map linked below, for these directions.

Open the Ports-to-Plains Corridor Status Map, https://www.portstoplains.com/ports-to-plains-corridor-map/

Scroll down to Status Map.

Click the Icon in the upper right to expand the Map to full page. See the Full-page Icon location highlighted in red below.

The various layers are now displayed on the left side of the map.

Each Layer has a red box with a Check Mark. To turn off a layer click the box with the check mark. That layer then disappears from the Map. That layer will then display only the Layer Name and an empty box. Click on the empty box and the layer will then display.
You can turn on or off each layer, including multiple layers.