Case study | Environmental Science
I-64 at Rieder Road Environmental Studies
Details
Owner
St. Clair County, Illinois
Client
St. Clair County, Illinois
Project Cost
$15 Million
Status
Completed 2013
Summary
Kaskaskia Engineering Group, LLC (KEG) was responsible for the preparation of a Condensed Environmental Assessment (CEA) for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and a Categorical Exclusion II (CE-II) as part of the Project Development Report for the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for the proposed Rieder Road interchange at Mile Marker 21 along Interstate 64 in St. Clair County Illinois. The project started as an Environmental Assessment (EA), but after the assessment was presented to IDOT and FHWA, the project was changed to a CE-II. The purpose of the project was to improve the linkages between MidAmerica St. Louis Airport (BLV) and I-64, relieve congestion at the IL 158 (Air Mobility Drive) interchange, and improve vehicular safety to complement and support future economic development within the surrounding area of MidAmerica St. Louis Airport and Scott Air Force Base. Additionally, potential impacts regarding the widening of I-64 to a 6-lane roadway section for approximately three miles were included in the CEA and CE-II.
Project
The purpose of the new interchange was to enhance future aviation and aviation-related (i.e., air refueling operations, cargo operations, etc.) activities at the Airport, as well as complement and support planned economic development within the surrounding area.
Construction of the interchange required a portion of land under the control of the Airport to be released by the FAA. The parcels were designated for concurrent non-aeronautical use, per a 2010 FAA-approved Airport Layout Plan (ALP). The objective of the land release was to maintain the aeronautic needs of the Airport while releasing the land for compatible/concurrent use.
Primary environmental concerns for this project included potential impacts on wetlands, archeological resources, and the loss of prime farmland. KEG completed a wetland delineation and a full noise analysis for the project area. Potential impacts were coordinated with IDOT, the US Army Corps of Engineers, the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, and the Illinois Department of Agriculture.
KEG prepared the CEA, which analyzed the impacts of the FAA releasing the land to St. Clair County for the proposed Rieder Road interchange. A Finding of No Significant Impact was approved and signed by the FAA in December 2013. KEG also prepared the CE-II for IDOT, which analyzed the impacts associated with the construction of the interchange. The CE-II was also approved and signed by the FHWA in December 2013. Additionally, KEG adhered to IDOT’s Context Sensitive Solution process for the project, which included multiple stakeholder meetings and two public meetings.
