Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS)

An environmental impact statement is a document developed under National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requirements that looks at the effects of a proposed transportation project on the human and natural environment.

Three crossing locations will be studied in detail in the Salem River Crossing draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). The project team is currently studying these locations (as well as the alternatives located within each location) and how they relate to the topic areas below. Updates on the development of the DEIS will be posted on the What's New page. The DEIS will also look at what is on the ground now (existing conditions) in the project area.

Once the DEIS is complete, it will be reviewed by government agencies and the public. A final environmental impact statement (FEIS) responds to all comments that were made about the DEIS and describes the preferred alternative that will move forward for construction. Read more about the difference between an DEIS and FEIS.

DEIS Topic Areas

The DEIS will describe impacts of the build alternatives and the no build alternative that are located within three river crossing locations on the following subject areas:

• Air Quality - regional air quality
• Biological Resources - wildlife, fish, rare plants and their habitat
• Cultural Resources - archaeological and historical resources
• Economic - impacts to businesses, business districts, and impacts to the local economy
• Energy - energy use during construction and operation
• Environmental Justice - minority and low-income communities
• Geological Resources - site geology and seismic hazards
• Hazardous Materials - existing hazardous materials in the area
• Land Use - existing land use plans and zoning
• Noise - noise impacts on businesses, residences, parks, and other uses in the project area
• Right-of-Way - costs and possible impacts of right-of-way acquisitions
• Section 4(f) - Impacts on historic, park, and recreational properties (as designated by the federal government) be impacted
• Social Elements - social events/structures, neighborhoods, and community services in the project area
• Transportation - auto/truck, pedestrian, bicyclist, and transit facilities
• Visual Resources - landscape and visual characteristics of the area
• Water Resources - water sources, including the Willamette River

Results of this study will be used to support the selection of a locally preferred alternative. The locally preferred alternative must be approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

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Project Schedule

• May - December 2009 - Preparation of technical reports and the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS)
• January - April 2010 - Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) review of the DEIS prior to publication
• June/July 2010 - Publication of the DEIS, followed by a public review and comment period. Check this page for more information or join the mailing list to be notified of project updates.

We will keep you informed of the progress made to the DEIS and when it is finished, you will be able to review it here.

Updates on the DEIS

If you want to learn what the project team is doing on the DEIS, read the updates below and join the mailing list to stay informed.

• July 2010 - Parks and Historic Places
  
  Public parks, recreation areas, wildlife and waterfowl refuges of national, State or local significance are protected from impacts associated with federally-funded transportation projects under a federal transportation (USDOT) law commonly referred to as Section 4(f). Historic sites that are listed on, or are eligible for, the National Register of Historic Places are also protected under this law.
  
  There are a number of Section 4(f) protected parks, recreation areas and historic sites in the Salem River Crossing Project area. A Draft 4(f) Evaluation is currently being prepared. It will provide an analysis of impacts (referred to as “uses”) to all protected resources and make draft determinations as to the nature of the “use.” In general, the Section 4(f) regulation requires that these protected resources be avoided if at all possible.
  
  The Draft Section 4(f) Evaluation will be available for comment at the same time and in the same manner as the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS). However, it is a separate document that addresses a different federal law. The results of the Draft Section 4(f) analysis could potentially play a substantial role in the selection of a preferred alternative.
  
  The DEIS will provide detailed analysis of the potential natural environment impacts and will show how the impacts are different among alternatives. These impacts, as well as any steps to offset the impacts, will be part of the public discussion for deciding on a preferred alternative.
  
  Since the last update, staff have been working on completing the technical reports on which the DEIS is based. Most of the reports have been completed and are currently being reviewed and summarized by project staff for inclusion in the DEIS document. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the DEIS when the DEIS is published this winter. Please watch for future updates on the Salem River Crossing project and check here for more ways to get involved later this year. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.

• May 2010 - The Natural Environment
  When the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is released this fall, it will discuss potential impacts to the natural environment. Some common questions that the DEIS will answer include:
  
  
  • How will wildlife or fish habitat be affected by building a new bridge?
  • Will air quality in the region be better or worse if a project is built or if construction does not occur?
  • Are there any earthquake hazards that we should be aware of before selecting a preferred alternative?
  • How will the project affect wetlands, vegetation, and wildlife habitat?
  • How will project construction address stormwater runoff?
  
  The DEIS will provide detailed analysis of the potential natural environment impacts and will show how the impacts are different among alternatives. These impacts, as well as any steps to offset the impacts, will be part of the public discussion for deciding on a preferred alternative.
  
  Since the last update, staff have been working on completing the technical reports on which the DEIS is based. Most of the reports have been completed and are currently being reviewed and summarized by project staff. The public will have an opportunity to comment on the DEIS and the impacts to the natural environment, along with other impacts, when the DEIS is published this fall. Please watch for future updates on the Salem River Crossing project and check the website for more ways to get involved later this year. If you have any questions or comments, please contact us.

• January 2010 - Addressing Property Impacts
  During a large environmental impact study such as the Salem River Crossing, people often ask how their property might be impacted. Will there be an impact to their property? Their home or business? Although the design team has worked hard to minimize property impacts, every alternative will result in some property impacts.
  
  The draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) will cover this subject in the Right-of-Way discussion, including detailed tables and maps showing the potential physical impacts that could occur and showing how the alternatives are different from each other. Property impacts are one of many issues that will be weighed and balanced in the decision of selecting a preferred alternative – the alternative that is best for the community overall.
  
  When the DEIS is published later this year, ODOT and City of Salem staff will be available to answer questions about potential impacts to specific properties. They will also be ready to talk about the process and the rights of property owners of affected properties. This process is governed by a law called the Uniform Relocation Assistance and Real Properties Acquisition Policies Act of 1970. The purpose of the law is to ensure the fair and equitable relocation and reestablishment of persons, businesses, farms, and nonprofit organizations displaced as a direct result of federal or federally-assisted programs. You can read more about the law HERE. If you have any specific concerns at this time, please send us a comment.

• November 2009 - Measuring Traffic
  When the Salem River Crossing Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) is published next year, one of the key points of the study will be traffic issues. How bad will traffic be if we don't do anything? How much better will traffic be if we widen the existing bridges or build a new bridge? Will a new bridge cause people to drive differently? Will there be more traffic on some streets and less on others? These are some of the questions that we ask (and answer) when writing the DEIS.
  
  We will report on several "traffic measures" for each alternative being studied in the DEIS to help understand the benefits and costs of each. One of these measures is the Volume to Capacity (or V/C) ratio. If "ratio" reminds you of learning fractions when you were a kid, you are on the right path. "Volume" is the amount of traffic (trucks and cars) on the road. "Capacity" is the available space on the road. We get the ratio by dividing how much traffic there is by how much space (number of lanes) is available. This tells us how congested the road is during certain hours of the day (usually we look at the morning or evening rush hour in particular). A V/C ratio of 1.0 (100% full) is common in urban areas and shows that there is some congestion. A lower V/C ratio, say 0.85 (85% full) or less, shows good traffic flow since some space is needed for traffic to move freely.
  
  Vehicle Hours of Delay (VHD) is another useful traffic measure. It is a calculation of how much time drivers lose in congestion compared to a world where there is no congestion. This measure is especially useful for comparing one alternative to another because it can be measured for a larger area than a V/C ratio. For example, we will figure out the vehicle hours of delay for all of downtown Salem and west Salem for each alternative being studied. We will then report which of the alternatives performs better (or has the least vehicle hours of delay). The V/C ratio and VHD are two traffic measures that will be reported in the DEIS.
  
  Minimizing congestion for drivers is often the starting goal of a transportation project like this one. But the question - particularly in an urban area like Salem - becomes: what are the costs and impacts of building wider roads or bridges to create less congestion? The DEIS will shed light on these questions. At the same time, there are other options to reduce congestion, such as making it easier to get around in ways other than a personal car (bus, bike, walking, carpooling). The Salem Alternate Modes Study (which is separate from the DEIS) is currently looking at these possibilities. Draft recommendations are available now and over the next two months these recommendations will be prioritized and a summary plan will be published.
  
  Progress on the DEIS
  We are continuing to make progress on the DEIS document, including significant progress on the many technical studies. We plan to have it 100% complete next summer. There will be a chance for you to comment on the document when it is published at that time.

• September 2009 - While there may not be much in the news these days, there is a lot of work on the Salem River Crossing Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) going on behind the scenes.
  
  For example, one of the foundations of the study is forecasting future traffic volumes - the number of cars and trucks expected to use the roadways twenty years from now. This includes the existing bridges, a potential new bridge, and all the major connecting roadways. The traffic forecasts are key to understanding the differences among all the alternatives being studied. The range of alternatives being studied in the DEIS is intended to provide a variety options for handling future traffic needs; including widening the existing bridges, only building a new bridge, or doing both.
  
  Some of the traffic questions that we ask in the DEIS include:
  - What will traffic conditions be like if there are no changes to the river crossings?
  - How will the bridge alternatives improve traffic congestion in the future?
  - Which locations might have more traffic, and which locations less?
  
  Answers to these questions leads to a number of other questions, including:
  - How will the changes in traffic change air quality or noise levels?
  - How will changes in traffic impact the local economy?
  - How will traffic changes affect neighborhoods on both sides of the river?
  
  The answers to these and many, many other questions will be provided in the DEIS to help interested citizens and agencies decide which alternative they prefer. Comments about the alternatives will be collected after the DEIS is published next year.

• June 2009 - The Salem River Crossing project team is busy working on the draft environmental impact statement (DEIS). Soon, we will begin sending email updates describing the document's progress and how you can get involved once the DEIS is complete.
  
  In the mean time, we'd like to tell you about an important study being conducted in parallel with the DEIS, called the Salem Willamette River Crossing Alternate Modes study. This study, begun in April, will identify needs and opportunities for improving transit service across the river in Salem. It will also cover related needs and opportunities for carpool/vanpool users, bicyclists, and pedestrians. This study will help assure that any improvements identified will be coordinated with the Salem River Crossing project, as needed.

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