Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) Hypothetical Case Study: Purpose and Need

Federal Highway Administration2020PDFBriefUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway AdministrationUnited StatesWashingtonTransportation planningEnvironmentProject deliveryDecision makingEnvironmental policyCooperationPEL is a valuable tool for creating efficiencies in the transportation project development process that supports agencies\u2019 efforts to accelerate project delivery. PEL represents a collaborative and integrated approach to transportation decision-making that considers benefits and impacts of proposed transportation system improvements to the environment, community, and economy during the transportation planning process to inform the environmental review process. This case study provides a hypothetical example of how the West Sound Regional Council (WSRC), the Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) for the West Sound region, and the State DOT used PEL to identify a purpose and need during planning for a future project that could be carried forward into the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process.140