| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Community Liaison Coordinator | The District person responsible for implementing effective public involvement to identify potential sociocultural effects for transportation projects; responsible for public involvement and assessment of sociocultural effects in the non-MPO areas of the state. |
| Community Narrative | Summary of current conditions of a community. |
| Community Redevelopment Area | Under Chapter 163, Florida Statutes, local governments can designate areas as Community Redevelopment Areas (CRA) and develop CRA plans for the purposes of fostering and supporting redevelopment. |
| Community Transportation Coordinators (CTCs) | People contracted by the Transportation Disadvantaged Commission to provide complete, cost-effective and efficient transportation services to transportation disadvantaged (TD) persons. |
| Commuter Student Population | Number of students of an upper level educational facility that do not reside on campus. |
| Commuter Assistance Program (CAP) | Program funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) which supports numerous congestion-reducing programs in a community in order to achieve the community's traffic reduction and air quality goals. |
| Comprehensive Plan | The adopted land use plan that will guide growth and development. |
| Concurrency Management System (CMS) | A systematic process utilized by local governments to ensure that new development does not occur unless adequate infrastructure (such as public facilities) is in place to support growth; requirements for the CMS are found in Rule 9J-5.0055, Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.). |
| Conformity | Process to assess the compliance of any transportation plan, program, or project with air quality control plans. The conformity process is defined by the Clean Air Act. |
| Congestion Management and Air Quality (CMAQ) | A categorical funding program created under ISTEA which directs funding to projects that contribute to meeting national air quality standards in non-attainment areas for ozone and carbon monoxide. |
| Congestion Management Systems (CMS) | A systematic process required under ISTEA to provide information on transportation system performance and identify alternative strategies to alleviate congestion and enhance mobility of persons and goods. In Florida, MPOs will take the lead for the CMS in urbanized areas and FDOT will take the lead elsewhere. |
| Coordination | When agencies share responsibilities related to transporting clients: carrying others' clients, arranging with other agencies to carry clients, or sharing vehicles or vehicle support services including maintenance, etc. Example: a provider whose major activity is transporting elderly clients may make midday schedule space to serve clients of another program. |
| Cultural Centers | A facility with cultural offerings in such areas as the arts, humanities, science, and human knowledge, belief, and behavior. |
| Cultural Resources | All buildings, sites, structures, objects, and districts which are generally more than 50 years of age. Includes archaeological sites as well as historic structures. |
| Degree of Effect | Possible effects transportation action has on environmental and community resources. |
| Demand-Responsive | Descriptive term for a service type, usually considered paratransit, in which a user can access transportation service that can be variably routed and timed to meet changing needs on an as-needed basis. Compare with Fixed-Route. |
| Department of Community Affairs (DCA) | Assists Florida communities in meeting the challenges of growth, reducing the effects of disasters and investing in community revitalization. |
| Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) | State agency responsible for the implementation of most of Florida's environmental regulations, including air monitoring and assessment; formerly the Departments of Natural Resources and Environmental Regulation. |
| Department of Transportation (DOT) | Agency responsible for transportation at the local, state or federal level. |
| Development of Regional Impact (DRI) | A large-scale development which is required to undergo an extra-local review process; the appropriate regional planning council coordinates the review; the appropriate local government makes the approval decision, with the Florida Department of Community Affairs (DCA) retaining appeal authority. |
| Dial-a-Ride | Term for demand-responsive systems usually delivering door-to-door service to clients who make requests by telephone on an as-needed reservation or subscription basis. |
| District | Area or region distinguished by a particular characteristic(s). |
| Education Level | Educational grade ranges by category (e.g., elementary, middle, high, etc.). |
| Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM) | Creates a linkage between land use, transportation and environmental resource planning initiatives through early, interactive agency and public involvement. |
| ETDM Coordinator | Each district and MPO designates an ETDM Coordinator who is responsible for full implementation of Florida's ETDM process, overall interagency and public involvement coordination, and ensuring compliance with operating agreements between FDOT and agencies. |
| Employee Transportation Coordinator (ETC) | A person who helps employees at a particular work site use carpooling, vanpooling and other ridesharing programs. |
| Employment-Oriented (Business Districts) | District where employment-related uses (e.g., office, industrial, institutional) represent the largest percentage of land uses. |
| Employment Type | Category for employment (e.g., retail, industrial, service). |
| Enhancement Activities | Refers to activities related to a particular transportation project that "enhance" or contribute to the existing or proposed project. Examples of such activities include provision of facilities for pedestrians or cyclists, landscaping or other scenic beautification projects, historic preservation, control and removal of outdoor advertising, archeological planning and research, and mitigation of water pollution due to highway runoff. |
| Enrollment | Total number of students attending a school. |
| Enterprise Zone (Business Districts) | An economically depressed area that has been targeted for revitalization by a city or county and state through tax and other incentives given to companies that locate or expand their operations within the zone. |
| Entity | A distinct class of real-world things about which something is known (e.g., "Community Focal Points" and "Roadways"). Sometimes the characteristics of an entity carry a special significance: it categorizes it into distinct types, and the entity is split to reflect this importance. The new entities are known as subtypes, with the original entity becoming a supertype (e.g., "Community Focal Points" could be broken into the subtypes "Schools, "Hospitals," "Religious Institutions," "Parks," etc.). |
| Environmental Assessment (EA) | An interim decision document prepared for an action where the significance of social, economic, or environmental impact is not clearly established. If the action is determined to have significant impact, an Environmental Impact Statement is then prepared. If no significant impact is determined, a finding of no significant impact is prepared. |
| Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) | Report which details any adverse economic, social, and environmental effects of a proposed transportation project for which federal funding is being sought. Adverse effects could include air, water, or noise pollution; destruction or disruption of natural resources; adverse employment effects; injurious displacement of people or businesses; or disruption of desirable community or regional growth. |
| Environmental Land Management Study (ELMS) | Study done by a statewide blue ribbon committee which has convened three different times since the early 1970s, with new members each time; the study provided recommendations to the Governor and Legislature on land and water management issues. |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | EPA is the federal source agency of air quality control regulations affecting transportation. |
| Environmental Screening Tool (EST) | The Internet-based GIS application used by ETAT members to examine potential effects to social, cultural and natural resources. |
| Existing Number of Lanes | Number of travel lanes. |
| Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) | Division of the U.S. Department of Transportation that funds highway planning and programs. |
| Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) | Formerly a part of the Federal Highway Administration, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration's primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries. Administration activities contribute to ensuring safety in motor carrier operations through strong enforcement of safety regulations, targeting high-risk carriers and commercial motor vehicle drivers; improving safety information systems and commercial motor vehicle technologies; strengthening commercial motor vehicle equipment and operating standards; and increasing safety awareness. To accomplish these activities, the Administration works with Federal, state, and local enforcement agencies, the motor carrier industry, labor safety interest groups, and others. |
| Federal Transit Administration (FTA) | Division of the U.S. Department of Transportation that funds transit planning and programs. |
| Federal Register (FR) | The federal publication where proposed rules, workshops, hearings and adopted rules are advertised for public notice. |
| Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) | A document, required under the National Environmental Policy Act, prepared for an action that is likely to have significant impact. This document summarizes the major environmental impacts, outlines issues, examines reasonable alternatives, and arrives at a record of decision, identifying the selected alternative for the project. |
| Financial Capacity, Capability | Refers to U.S. Department of Transportation requirement that an adequate financial plan for funding and sustaining transportation improvements be in place prior to programming federally-funded projects. Generally refers to the stability and reliability of revenue in meeting proposed costs. |
| Fire Departments | Public service entity that provides fire and emergency rescue. |
| Fiscal Year (FY) | A budget year; runs from July 1 through June 30 for the state of Florida. |
| Fixed Guideway (Transit Routes) | A system of vehicles that can operate only on its own guideway constructed for that purpose (e.g., rapid rail, light rail). Also includes exclusive right-of-way bus operations and trolley coaches. |
| Fixed-Route | Term applied to transit service that is regularly scheduled and operates over a set route. Usually refers to bus service. |
| Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.) | Document in which Florida's administrative regulations are found. |
| Florida Administrative Weekly | The publication in Florida where proposed rules, workshops, hearings and final rules are advertised for public notice. |
| Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) | A state agency responsible for dealing with state environmental issues. |
| Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) | State agency responsible for transportation issues and planning in Florida. |
| Florida Geographical Data Library (FGDL) | Housed at the GeoPlan Center at the University of Florida, contains GIS data from federal, state and local agencies. |
| Florida Intrastate Highway System (FIHS | A statewide network of limited and controlled access highways whose primary function is for high speed and high volume traffic movements; built and maintained by FDOT. |
| Florida Master Site File (FMSF) | A comprehensive listing of recorded cultural resources in Florida, including archaeological sites, historic structures, bridges and cemeteries. It includes records for resources which are no longer extant. http://dhr.dos.state.fl.us/preservation/sitefile/ |
| Florida Standard Urban Transportation Modeling Structure (FSUTMS) | Computer model used in Florida for transportation planning to simulate existing and future travel patterns; developed by FDOT for long-range urban area transportation modeling. |
| Florida Statutes (FS) | Documents in which Florida's laws are found. |
| Access/Accessibility | The opportunity to reach a given end use within a certain time frame, or without being impeded by physical, social or economic barriers. Enhancing mobility is one way of improving access. |
| Secondary Effects | A general term to define impacts which are caused by a specific action and which take place later in time or farther removed in distance but are still reasonable foreseeable. Secondary effects can be indeterminate, may not be easily recognized, and can be difficult to identify and evaluate. |
| Section 106 Procedures | Procedures based on Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 which governs the identification, evaluation, and protection of historical and archaeological resources affected by state and federal transportation projects. Principal areas identified include required evaluations to determine the presence or absence of sites, the eligibility based on National Register of Historic Places criteria and the significance of the effect of a proposed project upon such a site. |
| Section 401 Water Quality Certification | Required by Section 401 of the Federal Clean Water Act for projects involving the discharge of materials into surface waters, including wetlands. The applicant must demonstrate that activities will comply with water quality standards and other provisions of federal and state law and regulations regarding conventional and nonconventional pollutants, new source performance standards, and toxic pollutants. |
| Section 404 Permit | A Corps of Engineers (COE) permit to authorize the discharge of dredged or fill material into waters of the U.S. pursuant to Section 404 of the Clean Water Act (CWA) (33 U.S.C. 1344). The types of permits that may be issued are: Individual Permit COE authorization that is issued following a case-by-case evaluation of a specific project involving the proposed discharge(s) in accordance with the procedures of 33 CFR Parts 323 and 325 and a determination that the proposed discharge is in the public interest pursuant to 33 CFR Part 320. 33 CFR 323.2(g). General Permit COE authorization that is issued on a nationwide or regional basis for a category or categories of activities when: 1) Those activities are substantially similar in nature and cause only minimal individual and cumulative environmental impacts; 2) The general permit could result in avoiding unnecessary duplication of regulatory control exercised by another Federal, state, or local agency provided it has been determined that the environmental consequences of the action are individually and cumulatively minimal. (See 33 CFR 325.2(e) and 33 CFR Part 330). 33 CFR 322.2(f) and 323.2(h). Regional Permit Regional permits are a type of general permit. They may be issued by a division or district engineer after compliance with the other procedures of the Section 404 permit regulations. If the public interest so requires, the issuing authority may condition the regional permit to require a case-by-case reporting and acknowledgement system. However, no separate applications or other authorization documents will be required. 33 CFR 325.2(e)(2) and 325.5(c)(1). Nationwide Permit Nationwide permits are a type of general permit and represent COE authorizations that have been issued by the regulation (33 CFR Part 330) for certain specified activities can take place without the need for an individual or regional permit. 33 CFR 325.2(e)(1). |
| Section 6(f) | A provision in the Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund Act that protects public recreational properties developed or enhanced using federal funding supplied to states or municipalities under the act by requiring replacement of lands converted to nonrecreational uses. Proposed transportation projects which affect such lands require a study and an analysis of alternatives to serve as the basis for a Section 6(f) finding by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Specific state legislation for any proposed land transfer is also required in order to implement a Section 6(f) action. Generally requires replacement of 6(f) land taken for a project. |
| Selected Pool Bridge | A bridge that is considered eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Bridges in this category are treated as if they are in the National Register of Historic Places. |
| Sensitive Receptor | An area of frequent human use (i.e., residential property, church, school, library, hospital, park, hotel, motel, etc.). |
| Sensitive Species | Plant or animal species which are (1) Federal listed or proposed threatened or endangered species; (2) bird species protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act; (3) species protected under State endangered species laws and regulations, plant protection laws and regulations, Fish and Game codes, or species of special concern listings and policies, or (4) species recognized by national, state, or local environmental organizations (e.g., The Nature Conservancy). |
| Significant Impacts | Any number of social, environmental, or economic effects or influences that may result from the implementation of a transportation improvement; classified as direct, secondary, or cumulative which significantly affect the human environment. The FHWA mandates environmental clearance documents based upon the significance of impacts. In most cases, Environmental Impact Statement projects involve significant impacts. Both context and intensity as described in 40 CFR 1508.27 are important when determining significance. |
| Smart Growth | Managing development and change to maximize positive benefits, minimize negative impacts and maintain a strong community quality of life. |
| Sole Source Growth | Managing development and change to maximize positive benefits, minimize negative impacts and maintain a strong community quality of life. |
| Sole Source Aquifer | As defined by the Federal Safe Drinking Water Act, a groundwater source that represents the principle source of a water supply for a community or region that, if contaminated, would create a significant hazard to public health. |
| Special Aquatic Sites | Those sites identified in 40 CFR 230 Subpart E (i.e., sanctuaries and refuges, wetlands, mud flats, vegetated shallows, coral reefs, and riffle and pool complexes). They are geographic areas, large or small, possessing special ecological characteristics of productivity, habitat, wildlife protection, or other important and easily disrupted ecological values. These areas are generally recognized as significantly influencing or positively contributing to the general overall environmental health or vitality of the entire ecosystem of a region. 40 CFR 230.3(q-1). |
| Sprawl | Low-density segregated land use, automobile-dependent development on the fringe of urban areas. Expanding suburbs surrounding an aging and sometime deteriorating urban core. Sprawl often consumes agricultural lands, forest and other open spaces in regions surrounding metropolitan areas. |
| Summary of Environmental Commitments | Design Commitments made during the environmental evaluation and study process to moderate or lessen impacts from the proposed action. These measures may include planning and development commitments, environmental measures, right-of-way improvements, and agreements with resource or other agencies to effect construction or post construction action. |
| Waters of the U.S. | Water bodies subject to U.S. Army Corps of Engineers jurisdiction. They include all interstate and intrastate waters such are lakes, streams (including intermittent streams) and wetlands. |
| Well Head Protection Area | The surface and subsurface area surrounding a water well, well field, spring or infiltration gallery supplying a public water system, through which contaminants are reasonable likely to move toward and reach the water well or well field. |
| Wetlands | Those areas that are inundated or saturated by surface of ground water at a frequency and duration sufficient to support, and that under normal circumstances do support, a prevalence of vegetation typically adapted for life in saturates soil conditions. Wetlands generally include swamps, marshes, bogs, and similar areas. 33 CFR 328.3(b); 40 CFR 230.3(t). |
| Wetland Delineation | Provides both written and illustrated data to define the boundaries of those topographic features within a study area and which meet the federal definition of wetland as contained in 33 CFR 328.3(b). A delineation report represents the first step in the overall wetland study process, which evaluates the importance of a wetland, and ultimately assess the effects of a project on a wetland. Currently wetlands are delineated in accordance with the 1987 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Wetland Delineation Manual. The report may be included as a part of an Ecological Survey Report for specific purpose of wetland delineation. |
| Project | In the context of the ETDM Process, a proposed project is an improvement beign considered for inclusion in a Cost-Feasible Long Range Transportation Plan or FIHS Plan. Candidate projects are often referred to as project needs included in a "Needs Assessment" or "Needs Plan". A project is a transportation improvement that is planned in a Cost-Feasible Long Range Transportation Plan or FIHS Plan, programmed in a Five Year Work Program or TIP, undergoing project development, or in the process of being implemented. There are several phases of a project as listed below: * Planning: * Programming: * Project Development: * Design: * Rights-of Way Acquisition: * Construction |
| Population | A population is a group of people or a number of persons that live in a geographically defined area or share particular demographic characteristics. |
| Community | A community may be defined by geographic, manmade or natural boundaries with respect to both people and places. The people who comprise a community may share similar social, cultural, ethnic, economic, political or religious characteristics. The people may share common histories, economic profiles or political interests. They may attend the same schools, churches, or social clubs. These people may interact in social settings and share similar values. |
| Neighborhood | Neighborhoods are small geographic units typically bounded by main roadways, natural and manmade features (parks, wooded areas, waterbodies, etc). A neighborhood is a small group of people living in very close proximity to one another. Each neighborhood may have distinctive characteristics such as social, economic, cultural or religious features that distinguish one neighborhood from another. |
| Affected Environment | The physical features, land, area or areas to be influenced, affected or created by a transportation improvement under consideration; also includes various social and environmental factors and conditions pertinent to an area. |
| Categorical Exclusion (CE) | A classification given to federally aided or 100 percent state funded projects or actions that do not have significant effect on the environment, either individually or cumulatively. Once a categorical exclusion is approved for a project, environmental clearance requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act have been satisfied. |
| CEQ Regulations | Directives issued by the Federal Council on Environmental Quality (40 CFR 1500 1508) that govern the development and issuance of environmental policy and procedures for federal aid actions by public agencies. The regulations contain definitions, spell out applicability and responsibilities, and mandate certain processes and procedures to be followed by state agencies that administer federally funded programs. |
| Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAAs) | Federal legislation passed in 1990 to change both federal and state approaches to regulating air quality; mandating programs to curb acid rain, urban air pollution, and toxic air emissions. The CAAAs call for emission reduction measures in air quality nonattainment areas, including the consideration of transportation control measures (TCMs) as part of transportation improvement projects. Projects in nonattainment areas may not increase the number of vehicle miles traveled (VMTs); the number of cars on the roadways must be reduced by encouraging drivers to use mass transit, ridesharing, and carpooling. |
| Constraints | More commonly described as environmental features. Significant resources, facilities or other features of a study area located in or adjacent to an existing or proposed transportation corridor that serve to restrain, restrict, or prevent the ready implementation of proposed transportation improvements in a given area; may include natural or physical resources, important structures, manner of payment and various administrative requirements which must be met. |
| Cooperating Agency | As defined in the Council on Environmental Quality Regulations for Implementing the Procedural Provisions of NEPA, any organization other than a lead agency which has jurisdiction by law or special expertise with respect to any environmental impact involved in[a] major Federal action significantly affecting the quality of the human environment. CEQ emphasizes that agency cooperation should begin early in the NEPA process. |
| Cumulative Effect | The impact to the environment which results from the incremental impact of the action when added to other past, present, and reasonably foreseeable future actions regardless of what agency or person undertakes such other action. |
| Determination of Effect | A finding made by the Department for federal actions, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer (and the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation), which determines whether a proposed project affects a property included on or eligible for the National Register of Historic Places. |
| Determination of Eligibility | The process of assembling documentation to render professional evaluation of the historical significance of a property. The Department, in consultation with the State Historic Preservation Officer applies National Register of Historic Places criteria when deciding matters of historical significance. |
| Direct Effects | Those effects that occur as a direct result of an action and occur at the same time and place as the action. |
| District Office | One of seven Florida Department of Transportation field offices throughout the state responsible for administering project development, design, construction and maintenance activities within their geographic regions. |
| Emergency Relief (ER) Program | This is intended to aid States in repairing road facilities which have suffered widespread serious damage resulting from a natural disaster over a wide area or serious damage from a catastrophic failure. |
| Environmental Class of Action | An internal determination as to which type of environmental documentation is appropriate for federal actions and 100 percent state funded projects. At the beginning of the Transportation Development Process, projects are systematically grouped into classes based on knowledge o the significance of the environmental effects. For federal actions: Class I projects require Environmental Impact Statements, Class II projects are Categorical Exclusions, and Class III projects require Environmental Assessments. |
| Environmental Document Reevaluation | An update to an existing document prepared whenever changes occur over time to single or cumulative project conditions that might cause new of more severe environmental impacts or to evaluate a project with respect to new or changed environmental rules, regulations or laws. |
| Environmental Justice | Efforts to avoid disproportionately high and adverse impacts on minority and low-income populations with respect to human health and the environment. Executive Order 12898. Reference FHWA Actions to address Environmental Justice, FHWA (6644.23). |
| Environmental Site Assessment (ESA) | An environmental study conducted to assess the potential for contamination of a property or parcel with hazardous substances. The process by which a person or entity seeks to determine if a particular parcel of real property (including improvements) has been impacted by hazardous substances and/or petroleum products. |
| Farmland | As defined by the Farmland Protection Policy Act, farmland means prime or unique farmlands as defined in Section 1540(c)(1) of the Act or farmland that is determined by the appropriate state or local governmental agency or agencies with concurrence of the Secretary of Agriculture to be farmland of statewide of local importance. Such land may include more than actual cropland (i.e., it may include fallow or abandoned cropland, grazing land and forested land). It does not include land already in or committed to urban development or water storage, thereby excluding developed land with a density of 30 structures per 40-acre area; lands identified as urbanized area (UA) on the U.S. Census Bureau Map; lands shown as urban area (i.e., mapped with that tint overprint) on USGS topographic maps; lands shown as urban-built-up on the USDA Important Farmland Maps (available only for a few counties in Ohio); and all assessment criteria on the Farmland Conversion Impact Rating Form. |
| Farmland Protection Policy Act (FPPA) of 1981 | A federal law requiring federal agencies to consider the adverse effects of federal programs on farmland preservation, consider alternative actions, and as appropriate, consider mitigation that could lessen adverse effects. |
| Feasibility Study | Refers to systematic evaluations to better assess the desirability or practicality of further developing a proposed action. Such studies are typically performed during the planning stage, or very early in the preliminary development phase when improvement proposals or design concepts need to be more fully investigated. |
| Federal Action | A highway or transit project proposed for FHWA or FTA funding. It also includes actions such as joint and multiple use permits, other federal permits and approvals, changes in access control, etc., which may or may not involve a commitment of Federal funds. |
| Field Review | A site visit conducted by the Department to gather or verify data, define scopes of work, perform analyses, and make decisions for specific projects. |
| Final Design | The development of detailed working drawings, specifications, and estimates for transportation projects. Final Design follows the receipt of necessary design and/or environmental approval, and it includes right-of-way acquisition, utility relocation, and contract advertisement and award. |
| Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI) | A document by a Federal agency briefly presenting the reasons why an action/project will not have a significant effect on the human environment and for which an environment impact statement will not be prepared. It shall include the environmental assessment or a summary of it and shall note any other environmental documents related to it (CFR 1501.7(a)(5)). If the assessment is included, the finding need not repeat any of the discussion in the assessment but may incorporate it by reference (40 CFR 1508.3). |
| Hardship Acquisition and Protective Buying | In extraordinary cases or emergency situations, the State Highway Department may request and the Federal Highway Administrator may approve Federal participation in the acquisition of a particular parcel or a limited number of particular parcels within the limits of a proposed highway corridor prior to completion of processing of the final environmental impact statement or adoption of the negative declaration, but only after 1) the State Highway Department has given official notice to the public that it has selected a particular location to be the preferred or recommended alignment for a proposed highway, or 2) a public hearing has been held or an opportunity for such a hearing has been afforded. Proper documentation must be submitted to show that the acquisition is in the public interest and is necessary to 1) alleviate particular hardship to a property owner, on his request, in contrast to others because of an inability to sell his property, and/or 2) prevent imminent development and increased costs of a parcel which would tend to limit the choice of highway alternatives. |
| Headwaters | Headwaters means non-tidal rivers, streams, and their lakes and impoundments, including adjacent wetlands, that are part of a surface tributary system to an interstate or navigable water of the U.S. upstream of the point on the river or stream at which the average annual flow is less than five cubic feet per second. The U.S. Corps of Engineers may estimate this point from available data by using the mean annual area precipitation, area drainage basin maps, and the average runoff coefficient, or by similar means. For streams that are dry for long periods of the year, the Corps may establish the point where headwaters begin as that point on the stream where a flow of five cubic feet per second is equaled or exceeded 50 percent of the time. 33 CFR 330.2(d). In Ohio, the mean annual flow can be determined through use of the simplified regression equation presented on page 23 in Peter Antilla's publication A Proposed Streamflow Data Program for Ohio (USGS, 1970). The use of this formula for determining the headwater status of a stream was approved by letter dated March 1978 from the Huntington District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acting as lead District for the State of Ohio. |
| Historical/Architecture Investigations | Studies that result in identification of resources (buildings, structures and sites) constructed over fifty years ago or of recent construction and demonstrably significant based on National Register of Historic Places guidelines, via literature research, photo documentation, analysis, and interpretation. |
| Human Environment | Human environment shall be interpreted comprehensively to include the natural and physical environment and the relationship of people with that environment. This means that economic or social effects are not intended by themselves to require preparation of an environmental impact statement. When an environmental impact statement is prepared and economic or social and natural or physical environmental effects are interrelated, then the environmental impact statement will discuss all of these effects on the human environment. 40 CFR 1508.14. |
| Identification of Alternatives | The Department's engineering and environmental evaluations, in which the Department identifies and chooses an initial set of study alternatives that address the stated program objectives and the project need, and which are sensitive to the resources and land uses of a study area. The process involves a wide variety of possible options, assessing the merits and drawbacks, and choosing those that should be carried forward. Alternatives to be studied normally include the No-Build or no-action alternative, an upgrading of the existing roadway alternative, new transportation routes and locations, transportation systems management strategies, multi-modal alternatives if warranted, and any combination of the above. |
| Impacts | Positive of negative effects upon the natural or human environment resulting from transportation projects. |
| Indirect Effects | Reasonably foreseeable effects that occur as a result of an action but occur later in time or are removed from the action. |
| Interested Community | A compilation of the names and addresses of persons or groups affected by or interested in a specific transportation project. This information is gathered and maintained by Department officials or local planning project agencies during the course of transportation project studies. |
| Jurisdictional Determination (JD) | A site survey or document review performed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to officially determine whether or not a given parcel of land is subject to regulation as waters of the United States, and if so, the extent of the area. This is generally applied to wetlands, but may also be used to determine jurisdictional issues with respect to headwater streams, ditches and similar areas. |
| Keeper of the National Register (Keeper) | The official responsible for the administration of the National Register within the National Park Service. One duty of the Keeper is to provide a formal determination of eligibility on cultural resources submitted when there is disagreement between the federal agency and the State Historic Preservation Officer. |
| Legal Notice | A formal announcement or finding per Ohio Revised Code published according to legal requirements by ODOT or a Local Project Sponsor Agency in a periodical or newspaper to provide official public notice of an action or approval of interest to the public. |
| Logical Termini | Connecting points with known features (land uses, economic areas, population concentrations, cross route locations, etc.) at either end of a proposed transportation route that enhance good planning and which serve to make the route usable. Logical termini are considered rational end points for a transportation improvement. |
| Mapping | A plan surface with graphic or photographic representation of land or water depicting the study area for a project. Existing alignments, alternatives, engineering design features, and environmental constraints are plotted on various types of mapping. Photogrammetric (aerial) mapping assists in resource identification and studies. Topographic (base) mapping provides a foundation in alignment layout. Property tax maps, and traffic data maps also are consulted in the transportation development process. The type and scale of mapping are selected to fit the terrain and land use intensity of the study area as well as the level of detail in the proposed design. |
| Mitigation Measures | Specific design commitments made during the environmental evaluation and study process that serve to moderate or lessen impacts deriving from the study process that serve to moderate or lessen impacts deriving from the proposed action. These measures may include planning and development commitments, environmental measures, right-of-way improvements, and agreements with resource or other agencies to affect construction or post-construction action. Mitigation includes: Reducing and eliminating impacts. Avoiding the impact altogether by not taking a certain action or parts of an action. Minimizing impacts by limiting the degree or magnitude of the action and its implementation. Rectifying the impact by repairing, rehabilitating, or restoring the affected environment. Reducing or eliminating the impact over time by preservation and maintenance operations during the life of the action. Compensating for the impact by replacing or providing substitute resources or environments. |
| National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) | Passed in 1969, the federal legislation requiring agencies of the federal government to document the environmental impact of transportation projects. Various approaches, steps, and approvals now used in the ODOT Transportation Development Process originated with the National Environmental Policy Act. The NEPA process is enforced by regulations of the Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). |
| National Pollutant Discharge Elimination systems (NPDES) Permit | Mandated by Section 401 of the Clean Water Act for the discharge of pollutants from a point source into surface waters (including wetlands) for disposal purposes; intend to regulate the amount of chemicals, heavy metals, and biological wastes discharged in wastewater. Currently applies to stormwater discharges from construction projects disturbing five aces or more. |
| National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) | The national list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects significant in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, or culture. It is maintained by the Secretary of the Interior under authority of Section 101(2)(1)(A) of the National Historic Preservation Act, as amended. |
| National Register of Historic Places Criteria for Evaluation | The criteria used by the Ohio Historic Preservation Office and the National Park Service to evaluate the eligibility of properties for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. The criteria are: The quality of significance in American history, architecture, archaeology, engineering, and culture is present in districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects that possess integrity of location, design, setting, materials, workmanship, feeling and associate, and: A. that are associated with events that have made a significant contribution to the broad patterns of our history; or B. that are associated with the lives of persons significant in our past; or C. that embody the distinctive characteristics of a type, period, or method of construction, or that represent a significant and distinguishable entity whose components may lack individual distinction; or D. that have yielded, or may be likely to yield, information important in prehistory of history. |
| No-Build Alternative of No-Action Alternative | Option of maintaining the status quo by not building transportation improvements. Usually results in eventually deterioration of existing transportation facilities. Serves as a baseline for comparison of Build Alternatives. |
| Non-Attainment Areas | Counties that do not meet national ambient air quality standards; ranked by the severity of their problem as marginal, moderate, serious, severe of extreme. In accordance with the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, these areas must take specific emission reduction measures. |
| Notice of Intent | Announcement in the Federal Register advising interested parties that an Environmental Impact Statement will be prepared and circulated for a given project. |
| Open House | An informal, unstructured Public Meeting or Hearing during which information stations with exhibits convey important project information and Department and consultant personnel are available to answer the public's questions. |
| Plans | Technical drawings which show the location, character, and dimensions of prescribed project work, including layouts, profiles, cross-sections and other details. |
| Pre-Construction Notification (PCN) | A document, generally a completed 404 Application, which must be submitted to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers prior to commencing an activity authorized by a Nationwide Permit. |
| P.S.&E. Submission | The reference given to a transmittal of plans, specifications, and estimates made from a preparing office to the Department for review and processing. This transmittal includes all written material and engineering data necessary to place a highway construction project under contract. These submissions are reviewed for accuracy and completeness prior to bid, and for certain major federal aid projects are provided to the Federal Highway Administration for final approval. |
| Public Hearing | A hearing designed to afford the public the fullest opportunity to express support of, opposition to, or comment on a transportation project. Documentation is required. |
| Public Meeting | An announced meeting conducted by transportation officials designed to facilitate public participation in the decision making process and to assist the public in gaining an informed view of a proposed project during the Transportation Development Process. |
| Record of Decision (ROD) | A document prepared by the Division office of the Federal Highway Administration that presents the basis for selecting and approving a specific transportation proposal that has been evaluated through the various environmental and engineering studies of the TDP. Typically, the ROD identifies the alternative selected in the Final EIS, the alternatives considered, measures to minimize harm, monitoring or enforcement programs, and an itemized list of commitments and mitigation measures. |
| Reserve Pool Bridge | A bridge that is considered potentially eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places. Bridges in this category receive the same consideration as a Selected Pool Bridge until a determination of eligibility is made. |
| Scope of Work | A detailed, written listing of tasks prepared in advance of engineering and environmental work to define requirements of studies. A scope of work is provided to prospective consultant firms prior to the initiation of studies to aid in preparing estimates of working hours, schedules, and costs required to prepare, complete, and deliver the work described. |
| Scoping Field Review | A site visit conducted by the Originating Office and other appropriate parties to define a project's scope of work and to evaluate a variety of circumstances involved with the proposed project. These circumstances may include: engineering parameters, involvement of environmental resources, and required public involvement. |
| Activity-Based Parks | Type of park that provides opportunities for active recreation such as softball, basketball, shuffleboard, and soccer. |
| Address | A description of a facility's physical location providing direction for delivery and provision of emergency services. |
| Agency Strategic Plan (ASP) | A document which identifies goals and objectives that an individual state will be focusing on over the next five years; adopted annually by individual state agencies in Florida. |
| American Automobile Association (AAA) | A nonprofit federation of motor clubs providing travel, insurance, financial and auto-related services; publishes various reports on issues such as fuel prices, motoring and travel conditions, and automobile expenses. |
| American Planning Association (APA) | National organization of professional planners; focus includes policy, lobbying and public information. |
| Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) | Federal law that requires public facilities, including transportation services, to be fully accessible for persons with disabilities. ADA also requires the provision of complementary or supplemental paratransit services in areas where fixed route transit service is operated. Expands definition of eligibility for accessible services to persons with mental disabilities, temporary disabilities, and the conditions related to substance abuse. The Act is an augmentation to, but does not supersede, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 which prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability against otherwise qualified individuals in programs receiving federal assistance. |
| Annual Average Daily Traffic (AADT) | Daily traffic that is averaged over a year (see ADT). |
| Archaeological Resources | The locations of prehistoric or historic occupations or activities that can be used to reconstruct the lifeways of cultures. They may range from a single artifact to the extensive ruins of a historic military fortification. |
| Archaeological Site | Site containing artifacts from past human life and activities that may or may not be listed by the Florida Division of Historical Resources on the Florida Master Site File. |
| Arterial | A class of street serving major traffic movement that is not designated as a highway. |
| Attendance Zone (Schools) | Designated area(s) within which the student population of a particular school reside. |
| Attribute | A value or property that is a characteristic of an entity (e.g., name is an attribute of a school). |
| Automobile Orientation (Business Districts) | Urban form characterized by low intensity/density, single use developments served by a transportation network with few opportunities for non-motorized travel. |
| Average Daily Traffic (ADT) | The average number of vehicles passing a fixed point in a 24-hour time frame. A convention for measuring traffic volume. |
| Avoidance | Alter the project to avoid a potential effect. |
| Bikeway | A facility designed to accommodate bicycle travel for recreational or commuting purposes. Bikeways are not necessarily separated facilities; they may be designed and operated to be shared with other travel modes. |
| Boundary | The least area of a polygon used to circumscribe or enclose a place (e.g., park or business district) or facility (e.g., school). |
| Bridges | A structure carrying a pathway or roadway over a depression or obstacle. |
| Build/No-Build | Refers to conformity requirement during Interim and Transitional periods whereby Metropolitan Planning Organizations must demonstrate that building or implementing a long range plan (LRP) and Transportation Improvement Programs (TIPs) will provide more emissions reduction than not building or not implementing that same long range plan and TIP. |
| Bus | A rubber-tired, manually-steered transit vehicle. |
| Bus Lane | A lane reserved for bus use only. Sometimes also known as a diamond lane. |
| Business Districts | An area where a concentration of business activities take place. |
| Campus Boundary (Schools) | The area limits of a campus grounds. |
| Capacity | Total number of individuals established by code or regulation that a facility can accommodate. |
| Carbon Monoxide (CO) | A colorless, odorless, tasteless gas that impedes the oxygenation of blood. CO is formed in large part by incomplete combustion of fuel. |
| Categorical Exclusion (CE) | A technical exclusion for projects that do not result in significant environmental impacts. Such projects are not required to prepare environmental reviews. |
| Cemeteries | Area reserved for burial. |
| Center for Urban Transportation Research (CUTR) | A legislatively created research center, located at the University of South Florida, whose purpose is to conduct and facilitate research and serve as an information exchange on issues related to urban transportation problems in Florida. www.cutr.usf.edu |
| Central Business District | The most intensely commercial sector of a city. |
| State Environmental Management Office (SEMO) | Represents FDOT in protecting and enhancing a sustainable human and natural environment while developing safe, cost effective, and efficient transportation systems. |
| Certified Local Government (CLG) | Any city, town or county which meets the criteria set forth in the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) amendments of 1980 (P.L. 96-515). A CLG carries out the requirements of the NHPA at the local level. |
| Charter (Schools) | Independent public schools designed and operated by educators, parents, community leaders, educational entrepreneurs, and others. These schools are sponsored by designated local or state educational organizations, who monitor their quality and effectiveness but allow them to operate outside of the traditional system of public schools. |
| Citizen Advisory Committee (CAC) | Advisory committee utilized by most Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) for citizen input into the transportation planning process. |
| Civic Centers / Multi-Use Facilities / Theme Parks / Other Related Major Attractors | Large-scale public venues used for special events or entertainment-based parks. |
| Classification | The grouping of features into a set of classes according to certain common attribute values (e.g., schools could be classified by type such as "Elementary School," "Middle School," and "High School"). |
| Coastal Barrier Resources Act (CBRA) | Enacted October 18, 1982; designated various undeveloped coastal barrier islands, depicted by specific maps, for inclusion in the Coastal Barrier Resources System (System). Areas so designated were made ineligible for direct or indirect Federal financial assistance that might support development, including flood insurance, except for emergency life-saving activities. Exceptions for certain activities, such as fish and wildlife research, are provided, and National Wildlife Refuges and other, otherwise protected areas are excluded from the System. |
| Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) | Compilation of the rules of the executive department and agencies of the federal government. |
| Collector-Distributor Street | A road generally parallel to an expressway which collects and distributes traffic at access points to the expressway involving through lanes. |
| Colocated Use | Location of two or more uses in one facility or on common grounds so as to share common facilities. |
| Commercial Market Research Database | Business mailing list databases, such as InfoUSA or Lists Are Us, available for a fee. |
| Community Center | A facility for community organization meetings and/or regularly occurring activities, usually serving the needs of a neighborhood. |
| Community Characteristics Inventory (CCI) | The history of a community with present and future conditions of an area. Includes physical characteristics of an area, narrative text that describes the community, tables or graphics that summarize data. |
| Community Facilities | A community facility is any public or private organization that a local population relies upon for goods or services. |
| Community Focal Point | A facility, place, or object in a community which has special value to the people in that community. |
| Mobility | The ability to move or be moved from place to place. |
| Mobility Management Process (MMP) | Florida's congestion management system (CMS). |
| Florida Transportation Commission (FTC | The Florida Transportation Commission was created by the 1987 Legislature to serve as the oversight board for the Florida Department of Transportation. The Commission is independent of the Department. The Commission's primary functions are to review major transportation policy initiatives or revisions submitted by the department pursuant to law; recommend major transportation policy to the Governor and Legislature (Commission has recommended policies related to public transit, funding, road jurisdiction, truck weights, and penalties, etc.); serve as an oversight body for the FDOT (Commission assesses performance, monitors financial status, and reviews work program, budget requests and long-range plan); serve as nominating commission in the selection of the Secretary of Transportation (Governor appoints Secretary from among three candidates nominated by the commission). |
| Florida Transportation Plan (FTP) | A statewide, comprehensive transportation plan which establishes long-range goals to be accomplished over a 20-25 year time frame; developed by Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT); updated on an annual basis. |
| Free-Trade Zone (Business Districts) | Designated area where export-oriented companies located there can enjoy favorable terms and conditions (e.g., exemption from custom duties and reduced taxation). |
| Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) | Questions that are asked most often. |
| Future Land Use Plan Map | Adopted policy map associated with a local government comprehensive plan that illustrates the allocation of future land use categories for a specified planning period (e.g., 10 or 20 years). |
| Future Land Use Categories (Generalized) | Generalized categories of the future land use plan map that provide summary descriptions of the primary land use and range of density/intensity allowed under the category. |
| Gallery (Cultural Centers) | A community facility used for display of artwork, excluding private galleries. |
| Geocoding | The process that assigns a latitude-longitude coordinate to an address for purposes of displaying on a map. |
| Government Buildings | Buildings occupied by governmental functions excluding those identified individually as community focal points such as schools and fire departments. |
| Guaranteed Ride Home | Refers to employer-sponsored program that encourages employees to carpool, use transit, bike or walk to work by guaranteeing them a ride home in case they cannot take the same mode home (e.g., if they need to work late or if an emergency occurs). |
| High Density Residential (Future Land Use Plan Map) | Category in which the predominant use is residential and densities exceed 15 units per acre. |
| High Occupancy Vehicles (HOVs) | Generally applied to vehicles carrying two or more people. Freeways, expressways and other large volume roads may have lanes designated for HOV use. HOV lanes may be designated for use by carpoolers, vanpools, and buses. The term HOV is also sometimes used to refer to high occupancy vehicle lanes themselves. |
| High-Speed Ground Transportation (HSGT) | Includes HSR (High Speed Rail) and magnetic levitation, or "Maglev" systems. Examples of HSR include the Japanese Shinkansen, or "bullet trains," and the French TGV, or Train a la Grande Vitesse. HSR systems use continuously-welded track, and range in travel speed from 120 m.p.h to a maximum tested by TGV of 320 m.p.h. Maglev systems are lifted, guided, and propelled by electrically powered magnets along elevated guideways and can travel securely at 300 m.p.h. |
| Highway | Term applies to roads, streets, and parkways, and also includes rights-of-way, bridges, railroad crossings, tunnels, drainage structures, signs, guard rails, and protective structures in connection with highways. |
| Historic District | A significant concentration, linkage, or continuity of sites, buildings, structures, or objects united historically or aesthetically by plan or physical development. |
| Historic Structures | Includes bridges, residences, commercial buildings, constructed features, etc. which, with few exceptions, are at least 50 years old. |
| Home-Based Work Trip | A trip to or from home for the purpose of one's employment. |
| Hours of Operations | The hours in which a facility conducts business or, otherwise, is open to the public. |
| Indian Tribe | As defined by The National Historic Preservation Act, Indian tribe means an Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States because of their status as Indian (36 CFR Part 800 Section 800.16(m)). http://www.achp.gov/regs-rev04.pdf |
| Infrastructure | A term connoting the physical underpinnings of society at large, including, but not limited to, roads, bridges, transit, waste system, public housing, sidewalks, utility installations, parks, public buildings, and communications networks. |
| Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) | An international society of professionals in transportation and traffic engineering; publishes Trip Generation (a manual of trip generation rates by land use type). |
| Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) | Use of computer and communications technology to facilitate the flow of information between travelers and system operators. Includes concepts such as "freeway management systems," "automated fare collection," and "transit information kiosks." |
| Intelligent-Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS) | Narrow grouping of ITS technologies that focus on monitoring, guiding or operating motorized vehicles. See Intelligent Transportation Systems. |
| Interchange Justification Report (IJR) | Documentation submitted through the Florida Department of Transportation to the Federal Highway Administration to determine if a new interchange on an interstate is allowed. |
| Intermodal Facilities | A facility that serves as a connection point between two or more transportation modes, typically transit and some other mode of transport. |
| Intermodal Management System (IMS) | Systematic process to improve the coordination in planning and implementation of air, water and land-based transportation facilities and services; required for transportation facilities connected to the National Highway System (NHS) as a part of ISTEA; for non-NHS transportation facilities, the extent of an IMS is left to the discretion of state and local officials. |
| Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA | Legislative initiative by the U.S. Congress that restructured funding for transportation programs. ISTEA authorized increased levels of highway and transportation funding and an enlarged role for regional planning commissions and MPOs in funding decisions. The Act also requires comprehensive regional long-range transportation plans extending to the year 2015 and places an increased emphasis on public participation and transportation alternatives. |
| Interstate System | The system of highways that connects the principal metropolitan areas, cities, and industrial centers of the United States. The Interstate System also connects the U.S. to internationally significant routes in Mexico and Canada. The routes of the Interstate System are selected jointly by the departments of transportation for each state and the adjoining states, subject to the approval of the U.S. Secretary of Transportation. |
| Jurisdiction | A unit of government which exercises certain powers over a place or facility. |
| Land Use | Refers to the manner in which portions of land or the structures on them are used, i.e., commercial, residential, retail, industrial, etc. |
| Land Use Legend | Key to land use categories on the Future Land Use Map. |
| Law Enforcement Agency | A public agency charged with enforcing laws that protect the health, safety, and welfare of the members of a community. |
| Legislatively Designated Authority | A public service authority that is legislatively designated (e.g., transit authority, port authority, expressway authority). |
| Length | Distance of a transportation facility, measured in linear feet. |
| Level of Service (LOS) | A qualitative assessment of a road's operating condition; generally described using a scale of A (little congestion) to E/F (severe congestion). |
| Local Government Comprehensive Plan (LGCP) | An adopted plan of a municipality or county which describes its future development and growth; required by 9J-5.021, F.A.C. and Chapter 163.3177 and 163.3178 of the Florida Statutes (F.S.) |
| Local Government Planning Unit | Unit or units charged with short- and long-range land planning and community development responsibilities. |
| Local Social Advisory Committee (LSAC) | Consists of carefully chosen community representatives who provide insight into transportation projects and community consequences. |
| Location | Geographic position. |
| Long Range | In transportation planning, refers to a time span of more than five years. The Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) is typically regarded as a short-range program, since ISTEA has changed the TIP from a five-year to a three-year document. |
| Long Range Component (LRC) | The part of the Florida Transportation Plan (FTP) that addresses a time span of about 20 years; updated at least every five years to reflect changes in the issues, goals and long range objectives. |
| Long Range Plan (LRP) | A 20-year forecast plan required of state planning agencies and MPOs; must consider a wide range of social, environmental, energy and economic factors in determining overall regional goals and consider how transportation can best meet these goals. |
| Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) | A document resulting from a regional or statewide process of collaboration and consensus on a region or state's transportation system. This document serves as the defining vision for the region or state's transportation systems and services. In metropolitan areas, the plan indicates all of the transportation improvement scheduled for funding over the next 20 years. |
| Low Density Residential (Future Land Use Plan Map) | Category in which the predominant use is residential and densities do not exceed seven units per acre. |
| Magnet (Schools) | School with a strong emphasis in a particular subject area (e.g., music, science, drama, math). Students are selected through an application process instead of being assigned based on residence. |
| Major Investment Study (MIS) | A tool to aid decision-making with respect to an identified transportation need; evaluates cost and effectiveness of alternatives; required by ISTEA when a need for a major metropolitan transportation investment (MMTI) is identified and federal funds are potentially involved. |
| Management Systems | Six systems required under ISTEA to improve identification of problems and opportunities throughout the entire surface transportation network, and to evaluate and prioritize alternative strategies, actions and solutions. The six management systems include: Pavement Management System (PMS), Bridge Management System (BMS), Highway Safety Management System (HSMS), Congestion Management System (CMS), Public Transit Facilities and Equipment Management System (PTMS) and Intermodal Management System (IMS). |
| Medical/Health Facilities | An entity that provides health care. |
| Medium Density Residential (Future Land Use Plan Map) | Category in which the predominant use is residential and densities range between seven units per acre and 15 units per acre. |
| Metropolitan Planning Area (MPA) | The geographic area within which the metropolitan transportation planning process is carried out. |
| Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) | The organizational entity designated by law with lead responsibility for developing transportation plans and programs for urbanized areas of 50,000 or more in population. MPOs are established by agreement of the Governor and units of general purpose local government which together represent 75 percent of the affected population of an urbanized area. |
| Metropolitan Planning Organization Advisory Council (MPOAC) | An advisory council (consisting of one member from each MPO) that serves as the principal forum for collective policy discussion in urban areas; created by law to assist the MPOs in carrying out the urbanized area transportation planning process. |
| Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP) | A transportation plan with a twenty-year planning horizon; developed by each MPO; must be updated at least triennially in non-attainment areas and every five years in attainment areas; should be cost feasible. |
| Minimization | To modify the project to reduce the severity of the effect. |
| Mitigation | To undertake an action to alleviate or offset an effect or to replace an appropriate resource. |
| Penalty | An action that does not allow a State to use the full amount of its apportioned funds. The action may be a withholding of project approvals or withholding of a percentage of the State's apportionment. The action may be taken when the state does not comply with a required provision of law. |
| Person-Trip | A trip made by one person from one origin to one destination. |
| Playground | An outdoor area for children's play, usually equipped with play instruments such as swings and slides. |
| Population and Employment Forecasts | Predictions of population and manufacturing levels for a specific area and time period. |
| Predominant Type (Business District) | Classification of a business district by its predominant function (e.g., retail or employment). |
| Predominant Urban Form (Business District) | Urban development form (e.g., building orientation and setbacks) which characterizes a business district as either being pedestrian/transit oriented or automobile oriented. |
| Private | Owned by private investors (as opposed to the government). |
| Privatization | The purchasing of traditionally government-supplied goods and services from for-profit business entities. |
| Provider | An agency that causes clients to be transported, as opposed to an agency whose role is limited to funding programs. |
| Project Development (PD) | The phase a proposed project undergoes once it has been through the planning process. The project development phase is a more detailed analysis of a proposed project's social, economic, and environmental impacts and various project alternatives. What comes from the project development phase is a decision reached through negotiation among all affected parties, including the public. After a proposal has successfully passed the project development phase, it may move to preliminary engineering, design, and construction. |
| Project Development and Environment Study (PD&E) | FDOT's name for a corridor study to establish conceptual design for a roadway and to determine its compliance with federal and state environmental laws and regulations. |
| Public | The community or people as a whole; owned/operated by government. |
| Public Authority | A federal, state, county, town or township, Native American tribe, municipal or other local government or instrumentality with authority to finance, build, operate, or maintain toll or toll-free transportation facilities. |
| Public Comment | A statement of fact or opinion, especially a remark that expresses a personal reaction or attitude, received via a phone call or discussion, e-mail, or letter. |
| Public Information Officer (PIO) | The individual in an agency or district responsible for disseminating information and responding to inquiries from the media. |
| Public Involvement | The process by which public concerns, needs, and values are solicited and incorporated into decision-making. |
| Public Involvement Coordinator | The individual within the District who coordinates public involvement activities. |
| Public Involvement Plan (PIP) | A written plan of public involvement strategies and activities for a specific transportation plan or project. The PIP provides a systematic approach to how the outcomes of public involvement activities are integrated into the decision-making process. |
| Public Participation | The active and meaningful involvement of the public in the development of transportation plans and improvement programs. The Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA) and subsequent regulations require that state departments of transportation and MPOs proactively seek the involvement of all interested parties, including those traditionally underserved by the current transportation system. |
| Quality Assurance (QA) | An internal FDOT quality control program that relies on their employees to identify and resolve problems related to quality concerns. |
| Query | Individual questions pertaining to SCE evaluation screen in the transportation planning phases. |
| Recreational Use Type | Primary focus of recreational activity (activity-based sports fields; resource-based beaches.) |
| Region | An entire metropolitan area including designated urban and rural subregions; may include groups of counties, etc. |
| Regional Planning Council (RPC) | A multipurpose organization composed of representatives of local governments and appointed representatives from the geographic area covered by the council, and designated as the primary organization to address problems and plan solutions that are of greater than local concern or scope; currently 11 regional planning councils exist in Florida. |
| Regionally Significant | A term which has been defined in federal transportation planning regulations as "a project...that is on a facility which serves regional transportation needs...and would normally be included in the modeling of a metropolitan area's transportation network, including, at a minimum, all principal arterial highway and fixed guideway transit facilities that offer a significant alternative to regional highway travel." |
| Regular Hours | The hours that a facility typically is open to the public (e.g., daylight hours for a park or cultural center). |
| Religious Facility Type | Classification of building use (e.g. sactuary, shrine, retreat, camp). |
| Residence Facility (Religious Facilities) | Place of residency for religious leaders, caretakers, etc. located in conjunction with a religious facility. |
| Resident Student Population | Number of students living on-campus. |
| Retail-Oriented (Business District) | District where the retail component represents the largest percentage of land uses. |
| Reverse Commute | Commuting against the main directions of traffic. Often refers to the central city to suburb commute. |
| Right of Way (ROW) | Priority paths for the construction and operation of highways, light and heavy rail, railroads, etc.; (ROW) real property that is used for transportation purposes; (R/W) defines the extent of the corridor that can be used for the road and associated drainage. |
| Sanctuary (Religious Facilities) | A place for public worship. |
| Schools | Entities that provides academic or technical instruction. |
| School Bus Routes | Routes assigned to school buses |
| Scenic Byway Program | Program to establish scenic byways which are typically secondary roads having significant cultural, historic, scenic, geological, or natural features. They often include vistas, rest areas, and interpretive sites in harmony with the scenic characteristics of the road. |
| Service Zone | Designated zone or area for which a service is provided by an entity. |
| Shrine (Religious Facilities) | A place of worship hallowed by association with some sacred thing or person. |
| Shuttle | Usually a service provided with an up-to-20 passenger vehicle connecting major trip destinations and origins on a fixed- or route deviation basis. Shuttles can provider feeder service to main transit routes, or operate in a point-to-point or circular fashion. |
| Significant | A prehistoric or historic district, site, building, structure, or object meeting one or more of the Criteria for Evaluation used in considering National Register eligibility. Significance is achieved through association with events or important persons, distinctive physical characteristics, or the potential to yield important information. |
| Single-Occupant Vehicles (SOVs) | A SOV is a vehicle used to get just one person to a destination. |
| Site | The location of an event, a prehistoric or historic occupation or activity, or a building or structure, whether standing, ruined, or vanished, where the location itself possesses historic, cultural, or archaeological value. Examples include battlefields, campsites and shipwrecks. |
| Site Boundary | The area limits of a building site. |
| Social Equity | The provision of affordable, efficient and accessible transportation services to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, income, gender, or disability. A socially equitable transportation system provides all people with convenient access to meaningful jobs, services and recreational opportunities. |
| Social Service Facility | A facility that provides public assistance services for persons in the community. |
| Sociocultural Effects (SCE) | Social, economic, mobility, land use, aesthetic and relocation issues. |
| Sociocultural Effects Evaluation | The evaluation of social, economic, mobility, land use, aesthetic, and relocation issues that may be affected by transportation decisions. |
| Special Designation | An official designation of an area (e.g., Community Redevelopment Area). |
| Special Education | Instructional activities or special learning experiences designed primarily for students identified as having exceptionalities in one or more aspects of the cognitive process or as being underachievers in relation to general level or model of their overall abilities. Such services usually are directed at students with physical, emotional, cognitive learning disabilities. Programs for the mentally gifted and talented are also included in some special education programs. |
| Special Program | A program that is distinguishable from the typical program offered by a data entity. |
| Specialized Service | Services rendered not typical to the entity. |
| Specialized Vehicle | Vehicles other than fire engines that may be equipped with long ladders, hydraulic platforms and a variety of other emergency equipment and supplies (e.g., hook-and-ladder, snorkel or cherry-picker, rigs, and floodlight trucks, and other specialized units). |
| Stakeholder | People who may be affected by a project or have an interest in its outcome. They can include residents, employees, travelers, businesses, modal entities, organizations, etc. |
| Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) | A Census Bureau delineation for major metro areas in the U.S. |
| State Comprehensive Plan (SCP) | Written goals, objectives and strategies that provide long range guidance for the social, economic and physical growth of the state; contained within Chapter 187, F.S.; regional and local comprehensive plans must be consistent with the SCP. |
| State Highway Department | The department, commission, board, or official of any state responsible for highway construction, maintenance and management. |
| State Highway System (SHS) | A network of approximately 12,000 miles of highways in Florida owned and maintained by the state or state-created authorities; includes interstates, Florida's Turnpike, arterial highways and other toll facilities. |
| State Historic Preservation Officer (SHPO) | The official appointed or designated pursuant to Section 101(b)(1) of the National Historic Preservation Act to administer the state historic preservation program or a representative designed to act for the State Historic Preservation Officer. The SHPO consults with federal and state agencies during Section 106 review, reviews National Register nominations, and maintains file data on cultural resources. |
| State Implementation Program (SIP) | A plan mandated by the Clean Air Act that contains procedures to monitor, control, maintain and enforce compliance with the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS). |
| State Licensing Agency | Any state board, commission, department, or agency that issues any occupational or professional license, permit or registration. |
| State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) | A staged, multiyear, statewide, intermodal program that is consistent with the state and metropolitan transportation plans; identifies the priority transportation projects to be done over the next three years; is developed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) and must be approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) at least every two years. |
| Statewide Transportation Plan (STP) | A long-range transportation plan (at least 20 years) which provides direction for developing a statewide transportation system; in Florida, the state transportation plan (STP) and the 2020 Florida Transportation Plan are developed by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT); criteria are found in 23 CFR 450.214. |
| Station Area Neighborhood (Intermodal Facilities) | Local government designated areas generally within a half mile of a transit station which may be governed by a land use plan, detailed development and design standards, and implementation strategies. |
| Station Location | Geographic location of an intermodal station (bus, train, rail, etc.). |
| Strategic Regional Policy Plan (SRPP) | A plan, developed by each regional planning council (RPC), which contains goals and policies addressing affordable housing, economic development, emergency preparedness, natural resources of regional significance, and regional transportation issues; must be consistent with the state comprehensive plan (SCP). |
| Sunshine Law (s. 119.07(1) and 2.24(a) of article I of the State Constitution) | Legislation enacted in 2002 that exempts certain categories of data. This typically applies to archaeological resource information and sensitive resources, such as government buildings, ports, bridges, or other types of transportation facilities that may require security precautions as part of Homeland Security precautions. |
| Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) | A national public interest group dedicated to ensuring that transportation policy and investments help conserve energy, protect environmental and aesthetic quality, strengthen the economy, promote social equity, and make communities more livable; emphasizes the needs of people, rather than vehicles, in assuring access to jobs, services and recreational opportunities. |
| Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) | A standing committee of most metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). The function of a TAC is to provide advice on plans or actions of the MPO from planners, engineers and other staff members (not general citizens). |
| Timeframe | Increment of time addressed by a long-range plan, typically in 10 or 20 year increments. |
| Traditional Cultural Properties | Properties associated with cultural practices or beliefs of a living community. These practices or beliefs must be rooted in that community's history and be important in maintaining the continuing cultural identity of the community. |
| Traffic Analysis Zone (TAZ) | The smallest geographical area routinely used for computer travel simulation. The number of dwellings, population, employment, etc. per TAZ are estimated for existing and future years, for subsequent use in trip generation. (Rule of thumb, maximum of 10,000 ADT from each TAZ.) |
| Transit Development Program (TDP) | A short-term (5 years) plan that identifies the intended development of transit, including equipment purchase, system management and operation. |
| Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) | A mixed use community or neighborhood designed to encourage transit use and pedestrian activity. |
| Transit Routes/Service Areas | Data identifying an area served by transit including travel routes and the area from which ridership is generated. |
| Transportation Demand Management (TDM) | Strategies to reduce peak period congestion which focus on managing travel demand; includes shifting solo drives to carpools or transit, staggered work hours, telecommuting and other similar concepts. |
| Transportation Design for Livable Communities (TDLC) | A more flexible approach to planning and designing highway projects. Once community values have been identified through public involvement and sociocultural effects evaluation, TDLC provides a way to address or preserve some of those values. The Department's policy is to consider the incorporation of TDLC when such features are desired, appropriate and feasible. TDLC strategies include landscaping, roadside amenities, pedestrian and bicycle facilities, lighting approaches, interchange designs, and various traffic calming practices. |
| Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan Data Layers | Data typically collected for use in developing a Transportation Disadvantaged Service Plan (e.g., density of persons aged 60 and over; density of persons with income to poverty ratio less than 125% of County Average; density of households with no vehicles; employment density; and disadvantaged trip destinations and origins). |
| Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) | A law enacted in 1998; authorized Federal funding for highway, transit and other surface transportation programs. |
| Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) | A priority list of transportation projects developed by a metropolitan planning organization that is to be carried out within the three year period following its adoption. The Transportation Improvement Program must include documentation of federal and state funding sources for each project and be consistent with adopted local comprehensive plans. |
| Transportation Management Area (TMA) | A special designation given to all urbanized areas with a population over 200,000 (or other area when requested by the Governor and MPO). These areas must comply with special transportation planning requirements regarding congestion management systems, project selection and certification; requirements identified in 23 CFR 450.300-.336. |
| Transportation Research Board (TRB) | A unit of the National Research Council whose purpose is to advance knowledge about transportation systems; publishes the Highway Capacity Manual. |
| Transportation Systems Management (TSM) | Strategies to improve the efficiency of the transportation system through operational improvements such as the use of bus priority or reserved lanes, signalization, access management, turn restrictions, etc. |
| Trip Generators/Attractors | Uses within a community that generate or attract high trip volumes, usually identified in transit plans, transportation disadvantaged service plans, pedestrian/bicycle plans, and long range transportation plans. |
| Type | Data entity category. |
| U.S. Census | Demographic and population data collected every 10 years for the United States government. |
| United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) | Agency responsible for transportation at the federal level. |
| Unified Planning Work Program (UPWP) | Developed by Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs); identifies all transportation and transportation air quality activities anticipated within the next one to two years, including schedule for completing, who is doing it, and products to be produced. |
| United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) | A federal agency responsible for dealing with national environmental issues. |
| Urban Form (Business Districts) | Characteristic development form of an area (e.g., pedestrian or transit-oriented verses auto-orientated). |
| Urban Infill and Redevelopment Area (Business Districts) | Local government designated areas to stimulate investment in distressed urban areas and strengthen urban centers, as authorized by the Growth Policy Act (Florida Statutes). |
| Water Management Districts (WMD) | Manage the quality and quantity of water; Florida's five water management districts (WMD) include: Northwest Florida WMD, Suwannee River WMD, St. Johns River WMD, South Florida WMD and Southwest Florida WMD |
| Weight Limits (Bridges) | The maximum weight load a bridge can accommodate |
| Year Built | The year a structure was built. Used for determining possible historical significance. |
| Zone | The smallest geographically designated area for analysis of transportation activity. A zone can be from one to 10 square miles in area. Average zone size depends on total size of study area. |
| Mode, Intermodal, Multimodal | Form of transportation, such as automobile, transit, bicycle and walking. Intermodal refers to the connections between modes and multimodal refers to the availability of transportation options within a system or corridor. |
| Mode-Related Religious Practice | Religious practice that limits transportation mode choice, usually observed on holy days (e.g., practice of not driving on Saturdays, the Jewish Sabbath). |
| Model | A mathematical and geometric projection of activity and the interactions in the transportation system in an area. This projection must be able to be evaluated according to a given set of criteria which typically include criteria pertaining to land use, economics, social values, and travel patterns. |
| National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) | The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), under the U.S. Department of Transportation, was established by the Highway Safety Act of 1970, as the successor to the National Highway Safety Bureau, to carry out safety programs under the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act of 1966 and the Highway Safety Act of 1966. NHTSA is responsible for reducing deaths, injuries and economic losses resulting from motor vehicle crashes. This is accomplished by setting and enforcing safety performance standards for motor vehicles and motor vehicle equipment, and through grants to state and local governments to enable them to conduct effective local highway safety programs. NHTSA investigates safety defects in motor vehicles, sets and enforces fuel economy standards, helps states and local communities reduce the threat of drunk drivers, promotes the use of safety belts, child safety seats and air bags, investigates odometer fraud, establishes and enforces vehicle anti-theft regulations and provides consumer information on motor vehicle safety topics. NHTSA also conducts research on driver behavior and traffic safety to develop the most efficient and effective means of bringing about safety improvements. |
| Modes Served | Transportation modes accommodated by an intermodal facility. |
| Monument (Cultural Centers) | A structure erected to commemorate persons or events where the structure itself is deemed to be of value to community (e.g., Washington Monument vs. historic marker sign). |
| Name | Identity of a data entity. |
| National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) | Federal standards that set allowable concentrations and exposure limits for various pollutants. |
| National Highway Systems (NHS) | A federal transportation program authorized by ISTEA that designates nationally significant Interstate Highways and roads for interstate travel, national defense, intermodal connections, and international commerce. Other eligible activities include bikeways and park-and-ride lots. The NHS is currently being developed as the first component of a larger, intermodal National Transportation System. See "National Transportation System." |
| National Historic Landmark | A historic property evaluated and found to have significance at the national level and designated as such by the Secretary of the Interior. http://www.cr.nps.gov/nhl/ |
| National Transportation System (NTS) | ISTEA called for the development of a "National Intermodal Transportation System that is economically efficient and environmentally sound, provides the foundation for the Nation to compete in the global economy, and will move people and goods in an energy efficient manner." The NTS is intended to allow for the development of transportation planning, program management and investment strategies that will bring about a transportation system that will move people and goods more effectively and efficiently, and thereby advance our economic, environmental and social goals. |
| Nationwide Personal Transportation Study (NPTS) | A transportation study, periodically undertaken by the Bureau of Census, which looks at travel patterns and frequency, transit use, and other travel characteristics at a national level. |
| Natural Resource-Based Park | Type of park providing opportunities for recreational activities involving the natural environment such as fishing, water sports, camping and/or picnicking. |
| Neighborhood | Small geographic units typically bounded by main roadways, natural and manmade features (parks, wooded areas, waterbodies, etc). A neighborhood is a small group of people living in very close proximity to one another. Each neighborhood may have distinctive characteristics such as social, economic, cultural or religious features that distinguish one neighborhood from another. |
| Network | A graphic and/or mathematical representation of multimodal paths in a transportation system. |
| Noise Study Report (NSR) | Report that documents traffic noise impacts. |
| Notice of Intent | Document prepared to inform the general public of the scope of a proposed action or project. |
| Nursing Home | A hospital-, government-, or privately-operated facility that provides care to a person who is not able to remain home alone due to physical health problems, mental health problems, or functional disabilities. |
| Obligations | Commitments made by Federal agencies to pay out money as distinct from the actual payments, which are "outlays." Generally, obligations are incurred after the enactment of budget authority. However, since budget authority in many highway programs is in the form of contract authority, obligations in these cases are permitted to be incurred immediately after apportionment or allocation. The obligations are for the Federal share of the estimated full cost of each project at the time it is approved regardless of when the actual payments are made or the expected time of project completion. |
| Operating Entity | The responsible organization for management and operation of a facility (e.g., public, private, quasi-public). May be a source of data for Sociocultural Effects Evaluation. |
| Public Road | Any road or street under the jurisdiction of and maintained by a public authority and open to public traffic. |
| Segment Record | Identifier automatically assigned to the segment by the computer and displayed on the map. |
| Segment ID | Assigned to the project segment by the planning organization. |
| Beginning Location | Location marking the beginning of the project segment. |
| Ending Location | Location marking the end of the project segment. |
| Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | A computer technology that allows us to bring together information about anything with a physical location such as an address or map coordinate. |
| Interactive Map Viewer | Provides read-only access to project and resource GIS information. |
| Map Editor | Available to users with access to create or modify projects in the database. |
| Base Map | Data representing an overview of the project area, for example, major roads, water bodies and rivers, county boundaries, and FDOT District boundaries. These data are not considered an issue for analysis, but as reference for all the other issues being reviewed. |
| Enhanced Degree of Effect | a) Project concept has positive effect on the ETAT resource or can reverse a previous adverse effect leading to environmental improvement. b) Project concept has positive effect on community. Affected community supports the proposed project. |
| Minimum Degree of Effect | a) Project concept has little adverse effect on ETAT resources. Low cost options are available to address concerns. Permit issuance or consultation involves routine interaction with the agency. b) Project concept has minimum adverse effect on elements of the affected community. There is minimum community concern about the planned project. Little or no mitigation is needed. |
| Moderate Degree of Effect | a) Natural or cultural resources are affected by the proposed project, but avoidance and minimization measures are available and can be addressed during project development with a moderate amount of agency involvement and moderate cost impact. b) Project concept has adverse effect on some elements of the affected community. There is moderate community concern about the planned project. Public involvement is needed to seek alternatives more acceptable to the community. Moderate community involvement is required during project development. Some mitigation or minimization is needed to gain support from the community. |
| Substantial Degree of Effect | a) The project concept has substantial adverse effects, but ETAT understands the project need and is able to seek avoidance, minimization or mitigation measures during project development. Substantial interaction is required during project development and permitting. b) Project concept has substantial adverse effects on the affected community and faces substantial community opposition. Intensive community interaction with focused public involvement is required during project development to address community concerns. Project will need substantial mitigation to gain public acceptance. |
| Potential Dispute | a) Project concept may be contrary to a state or federal resource agency's program, plan or initiative. Project concept may have significant environmental cost. Reasons for indicating a potential dispute are contained in Agency Operating Agreements. Project concept may not be permittable. Reference Section 4.6, Process to Resolve Potential Dispute. b) Project concept is not in compliance with approved Local Government Comprehensive Plans, or may involve significant adverse effects on adjacent community. |
| Preferred Alternative | Describes the selected alternative in detail. Alignment, both horizontal and vertical, as well as the typical and intersection configuration, are discussed and illustrated. As a minimum, the plan view on aerial photography shows the project concept, as well as the existing and proposed right of way. |
| Summary of Environmental Impacts | Addresses all of the issues raised during the Programming Phase, and summarizes the findings of the environmental technical studies. Each of the issues is discussed in terms of how the selected alternative addressed that issue. Avoidance and minimization measures are discussed here, as well as those issues associated with the environment permits. In addition to the environmental issues raised during the Programming Phase, a discussion of those environmental impacts identified during the project study are discussed (such as noise, contamination, relocations, etc.), as well as the measures proposed to minimize these impacts. |
| Summary of Permits and Mitigation | Includes a description of the permits that have been obtained and any specific permit conditions that may apply. If there are any additional permits needed for the project, this section also identifies what those permits are and what additional information is needed in order to obtain them. |
| Summary of Public Involvement | Summarizes the results of the community outreach program. It also includes a discussion of the issues raised by the community during the Public Hearing and other public involvement meetings, as well as how the project addressed each issue. |
| Other | Additional information that may be deemed significant by a community for purposes of impact evaluation. |
| Outreach | Efforts to offer everyone in a community the opportunity to participate in transportation planning. |
| Ozone | Ozone is a colorless gas with a sweet odor. Ozone is not a direct emission from transportation sources. It is a secondary pollutant formed when hydrocarbons (HC) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) combine in the presence of sunlight. The ozone is associated with smog or haze conditions. Although the ozone in the upper atmosphere protects us from harmful ultraviolet rays, ground level ozone produces an unhealthy environment in which to live. |
| Paratransit | Alternatively known as special transportation when applied to social services systems. Applies to a variety of smaller, often flexibly scheduled and routed nonprofit-oriented transportation services using low-capacity vehicles, such as vans, to operate within normal urban transit corridors or rural areas. These services usually serve the needs of persons that standard mass transit services would serve with difficulty, or not at all. Common patrons are the elderly and persons with disabilities. |
| Parent Teacher Organization/Association (PTO/PTA) | A not-for-profit association of parents, educators, students, and other citizens active in their schools and communities. |
| Parks | Grounds used for recreation. |
| Passive/Open Space | Type of park with un-programmed space providing opportunities for recreation. |
| Peak Hour | The 60-minute period in the a.m. or p.m. when the largest volume of travel is experienced. |
| Pedestrian/Transit-Orientation (Business Districts) | Type of urban form that contains a rich mix of residential, retail, and workplaces in setting designed for pedestrian convenience. |
| Pedestrian Walkway | A secured path for walking. |