Planning and Environmental Linkage Decision Tool
Welcome to CDOT's PEL Decision Tool. This application will provide guidance that will allow better decision-making during the planning stages of addressing your transportation improvement needs. Guidance provided in this application is based on CDOT’s process to conduct planning level analyses that meet the intent of Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL). The benefits of PEL, in practice, lead to a seamless decision-making process that minimizes duplication of effort, promotes environmental stewardship, and reduces delays in project implementation.
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What does this tool provide?
This tool will lead the user through a series of questions about an identified transportation need. Answers to these questions will result in a report recommending voluntary tasks as part of a PEL Study consistent with CDOT’s adopted planning and environmental linkages process.
Tool Assumptions
The process outlined in this decision tool assumes that one or more of the following apply to your transportation need:
- You will be seeking state or federal funding for a transportation project (Federal Action)
- Your transportation need or project has been identified on a Regional Transportation Plan
- Your transportation need is on the State Highway system
- Your transportation need is one that cannot be cleared through a Categorical Exclusion.
Project Parameters
Although each transportation need has its own set of unique circumstances, the recommended steps in a planning study will remain relatively similar. However, the level of detail required for each of these steps may vary.
The questions you will answer will help identify how much is known about the problem and to what extent the project sponsor has prepared to conduct a PEL Study to advance future decision-making.
Quick tips:
To create a new report, click "Create Report" at the top.
Your answers are automatically saved when you click the "Next" or "Back" button.
Throughout the application you will notice some words are underlined. Click on those words to view additional information.
It is recommended that you gather input from multiple disciplines within your organization to answer the questions in this session pertaining to your transportation need.
Data Storage
Please note: you can not return to edit a session in this system. You must complete the entire data entry process and generate a final report during one session. Your data will be lost after 20 minutes of in-activity.
Disclosure
Note: The information you enter and the report generated during your PEL Decision Tool session will be accessible by other individuals.
