Does the August 2005 transportation bill (SAFTEA-LU) affect the Merger Process?
The new transportation bill may affect certain aspects of the Merger Process. Section 6009(a) of the bill addresses “de minimus” impacts to Section 4(f) properties. Other changes to the Merger Process may develop, as certain requirements in the transportation bill are further evaluated by FHWA and other agencies. Generally, many improvements in planning, environmental issues, streamlining, etc., identified in the new transportation bill are reflective of a ” Merger-type” of process. • Does the Merger Process slow down the Project Development and Environmental Analysis (PD&EA) phase? The Merger Process may cause the appearance that the project development and environmental analysis phase has slowed down. However, there are several important aspects to the Merger Process that may outweigh any perceived delays: Early stakeholder involvement during planning, better quality decisions, and less likelihood of permit issuance delays. FHWA and other agencies have found that certain “EA-type” pr
