Efficient Transportation Decision Making (ETDM)

In response to the "Environmental Streamlining" legislation passed by Congress as part of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, FDOT has developed the ETDM process. ETDM was implemented to provide a more efficient transportation planning and environmental review process. The overall intent of the ETDM process is to improve transportation decision-making in a way that protects the human and the natural environments. The approach includes active participation and interaction of federal, State, and local agencies, and the public early in the planning process to identify potential effects that the project may have on the community and the natural resources. Agencies also identify avoidance and mitigation opportunities and prescribe technical studies to be accomplished by the FDOT when the project proceeds. The goals of ETDM can be summarized as:

• Effective/timely decision making without compromising environmental quality;
• Integrating review and permitting processes;
• Early NEPA reviews and approvals;
• Full and early participation; and
• Meaningful dispute resolution.

During the ETDM phase of a project, each resource and regulatory agency evaluates the impact that each alternative under consideration might have on the various environmental factors and assigns a “degree of effect” to each alternative. If an agency assigns a “dispute resolution” degree of effect (also known as a red flag) to a particular alternative, the issue(s) resulting in the red flag must be resolved before a project can be accepted by the FHWA to move foward to the design phase.

For the Crosstown Parkway Extension PD&E Study:

• ETDM resulted in agency red flags (Dispute Resolution Degree of Effect) along multiple corridor alternatives.
• Disputing Agencies were:
  • Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP);
  • United States Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS); and
  • Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
• Informal Dispute Resolution resulted in the removal of red flags by FDEP and FWC
• The remaining red flag by FWS will be addressed through the EIS

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