WEIGHTED DECISION MATRIX

The Project Development Team developed the following 10 categories to compose our decision matrix in descending order of importance: Benefit/Cost Ratio, Environmental Impacts, Right of Way Impacts, User Expectations, Construction Impacts, Level of Service (LOS), Accessibility, Construction Cost, Freeway and Local Impacts, and Adaptability.

The Benefit/Cost Ratio receives a full weight because it considers the advantages and disadvantages of the selected alternative. Environmental Impacts were a major factor to consider for this project because the alignment cuts through conserved land. Right of Way Impacts were weighed an 8 because of the alignment location and proximity to privately owned land. User Expectations were weighed a 7 and is defined as the ability for users to be familiar and comfortable with the layout of the alignment and interchange. Constructability is weighed a 6 and is based on how constructable and feasible the alternative is. Level of Service (LOS) is weighed a 5 and is a quality measure describing operational conditions within a traffic stream, speed, travel time, freedom to maneuver, traffic interruptions, comfort and convenience. Accessibility is weighed a 4 and assesses access to multimodal transportation such as facilities for bicycles and pedestrians. Construction Cost is weighed a 3 and is based on the monetary cost to build the alternative. Freeway and Local Impacts are weighed a 2. Freeway and Local Impacts are crucial because there would be little benefit to a project that has negative results on existing conditions. Adaptability is weighed a 1 and is defined as the ability of the freeway to adapt to future growth in the region.