A report issued by the Government Accountability Office finds that federal regulatory requirements, including environmental reviews, can pose challenges and delays and may affect whether states decide to use federal funds for transportation projects. The study also notes that it is difficult to determine the costs and benefits of such requirements because they generally are not tracked by transportation agencies. The GAO report provides an overview of how the federal requirements are affecting state funding decisions and challenges they pose to transportation agencies, including an overview of efforts underway to reduce delays associated with environmental requirements. Although it provides no recommendations for revisions to environmental requirements, the report urges U.S. DOT to re-evaluate and consider modifying the Buy America threshold and the DBE personal net worth ceiling. For more information, link to Federal Requirements for Highways May Influence Funding Decisions and Create Challenges, but Benefits and Costs Are Not Tracked. (12-12-08)

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The Federal Highway Administration and the I-95 Corridor Coalition have signed an agreement committing the coalition – a partnership of transportation agencies, toll authorities, and related organizations along Interstate 95 – to deploy new technologies designed to reduce congestion on the interstate from Maine to Florida. The coalition has projected a 70 percent increase in travel along the I-95 corridor by 2040, with related increases in congestion, fuel consumption, and the volume of trucking. The agreement calls for the coalition to evaluate innovative approaches for project delivery and to educate states on the use of alternative project delivery, finance, and operation mechanisms. The agreement also includes a goal to double the fuel efficiency of the region’s vehicle fleet. For more information, link to the news release. (12-9-08)

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Methods for incorporating congestion pricing projects, such as high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes, into the NEPA review process are explored in the November 2008 issue of the Federal Highway Administration’s Successes in Stewardship newsletter. The issue describes several important considerations for evaluating congestion pricing during NEPA review, such as ensuring early and consistent public involvement; communicating with resources agencies when considering priced alternatives; and introducing pricing when determining a project’s purpose and need (if considering pricing before the NEPA process begins is not possible). The newsletter also cites potential environmental benefits of congestion pricing, including reducing air pollution and providing additional revenue to support mitigation programs. For more information, link to the November 2008 Successes in Stewardship newsletter, Congestion Pricing and NEPA: Environmental Benefits and Considerations. (11-3-08)

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Effective methods for estimating environmental costs for transportation projects are described in a research report and a guidance document issued under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP 25-25, Task 39).  The research report describes the project, including literature reviews, a survey and interviews with DOTs, and conclusions and examples regarding the state of the practice in estimating environmental costs. The guidance, issued in a separate document, describes the fundamentals of cost estimating; methods for estimating costs at different project phases; tools for estimating, tracking, and managing costs; a discussion of cost risk management, and advice on implementation.  For additional information, link to Improving Environmental Cost Estimates: Final Report, and Guide to Estimating Environmental Costs.  (11-3-08)

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The U.S. Department of Transportation announced that it has completed the environmental review for the northern segment of Interstate 73 in South Carolina.  Federal officials signed the record of decision, completing an environmental review process that started 39 months ago for this project, the department said in a release. “Despite accommodating more than 25 state, local and federal regulatory agencies, including the state Departments of Transportation in both North and South Carolina, the time needed for the project's environmental review was faster than the 50-60 months typically needed.” For more information, link to the release. (10-22-08)

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A report identifying strategies to help state DOTs address critical issues affecting the efficient and effective delivery of transportation projects and programs has been issued by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program under Project 20-07, Task 258 (Sept. 2008). The report identifies and prioritizes such cross-cutting issues that impact project delivery, with environmental impacts considered the most significant, followed by funding, utilities, organizational issues, public involvement, and design criteria. The report also recommends ways to address these issues; for environmental impacts, suggestions include making designers and project managers more aware of specific environmental requirements, making design a part of the environmental impact study process, and placing state DOT personnel in resource agencies to improve the processing of permits and plans. In addition, the report addresses Context Sensitive Solutions in the project delivery process, including the role of CSS in the AASHTO committee structure. For more information, link to Identification of Cross-Cutting Issues Related to the Development, Management, and Delivery of Transportation Projects and Programs. (10-7-08)

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The October 2008 issue of the Federal Highway Administration’s Successes in Stewardship newsletter features the successful completion of the first year of a pilot program where the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) assumed federal NEPA responsibilities for most highway projects in the state. The Surface Transportation Project Delivery Pilot program was established under Section 6005 of the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) to allow up to five states to assume responsibility from FHWA for environmental review, consultation, and other actions in connection with the review or approval of highway projects. Currently, California is the only state participating in the program. A few of the successes Caltrans has achieved in the first year include: implementation of a new environmental document quality assurance process designed to increase consistency across local districts; an increase in staff ownership and accountability for environmental documents and decisions; streamlining of the communication and coordination process between Caltrans and federal resources and permitting agencies; and a reduction in the consultation time for compliance under the Endangered Species Act. For more information, link to FHWA and Caltrans Complete First Year under NEPA Pilot Program. (10-3-08)

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A report published by the Federal Highway Administration analyzes the environmental review process in five cases of bridge reconstruction following collapse in Florida, Minnesota, Mississippi, and Oklahoma. The report, which was prepared by the U.S. DOT’s Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, describes how key elements of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) process were completed comparatively quickly due to a sense of urgency on the part of stakeholders following an emergency. The report also describes several practices that allowed agencies to expedite the environmental review process. For more information, link to Meeting Environmental Requirements After a Bridge Collapse. (August 2008).

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The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced the completion of the environmental review for the I-15 Corridor in Utah County. In a release, DOT said the project – part of an 840-mile route connecting San Diego, Calif., to Salt Lake City that was chosen last year as one of six “Corridors of the Future” – has long been a priority of the Federal Highway Administration and the Utah DOT. While the environmental review process for a project this size typically takes seven to eight years, DOT Secretary Mary Peters noted that the review for this project was completed in less than four years. For more information on the announcement, link to the press release. (8-26-08)

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The Columbia River Crossing, also known as the Interstate 5 Bridge between Portland, Ore., and Vancouver, Wash., has received national priority status from the White House, according to an announcement from U.S. Transportation Secretary Mary E. Peters. The priority designation under Executive Order 13274 was requested jointly by the Oregon and Washington Departments of Transportation. It will help speed decision-making by officials while maintaining all federal and state environmental review requirements, according to a U.S. DOT release. The project, which has already received $15 million in federal funding, will reduce gridlock and improve safety problems on a five-mile stretch of I-5 through a combination of bridge, transit and highway improvements, DOT said. The project area stretches from State Route 500 in Vancouver, Wash., to approximately Columbia Boulevard in Portland, Ore., including the I-5 Bridge across the Columbia River. For more information on the priority project, link to the E.O. 13274 website project list. (8-5-08)

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A Federal Highway Administration program to help state DOTs meet project streamlining and stewardship objectives has led to a substantially expedited environmental review process for a highway project in the nation’s capital. The August 2008 issue of FHWA’s Successes in Stewardship newsletter describes how assistance provided through FHWA’s Teambuilding Initiative helped improve preparation of the environmental impact statement for the 11^th Street Bridges project, which will complete highway connections over the Anacostia River in southeastern Washington, D.C. According to the article, the project team reached a record of decision in 34 months, compared with the FHWA median time of 68 months for completing the National Environmental Policy Act process. The project team also exceeded the agency’s National Performance Objective to complete the process in 36 months. For more information, link to The 11^th Street Bridges: Building Teams to Improve Outcomes and Expedite Environmental Review. (8-1-08)

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The June 2008 issue of the Federal Highway Administration’s Successes in Stewardship newsletter features highlights of the agency’s third biennial Environmental Conference held on June 17-19, 2008, in Washington, D.C. The conference brought together close to 250 transportation and environmental professionals who discussed current environmental practice and activities and emerging trends. Major themes of the conference discussions included climate change, improving NEPA documentation, Section 4(f), fiscal constraint, and the upcoming SAFETEA-LU reauthorization in Sept. 2009. For more information, link to FHWA 2008 Environmental Conference: FHWA’s Role in a Changing Climate. (7-8-08)

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The Federal Highway Administration has announced a new online resource tool as part of its Environmental Competency Building Program to support professional development opportunities in the transportation and environmental disciplines. The new Competency Navigator is designed to help professionals in different disciplines identify key environmental and technical topic areas associated with the delivery of sustainable transportation programs. The tool provides lists of environmental competencies recommended for each of nine disciplines such as senior-level manager, project manager, environmental specialist, planner, and others. For more information, link to Successes in Stewardship: New Professional Development Tool Introduced by the Environmental Competency Building Program. (June 2008)

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A report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office shows some progress by state transportation agencies in implementing streamlined planning and environmental review processes enacted under the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The report, which summarizes findings of a study conducted by GAO at the request of U.S. Senator James Inhofe, also concludes that it will be several years before the full impact of the changes can be determined. For more information, link to the cover letter and briefing report, Highways and Environment: Transportation Agencies are Acting to Involve Others in Planning and Environmental Decisions. (4-25-08)

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