Introduction Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) established a detailed process for environmental commitment development and tracking. ODOT’s Environmental Commitment Manual, originally prepared by the Office of Environmental Services in 2017
Introduction Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) established an electronic data system (ePM) for tracking environmental documents and commitments. Use of the ePM software is not only an efficient way for
Background The following case study examines a transportation project that uses the Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) and Design (CSD) processes to integrate resilience to existing hazards through project design. CSS/CSD
The following case study examines a transportation project that builds resilience to climate hazards into project design, while also demonstrating the Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) and Design (CSD) processes. Download
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) has utilized the Design–Build (DB) method of project delivery for two decades and has experienced a variety of benefits. MnDOT has also delivered successful
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) has utilized the Design–Build (DB) method of project delivery for several highway projects and has experienced a variety of benefits. PennDOT has also recently
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has utilized the Design–Build (DB) method of project delivery since 1997, and has generally found the DB method to benefit complex highway projects through
Introduction Educating the “professionals of tomorrow” is an important strategy to incorporate new concepts into the transportation profession. The AASHTO Center for Environmental Excellence Design Flexibility and Context Sensitive Solutions
In the wake of the devastating floods wrought by Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, the Vermont Agency of Transportation is working to expand training and awareness on how to properly
The Tennessee Department of Transportation is responsible for building and maintaining much of the state’s transportation infrastructure. Following a number of extreme weather events, the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT)
Washington State DOT (WSDOT) is taking into account changing climate conditions and more extreme weather as part of the state’s strategy to achieve a more sustainable transportation system. WSDOT is
Transportation officials in Minnesota will be better able to assess vulnerability of transportation assets to flooding and select appropriate adaptation options for damaged and at-risk infrastructure following a pilot study
The Vermont Agency of Transportation (VTrans) expects to use an increasing number of properties and rights-of-way for the installation of solar power projects that could help the agency meet its
Generating 6 megawatts (MW) of electricity per year from solar farms is not a typical goal for a state transportation agency. But for Massachusetts DOT (MassDOT), setting that goal is
Background When crews are working at the side of the road, the emergency flashing lights atop their trucks are crucial to the workers’ safety and to the protection of passing
Case studies and best practices from state DOTs are available on FHWA’s Pollinator website by clicking on FHWA Pollinator Publications and State DOT Pollinator-Friendly Practices and Information. The case studies
The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) has taken a leadership role in achieving sustainable solutions to manage stormwater through a unique statewide outreach and education initiative. Stormwater Solutions Initiative
A cloud-based web application that facilitates public involvement is helping the Iowa Department of Transportation make better-informed project decisions that reflect community input. The Public Involvement Management Application (PIMA) is
Transportation agencies across the nation are working to create and maintain more habitat for the monarch butterfly, as part of a pioneering nationwide effort by rights-of-way owners to help save
The Florida Department of Transportation has come up with a unique solution to help restore water quality and habitat in Tampa Bay: removing over 200 feet of a land bridge
Highway project developers in Texas responsible for compliance with traffic noise regulations now have a comprehensive collection of documents to turn to for reference, thanks to Texas DOT’s (TxDOT) online
As the first state transportation agency to assume federal authority for environmental reviews of highway projects, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has shaved more than a year off the
An innovative distillation treatment system is helping the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) treat greywater from the floor drains of its maintenance facilities. This new system not only is showing
The Ohio Department of Transportation is using public engagement methods to identify ways to reduce potential impacts on low-income and minority residents from a new 3.5-mile urban boulevard project in
An online project planning application developed by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation is expected to speed up project delivery while improving stakeholder engagement and environmental outcomes. The MassDOT Project Intake
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation is using an innovative “Story Map” to share important historical information about an area impacted by a road improvement project on Route 322 in Centre
Executive Order 12898 requires Federal Agencies to identify and address, as appropriate, disproportionately high and adverse effects of the agency’s programs, policies and activities on minority and low-income populations, often
Transportation officials in Ohio have adopted new guidelines to ensure that projects across the state are attractive and compatible with local surroundings. Tim Hill, Administrator with ODOT’s Office of Environmental
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is reaching out to communities and partner agencies to ensure that all new road projects address a broad range of needs, ranging from bicycle
An effective way to address obstacles to bicycle and pedestrian accommodation is to go out and look for them. That was the lesson the Connecticut Department of Transportation (CTDOT) learned
A new decision support tool under development by Maryland’s State Highway Administration will help the agency quickly find cost-effective solutions to address congested travel corridors while protecting the state’s environmental
An 18-mile stretch of roadway in Georgia is serving as a testing and proving ground for sustainable transportation technologies, with the support of the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT). The
A multi-agency effort including the Iowa Department of Transportation successfully relocated tens of thousands of freshwater mussels in the Mississippi River—including three federally endangered species—to protect them from bridge construction
In a unique partnership, the Georgia Department of Transportation is allowing use of public land along a major highway in Atlanta to be converted to a bustling green space that
When rock-and-roll legend Little Richard was growing up in Macon, Georgia, his Pleasant Hill neighborhood was an African-American community of modest houses and vibrant local life. But the construction of
The Maine Department of Transportation (MaineDOT) has adopted a programmatic approach to ensure vital protections for the endangered Atlantic salmon, while cutting project-approval times for 60 percent of projects that
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) is using a self-evaluation tool to assess and improve its projects and programs, helping the agency integrate sustainability into virtually every component of the
WisDOT Moves Karner Blue Butterflies by the Bushel US Highway 10 cuts through the middle of Wisconsin, connecting the Fox Valley Cities in Wisconsin with the Twin Cities of Minnesota.
The New Hampshire Department of Transportation’s award-winning work managing construction stormwater to protect two water bodies adjacent to Interstate 93 has been a successful demonstration of innovative techniques under real-world
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is using cutting-edge technology to remove the marine foundations of the former East Span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge while protecting area wildlife
A coalition of six state transportation agencies are working together to help monarch butterflies on their migratory journeys by establishing a continuous “Monarch Highway” stretching north-south along Interstate 35. Departments
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) has launched an expanded and renamed version of its online environmental documentation system and is steadily adding time-saving bells and whistles. The system, formerly
The Atlanta metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing population centers in the nation, and the Georgia Department of Transportation is working to make sure that having more people
Challenges associated with assessing the indirect and cumulative effects of transportation projects across Texas have been eased by a revised and simplified set of handbooks and guidance documents developed by
The use of web-enabled cameras to better understand wildlife movements on and near highway rights of way could provide transportation agencies with more timely data, lower costs, and help prevent
As environmental justice in infrastructure planning and construction continues to be promoted at the federal level, state transportation agencies are finding ways to make the process more defined for staff
The Texas Department of Transportation’s (TxDOT) assumption of authority for the Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) responsibilities for environmental review and approval is providing multiple streamlining benefits, saving time and money
The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is implementing a Pollinator Habitat Program along the state’s highway system that provides much-needed waystations for monarch butterflies and other dwindling pollinator species. Moreover,
The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) have significantly reduced review time and cost for conducting endangered species consultations for their projects through implementation of a
The Virginia Department of Transportation’s (VDOT) evolution to an environmental data management system started with more than 73 decentralized spreadsheets and personal databases. In 2001, VDOT developed its GIS Integrator,
The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is cutting down its paperwork and ramping up its collaboration thanks to a unique Programmatic Agreement (PA) signed last year for compliance with Section 6(f)
An innovative Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) created by Colorado DOT (CDOT), the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) will provide CDOT with a new streamlined
Reduced fuel consumption, fewer carbon emissions, better weed control, cost savings and improved habitat for pollinators are among the many benefits of the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) new
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) is building support for bicycling programs across the state through a grass-roots program to help communities with bicycle planning and promoting active transportation. The
The Oregon Department of Transportation has been able to reduce environmental impacts from its maintenance yards and improve environmental awareness, while also reducing costs thanks to an Environmental Management System
An approach known as Practical Solutions is allowing the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to improve and maintain the state’s transportation system in a more sustainable and cost-effective manner,
The Missouri Department of Transportation has been a pioneer in the use of recycled asphalt pavement in its asphalt mixes, allowing the agency to save money and protect the environment.
At the Colorado Department of Transportation, effective landscape architecture provides benefits beyond just a pretty view. In fact, CDOT regards one of the major focuses of landscape architecture to be
More effective mitigation for unavoidable wetland losses from transportation projects in Florida is being achieved through a unique programmatic mitigation approach developed by the Florida Department of Transportation. The state’s
A facility to help practitioners test the effectiveness of stormwater treatment technologies is being developed by the Oregon Department of Transportation. The Stormwater Technology Testing Center (STTC), under construction at
The Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT) has developed a powerful interactive planning tool, UPlan , that provides a comprehensive data repository where users from state, local, and federal agencies and the
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is successfully integrating input from minority and low-income populations (environmental justice [EJ] populations) and consistently documenting its EJ analyses and findings through use of
The Arizona Department of Transportation has developed a manual to ensure compliance, provide consistency, and increase awareness of permitting and certification requirements for its projects under Sections 404 and 401
A guidance document developed for the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT) will provide needed consistency and efficient procedures for determining the indirect land use and environmental effects of transportation projects
Archeologists are piecing together a new understanding of residents and merchants who traveled through Delaware as far back as the late 1600s as part of the Delaware Department of Transportation’s
An online tool developed by transportation and environmental agencies is helping transportation officials in Maryland identify watershed restoration and mitigation opportunities for projects. The Watershed Resources Registry was developed by the
The Minnesota Department of Transportation’s (MnDOT) Corridor Investment Management Strategy (CIMS) was created with one key objective in mind: advance multimodal solutions that ensure a high return on investment while reflecting
A focus on pedestrian safety and the benefits of walking can be seen throughout Hawaii thanks to the nation’s first Statewide Pedestrian Master Plan adopted by the Hawaii Department of
As a leader in sustainability, the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has been working for many years to incorporate the concept into all aspects of its work. WSDOT defines
The Virginia Department of Transportation has realized cost and energy savings using recycled asphalt paving processes for a repaving project along a portion of Interstate 81, prompting the agency to
Since 2010, the California Department of Transportation has been working to implement a new vision for integrating transportation and land use decisions that promises to combine a range of familiar
Environmental stewardship and sustainability efforts in the nation’s capital are continuing to advance, with the District of Columbia Department of Transportation’s (DDOT) implementation of a sustainability plan and a range
Provisions of the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) that allow environmental impact statements and record of decision documents to be combined for transportation projects have achieved
The Florida Department of Transportation has developed comprehensive guidance on determining the potential cumulative effects of transportation projects on sensitive resources in the state. The Cumulative Effects Evaluation Handbook is intended to
A series of underpasses and overpasses recently completed along a Wyoming highway has improved safety for the traveling public while preserving an historic wildlife migration route for pronghorn antelope and
In February 2009, the Ohio Department of Transportation (DOT) initiated the first of two projects designed to replace the aging steel truss bridge that carries Interstate 90 over the Cuyahoga
With a projected growth of approximately 1.5 million people in the next 30 years, the Puget Sound area in Washington State faces increased demand on the region’s transportation system. Background
Urban streetscapes in a major city may appear to be an unlikely environment to find leaner and greener practices. However, the Chicago Department of Transportation has shown that it is
The Florida Department of Transportation has used the Traditional Neighborhood Development approach to help communities integrate land use and transportation to achieve increased livability when compared to Conventional Suburban Development,
The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) has been working to integrate the concepts of sustainability into its decision-making and make the link between mobility and how it can better
A project to construct needed improvements to a stretch of mountain highway in Washington State will provide new opportunities for moving people through the corridor and reconnecting wildlife habitat and
A collaborative process to ensure broad stakeholder involvement and consideration of environmental as well as community concerns has proven to be a key element in advancing a suite of multi-modal
The Florida Department of Transportation was able to preserve the historically significant architectural features of the Bridge of Lions, the gateway to historic St. Augustine. Accomplished by constructing a “bridge
An array of hundreds of solar panels stretching 540 feet along an Oregon highway is helping to power a nearby interchange with clean, renewable energy through a unique public-private partnership
A pioneer in sustainable transportation, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) was the first state transportation agency to adopt an agency-wide sustainability plan. Issued in 2004, that plan stressed inclusion
New York State Department of Transportation is pioneering an effort to measure its own performance on sustainability and is also creating a powerful incentive for its employees to go green.
The Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) has made what it calls an “architecturally challenging” decision to carry out both historic preservation work and transportation safety work in one of the
In the face of extreme winter weather, escalating costs, and tighter budgets, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is implementing more sustainable solutions for coping with ice and snow on the
Transportation design and construction groups in Illinois have helped to design a voluntary guide intended to encourage use of sustainable practices for the transportation projects in the state. The Illinois
The District of Columbia Department of Transportation is emerging as a leader in sustainable approaches to transportation, instituting a collection of environmental process improvements and interagency partnerships to integrate land
The Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is promoting the use of renewable fuels across the state, increasing the number of fueling stations that offer renewables through its “Green Islands” program.
Since 2006, the Chicago Department of Transportation has been upgrading the city’s alleys with state-of-the-art green pavement materials and designs to better manage stormwater and prevent flooding. The agency also
The Kansas Department of Transportation’s successful roadside management policy is getting some well-deserved recognition each spring, as motorists enjoy the sight of pink evening primrose and other native wildflowers in
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