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Project Delivery/Streamlining

Recent Developments

This section describes recent developments related to project delivery/streamlining from the last six months. If you would like to suggest a recent development on this topic, please submit a short description to AASHTO (including any pertinent links) on the Share Info with AASHTO form.

• Virginia Finalizes $3.7B Rail Deal With Amtrak, CSX, VRE

  The Commonwealth of Virginia finalized agreements with Amtrak, CSX, and Virginia Railway Express so it can officially launch a $3.7 billion investment to expand and improve passenger, commuter, and freight rail in Virginia while also creating a “vital connection in America’s national rail network” between the Northeast and Southeast corridors. The finalization of the agreements – dubbed the Transforming Rail in Virginia Initiative and first announced in December 2019 – allows construction to advance on significant rail infrastructure projects in Virginia. For more information, link to the announcement. (4-7-21)

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• White House Issues Ambitious Infrastructure Plan

  President Biden has announced a major infrastructure initiative with funding for traditional surface transportation programs (highways, transit, rail) as well as water, broadband, electrification, power grid, and other programs. The $2 trillion, eight-year “American Jobs Plan would help combat climate change through ending fossil fuel subsidies and investing in vehicle electrification, and it would target additional funding for resilience. It also would target 40 percent of the benefits of its clean infrastructure and climate investments to disadvantaged areas. For more information, link to the Fact Sheet and remarks by President Biden. (3-31-21)

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• President Biden Rescinds Trump Actions on Environment, Recommits to Climate Change

  Among the first actions of his new administration, President Joe Biden signed numerous executive orders to rescind environmental and other actions taken under the Trump administration, including orders related to environmental reviews for transportation projects under the National Environmental Policy Act. Among its many mandates, the Executive Order on Protecting Public Health and the Environment and Restoring Science to Tackle the Climate Crisis rescinds the 2017 order, Expediting Environmental Reviews and Approvals For High Priority Infrastructure Projects; the 2020 order titled Accelerating the Nation’s Economic Recovery from the COVID-19 Emergency by Expediting Infrastructure Investments and Other Activities; as well as the 2017 order, Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process for Infrastructure Projects. In addition, the president rescinded draft guidance from the Council on Environmental Quality regarding considering greenhouse gas emissions under NEPA. Other orders issued by Biden include: recommitting to the Paris Climate Agreement, the Executive Order On Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, and the Regulatory Freeze Pending Review order. Text of the orders are published on the White House briefing room web page. (1-22-21)

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• FTA Announces First Application for Expedited Project Delivery Program

  The Federal Transit Administration has announced that Santa Clara Valley Transit Authority has submitted the first application under the newly established Expedited Project Delivery (EPD) Pilot Program. The discretionary program is aimed at expediting delivery of new transit infrastructure projects that utilize public-private partnerships, are planned to be operated and maintained by employees of an existing public transportation provider, and have a federal share not exceeding 25 percent of the project cost. The project is a 6.5-mile extension of the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. For more information, link to the announcement. (1-11-21)

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• FHWA Launches Updated Tool to Coordinate NEPA and Permitting

  The Federal Highway Administration has launched an updated electronic collaboration tool for implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) review process. The Interagency NEPA & Permitting Collaboration Tool (INPCT), an update of FHWA’s eNEPA system, is aimed at tracking environmental reviews, improving coordination and collaboration, and assisting with document management. It includes two templates to help facilitate the environmental review process: a general NEPA template format for all NEPA class of actions and a tailored “One Federal Decision” template for all major infrastructure projects following Executive Order 13807. For more information, including a national webinar, user handbook, quick-start guide, and how-to videos, link to the INPCT web page. (1-14-21)

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• Report Highlights Federal Permitting Council Report to Congress

  A report highlighting the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council’s 2019 report to Congress has been issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Volpe Center. The report indicated that the environmental review times for projects covered by the Permitting Council were reduced by an average of 1.5 years, which supported more than 127,000 temporary construction jobs and more than 3,000 permanent jobs across the country. For more information, link to the report. (12-21-20)

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• FHWA to Support Seven Innovations Under ‘Every Day Counts’

  Seven innovative project delivery practices will receive support from the Federal Highway Administration under the latest round of the agency’s “Every Day Counts” (EDC) initiative. EDC promotes the accelerated use of tools, technologies, and methods to improve road and bridge projects, reduce costs, and expedite completion. The EDC Round 6 innovations are: crowdsourcing to advance operations; e-ticketing and digital as-builts for construction; virtual public involvement; next-generation traffic incident management; strategic workforce development; targeted overlay pavement solution; and ultra-high performance concrete for bridge preservation and repair. For more information, link to the announcement and the EDC program. (9-23-20)

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• FTA Issues Rule to Streamline Project Management

  Regulations to streamline project management oversight for transit capital investments have been issued by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA). The final rule reduces the number of projects subject to FTA project management oversight and modifies the regulation to make it consistent with statutory changes. It also updates the elements of the required project management plan to reflect industry best practices. For more information, link to the final rule. (9-23-20)

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• FHWA Highlights Efficiencies from Integrating NEPA and Permitting

  The Federal Highway Administration is highlighting efforts underway to help state DOTs better integrate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews with permitting processes. In its Sept. 2020 Successes in Stewardship newsletter, FHWA highlights work to improve process efficiencies in the following areas: scalable approaches for different NEPA classes of action; flexible project delivery processes; increased communication among agencies and dedicated liaisons; and web-based project delivery tools. For more information, access the newsletter. (9-11-20)

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• FHWA 'Successes in Stewardship' Newsletter

  View the most recent issues of FHWA's Successes in Stewardship Newsletter highlighting current environmental streamlining practices from around the country:

  • Sept. 2020: Every Day Counts 4: Integrating NEPA and Permitting Increases Efficiency in Environmental Review
  • July 2020: Back to the Basics: Section 4(f) & 23 CFR 774 Updates
  • June 2019: Section 106 Tribal Agreements: Strengthening Government-to-Government Partnerships and Accelerating Project Delivery
  • FHWA Successes in Stewardship Newsletter Archive (Issues back to 2012)

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• FTA Issues Guidance on Joint Development Projects

  Guidance aimed at helping transit agencies work with developers to build projects that benefit transit systems and their communities has been issued by the Federal Transit Administration. The guidance focuses on joint development projects, which involve the construction of commercial, residential, or mixed-use projects near transit or on transit system-owned land. It provides flexibility in use of FTA funding and streamlines FTA eligibility reviews. For more information, link to the announcement and the notice. (8-14-20)

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• CEQ Issues Final Rule to Revise NEPA Regulations

  A final rule to revise implementing regulations for environmental reviews conducted under the National Environmental Policy Act has been published by the White House Council on Environmental Quality. The rule directs agencies to consider a project's environmental effects if they are “reasonably foreseeable” and to analyze a “reasonable range and number” of feasible alternatives when conducting environmental reviews. The rule establishes two-year time limits for preparation of environmental impact statements (EISs) and one-year limits for environmental assessments (EAs); establishes presumptive page limits for EISs and EAs; and calls for joint schedules and a single EIS and record of decision for multi-agency EISs. It also includes provisions to strengthen the role of the lead agency and establishes a greater role for applicants and contractors in preparing EISs. Additional provisions call for earlier public input and greater use of information-sharing technology in the review process, enhanced participation opportunities for tribal governments, and use of NEPA documents prepared by state, tribal, and local agencies. For more information, link to the fact sheet and final rule. (7-15-20)

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• Florida DOT Accelerates Critical Infrastructure Amid COVID-19

  Lower traffic volumes because of the COVID-19 pandemic have allowed the Florida Department of Transportation to expedite more than 40 critical transportation projects by at least 650 total contract days, while also providing essential jobs to Floridians. Link to the announcement. (5-8-20)

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• FHWA Updates FAQs Concerning Right-of-Way and Real Estate

  The Federal Highway Administration has updated a question-and-answer document regarding right-of-way and real estate issues, including state and federally funded early acquisition projects. The updates address changes introduced by Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century Act (MAP-21) and other changes made by a final rule published in 2016. The questions and answers concern early acquisition flexibilities that can be used by state departments of transportation and other grantees under the federal-aid highway program. For more information, link to the Frequently Asked Questions. (2-19-20)

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• GAO Urges Agencies to Develop Performance Schedules for FAST-41 Projects

  Federal agencies should take steps to fully develop performance schedules for environmental reviews for infrastructure projects, including pipelines, renewable energy production, and electricity transmission, covered under Title 41 of the FAST Act, according to a study by the Government Accountability Office. The GAO found that the process the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council used to develop draft performance schedules for the three sectors did not fully implement two of three selected best practices identified by GAO: (1) maintaining the baseline schedule and (2) conducting an analysis of potential risks. The report recommended that the Permitting Council incorporate such practices into its performance process. For more information, link to the report. (10-29-19)

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• U.S. DOT Issues Policies on NEPA Page Limits, One Federal Decision Process

  The U.S. Department of Transportation has issued two interim policies related to expediting environmental reviews for transportation projects: one on implementation of the One Federal Decision (OFD) process under the National Environmental Policy Act and a second on limiting the page length of NEPA documents. The OFD interim policy addresses how the department and its operating agencies – as well as state DOTs with NEPA assignment – will implement the OFD process for environmental reviews and authorization decisions. It implements Executive Order 13807, which required federal agencies to use the OFD process for major infrastructure projects and established a two-year goal for completing federal environmental reviews. The policy also provides direction on issues including determining covered projects, agency responsibilities, developing permitting timetables, pre-scoping activities, concurrence points, and dispute resolution. In addition, it provides information on estimating environmental review costs for purposes of tracking projects on the federal permitting dashboard. The NEPA page-length guidance calls for agencies to limit the text of environmental impact statements to 150 pages (or up to 300 pages for complex projects) and to limit the text of environmental assessments to 75 pages (or 150 pages for mitigated findings of no significant impact). It also provides best practices for effective NEPA documents. For more information, link to the OFD Interim Guidance and the NEPA Page Limits Interim Guidance. (8-22-19)

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• Study Shows How Transportation Liaisons Help Expedite Project Delivery

  A Federal Highway Administration study illustrates how state transportation agencies are successfully using funded transportation liaison positions at resource and regulatory agencies to accelerate project delivery. The study revisits six of the eight states included in a 2009 study (California, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, South Carolina, and Washington) to understand how their transportation liaison programs have evolved over the past decade. In addition, FHWA engaged three new states (Colorado, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania) to learn how liaison program practices have grown and operate today. The study, which described benefits, challenges, and recommendations, found liaison programs to be an effective option for expediting project delivery. For more information, link to the study. (July 2019)

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• FTA, California Transit Agency to Begin Expedited Project Delivery

  The Federal Transit Administration has announced that the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in California will be the first to participate in the agency’s Expedited Project Delivery Pilot Program. The agencies will begin discussions about new and innovative approaches to expedite delivery and financing of transit projects. The Santa Clara VTA put forward a project, known as the Silicon Valley Phase II Project, to extend the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) heavy rail network into San Jose and Santa Clara. The agency is one of seven to express interest in being part of the program. For more information, link to the announcement. (7-8-19)

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• White House Issues Accountability Scorecard for Major Infrastructure Projects

  The White House Office of Management and Budget has announced the launch of the inaugural Infrastructure Permitting Accountability Scorecards to track how agencies are progressing toward modernizing the permitting process for major infrastructure projects. The scorecards track how agencies are making progress with regard to the President’s One Federal Decision requirement, permitting timetables and milestones, and procedures for elevating schedule delays to senior agency officials when delays occur. Scorecards are provided that include the first two quarters of 2019 for 15 major infrastructure projects under various agencies including the Transportation Department. Information concerning the meeting of milestones, and the time and funds spent on environmental reviews will be provided in future scorecards when more data is collected. For more information, link to the Accountability Scorecard for Major Infrastructure Projects. (6-27-19)

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• Tool to Measure Public Involvement Effectiveness Provided in Research

  A tool transportation agencies can use to measure the effectiveness of their public involvement efforts has been developed under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program. NCHRP Research Report 905 provides a practitioner-ready toolkit, which includes a survey, a scoring tool, and guidelines for scoring. It can be used to collect feedback from the public on several indicators and compare that feedback with the agency’s own perceptions. For the report and related resources, link here. (6-19-19)

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• AASHTO Seeks Poster Ideas for COES Meeting in Minneapolis

  AASHTO is seeking poster presentations for the Committee on Environment and Sustainability Conference Reception and Poster session on Aug. 6th, from 6 to 8 pm at the Radisson Blu in Minneapolis. The poster session is a valuable opportunity for DOTs, universities, and consultants to present recent projects, case studies, or innovative solutions to emerging environmental topics. Send a one page description to Oscar Bermudez (obermudez@aashto.org) by June 21st. If selected, you will be notified by July 12th. For more information, link here.

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• FHWA Issues Summary Report on Every Day Counts Round 5 Initiatives

  The Federal Highway Administration has issued a summary report on the fifth round its Every Day Counts program for innovative approaches to highway project delivery. The report outlines the deployment status of the 10 EDC-5 innovations. Approaches include project bundling, safe transportation for pedestrians, virtual public involvement, and weather responsive management strategies. For more information, link to the report. (5-16-19)

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• ARTBA Gives Out Transportation Project Environmental Excellence Awards

  The American Road & Transportation Builders Association presented the 2019 “Globe Awards” to transportation agencies and construction contractors for contributions to environmental protection and mitigation. The first place award in the large projects category was for the Herbert C. Bonner Bridge replacement in North Carolina, which took steps to minimize impacts on turtle nesting grounds and piping plover habitat. The second place for large projects was awarded to Washington State DOT for the Alaskan Way Viaduct/SR 99 Tunnel project in Seattle, which includes, among other things, advanced stormwater and pollution handling systems. For more information, link to the announcement. (5-15-19)

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• Researchers Develop Tool to Measure Effectiveness of Public Involvement

  A toolkit to measure the effectiveness of public involvement in transportation have been developed under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP Research Report 905, Project 08-105). The toolkit, which includes survey instruments, a scoring tool, and guidelines for use, is designed to collect feedback from the public on several indicators of effectiveness and compare that feedback with the transportation agency’s perceptions. The combined responses then can be used to compare the effectiveness of different public involvement strategies over time. For more information, link to the report. (5-6-19)

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• Study Examines Use of Categorical Exclusion PAs to Streamline Project Delivery

  Programmatic agreements with the Federal Highway Administration concerning categorical exclusions are a good first step toward more streamlined environmental reviews, according to a report issued under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program Project 25-25. The study found that many state departments of transportation have entered into agreements that create a framework for decision making about actions that qualify for categorical exclusion under the National Environmental Policy Act. Examples of programmatic agreements for categorical exclusions used by the DOTs in Arizona, Connecticut, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, were reviewed. The report includes lessons learned, the text of the nine PAs, and a model agreement created by the FHWA. For more information, link to the report. (3-16-19)

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• Newsletter Highlights Process Efficiencies in Project Development

  A tool for accessing a variety of environmental information is outlined in the February 2019 issue of the Federal Highway Administration’s Successes in Stewardship newsletter. The issue describes the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Comprehensive Environmental Data and Reporting (CEDAR) system, which provides a single user interface to access all of an agency’s environmental data such as National Environmental Policy Act documentation, permitting information, and environmental contracts. CEDAR has been adopted by several other states including, most recently, Alaska. For more information, link to the newsletter. (3-18-19)

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• FHWA Posts Virtual Public Involvement Resources

  The Federal Highway Administration has posted resources on ways to conduct public involvement activities virtually. The agency said use of virtual public involvement tools enhances and broadens the reach of public engagement efforts by making participation more convenient and affordable for greater numbers of people. Virtual public involvement techniques – such as telephone town halls, tablet-based surveys and mobile applications, and video posts for project information – are being showcased via the fifth round of FHWA’s Every Day Counts initiative. For more information, link here. (2-25-19)

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• USDOT Report Addresses Steps Taken to Accelerate Project Delivery

  The Department of Transportation has released a report to Congress concerning Section 1317 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act, which addresses the acceleration of project delivery while improving environmental outcomes under the National Environmental Policy Act. The report addresses the use of technology in environmental reviews, prioritization of programmatic environmental impact statements, methods to encourage agencies to present analysis in a clear manner, and improvements to modernize process implementation. For more information, link to the report. (1-19-17)

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