Domestic Scan:
Environmental Commitment Implementation
Innovative and Successful Approaches
CHAPTER 3: BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
While visiting the seven States, the Domestic Scan Team observed several common themes that contribute to successful environmental commitment implementation. The following themes are the basis for the organization of this chapter:
- Environmental Ethic/Stewardship
- Staffing
- Training
- Guidance Documents
- Commitment Assurance
- Tracking Mechanisms
- Public Involvement
- Interagency Coordination
- Resource-Specific Initiatives
- Tools and Technology
Each theme highlights best practices shared by the States visited. These detailed examples serve as a guide to help other States be more successful in commitment implementation. Further details about these examples can be found in the State descriptions in Appendix B
1. ENVIRONMENTAL ETHIC/STEWARDSHIP
The critical element of State DOTs' successful commitment implementation is the adoption of a strong environmental ethic that permeates the entire organization. When this ethic is institutionalized, State DOTs can continually implement the commitments contained in environmental documents and permits. As a result, environmental stewardship becomes the way of conducting business. State DOT leadership needs to strongly embrace and promote this environmental ethic, which will allow staff at all levels and areas of expertise to be innovative in their own stewardship. Although it often takes transportation agencies years to develop and ingrain an environmental culture into its organization, several States have already begun to exhibit the success that results from having a strong environmental ethic. Some best practices in this area include:
- NYSDOT's Leadership Effort — The leadership effort within NYSDOT to become stewards of the environment began with the Governor's and the NYSDOT Commissioner's desire to have an environmental initiative at NYSDOT. Environmental awareness was adopted as a quality of life issue and introduced as part of the NYSDOT Mission Statement in 2002: "It is the mission of the New York State Department of Transportation to ensure our customers -those who live, work, and travel in New York State — have a safe, efficient, balanced, and environmentally sound transportation system." With this mission, all NYSDOT employees have become empowered to include environmental aspects in their jobs. NYSDOT's environmental commitments are implemented as a regular course of action in project development. NYSDOT does not see environmental consideration as an add-on but as an essential element of the transportation project development process.
"New York has had strong leadership with a commitment to doing good things for the environment. We developed an environmental ethic that changed the culture at NYSDOT. And the longer we have this ethic out in front of people, the more they buy into and recognize new opporutnities in their dialy work."
Mary Ivey, Acting Director, Environmental Analysis Bureau, NYSDOT
- KYTC's Environmentally Sensitive Ethic — The implementation of an environmentally sensitive ethic has allowed KYTC's organization to develop a new mindset over the past four years. KYTC's "Environmental Path," which was officially implemented in February 2003, includes an Environmental Policy that promotes stewardship, leadership, partnering, practice, and commitment as key principles in developing a successful environmental culture throughout the organization. Through this new policy and holistic approach to transportation decisionmaking, KYTC aims to improve training, encourage environmental leadership among KYTC staff, and emphasize CSD/CSS to enhance quality of life. To change how business is done, KYTC focuses on the public and stakeholders and strives to deliver projects in a manner that balances project delivery with sensitivity to the human and natural environment.
- TxDOT's Bottom-Up Approach — By supporting a bottom-up approach, TxDOT has developed a statewide ethic that allows its districts to demonstrate environmental stewardship throughout their individual district organizations. The variety of needs found within each of TxDOT's 25 districts provides the staff in these districts with the opportunity to play a crucial role in the project development process.
2. STAFFING
For environmental commitments to be successfully implemented, an understanding among staff of the importance of these commitments and of the entire transportation development process must exist. All participating States in the Domestic Scan realize this need, and many have developed staff positions that focus solely on environmental compliance. These States strongly believe that such a position is crucial for the continual success of commitment compliance. Environmental coordinators often are introduced to environmental issues during the project development phase. Yet the full value of these positions is realized when their responsibilities extend through construction and maintenance.
3. TRAINING
Knowledge and understanding of the entire transportation project development process, as well as the importance of environmental commitments, are essential to achieving successful implementation of these commitments. Training DOT staff, and the contractors hired by the DOT is the first step. Unique training opportunities help create an awareness and understanding of environmental expectations throughout a project's lifetime. Many training courses include participation by consultants and resource agencies to discuss specific resource issues and to gain a stronger understanding of environmental commitments. Cross training emphasizes the importance of understanding the total context of project delivery by teaching staff about other project operations and responsibilities. Cross training can also lead to increased environmental stewardship and improved environmental compliance. The Domestic Scan Team observed that many of the States visited conduct training for employees in areas that have traditionally been ignored, such as NEPA training for construction or design engineers.
- KYTC's Environmental Leadership Workshop-KYTC employed a three-day Environmental Leadership Workshop (developed by the FHWA Southern Resource Center) to address its need for change and the integration of environmental issues into all activities. KYTC upper management first attended the workshop, which was later adapted for design consultants, mid-level management, FHWA Division staff, and environmental staff in order to test the progress made in changing the mindset of the agency. KYTC has also become a national leader in CSD/CSS training, which it recently incorporated into its construction activities. KYTC created a series of Cabinet "culture talks" led by KYTC's Secretary Codell and developed its own one-day environmental leadership training course for all employees.
- INDOT's Training and Certification — INDOT mandates that its consultants become trained and certified by INDOT on unique environmental aspects. The NEPA training is for consultants who currently work on INDOT projects or who will be offering their professional services for NEPA documentation. This three-day training reviews the new INDOT/FHWA streamlined NEPA procedures and addresses issues that arise during reviews to comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Consultants are required to take this training in order to be eligible to work on EIS projects.
- WYDOT's On-the-Job Training — On-the-job training for construction crews at WYDOT includes a video presentation on environmental compliance and awareness and stresses avoidance and minimization of environmental impacts. The training emphasizes WYDOT's mission statement and environmental policy and includes a statement by the Wyoming Contractors Association on the importance of environmental sensitivity during construction.
- TxDOT's and NJDOT's Pre-construction Training — Both TxDOT's Corpus Christi District and NJDOT conduct pre-construction training. TxDOT's pre-construction meetings with contractors may include training on specific topics such as the protection of seagrass beds (flowering plants adapted to live completely submerged in shallow coastal waters and estuarine environments). NJDOT is currently developing contractor training and meetings with its contractors to discuss good stewardship practices.
"In the past, the environmental ethic rested solely with people in the environmental field, but that's absolutely not the case now. We don't just stop with an introduction to environmental issues; we continue developing and offering advanced training courses, always raising the bar as our people gain experience."
Dianna Noble, Director, Environmental Affairs Division, TxDOT
- CDOT's Maintenance Academy Training — CDOT holds an annual Maintenance Academy Training for new employees that includes a session on environmental issues. The three-day training incorporates various environmental and maintenance issues, including water quality, required permits, and resource agency approvals. CDOT also holds a three-day environmental professional training each October for all CDOT environmental staff. This training introduces emerging issues, new requirements, and topics selected by the staff. At the regional level, environmental personnel have begun to train all other employees in environmental issues. This effort has been successful in bringing environmental issues to the forefront in the regions. Finally, each region will receive specific training in environmental stewardship as a result of CDOT's new Environmental Stewardship Guide.
4. GUIDANCE DOCUMENTS
In addition to training, practitioners must have easy access to pertinent information in order to successfully implement environmental commitments. Guidance documents can be prepared in many different formats, including pocket guides, guidelines, manuals, and videos. The key to their success is to have guidance documents that are accessible, reader-friendly, and relevant. The States visited by the Domestic Scan Team have created guidance documents that have proven to be both creative and effective in reaching DOT staff and contractors.
Pocket Guides
Several of the participating States rely on pocket guides for on-site information. Pocket guides are small, portable, and accessible to both DOT field staff and contractors. These materials are valuable resources to educate and inform project staff.
- CDOT's 2002 Erosion Control and Stormwater Quality Pocketbook — This 40-page pocketbook helps construction and maintenance workers adhere to CDOT's Erosion Control and Stormwater Quality Guidelines by providing details on implementing and maintaining water quality Best Management Practices (BMPs). The guide is sized to fit into the back pocket of pants and contains many useful diagrams of different techniques.
- Environmental Management Practices Pocket Guide: A Construction Industry Field Guide for Environmental Stewardship in New Jersey — This pocket guide is provided to all NJDOT construction personnel. Authored by the Construction Industry Advancement Program of New Jersey (CIAP), the 34-page field guide highlights common construction activities and identifies related environmental issues and contacts for additional information.
- TxDOT's Pocket Guides — Two pocket guides addressing TxDOT's environmental issues are under development for field personnel. Both guides present advice on how to address unforeseen issues. Both "A TxDOT Guide to Dealing with Unexpected Environmental Issues on Projects" and "A Guide to Dealing with Environmental Issues at TxDOT Facilities" will summarize environmental compliance issues that may be encountered during construction or maintenance and will include contacts to receive more information about these situations. These pocket guides will address scenarios such as finding archeological evidence during construction or having a chemical spill at facilities.
Guidelines and Manuals
Guidelines and manuals provide more detailed information than pocket guides. Guidelines provide procedural information, while manuals explain the requirements and regulations that underlie the State's initiatives for commitment compliance. Both guidelines and manuals may detail a procedural function or specific issue, such as endangered species or erosion control. Guidelines and manuals are usually included in staff training.
- WYDOT's Endangered Species Resource Manual — WYDOT developed an endangered species resource manual for use by its staff. Construction staff use the manual to identify endangered species on construction sites.
- NYSDOT's Environmental Handbook — NYSDOT's January 2002 "Environmental Handbook for Transportation Operations: A Summary of the Environmental Requirements and Best Practices for Maintaining and Constructing Highways and Transportation Systems" ensures that staff comply with Federal and State environmental regulations. The handbook provides general guidance on the primary regulatory requirements that affect NYSDOT operations and can be found at: http://www.dot.state.ny.us/eab/oprhbook.html.
- CDOT's Environmental Stewardship Guide — CDOT developed this guide to provide internal and external users with an overview of the transportation decisionmaking process and a better understanding of environmental considerations. The guide presents an overview of CDOT's environmental policies, processes, roles, responsibilities, and general guidance.
- INDOT's Design Manual — This manual discusses the agency's general procedures for environmental processing and compliance. Since consultants are involved in approximately 90 percent of INDOT's project development, this manual is critical for providing them with procedural guidance.
Videos
Many States have begun to use videos for both training and information-sharing. Videos serve a similar purpose as manuals by describing guidelines and regulations in an accessible and audience-appropriate manner.
- WYDOT's Threatened and Endangered Species Videos — WYDOT has made great strides in using videos for training purposes. The video "Road Building: Respecting and Protecting Wyoming's Environment" describes environmental concerns related to highway construction and stresses the benefits of avoidance and minimization of impacts. The video "Caring for Threatened and Endangered Species During Sybille Canyon Reconstruction" educated the Sybille Canyon team about the two endangered species affected by the construction project. The video stresses the importance of reducing construction-related impacts to these species and their habitats.
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TxDOT's Videos — TxDOT has produced two videos that highlight environmental commitments and mitigation as important parts of the project development process. The video "Connecting History: The Bridges of Ft. Worth" showcases TxDOT's bridge projects in the Ft. Worth area, while the video "Mission Nuestra Señora Del Refugio: Road to Discovery" highlights TxDOT's work on U.S. Highway 77, where human remains were found from the last Spanish Colonial mission established in Texas.
- NYSDOT's Public Relations Video — Used as public relations material, NYSDOT's video "Better than Before" explains how the agency's stewardship and environmental ethic have led them to implement successful projects across the State. The video showcases a variety of projects and interviews local citizens who have benefited from NYSDOT's project improvements. The video is also shared with NYSDOT employees to celebrate their success and to promote continued environmental initiatives.
5. COMMITMENT ASSURANCE
Clear documentation of the environmental impacts and associated mitigation of a proposed transportation project must be included and delineated in decision documents and permits. As outlined in 23 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 771.109(b), if environmental commitments are not implemented in design and construction and maintained in operations, the entire transportation project development process can be compromised. Successful implementation of environmental commitments builds trust among transportation and environmental resource agencies and fosters environmental stewardship.
States that successfully implement environmental commitments do so by adopting effective means to communicate these commitments throughout each phase of the transportation project development process. A variety of approaches are used to communicate commitments. These approaches may vary from State to State depending on the size of the State DOT, its number of projects, and its variety of commitments. Descriptions of several commitment assurance tools that the visited States use for both project planning/design and post-NEPA activities follow.
Project Planning/Design
Commitment summaries included in design and construction plans are just one of the mechanisms that State DOTs can use to clearly communicate commitments from the environmental analysis stage of project development through the planning/design, construction, and maintenance stages. Environmental commitments introduced in the planning/design stage must be effectively documented in order to communicate these commitments through the life of a project.
- KYTC's New Communication Approach — In October 2002, KYTC released a memorandum outlining its new "Communicating All Promises" (CAP) approach. The CAP approach tracks and demonstrates follow-through on all commitments made from planning through construction and maintenance. Commitments are posted in the State's online tracking system for use by contractors and placed in the lead project engineer's files. The CAP report is also included in the bid package and the contract documents for the project. Once fully implemented, the CAP approach will institutionalize commitments and improve communication among all parties involved in the transportation process. The CAP approach aims to save time and resources for both KTYC and contractors.
- CDOT's Commitment Assurance — CDOT is implementing a new management approach for commitment assurance that differs from the traditional project development process. Under this new approach, the project engineer promotes communication and takes the project from conception through construction. Since the project engineer is responsible for ensuring that all project commitments are met, follow-through is improved and commitments are communicated and complied with successfully.
- NJDOT's Environmental Plan Sheets and Checklists — NJDOT uses both environmental plan sheets and environmental reevaluation checklists to communicate commitments throughout all phases of project development. Instead of writing commitments only in the contract document, NJDOT outlines commitments in environmental plan sheets and includes those sheets directly in project plans. By placing the environmental commitments in its project plans, NJDOT increases the likelihood of meeting environmental commitments. The environmental reevaluation checklist reflects the commitments stated in the NEPA document. The checklist was developed to compensate for the length of time between issuance of the Record of Decision and the acquisition of Right of Way (ROW). NJDOT also uses the checklist for any new or supplemental funding requests for NEPA projects. The checklist contains permit information, agency approvals, Executive Orders for wetlands and floodplains, and an environmental inventory of impacted resources.
- INDOT's "Scope/Environmental Compliance Certification/Permit Application Certification" — INDOT uses this certification tool at four different design stages to ensure that its project designs incorporate all environmental commitments. This tool certifies that the requisite permits have been acquired and that the associated conditions/requirements have been included in project plans, specifications, and estimates (PS&E).
Post-NEPA Activities
Detailing environmental commitments in NEPA documents is only the first step of implementation. The next critical step is ensuring that these commitments are communicated throughout all post-NEPA activities. Forms, meetings, and field reviews assure that these commitments are transmitted to construction and maintenance staff.
- INDOT's Mitigation Memo — A Mitigation Memo is prepared by the INDOT Public Hearings Section, which reviews the six-month letting list to identify projects ready for construction. The Mitigation Memo includes the mitigation chapter of the approved environmental document, a design summary that documents how environmental commitments are implemented in the final design, and the Fish and Wildlife Review Form that documents stream-related restrictions and special provisions. This Mitigation Memo serves as a reminder for project designers and land acquisition and construction personnel to assure that all requisite and special provisions have been included in the final P&E assembly. In addition, the Mitigation Memo notifies construction staff of the commitments they are expected to implement.
- TxDOT's and NJDOT's Pre-construction Meetings — TxDOT and NJDOT use pre-construction meetings to communicate with all stakeholders. TxDOT holds pre-construction meetings with contractors, while NJDOT environmental staff attend pre-bid and pre-construction meetings to ensure that all parties understand a project's environmental commitments. NJDOT also holds post-construction reviews for wetland monitoring to confirm performance and compliance with stated mitigation goals.
- NJDOT's Construction Field Reviews — NJDOT conducts randomly selected Construction Field Reviews on its construction projects every six months. The one-day reviews are conducted by Environment Teams (E-Teams) that include a NJDOT Environmental Specialist. The staff involved in project development, including the NJDOT Environmental Specialist, are utilized in these reviews. The E-Team meets with the resident engineer and then prepares a brief written report that not only focuses on compliance, but also identifies unique construction activities.
- CDOT's Quality Assurance Reviews and Audits (QAR) — These reviews and audits communicate the success of a project's commitment implementation and review lessons learned. CDOT's QAR determine how environmental mitigation commitments are incorporated into design plans, followed through in construction, and managed in maintenance. The projects with the most impacts are reviewed, and the regional project manager has at least one year to implement at least one of the QAR's recommendations.
- NYSDOT's State Environmental Audit System — NYSDOT has automated the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's (NYSDEC) State Environmental Audit System in order to self-report violations of NYSDEC regulations and to report environmental initiative activities. NYSDOT's annual environmental audit relies on many tracking mechanisms that use the NYSDEC automated database. More information about NYSDOT's audit approach can be found in the Tracking Mechanisms section of this report.
- NJDOT's Construction and Maintenance Unit — NJDOT's Construction and Maintenance Unit conducts audits that include, but are not limited to, environmental issues. Typical findings of these construction and maintenance audits involve sedimentation and erosion control issues. The audits are randomly conducted and primarily serve as part of the construction auditing process, where environmental commitments play an important role. NJDOT also performs reevaluations for FHWA-funded projects, which improves documentation of project changes and communication throughout NJDOT's sections.
6. TRACKING MECHANISMS
The most effective and efficient means to ensure that environmental commitments are communicated from one phase of a project to another is by using tracking mechanisms. Many States have developed successful tracking mechanisms such as databases, forms, and lists to ensure that its departments communicate with each other and that commitments stay attached to a project throughout its life.
Databases
Databases are tracking systems that allow States to catalogue and share project information, including documentation, status of commitment implementation, and records of completion of environmental commitments. Databases are useful tools that outline details about a project from planning through maintenance.
- CDOT's Mitigation Compliance Tracking System — CDOT's Region 6 has created a Mitigation Compliance Tracking System that catalogues project details, including compliance clearance status and mitigation. The database lists projects individually and also includes information on a project's type of documentation, permits, and clearances. In addition, the database offers detailed comments on mitigation commitments and allows for reports on mitigation to be developed through the system.
- TxDOT's Environmental Tracking System — TxDOT's central office has introduced an Environmental Tracking System (ETS) to be used by all of its districts. ETS is part of TxDOT's overall compliance initiative known as Environmental Permits, Issues, and Commitments (EPIC). EPIC helps TxDOT staff ensure that commitments are addressed during project development and implemented through design, construction, and maintenance. ETS is one tool that allows TxDOT districts to track project documentation, comments, surveys, public involvement, interagency coordination, and issues regarding Section 4(f) of the 1966 U.S. DOT Act. ETS also automatically generates a spreadsheet that calculates the estimated timeframe for environmental clearance and ROW acquisition. Each district has a district environmental quality coordinator (DEQC) who is required to perform field and office ROW record reviews on construction and maintenance projects. DEQCs base their reviews on items listed in the EPIC.
- NYSDOT's Environmental Auditing Tools — NYSDOT has created several tools for environmental auditing, including the ETRACK database. ETRACK is a Microsoft application linked to NYSDOT's Program Support System (see the Lists section below), which tracks projects and their major milestones. The database details specific aspects of a project, such as environmental, landscape and architecture, and social impacts. The goal of the ETRACK effort is to establish a method to assure consistency in statewide environmental information.
Forms
Forms are a static type of tracking that States can use to follow a project's commitments through the lifetime of the project. The success of these forms is dependent on how the form is transmitted from one project phase to another. Forms ensure that the information listed for a project is implemented and not forgotten.
- KYTC's Guidance Accountability Forms — KYTC developed its Guidance Accountability Form (GAF) for all environmental base studies. The GAF is used by consultants and reviewed by KYTC to promote quality assurance and compliance with applicable policies, guidance, rules, and regulations. The forms also document the acceptance of mitigation measures by the project team. The impacts and mitigation identified in the GAF are also summarized in the Project Impact Profile (PIP), which is used to communicate the project commitments listed in the NEPA document. Both the GAF and the PIP feed into the CAP system, which tracks environmental commitments throughout all phases of project development and implementation.
- NYSDOT's Recording Methods — NYSDOT developed the Environmental Commitment and Obligations Package for Construction (ECOPAC) to record the actual compliance of construction projects. ECOPAC tracks commitment compliance throughout all construction activities in respect to the environmental issues identified and highlighted during project development. The form, which is now being used by all NYSDOT design and construction staff, allows NYSDOT to translate environmental commitments to construction staff.
- INDOT's Mitigation Commitment Summary — INDOT includes its mitigation commitment summary in NEPA documents and project plans. In addition, INDOT will include the summary in its electronic project tracking system, which will be completed in 2003. By incorporating the summary into the tracking system, INDOT will increase the effectiveness of the summary and support more complete implementation of environmental commitments.
Lists
States often use lists to track issue-specific commitments, such as cultural resource commitments. Therefore, a State may utilize a variety of lists to delineate the commitments made for each resource impacted by a project. Lists can be designed to serve a variety of functions, including acting as a monitoring list, checklist, or punch list as part of the construction assurance process.
- NJDOT's Cultural Resource Commitments List — NJDOT created a comprehensive Cultural Resource Commitments List to improve its relationship with the SHPO. The list contains a description of the project, the names of program and project managers, target dates for activities, estimates of mitigation costs, and progress status. NJDOT updates this information quarterly and shares it with the SHPO and FHWA.
- TxDOT's Environmental Commitment Checklist — An Environmental Commitment Checklist for construction, maintenance, and facilities projects used by TxDOT's Houston District is now being implemented statewide. This checklist is similar to those used by DOTs in implementing traffic controls in a project. It provides the contractor with a method to operate while implementing and complying with environmental commitments and permit conditions. The checklist offers a yes/no/non-applicable option for specific documentation permits, general conditions, control measures, inspections, water resource compliance, and other environmental requirements. The checklist is used by the DEQC when reviewing projects for compliance with environmental permits, issues, and commitments.
- NYSDOT's Program Support System — The Program Support System (PSS) is the official NYSDOT list of projects that are progressing within the department. It is used in all regions of the State and is maintained by the central office. PSS is NYSDOT's central system for providing information about project costs, status, and anticipated milestones.
7. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT
Most of the critical elements of any transportation project are decided during the planning and NEPA analysis phases. Public involvement provides important input during this decisionmaking process. Any final decision on a transportation project must be made in the best interest of the public. FHWA requires that transportation agencies actively involve the public in an open, cooperative, and collaborative process throughout all stages of the project development process. This is achieved in a variety of ways -from traditional approaches, such as public meetings and media notification, to involving the public in CSD/CSS approaches. Outreach needs to be customized to fit the context of the project. Since public involvement plays such an important role in the life of any project, every State DOT visited on the Domestic Scan discussed public involvement issues and practices with the Domestic Scan team.
- TxDOT's Public Involvement Program — TxDOT's Kelly Parkway Corridor Study focused on the evaluation of viable design alternatives to provide a new multi-lane arterial. The project area impacts a low-income minority community that is comprised mostly of residents who only speak Spanish. While TxDOT's public involvement program (PIP) utilized traditional methods like public meetings and notifications through print media, it also used new and innovative public involvement techniques to reach its stakeholders. TxDOT created a public involvement office inside the community, introduced a public involvement website, and held ongoing stakeholder meetings and public education workshops. TxDOT also introduced a bilingual effort in order to effectively reach the impacted population and address their concerns. Through this extensive public involvement effort, TxDOT learned what was important to the community, including what commitments and mitigation it desired.
- KYTC and WYDOT Public Involvement Positions — KYTC added public involvement positions in each of its districts to ensure that proper communication with the public is maintained throughout a project's life. In addition, KYTC's public involvement staff and all members of project teams must take extensive training on public involvement outreach techniques. WYDOT also recently added public involvement coordinators in each of its districts. In addition, WYDOT issued a new public involvement manual in February 2003.
- KYTC's Public Relations — KYTC's public involvement efforts for its Interstate 65 rehabilitation project helped complete a 4.15 million dollar rehabilitation project along Interstate 65 in Louisville in a record 107 hours. Since Interstate 65 is one of the busiest interstates in the nation, KYTC ensured that its project development process was customer-driven from inception to completion in order to minimize construction impacts. KYTC adopted the philosophy of "Get in, Get Out, and Stay Out" from the beginning of the project as the key determinant in all decisions. KYTC's public relations and traffic management staff played an active role in meeting the project's six goals: less inconvenience to motorists, no work zone accidents, no traffic accidents, no traffic congestion, higher quality product, and partnering.
- WYDOT's Advisory Committees — WYDOT uses advisory committees as part of the public involvement process. The committees, which include a variety of local representatives, assist in the development of projects, many of which have timing restrictions due to wildlife and recreation concerns. WYDOT works diligently with the public to gain credibility and to see that public comments and issues are addressed. For example, WYDOT improved a public rest area on Interstate 80 in order to provide a view of the new highway and remnants of the original Lincoln Highway. In addition, the rest area includes a museum on the history of the local highway, a viewing room overlooking the interstate, and a tourist information center.
CSD/CSS through Public Involvement
CSD/CSS is a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that involves all stakeholders in developing a transportation project that considers the total context within which it will exist. Effective and continual public involvement tailored to the needs of the project is a key part of CSD/CSS. As part of CSD/CSS, States should involve a full range of stakeholders early in the project's scoping phase. In addition, States should work with stakeholders to design a project that minimally disrupts the community and that preserves natural and cultural resources in the area. Assurance of commitment implementation is critical to the overall CSD/CSS process.
- NYSDOT's CSD/CSS Coordination — NYSDOT assigned a CSD/CSS coordinator to every region. A CSS committee coordinated with FHWA also exists at NYSDOT headquarters. CSS training, which highlights public involvement, has been given to DOT staff and to outside regulatory and review agencies within the State.
- WYDOT's CSD/CSS Approach — WYDOT uses a CSD/CSS approach in its rock cuts, rock blasting, and rock fall technique. Resource agency and public demands for naturally appearing rock cuts prompted WYDOT to address scenic concerns while demonstrating environmental sensitivity. Since natural rock cuts produce more waste, WYDOT created more waste areas and now uses those waste materials to reclaim old highway cuts. WYDOT also uses native seed mixes to vegetate reclaimed areas. These efforts create a natural environment that meets the public's needs and concerns.
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KYTC's CSD/CSS Efforts — The Paris Pike project, which impacted a 12-mile historic corridor, is one of KYTC's most outstanding CSD/CSS efforts. The Paris Pike project has been nationally recognized for sensitively addressing safety and environmental concerns while creating a four-lane highway corridor that blends with the landscape. This Public Opportunity Project (POP) has created consensus among stakeholders and ensured the effective delivery of commitments and design specifics, including tree placements and guardrails. KYTC has received national recognition for its recreation of historic dry-stone walls along Paris Pike.
8. INTERAGENCY COORDINATION
State DOTs must build credibility and trust not only with the public, but also with other State and Federal agencies. Early and continuous communication with these agencies helps to identify and resolve issues involving a proposed project. In addition, State DOTs recognize that it is essential to receive input and agreement from resource agencies in order to implement environmental commitments. However, good environmental stewardship and trust among the agencies cannot occur unless State DOTs assure that environmental commitments are implemented.
Through interagency meetings, programmatic agreements, and memoranda of understanding, State DOTs and resource agencies have developed both issue-specific and process-wide approaches that promote successful and efficient project development. The following coordination activities are state-wide or programmatic approaches that have helped to assure streamlining and commitment fulfillment.
- CDOT's Council of Resource Agencies — CDOT created a Council of Resource Agencies (Council) to address project commitments and discuss resource agency concerns prior to a project's construction. High-level personnel from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), EPA, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), and FS participate on the Council, which holds quarterly meetings with CDOT.
- NJDOT's Agreement with USACE — NJDOT is one of two State DOTs in the nation that has an agreement with the USACE to do Section 404 internal permitting for inland freshwater wetland permits (Ohio is the other State DOT with this agreement). Few State DOTs have used this option, as it is resource intensive. However, internal Section 404 permitting does streamline the Section 404
permitting process.
- NJDOT's Memoranda of Agreement — NJDOT has two memoranda of agreement with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP) to fund positions in NJDEP's Historic Preservation Office. Interagency funded positions benefit both agencies by guaranteeing that these NJDEP staff positions are dedicated to conducting Section 106 reviews for NJDOT projects and by ensuring that historic preservation is considered during project development.
9. RESOURCE-SPECIFIC INITIATIVES
States address a variety of environmental concerns based on population demands and impacts and issues regarding specific resources. Many State DOTs have developed new compliance approaches to address these varying resource issues on a project level. For example, to address historical and cultural concerns that emerge during project development, many State DOTs have begun identifying and tracking the status of landmarks. Additionally, many State DOTs have developed Habitat Conservation Plans (HCPs), wildlife protection techniques, and wetland mitigation practices to address wildlife and vegetation issues. Listed below are some of the approaches observed during the Domestic Scan.
- NYSDOT's Historic Bridge Inventory and Management Plan — NYSDOT developed this plan to inventory and evaluate pre-1961 bridges for National Registry eligibility. Approximately 80 percent of the over 6,600 bridges NYSDOT inventoried are locally owned. NYSDOT's Historic Bridge Inventory identified a statewide population of historic bridges and recorded eligibility determinations in a database. NYSDOT and localities use this database to develop Federally-funded bridge projects. Under its Management Plan, NYSDOT takes a proactive approach to promoting maintenance and encouraging the rehabilitation of historic bridges. In addition, NYSDOT is currently developing a programmatic agreement (PA) in coordination with the FHWA New York Division Office and the New York SHPO to establish procedures for progressing projects involving pre-1961 bridges through the Section 106 process. Effective until 2010, the PA is designed to flag older bridges by the time future projects are approved.
- WYDOT's Efforts to Address Wildlife Issues — WYDOT has addressed numerous wildlife issues through research and educational materials. WYDOT is conducting research on how to appropriately size animal underpasses, or crossing structures. WYDOT is also testing adjustable drainage pipe openings to determine which size is most effective as a wildlife passage for specific animals. Past WYDOT wildlife projects include developing a detection system that alerts drivers to reduce their speed when animal movement has been detected in the area. WYDOT also introduced an approach to protecting the Preble's Meadow Jumping Mouse from project construction. In 1998, FWS listed the Preble Meadow Jumping Mouse as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. WYDOT developed a brochure to aid field staff in distinguishing the mouse from other similar species.
- CDOT's Shortgrass Prairie Initiative-The Shortgrass Prairie initiative is a product of CDOT's environmental stewardship ethic. CDOT developed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with FHWA, FWS, State natural resource agencies, and The Nature Conservancy. The MOU commits participants to work together to mitigate environmental impacts from future transportation system improvements through the conservation of this key habitat. CDOT's habitat initiative identifies methods to maximize the environmental benefits of transportation mitigation efforts.
- INDOT's Indiana Bat Habitat Conservation Plan — INDOT's HCP for the Indiana Bat was a product of the Indianapolis Airport expansion project. The project originated as a city project but is now managed by INDOT. The $5 million HCP will provide long-term conservation for bat habitat impacted by the airport expansion, commercial development, and road construction in the affected areas. A portion of the habitat will remain protected, and INDOT has planted additional trees used by the bats in order to increase their habitat further. Ball State University will monitor the Indiana bat population for 15 years and the tree plantings for 5 years.
- TxDOT's Storm Water Advisory Team — TxDOT's Storm Water Advisory Team (SWAT) is comprised of construction, bridge, environmental, and engineering specialists. SWAT inspects a variety of construction-phase projects throughout TxDOT's 25 districts, visiting each district once every 2 years and arbitrarily choosing projects to inspect in each district. SWAT reports its comments about environmental commitment compliance to the district engineer, the area engineer, and the construction engineer of each inspected project. When requested by a district, SWAT will visit project sites to review emergency situations.
- Wetland Mitigation Banks — A wetland mitigation bank is a wetland area that has been restored, created, or enhanced and then set aside to compensate for future conversions of wetlands due to development activities. Wetland banking of some form is being used in Wyoming, Colorado, Texas, Kentucky, New York, and New Jersey. Banking is usually successful biologically, and FHWA supports the use of wetland banking in the development of transportation projects. By bringing together biologists, planners, and financial experts, wetland banking reduces uncertainties and delays and improves the success of mitigation efforts.
10. TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY
Several State DOTs have developed and/or implemented a variety of tools and technologies to assist in the overall process of transportation development. While some techniques are specific to a particular project phase (e.g., planning or construction), they all help State DOTs implement environmental commitments.
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Program Overview
