Pilot States Implementing Context Sensitive Design

Pilot States | Lead Organizations | Other States | Other Organizations

Five pilot States--Maryland, Connecticut, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Utah--with the FHWA Federal Lands Highway are demonstrating how States can balance transportation needs with the environmental and aesthetic concerns of communities through Context Sensitive Design/Thinking Beyond the Pavement programs. Each State is implementing this new approach to transportation decision-making through new policies on project development, staff training, conferences, research, and community outreach.

Connecticut Revised 4/4/02 - The Connecticut Department of Transportation has promoted context sensitive design through statewide awareness training, training courses for its managers, and development of an ongoing training course for engineers through collaboration with the University of Connecticut's Engineering Department.

On November 27 and 28, 2001, the Connecticut DOT hosted the "Northeast Regional Context-Sensitive Design Workshop" in Westbrook, Connecticut. This workshop was designed to share the experiences and lessons learned in CSD implementation of the Pilot State of Connecticut, as well as the other Pilot States and other NASTO states now engaged in CSD implementation effort. Workshop participants were invited to ensure a wide range of experience and perspectives. The 300 participants from 18 states and the District of Columbia comprised 85% transportation professionals and 15% representing stakeholder interests outside transportation.

You can read the Executive Summary here. Full proceedings of the workshop can be obtained by contacting Simone Cristofori at simone.cristofori@po.state.ct.us.

Kentucky - The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet has held extensive training workshops in context sensitive design. These workshops are geared toward all participants in the project development phases.

Maryland - The Maryland Department of Transportation, State Highway Administration has developed a "Thinking Beyond the Pavement" strategic plan to guide implementation, conducted charettes to identify project development process strengths, designed a project evaluation instrument, and established teams to review and implement project improvement strategies.

Minnesota - The Minnesota Department of Transportation is incorporating context sensitive design into all aspects of transportation project development--planning, design, construction, and operations. Through new policies, extensive research, and training programs, Minnesota has developed many implementation resources, including the use of visualization technologies to support CSD.

Utah - The Utah Department of Transportation is developing a comprehensive approach to implementation of context sensitive design. Focused on community outreach and project development, Utah's initiative includes assessment of stakeholder attitudes and internal practices, an implementation and staff training plan, and post-implementation assessment.

FHWA Federal Lands Highway - The Federal Lands Highway (FLH) is one of five core business areas in the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The FLH vision is to create the best transportation system in balance with the values of Federal and Tribal lands.