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STEP 2010 TRB Handout

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Planning, Environment and Realty's (HEP) Surface Transportation Environment and Planning Cooperative Research Program (STEP) ended on September 30, 2012. For current HEP research information, please see HEP's MAP-21 research web site.

Publication No. FHWA-HEP-10-012, January 2010

5 Facts You Should Know About Step

1. STEP is a federally administered research effort to help improve the understanding of the relationship between surface transportation, planning, and the environment.
2. STEP funds can be awarded to state/local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, universities, federal agencies, and the private sector.
3. STEP stakeholder input is used to help identify and prioritize STEP research topics
4. STEP funds are used to identify, address and reassess national research priorities for planning, environment and realty.
5. More STEP information and research results are available at: www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/step/index.cfm

Program Overview

STEP is a Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) research program authorized in the "Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A legacy for Users" (SAFETEA-LU).

Environment, Planning and Real Estate Initiatives

STEP research improves state of the practice regarding the impact of transportation on the environment.

• Climate Change
• Economic Development
• Case Studies
• Effects of Commercial Electronic Variable Message Signs on Drivers
• Health and Environmental Benefits of Walking and Biking
• Improving Project Delivery
• Linking Land Use and Planning
• Mobile Source Emissions Analysis
• Stormwater Management Techniques

Supporting Tools

Census Transportation Planning Package

• FHWA Traffic Noise Model version 3.0 Development
• GIS for Transportation Applications Database
• Global Positioning System Tool for Corridor Vegetation Inventories
• Right of Way Professional Competency Navigator Tool
• Web-based Biological Assessment Tool

STEP Publications

Environment

• Best Practices Manual: Wildlife Vehicle Collision Reduction Study
• Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Evaluation Study
• Guidebook: Context Sensitive Solutions in Designing Urban Thoroughfares for Walkable Communities
• Impacts of Climate Variability and Change on Transportation Systems and Infrastructure--Gulf; Coast Study, Phase I
• State Transportation Liaison Funded Positions Study
• Structural Acoustic Analysis of Piles Study
• Ten (10) Simple Steps to Reducing Climate Change

Planning

• A Guide to Transportation Decisionmaking
• A Primer on Safety Performance Measures and the Transportation Planning Process
• Border Master Plans - California/Baja California
• Building Planning Capacity Between Public and Private Sector Partners with the Freight Industry: A Resource Manual
• Statewide Opportunities for Linking Planning and Operations
• The Transportation Planning Process: Key Issues

Real Estate Services

• Real Estate Acquisition Guide for Local Public Agencies
• Utilization of Right of Way Incentive Payments
• International Right of Way and Utility Scan

For further information on each publication, please contact the emphasis area representative.

How to Get Involved with STEP

Stakeholders are involved in a variety of ways. The information below provides tips for stakeholder participation.

• Review proposed FY2010 STEP implementation Strategy outlines the likely research priorities for the year. The strategy can be found at the following link: www.fhwa.dot.gov/hep/step/about_step/strategy/
• Develop suggested lines of research that are related to the proposed STEP research priorities
• Submit feedback on suggested lines of research by using the following link: Review Annual STEP Plan on the step website, once approved by HEP Associate Administrator.
• After the STEP Plan has been approved, monitor FEDBIZOPPS.GOV. Funding opportunities will be posted at: https://www.fbo.gov/