2019 Environmental Excellence Awards

All-Electric Bus Rapid Transit Route 44

The San Joaquin Regional Transit District (RTD) aided in planning the reconstruction and beautification of the Airport Way Corridor with the City of Stockton, California. They set out to reduce heavy traffic flow on the Airport Way Corridor's Route 44, while simultaneously working to improve poor air quality. With the help of Federal Highway Administration Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality funding, RTD crafted an innovative, unique solution by launching the first all-electric bus rapid transit system in the Nation. This ultimately reduced congestion, met the needs of commuters in the area, provided a quieter ride for passengers, and resulted in a clear decrease in emissions. There will be a number of beneficial long-term results, including a continued reduction of emissions and savings on fuel. RTD has a goal to convert their entire bus fleet to all-electric by 2025.

City of High Point, North Carolina Downtown Multi-modal Vision Plan to Increase Access, Promote Use, and Foster Economic Development

The High Point Metropolitan Planning Organization with community-based Southwest Renewal Foundation of High Point recognized the importance of the planning phase of public works projects, particularly when the endeavor involves many moving parts, numerous public needs, and an elevated level of community and stakeholder engagement. With this in mind, they engaged multiple civic partners to develop a multimodal transportation plan to improve the areas surrounding the city's mass transit facilities in downtown High Point, North Carolina and envision the trailhead of an urban greenway. The City of High Point Downtown Multi-modal Vision Plan takes into account community interests such as improved walkability for public health, greater connectivity and accessibility to public assets, economic development through center-city projects, and community cohesion. This plan, thanks to significant public input and thorough research, is expected to foster economic development, upgrade street plans, and increase use of mass transit. Over 20 years, this proposal is expected to yield $223 million in healthcare benefit savings, including additional savings from reduced bicycle and pedestrian crashes, more than $11 million in new business, and nearly $4 million in new labor income. As this project is still in the planning phase, the intent is to move forward with implementation and realize the numerous benefits of community involvement in planning environmentally friendly and safe transit routes.

Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance

Environmental professionals in Georgia have worked together to safeguard protected plant species and restore rare plant community habitat, allowing environmental stewardship and transportation projects to work in tandem. The work, derived from the State Wildlife Action Plan, focuses on safeguarding species while also allowing transportation projects to be delivered expeditiously through the collaboration of a tightly woven network of professionals known as the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance (GPCA). The GPCA, formed in 1995, is a professional network of botanical gardens/arboreta, state and federal agencies, non-profit organizations, universities, and large land-owning companies that share professional knowledge, field experience, data, tools and equipment, volunteers, and labor. Over the last two decades, the GPCA has seen incredible successes, including 101 high-priority plant conservation species in ex-situ collections, and 49 species being safeguarded in the wild (in-situ) at protected sites. Their work also led to numerous species de-petitioned for federal protection (through partnership with the Southeastern Partners in Plant Conservation), which enabled previously stalled transportation projects to move forward. To support this work, the GPCA has created and maintains a Safeguarding Database, centralizing and documenting ex-situ collections, in-situ augmentations and reintroductions, repeated monitoring data and survivorship, and collaborative management for priority species across Georgia.

I-70 East Environmental Impact Statement, Denver, Colorado

Interstate 70 (I-70) is one of Colorado's economic backbones and is located within minority and low-income communities. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) conducted unprecedented public outreach and stakeholder and agency coordination as part of an effort to reconstruct a 12-mile stretch of I-70 East in Denver. The efforts, which are documented in the project's Environmental Impact Statement, significantly contributed to and influenced project design. CDOT has made nearly 150 commitments to the local community as part of the project, ranging from mitigating the impacts of construction noise and dust to contributing funding to affordable housing and fresh food access. Fifteen of these commitments are specific to environmental justice, going above and beyond typical mitigation measures, and are new to Colorado, having never been provided as part of a major infrastructure project.

A Successful Partnership: Improving Multi-modal Access in the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area

Since 2012, the National Park Service Mississippi National River and Recreation Area (NRRA) has collaborated with state, regional, and local agencies to develop an alternative transportation system (ATS) along and connecting to the Mississippi River in the Minneapolis and St. Paul metro area. NRRA's transportation system replaces thousands of would-be vehicle trips with alternative transportation trips each year, increasing physical activity and reducing vehicle miles traveled. The ATS incorporates online and physical gateway signage, a bike share program, a first-of-a-kind paddle share program, light rail, high speed rail, bus service, and bike trails as part of a seamless and recognizable alternative transportation system along 72 miles on both sides of the Mississippi River. The project has culminated in a one-of-a-kind alternative transportation system and experience in a national park.

Landscapes that Shape Us: Cultural Resources Mitigation for U.S. Highway 20

The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Highway Administration redesigned the "Final 40" U.S. Highway 20 project after the unanticipated discovery of a remarkable prehistoric cultural landscape that had never previously been identified in Iowa. During an archaeological data recovery effort in 2013, geoglyphs, or soil symbols, were identified, greatly changing the assessment of site type and applicable National Register criteria. Iowa DOT collaborated with historically and ancestrally affiliated Native American Tribes and Nations to understand the significance of the landscape and ensure that it was not further impacted by the project. Project efforts were memorialized in a mini-documentary, Landscapes that Shape Us, released in October 2017, which is now available on YouTube. This project exemplifies responsible project delivery related to cultural resources, benefitting a truly remarkable cultural landscape as well as the transportation needs of northwest Iowa.

Linking Lookout: U.S. 6 and 19th Street Interchange

Tens of thousands of people navigate the U.S. Route 6/19th Street intersection in Golden, Colorado each day, whether they're driving, walking, or bicycling. Congestion at this intersection caused traffic delays, noise pollution, air and water quality issues, and other sustainability challenges. The City of Golden, through the creation of an innovative interchange design influenced by careful research, made significant improvements in each of these areas. They constructed Linking Lookout, the first highway "lid" of its kind in Colorado. Linking Lookout extends over U.S. Route 6, and includes a park through which Colorado School of Mines students safely walk to classes. This area can be enjoyed by the whole community, as it includes quiet sitting areas, beautiful mountain views, bike lanes, concrete trails to Lookout Mountain, drip irrigation lines to the nearly 700 planted trees, and an extensive stormwater management plan, all of which play a role in reducing noise in nearby neighborhoods, boosting air and water quality, and conserving water while reducing vehicle miles traveled and traffic delay. The pre-construction goals involving noise levels, air and water quality, and traffic delays have largely been exceeded. In the long-term, water use will be monitored to make continuous improvements.

Old Tampa Bay Water Quality Improvement Project

The Florida Department of Transportation's (FDOT's) Old Tampa Bay Water Quality Improvement Project opens a portion of the Courtney Campbell Causeway with a 229-foot long bridge to reestablish tidal circulation, improve water quality, and support seagrass growth while helping FDOT meet its stormwater management commitments for road projects. The proposed project will restore water circulation patterns and improve seagrass growth conditions, benefitting the local community and environment. FDOT is planning significant reconstruction of major highways throughout Tampa Bay, and this project is expected to save an estimated $100 million in right-of-way costs and accelerate project delivery of future projects with available water quality mitigation credits. This first-of-a-kind project sets a precedent for regional innovative approaches throughout Florida and the United States, while remediating a prior problem from decades earlier.

Route 72 Manahawkin Bay Bridges Project: Cedar Bonnet Island Habitat Restoration and Management Plan

The construction of a new structure over Manahawkin Bay, rehabilitation of the existing Manahawkin Bay Bridge, the rehabilitation of three bridges in the Thorofare area and associated roadway, and pedestrian access and drainage improvements presented numerous challenges. To enable this project, the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) took a unique approach to obtain environmental permits—they entered into an innovative cooperative agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The USFWS allowed NJDOT access to and use of part of the National Wildlife Refuge System on Cedar Bonnet Island, and NJDOT agreed to restore that land and make public access improvements. This enabled the project to proceed, resulting in the restoration of the ecosystem on the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge, including upland habitats and coastal wetlands. NJDOT also constructed an Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant walking trail. This expeditious project involved a new approach to agency collaboration, and will provide long-term environmental education, restoration and plantings, and recreation opportunities.

State Route 37 Resilient Corridor Program

The State Route 37 Resilient Corridor Program (Resilient SR 37), organized by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, is a design alternative assessment process aimed at moving both short-term interim solutions and long-term projects forward simultaneously. The process lays out short-, mid-, and long-term improvements to address issues threatening State Route 37, including severe and extended traffic congestion, vulnerability to flooding, and potential impacts on highly sensitive environmental resources, while building project support by involving stakeholders at every step. As a result of the collaborative Resilient SR 37 process, the corridor will be designed to accommodate future "worst case" sea level projections in the year 2100 (66 inches), while at the same time identifying and addressing areas vulnerable to near-term flooding. Resilient SR 37 also focuses on identifying targeted, smaller scale ecological enhancement opportunities that could help mitigate near-term flooding impacts while facilitating long-term ecological and hydrological goals.

Wildlife and Safety Improvements along U.S. 93 and I-80: A Landscape Scale Approach to Habitat Connectivity and Traffic Safety in Elko County, Nevada

The biannual migratory patterns of mule deer across U.S. 93 and I-80 in Elko County, Nevada, have resulted in many issues in the area, such as fatalities and injuries from collisions, infrastructure damage, and loss of wildlife. With this in mind, the Nevada Department of Transportation (NDOT) collaborated with partners on a multi-faceted project to implement positive changes. NDOT, with the Nevada Highway Patrol, collected collision and carcass data and used the information along with GPS data collected by the Nevada Department of Wildlife to identify key locations to construct overpasses, underpasses, and fencing. By following their heavily researched strategic plan, they enabled more than 37,000 successful wildlife crossings by various animals, increased both human and wildlife safety, increased habitat connectivity for migratory mule deer, and built environmentally and fiscally responsible construction features. By publishing their research, process, and findings, NDOT raised awareness of the feasibility of similar wildlife and ecological landscape projects.

Washington State Department of Transportation Wetland Monitoring Internship Training

The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) partnered with The Evergreen State College (TESC) to develop an internship program aimed at providing hands-on environmental training opportunities for future transportation workers. Over the last 22 years, more than 330 students have completed the program, receiving training on wetland ecology, ecological monitoring techniques, and environmental regulations. The internship, offered to 20 students annually, lasts eleven weeks and has intensive classroom and hands-on training and education components. Trainers include transportation professionals and professors from TESC. Interns earn both college credit and an income for their participation. A main accomplishment of this program is the development of highly skilled transportation workers with an understanding of approaches to improve the human and natural environments. Additionally, the program has facilitated monitoring at over 300 sites, each for an average of 10 years, with monitoring findings communicated to increase the public understanding of the interaction between the human environment and the natural environment.

Megan Blum

Federal Transit Administration

Megan Blum is the Director for the Federal Transit Administration's (FTA's) Office of Environmental Programs. As the Director, she is responsible for FTA's environmental policy development and streamlining efforts. She has been working in the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) field for 15 years and has ensured NEPA compliance for highway, tolling, and transit projects through her various roles at the State of Maryland and FTA. This work has included completing and reviewing all levels and aspects of NEPA documentation and supporting analyses to satisfy other environmental requirements, and coordinating with partners in all levels of government, other stakeholders, and the public.

Prior to becoming Office Director, Megan led many environmental regulation and guidance efforts for FTA, including creating the FTA-specific categorical exclusions and incorporating MAP-21 and FAST Act changes into policy and practice. She also served as Deputy Associate Director for NEPA at the Council on Environmental Quality from September 2016 through April 2017.

Dan Gelinne

Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center

Dan Gelinne joined the University of North Carolina Highway Safety Research Center (HSRC) in 2006, and currently serves as the program manager for the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center, where he performs research, web management, project oversight, and technical support services. He also manages the Road Safety Academy, the training arm of HSRC.

Dan managed the development of the Pedestrian Safety Strategic Plan for the Federal Highway Administration and led the effort to draft the National Bicycling and Walking Study: 15-Year Status Report to assess the state of walking and bicycling in the United States. Dan has helped coordinate and manage the Walk Friendly Communities program, and helps manage a national technical assistance program to help communities in the area of pedestrian safety planning and design. Through the Road Safety Academy, he works to provide continuing education and training opportunities for a variety of professionals in the transportation field.

Catherine Liller

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Catherine Liller works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's (USFWS) Headquarters Office and has served as the National Transportation Liaison to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) for the past 11 years. Catherine began her career with the USFWS in 2001 working for the Albuquerque, New Mexico, Region 2 Office in the Environmental Contaminants Division. She then moved on to the Clear Lake, Texas Field Office where she worked in the Coastal Program. After earning her M.S. in Environmental Policy and Management, she returned to the Region 2 Office to work in the Endangered Species Program.

In 2006, Catherine began working for the USFWS Headquarters Office in the Division of Conservation and Classification where she assisted in the listing of species and the designation of critical habitat. Since 2008, Catherine has served in her current position working with FHWA to promote environmental stewardship in transportation planning and implementation; streamlining of federal environmental reviews; and advancing nationwide partnership and conservation initiatives.

Fred Skaer

Independent Consultant

Fred had a 34-year career with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in a variety of headquarters and field positions dealing with engineering, planning, and environmental protection. His main interest was in developing transportation improvements in a socially and environmentally sustainable way.

Since retiring from FHWA in 2008, Fred has consulted with public and private clients to assist them in meeting federal requirements on transportation, energy, and other infrastructure projects.