June 16, 2016

Innovation of the Month: Stakeholder Partnering

Stakeholder partnering groups to engage transportation partners in improving the delivery of local projects are just getting started in some states, while in others they’ve been active for years.

The Maryland State Highway Administration, for example, is moving forward on plans to establish a local agency council in 2016. The group will focus on improving delivery and oversight of local projects under the Federal-Aid Highway Program.

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation is working on a charter to establish a local agency stakeholder partnering group this year. The group’s purpose is to foster better understanding of local agency processes and programs, enhance stakeholder communication and identify areas for improvement.

The Virginia Department of Transportation’s stakeholder partnering effort spans more than a decade and includes several groups associated with local programs. The agency uses the partnering groups as a proving ground for developing innovative approaches and testing streamlining measures.

For an overview of stakeholder partnering and implementation resources available from FHWA, watch Stakeholder Partnering–Is It Right for You?

Massachusetts Peer Exchange Highlights Road Diets

Transportation stakeholders discussed road diet best practices at the Northeast Road Diet Peer Exchange on June 8 and 9 in Worcester, Massachusetts. The event brought together highway agency representatives from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Topics included institutionalizing road diets, identifying and selecting road diet locations, performance metrics and evaluation criteria.    

Design-Build Accelerates Trail Reopening in New Mexico

The Catwalk National Recreation Trail in New Mexico’s Gila National Forest was reopened to visitors during a May 28 ribbon-cutting ceremony. Design-build project delivery helped accelerate reconstruction of the pedestrian catwalk, damaged in 2013 flooding, so it could open by the start of the 2016 summer season. The recreation area draws thousands of visitors annually and is an important economic generator for the U.S. Forest Service and nearby communities. The project received funds from the Emergency Relief for Federally Owned Roads program.

Pennsylvania STIC Hosts Innovation Day

The Pennsylvania State Transportation Innovation Council conducted an Innovation Day to highlight the role of innovation in delivering a high-quality transportation system. More than 200 people learned about the state’s use of solutions such as accelerated bridge construction, salt alternatives and adaptive signal control technology. “Pennsylvania is a national leader in deploying innovations which are proven to streamline environmental review and reduce impacts, decrease construction time, reduce delays to the traveling public and make work zones smarter and safer,” Pennsylvania Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards said.

Demonstration Grants Help Deploy Innovations

In the past two years, FHWA’s Accelerated Innovation Deployment Demonstration program has provided $45 million for 60 awards to state transportation departments, metropolitan planning organizations, local governments, federal land management agencies and tribal governments. Read more about how the AID Demonstration program is helping accelerate the adoption of innovation in highway transportation in a May/June Public Roads magazine article.

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