U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
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| Fiscal Year | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Digital As-Builts, 3D Modeling | Develop a Roadmap for Digital Delivery Implementation ($100,000) |
| 2021 | Contracting | Implement a Contracts Management Software (CMS) Solution. ($100,000) |
| 2019 | Virtual Public Involvement | Development of GDOT Virtual Public Involvement guidance for encouraging public participation and soliciting feedback during the transportation planning process. ($100,000) |
| 2018 | e-Construction | Implementation of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) Tracking Technologies for Construction Supervision ($100,000) |
| 2016 | e-Construction | Advancing the use of mobile devices for e-Construction in field inspection applications ($100,000) |
| 2015 | High Friction Surface Treatment | Development of a curve identification tool for selecting High Friction Surface Treatment sites ($100,000) |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 7/1/2022 | VPI | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) uses text messaging as a virtual public involvement (VPI) strategy for outreach to communities with low broadband access, where residents may face barriers to participating in other VPI formats such as online meetings. The text messages provide information about upcoming meetings or other opportunities to engage in transportation planning and project development. GDOT pairs text messaging and other VPI techniques with in-person outreach and physical mailings to try to reach all members of the community.
Read More |
| 3/1/2022 | Value Capture | In Georgia, the Atlanta BeltLine is transforming a 22-mile corridor of unused railroad segments into a multi-modal urban redevelopment around downtown Atlanta. The development includes multi-purpose trails, bike paths, and a modern streetcar. The vision for the BeltLine is to knit 45 Atlanta neighborhoods together through a green amenity while stimulating economic development. The BeltLine has attracted philanthropic and corporate dollars, and leveraged Federal and State funds, but its main source of financing is a value-capture mechanism that directs increased property-tax revenues from new development and economic growth above an initial baseline into a special-purpose tax allocation district (TAD) fund that repays project-related debt. Atlanta BeltLine, Inc., the quasi-public corporation created to administer the BeltLine, has issued $155 million in TAD bonds so far.
Read More |
| 5/1/2021 | STEP | In EDC Outtakes–a series of short interview videos–
transportation professionals provide insights on Every Day Counts
innovations. In these editions, Courtney Frisch, public works project manager
for the city of Decatur, GA, discusses safety improvements from implementing
raised crosswalks, and Brian Mayhew, North Carolina Department of
Transportation, discusses rectangular rapid-flashing beacons (RRFBs), their
benefits, and some of the additional countermeasures that are deployed with
them. Raised crosswalks and RRFBs are two countermeasures promoted by EDC's
Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) initiative. For more deployment highlights from STEP, as well as other EDC innovations, view the newly released EDC-5 Final Report. The report describes the 10 technologies and practices FHWA promoted in EDC-5 and summarizes the deployment status of each as of December 2020. Read Innovator Issue 84 |
| 3/1/2021 | Project Bundling | The city of Oakwood, GA, with a population of 4,000 and 22 lane miles of pavement, partnered with nearby cities to lower costs associated with pavement management and preservation treatments. Combining work with neighbors increased the amount of work, attracting more bidders and reducing the cost of milling by nearly 80 percent. |
| 1/1/2021 | NextGen TIM | NextGen TIM focuses on advancing the collection, analysis, and use of incident data. With better data and analytics, agencies can quantify program performance, demonstrate program effectiveness, and improve TIM planning and resource management. TIM data can come from public safety CAD system time stamps, police traffic crash reports, or TMCs. Real-time data dashboards are an effective way to analyze and present data to promote organizational goals. Georgia reduced clearance times for commercial vehicle crashes by 82 percent with data from its Towing Recovery Incentive Program. Puerto Rico deployed a mobile app for safety service patrols to augment the exchange of incident data and accurate reporting. |
05/01/20 | Value Capture, Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) | Pairing the Every Day Counts (EDC) strategies of value capture and safe transportation for every pedestrian (STEP) is enhancing quality of life in the Midtown area of Atlanta, GA. The value capture part of the equation comes from the Midtown Improvement District (MID), a self-taxing district created by commercial property owners to augment public resources and catalyze economic growth in the area. Through a special assessment on property owners, the MID generates funds for projects and programs aimed at improving Midtown, a high-density commercial and residential neighborhood. MID-funded efforts include safety and mobility measures for pedestrians, such as crosswalk enhancements and pedestrian lighting promoted in STEP, and a sidewalk improvement program that has completed more than $1 million in upgrades and repairs at 275 locations since 2014. A project that wrapped up this spring improved five Peachtree Street intersections. Funding for the $1.6 million in pedestrian and vehicular enhancements included $1.13 million from the MID. At Deering Road and Peachtree Street, the final intersection completed, the work included new sidewalks and Americans With Disabilities Act-compliant ramps, fencing, lighting, gateway landscaping, and crosswalk visibility enhancements. |
05/01/20 | Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) | The Georgia Department of Transportation updated its Pedestrian and Streetscape Guide to better integrate pedestrian safety into street design, specifically highlighting the STEP countermeasures. The guide's midblock pedestrian crossing evaluation process helps engineers and planners consider crosswalk placement and additional safety countermeasures. The crossing evaluation provides screening questions to help decision makers collect relevant data. |
05/01/19 | Value Capture | Tax increment financing (TIF) is a tool that borrows against future increases in real estate values to fund infrastructure improvements. Thousands of cities have designated geographic areas as TIF districts and created improvement plans to enhance existing property values and encourage new development. The BeltLine Tax Allocation District in Atlanta, GA, is developing a multimodal network with multiuse trails, parks, and a light rail system in a 25-year project that is projected to generate $20 billion in economic development, including 30,000 permanent jobs and 48,000 temporary construction jobs. Read Innovator Issue 72 |
03/01/19 | Programmatic Agreements | In Georgia, agencies teamed up to develop a PA to streamline project reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Section 106 requires agencies to consider the effects of federally funded projects on cultural and historic resources. The PA is expected to improve efficiency by providing a more predictable, transparent process for project review and consultation. The effort began in 2017 with a gathering of representatives from the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Georgia State Historic Preservation Office, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and FHWA. The agencies convened monthly conference calls to draft the PA, with the EDC-4 team providing technical assistance. Read Innovator Issue 71 |
01/01/19 | Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPMs) | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) uses ATSPM as a primary tool to improve operations and manage maintenance. GDOT traffic engineers use data visualizations from the ATSPM system to answer questions such as whether a signal retiming project is producing benefits. GDOT also uses ATSPM data when developing alternate routing plans for events and emergencies. Read Innovator Issue 70 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 11/01/13 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | The Georgia Department of Transportation saved motorists’ commute time and improved safety with its $6 million I-285/Ashford Dunwoody interchange project. A study showed the interchange had a high collision and fatality rate compared to similar interchanges, so the agency built a diverging diamond interchange to combat the problem, the first DDI in the state. Read Innovator Issue 39 |
| 01/01/13 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | Traffic is now circulating on Georgia’s first diverging diamond interchange, an innovative design that improves safety and reduces congestion. The $4.7 million project featured the design on Ashford-Dunwoody Road over I-285 in Atlanta. Also part of the project are video detection systems to adjust signal timing as traffic conditions change. This is the first of three DDIs planned for the Atlanta area. To see how the Ashford-Dunwoody Road DDI operates, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=gY8xU-UAQWs&feature=player_embedded. Read Innovator Issue 34 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 04/15/23 | e-Ticketing | In 2019, the Georgia DOT (GDOT) partnered with industry to pursue the use of e-Ticketing. Unlike traditional paper tickets, e-Tickets allow contractors and inspectors to prepare for material arrival, helping contractors better predict delivery times and ensuring the paving operation doesn’t stop. It also improves ride quality because there are fewer joints where paving stops and starts. Over the past 4 years, GDOT and contractors have developed, piloted, and modified processes that have led them to the successful practice used today... Read More |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 06/09/22 | UAS | States across the country are ramping up their Unmanned Aerial Systems programs as new use-cases and additional demand arises. The Georgia Department of Transportation's (GDOT) program is organized in a decentralized manner, with certified pilots spread through its districts, working under diverse groups and units based on their primary work location and function, along with a small support group located at headquarters. GDOT currently has 27 Part 107 certified pilots across 7 Field Districts. These 27 pilots are on pace to fly 2,000 or more missions/operations this Fiscal Year. Of these pilots, the 16 most seasoned and experienced and will fly 75-80 percent of these missions. The department's program objective seeks to average three flights per pilot of 15 minutes or longer. Being a certified UAS pilot is a secondary duty for those who participate in the program. Candidates for GDOT's UAS pilot program must read and acknowledge GDOT Policy and complete the UAS Visual Observer (VO) course before they can be considered for training for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 exam. The VO course is an important component of the overall program, as missions require both a pilot and a VO. The course teaches participants the purpose of the VO role and gives basic training to help protect the pilot and aircraft during a mission. Once approved, candidates begin a self-paced training course to prepare for and take the FAA Part 107 exam. This course includes modules on rules and regulations; airspace and weather; UAS usage, maintenance, and emergency procedures; and more. GDOT administers the course as self-paced due to the volunteer nature of GDOT's UAS pilot force and to minimize the impact to a typical workday during training. The training can take as little as 30 minutes per day, depending on an individual's work needs. Certified pilots also receive a 3-hour onboarding training that demonstrates the pilot can manipulate the aircraft, understands process, understands how to set up controls, and more. After initial training, pilots and district engineers communicate specific training requests to the UAS program manager. These supplemental trainings can include instruction on software, new or emerging use-cases, and for increased proficiency. Read More |
| 03/31/22 | VPI | Virtual Public Involvement (VPI) strategies, such as online meetings and surveys, go a long way to providing convenient ways for community members to learn about proposed transportation plans and projects, and to provide feedback online. However, reaching everyone in a public involvement process can be challenging, as so much information and content competes for everyone's attention. Sometimes, more direct outreach is necessary or more convenient. Text messaging is an effective VPI technique that can help cut through the constant barrage of information that many of us face every day, while also providing more options for community members that may not have internet access at home, or who are more comfortable with a text messaging format.
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) uses text messaging as part of its outreach to communities with low broadband access, where residents may face barriers to participating in some VPI formats. These text messages provide information about upcoming meetings or other opportunities to engage in transportation planning and project development. GDOT pairs text messaging and other VPI techniques with in-person outreach and physical mailings to try to reach all members of the community. Read More |
| 02/03/22 | Value Capture | The Atlanta Beltline is transforming a 22-mile corridor of unused railroad segments into a multi-modal urban redevelopment around downtown Atlanta. The development includes multi-purpose trails, bike paths, and a modern streetcar. The vision for the Beltline is to knit 45 Atlanta neighborhoods together through a green amenity while stimulating economic development.
The Beltline has attracted philanthropic and corporate dollars, and leveraged Federal and State funds, but its main source of financing is a value-capture mechanism which directs increased property-tax revenues from new development and economic growth above an initial baseline into a special-purpose Tax-Allocation District (TAD) fund that repays project-related debt. Atlanta Beltline, Inc. (ABI), the quasi-public corporation created to administer the Beltline, has issued $155 million in TAD bonds thus far. The project is on schedule to be completed in 2030 despite a recession in 2008 and the recent pandemic. With strong stakeholder and community support the Atlanta Beltline has remained resilient, continuing the Tax Allocation District and implementing the Special Service District to complete the Atlanta Beltline in a timely fashion. Read More |
| 1/21/21 | Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPMs) | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) worked with FHWA to develop Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPM), built upon the work of the Indiana and Utah Departments of Transportation with Purdue University to develop performance measures that characterized flow rates and quality of traffic signal timing coordination. Launched in January 2018, GDOT’s Measurement, Accuracy, and Reliability Kit (MARK 1) automated the reporting system, replacing manual procedures that had been in place for five years. This system has saved the State hundreds of hours in staff time estimated at $250,000 per year. As a result of this initiative, the National Operations Center of Excellence recognized GDOT with the 2020 transportation systems management and operations (TSMO) Awards for “Best Use of Data to Improve TSMO” as well as the program’s Overall Winner. To read GDOT’s case study, please click here. Read More |
| 9/10/20 | Virtual Public Involvement | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) documented several lessons learned from a pilot virtual public information open house (VPIOH) conducted for the Rome-Cartersville Development Corridor (RCDC). The RCDC had previously shown the community two potential corridor projects during a traditional open house, and elected to use a VPIOH to present the selected corridor and refined alignment. The project website hosted a landing page where the public could download materials, watch videos, review project plans and virtually walk-through the project with the support team. Additionally, the VPIOH included a 6-hour live chat period with GDOT personnel to discuss the project and to ask questions. Online comment cards could be submitted by phone or computer. The VPIOH drew 122 visitors over 36 hours with multiple successful chat sessions during the live-chat period. GDOT shared several lessons learned after the VPIOH that could help future events be even more successful.
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| 07/16/20 | Project Bundling | Project bundling offers a path for many small municipalities to leverage increased competition and economies of scale. The City of Oakwood, GA, faces contracting challenges that result from low numbers of bidders on projects. To address this issue, Oakwood created a program that partnered with other small municipalities to bundle road projects. The city's program goals include establishing a realistic project plan that meets the participating municipalities' funding needs, promoting the use of alternative paving methods, assisting the municipalities with project selection, and providing a single entity to conduct contract administration activities. Participating municipalities provide Oakwood lists of roads and descriptions of work to include in the bundles. Oakwood tabulates bid quantities and provides each municipality a cost estimate for their portion of the work. After the individual projects are approved and submitted, Oakwood combines them into a single bid document. Oakwood's bundling program for pavement projects has increased contractor bid participation. In the past, projects received interest from only one to three bidders, whereas Oakwood now receives between five and seven bids. Because project bundling increases the total quantity of pavement work, the door is opened for Oakwood to specify the use of alternative paving methods that would be cost prohibitive with smaller projects. While cost savings vary by project and construction season, bid amounts on bundled projects with variable depth milling have been as low as one-fourth the cost per square yard compared to a solo project. A key to success in developing a multi-agency program such as this is communication. Simple inter-governmental agreements can be helpful in documenting roles and responsibilities, and all participants must understand the program's procedures for contract administration. Due to the success of Oakwood's bundling program, it is currently working with Hall County to expand it. The County is considering including smaller municipalities' work in County projects to maximize economies of scale. Read EDC News 07-16-20 |
| 06/18/20 | Value Capture | In Georgia, special assessment districts are known as community improvement districts (CIDs). In a CID, the business community self-imposes a self-taxing district that uses additional property tax dollars to fund beautification, infrastructure, and public safety improvement projects. CIDs are comprised of private, non-exempt commercial and industrial properties. In the Metro Atlanta area, the Sugarloaf CID was formed in 2016 to ensure the long-term success of Gwinnett County, Georgia's premier business and entertainment district. The CID is one of the region's top 10 employment centers and is home to the Infinite Energy Center, a 118-acre events center that attracts over a million visitors each year. In just one year, the CID leveraged $7.7 million in funding for transportation improvements, developed concepts to improve six intersections and the Sugarloaf corridor, completed an inventory of sidewalk and pedestrian needs, maintained landscaping at the I-85 interchange, and expanded the CID for a 61 percent increase in taxable value. Contact Alyssa Davis to learn more about the Sugarloaf CID. Read EDC News 06-18-20 |
| 03/26/20 | Safe Transportation for Every Pedestrian (STEP) | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is taking several approaches to improve pedestrian safety in the state, leveraging policy and technology to implement the safe transportation for every pedestrian (STEP) countermeasures. GDOT’s new crash data platform allows transportation practitioners to quickly understand and visualize crash patterns by a variety of attributes (e.g. severity, lighting conditions). This analysis helps identify problem areas and provides valuable insight to inform decisions about the type of safety countermeasures that might be applied at each location. A location identified from the crash analysis might then be chosen for a road safety assessment (RSA). After the RSA is completed, GDOT tracks the RSA recommendations and implementation stakeholders in a database and uses the percentage of RSA recommendations completed as a performance measure. This helps GDOT work with local and regional agencies to determine where they might need additional help with implementation. GDOT also recently updated its Pedestrian and Streetscape Guide, which aims to expand the possibilities for pedestrian street design by providing a broad range of information about safety countermeasures. The guide includes a mid-block pedestrian crossing evaluation to help engineers and planners with crosswalk placement and additional safety countermeasures. The crossing evaluation references the FHWA Guide for Improving Pedestrian Safety at Uncontrolled Crossing Locations and provides screening questions that guides the decision-maker collect relevant data. Read EDC News 03-26-20 |
| 11/07/19 | Virtual Public Involvement | Meetings-in-a-box – Find out how the Atlanta Regional Commission has taken an "out-of-the-box" approach to public involvement. Read EDC News 11-07-19 |
| 10/17/19 | Value Capture | Don’t shelve that project—get it funded! Private contributions, a value capture strategy that includes equity, property, or in-kind services, can help transportation agencies close funding gaps while providing the private partner with increased business or development opportunities facilitated by enhanced mobility or accessibility. In Atlanta, Georgia, the ambitious Atlantic Station project—a mixed-use cluster of residential, retail, commercial, and open spaces built on a remediated brownfield site—hinged on the construction of the 17th Street Bridge. To make it happen, a private development group provided $15.2 million toward the $76 million project. Spanning 14 lanes of interstate highway, the bridge provides essential accessibility between the redevelopment site and Atlanta’s Midtown area, including direct pedestrian access to the rapid transit rail station. The facility includes dedicated bike and transit lanes, covered sidewalks, and a landscaped pedestrian park and thoroughfare. Private contributions were pivotal in converting an unused, blighted brownfield site into a vibrant development, enhancing the attractiveness of downtown Atlanta, increasing economic activity, and improving multimodal accessibility in the area. To find out how value capture can help your agency move forward, contact Stefan Natzke, FHWA Office of Planning, Environment, and Realty, or Thay Bishop, FHWA Center for Innovative Finance Support. Read EDC News 10-17-19 |
| 09/05/19 | Programmatic Agreements | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) developed a programmatic agreement (PA) to streamline project reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, which requires agencies to consider effects of federally funded projects on historic and archaeological resources. GDOT coordinated extensively with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and FHWA to develop the PA. The federally recognized Georgia tribes coordinated with these agencies and are invited signatories to the agreement. The PA consolidates preexisting agreements under one umbrella agreement and serves as a guide when considering projects that affect these resources. Unique to this Section 106 PA is the level of U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ involvement that ensures that the PA language delegates GDOT the authority to use the PA to streamline all Section 106 compliance at GDOT. GDOT expects the PA will improve efficiency by providing a more predictable, transparent process for project review and consultation. The coordination with federal agencies and tribes should streamline delivery of State and federal aid projects. Read EDC News 09-05-19 |
| 08/01/19 | Project Bundling | Georgia accelerated the replacement of 25 local bridges using 5 bundles with 4-6 bridges each, based on location. Read EDC News 08-01-19 |
| 02/21/19 | Programmatic Agreements | Georgia agencies finalized a programmatic agreement (PA) to streamline project reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The PA is expected to improve efficiency by providing a more predictable, transparent review process on projects that affect cultural and historic resources. The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) collaborated with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Georgia State Historic Preservation Office, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and Federal Highway Administration to develop the PA. As part of the effort, GDOT drafted a Cultural Resources Manual to provide guidance on implementing the PA and held a workshop for agencies and tribes to review the new Section 106 coordination process. Read EDC News 02-21-19 |
| 11/15/18 | Collaborative Hydraulics: Advancing to the Next Generation of Engineering (CHANGE) | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), which used two-dimensional (2D) hydraulic modeling on four projects, now requires the use of 2D modeling on projects where water flow passes through multiple bridge openings and encourages its use for other appropriate projects. GDOT finds that 2D modeling provides more accurate water surface elevations and distribution of flows through multiple openings. Read EDC News 11-15-18 |
| 05/24/18 | Integrating NEPA and Permitting | The Georgia Department of Transportation, State Historic Preservation Office, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), and Federal Highway Administration are drafting a programmatic agreement to streamline transportation project reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. The purpose of the agreement is to improve efficiency and consistency on reviews. Read EDC News 05-24-18 |
| 04/12/18 | Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures (ATSPMs) | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) maintains one-third of the State's 9,500 traffic signals. Equipped with the ability to report high-quality data, GDOT uses ATSPMs as its primary tool to improve operations and manage maintenance of its traffic signal network. Read EDC News 04-12-18 |
| 02/09/17 | Regional Models of Cooperation | FHWA facilitated a peer exchange on freight and megaregions on January 31 and February 1 in Atlanta, GA. The event, hosted by the Atlanta Regional Commission, built on a 2013 workshop on freight challenges and regional coordination needs in the Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion. Participants discussed the EDC regional models of cooperation effort and multijurisdictional coordination in megaregions. Participants included representatives of State transportation departments, metropolitan planning organizations, and industry. Read EDC News 02-09-17 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 09/12/14 | Design-Build | The Georgia Department of Transportation worked with various offices and industry stakeholders to update its Design-Build Manual. Read EDC News 09-12-14 |
| 07/12/13 | Design-Build | FHWA has approved Finding of No Significant Impact/Environmental Assessment documentation for an I-75 express lanes project in Georgia and awarded a design-build contract. The $175 million project involves constructing a single reversible managed lane for a distance of 17 miles in Henry and Clayton Counties. In addition, the project will include intelligent transportation system components. Express toll lanes will be used to manage the lane. Read EDC News 07-12-13 |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Value Capture | The Atlanta City Council recently approved a Value Capture Special Service District to generate funding towards completing the Atlanta BeltLine’s 22-mile multi use trail loop. The new funding will generate $45 million in additional affordable housing funds, $12 million in additional small business support, and up to $150 million in construction funds targeted towards minority-owned contractors. Completion of the trail corridor is expected to deliver a total economic impact of $10 billion and nearly 50,000 permanent jobs for the City of Atlanta. Additionally, in the city of Biddeford, ME, a joint development project incorporated the design, build, finance, operation and maintenance of a 640-space parking garage, completed the city’s urban RiverWalk, and improved pedestrian connections. The joint development project was able to accomplish all of this without the use of residential property tax dollars or impacting the city’s tax rate. The city will contribute annual funding from its tax increment financing revenues and parking fees. The agreement also allows for revenue sharing with the city if parking revenues exceed forecasts. Construction of the garage is expected to provide the City of Biddeford over an additional $16 million in property taxes in the first 10 years of operation and a net benefit of nearly $40 million over the next 25 years in addition to continuing promotion of downtown development. The project is part of Biddeford’s revitalization plan for its downtown Mill District and will also support the nearby Lincoln Mill and Riverdam Mill redevelopment projects. |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Automated Traffic Signal Performance Measures | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) uses ATSPM as a primary tool to improve operations and manage maintenance. GDOT traffic engineers use data visualizations from the ATSPM system to determine if a signal retiming project is producing benefits. GDOT also uses ATSPM data when developing alternate routing plans for events and emergencies. GDOT reports ATSPMs enable the agency to diagnose problems and focus resources across its entire system. Read EDC-4 Final Report |
| 2019 | CHANGE | In Georgia, GDOT experienced the benefits of 2D modeling on several bridge replacement projects. Through the knowledge exchange opportunities provided in EDC-4, GDOT streamlined its hydraulic modeling and data gathering processes and found that 2D projects, which in the past needed extra time budgeted in the schedule, were completed in roughly same amount of time as a typical 1D modeling project. GDOT also found that results generated by 2D modeling were more accurate and easier to interpret visually than traditional 1D models. Read EDC-4 Final Report |
| 2019 | Integrating NEPA and Permitting | In Georgia, GDOT developed a programmatic agreement to streamline project reviews under Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. Section 106 requires agencies to consider effects of federally funded projects on cultural and historic resources. This effort has involved close coordination among GDOT, USACE, the Georgia State Historic Preservation Office, the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation, and FHWA, as well as outreach to federally recognized tribes. The programmatic agreement is expected to improve efficiency by providing a more predictable, transparent process for project review and consultation. Read EDC-4 Final Report |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Improving Collaboration and Quality Environmental Documentation | The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) is pursuing several efforts to shorten environmental processes on transportation projects. GDOT and FHWA signed a memorandum of understanding that eliminates the need for a lengthy evaluation for minor project changes such as easements added in an original right-of-way if they are outside of environmentally sensitive areas. GDOT is updating its Environmental Procedures Manual to streamline the environmental process for projects. The focus is on clarifying processes and requirements to improve environmental document quality and produce documents that are approved the first time they are submitted. GDOT launched an effort to better meet customer expectations on projects under development. GDOT holds debriefing sessions after public outreach meetings to discuss comments received and make response assignments. The goal is to shorten the comment response time. The agency plans to research public advertisements and comment response times to determine how the debriefing meetings are working and what types of projects require more time for comment response. Read EDC-3 Final Report |
| Date | Innovations | Project |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Alternative Technical Concepts | The Georgia DOT used ATCs on the Northwest Corridor project, its first public-private partnership design-build-finance project. GDOT promoted the use of life cycle ATCs, in which initial construction costs are higher but operational costs are lower over the life of the asset. Thirteen of the 61 approved ATCs were life cycle ATCs. The use of ATCs on the project resulted in about $60 million in cost savings and five months of schedule savings. Read EDC-2 Final Report |
| 2015 | Design-Build | The Georgia DOT had limited legislative authority that allowed competitive bidding only when EDC-2 started, but in April 2013 it gained approval to use a best-value or single-phase procurement process under D-B. GDOT awarded its largest D-B project by competitive bidding in June 2013. Completion of the first single-phase, low-bid project is scheduled for 2015. The first best-value project is set for completion in March 2017. Read EDC-2 Final Report |
| 2015 | Intersection and Interchange Geometrics | The Georgia DOT delivered the state’s first DDI at I-285 at Ashford-Dunwoody Road a month earlier than planned through a unique partnership between state and local governments and private business. This project won an AASHTO American Transportation Award in 2013. GDOT has several more DDIs in planning, design and construction. GDOT and local road agencies have also been aggressively pursuing roundabouts and so far have built more than 200 statewide. Read EDC-2 Final Report |
| 2015 | IQED | The Georgia DOT used IQED principles to develop an environmental assessment for the project to widen State Route 144 in Bryan County. The environmental assessment, approved in June 2014, received an Honorable Mention Award from the American Planning Association and a NEPA Environmental Enhancement Award from the Georgia Partnership on Transportation Quality. Read EDC-2 Final Report |
| 2015 | National Traffic Incident Management Responder Training | The Georgia DOT held three workshops for 95 trainers who, in turn, have trained another 1,700 responders. The Georgia State Patrol has incorporated a four-hour block of traffic incident management responder training in its Trooper Training Academy. Read EDC-2 Final Report |
