2008-2010
In 2008, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) developed a specialized technical assistance program for Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS), that was delivered to nine state departments of transportation over a period of two and a half years. Each of the nine states selected by FHWA (California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Mexico, and Oregon) received customized assistance based on their specific needs related to CSS implementation from a core team of CSS experts and other nationally known experts in specific fields. FHWA worked with each state DOT to determine their technical assistance needs and developed an approach, which typically included 1- to 2-day workshops and/or research materials. Several months following the delivery of technical assistance, FHWA followed up with staff from each state DOT to discuss the outcomes of the technical assistance and facilitated an action plan to follow up on the ideas and momentum generated.
For each state that received technical assistance, FHWA prepared a packet of documentation, containing a summary of the challenges the state DOT faced in implementing CSS, how the technical assistance addressed those needs and contributed to the state’s overall progress, and “lessons learned” from the process to serve as examples to other state DOTs that may be able to adapt these approaches to their own needs. Resources such as workshop agendas, PowerPoint slides, and participant handouts are also included. Click on the link for each state below to read more about the approach and download the documentation.
| State | CSS Implementation Challenge(s) Addressed | Technical Assistance Approach |
|---|---|---|
| California | Developing and implementing Corridor Master Plans (CMPs) | Two one-day workshops focusing on how CMPs can be used to implement CSS principles to solve transportation & community issues and the mechanics of their funding and implementation in Caltrans. Included a Caltrans project case study, interactive group exercise and presentation on MaineDOT corridor master planning efforts. |
| Florida | Adapting existing performance measures to reflect CSS | Three half-day sessions for different audiences: a presentation of recent research on quantifying the benefits of CSS, an interactive workshop to apply performance measures to an FDOT CSS project, and an action planning session. Also prepared background research on existing FDOT performance measures. |
| Hawaii | Incorporating CSS principles and activities into requests for proposals (RFP) for consultants | Collection of RFP and proposal evaluation criteria for seven CSS projects from other state DOTs, representing a range of project sizes and scopes. |
| Illinois | Linking CSS and NEPA processes | Two one-day workshops focused on getting resource agencies involved early in the project development process. Included a presentation by MaineDOT, two IDOT project case studies, and interactive group discussion on how IDOT might improve their current processes. |
| Maine | Engaging external partners in the enhanced project scoping process | Mentoring of three interdisciplinary teams for ongoing projects, including a series of meetings over several months |
| Massachusetts | Incorporating CSS principles into bridge projects including the accelerated bridge program | Two one-day workshops covering public involvement and communication skills; case studies of bridge projects integrating CSS principles; and a group exercise to develop a public involvement strategy for a current MassDOT bridge project. |
| New Hampshire | Improving public involvement and communication skills | One-day workshop focusing on “lessons learned” from three NHDOT project case studies, presentations on public involvement and consensus-building techniques, and interactive group exercises. Also conducted a half-day session to explore the nature of communication gaps identified through an internal departmental survey. |
| New Mexico | Documenting CSS projects and establishing CSS performance measures to demonstrate the effectiveness and benefits of CSS | Two-day interactive workshop presenting recent research on quantifying the benefits of CSS, applying performance measures to four NMDOT projects, and discussing challenges and strategies to further implementing CSS. Also documented four NMDOT CSS case studies, collected design manuals that incorporate CSS and CSS case studies from other states, and researched CSS performance measures. |
| Oregon | Developing a Practical Design program in response to a legislative mandate | Facilitated a one-day peer exchange including speakers from four state DOTs with existing Practical Design/Solutions programs, and a half-day action planning session. |
Project Contact Information:
Rodney Vaughn
Environmental Program Specialist
Federal Highway Administration Resource Center
12300 West Dakota Avenue Suite 340
Lakewood, CO 80228
Ph: (720) 963-3238 Fax: (720) 963-3232
Published: 2010
