Leaner and Greener report

7/30/2019 Leaner and Greener report

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November 20

SuStainability at Work in tranSportation


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ii Leaner and Greener: Sustainability at Work in Transportation

Dear Friends,

ransportation is more than just highways, cars,

trains, and buses. ransportation connects peopleto

their jobs, to their communities, and to each other.

ransportation reaches across the nation to improve the

economy and our quality o lie.

In 2001, AASHO and FHWA created the Center

or Environmental Excellence to promote environmental

stewardship and encourage innovative ways to streamline the transportation project delivery

process. In 2003, AASHO published our Taking the High Roadreport, which chronicled the

important contributions state transportation agencies make to society and the environment. We

published a ollow-up report,Above and Beyondin 2009 to document the additional environmental

and social contributions o state DOs projects and programs.

Tis third report, Leaner and Greener, showcases the eorts transportation agenciesincluding

DOs, MPOs, and transit providersare undertaking to speed up project delivery and cut costs

while protecting and even improving environmental resources.Trough programmatic environmental solutions, DOs are moving away rom reinventing

the wheel or project-level environmental considerations. Tey are using systematic approaches

to meet sustainability goalsnot just in project development, but during everyday maintenance o

their systems as well. Tey are showing that such an approach results in improved environmental

outcomes and less cost to the taxpayer.

Te programs shown here are just a ew o the many innovative and cost-saving strategies being

deployed by transportation agencies across the nation to beneft society and the environment.

John Horsley

Executive Director

Letter from AASHTOs

Executive Director


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iiiLeaner and Greener: Sustainability at Work in Transportation

Dear Friends,

Environmental stewardship has always been a major

priority o the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

And so it was a natural extension o our work to join with

AASHO in 2001 to create the Center or Environmental

Excellence (Center). We applaud the Center or providing a

national showcase and shining a light on sustainability best

practices that benet our environment, our communities,and our economy.

Tis report examines a subject that is especially important to me: how we can speed project delivery,

save money, and still protect and improve our environment. Tese principles are at the heart o the Every

Day Counts (EDC) initiative we launched in 2009 along with our AASHO partners.

Warm-mix asphalt (WMA) is one o the technologies were advancing through EDC. It requires

less uel, results in lower emissions, and can extend the paving season in colder climates, which is

extremely important as we continue our eorts to create jobs. Trough EDC, we are working with states

to encourage them to adopt WMA as a standard part o their paving work. Streamlining transportation

projects is an important priority or the Obama administration, which alls right in line with EDC.

Programmatic agreements reduce or eliminate project and regulatory compliance unknowns, create

new and more exible standards, and provide a proactive and consistent approach to project delivery.

FHWA is using programmatic agreements to save historic bridges beore repair becomes scallyimpossible due to saety and structural concerns.

With the use o programmatic agreements, FHWA is able to cut the time by more than hal to repair

these bridges. Rehabilitating these bridges extends their useul lie in a sustainable way and has benets

to the community that ar outweigh their unction as transportation acilities. Historic bridges have

cultural and community signicance in addition to serving as important transportation links. FHWA is

currently rolling out webinars on rehabilitating historic bridges and producing programmatic agreements

or their management, including the work o the Indiana agreement described in Chapter 3.

In act, programmatic agreements are one o the EDC strategies that were included in the new

transportation bill, MAP-21. Trough our work, weve lef an imprint on this important legislation,

which President Obama signed into law in July. Many o our project delivery strategies are included in

the bill or complement its provisions. I believe were poised to take project delivery to the next level.

A key to being successul is the ability to evaluate both the process and the results. FHWAs newsel-evaluation tool INVES is a voluntary sel-evaluation scoring system that enables transportation

agencies to gauge their perormance in adopting sustainability best practices grouped in three

categoriessystem planning, project development, and operations and maintenance. By oering

states a collection o best practices, INVES really serves two purposes.

First, it inspires them with workable solutions that allow them to incorporate sustainability into

their transportation projects. And, second, it gives them a tool or measuring their progress. Tis tool

can evaluate all the initiatives highlighted in Leaner and Greener, and we would like to see used or

every project.

Achieving sustainability in transportation is an ongoing, collaborative process. Te FHWA is proud

to work alongside all our partners to advance sustainable transportation practices that serve us now and

will serve us in the uture.

Victor M. Mendez

Administrator

Letter from FHWAs

Administrator


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Leaner and Greener: Sustainability at Work in Transportation

table of ContentS

IntroductIonWhat Leaner and Greener Means 1

chapter one

Leaner and Greener Solutions for Transportation 3

chapter tWoSustainable Infrastructure Maintenance 7

chapter threeFaster, Cheaper, and Better Project Delivery 19

chapter FourLeaner and Greener Leadership Vision 31

chapter FIveConclusions 47

SuStainability at Work in tranSportation


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i Leaner and Greener: Sustainability at Work in Transportation

Acknowledgements

AASHTO and the Center for Environmental Excellence gratefully

acknowledge the following individuals and organizations for their

contributions to this report:

Mike Brady, California DOT

Jeff Caster, Florida DOT

Judy Gates, Maine DOT

Julie Hunkins, North Carolina DOT

Frank Pafko, Minnesota DOT

Amy Phillips, Senior Editor, BNA Research and Custom Solutions

Carol Lee Roalkvam, Washington State DOT

Federal Highway Administration, with special thanks to

Shari Schaftlein, Bethany Bacher-Gresock, Susan Jones,

Richard Taylor, Mike Culp, Tom Everett, and other staff members

Federal Transit Administration, with special thanks to

Antoinette Quagliata

High Street Consulting Group, with special thanks to

Joe Crossett and Rob Padgette

RBA Group, with special thanks to Andras Fekete


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1

While working to provide the nation with sae, ecient, and reliable means o transporta-tion, state departments o transportation (DOs) are aced with the challenges o lling the

widening gap between transportation investment needs and transportation unding, while

balancing community concerns, and protecting environmental quality. o successully

meet these challenges, DOs are using sustainable practices to become leaner and greener.

Leaders in transportation know that, in addition to meeting mobility and saety needs,

transportation investments must balance three important objectives:

_ Fiscal responsibility;

_ Community quality o lie; and

_ Commitment to a better environment.

Te idea o balancing economic, environmental, and community objectives is sometimes

called sustainabilityor meeting the triple bottom line; leaner and greeneralso has the same

meaning.

What does leaner and greener look like? Tis report

provides many examples, and the Kansas Department

o ransportations (KDO) investment in ecologically

riendly mowing practices oers a simple illustration.

Tanks to an agreement with the Audubon Society o

Kansas and other groups, KDOs mowing policies are

promoting re-growth o prairie habitat along many othe 146,000 acres o land adjacent to the states highways

while saving the DO about $1.5 million a year in lower

uel costs and enhancing road users saety.

INtroductIoN

What Leaner andGreener Means


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2 Leaner and Greener: Sustainability at Work in Transportation

Te basic elements o leaner and greener transportation investments do not change rom

state to state; but the individual solutions agencies choose are diverse. For example, part

o the North Carolina Department o ransportations solution is cost-ecient low-impact

bridge replacement designs that have decreased bridge replacement time by as much as

our years and typically shrink project costs by 25 percent while supporting water quality

goals. In Minnesota, the DOs solution includes smart snow and ice removal practices toreduce salt usage and associated winter maintenance costs while reducing impacts to the

environment and enhancing saety.


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3

o urther exempliy what being leaner and greener means or transportation agencies,this report outlines a variety o practices and programs being implemented in transporta-

tion agencies across the nation that are simultaneously cutting costs, helping the environ-

ment, and strengthening communities.

Te Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) supports state DOs in their eorts to

become leaner and greener through several initiatives, including its new Inrastructure

Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability ool (INVES). INVES is a voluntary sel-evaluation

scoring system that enables transportation agencies to gauge their perormance in adopt-

ing sustainability best practices grouped in three categoriessystem planning, project

development, and operations and maintenance. Each o the three categories is scored

independently. INVES allows DOs to assign a bronze-, silver-, gold-, or platinum-levelstatus to their initiatives, based on sustainability characteristics o the project or program

being evaluated. DOs can use the results o an INVES evaluation to support implemen-

tation o sustainable practices in pending project decisions or to identiy potential changes

to business processes.

Many o the sustainable highway practices presented by

INVES promote cost savings and benets to social, envi-

ronmental, and economic systems. For example, items such

as quality construction, designing pavement or long lie, lie-

cycle concepts, recycled materials, and improved saety can

all show an overall lower cost as well as benets to society.Te goal o INVES is to encourage sustainable principles to

be applied to the largest extent practicable on highway proj-

ects. Some o the agencies that are already piloting INVES

include Minnesota, North Carolina, and Ohio.

chapter oNe

Leaner andGreener soLutionsfor transportation

Autumn Parkway in Minnesota.


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Building a leaner (and greener)

Bridge in Cleveland

In February 2009, the Ohio Department ofTransportation initiated the first of two projects

designed to replace the aging steel truss bridge that

carries Interstate 90 over the Cuyahoga River Valley

and into Clevelands central business district. The first

Innerbelt project, developing a new westbound bridge

adjacent to the existing bridge, demonstrates how

Ohio DOT is working to make its major transportation

investments leaner and greener by reducing cost,

maximizing benefits, and conserving resources.

The Innerbelt projects design and constructionteam found several ways to cut project costs while

conserving resources and getting the bridge built

faster, including:

Smaller Bridge FootprintBy using a creative bridge design that featured a

modified alignment from the one originally proposed, the project team was able

to reduce the amount of earthwork needed during construction by about 35,000

cubic yards and decrease the amount of steel and other materials needed to

build the bridge;

Construction Vehicle Fuel SavingsBy using construction vehicles withgreater load-carrying capacity, more than 28,559 gallons of diesel fuel were

saved during construction; resulting in a savings of about $93,000;1

Carbon Emissions ReductionsBy reducing fuel usage during earthmoving,

the project saved more than 337 metric tons of CO2

emissions during

construction.

Materials RecyclingThe demolition debris from the project was processed

and sorted. More than half of all materials were recycled including more than

4.1 million pounds of steelabout the weight of 1,028 average-size sedans!

Based on these and other leaner and greenerattributes, Ohio DOT has used FHWAs

INVEST sustainability self-assessment tool to give the project asilverrating.

1 Cleveland Innerbelt Project, Sustainability Summary, Dec 2011; U.S. Department o Energynational average diesel uel cost o $3.27/gallon.

Cleveland Innerbelt Bridge.Photos courtesy of Ohio DOT.


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5Leaner and Greener: Sustainability at Work in Transportation

Te initiatives proled in this report show how transportation agencies are striving to

become leaner and greener in all aspects o what they do, rom operations and mainte-

nance activities to project delivery and in developing a leadership vision or the agency:

_ Sustainable Inrastructure Operations and Maintenance

Minnesota DOs snow and ice removal program;

Kansas DOs roadside mowing program; Rhode Island DOs stormwater solutions;

Green pavement across the country; and

Arizona DOs solar powered emergency lighting.

_ Faster, Cheaper, and Better Project Delivery with Improved Environmental Outcomes

Accelerated bridge construction techniques across the country;

Indiana DOs historic bridges program;

New York State DOs GreenLITES program;

Puget Sound Regional Councils ransportation 2040 Plan; and

Maryland State Highway Administrations Model o Sustainability and Integrated

Corridors (MOSAIC) planning tool.

_ Setting a Leaner and Greener Leadership Vision

Los Angeles MEROs Sustainability Implementation Plan;

Massachusetts DOs GreenDO initiative;

North Carolina DOs accountability ramework; and

Numerous state DO eorts to institutionalize sustainable practices and programs.

For more inormation about state DOs sustainable practices, visit the Center or Envi-

ronmental Excellence by AASHO website at http://environment.transportation.org.


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Plows clear the roads in MinnesotaPhoto courtesy of Minnesota DOT.


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7

Pavement never restsroads serve the needs o the nations economy and its communities24/7. Tis means there is no end to maintenance needs: with the jolt o passing vehicles,

cracks in pavement spread; vegetation along medians must be cut in the spring, summer,

and all; and, in many places, winters arrival brings ice and snow that must be cleared.

States spend a considerable share o transportation dollars on maintaining their existing

transportation systems.

DOs are nding that small changes in daily maintenance practices to address sustain-

ability can amount to tangible economic, societal, and environmental results when they are

repeated system-wide.

Beating Blizzards with Less Salt in MinnesotaTe cost o snow and ice removal is high. Across the northern United States, DOs

spend millions o dollars to spread 10 to 15 million tons o salt-based anti-icing material

on roads each year. However, excessive use o deicers may harm salt sensitive plants and

water quality.

Te Minnesota Department o ransportation (MnDO) is a leader among cold weather

states in nding ways to cut the cost o snow and ice clear-

ance while keeping drivers sae and protecting the environ-

ment. During the 2010 and 2011 winter seasonwith the

third highest total annual snowall recorded in Minnesotain 40 years (one third more severe than the 10-year aver-

age winter severity index)MnDO used only 25 percent

more salt than normal while exceeding its statewide peror-

mance targets or bare lane regain time. Using innovative

chapter two

sustainabLeinfrastructureMaintenance

I wi f 20102011,

Mdot s b 32,000fw s f sl yil,

lig s b $2.2 milli

i ss.


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snow removal practices, MnDO saved an estimated $2.2 million in salt costs, reduced the

impact to the environment, and enhanced travelers saety.2

How does MnDO achieve these savings while meeting or exceeding its perormance

goals? Te answer is through a combination o plow driver training, best practices, and

technology innovations:_ Salt Solutions Training: Trough MnDOs Salt Solutions Program, plow drivers

are trained in high-tech virtual snow plow cabs about how to use deicers in the right

amount, at the right time, in the right way.

_ Best Practices: Trough the use o advanced techniques, such as applying liquid brine

in advance o a storm to anti-ice roads, MnDO reduces the volume o salt required

to keep roads sae.

_ Technology Innovations: Trough technology innovations, such as roadway sensors

that detect and report hazardous conditions or calibration technology to ensure plows

dispense materials eectively, MnDO reduces its use o salt.

Snowplows are not the only way Minnesota highways staydrivable in the wintertime. Living snow encesbarriers made

o trees, shrubs, and native grasses located along roadsare

another best practice that is becoming a eature o Minnesotas

roadways. Properly designed and placed, these living barriers

trap snow as it blows across the landscape, piling it up beore

it reaches a road. Living snow ences prevent big snowdris rom stranding motorists,

improve drivers visibility, and reduce crashes. Tey also reduce spend-

ing on plows and, by keeping highways clear, help reduce shipping

delays or goods and services.

MnDO is working with the U.S. Department o Agriculture and locallandowners adjacent to roadways to promote installation o living snow

ences. Eorts are still in their inancy, with about 30 miles o living

snow ences installed so ar, but MnDO has identied an additional

1,200 miles o highway with chronic snow driing problems.

In addition to improving saety and reducing costs, living snow ences

are an environmentally sound solution or snow management, as less

salt and uel are needed to keep roadways clear. Te living ences also

provide wildlie habitat, control soil erosion, improve water qual-

ity, reduce spring-time ooding, and sequester carbon to reduce

atmospheric carbon dioxide. On average, according to MnDO, the

2 MnDO, 2010-2011 Annual Winter Maintenance Report(2012).

a liig sw f

ffs bfis w

$17 f y $1 s.


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costbenet ratio o implementing a living snow ence

practice is 17:1, a $17 dollar return or every program

dollar spent.3

Supporting Prairie Habitat EqualsReduced Mowing Costs in KansasManaging vegetation along highway medians and

roadsides keeps roads saer or travelers by improving

visibility. Te Kansas Department o ransportation

(KDO) is responsible or managing 146,000 acres o

vegetated rights-o-way along a 10,000-mile system o

state highways. KDO has responsibility or more acres

o publicly owned grassland in Kansas than any other

governmental or private entity.

KDO worked with the Audubon Society and otherpartners to develop an approach to roadside mowing

that enhances wildlie habitat and restores ecosystems

native to the state, but also stretches KDOs mainte-

nance budget and enhances the states natural beauty.

In 2008, KDO sta acilitated a meeting with the

Audubon Society o Kansas, the Natural Resources

Conservation Service, the Grassland Heritage Founda-

tion, the Kansas Department o Wildlie and Parks, the

Kansas Native Plant Society, and others to discuss ways

the DO could better manage its right o way. Some othe KDO practices that resulted rom these discus-

sions include:

_ Less Use o Herbicides: KDO sta has increased

eorts to make sure they are only spot spraying,

rather than broadly applying chemicals;

_ Reduced Mowing Area and Frequency: For most

o the 146,000 acres o vegetated roadsides along the

states highway system, mowing is now limited to

15 eet rom the shoulder and around approaching

intersections or maximum saety. Tis allows native

grasses and wildowers to ourish in rights o waythat extend beyond the 15 eet by reducing annual

mowing to alternate, or even every third or ourth

3 MnDO Living Snow Fences, Media Fact Sheet (Undated).

$1

$17

csBfi ri f Iml-mig Liig Sw Fpi i Mis

Photos courtesy of Kansas DOT.


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Photo courtesy of Kansas DOT.


year as needed to preserve plant vigor. In

the past, KDO has mowed these areas

annually or more oen. KDO has also

changed the timing o ull ence-to-ence

mowing rom early all to November to

avoid intererence with late all wildowerseed propagation.

_ New Seed Mixes: KDO has

changed its seed mixes to include

more native plants and wildowers.

Although it varies by region, their

standard seed mix generally contains 10 to 15 dierent native grass species and 18 to 25

native wildower species.

Tese changes have resulted in a 30 percent reduction in acres

mowed, reduced uel use, and saved nearly $1.5 million per year

in uel costs while improving habitat along Kansas highways andensuring driver saety.4

Rhode Islands Stormwater SolutionsProgramCleaner Water and Lower CostsIn January 2011, the Rhode Island Department o Environmental Management completed

new stormwater regulations that will dramatically inuence the design o new highway

inrastructure projects across Rhode Island by incorporating Low Impact Development

(LID) as the industry standard or development. LID is an approach to land development

that works with nature to manage stormwater as close to its source as possible and treats it

as a resource rather than a waste product. It reduces the impact o built areas and promotesnatural movement o water within an ecosystem.

Te Rhode Island Department o ransportation (RIDO) has taken a leadership role in

developing a Stormwater Solutions outreach and education initiative to support imple-

mentation o the new state-level rules as well as RIDOs ongoing compliance with the

ederal Municipal Separate Storm Sewer Systems (MS4) program. Stormwater Solutions

is unded by RIDO. Te initiative is being implemented in partnership with the Rhode

Island Department o Environmental Management; the University o Rhode Island Coop-

erative Extensions Nonpoint Education or Municipal Ocials program; and the Southern

Rhode Island Conservation District. As part o the initiative, a team o proessionals rom

these organizations is developing materials to educate and inorm towns, cities, and thegeneral public across the state on complying with the new stormwater regulations.

4 Kansas DO, 20012010, A Decade o Progress, Projects and Engagement, 2011.

Kdot s i

30 i i

s mw s$1.5 milli i fl ss

wi is -fily

mwig is.


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Trough the Stormwater Solutions outreach eort, more than two dozen training work-

shops or RIDO and municipal employees have been completed. Te training has

included new ways to prevent runo pollution at public works garages and construction

sites; inclusion o improved pollution controls in new project designs, construction prac-

tice, and routine maintenance; and designing or green streets and ways communities can

make a dierence in preventing stormwater pollution.

RIDO is also integrating LID techniques in new project designs. An early example o this

integration is the reconstruction o Route 138 in South Kingstown. LID techniques will

convey stormwater away rom the road through grassed swales instead o standard piping

and inlets, saving construction costs, improving water quality, and enhancing the roads

appearance. Te project also includes a landscaped bio-retention eature in a roundaboutto provide water quality treatment and to inltrate stormwater into the ground.

RIDO is working to reduce impacts to stormwater at the source by conducting commu-

nity outreach to educate the public and municipal ocials on the importance o pollution

prevention and applying environmentally sustainable and cost saving LID techniques.

Tese source reduction activities, which include everyday actions such as reduced use

o ertilizer, litter control, hazardous material control, and use o ground inltration and

bio-swales to lter pollutants, reduce the need to build and maintain expensive treatment

structures and provide opportunities or creating greener, more visually attractive land-

scapes along roadsides.

Stormwater Solutions oers easy-to-use materials or public education and outreach to

inorm communities about ways they can help manage stormwater runo. Te materials

are designed or use by municipalities, stormwater managers, watershed organizations, or

interested civic groups.

Waterview in Newport, Rhode Island.


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By proactively integrating LID and sustainable practices into a comprehensive outreach

and education program, Stormwater Solutions is nding leaner and greener ways to pro-

tect the environment, save money, achieve regulatory goals, and build public support or

sustainable transportation inrastructure.

Black and GreenSustainable Pavement PracticesWear and tear on the nations asphalt and concrete pavements is an inevitable result o con-

tinual trac and reeze-thaw weather. Tis results in a perpetual cycle o pavement repairs

and roadway reconstruction that DOs must undertake to meet their customers peror-

mance expectations. Te process o maintaining roads is resource- and energy-intensive,

and is expensive. About 500 million tons o asphalt pavement material are used in road

construction and repair every year in the United States.5 About 25 percent o Interstates

are paved with concrete and 65 percent o the nations bridges are built with concrete.6

Across the nation, DOs are nding ways to control pavement preservation costs, cut

landll waste, and save energy while keeping pavement smoothness and bridge conditionperormance on target:

_ Americas Most Recycled ResourcesReclaimed Asphalt and Concrete: Old asphalt

and concrete pavements are commonly recycled during pavement repairs. Once

removed, asphalt pavement, otherwise known as reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP),

can be reused in road construction as high quality asphalt binder and aggregate. When

considering that materials costs make up 70 percent o the cost o repaving, RAP usu-

ally oers a signicant cost savings over the use o virgin material.

Te use o RAP has become widespread among DOs

over the last 30 years. A 2007 survey ound that trans-

portation agencies reclaim about 100 million tons oasphalt each year with new pavement typically contain-

ing about 20 percent RAP.7 For example, since FY 2006,

the exas Department o ransportation has reclaimed

and reused about 15 million tons o roadway material,

saving space in landlls and reducing the environmen-

tal impact o new roadway material production and

transport.

5 FHWA, Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement in Asphalt Mixtures: State o the Practice (2011).

6 American Road and ransportation Builders Association, Te Economic Impacts o Prohibiting Coal Fly AshUse in ransportation Inrastructure Construction (2011).

7 National Asphalt Pavement Association,Black and GreenSustainable Asphalt Now and omorrow (2009)http://www.asphaltpavement.org/images/stories/sustainability_report_2009.pd.

tsi gis

lim b 100 milli sf sl ymkig

sl ms yl

i ui Ss.


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Photo courtesy of National Asphalt Pavement Association.


Te use o reclaimed asphalt and concrete reduces the need to use virgin aggregate,

which is a scarce commodity in some areas o the United States. Increased use o re-

cycled aggregate can signicantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating the

signicant uel consumption required to acquire, process, and transport raw materials

or virgin mix.

_ From Roos to RoadsRecycled Shingles: Te Missouri Department o ransporta-

tion (MoDO) is one o many state transportation agencies across the nation that allow

contractors to use roo shingles that have been removed rom rooops in their asphalt

mix. An asphalt mix made with 5 percent recycled shingles results in a 20 percent

reduction in liquid asphalt purchases. Te result is a durable, more-rut resistant asphaltat a lower price. MoDO estimates use o recycled shingles saves $3 to $5 per ton o

asphalt.8 Considering that a typical resuracing project

uses about 30,000 tons o asphalt, savings achieved per

project total about $90,000 to $150,000. Beyond the cost

savings, this practice also helps MoDO in its environ-

mental stewardship eorts. According to the Missouri

Department o Natural Resources, an estimated 146,500

tons o roong materials are disposed o in Missouri

landlls each year. By reusing tear-o shingles, MoDO

reduces disposal o the shingles in landlls.

_ Warm-Mix Asphalt Saves Energy, Improves Pavement Quality: Conventional meth-

ods or making asphalt pavement require heating up a hot mixo rock and asphalt

8 MoDO website: http://www.modot.mo.gov/goinggreen/shingles.htm.

usig yl f sigls

i fs sl ss Mdot

$3 $5 f sl,

b $90,000 $150,000

yil sfig j.


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binder to drive o moisture and make it pliable. Warm-mixmanuacturing technolo-

gies brought to the United States rom Europe in the early 2000s save energy and costs

by allowing or production and placement o asphalt at lower temperatures. Less heat

means less uel and lower emissions and potentially lower uel costs. Using warm-

mix asphalt (WMA) can reduce energy consumption during the manuacturing o

the asphalt pavement mixture by an average o 15 to 30 percent, which decreases totallie-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by 5 percent.9 In a two-year perormance study

conducted or Virginia Department o ransportation, which is one o the states begin-

ning to use WMA, the Virginia ransportation Research Council estimated that using

warm-mix asphalt as part o the DOs maintenance program could provide Virginia

with about a $1.15 million annual savings over the cost o hot-mix asphalt, which they

attributed to the longer liespan o WMA compared to regular asphalt.10

WMA was originally explored or its environmental benets, but contractors and agen-

cies also have discovered construction perormance benets, including a longer paving

season in northern climates and a longer window o opportunity or compacting pave-

ment, which improves pavement smoothness. Trough the FHWA Every Day Counts

9 National Asphalt Pavement Association,Black and GreenSustainable Asphalt Now and omorrow (2009)http://www.asphaltpavement.org/images/stories/sustainability_report_2009.pd.

10 Virginia ransportation Research Council, Perormance o Virginias Warm Mix Asphalt rial Sections (2010).

Country Club Plaza Shopping Center in Kansas City, Missouri, at dusk.


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initiative, WMA was identied as a proven technology and is being promoted nation-

ally. As a result, an overwhelming majority o states already have adopted WMA as a

standard practice and all states are now planning to incorporate it.

_ Perpetual Pavements Cut Repair Costs: One o the keys to sustainability is longevity.

Perpetual pavement is a pavement designed and built to last more than 50 years with-out requiring major structural rehabilitation or reconstruction. Perpetual pavement

reduces costs because it decreases the need or deep pavement repairs and reconstruc-

tion. It also reduces congestion because minor surace rehabilitation can be perormed

in shorter work windows. Perpetual pavement decreases environmental impacts by

reducing the amount o material resources used

over the pavements lie. According to FHWA, the

initial cost o a perpetual asphalt pavement is 10

to 25 percent more than a conventional pavement.

However, the overall liecycle costs o a perpetual

asphalt pavement are considerably lower when the

extended pavement lie and lower requency omaintenance and rehabilitation activity costs are

included. Perpetual asphalt pavements are being

constructed by many state transportation agencies.

In 2011, ve state DOs were recognized with the

Perpetual Pavement Award rom the Asphalt Pave-

ment Alliance:11

Alabama DO or an 8.5-mile section o State

Route 17 in Washington County;

Florida DO or a 13.2-mile section o State

Route 997 in Miami-Dade County;

Kentucky ransportation Cabinet or a 6.6 mile-section o Hal Rogers Parkway in Leslie County;

Minnesota DO or a 16.7-mile section o U.S.

runk Highway 71 in Stearns and odd Counties;

and

Pennsylvania DO or a 2.7-mile section o State

Route 210 in Armstrong County.

11 Asphalt Pavement Alliance, 2011 Perpetual Pavement Award Winners; http://asphaltroads.org/perpetual-pavement/2011-perpetual-pavement-award-winners.html.

Minnesota, MN Trunk Highway 61.2010 Perpetual Pavement Award Winner.Photo courtesy of Asphalt Pavement Alliance.

Kentucky, I-65 in Halt County.2009 Perpetual Pavement Award Winner.Photo courtesy of Asphalt Pavement Alliance.


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Photos courtesy of Arizona DOT.


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hig mgy ligs

wi gi ig

ss ll f s my il

mi. I s ws

fl ls im

wil sill mig sfys f adot wks.

John NicholsArizona DOT Director ofAdministrative Services

Solar-Powered Emergency LightsHelp DOT Fleet Save Fuel in ArizonaWhen DO crews are working on the side o the road, the ashing warning lights atop

their trucks are crucial to workers saety and to the protection o passing motorists. But

DO trucks must keep their engines idling to maintain power or the saety lights, without

which the vehicles battery would quickly be drained.

According to research published by the ransportation Research Board, overnight and

workday idling o trucks consumes well over 2 billion gallons o oil (mostly diesel) yearly

in the United States.12 A study by the Arizona Department o ransportation (ADO)

showed that its trucks typically idle 60 percent o the time they are in use, primarily to

provide power or emergency lights.

o save uel and cut the amount o air pollutants emitted by maintenance vehicles, ADO

is pilot-testing a solar powered version o its traditional lighting system or trucks that

takes advantage o Arizonas plentiul sunshine. Te pilot test will veriy the durability and

perormance o the lighting system under dierent climate conditions around the state.Forty-six ADO vehicles are equipped with solar lighting, which stores energy in lithium

batteries.13 A side benet is that the new system also takes less time to install than tradi-

tional lighting rigs.

Results rom the ADO pilot indicate that its solar

equipped vehicles cut idle time rom 60 percent to

7 percent o vehicle operating time. Based on these

numbers, a single light duty van operated by ADO

could save about 439 gallons o diesel uel a year or an

average approximate savings o $1,170.14

With independently powered solar lights, crews can

pull o the highway and run the emergency lights

with the engine turned o, so emissions are reduced

and drivers are saely alerted to maintenance workers

along the highway. ADO sta expects the new light-

ing to pay or itsel in the rst year o use rom uel

cost savings.

12 Source: Gains, L; Vyas; A, and Anderson, J;Estimation o Fuel Use by Idling Commercial rucks; Center orransportation Research, Argonne National Laboratory (2006).

13 Source:ADO engages in energy ecient measures to save money, ADO Press Release, (Nov 21, 2011);ADO continues to explore solar lighting to save on uel, ADO Press Release (May 1, 2012).

14 Based on idle uel use rate o 0.352 gal/hour and diesel uel cost o $3.27/gallon.


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New York City LED lampposts.Photographer Ryan Pyle.


ADO plans to install solar emergency lights on 50 additional vehicles, incorporating

improvements such as battery packs with a higher heat tolerance, an improved remote

control unit with more power level indicators, and additional lighting.

New Options for Roadway LightingMany state DOs are looking to save energy and cut costs through improved roadway

lighting technology.

New York State DO has developed a

simple guide or replacing its roadway

lighting with new light source technolo-

gies to maintain visibility or saety, while

reducing energy use. Te agency ound the

potential energy savings ranged rom about

7 percent to 50 percent, depending upon

the roadway type.15

Te Caliornia Department o ransporta-

tion has begun installing approximately

70,000 light-emitting diode (LED) light

xtures on state and ederal roadways and

maintenance acilities across the state. Te

agency expects leaner and greener results,

with energy savings o 30 to 50 percent, as

well as ewer greenhouse gas emissions.16

15 Bullough, J.; Guide For Optimizing the Efectiveness and Eciency o Roadway Lighting: Final Report; TeLighting Research Center, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (June 2012) https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/C10-14_Final%20Report.pd.

16 Caliornia ransportation Agency Embarks On Conversion o Highway Lighting to LED, AASHOClimate Change Brieng, Vol. 2, # 52, (March 3, 2012).


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19

chapter three

faster, cheaper,and betterproject deLivery

Project development begins with transportation plans, including statewide long-rangetransportation plans and corridor studies. By including sustainability in transportation

plans, it is ensured that sustainability will be considered when project delivery strategies

are rst ormulated. Choices made during the design phase o project delivery determine

inrastructure orm and unction or a generation. Several o the transportation agencies

proled in this report have developed leaner and greener approaches to transportation

planning and project design to ensure balance among project costs, community values and

environmental resources. Tis section examines a ew exemplary approaches among trans-

portation agencies or incorporating leaner and greener approaches into both the planning

and design phases o project delivery.

Accelerated Bridge Construction MethodsSave Dollars, Time, and ResourcesTe wise use o resources is a cornerstone o achieving sustainable leaner and greener

outcomes. Accelerated bridge construction technologies, including preabricated bridge

elements and systems and slide-in bridge construction, have been advanced through

FHWAs Every Day Counts Initiative.17 Tese new technologies to accelerate construction

o the nations deteriorating bridges cut costs, increase saety, and minimize inconvenience

to travelers. According to FHWA, using these techniques, DOs can replace bridges within

48 to 72 hours and reduce the time associated with traditional planning, design, and con-

struction eorts by years. In addition, the designs and materials used in accelerated bridge

technologies produce saer, more durable bridges with longer service lives than conven-tional bridges.

17 FHWA Every Day Counts Initiative, Accelerated Bridge Construction, http://www.fwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts/edctwo/2012/abc.cm.


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MassDOT construction inspector Alex Normandin and Assistant Resident Engineer Bob Blackmar on August 13, 2011, as one of the94 Fast 14s 252 Prefabricated Bridge Units is lowered into place. MassDOT used this innovative method of construction to maximizemobility while safely replacing fourteen Boston-area bridges in just 10 weekends.Photo courtesy of Massachusetts DOT. Photographer: Eliza Partington.


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Such methods also can lessen the environmental impact o construction. Heavy equipment

needed or bridge construction is located o-site in actories rather than on the construc-

tion site, avoiding disruption to sensitive ecosystems, such as wetlands. Shorter construc-

tion time also allows projects to be scheduled around critical times or plant growth or

animal lie, such as sh spawning season.

FHWA reports that 44 states have already deployed accelerated bridge construction meth-

ods. For example, Massachusetts DO used preabricated, modular superstructure units to

complete a replacement o the I-93 Northbound Bridge over Riverside Avenue in Medord,

Massachusetts. Te bridge replacement took one weekend rather than the years o work

that would have been required i conventional construction methods had been used. Te

project was part o MassDOs Fast 14 project, which replaced 14 bridge structures on

I-93 over a series o weekends in 2011.

Georgia DO used preabricated bridge elements on the I-85 bridge in roup County,

Georgia, cutting time or the project completion rom 30 months to just over 16 months,

and cutting costs by 45 percent.

Indiana DOTs Historic BridgePreservation Program SpeedsUp Projects, Saves CommunityLandmark BridgesHistoric bridges are an important part o Indianas

transportation network and a source o community

pride. During the 1990s, Indiana Department o

ransportation (INDO) identied over 18,000 public

bridges in need o preservation, repair, and replacement.Due to the large volume o project-by-project reviews,

consultations and decision making on historic eligibil-

ity, eects, and mitigation, many replacement bridge

projects were taking ve or more years to progress to

the construction phase.

In 2002, the National rust or Historic Preservation

included Indianas historic bridges onAmericas 11 Most

Endangered Places list. As a result, bridge owners, und-

ing partners, and preservationists in Indiana recognized

the need to nd common ground regarding the ecientexecution o Section 106 o the Historic Preservation

Act and agree on a consistent approach or identiy-

ing and preserving historic bridges. FHWAs Indiana

Division began working on a solution with INDO

Historic Indiana bridge: Knox.Photos courtesy of Indiana DOT.

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and other stakeholders including ederal, state, and local

elected ocials; preservation groups; tourism organiza-

tions; chambers o commerce; and trail user groups. Teir

eorts culminated in a ormal programmatic agreement

(PA) that laid out new procedures or evaluating, manag-

ing, and preserving Indianas historic bridges, signed by theIndiana FHWA Division, Indiana State Historic Preserva-

tion Ocer, Advisory Council on Historic Preservation,

INDO, and the Indiana Historic Spans ask Force. Te

agreement includes provisions or conducting a historic

bridge survey; a detailed project development process

or select and non-select bridges; standard treatments or

historic bridges; and provision or development o a Stan-

dards or Rehabilitation o Bridges on Low Volume Roads or

inclusion in the INDO Design Manual. Managing historic

bridges through the PA provides more exible standards,

eliminates project and regulatory compliance uncertainty,and provides a proactive and consistent approach to his-

toric bridge preservation in Indiana.

Pursuant to the programmatic agreement, survey work

resulted in the designation o about 400 historically signi-

cant bridges that deserve priority or preservation. Over

30 priority bridge projects have progressed under the PA,

providing cost savings and aster project delivery as well as

enhanced environmental preservation.

Te PA allows INDO to more eciently and eectivelypreserve and protect historic bridges by identiying bridges

with historic value throughout the state and strategically

planning to preserve the most signicant historic bridges

beore rehabilitation becomes cost prohibitive. Rehabilitat-

ing historic bridges when appropriate instead o allowing

bridges to deteriorate to the point o needing replacement

not only saves a historic resource, but also reduces the

resource consumption, environmental impacts, and energy

use associated with demolition and new construction. Also,

the time to advance most bridge replacement projects to

construction under the PA has been reduced rom ve ormore years to a year or less.

Te National rusts 11 Most Endangered Historic Proper-

ties website now reports the status o Indianas historic

Historic Indiana bridges (top to bottom):St. Joseph, Randolph, Carroll, and Parke.Photos courtesy of Indiana DOT.


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bridges as saved, which is a testament to successul collaboration. Successul program-

matic agreements or historic bridges have been implemented by numerous state DOs,

including Ohio, Vermont, Minnesota, Oregon, and exas.18

Sustainable Project Design in New YorkIn 2008, the New York State Department o ransportation (NYSDO) developed the

Green Leadership In ransportation Environmental Sustainability (GreenLIES) pro-

gram. GreenLIES was created to ensure that New Yorks transportation inrastructure

balances what is benecial to people, while considering what is economically sound and

environmentally compatible.

GreenLIES is modeled aer the U.S. Green Building Councils LEED

program. Every new project design at NYSDO is evaluated using a sus-

tainability scoring system that measures the extent to which the project

incorporates sustainable design choices in terms o: 1) site setting, 2) water

quality, 3) materials and resources, 4) energy and atmosphere, and 5) inno-vation. Meeting GreenLIES criteria helps to ensure the most ecient use

o limited dollars to achieve sustainable outcomes.

Depending on a projects score, one o our GreenLIES certication levels

may be assigned:

_ GreenLITES Certied: A project design has incorporated a number o

sustainable choices;

_ GreenLITES Silver: A project designs sustainable choices have a high

level o impact or advance the state o practice;

_ GreenLITES Gold: A projects design includes a substantial number o sustainable

choices with many o these choices having a high level o impact or having advancedthe state o practice; or

_ GreenLITES Evergreen: A project design has incor-

porated the highest number o sustainable choices

with many o these choices having an extremely high

level o positive impact. Additionally, these projects

may advance the state o practice or are innovative in

the way environmental sustainability is approached

on the project.

18 Best Practices and Lessons Learned on the Preservation and Rehabilitation o Historic Bridges, NationalCooperative Highway Research Program, Project 25-25 (66), June 2012.

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Image courtesy ofNew York State DOT.


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Long Islands NY Route 347 reconstruction project, which broke ground in 2010, is one o

the NYSDO projects that received an Evergreen GreenLIES rating. Te project includes

the addition o a continuous third travel lane in each direction; a separate bike and shared-

use pedestrian path; major intersection improvements; seven new bus stops or transit

riders; and a number o environmentally sustainable amenities and benets including solar

lighting at new bus shelters, high-visibility crosswalks, and a rain garden with ltrationswale to treat roadway storm water runo. Te project will provide substantial mobility

and saety benets or motorists, pedestrians, and transit users in the Route 347 corridor.

GreenLIES is credited with helping to expedite Route 347s delivery and cutting project

costs. By adopting GreenLIES principles, NYSDO was able to produce a design solution

that addressed the needs o the community, while cutting project costs rom $400 million

to around $80 million.

GreenLIES is a sel-certication program used internally or NYSDO to measure

its perormance, recognize and promote good practices, and identiy areas in need o

improvement. It also provides NYSDO with a way to demonstrate to the public howit is advancing sustainable practices.

NYSDO has expanded the Green-

LIES certication program to recog-

nize and promote sustainable operations

and maintenance activities. Te Opera-

tions Division has identied over 100

tasks that can be tracked and scored to

ensure continuous improvement. Tese

include a wide range o practices such as

installation o living snow ences, appli-cation o brine prior to winter storms,

and restoration o stream banks.

Te department is now looking to apply

GreenLIES to regional activities and

the planning process.

GreenLIES was recognized in 2009 by the Council o State Governments under their

prestigious Innovations Award program, and in 2010 received the AASHO Presidents

Award or Environment.

Living snow fences.Photos courtesy of New York State DOT.


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Puget Sounds 2010 Transportation 2040 Plan Sets 30-YearVision for Sustainable Transportationravel orecasters predict that by 2040, the Puget Sound region will experience a

40 percent growth in travel.19 Te Puget Sound Regional Council (PSRC) is charged

with ensuring the region is equipped to accommodate more cars; trucks; air, rail, and errypassengers; reight; pedestrians; cyclists; and transit riders as demand grows. PSRCs rans-

portation 2040 plan lays out a 30-year vision or unding and building sustainable trans-

portation programs and projects throughout the our-county Seattle-acoma region.

ransportation 2040 translates the PSRCs broad commitment to transportation sustain-

ability into tangible actions. Te Plan is built around three equal and interrelated strategies

that together dene what sustainable transportation means or the region and are designed

to inuence overall transportation investment decisions:

_ Congestion Relie and Better Mobility: o improve system eciency, the plan rec-

ommends creating smart corridors with advanced technology, better inormation,

advanced tolling approaches, and strategic capacity improvements. As an example, oneproject underway in the Puget Sound region is Washington State DOs (WSDO)

deployment o an Active rac Management System, including the use o high-tech

19 PSRC, ransportation 2040 Plan Executive Summary(2010).

Its a good year for lupines along Interstate 5 near Everett, Washington. More than just a colorfulspringtime show, wildflowers help maintain water quality by preventing erosion on the slopes alongthe freeway.Photo courtesy of Washington State DOT. Photographer: Dave Tschirgi.


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overhead signs displaying variable speed limits, lane status, and real-time trac inor-

mation so drivers know what is happening on the road ahead. Te rst signs were

installed on northbound I-5, a major reeway traversing the southern part o Seattle.

Since then, WSDO has implemented similar systems on SR520, completed in Novem-

ber 2010, and I-90, completed in June 2011. Active trac management improves saety,reduces congestion, and improves the environment. Although more collision data will

be needed or a statistical analysis o collision requency, WSDO ocials expect to see

a measurable and statistically signicant reduction in collisions. Congestion relie also

means reduced uel consumption as trac spends less time stuck in jams.

_ Environmental Protection: A key ocus o the PSRCs long-range plan is to protect and

improve the regions environmental health. Tis includes ensuring that the region has

healthy air, ensuring that transportation projects are better equipped to handle storm-

water runo, and addressing transportations role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions

and adapting to climate change.

_ New Approach to Funding: Te ransportation 2040 nancial strategy relies on tradi-

tional unding sources in the early years but later transitions to add unding rom newuser ees, which could include high-occupancy-toll lanes, ull acility tolling, and other

pricing approaches that replace the gas tax and help manage use o the transportation

system.

Puget Sound Ferry.Photo courtesy of Washington State DOT.


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Detailed recommendations or program changes and major new projects in three major

ocus areas help transorm ransportation 2040s vision or sustainable transportation

into reality:

_ Maintain, Preserve, and Operate: Te plans highest priority is to maintain, preserve,

and operate the regions transportation system, and represents the largest program cost;_ Increase System Efciency: Use transportation system management strategies like

Active rac Management and tolling to improve eciency o the existing transporta-

tion system; and

_ Strategically Expand Capacity: Implement strategic capacity investments in all modes

o transportation including a 100 percent increase in peak local transit service, bike and

pedestrian improvements in regional growth centers, and completion o a network o

roadway projects. Tese investments would rely on users o the new highway capacity

to pay or improvements through highway tolling.

Variable speed lanes.Photo courtesy of Washington State DOT.


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Model of Sustainability and Integrated Corridors (MOSAIC)Planning Tool Will Speed Up Project Delivery and AssureSustainable Transportation Decisions in MarylandFaced with some o the countrys most congested travel corridors, which include the Bal-

timore and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas, transportation planners and engineers

at Marylands State Highway Administration (SHA) are challenged to nd cost-eectivetransportation solutions that help travelers beat congestion, while protecting Marylands

precious environmental resources and community quality o lie.

Historically, the journey or reaching such solutions has taken many years or even decades.

MOSAIC is a new planning calculator developed by the Maryland SHA and the University

o Maryland to help transportation planners and their stakeholders move more quickly

along the project development path by providing a clear and succinct quantitative assess-

ment o the relative environmental, cost, mobility, saety, and economic impacts associated

with dierent project options. MOSAIC also produces a balanced assessment o trade-os

associated with dierent project alternatives.

Learning rom its experience in delivering complex highway improvements like I-95s

Woodrow Wilson Bridge and the Intercounty Connector in the Washington, DC suburbs,

SHA recognized the need or a new generation o data-driven decision-support tools.

ICC Interchange.Photo courtesy of ICC Project Team.


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By integrating data sets rom dozens o statewide databases and giving users the power to

analyze them at the click o a mouse, MOSAIC will help the agency swily identiy project

options to optimize environmental, cost, mobility, saety, and economic considerations,

and use this analysis to target transportation improvements that oer the best sustainabil-

ity perormance.

When applied to the US 15 corridor north o Fred-

rick, Maryland, the MOSAIC model suggested that

converting at-grade intersections to grade-separated

interchanges along the US 15 corridor would be more

eective in enhancing sustainability than constructing

additional travel lanes. Both o the two improvement

types would have positive sustainability results com-

pared with the no-build scenario.20

At present, MOSAICs analytic capabilities are limitedto evaluation o projects requiring grade-separated

20 State Highway Administration Research Report: Comprehensive Highway Corridor Planning WithSustainability Indicators, Lei Zhang Principal Investigator, (Oct. 2011).

Bike lane along Woodrow Wilson Bridge that spans the Potomac River.Photo courtesy of Maryland State Highway Administration.

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interchanges or general-purpose lanes. In the uture, its capabilities may be expanded to

include high-occupancy-vehicle lanes, high-occupancy-toll lanes, express-toll lanes, bus-

only lanes, lane removal, light rail, and park-and-ride lots.

While MOSAIC oers quantitative answers to complex questions, it also provides a data-driven decision tool to the complex process o planning transportation improvements.

Maryland SHA anticipates that use o MOSAIC will encourage early and productive dis-

cussions among stakeholders which will help advance projects more quickly, while ensur-

ing that they reach more balanced and aordable solutions.

Ultimately, the MOSAIC tool will be integrated with the Maryland Statewide ransporta-

tion Model through SHAs Enterprise GIS system. Te Maryland Statewide ransportation

Model is a multi-layer travel demand model working at national, statewide, and urban

levels to orecast and analyze key measures o transportation system perormance. Com-

bined with econometric and land-use models, it provides analytic support to long-range

transportation planning, scenario analysis o land use patterns, network changes, andeconomic development assessments. SHAs Enterprise GIS system is the starting point or

achieving the vision or an extremely powerul GIS-based decision support system that

integrates multiple data layers, enabling SHA to make sustainable transportation invest-

ment decisions.

Regardless of season, weather, or day of the week, shopping remains a steady and significant attraction inFrederick County, located conveniently off of US 15.Photo courtesy Tourism Council of Frederick County.


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31

chapter fourLeaner and GreenerLeadership vision

For many agencies, sustainable transportation practices are becoming the norm or doingbusiness. Being leaner and greener is becoming part o the mainstream transportation

vocabulary and a true commitment to action.

Leadership vision and organizational changes are oen the seeds o an

agencys eorts to become leaner and greener. Following are some o the

many examples o leadership and organizational change strategies that

are helping transportation agencies become leaner and greener.

Los Angeles Links Investment in Transportation

with Cost Savings, Energy Efficiency, andCommunity Quality of LifeLos Angeles County Metropolitan ransportation Authority (LAC-

MA) buses and trains carry 1.4 million trips every weekday, making

it one o the largest transit operators in the nation.21 LACMA also has

responsibility or planning all transportation projects within Los Ange-

les County and building and operating the countys high-occupancy-

vehicle lanes.

Te LACMAs Board has put sustainability ront and center in its

vision or the agencys uture. In 2008, voters approved Measure R,

which authorizes LACMA to spend a projected $40 billion on tracrelie and transportation upgrades throughout the county over the next

21 LACMA Ridership StatisticsSystem-wide Ridership EstimateAverage Weekday Boardings (Bus andRail) http://www.metro.net/news/pages/ridership-statistics/.

LA Metro red line atUnion Station.

Photo courtesy of Los Angeles CountyMetropolitan Transit Authority.


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30 years.22 Te Boards 2008 Metro Sustainability Implementation Plan was developed

to ensure that transportation decisions are scally responsible, socially equitable, and

exhibit environmental stewardship.23 Some o the Boards initial sustainability-ocused

initiatives include:

_ A Greenhouse Gas Emissions (GHG) Management Plan: LACMA has developed a

GHG Management Plan that has an initial ocus on measurement o the agencys GHG

emissions ootprint and long-term development o mitigation and adaptation strategies.

As o early 2011, 100 percent o LACMAs bus eet was powered by compressed natu-

ral gas ueled engines that unction more eciently, contribute less GHG emissions,

and reduce particulate matter with the benet o reducing energy costs while improvingpublic health and protecting the environment;

_ Energy Sustainability Initiatives: LACMA is investing in numerous energy con-

servation and management initiatives and easibility studies, including the Energy

Conservation and Management Plan, which are helping LACMA save $2 million per

year in energy costs. Additional energy conservation initiatives undertaken in 2012 are

expected to yield an additional $800,000 in annual savings. Implementation examples

include large-scale solar energy projects, energy retrots at selected buildings, and a

pilot installation o wayside energy storage to capture railcar braking energy;

_ Implementation o Sustainable Design Guidelines: LACMA is incorporating sus-

tainability elements into its design and construction projects. For example, LACMAs

new 45,000 square oot San Gabriel Valley Sector oce was the rst agency constructed

22 Measure R OverviewLACMA website, http://www.metro.net/projects/measurer/.

23 LACMA,Metro Sustainability Implementation Plan (2008).

LACMTA bus hub.

Photos courtesy of California DOT.


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acility to be awarded a gold Leadership in Environment and Design (LEED) rating.

Te new building cuts energy use by 25 percent and water consumption by 50 percent

compared to a conventional structure, thus saving LACMA over $75,000 in utility

costs each year;24

_ Deployment o an Environmental Management System (EMS): With unding sup-

port rom the Federal ransit Administration, LACMA is using an Environmental

Management System (EMS) to incorporate sustainable practices into all levels o its

operations and across multiple impact areas including water and energy use, emissions,

and waste generation. Actions undertaken as a result o the EMS include increased use

o energy ecient light xtures and installation o water and energy ecient dryers invehicle cleaning acilities; and

_ Stafng or Sustainability: LACMA has established two ull-time sta positions

dedicated to managing its sustainability initiatives across the agency, a transportation

sustainability energy manager and a transportation sustainability policy manager.

LACMAs Board is making an annual $2 million

commitment to sustainability-related capital improve-

mentseorts that support multiple elements o the

agencys 3Ps o Sustainability: people, planet, and prot.

Within ve years, these investments are expected to

return an equivalent value in measurable utility savings.

24 Metro News Release: Metros First Green ransit Facility Achieves Gold LEED Rating or EnvironmentalQuality (Nov 24, 2008).

LACMTA bus hub.

Photos courtesy of California DOT.

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GreenDOT Vision Aims to MakeMassDOT a National Leader inGreening TransportationIn 2010, the Massachusetts Department o ransportation

(MassDO) kicked-o a new initiative called GreenDOT

to position itsel as a national leader in greening statetransportation systems. GreenDO embeds sustainability

into MassDOs core businesses rom strategic planning to

project design and construction to system operations. It has

three goals: reducing greenhouse gas emissions; promot-

ing walking, bicycling, and public transit; and support or

smart growth development. MassDO is pursuing the

GreenDO Vision and plans to achieve the three GreenDO goals by making sustainabil-

ity an integral part o every MassDO employees job and by integrating these objectives

into its organizational vision and mission.

Te GreenDO initiative includes groundbreaking greenhouse gas reduction targets man-dated under Massachusettss 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act. GreenDO sets a goal o

reducing greenhouse gas emissions by over two million tons by 2020 by balancing highway

system expansion projects with other projects that support smart growth development and

that promote public transit, walking, and bicycling.

Image courtesy of Massachusetts DOT.


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Te GreenDO Implementation Plan outlines specic

goals in seven areas: air, energy, land, materials, policy/

planning, waste, and water. For each goal, the plan lists

a series o tasks with indicators and time horizons or

2013, 2015, and 2020, or each o the MassDO divi-

sions responsible or implementation.

Te tasks and indicators or each time horizon will be integrated into MassDOs peror-

mance management eorts, and include a type o score card to track progress on achieving

the goals.

For example, or the goal o reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the plan identies the ollow-

ing tasks: increase vehicle electrication acilities, increase use o alternative and renewable

uels, increase uel eciency o light duty vehicles, increase uel eciency o maintenance

and construction equipment, increase telecommuting and meetings by web conerence,

and track progress toward statewide GHG reduction and other sustainability goals.

l Reduce greenhouse gas emissions

l Improve statewide air quality

l Consume less energy

l Increase reliance on renewable energy

l

Minimize energy + chemicals used in maintenancel Enhance ecological performance of MassDOT-impacted land

l Improve life-cycle impacts of investments

l Purchase environmentally preferred products

l Build green facilities for MassDOT

l Design a multi-modal transportation system

l Promote healthy transportation + livable communities

l Achieve zero solid waste disposal

l Reduce all exposure to hazardous waste

l Use less water

l Improve ecological function of water systems

Green DOT Goals

Source: MassDOT GreenDOT Implementation Planhttp://www.massdot.state.ma.us/GreenDOT/GreenDOTImplementationPlan.aspx


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Te plan then provides a set o indicators or each o

the tasks, with goals to reach or each time horizon. For

example, or the goal o increasing vehicle electrica-

tion, indicators include: two truck electrication acili-

ties to be piloted at highway service areas by 2013, way-

side electrication stations to be installed at six highway

service areas by 2015, and truck wayside electricationto be provided at all highway service areas by 2020.

Examples o GreenDO eorts underway include:

_ Increased use o hybrid, electric, and clean diesel

vehicles;

_ Installation o electric vehicle chargers along the

state highway system;

_ Use o energy ecient LED bulbs in all new trac

and tunnel lights;

_ Planting o slow-growing grass requiring less mow-

ing or reduced energy use;_ Water recycling and conservation in bus and vehicle

washing; and

_ Use o warm, lower emission asphalt mix to replace hot mix on road repairs.

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NCDOTs Accountability Framework:A Blueprint for SustainabilityRecent sustainability leadership eorts include work by North Carolina Department o

ransportation (NCDO) to integrate the concepts o sustainability into its decision-

making and to make the link between mobility and support or communities and regions

across the state. Te eort has resulted in the articulation o eight principles with corre-sponding outcomes, objectives, and perormance measures. Te eight principles ocus on:

moving people and goods; choices; connectivity; resource protection; prosperity; account-

ability; healthy communities; and organizational responsibility.

Te initiative began with an extensive review o sustainability plans across all state DOs.

Te purpose o the review was to identiy and synthesize the best practices in promot-

ing sustainability and creating a ramework or sustainable decision-making. Following

this review, an internal NCDO survey was conducted to identiy existing sustainable

practices and better understand how the department views the concept o sustainability.

Focus groups with agency sta, and interviews with external stakeholdersincluding

other state agencies, MPOs/RPOs, councils o government, transit service providers, andprivate industry partnerswere used to present and discuss the concept o sustainability,

identiy additional practices and initiatives that align with those concepts, and shape the

subsequent principles and objectives. Te department then identied metrics that would

be used to access consistency and progress in meeting outcomes associated with each o

the principles.


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Motorcyclist travels along the Blue Ridge Parkway.Photo courtesy of VisitNC.com.


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Integration o the concepts o sustainability are reected

in NCDOs newly expanded mission statement: Con-

necting people and places saely and eciently, with

accountability and environmental sensitivity, to enhance

the economy, health, and well-being o North Caro-

lina. Te DOs mission was expanded and rened torecognize broadened responsibilities and aspirations,

and now emphasizes a triple bottom line o economic

development, human health and well-being, and envi-

ronmental resource stewardship.

Te principles have also been integrated into NCDOs statewide transportation plan

(2040 Plan) and its 5- and 10-year transportation improvement programs (Policy to

Projects). Eorts are also underway to evaluate project prioritization criteria and enhance

consideration o sustainability concepts in the project prioritization process.

Te eort has culminated in the development o an Accountability Frameworkthat linkssustainability-related principles to key overarching plans and policies, strategies, and

perormance measures to monitor implementation progress and eectiveness over time.

Further integration o these concepts into initiatives and decision-making is key to imple-

mentation. Other implementation elements include a communications plan, monitoring,

and continuous improvement.

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Institutionalizing Leaner and Greener PracticesAn increasing number o transportation agencies across the nation have established

procedures, plans, and dedicated sta to institutionalize leaner and greener practices

across their programs and projects. Additional examples o these cross-cutting eorts

include the ollowing:

og dotA pioneer in sustainable transportation, the Oregon Department o ransportation

(ODO) was the rst state transportation agency to adopt an agency-wide sustainability

plan. Issued in 2004, that plan stressed inclusion o sustainability considerations in the

update o the Oregon ransportation Plan, implementation o a sustainable bridge deliv-

ery program (OIA III), and development o an environmental management system or

ODOs maintenance yards.

In 2008, ODO embarked on a broader three-volume sustainability plan aimed at address-

ing both internal and external operations in seven ocus areas: health and saety; social

responsibility/workorce well-being and development; environmental stewardship; landuse and inrastructure; energy/uel use and climate change; material resource ows; and

economic health. Volume I o the plan, issued in 2008, provides the vision and ramework

or ODOs sustainability goals and strategies.

Volume II o the sustainability plan, completed in 2010, sets goals, strategies, and peror-

mance measures or ODOs internal operations, such as its acilities and eet. It includes

goals such as increasing use o alternative uels and electric vehicles in the ODO eet,

reducing the amount o waste generated by acilities, and decreasing greenhouse gas

emissions rom overall agency opera-

tions. Volume III o the plan, which has

not yet been completed, will addressgoals and strategies or management

and operation o the statewide trans-

portation system. Tis will include

sustainable practices in project delivery,

highway design, and construction; and

identication o the best tools to man-

age and implement sustainability within

individual projects.

Te long list o sustainable practices and

programs overseen by ODOs sustain-ability program manager and the cross-

discipline ODO Sustainability Council

are documented in an annual sustain-

ability progress report. Some examples

Gorge Highway overlooking the Columbia River.Photo courtesy of Travel Oregon. Photographer Paul Geddis.


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include installation o electric vehicle charging stations, purchase o electric vehicles,

increased use o alternative uels such as biodiesel or the ODO eet, and installation o

solar panels on ODO right-o-ways or the rst-ever Solar Highwayprojects.

ODO also considers sustainability in project decision-making. Te Columbia River

Crossing Projecta joint eort o the Oregon and Washington DOswas the rst in thenation to include a project-level sustainability plan. Sustainability goals or the project are

to be achieved through a long list o project elements, including addition o high capacity

transit, reducing vehicle miles traveled, use o tolling, electronic saety technologies, bicy-

cle and pedestrian acilities, and use o sustainable construction materials and methods.

ODO is also working with its sister agency, the Department o Land Conservation and

Development, to implement the Oregon Sustainable ransportation Initiative (OSI), an

integrated statewide eort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions rom the transportation sector

while creating healthier, more livable communities and greater economic opportunity.

Wsig S dotA leader in sustainability, the Washington State Department o ransportation (WSDO)

has incorporated the concept in all aspects o its work. Te departments sustainable prac-

tices are posted on the Internet and are described in a series oolio act sheets to educate

the public.25 Examples o WSDOs leaner and greener eorts cut across a broad range o

ocus areas:

_ Improving mobility and trafc operations with the installation o electronic, variable

speed limit and lane status signs, electronic tolling, ramp meters, roundabouts, and

high-occupancy-vehicle lanes;

_ Conserving uels and energy

through the West Coast Green High-

way Initiative to support the use oelectric and alternative-uel vehicles;

upgrading the WSDO vehicle eet;

and installation o solar-powered

trac control systems;

_ Promoting economic vitality

and stewardship by addressing

key trac chokepoints, investing

in rail, separating reight rom rail

and light-vehicle trac around ports,

and boosting incident response and

trac management;

25 Washington State DO Sustainable ransportation olio, http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/NR/rdonlyres/0CBC867A-B34A-4F39-B1C7-8ECBE2581780/0/Sustainable_092111_WEB.pd (Fall 2011).


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_ Focusing on preservation and maintenance o the

existing system by promoting longer lasting pave-

ments, using recycled materials, using native plants,

and using precision roadway salt applications in

winter months to minimize amount o salt needed;

_ Improving saetyby installing cable median bar-riers, cleaning catch basins and drains to prevent

ooding, retrotting bridges and structures to

withstand earthquakes, and building roundabouts to

improve trac ow and reduce the risk o collisions;

_ Improving design and construction techniques

with innovative engineering or structures that can

endure a harsher climate, and innovative contracting

or more ecient project delivery;

_ Protecting and enhancing the environment by

removing sh passage barriers, addressing storm-

water pollution by preventing erosion and lteringruno, connecting wildlie habitat, and restoring

natural vegetation;

_ Advancing community partnerships by integrating

bicycle and pedestrian elements into highway projects and increasing investments to

promote carpools, vanpools, transit, and telecommuting; and

_ Reducing emissions linked to climate change through eorts ocused on operating

the system eciently, lowering the carbon content o uels, supporting improved vehicle

technologies, and supporting a variety o transportation options.

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Te District o Columbia Department o ransporta-tions (DDO) Sustainability Plan identies eight prior-

ity areas or sustainability and establishes goals, actions,

measures, and targets or each. Te priority areas are

promoting transportation and land use linkage; improv-

ing mode choices, accessibility, and mobility; making

eective cost assessments in decision-making; sup-

porting the economy; improving DDO operations

and project development processes; protecting the

environment and conserving resources; climate change

adaptation; and promoting livability and saety. For each

priority area, measures and targets are identied, suchas reduction o annual greenhouse gas emissions rom

DDO projects by 5 percent annually.

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Paula HammondSecretary, Washington State Depart-

ment of Transportation and Chair,

AASHTO Sustainable Transportation:

Energy, Infrastructure, and ClimateSolutions Steering Committee

DC visitors enjoy sightseeing with Segues,using the proper bike lanes for safety.Photo courtesy of Meredith LaDue.


49/56


DDO also is advancing its Great Streets initiative, with eorts such as the Nannie Helen

Burroughs Avenue project. By reducing the number o trac lanes rom our lanes to

a single lane in each direction, DDO was able to install raised landscaped medians to

create pockets to protect pedestrians and motorists and add bike lanes or saer cycling.

Te project includes low impact development (LID) eatures, such as bioretention areas,

stormwater planters, and permeable concrete sidewalks, all o which help treat stormwaterand reduce runo into local waterways

DDO also has launched a Green Alley pilot program to demonstrate use o permeable

pavement and other LID techniques in alleys throughout the city.

clifi dot (cls)Launched in 2010, Caltranss Smart Mobilityrame-

work seeks to ensure that the states transportation

investments achieve balanced outcomes or mobility,

environmental protection, social equity, and economic

growth. Te ramework establishes six Smart Mobilityprinciples: location eciency, reliable mobility, health

and saety, environmental stewardship, social equity,

and a robust economy. Under the ramework, transpor-

tation planning and project design are conducted based

on seven newly established place-types. For each place-

type, perormance measures are developed to align with

the principles.

A key element o the Smart Mobility ramework is the development o the Caliornia

Interregional Blueprint, a statewide land usetransportation plan that will integrate the

states various modal plans and incorporate individual blueprints developed by regionsacross the state.26

cig dotChicago Department o ransportations (CDO) Action Agenda, Chicago Forward,

outlines how the city will achieve a range o leaner and greener goals or transportation.27

For example, Chicagos GreenStreets eort recognizes the importance o trees in an urban

setting. Te program plants trees along and near major streets and targets areas in the city

with high urban heat island eects.

26 Caltrans: Smart Mobility 2010: A Call to Action or the New Decade, http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/oces/ocp/sm_les/SmMblty_v6-3.22.10_150DPI.pd, and Smart Mobility Fact Sheet, http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/tpp/oces/ocp/sm

Leaner and Greener report

Documents

Transcript of Leaner and Greener report