INVEST-ing in Sustainable Transportation on Federal Lands. Tina Hodges January 13, 2015 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

Transcription

1 INVEST-ing in Sustainable Transportation on Federal Lands Tina Hodges January 13, 2015 Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting

2 What is Sustainability? 2

3 FHWA Sustainable Highways Initiative The Sustainable Highways Initiative supports programs and activities conducted across the Federal Highway Administration to facilitate balanced decision-making among environmental, economic and social values the triple bottom line of sustainability. 3

4 Why Sustainability of Federal Lands projects is particularly important to FHWA 1. Many Federal Lands protect natural treasures, unique ecosystems, cultural or historical resources. Also economically important for tourism or natural resources. All 3 pillars of sustainability key in these projects. 2. Roads on Federal Lands are the only roads FHWA actually designs and builds (the other roads we fund are built by the states) 3. Sustainability is one of four goals in the USDOT strategic plan and is a performance objective under FHWA s Strategic Implementation Plan with a performance measure on number of states, MPOs, and FLMAs using INVEST. 4. We like to use pretty pictures of Federal Lands projects in our sustainability outreach materials (just kidding true, but not one of the reasons) 4

5 INVEST 1.0 FHWA s Sustainability Tool Web-based selfassessment tool Connects sustainability principles with action Measures sustainability specifically for transportation Helps stakeholders go above and beyond Voluntary Free, easy to use Practical Flexible 5

6 Why use INVEST on Federal Lands? Transportation is only a small piece of FLMA goals/activities. As such, having a ready-made tool focused specifically on transportation sustainability provides the needed info that would otherwise take significant effort to compile. Flexible. Can be tailored to many different types of projects, including the unique projects on Federal Lands. Free, easy to use Benchmark for continuous improvement Objective and comprehensive framework on transportation sustainability for facilitating internal conversation on improvements and communication with stakeholders on achievements. Save money by identifying practices that reduce costs. 6

7 Supporting the Entire Life Cycle System Planning Project Development Operations & Maintenance 7

8 INVEST s Niche among Sustainability Tools Credit for graphic: Lisa Reid, Anneke Davis, Tim Bevan, CH2MHill 8

9 Scoring in INVEST 9

10 How INVEST Measures Sustainability 10

11 Evaluate Score Improve Evaluate Using the collaborative process can provide the most important outcome Score Provides recognition for implementing sustainability best practices and identifying gaps Improve Using the process to improve in practice and identify cost effective measures 11

12 INVEST Pilot Sites By the Numbers Puget Sound Regional Council Oregon DOT Western Federal Lands Montana DOT (4 projects) 15 states had INVEST pilot projects 19 agencies pilot tested INVEST: 10 state DOTs 4 MPOs 3 local governments 2 Federal Lands Highway Divisions Western Federal Lands Ohio DOT Washoe County, NV Central Federal Lands Pioneer Valley Planning Commission Monterey County, CA Maryland DOT D.C. DOT Nevada DOT Utah DOT North Carolina DOT Nashville Area MPO City of Peoria, AZ Arizona DOT North Central Texas Council of Governments Georgia DOT 12

13 INVEST Implementation Sites By the Numbers 58 INVEST implementation projects In 26 states and DC By 31 agencies, including: 11 state DOTs 14 MPOs Federal Lands Highway Divisions (all 3 divisions) 5 other transportation agencies State DOT MPO Federal Lands Highway Other 13

14 FLH has used INVEST on projects at these Federal Lands Units: US Forest Service Boise National Forest, ID Mt. Hood National Forest, OR Sawtooth National Recreation Area, ID Siskiyou National Forest, OR Tongass National Forest, AK Umpqua National Forest, OR Gunnison County, CO Plumas County, CA Fish and Wildlife Service Don Edwards Wildlife Refuge, CA Multiple in VA and MD National Park Service Columbia River Gorge, OR Crater Lake, OR Denali, AK Glacier, MT Grand Teton, WY Great Smoky Mountains, TN Mount Rainier, WA National Mall, DC Point Reyes Seashore, CA Sequoia, CA Yellowstone, CA 14

15 Federal Lands Examples of INVEST Criteria by Module System Planning Project Development Operations & Maintenance 15

16 Project Development Criteria by Scorecard Natur l & Scenic Cust. Core Rural Basic Rural Ext. Paving Urban Basic PD 1 Economic Analyses o o PD 2 Life Cycle Cost Analyses o o o o o o PD 3 Context Sensitive Project Development o o o o o o PD 4 Highway and Traffic Safety o o o o o o o PD 5 Educational Outreach o o o o o o o PD 6 Tracking Environmental Commitments o o o o o o o PD 7 Habitat Restoration o o o o o o PD 8 Stormwater o o o o o o PD 9 Ecological Connectivity o o o o PD 10 Pedestrian Access o o o PD 11 Bicycle Access o o o PD 12 Transit & HOV Access o o o PD 13 Freight Mobility o o PD 14 ITS for System Operations o o o PD 15 Historical, Archaeological, Cultural Pres. o o o o o o PD 16 Scenic, Natural, or Recreational Qualities o o o o PD 17 Energy Efficiency (lighting) o o o o o PD 18 Site Vegetation o o o o o o PD 19 Reduce and Reuse Materials o o o o o o o PD 20 Recycle Materials o o o o o o o PD 21 Earthwork Balance o o o PD 22 Long Life Pavement Design o o o o o o o PD 23 Reduced Energy/Emissions Pavem t Mats o o o o o o o PD 24 Contractor Warranty o o o o o o PD 25 Construction Environmental Training o o o o o o PD 26 Construction Equipm t Emission Red. o o o o o o PD 27 Construction Noise Mitigation o o o PD 28 Construction Quality Control Plan o o o o o o o PD 29 Construction Waste Management o o o o o o o Urban Ext. 16

17 PD-7 Habitat Restoration Goal: Avoid, minimize, and compensate the loss and alteration of natural (stream and terrestrial) habitat caused by project construction and/or restore, preserve, and protect natural habitat beyond regulatory requirements. Scoring: 1 pt. Minimize impacts. 2 pts. Avoid impacts. 3 pts. Enhance Features: i. restore and/or preserve an upland buffer surrounding stream/wetland ii. mitigate for habitat of nonlisted species under Endangered Species Act Example: Halstead Meadow Bridge, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: Replacing roadway fill with a new bridge restored the ecology of the surrounding meadow by allowing natural water flow to resume. 17

18 PD-9 Ecological Connectivity Goal: Avoid, minimize, or enhance wildlife, amphibian, and aquatic species passage access, and mobility, and reduce vehicle-wildlife collisions and related accidents. Scoring: 1 pt. Minimize impacts 2 pt. Avoid impacts 2-3 pt. Enhance features 3 pts. Restore features (re-establish past habitats or add connectivity to reestablish corridors) Example: Mulligan Road, Fort Belvoir, VA, Eastern Federal Lands Project replaced roads closed to public access after 9/11. Built multiple bridges and large culverts to make the roadway corridor more transparent and promote wildlife passage. Removed existing roads through wildlife corridors Wildlife underpass on Mulligan Road 18

19 PD-19: Reduce and Reuse Materials Goal: Reduce lifecycle impacts from extraction, production and transportation of virgin materials by recycling materials Scoring: 1-3 pt. Pavement preservation activities 1-3 pt. Reduce pavement materials 2-4 pt. Bridge preservation 1-3 pt. Repurpose pavements or structures 2-3 pt. Reuse industral by-products Examples: Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park reused existing stonework. North Park Road in Grand Teton National Park reused rocks and pavement; used bridge preservation methods to increase service life. Reusing stones in Glacier National Park 19

20 PD-20 Recycle Materials Goal: Reduce lifecycle impacts from extraction, production, and transportation of virgin materials by recycling materials. Scoring: 1-5 pts. Recycled Asphalt Pavement or Recycled Concrete Aggregate 2-6 pts. In-Place Pavement Recycling 1 pt. Recycle Minor Structural Elements Example: North Park Road, Grand Teton National Park Used recycled compact aggregate base and recycled asphalt pavement blends. Recycled pavement materials using cold-in-place recycling. Relocated and reused over 90% of minor structural elements. 20

21 PD-3 Context Sensitive Project Development Goal: Deliver projects that harmonize transportation requirements and community values through effective decision-making and thoughtful design. Scoring: 2 pts. Following the NCHRP 6-step framework for CSS-based project development 1pt. Deploying a multi-disciplinary team 1 pt. Creating public champions in the community 1 pt. Stakeholder acceptance of project-level Problems, Opportunities, and Needs Example: Ketchum-Challis Highway, Sawtooth National Recreation Area, Idaho. Reconstruction of 1.3 mile segment, widening, stabilizing slopes prone to rockfall, cross-drain culverts, retaining walls. Perfect score for PD-3. Incorporating the six-step context sensitive solution framework into the project development process is a key focus of WFL projects. WFL worked closely with the community to find the most acceptable alternative for the realignment. 21

22 PD-12 Transit and HOV Access Goal: Promote use of public transit and carpools in communities by providing new transit and high occupancy vehicle (HOV) facilities, or by upgrading existing facilities within the project footprint. Scoring: 1-5 pts. Enhance transit stop amenities, provide seamless ped access to stops, implement changes to roadway structure /dimensions/ form to enhance transit access Examples: Fairfax County Parkway project (top) included construction of commuter parking and transit interface within an interchange. Built shareduse path for pedestrians and bicyclists. Sequoia National Park bus system (bottom) 22

23 Using INVEST to make Programmatic Adjustments Looking across a set of projects to make adjustments programmatically is a great use of INVEST to maximize sustainability improvements. WFL identified strengths, including: PD-05 Educational Outreach, PD-16 Scenic, Natural, or Recreational Qualities PD-18 Site Vegetation PD-22 Long-life Pavement Design PD-28 Construction Quality Control Plan Identified areas for improvement: PD-29 Construction Waste Management: Some projects tracking waste diversion, others not. WFL is now developing requirements for contractors to report on waste destinations. PD-19 Recycle and Reuse & PD-20 Recycle Materials: Exploring how to better reuse rock, which can save $$, as new rock material must be heated and washed prior to use to avoid invasive species. Also examining how to better utilize reclaimed asphalt pavement for road base. PD-23 Reduced Energy and Emissions in Pavement Materials: Investigating how to transition from hot mix asphalt to warm mix asphalt. 23

24 Using INVEST for Recognition and Emulation Western Federal Lands Highway Division (WFL) uses the INVEST Project Development (PD) module to score, rank, and select the recipient of its Annual Sustainability Award. Meeting with project managers as part of the selection process for the award served as an educational exercise to better inform staff about sustainable practices. Project managers were interested to learn what the award winner had done and what they could do better. Now project managers are trying to better incorporate sustainability throughout the entire project development process. WFL is showing better documentation of decisions as a result of using INVEST. The Annual Sustainability Award is contributing to a culture of sustainability at WFL and increasing awareness by providing a quantifiable way to define and measure sustainability. The Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park won the 2012 WFL Annual Sustainability Award 24

25 System Planning Criteria SP-1 SP-2 SP-3 SP-4 SP-5 SP-6 SP-7 SP-8 Integrated Planning: Economic Development and Land Use Integrated Planning: Natural Environment Integrated Planning: Social Integrated Planning: Bonus Access & Affordability Safety Planning Multimodal Transportation and Public Health Freight and Goods Movement SP-9 Travel Demand Management SP-10 Air Quality SP-11 Energy and Fuels SP-12 Financial Sustainability SP-13 Analysis Methods SP-14 Transportation Systems Management & Operations SP-15 Linking Asset Management and Planning SP-16 Infrastructure Resiliency SP-17 Linking Planning and NEPA 25

26 SP-2 Integrated Planning Natural Environment Goal: Integrate ecological considerations into the transportation planning process, including the development of the long range transportation plan. Proactively support and enhance long-term ecological function through the coordination of transportation and natural resource planning. Scoring: 2 pts. Develop and adopt goals and objectives for integration of transportation and environmental plans 3 pts. Engage natural resource and regulatory agencies 4 pts. Apply system or landscape-scale evaluation techniques 6 pts. Demonstrate sustainable outcomes Example: Alaska Federal Lands Long Range Transportation Plan: includes the goal of Environment: Protect and enhance natural and cultural resources through comprehensive transportation planning and management with 6 objectives and 17 strategies, including: Incorporate migratory passage opportunities for fish and wildlife into the built environment. Use best practices during transportation construction and maintenance activities near water systems. 26

27 SP-16 Infrastructure Resiliency Goal: Anticipate, assess, and plan to respond to vulnerabilities and risks associated with current and future hazards (including those associated with climate change) to ensure multimodal transportation system reliability and resiliency. Scoring: 2 pts. Hazard identification 4 pts. Vulnerability assessment 4 pts. Risk assessment 5 pts. Develop and implement adaptation strategies Example: Federal Lands Highway integrated data sets on transportation asset management and climate effects for all of the National Parks and Wildlife Refuges in the southeast region. Held workshops with four parks/refuges, including Everglades. Ground-truthed quantitative vulnerability analysis for 270+ assets in Everglades (marinas, roads, trails, parking lots) to coastal flooding, inland flooding, and wildfire. Everglades National Park 27

28 SP Module for Oregon and Washington Transportation Plan Lessons learned from INVEST evaluation of the Alaska Long Range Transportation Plan (LRTP) are being used to develop the Pacific Northwest Collaborative Long Range Transportation Plan (CLRTP). CLRTP is being jointly developed by all Federal Lands Management Agencies, State DOTs, and FLH in Oregon and Washington. The System Planning module is being used to evaluate the CLRTP at each stage. The first evaluation was performed after goals and objectives were developed for the plan. Two subsequent evaluations will be performed at draft and final stages of the plan. Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Oregon 28

29 Operations & Maintenance Criteria OM-1 Internal Sustainability Plan OM-8 Bridge Management System OM-2 Electrical Energy Efficiency and Use OM-9 Maintenance Management System OM-3 OM-4 OM-5 OM-6 OM-7 Vehicle Fuel Efficiency and Use Reuse and Recycle Safety Management Environmental Commitments Tracking System Pavement Management System OM-10 OM-11 OM-12 OM-13 OM-14 Highway Infrastructure Preservation and Maintenance Traffic Control Infrastructure Maintenance Road Weather Management Program Transportation Management and Operations Work Zone Traffic Control 29

30 OM-12 Road Weather Management Implement Standard Operating Procedure for Snow and Ice Control (2 points) Salt reduction Anti-icing program Chemical storage BMPs Equipment calibration Fuel efficiency, planning and route optimization Utah Snow SOP highlights all 3 areas of sustainability: Saves $124,000 per year compared to standard practice (economic) Reduces the amount of salt used by 30 percent (environmental) Improves road safety and accessibility (social) As part of the INVEST evaluation, UDOT developed a prioritized set of recommendations for improved sustainability. Included a recommendation to produce a snow removal decision support system, which would formalize the agency s current process. 30

31 OM Module for Wildlife Refuges near DC Eastern Federal Lands (EFL) is working with managers at wildlife refuges in DC, MD, and VA to improve sustainability in operations and maintenance using the INVEST OM module. Patuxent National Wildlife Refuge, MD 31

32 OM Module For Denali National Park FLH is assessing the current operations and maintenance practices on the park using the Operations & Maintenance (OM) module of INVEST. Assessing current actions to develop baseline. Results of study will then improve sustainability. Also, using System Planning (SP) module of INVEST at the same time as OM since Denali National Park is developing a new Long Range Transportation Plan. Looking at SP and OM together will maximize programmatic sustainability improvements. 32

33 Example of Mainstreaming INVEST & Sustainability throughout Programs Illinois Tollway mainstreamed INVEST into its standard procedures. Developed agency-specific INVEST Manual with responsible parties, actions, timelines. Customized INVEST with supplemental text and added criteria from I-LAST to meet its unique needs Used SP & OM modules to score 4 most recent funding programs. Found upward trend. Identified SP-11, SP-17, OM-1, OM-6, & OM-8 for improvement. Scored 35 projects with PD to provide baseline. Next will score and improve in-progress projects that are part of $12 billion capital program. Will score, improve, and track progress at 30%, 60%, and 95% design; pre-construction; substantially complete. 33

34 Next Steps for INVEST and Federal Lands FHWA working on INVEST Versions 1.1 and 1.2. Making improvements to criteria and tool functionality based on feedback from users, including Federal Lands. Scorecard specific to Scenic and Natural Roads. FHWA Office of Federal Lands Highway plans to continue using INVEST on several projects each year. Newer evaluations using INVEST System Planning and Operations and Maintenance modules for Federal Lands will inform how best to make sustainability improvements in these areas. Federal Lands Highway used INVEST to evaluate the sustainability of the Taylor River Road Project, a reconstruction of 6.6 miles of roadway on National Forest land in Colorado. Major project scope included earthwork, recycled existing pavement and aggregates for new granular aggregate section, drainage improvements, rockery walls, minor concrete work, aggregate base, and warm-mix superpave pavement. 34

35 Try INVEST at: Contact: Tina Hodges )

36 PD-15: Historical, Archaeological and Cultural Preservation Goal: Preserve, protect or enhance cultural and historic assets, and/or feature National Byways Program (NSBP) historic, archaeological, or cultural intrinsic qualities in a roadway. Example: Historic Route 66, Springfield, IL Scoring 1-3 pts. Enhance features: Protect, preserve, and/or enhance historic, archaeological, or cultural resources. This could be done through the installation of informational or interpretive facilities (e.g. Viewpoint, kiosk, sign for visitors detailing historical, archaeological or cultural significance.) 1-3 points available 3 points achievable 36