1、 Copyright 2008, Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials). All Rights Reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of Ameri
2、ca.This material is based upon work supported by the Federal Highway Administration under Cooperative Agreement No. DTFH61-07-H-00019. Any opinions, fi ndings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the Author(s) and do not necessarily refl ect the view of the
3、Federal Highway Administration. 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.iABOVEAND BEYONDLetter from AASHTOs Executive DirectorDear Friends,Transportation is more than just highways, bridges, tra
4、ins, planes, and buses. Transportation connects people to their jobs, to their communities, to each other. Transportation reaches across the nation to improve our quality of life and to ensure the well-being of our society, our economy, our environment, and our nation.In 2001, AASHTO and FHWA create
5、d the Center for Environmental Excellence to promote environmental stewardship and encourage innovative ways to streamline the transportation delivery process. The Center has assisted state transportation agencies in developing numerous environmental stewardship practices, policies, and programs to
6、help meet societys environmental, economic, and social goals for the future. In 2003, AASHTO published the fi rst Taking the High Road report which chronicled the important contributions that state transportation agencies were making across the country. This second report, Above and Beyond, document
7、s new projects and programs that continue to advance both transportation and environmental stewardship. Within these pages you will fi nd important facts on how transportation makes a real difference to our quality of life through investments in: context sensitive solutions,historic preservation,rec
8、ycling,clean air,integrating transportation and land use,walking and biking trails,wetlands and water quality,wildlife preservation,sound barriers,scenic byways, andwildfl owers and native vegetation.For every good example shown here, there are hundreds more occurring all across our nation. Today, m
9、ore than ever, transportation agencies are going “Above and Beyond” toward sustainable transportation. John HorsleyAASHTO Executive Director 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law. 2008 by the
10、American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.iiiAASHTO gratefully acknowledges the following individuals and organizations for their contributions and advice in compiling this report.Federal Highway Administrati
11、on, with special thanks to Carol Adkins, Bethany Bacher-Gresock, Barbara Bauer, K. Lynn Berry, Robin Broils-Cox, Danyell Diggs, Christopher Douwes, Dennis Durbin, Steve Earsom, Mark Ferroni, Ginny Finch, Paul Garrett, Bonnie Harper-Lore, Jason Harrington, Carolyn James, Gary Jensen, Keith Moore, Mar
12、yAnn Naber, Marlys Osterhues, Gabe Rousseau, Mike Savonis, Shari Schaftlein, Fred Skaer and numerous other staff membersFrancis (Yates) Oppermann, Colorado DOTRaja Veeramachaneni, Todd Nichols, Julie Schablitsky, Maryland State Highway AdministrationGary McVoy, New York State DOTNicholas Testa, Oreg
13、on DOTIra Beckerman, Joe Baker, Pennsylvania DOTChris Slesar, Vermont Department of TransportationNancy Boone, Vermont Division of Historic PreservationJames Shrouds, Cambridge SystematicsMike Perkins, HDR, Inc.Leigh B. Lane, The Louis Berger Group, Inc.National Transportation Enhancements Clearingh
14、ouseNational Scenic Byways ProgramAcknowledgements 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law. 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. D
15、uplication is a violation of applicable law.Table of ContentsvNative fl owers in Utah blend in with the spectacular mountain scenery. Photo courtesy of the Federal Highway Administration.Introduction . viiPlanning and Designing Transportation to Fit the Community 1Integrating Transportation and Land
16、 Use to Promote Sustainable Communities . 7Enhancing Our Quality of Life 15Promoting Walking and Biking . 21On the Road to Cleaner Air . 27Water Quality and Wetlands Successful Legacies . 35Preserving Wildlife and Ecosystems for Future Generations 41Building Bridges to Americas Past 49Recycling Tran
17、sportation Agencies “Go Green” 55Beautifying Americas Roadsides . 61Sound Solutions Keep Down the Noise 69Taking the Scenic Route to Americas Treasures 73References 79 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of a
18、pplicable law. 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.viiTransportation is about making connections. Transportation agencies connect both people and communities reaching out across sectors of s
19、ociety and helping to ensure the health of our society, our economy, and our environment. With such an important role to play, a transportation agencys decisions touch all aspects of society on a long-term basis. Transportation agencies are going beyond compliance to do the right thing for communiti
20、es and the environment. They are working to ensure that transportation projects fi t into and enhance their communities and the environment.Transportation agencies are partnering with other agencies and the public to advance ecosystem- or watershed-based approaches, ensuring that transportation infr
21、astructure is planned in a manner that preserves and increasingly enhances “green infrastructure” the vital natural resources on which our communities depend.At the same time, transportation agencies are taking increasingly positive steps on-the-ground actions to preserve wildlife or to enhance comm
22、unities not because they are required, but because it is the right thing to do. These initiatives are helping transportation agencies bridge the gap and contribute to the environmental, social, and economic well-being of their communities.A look at the numbers shows impressive trends: 27 state trans
23、portation agencies have implemented or are in the process of developing environmental management systems.Did you know?22,000 Transportation Enhancement projects have been funded to reinvigorate communities and improve the environment, including support for bicycle and pedestrian programs, historic p
24、reservation, and other improvements.Introduction 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.viiiABOVEAND BEYOND41 states have made signifi cant progress in implementing context sensitive solutions.
25、43 transportation initiatives in 30 states have been identifi ed as exemplary ecosystem initiatives.Agencies have identifi ed more than 100 simple actions taken to help wildlife along roadways.Over 550 state stewardship and streamlining programs, policies, and initiatives have been documented by the
26、 Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).Thousands of environmental stewardship practices, policies, and programs are currently in use by state transportation agencies for highway construction and maintenance.More than 17,000 projects to reduce air pollution from motor vehicles have been funded with t
27、ransportation dollars.Transportation Finances to Environmental ImprovementsTransportation agencies are typically the largest single public works investor in any community or region. Over the past decade, State and Federal transportation agencies have funneled vast amounts of money into environmental
28、 stewardship efforts. Programs including the Center for Environmental Excellence, created by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials (AASHTO) in cooperation with FHWA, and FHWAs environmental initiatives have provided a wealth of resources and technical support to hel
29、p advance environmental stewardship.The Center for Environmental Excellence by AASHTO was created to promote environmental stewardship and to encourage innovative ways to streamline the transportation delivery process. The Center is designed to serve as a resource for transportation professionals se
30、eking technical assistance, training, information exchange, partnership-building opportunities, and quick and easy access to environmental tools. A wide range of resources and original work products to advance the state of the practice have been produced by the Center and distributed through the Cen
31、ters website at www.environment.transportation.org.From 2001 to 2005, FHWA targeted more than $25 million dollars in Federal transportation funds designated for environmental streamlining to a range of environmental, planning, and realty programs and projects across the nation (49). These funds have
32、 advanced Federal and state efforts to address a range of environmental issues including:Air qualityContext sensitive solutionsEnvironmental process improvementsHistoric preservation 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a
33、 violation of applicable law.ixABOVEAND BEYONDWater quality and wetlandsWildlife, vegetation, and habitatLand use and transportationPublic involvementPlanning process improvementsIntegrated approachesGeographic information systemsProgram managementOn-the-Ground Efforts PromotedOn-the-ground actions
34、have been promoted through an online database illustrating thousands of ongoing environ-mental stewardship practices, procedures, and policies for highway construction and maintenance. This database is located on the Center for Environmental Excellence website at www.environment.trasnportation.org (
35、16).Individual efforts include programs such as the New York State Department of Transportation Green and Blue initiative. In this program, the agency has charged its regional maintenance organizations with fi nding immediate environmental stewardship actions that can be taken along roadsides in the
36、 state, prompted by a worksheet that lists some of the many possible needs and stewardship “opportunities.” These opportunities run the gamut from sediment control efforts, improved vegetation management, and wildlife habitat improvements to installation of historic markers for cultural resources.Tr
37、avelers can stop to rest and learn about the local history at the Welcome Center on I-26 in western North Carolina. 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.xABOVEAND BEYONDOn the Road to Sustain
38、abilityThe transportation industry has proposed a future vision in which the transportation network must meet the needs of a growing population and an expanding economy while simultaneously reducing the environmental footprint of the system (1). The vision advocates a “triple bottom line” approach t
39、o achieve sustainable transportation, giving equal weight to economic, social, and environmental factors.“The transportation decision makers of the future should adopt the triple bottom line as a yardstick to evaluate the sustainability of surface transportation system policies and performance in or
40、der to ensure that transportation strategies and investments will result inRobust economic growth;Better-than-before health of the environment; andImproved quality of life for all citizens.The triple bottom line is a term coined to encourage sustainable development by evaluating performance on the b
41、asis of social, economic, and environmental impacts. Applying it to assess projects, programs, and policies sends a message that fi nancial, cost-benefi t, and economic considerations are not the sole drivers of transportation projects. Under this approach, economic, social, and environmental factor
42、s are to be given equal consideration.”The North Carolina DOT maintains a Monarch butterfl y sanctuary along I-26 in the mountains of western North Carolina, an example of the many actions transportation agencies are taking to help protect natural habitat. Milkweed attracts a variety of butterfl ies
43、 at the sanctuary. 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Duplication is a violation of applicable law.xiABOVEAND BEYONDLook to Our Future Today Above and BeyondToday the transportation sectors mission goes beyond ensuring mobility to ach
44、ieving the larger societal goal of economic, social, and environmental sustainability. Approaches such as context sensitive solutions and integrated planning provide transportation agencies the tools to consider economic, social, and environmental factors as they develop transportation solutions. Th
45、e successes described in this report illustrate a few of the many ways transportation agencies are continuing to go “Above and Beyond” and advance down the path toward sustainable transportation. 2008 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Offi cials.All rights reserved. Dup
46、lication is a violation of applicable law.1For almost a decade, transportation agencies have been advancing the concept of context sensitive solutions (CSS), in which transportation projects are planned, designed, and implemented to meet the needs of communities and the environment. CSS adds to the
47、traditional methods of project development by emphasizing collaborative and interdisciplinary decision making and by insisting that the contexts of a project are thoroughly understood before design decisions are made. The concept has evolved since 1998, when transportation agencies fi rst promoted “
48、context sensitive design” for projects at the infl uential Thinking Beyond the Pavement conference in Baltimore. Five pilot CSS programs were established in Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, and Utah. Today, this concept has expanded to additional states. Across the country, highway agenci
49、es are advancing a philosophy that involves all stakeholders in developing transportation “solutions” that go far beyond designing projects.Transportation leaders agree that every transportation project offers a unique opportunity to enhance safety, mobility, economy, and the natural environment. With these goals in mind, state and Federal highway agencies have established context se
