Sustainable Transportation for the New Normal A Federal Perspective

1. Sustainable Transportation for the New NormalA Federal Perspective Unwanna Dabney, FHWA North Carolina Division Planning and Program Development Manager

2. What is Sustainability?

3. What is Sustainability? • Sustainable transportation should satisfy life cycle functional requirements of societal developmentand economic growth while reducing negative impacts to the environment and consumption of natural resources.

4. What is Sustainability? • Sustainable transportation should satisfy life cycle functional requirements of societal development and economic growth while reducing negative impacts to the environment and consumption of natural resources. • A sustainable highway must be considered in its own context; how it relates to its social, environmental and economic setting.

5. Sustainability and FHWA • Deliver Federal Aid Highway Program in a more sustainable way • Make wise investment decisions w/ limited resources • Take advantage of opportunities to include sustainability throughout the decision making process • Encourage change in professional practice • Stress more sustainable practices, get them to be applied/implemented • Go beyond compliance • Seek balanced solutions

6. What is the Sustainable Highways Program? FHWA’s Sustainable Highways Program • The INVEST self-evaluation tool • A sustainability working group • Sustainable Pavements Program • Partnership for Sustainable Communities

7. Sustainable Highways Program • Continue strong coordination within FHWA and with partners and stakeholders • Regular meetings of the FHWA Sustainable Highways Working Group • Strengthen engagement with DOTs and MPOs • Create program structure, partner on key program/research gaps • Website to serve as portal to access information on activities and available resources: www.sustainablehighways.dot.gov • Case Studies to highlight initiatives and practices related to sustainability • Development and deployment of decision tools: INVEST

8. INVEST Self-Evaluation Tool

9. Overview of INVEST • IN-VEST - Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool • A voluntary, web-based self-evaluation tool • Lists “sustainable criteria” based on best practices for three project phases: • System Planning • Project Development • Operations and Maintenance • Each criterion assigned a point value based on expected sustainability impact • In coordination with ASCE/ACEC/APWA effort • Other sustainable highways tools used as references • (GreenLITES, I-LAST, Greenroads)

10. www.sustainablehighways.org

11. Next Steps • Pilot Testing • PD – completed • OM – completed • SP – completed • Weighting & Scoring Review – Ongoing • Updates to Website – Ongoing • Version 1.0 Release – Spring/Summer 2012

12. A Sustainable Highway System… • Satisfiesfunctionalrequirements • Fulfillstransportation goalsand needs • Addresses developmentandeconomicgrowth • Avoids, minimizes, reduces impacts Environment • Consumption of resources • Addresses environmental, economic, and social equitydimensions (triple bottom line)

13. A Sustainable Highway System… • Satisfies functional requirements • Fulfills transportation goals and needs • Addresses development and economic growth • Avoids, minimizes, reduces impacts • Environment • Consumption of resources • Addresses environmental, economic, and social equity dimensions • (triple bottom line)

14. Thank You! Michael Culp Michael.culp@dot.gov Connie Hill Connie.hill@dot.gov Heather Holsinger Heather.holsinger@dot.gov Unwanna Dabney Unwanna.dabney@dot.gov www.sustainablehighways.org www.sustainablehighways.dot.gov