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National Trends in Context Sensitive Solutions Taking the High Road Toward Sustainable Highways

National Trends in Context Sensitive Solutions Taking the High Road Toward Sustainable Highways. SASHTO September 1, 2009. Sustainable Highways & CSS. Sustainable Highways – The Outcome Context Sensitive Solutions – The Way to Get There. Oxymoron or Opportunity?. Sustainable Highways.

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National Trends in Context Sensitive Solutions Taking the High Road Toward Sustainable Highways

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  1. National Trends in Context Sensitive SolutionsTaking the High Road Toward Sustainable Highways SASHTO September 1, 2009

  2. Sustainable Highways & CSS Sustainable Highways – The Outcome Context Sensitive Solutions – The Way to Get There

  3. Oxymoron or Opportunity? Sustainable Highways

  4. Sustainable Highways Part of a Bigger Idea Sustainable Highways Sustainable Transportation Sustainable Development

  5. What is Sustainable Development? “Meeting the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Bruntland Commission, 1987 • Golden Rule of Sustainable Development! • Virtuous but Vague

  6. Sustainability – Triple Bottom Line Moving from Concept to Reality Source: “Sustainable Transportation and TDM: Planning That Balances Economic, Social and Ecological Objectives;” Victoria Transport Policy Institute (An independent Canadian research organization)

  7. Sustainability – Triple Bottom Line Moving Toward “Livability”

  8. Sustainable Transportation • Transit • Bicycling • Walking Invariably Part of the Solution! • Highways Invariably Part of the Problem ??? . . . Or, Can they be Part of the Solution?

  9. Sustainable HighwaysAn Important Opportunity Opportunity to change our mindset. . . . . .from avoiding negatives to creating positives

  10. Fulfill functional goals While achieving sustainable outcomes Is there a relationship that works? Can we Connect the DOTs?

  11. Is there really an opportunity to achieve Sustainable Highways? Consider that: • Most highway projectsupgrade existing roads • Current highway projects faceand meetmore stringent requirements • These requirements presentan opportunityto improve the triple bottom line • Environmental • Economic • Societal

  12. Functional requirements trigger the need for transportation improvements Once triggered, sustainability and functionalitygoals are on the same level In connecting the DOTs- Parity Between Sustainability and Functionality

  13. Highways that are better than before in terms of both: Functionality Sustainability A Concept Emerges:Sustainable Highways

  14. Changing mindsets from ‘win-lose’ to ‘win-win’ ‘Win-Win’ Outcomes:

  15. Sustainable Highways Opportunities

  16. PB’s Highway Sustainability Checklist: A Practical Tool • Planning • Environment • Design • Construction • Operations • Maintenance Sample Page AASHTO’s U.S. Winner - 2007 World Road Assoc. PB Checklist available on AASHTO Center for Environmental Excellence website at: http://environment.transportation.org/environmental_issues/context_sens_sol/docs_reports.aspx

  17. Transportation Agencies Are Moving in the Right Direction

  18. Agency-wide implementation Environmental policies part of normal work Leave existing roads and new project sites in better condition Embrace opportunities to enhance the environment New York State DOT Among the first to define: Environmental Stewardship - “Better than Before”

  19. Oregon DOT CS3 – Context Sensitive Solutions… and Sustainability Among the first to use the term: Sustainability

  20. Penn DOT & NJ DOT First Smart Transportation Guidebook “Planning & Designing Highways & Streets that Support Sustainable & Livable Communities”

  21. Transportation Design for Livable Communities Florida DOT

  22. Mid-Atlantic Green Highways Partnership EPA, FHWA, State DOTs, Industry “…meet transportation needs while promoting environmental stewardship so that both are better than before”

  23. Sustainable Highways – The Outcome Context Sensitive Solutions – The Way to Get There

  24. Context Sensitive Solutions: Synopsis of “10 second Definition” • Context Sensitive Solutions (CSS) is a collaborative, inter-disciplinary approach: • involves all stakeholders • provides a facility that fits its setting • preserves and enhances scenic, aesthetic, historic & environmental resources • improves or maintains safety, mobility, and infrastructure conditions • AASHTO-FHWATask Force

  25. Context Sensitive Solutions: Our Own “10 second Test” • It Cannot be CSS Without: • Proactive Engagement of Stakeholders • Project-focused Interdisciplinary Team • Continuous Communication Between the Two

  26. Traditional Constrained Sequential Arms Length Standards Driven Prescriptive Transportation Trumps Context Safety & Cost Concerns Context Sensitive Creative Iterative Collaborative Adaptive Flexible Transportation/Contextual Parity Safety & Cost Concerns Context Sensitive SolutionsIs it different?

  27. Understanding Contexts Natural Environment Social Environment Economic Environment There are NO SHORTCUTS !

  28. National Peer ExchangeSeptember, 2006 Quotes from several key leaders:

  29. Context Sensitive Solutions “…DOTs must continue to move beyond ‘DAD’… Design, Announce, Defend…” FHWA King Gee, Assoc. Administrator

  30. Context Sensitive Solutions “…Meaningful public involvement doesn’t mean you will always agree…” Current FHWA Administrator Victor Mendez

  31. Context Sensitive Solutions “In the future we won’t even talk about CSS…it will simply be the way we do business” Utah DOT Carlos Braceras, Deputy Director

  32. Context Sensitive Solutions “…CSS in Maryland has led to increases in funding from the legislature …” Maryland DOT Bob Flanagan, Former Secretary

  33. Glenwood Canyon, CO Fort Washington Way, OH Stone Avenue, AZ Road Diets Land Use CSS Projects and Practices

  34. Glenwood Canyon A “premier” CSS Example Before “CSS” was born

  35. Glenwood CanyonI-70 Colorado…A “Pioneer”of CSS • 12.5 Miles of I-70 in Colorado – last gap • Strong opposition, legal challenges, injunctions, etc. • Delayed for decades • Governor appoints citizens group to work as peers with design team – both had to agree

  36. Glenwood Canyon After a lengthy delay, a new approach delivered results… • Proactive public involvement • Focused interdisciplinary Team • Two-way communcation • Architectural design • Slender segmental structure minimizes impacts • Rock cuts stained/scarred to match natural rock • Tunnel through sensitive area • Enhancements for hiking, biking and river access

  37. Fort Washington WayCincinnati, Ohio Interstate Highway along Ohio River - downtown Cincinnati Problems: • Barrier between downtown and the river • Wide cross section consumed valuable downtown real estate • Frequent access points encouraged excessive local traffic - congestion and safety problems

  38. Fort Washington Way Functional Goals: • Improve operations and safety • Separate local from through traffic • Increase capacity for through traffic • New urban streets for local traffic

  39. Fort Washington Way Contextual Goals: • Improve access to river and arenas • Provide deck for future development • Create new transit center • Reduce the footprint • CSO improvements to reduce sewer discharge

  40. 1997 Fort Washington Way Net Result:Better than Before Functionally & Contextually

  41. Stone Avenue • Formerly the “main drag” • Four mile urban corridor • Proposal to widen road - accommodate suburban commuters • Businesses and residents along Stone Avenue seek to stem the corridor decay Tucson, AZ

  42. Stone Avenue Neighborhood groups and City collaborate to define goals • Accommodate current and future travel without widening • Reinvigorate businesses and development

  43. Stone Avenue Traffic flow can be improved withoutwidening: • Identify key intersections and concentrate on them • Upgrade traffic signaling and intersection geometrics • Reduce access points to minimize conflicts • Consolidate off-street parking to reduce access points

  44. Stone Avenue Integrate transportation and land use • Create special districts and funding packages • Implement as funding is available

  45. Stone Avenue Avoided Our Biggest Arterial Mistake The little 2-lane minor arterial that starts like this…

  46. Our Biggest Arterial Mistake …and ends up like this… …neither a good arterial nor a good urban place! what happened to this poor pedestrian?

  47. Surroundings & Scale What about thisarterial? • Too many lanes? • Too much traffic? Is it a mistake?

  48. Most people would say: “Not a mistake!” The Champs Elysees in Paris One of the world’s great streets With 10+ lanes, this roadway is in scale with its grand surroundings Surroundings & Scale

  49. Sometimes… Bigger IS Better Surroundings & Scale

  50. Surroundings & Scale:Bigger can be Better And not this: When it achieves this:

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