NYSDOT ‘Road-Raising’ Project Adds Shared-Use Path
The New York State Department of Transportation recently completed a $25 million project in Westchester County that elevated a flood-prone roadway corridor through the use of recycled materials – a project that also created a new shared-use path for pedestrians and bicyclists as well.
[Above photo by NYSDOT]
U.S. Route 6/State Route 202 at Annsville Circle in Cortlandt is north of where Annsville Creek empties into the Hudson River and is part of a major commuter corridor for thousands of drivers in New York City’s northern suburbs. The roadway historically floods 10 to 15 times a year, usually during high tide, the agency said.
Floods and other climate consequences “can wreak havoc with our roads and bridges,” explained Governor Kathy Hochul (D) in a news release. “This flood mitigation project in Westchester County provides Hudson Valley travelers with a highway that’s better able to withstand severe weather events and will not continually fall victim to rising flood waters.”
Marie Therese Dominguez, NYSDOT commissioner, added that her agency is using “every tool in our arsenal to harden our infrastructure and make it more resilient. With this project at Annsville Circle, NYSDOT utilized its engineering prowess and state-of-the-art materials to elevate this important highway and give Hudson Valley travelers a road they can depend on in all kinds of weather.”
As a result, the department’s project elevated the traffic circle and a half-mile segment of roadway by using foamed glass – an aggregate material made of recycled glass. Using the lightweight material shaved one year of construction time off the project, which began in July 2024, the department said.
Foamed glass also has been used by several state departments of transportation in road construction and other applications. In 2024, the Arizona Department of Transportation used foamed glass to strengthen interstate culverts on I-17, and last year the Wyoming Department of Transportation used it to rebuild a 100-foot embankment lost in a landslide along Teton Pass highway near the Grand Teton National Park.
Foamed glass is lightweight, durable, fireproof, and waterproof, NYSDOT noted, and is manufactured by heating a mixture of crushed glass with foaming agents, which releases carbon dioxide, sealing the air cells in the glass and giving the material its durability.
To build the raised road, NYSDOT said it used geosynthetic reinforced soil technology, using the foamed glass, organic material, fabrics, grids, and meshes to strengthen the embankments and hold soil in place. The traffic circle was elevated by four feet and the adjoining highway by seven feet, the agency added.
During construction, the department also built a new shared-use path to give bicyclists and pedestrians access to the river and Annsville Creek Preserve, a trail along the Hudson River tributary that features scenic views and a fishing pier. The path also connects the Jan Peeck Bridge over the Annsville Creek to nearby businesses.
NYSDOT said the path totals 925 feet with a minimum width of five feet and a three-foot curb buffer to separate bikers and walkers from vehicle traffic. The new roundabout also features new LED street lighting and new pedestrian crosswalks, and in the spring, crews will add native trees, shrubs, and grasses.
The agency noted that this project was partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation or PROTECT program. That grant also will help pay for a related initiative to raise an adjacent section of the roadway in 2027, NYSDOT said.
Knowledge Session: States Should Consider NEPA Assignment Duties
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently hosted a knowledge session at its 2026 Washington Briefing in Washington, D.C., that examined how many states are working to assume more National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA responsibilities from the federal government.
[Above photo by AASHTO]
Jim Ray, corporate president for engineering consulting firm HNTB – which presented this session – moderated a panel discussion that featured Will Reid, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Transportation; Ed Sniffen, director of the Hawaii Department of Transportation; and Jay Payne, deputy administrator of the Federal Highway Administration.
“We have to be committed to this process of expediting project delivery,” explained Reid, who became the first career staff member of the agency to become commissioner after his appointment by Governor Bill Lee (R) to that position in July 2025.
“We’ve gotten caught up a lot in the push and pull between authority and accountability and in the process lost sight of our ‘North Star,’ which is project delivery,” he explained. “We got bogged down in process; bogged down in a lot of back and forth that really didn’t affect project outcomes.”
For that reason, taking on more NEPA assignment duties from the federal government helps states move from a more “risk averse” project development process to a more project delivery-driven organization.
“We need to manage risk and align accountability between our people and our goals – and be judged on our ability to deliver projects,” Reid stressed. “And we need leadership committed to doing that so we create a clear line of sight down to our staff so they see that. Also, what [processes] we put in place must stand the test of time, because leadership comes and goes.”
Hawaii DOT’s Sniffen echoed Reid’s assessment, noting that “for far too long, the vision of what project delivery looked like in our state was affected by process. Now we are getting closer to the vision we have by taking on NEPA assignment [from the FHWA]. We are all in on this so we can guide and control our future.”
Sniffen said one advantage for Hawaii DOT is that “many states have gone through this [NEPA assignment] already so we have learned from them.”
That’s also helped in terms of tackling “one of the biggest discussion points” Hawaii DOT has had with state legislators regarding taking on NEPA assignment duties, he said: waiving sovereign immunity.
“Many of our legislators were worried. But we knew we could defend ourselves better, take on risks better, by doing this,” Sniffen pointed out. He added that showing legislators how taking on NEPA assignment helps the agency “three times over” by reducing the number of environmental reviews really helped. “That made it easy to move forward,” Sniffen said.
FHWA’s Payne stressed that because state DOTs are “much more sophisticated now,” the state-federal relationship needs to be “recast” to reflect that new reality.
“We need to empower our state DOTs,” he said. “Our goal is to empower you and to give you the tools to build. That means focusing on the proper federal role in project delivery because the real work is done by the state – the state DOTs know their roads better than we do.”
Payne added that states taking on more NEPA responsibilities will ultimately decrease project timelines and increase value to taxpayers.
“The proper federal role is to help things run smoothly in a simplified and standardized way,” he explained. “State DOTs are incredibly valued partners for building roads and bridges; they can deliver projects better on their own internal timelines. We can’t do that from desk in Washington.”
Environmental News Highlights – March 4, 2026
Michigan DOT Study Seeks Quieter Ann Arbor Highway
The Michigan Department of Transportation is studying noise levels from a four-lane divided highway in Ann Arbor, where residents complain that decibel levels have increased in the last few years – especially near an elementary school.
[Above photo by Michigan DOT]
That noise study is focused on a roughly one-mile stretch of M-14 in northwest Ann Arbor that encompasses an area where Wines Elementary School is located, Michigan DOT said. Two other schools are also in the study area, the agency added.
“We’re real excited that there’s potential action being taken because there’s a lot of noise here at Wines Elementary, inside and out,” noted David DeYoung, noted principle of Wines Elementary, in a Michigan DOT video about the project.
Michigan DOT has placed noise meters at the schools and in neighborhoods that are adjacent to the highway. The department said it will analyze the data and predict future noise levels through computer modeling that factors in traffic patterns, traffic speed, the number of commercial vehicles on the road, and geographic features.
Once the data are analyzed, the agency will prepare a study report that includes analytics on where along the route noise mitigation measures can help. The report will be presented to the public this spring, according to the noise study website.
[Editor’s note: In 2024, “The Steam by AASHTO” podcast aired a two-part series detailing how state DOTs are working to reduce roadway noise.]
“I heard from so many families that live in this area that the sound from the freeway was so distracting, disturbing and made it so that their kids couldn’t do their homework or go to sleep at night,” Michigan State Senator Sue Shink said in the Michigan DOT video, who pushed through a $3 million appropriation from the legislature for the agency to conduct this noise study and propose a remedy.
Although the noise study is still underway, Mike Davis Jr. – Michigan DOT’s project manager – said preliminary feasibility “is leaning toward a standard noise wall.” Because there is not yet a cost estimate on a noise wall or any other mitigation measure, Davis said the department’s goal “is to control the study and any design work costs as much as possible to have as much budget as possible for noise mitigation.”
The relatively recent reports of increased noise in the area are somewhat of a head-scratcher for Michigan DOT as well, Davis said, as the Wines Elementary school – built in 1960 – has been alongside the M-14 highway since it was built in 1965. The highway has also never been widened beyond its four lanes and traffic counts have remained steady at about 35,000 vehicles per day, he noted.
“Over the past several years, there have been many conversations concerning this section of roadway, with noise being one of those conversations,” Davis said.
The last major project on this part of M-14 was in 2024, when Michigan DOT applied a high-friction surface treatment on the roadway in response to a report showing 25 percent of crashes were occurring during wet conditions. Although the treatment was done as a safety project, it had the added benefit of reducing roadway noise.
“Our region does not have a solid theory why this became such a severe issue over the past few years,” Davis said. Their best guess is that the noise “has increased as the concrete pavement has continued to deteriorate.”
Despite having no definitive cause for the increased noise, Michigan DOT is moving forward with the noise study. “Like Mike said, there have been many conversations,” said Mark Sweeney, manager of Michigan DOT’s Brighton Transportation Services Center. “And, one way or another, they are all connected, and they all include a road noise component.”
State DOTs Continue Building EV Charging Infrastructure
Across the country, state departments of transportation continue to build out electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, supported largely by funding provided from the federal National Electric Vehicle or NEVI formula program established four years ago.
[Above photo by TxDOT]
For example, using NEVI funds, the Texas Department of Transportation has built 14 EV charging stations, with 23 under construction and another 28 in the planning phase. Overall, TxDOT is planning have a total of 300 EV charging locations available for use this year.
“Alternatively fueled vehicle sales are breaking records,” said Michael Chamberlain, TxDOT’s Data Management Section director, in a statement. “But fortunately, Texas has the infrastructure and electric capacity to meet that demand for many years to come.”
He noted that, between July 2022 and the end of 2025, the number of EVs registered in Texas – including plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles – more than tripled to 456,667. Every week, TXDOT said the state sees an additional 1,500 EVs on the road, according to vehicle registration data from Alternatively Fueled Vehicle Report issued by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles.
In Pennsylvania, federal NEVI funds have helped the state open eight new EV charging stations since October – bringing the Commonwealth’s total number of NEVI-funded charging stations to 28.
Additionally, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation noted in a statement that it is “powering forward” with more investments through the NEVI program, beginning with the Corridor Connections Funding Opportunity, which was released in October 2025.
That funding round focuses on implementing EV charging stations along major roadways to strengthen long-distance travel beyond the previously designated Alternative Fuel Corridors, the agency said. Projects funded from the Corridor Connections program will improve range confidence for drivers who are considering travel with an EV across and throughout the Commonwealth, PennDOT added.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina Department of Transportation is planning to reallocate NEVI formula program funds from building EV charging stations along major interstates and highways to local communities, rural areas, and along highways where less EV charging coverage currently exists. The agency said it is making this shift due to new U.S. Department of Transportation guidance for the NEVI program issued in August 2025 that gives states greater flexibility to determine where EV charging stations can be placed. And in late November 2025, the Georgia State Transportation Board approved $24.4 million worth of grants to fund construction of EV charging stations statewide.
The Georgia Department of Transportation is overseeing the award of those grants – funded via the second round of NEVI program awards – to 26 locations through public-private partnerships or P3s that will support the construction and operation of new fast-charging stations along the state’s Alternative Fuel Corridors.
Selected private-sector partners will design, install, finance, operate and maintain stations equipped with Direct Current Fast Charging ports for at least five years in accordance with federal requirements, the agency said.
Environmental News Highlights – February 25, 2026
New York Unveils Albany Revitalization Strategy
Governor Kathy Hochul (D) recently unveiled the Downtown Albany Strategy – a comprehensive, community-informed revitalization plan that is part of the $400 million Championing Albany’s Potential or “CAP” initiative – that includes funding devoted to projects focused on transportation improvements and enhancements to parks, public spaces, and neighborhood amenities.
[Above image via the New York Governor’s Office]
That strategy is backed by $200 million in state investments to guide coordinated action that will spur housing growth to attract new residents, create jobs, promote long-term redevelopment, enliven commercial corridors, and energize the public realm.
Developed with input from thousands of residents, workers, students, business owners, and community leaders, the Downtown Albany Strategy reflects extensive public engagement through workshops, stakeholder meetings, and focus groups and represents a vision for new economic growth guided by community priorities, the governor said.
“Downtown Albany has been a historic hub for more than 400 years, and I am committed to renewing its prominence not only to the region, but across our state and nation. This strategy will deliver transformational change and unlock its full potential,” Gov. Hochul said in a statement. “Through high-impact investments, strong partnerships, and clear growth targets, we are building a revitalized
downtown worthy of the Empire State’s capital city for residents, workers, and visitors alike.”
The strategy prioritizes focused investment in Albany’s downtown core to build momentum and leverage private development, serving as a foundation for broader revitalization beyond the city’s downtown boundaries. A central component of the plan is the redevelopment of Liberty Park, identified as a key opportunity for large-scale housing, public space, and neighborhood destinations.
The governor said the Downtown Albany Strategy is comprised of three targeted, high-impact public investments:
· Transformative Projects Fund ($120 million): Supporting major, marquee projects that elevate the downtown experience and energize public interest in downtown’s redevelopment progress.
· Housing Investment Fund ($40 million): Expanding housing options to keep and expand the number of downtown residents, creating a 24/7 community to support commercial growth and city services.
· Community Investment Fund ($40 million): Enhancing parks, public spaces, and neighborhood amenities.
Through strategic state investment and strong private-sector partnerships, the Downtown Albany Strategy will support housing development, small business growth, job creation, and safer, more active streets. The plan is designed to deliver visible, lasting improvements that strengthen Albany’s role as the economic and cultural center of the region, noted Marie Therese Dominguez, commissioner of the New York State Department of Transportation Commissioner.
“[NYSDOT] is proud to be working with the community on this initiative, which will have a multi-faceted, generational impact on the City of Albany and its residents,” she added. “Through transformative projects like the new Livingston Avenue Bridge and the re-imagining of the Interstate 787 corridor, we are already hard at work making it happen for the people who live and work in Downtown Albany.”
Several state departments of transportation have been involved in similar strategic initiatives that combine transportation improvements with other public enhancements.
For example, a new “street grid” reconnecting downtown Cincinnati to Queensgate, is one of several major “innovations” touted by the Ohio Department of Transportation and Kentucky Transportation Cabinet that is being incorporated into the $3.6 billion Brent Spence Bridge Corridor project. Meanwhile, in 2023, the Washington State Department of Transportation – in coordination with the City of Des Moines – provided a “much-needed makeover” to a popular 14-acre green space along Barnes Creek; an area used by local residents for a variety of outdoor activities.
This project also supported the city’s future plans for trail improvements through this corridor, while helping reduce impacts to wetlands and vegetated areas surrounding streams from the New Expressway Project.
Protecting Monarch Migration Across Texas Highways
In this episode of ‘The Stream by AASHTO’ podcast, Darlene Goehl (above) – research engineer and research group lead at Texas A&M University’s Transportation Institute or TTI – discusses the joint work of TTI and the Texas Department of Transportation in building Monarch Flight Diverters or MFDs – a series of tall, mesh barriers placed along busy roads that motivate the butterflies to fly above the roadway, well above vehicles traveling on the highway below.
[Above photo by TTI]
This podcast series is part of the AASHTO Environmental Management technical service program operated by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. It explores a wide array of environmental topics that affect state departments of transportation and the infrastructure programs they oversee.
In this episode, Goehl explains that researchers recently noted sharp declines in Monarch populations, specifically during their migration periods in the fall.
[Editor’s note: In November 2024, The Leaflet by AASHTO newsletter published a two-part series about TxDOT’s Monarch protection efforts. Part One of that series can be accessed by clicking here and Part Two by clicking here.]
In some years, researchers found that nearly 3 percent of the Monarch’s fall migratory population were lost after being struck by vehicles traveling on roads; this number represents about half of the population decline in a given year.
Goehl discusses the importance of Monarch butterflies to the ecology and cultural symbology of the southern U.S. and northern Mexico, the role transportation in protecting them, and how TTI identifies “hot spots” for Monarch roadkill. From there, Goehl explains the implementation and feasibility of MFDs in Texas and how the project will fare into the future. To listen to the full podcast, click here.