Utah DOT Seeks Public Input on Trail Project
The Utah Department of Transportation is soliciting public feedback through June 24 on potential alignments for a paved multi-use trail from the town of Enoch to Cedar City in the northeastern part of the state.
[Above photo by Utah DOT]
The study is part of the agency’s broader effort to develop the Utah Trail Network; a statewide system of paved trails that connects communities and gives people more choices for how they get around.
Utah DOT said in a statement that it plans to review all the public comments it receives to determine a preferred trail alternative that provides a safe and convenient way for people of all ages and abilities to walk, bike, or scoot between those two cities.
This is the agency’s latest effort to expand and enhance the Utah Trail Network.
In May 2024, the Utah DOT issued nearly $95 million to support 19 trail projects – including the construction of new paved trails as well as funding for planning efforts to fill in existing trail gaps – as part of expanding the state trail network.
The agency said at the time that it collaborated with communities statewide regarding the allocation of that funding – approved by the Utah Transportation Commission – to select the key projects for this statewide trail network.
Utah DOT is also tapping into research conducted by Utah State University in July 2022 detailing how to use the state’s network of historic canal trails as an active transportation solution – helping the agency work with community leaders to make more strategic decisions about building canal paths and trails.
NMDOT Offers Local Beautification Grant Funds
The New Mexico Department of Transportation is encouraging municipal, county, and tribal governments to join efforts to enhance the state’s natural beauty through the agency’s ¡Que Linda! beautification grant program.
[Above photo by NMDOT]
The program offers funding to help local governments develop and implement community beautification initiatives that align with the state’s ongoing efforts to improve and preserve New Mexico’s landscape. The deadline for local governments to apply for grant funds is June 30.
The agency noted in a statement that there are several program requirements for localities seeking these grants.
They must provide a full-time coordinator position dedicated to the local beautification program; participate in the statewide ¡Que Linda! cohort meetings and technical assistance meetings; develop a formal local beautification program plan; and organize at least three events and two contracts connected to ¡Que Linda! strategies.
The NMDOT is also involved in several state-level beautification efforts as well.
For example, in November 2024, the agency joined with the New Mexico Department of Tourism and New Mexico Department of the Environment to award a total of $4.7 million in grants to 97 local entities to support litter removal and community cleanup projects as part of the “Breaking Bad Habits” anti-littering campaign.
That effort seeks to encourage state residents to preserve New Mexico’s “unparalleled landscape” by removing litter, preventing illegal dumping, and other related efforts.
Public outreach for this campaign is accompanied by public service announcements by Emmy Award-winning actor Bryan Cranston, reprising his iconic role as Walter White from the “Breaking Bad’ cable television series, to encourage state residents to “break bad habits” and keep the state clean.
Environmental News Highlights – June 4, 2025
Oregon DOT Using Renewable Diesel in POINT Buses
The Oregon Department of Transportation said its POINT intercity bus service has joined with two other state transit agencies – Lane Transit District and TriMet – in transitioning from operating buses on petroleum-based diesel to renewable diesel fuel.
[Above photo by Oregon DOT]
Oregon DOT said renewable diesel – also known as R99 – is chemically identical to petroleum diesel, allowing it to be used as a direct replacement without the costly engine modifications and maintenance required with other fuels like biodiesel.
According to the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, renewable diesel significantly reduces harmful tailpipe emissions – including particulate matter, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, and nitrogen oxides – while offering a cleaner burn than petroleum diesel. Produced in the U.S. and elsewhere from a variety of plant, animal fats and waste oils, renewable diesel is cleaner-burning and newly available for commercial use in the Pacific Northwest.
After several months of successful testing, buses serving on POINT’s Cascades Route – operated by agency contractor MTRWestern – have fully transitioned to renewable diesel. MTR noted that it currently gets its R99 fuel from Christensen Fuels based in Richland, WA.
“Renewable diesel gives us the best of both worlds – a significant reduction in emissions with no disruption to service or reliability,” explained Jeremy Butzlaff, president of MTR, in a statement. “As an operator, it’s a seamless solution that lets us support Oregon DOT’s climate goals today while maintaining the high standards riders expect from the POINT service.”
“Seventy percent of all POINT rides are on the route between Portland and Eugene,” added Joel Manning, POINT bus manager for Oregon DOT. “This cost-effective, sustainable switch reduces our carbon footprint significantly.”
Several state departments of transportation are involved in a variety of efforts to deploy “greener” options for everything from buses to trains and ferry vessels.
For example, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority – a division of Massachusetts Department of Transportation – signed off on a $54 million plan to introduce battery-electric multiple unit or BEMU trains to the Fairmount Commuter Rail Line in September 2024. The first of those BEMU trains are scheduled to go into operation in early 2028.
In March 2024, the Texas Department of Transportation put a new “green” maritime ferry into service on the Galveston-to-Port Bolivar route equipped with “cleaner” propulsion technology; marrying together a diesel-electric transmission and lithium-ion battery to reduce diesel engine emissions while improving fuel-efficiency.
Also in March 2024, Governor Wes Moore (D), the Maryland Department of Transportation, and the Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) launched a “Zero-Emission Bus Pilot Program” – part of MTA’s broader effort to covert its transit bus fleet to zero-emission units.
VTrans Seeking Bike, Pedestrian Project Grant Applicants
The Vermont Agency of Transportation – known as “VTrans” – seeks grant applications for infrastructure projects that improve access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians.
[Above photo by VTrans]
The agency said its Bicycle and Pedestrian Program aims to improve access and safety for bicyclists and pedestrians statewide via the planning, design, and construction of infrastructure projects – expanding and improving transportation options for commuters, visitors to the state, and recreational users. Applications must be received by July 11, VTrans noted.
[Editor’s note: State departments of transportation interested in doing more to support bicycling in their states can order the 2024 “AASHTO Bike Guide.” The guide, recently updated from the original 2012 edition, was developed by AASHTO’s Committee on Design and the Technical Committee on Non-motorized Transportation and offers engineering design guidance on the physical infrastructure needed to support bicycle travel.]
As was the case in 2024, the agency said the 2025 grant cycle for the program incorporates funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA’s Carbon Reduction Program, which funds projects designed to reduce transportation emissions. In 2024, VTrans noted that it awarded more than $7 million for bicycle and pedestrian construction and planning projects across the state.
“Transportation options such as walking and bicycling are valuable for public health, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and supporting economic development in Vermont’s downtowns,” noted VTrans Secretary Joe Flynn said in a statement. “Expanding opportunities for people to walk and bike safely improves quality of life and is a priority for our agency and the state.”
Environmental News Highlights – May 28, 2025
Podcast: Extreme Precipitation and Infrastructure
In this episode of “The Stream by AASHTO” podcast, Ken Kunkel – principal research scholar at the North Carolina Institute of Climate Studies at North Carolina State University – explains how transportation agencies can use the Atlas 15 weather tool developed by the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration or NOAA to measure the impact of extreme precipitation on various types of infrastructure, such as roads and bridges.
[Above image by AASHTO]
“The Stream by AASHTO” podcast 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 their infrastructure programs.
Kunkel offers a wealth of knowledge on all things meteorology and extreme precipitation, including over 40 years of climate and precipitation research. He is an author on the third and fourth U.S. National Climate Assessment and is also the lead author of the 2020 North Carolina Climate Science Report. He has published around 170 scientific journal articles and book chapters, mostly on climate variability and change.
In this podcast episode, Kunkel discusses how the NOAA Atlas 15 weather tool produces extreme precipitation “values” that are then used in the design phase of various types of infrastructure.
Atlas 15 is also able to incorporate changing climate models when producing future data, he noted.
Kunkel also dives into how effective and accurate Atlas 15 is and how its data can improve the resiliency of infrastructure, particularly in the transportation sector.
To listen to the full podcast, click here.
Feedback Powers INDOT Peddle Path Addition
Hoosiers spoke, the Indiana Department of Transportation listened, and now there are another 187 miles in the U.S. Bicycle Route System or USBRS portfolio of roads, multi-use paths, and bike lanes.
[Above image by INDOT]
Recently, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and the Adventure Cycling Association formally designated a route connecting two Indiana bike trails as U.S. Bicycle Route 37 – one of four new bike routes approved by the two organizations earlier this year. The new route connects the Erie Lackawanna Trail in northwest Indiana to the Monon Trail in the central part of the state.
The USBRS is a series of cycling routes along publicly owned roads, multi-use paths, and bike lanes that connect to the border of another state or country, or to another USBRS route.
No physical infrastructure is required for USBRS designation, the designation does not imply an infrastructure investment, and no signs or constructed infrastructure are required for the designation, AASHTO and Adventure Cycling said.
Both noted that their joint USBRS goal is to have a 50,000-mile network suitable for cross-country traveling, regional touring, and commuting. A digital map of all current USBRS routes is available here.
[Editor’s note: State departments of transportation interested in doing more to support bicycling in their states can order the 2024 “AASHTO Bike Guide.” The guide, recently updated from the original 2012 edition, was developed by AASHTO’s Committee on Design and the Technical Committee on Non-motorized Transportation and offers engineering design guidance on the physical infrastructure needed to support bicycle travel.]
In addition to approving USBRS routes, AASHTO and Adventure Cycling provide free technical assistance to state departments of transportation that want to develop a USBRS? route.
In a blog post, INDOT said an enhanced public involvement process gave more cyclists more time to ride the proposed route and provide comments before the department submitted the official route designation request to AASHTO.
“Many Hoosiers submitted comments about their concerns, and we wanted to make sure that we addressed them,” said Alison Shaner, a transportation modeler and planner with the agency.
The designation process was the first time INDOT’s 2023 Planning Public Involvement Plan or PPIP had been applied to a new bicycle route, and it was “the first time this process included a public comment period,” she noted.
INDOT said the PPIP called for a weeklong public comment period, but the agency decided to extend that to 30 days because the route was receiving heightened public interest.
A local Tippecanoe County planner rode parts of the proposed route and recruited other cyclists to ride it “to get a more authentic feel for the route and some of the alternatives that INDOT came up with,” the blog post noted. Later, the agency and the county worked together to refine the route before submitting it to AASHTO.
The USBRS is maintained by state and local governments and is developed for experienced long-distance bicyclists, generally considered “touring cyclists.” Routes often contain roads that have no special treatments or lanes for bicyclists, but they do not include mountain bike trails.