Georgia DOT Honored for 136-Acre Land Donation
The Georgia Department of Transportation recently received a plaque honoring its donation of 136 acres of land to Georgia’s Ocmulgee Mounds National Historical Park; one of the state’s most significant cultural and historical sites, according to the agency.
[Above photo by Georgia DOT]
The newly donated acreage lies within the Ocmulgee River corridor and represents land that was historically occupied and stewarded by the Muscogee or Creek people. The property, acquired by Georgia DOT in 1998 for wetland mitigation related to the Fall Line Freeway in Twiggs County, has remained undeveloped, the agency said.
The 136-acre donation supports the park’s ongoing expansion and efforts to gain designation as Georgia’s first national park and preserve, Georgia DOT noted; a transfer reflecting a collaborative effort between Georgia DOT, the National Park Service, and tribal leaders committed to honoring and protecting the ancestral lands of the Muscogee Nation.
Jacob Collins, tribal liaison with the National Park Service, presented the plaque on July 17 to State Transportation Board Chair Ann Purcell and fellow board members Cathy Williams and Tim Golden.
“This plaque [is] a small token of our deep appreciation to the Georgia DOT,” Collins said at the presentation. “This gift is more than acreage and represents the preservation of sacred ground. Ocmulgee Mounds hold profound cultural and historical significance to many tribal nations. It is a landscape shaped by generations of stewardship and a place of deep ancestral connection. Thanks to Georgia DOT, this land will now be permanently protected, interpreted, and honored as part of Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park.”
“It is our pleasure to help protect and preserve our history here in the state of Georgia so that the public can enjoy what was and what still is,” noted Board Chair Purcell. “I have to recognize our whole Georgia DOT family because without them this would have never happened – and it shows the interest that we have in Georgia’s historic and cultural heritage.”
Across the country, state departments of transportation are involved in a wide range of efforts to support and preserve Native American culture.
For example, the Wisconsin Department of Transportation recently helped unveil the latest set of dual-language highway signs for placement on state highways, with those signs identifying Lac du Flambeau’s Tribal boundaries and four lakes in both the Ojibwe and English languages.
“The Dual-Language Sign Program has been a big part of our ongoing efforts to help bolster Indigenous language and cultural preservation,” explained Governor Tony Evers (D) in a statement. “[This] highway sign unveiling is further testament to our work as a state to strengthen our government-to-government relationships with the Native Nations in Wisconsin.”
In April, the Washington State Ferries (WSF) – a division of the Washington State Department of Transportation – installed a pair of 10-foot-tall hand-carved Native American-themed “welcome poles” in the passenger walkway at Bainbridge Island terminal.
According to Native American lore, the poles represent the concept that “all humans may travel and have great strength to go wherever they desire and have protection and power within.” Local community members selected this artwork through a process managed by the Washington State Arts Commission in partnership with WSF.
And in September 2024, the Iowa Department of Transportation – with support from the Wisconsin DOT and the Federal Highway Administration – released a 25-minute film about the Black Hawk Bridge and that of the local communities surrounding it.
Named after Chief Black Hawk of Lansing, IA, the bridge connected Wisconsin and Iowa communities – including Native American tribes – on either side of the Mississippi River.
Created as a compliance requirement with the National Historic Preservation Act, the short film – entitled “Bridging Generations: The Story of the Black Hawk Bridge” – details the history of the 1,700-foot bridge that spans the Mississippi River, connecting Iowa Highway 9 in Lansing, IA, to Wisconsin Highway 82 in rural Crawford County.
AASHTO Comments on Water Permitting Proposal
The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials recently sent a letter to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers or USACE commenting on the agency’s proposal to reissue and modify nationwide permits or NWPs to improve the passage of fish and other aquatic organisms through aquatic ecosystems.
[Above photo by the USACE]
AASHTO said in its letter that the reissuance of NWPs carries “important implications” for transportation project delivery, particularly in terms of regulatory efficiency, environmental compliance, and project timelines.
Overall, the reissuance is expected to streamline the permitting process by authorizing activities with minimal environmental impacts – thereby expediting approvals for transportation projects.
However, in its letter, AASHTO encouraged the USACE to “remain mindful” of potential gaps in efficiency and certainty that could influence project delivery outcomes.
“Projects that qualify under the NWPs can avoid delays associated with individual permit reviews, which is beneficial to routine and small-scale projects,” AASHTO said. “However, the effectiveness of this streamlined process depends on clear guidance and consistent application of environmental safeguards.”
For example, the organization noted that many NWPs also require pre-construction notifications, adding a layer of review that necessitates thorough and accurate documentation by state departments of transportation.
Additionally, AASHTO remains concerned that NWPs may be suspended or revoked in areas where cumulative impacts exceed minimal thresholds, potentially requiring a fallback to individual permits.
“AASHTO recommends that the USACE clarify whether the impact thresholds established under the NWPs encompass both permanent and temporary impacts to waters of the United States and encourage the USACE to provide clear and consistent definitions for ‘permanent’ and ‘temporary’ impacts,” the organization said.
AASHTO also recommended defining temporary impacts as those that are necessary for project construction, are permitted to remain only for the duration required to complete the work, and are fully restored to pre-construction conditions prior to project completion.
“AASHTO recommends that temporary impacts, as defined above, not be subject to compensatory mitigation requirements and remain exempt from suspension or revocation from the NWP process,” the group said.
AASHTO also requested similar clarifications for those permit programs to provide the same clarity and certainty for those states.
“Clarification of this process is key to allowing states to determine how to transition to the NWP as it will potentially impact project delivery for those projects where permits are pending with USACE or have been recently issued,” the group stressed.
Environmental News Highlights – July 23, 2025
Maine DOT Bridging Gap for Pedestrians, Bicyclists
The Maine Department of Transportation is filling the gap – literally – to help active transportation advocates complete a 16-mile multi-purpose trail for pedestrians and bicyclists in southern Maine.
[Above photo by the Maine DOT]
While this project involves just a 1.6-mile-long section of that trail, a series of barriers – a river, railroad tracks, the COVID-19 pandemic, easement issues, and a lack of funds – kept it on the shelf for more than a decade.
Now that Maine DOT has budgeted the lion’s share of the project with state and federal funds, construction is underway on the nearly $7 million project and is expected to be completed by November 2027.
When finished, the new trail will tie into existing trails that are part of southern Maine’s Eastern Trail and U.S. Bicycle Route 1. It also will become part of the East Coast Greenway; a 3,000-mile, 15-state route along a series of multi-use roads and trails from Maine to Florida.
In an interview with the Leaflet by AASHTO, Dakota Hewlett – a Maine DOT active transportation planner – said the department committed funds to the project because active transportation “is increasingly important” nationally and in Maine.
“Southern Maine communities are linked by our coastline, Route 1, and other roadways, and increasingly by the Eastern Trail,” he said.
Hewlett described the trail as “a spine route…from which people can access neighborhoods, jobs, public facilities, and many of the destinations these communities are known for.”
The project is being managed by the Town of Scarborough, but Maine DOT’s project manager is monitoring all work to ensure compliance with state and federal fiscal regulations, Hewlett said.
While Maine DOT brought the bulk of funding to the project, much of the pre-construction heavy lifting was done by the Town of Scarborough and the non-profit group Eastern Trail Alliance (ETA), Hewlett said. Those entities raised matching funds, undertook public outreach efforts, and kept the project alive.
Because of that prep work, the Maine DOT “can justify our involvement and magnify that planning work into infrastructure projects that make a positive impact for the public,” Hewlett said.
From the west, the new trail will cross the Nonesuch River, turn south, and cross a railroad track before turning northeast to a sports complex in South Portland. Two new active transportation bridges in in the Town of Scarborough – one to cross the river and another to cross the tracks – will be constructed toward the end of the project.
Chelsey Berlin, ETA’s executive director, said the vision of a continuous trail for walkers and bikers was the dream of “a long line of Mainers,” including ETA founder John Andrews, who worked on the project from the early 1990s until his death in 2017.
“Because of the efforts of John and others, we raised over $500,000 to go toward the project,” Berlin said, adding that this project means more to locals than just recreation.
“This is huge for multi-modal infrastructure in southern Maine,” Berlina noted. “People might use the trail now just to go to the store, get an ice cream cone in the summer, or go to work.”
Maine DOT’s Hewlett agreed. “Part of our multi-modal system includes facilities for bicycling and walking, and other human-scale modes of transportation,” he said.
“This project is an example of how over time Maine DOT and local governments can work together to connect a facility for bicycling and walking across an entire region of the state, providing a safe opportunity to connect multiple towns, neighborhoods, and destinations together,” Hewlett added.
Washington DC Launches E-Bike Food Delivery Pilot Project
The Washington, D.C., Department of Transportation (DDOT) recently helped kick off a pilot project to support the use of electric bicycles or e-bikes for a mobile application-based food delivery across the District of Columbia; home to the nation’s capital.
[Above photo by DDOT]
The year-long pilot will test the feasibility of using e-bikes for app-based food delivery and to see how DDOT can support this shift long term. The pilot is funded by the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator or LACI through their City Climate Innovation Challenge Program; a program that aims to support a group of cities in transitioning to zero-emission delivery.
The pilot will support two groups of participants – each for a six-month time period – with e-bikes suitable for food delivery and access to safe and reliable battery charging. To encourage food delivery workers to participate in the pilot, battery charging cabinets will be installed at convenient locations for quick and easy swapping, and the e-bikes will be highly subsidized with the option to own the e-bike at the end of the pilot.
“The District [of Columbia] is committed to becoming carbon neutral and climate resilient by 2045. This pilot is testing one of many strategies to achieve our climate goals while also improving street safety, reducing traffic congestion, and supporting the local workforce,” said Sharon Kershbaum, DDOT’s director, in a statement. “DDOT is excited to partner with LACI and participating cities to help achieve these goals and get these investments into our communities.”
DDOT said e-bike battery cabinets will be installed by PopWheels at the Festival Center at 1640 Columbia Rd NW in Adams Morgan and Westminster Presbyterian Church at 400 I St SW in Southwest Waterfront.
The cabinets can charge up to 16 e-bike batteries at a time and will allow users to quickly swap their depleted batteries for fully charged ones. For the duration of this pilot, access to the cabinets will be limited to pilot participants and other approved food delivery workers, DDOT said.
The agency noted that this pilot program should be fully launched in mid-July, with the first group of participants receiving discounted Whizz Storm 2 e-bikes and accessories as well as free access to the battery cabinets.
DDOT and LACI will monitor and evaluate the pilot for one year to inform future opportunities to support clean and safe food delivery in the District of Columbia, with progress posted to the https://sustainability.ddot.dc.gov/pages/pilotprojects web site.
Environmental News Highlights – July 16, 2025
Colorado DOT Updating Active Transportation Plan
The Colorado Department of Transportation has published a draft of an updated Statewide Active Transportation Plan that seeks to beef up safety and convenience for pedestrians, bicyclists, and others engaged in non-motorized mobility.
[Above photo by Colorado DOT]
That plan – made available for public review and comment though July 18 – is viewed as an ambitious update to the agency’s 2012 Statewide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan. While the 2012 plan “provided a big picture view of walking and biking needs,” the active transportation world has evolved, said Mayra Washburn, policy and programs communications manager for Colorado DOT.
“Much has changed since the 2012 plan was developed, including many new data sources on active modes, the emergence of new micro-mobility devices like e-scooters, and the rise in traffic fatalities for vulnerable roadway users,” Washburn said. “The new plan provides insights on these changes and identifies how Colorado DOT can work to improve bicycling and walking opportunities for Coloradans across the state.”
Once it is finalized, the plan will give Colorado DOT and its partners a set of policies, strategies, and tools to uniformly evaluate, prioritize, and develop active transportation projects that compete for limited funding.
To prepare for the 2025 update, Colorado DOT consulted with representatives from local governments, regional planning organizations, other agencies, and active transportation advocacy groups. The agency also conducted a three-month statewide public survey, which garnered 3,099 responses.
Many survey respondents said it’s often just too far to walk or bike, even to get to or from a transit point. The plan acknowledges this “first/last mile gap…and if there is no way to safely walk, bike, and/or roll for those first and last miles, people will be less likely to choose transit over a personal vehicle for longer trips, even if the actual transit service is convenient.”
One action step is to identify those gaps “especially in places where we know people want and need these options,” the plan states. Colorado DOT plans to complete that list by July 1, 2026, to “help us focus on projects that will make the biggest difference in improving safety and making it easier for people to walk, bike, roll, and take transit.”
Other barriers to active transportation include heavy traffic, not enough sidewalks or bike lanes and “concerns for personal safety.”
Recently, Colorado has averaged “approximately 100 fatalities and 500 serious injuries” a year for vulnerable road users, defined as pedestrians and bicyclists, the plan states. Compared to 2013, annual pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities “have surged by 161 percent and 67 percent, respectively, as of 2023.”
Safety emerged as one of the top concerns in the plan, which spelled out 19 safety strategies to improve active transportation. One strategy states Colorado DOT will “prioritize safety impacts over operational impacts when evaluating projects.”
“This strategy clarifies that safety for all roadway users is paramount for project development and evaluation,” Colorado DOT’s Washburn said. “As noted in the plan, this strategy is already in progress.”
Other safety strategies include setting “safe and realistic speed limits” by including multiple road and traffic factors, including active transportation activity; addressing design deficiencies such as inadequate lighting, insufficient sight distance, and substandard turning radii at high-risk intersections; and designing roads to promote lower vehicle speeds in areas conducive to active transportation.
The 100-page plan recognized Colorado DOT’s many active transportation accomplishments since the 2012 plan was published, including:
- Publishing the Pedestrian Crossing Installation Guidelines and Guidelines for Pedestrian Signal Timing.
- Improving the Safe Routes to School program.
- Updating the Statewide Bicycling Manual.
- Planning, designing, and implementing Interstate Mobility Hubs.
Colorado DOT said it plans to review public comments about its proposed update to the state’s active transportation plan through July and August for possible changes, with the goal of having the plan finalized and approved in September.
Other state departments of transportation are engaged in similar active transportation plan updates.
In May, the Michigan Department of Transportation sought public input on a draft of its North Region Active Transportation Plan, which highlights current and proposed nonmotorized connections throughout the northernmost 21 counties of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.
The agency said it worked with the Northeast Michigan Council of Governments (NEMCOG), private firm Networks Northwest, and local communities throughout those 21 counties to develop this plan, which will formally “assemble” both current and future separated pathways, bike lanes, wide shoulders, sidewalk connections, and regional trails into a single system.
In September 2024, the Maryland Department of Transportation began developing what it calls a “landmark action plan” to improve and expand trail connectivity statewide.
The agency said this plan will guide future investment in shared-use paths, helping to advance efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, boost alternatives to driving, and prioritize the safety of all road users across the transportation network.
In May 2024, the Utah Department of Transportation 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 creating a regional “Utah Trail Network” across the state.
The agency said 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.
Additionally, the Texas Department of Transportation is developing a Statewide Active Transportation Plan or SATP to gather recommendations for improving bicycling, walking, and rolling conditions across the Lone Star state.
TxDOT noted the SATP is being integrated with its other long-range mobility plans to help it maintain a safe, accessible, connected, and fully integrated multimodal transportation system for the future, since the population of Texas is expected to grow by 28 percent by 2050.
Illinois DOT Enters ‘Peak Mowing Season’ for Roadways
The Illinois Department of Transportation said it has entered “peak mowing season” for roadways statewide, with the heaviest mowing period to continue until August 15.
[Above photo by Illinois DOT]
During the summer, the agency said it conducts two primary types of mowing: Safety mowing occurs directly adjacent to the road as needed, while maintenance mowing – which lasts for approximately six weeks and starts around July 1 – includes areas next to culverts, ditches, traffic control devices and other structures.
Both types of mowing operations conform to the Illinois Monarch Project Mowing Guidelines for Pollinators, protecting as much roadside habitat and nectar resources as possible.
[Editor’s note: As an aside, the agency’s latest “Take the Exit” podcast episode interviewed one of the many frontline workers who handle not just mowing operations but pothole repairs, winter storm response, and other critical duties for Illinois DOT – in this case, Daby Sabo; a highway maintenance lead worker based out of the agency’s Carlinville Maintenance Yard.]
The Illinois DOT added that its mowing schedule helps to minimize the impact on the traveling public and encourage pollinator activity, which assists in the reproduction of flowers, fruits, and vegetables that are essential to the state’s ecosystem and agricultural economy.
Reducing the amount of land maintained and growing pollinator habitat also protects the endangered rusty patched bumble bee and the monarch butterfly, the official state insect of Illinois, the agency said.
“By strategically scheduling when and where mowing takes place, Illinois DOT is doing its part to help the environment and Illinois businesses,” said Gia Biagi, the agency’s secretary, in a statement.
She noted that, in 2020, Illinois DOT joined in the launch of the Illinois Monarch Action Plan as part of the Illinois Monarch Project; a collaborative effort with local and state partners to help ensure the survival and successful migration of monarchs by increasing and protecting habitat.
Other state departments of transportation also tailor their mowing operations to aid roadside pollinator habitats – as well as to support other endeavors.
For example, in 2023, the Wyoming Department of Transportation detailed how the agency’s highway mowing program helps makes things easier for snowplow operations in the winter months; specifically, to reduce the formation of snow drifts.