– EPA (Notice of proposed reissuance of NPDES general permit, notice to states of Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida for consistency review with approved Coastal Management Programs)

Membership in the National Parks Overflights Advisory Group

– FAA (Solicitation of applications

U.S. Maritime Transportation System National Advisory Committee; Notice of Public Meeting

– Maritime Administration (Notice)

Minnesota Study Examines Post-Project ‘Revegetation’ Efforts

A team of University of Minnesota researchers recently wrapped up a study that examined the effectiveness of “revegetation” efforts following the conclusion of infrastructure projects statewide. That study also compiled “best practice” recommendations to transportation departments and roadside management organizations regarding post-project efforts to create pollinator-friendly habitats.

[Above photo by the Minnesota DOT]

The study – sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Minnesota Local Road Research Board – examined how transportation agencies “revegetate” roadsides after construction projects to provide road stability, storm water filtration, and visual appeal. Revegetation is also a good opportunity to create pollinator-friendly habitat. However, planting and maintaining ditches can be expensive, funds for such projects are usually limited, and there isn’t much data on which methods actually work, the researchers found.

“This project will help agencies across the state refine the seed mixes they use with substantial benefits to pollinator habitat,” noted Dan MacSwain, natural resource coordinator for Washington County Public Works and the technical liaison for this project, in a blog post. “It will also produce cost savings.”

A key part of the study measured the presence of bumblebees and flowers in roadside ditches and generally found a positive link between the two – suggesting that greater flower diversity promotes stronger pollinator populations. That portion of the study also found that bumblebees are more prolific in roadside ditches where the surrounding landscape is also pollinator-friendly; suggesting that ditches alone cannot fully meet the habitat needs of insects, Snell-Rood emphasized, meaning roadside restoration efforts can generally perform better if they’re located near already-established pollinator habitat.

The insects that the survey studied – bumblebees and butterflies – showed a ready willingness to use non-native flowers for food. However, the study also points out that these insect groups are “generalists” and this amenable to feeding on a wide variety of flowering plants. That means revegetating ditches with non-native plants will not support more specialized pollinators – ones that need specific, native flowers to survive, the researchers found.

“Our results suggest that roadsides could be managed with a ‘more flowers everywhere’ strategy without raising costs,” added Emilie Snell-Rood, associate professor with the University of Minnesota’s Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior and the principal investigator for the project. “[However] the ‘set it and forget it’ approach to native roadside revegetation efforts is insufficient if long-term establishment of native plants is the goal.”

For generalized, pollinator-friendly revegetation practices, the researchers recommended using an inexpensive, non-native seed mix – such as alfalfa, red clover, or white clover – mixed in with a handful of native species proven to be good at establishing themselves, such as wild bergamot, field thistle, goldenrod, and common milkweed. However, if the goal is to conserve a particular species, the roadside will need to be tailored to that species’ plant food needs.

“Our results overall suggest roadside management for natives and pollinators requires some discussions within agencies and management organizations about primary goals,” Snell-Rood said.

State departments of transportation across the country have been heavily involved in a wide array of pollinator specie preservation and growth efforts over the years.

For example, in 2021, the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Association of Conservation Districts installed 15 pollinator habitat sites in designated locations as part of a joint effort to educate state residents about the important role “pollinators” such as bees, butterflies, and other insects play in Georgia’s agricultural sector.

Out west, the Texas Department of Transportation has been working for several years to make the state’s bridges and related infrastructure more hospital to bats, especially as the nocturnal flying rodents help to naturally suppress the insect population without the use of pesticides while acting as pollinators to assist in flowering plant reproduction.

Meanwhile, the Tennessee Department of Transportation, along with the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation and Tennessee Department of Agriculture, formed a partnership in 2019 to support 64 acres of “pollinator meadows” at eight state parks. Each blooming meadow contains a mix of nectar-bearing plants and milkweed, which sustain pollinators such as bees, moths, butterflies, birds, and small mammals such as bats.

And in in March 2020, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials sent a two-page letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior supporting “expedited approval” of the voluntary national Candidate Conservation Agreement with Assurances or CCAA to further encourage the creation of pollinator habitats in highway rights-of-way.

The CCAA – eventually finalized in April 2020 – provides a “huge boost” for the conservation of Monarch butterflies and other pollinators on a landscape scale, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service noted at the time.

Utah Transportation Electrification Committee Holds First Meeting

The Utah Electrification of Transportation Infrastructure Steering Committee recently met for the first time; a group created by the state legislature to help guide Utah’s installation of infrastructure that is both sustainable and economical to spur the state’s transition to electric transport.

[Above photo by the Utah DOT]

“We’re at a tipping point for electrification of transportation,” explained Carlos Braceras, executive director of the Utah Department of Transportation and the committee’s chairman. “Our mission here is to help Utah residents live healthier lives by improving air quality while strengthening the economy.”

The state legislature’s bill that created the steering committee also provided $2.1 million to Utah State University’s Center for Advancing Sustainability through Powered Infrastructure for Roadway Electrification or “ASPIRE” to “lead the charge” in developing a community, state, and industry transportation action plan to improve air quality while enhancing the economy.

The Utah DOT noted in a statement that the ASPIRE Engineering Research Center – created in 2020 through a $25 million National Science Foundation grant, which is renewable to $50 million over 10 years – is forming an industry advisory board with representation across the industries, communities, and stakeholders affected by the shift to an electrified transportation system.

“We need tomorrow’s technologies to do this thing right,” said Dr. Regan Zane, director of ASPIRE, who also serves on the steering committee. “Now is the time to inject innovation into developing the future vision of our communities and transportation systems. This will inform critical decisions today on infrastructure investments to accelerate our path to clean air and a reduced cost to move people and goods.”

“The question we face now is how we transition to that electrified future,” added Utah DOT’s Braceras. “It’s a complicated process that requires careful planning and a coordinated approach across agencies, industries and communities to build a sustainable solution.”

State departments of transportation across the country are involved in a number of different efforts to help spur transportation system electrification.

For example, the Maryland Department of Transportation recently rolled out a new tool to help local governments and agencies dip into $2.5 billion in federal grants to build an electric vehicle or EV charging network.

The EV Charger Siting Tool is a map-based website that helps the user select those communities and charging sites in Maryland that have the best chance of securing grants under Federal Highway Administration’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure or CFI discretionary grant program, funded by the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA enacted in November 2021.

From a broader perspective, the North Carolina Department of Transportation recently released the finalized version of its North Carolina Clean Transportation Plan, outlining a roadmap to continue growing the state’s clean energy economy while reducing greenhouse gas or GHG emissions and investing in cleaner and more accessible transportation options for state residents.

The NCDOT said it worked with more than 220 stakeholders for more than a year to develop this draft plan – mandated by Governor Roy Cooper (D) via Executive Order 246 issued January 2022 – which explores strategies to advance clean transportation investments and workforce development statewide.

In a more targeted fashion, the Oregon Department of Transportation recently introduced a rebate plan for state residents living in multifamily homes as well as motorists near public parking areas to spur access to EV charging stations.

The Oregon DOT said the rebate offered by its new Community Charging Rebates Program will range from $4,250 to $5,500 per charging port or up to 75 percent of eligible project costs, whichever is less, to help lower the cost of buying, installing, and maintaining Level 2 and Level 1 EV charging stations.

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials held a knowledge session at its 2022 Annual Meeting that featured panelists from the Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida DOTs discussing their respective plans for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI program funds – one part of their concerted efforts to help support transport electrification.

In September 2022, the Federal Highway Administration issued final approvals for the EV infrastructure deployment plans submitted by all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Those plan approvals allow all of those 52 transportation departments to unlock more than $900 million in fiscal year 2022 and 2023 NEVI funding.

Environmental News Highlights – June 7, 2023

FEDERAL ACTION

AASHTO Provides Environmental Review Insights to FHWA

– AASHTO Journal

House Science Committee seeks info on federal research of hazmat-by-rail safety –

Progressive Railroading

DOE Launches New Energy Earthshot to Decarbonize Transportation and Industrial Sectors

– DOE (media release)

NEPA

The Point of NEPA

– Roads & Bridges (editorial/commentary)

NEPA and the Debt Deal

– Legal Planet (opinion)

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

New Jersey authorities practice hurricane response, urge residents to prepare

– WCBS-TV

Wyoming Lawmakers Want To Tax Electric Vehicle Drivers To Make Up For Lost Fuel Revenue

– Cowboy State Daily

State legislatures adapt to electric vehicles

– The Center Square

Charging Ahead: How the Electrified Mobility Collaborative envisions a radical shift.

– Thinking Transportation (podcast)

Amtrak is the climate-friendly option – if extreme weather doesn’t disrupt your trip.

– Grist

LA freeway lights darkened by vandalism make for dangerous driving

conditions

– KCAL-TV

How we can make EVs even better for the planet

– Sustainability Times

AIR QUALITY

Pittsburgh-area utilities and transit agencies are launching hydrogen pilots, anticipating wider use in the future

– Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

How green mobility can help world to achieve zero emission goals

– Urban Transport News

Curbside recycling turns out to be a surprisingly good climate investment

– Anthropocene

With $9B in Transportation Funding, Minnesota Looks to Meet Climate Goals

– Route Fifty

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

How AI can advance, harm transportation equity

– Smart Cities Dive

The US can’t achieve environmental justice through one-size-fits-all climate policy

– Brookings

Study Quantifies Disparity Among Marginalized Communities Exposed to Traffic-Related Air Pollution

– UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

NATURAL RESOURCES

Wyoming DOT Seeing Results from Wildlife Crossings

– AASHTO Journal

Trash Bins At Wyoming I-80 Rest Stops Lead To More Littering, Not Less, WYDOT Director Says

– Cowboy State Daily

CULTURAL RESOURCES

WVDOT Finishes Carrollton Covered Bridge Rebuild Project

– AASHTO Journal

Wisconsin DOT Unveils More Dual-Language Highway Signs

– AASHTO Journal

City of Temple, Texas plans to transform historic railroad into hike and bike trail

– KWTX-TV

Universities aren’t doing enough for climate. Here’s what a real sustainability plan would look like

– Salon (commentary)

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Virginia warns of rise in crashes involving bicycles

– WTTG-TV (video)

Presley’s Place At Pittsburgh’s Airport Is A Model To Be Copied

– Forbes

Clark County, OH group seeks to make area more pedestrian-friendly

– Springfield News-Sun

Officials vow ValleyBike program will return as partner company faces bankruptcy

– MassLive

TRB RESOURCES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Protecting Wildlife Habitat is a Robust Slice of Transportation Planning

– TRB

Pollinator Habitat Conservation Along Roadways, Volume 1: Alaska

– NCHRP

Pollinator Habitat Conservation Along Roadways, Volume 2: California

– NCHRP

Pollinator Habitat Conservation Along Roadways, Volume 3: Florida

– NCHRP

Pollinator Habitat Conservation Along Roadways, Volume 4: Great Basin

– NCHRP

Practices for Adding Bicycle and Pedestrian Access on Existing Vehicle Bridges

– NCHRP

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

National Travel and Tourism Infrastructure Strategic Plan; Request for Comment

–

Office of the Secretary, USDOT (Notice)

Department of Transportation Equity Action Plan Update

– Office of the Secretary, USDOT (RFI)

National Public Transportation Safety Plan

– FTA (Notice of availability; request for comments)

Designation of Transportation Management Areas

– FHWA and FTA (Notice)

Uniform Procedures for State Highway Safety Grant Programs

– NHTSA and FHWA (Final rule)

Expansion and Extension of the Climate Change Mitigation Pilot Program

– United States Patent and Trademark Office (Notice)

Safety Zone; Hurricanes, Tropical Storms and Other Disasters in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana

– Coast Guard (Notice of proposed rulemaking)

Port Access Route Study: The Pacific Coast From Washington to California

– Coast Guard (Notice of availability of study)

Notice of Intent To Prepare a Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement for the Matagorda Ship Channel Improvement Project, Calhoun and Matagorda Counties, TX

– Corps of Engineers (Notice)

Clean Air Act Operating Permit Program; Petition To Object to the Title V Permit for Cove Point LNG Terminal; Maryland

–

EPA (Notice of final action)

Maryland DOT Tool Helps Locals Plug into EV Funding

The Maryland Department of Transportation is rolling out a new tool to help local governments and agencies dip into $2.5 billion in federal grants to build an electric vehicle or EV charging network.

[Above photo by the Maryland DOT]

The tool consolidates geographic data on existing chargers, registered EV users, disadvantaged communities, alternative fuel corridors, and “marginalized and underserved communities targeted for investment to address climate change and clean energy needs,” the Maryland DOT noted.

“Helping our partners across the state secure federal funding for EV projects is part of our leadership role and this tool is just one facet of our strategy to share knowledge, expertise and experience to make the most of those opportunities,” added Maryland DOT Secretary Paul Wiedefeld in a statement.

[Editor’s note: A recent American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials video of a knowledge session held at its 2022 Annual Meeting featured panelists from the Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Florida DOTs discussing their respective plans for National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI program funds.]

By typing any Maryland address into the tool and selecting from a criteria menu, planners can see which factors in those communities and sites can best help their application. The agency pointed out that June 13 is the deadline for CFI grant applications.

The first round of funding will make $700 million available from fiscal years 2022 and 2023, with a total of $2.5 billion in funding available over the next five years, according to FHWA. The Maryland DOT also has set up a federal grants page on its website to give its partners across the state a good overview of other federal grant opportunities.

Maryland DOT’s Wiedefeld added that his state expects to see “tremendous growth and investment as more and more EVs come into the marketplace.”

Brian Booher, a senior planning specialist at the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection, said the Maryland DOT is “always ready to help partners at the local level with grant applications. And the sharing of information – like the data in [the] new Electric Vehicle Charger Siting Tool – is invaluable as we work to benefit our communities and the entire state.”

Maryland has a goal of having 300,000 registered electric vehicles in the state by 2025 and, as of April 2023, there were 70,000 registered EVs in Maryland.

Other state departments of transportation are also working on ways to boost the development of EV charging networks in their respective areas.

For example, from a broad perspective, the North Carolina Department of Transportation recently released the finalized version of its North Carolina Clean Transportation Plan, outlining a roadmap to continue growing the state’s clean energy economy while reducing greenhouse gas or GHG emissions and investing in cleaner and more accessible transportation options for state residents.

AASHTO Re:source Podcast: Hawaii DOT & ‘Plastic Roads’

The AASHTO re:source podcast recently interviewed Ed Sniffen (above), director for the Hawaii Department of Transportation, for a two-part episode about how his agency is testing the incorporation of recycled plastics into its road paving processes. To listen to part one of this two-part podcast episode, click here.

[Above image by AASHTO]

AASHTO re:source – which launched this podcast series in September 2020 – is a major technical service program of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. It provides services and tools through three major programs: the Laboratory Assessment Program, the Proficiency Sample Program, and the AASHTO Accreditation Program.

Sniffen – who previously appeared on the AASHTO re:source podcast in February to discuss his agency’s resiliency planning efforts – said using recycling plastics as part of Hawaii DOT’s mix of paving materials is “part our never-ending quest to be greener” in its road construction and maintenance operations.

“When we started looking back at the pavements on our system, [we saw] that every seven to 10 years, we have to rip out that upper layer and process another layer in. So we tried to see how we can do better,” he explained.

“We started using better materials and making sure that we reconstructed roadways rather than just putting in a ‘mill and fill.’ And that’s helped us tremendously in ensuring that we don’t have to do as much work as CO2 [carbon dioxide] intensive as often,” Sniffen noted. “Now we’re starting to use a stone matrix, asphalt, and polymer mix to create ‘modified asphalts.’ It’s going to give us that 20 to 25-year lifespan we’re looking for.”

Appointed to lead Hawaii DOT in December 2022, Sniffen is a recognized state DOT leader on the topic of resilience and “green” construction initiatives.

He serves as the chair of the Committee on Transportation System Security and Resilience for the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials and has testified on Capitol Hill about a variety of infrastructure resiliency issues as well.

Sniffen also participated in a knowledge session on infrastructure resilience hosted during AASHTO’s 2022 Spring Meeting in New Orleans.

Environmental News Highlights – May 31, 2023

IIHS: Trade-Offs when Mandating Slow E-Scooter Speeds

Many cities are turning to speed limiters for electric scooters to address concerns about rider safety and conflicts with pedestrians, according to new study conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Yet mandating low travel speeds may push more-scoot use onto sidewalks, the group’s research suggested.

[Above photo via IIHS]

“Our results show that restricting scooters to low speeds offers a trade-off,” said Jessica Cicchino, IIHS vice president of research and the study’s lead author, in a statement.

“At slow speeds, riders are more likely to choose the sidewalk over the road,” she added. “That puts them in less danger from cars but could mean more conflicts with people on foot.”

IIHS noted that e-scooter use has blossomed in the United States since the first shared e-scoot program officially launched in 2017. But as ridership has increased, so have injuries and citizen complaints. In response, many towns and cities have required speed limiters for shared e-scooters, with a 15 mph maximum speed the common limit.

To help understand the effect of different maximum speeds, IIHS researchers compared rider behavior in Austin, TX, and Washington, D.C. Austin caps shared e-scooter speeds at 20 mph, while Washington, D.C., makes the maximum speed 10 mph — one of the lowest in the United States. Neither city has an effective way to require speed limiters on privately owned scooters, IIHS noted in its study.

In both cities, e-scooter riders overwhelmingly rode in bike lanes where they were available. Where there were no bike lanes, however, riders in Washington, D.C., were 44 percent more likely than Austin riders to choose to ride on the sidewalk – and were more likely to favor the sidewalk despite lower vehicle traffic volumes when compared to the 16 Austin observation sites.

Overall, however, riders tended to choose the sidewalk when motor vehicle traffic was heavier, as well as on arterials and two-way roads. In contrast, the researchers recorded an increase in e-scooter riders in vehicle travel lanes on weekends, possibly because of lighter traffic.

E-scooter riders are doubtless safer from fatal injuries when they’re not sharing the road with motor vehicles. However, the net impact of sidewalk riding on less serious injuries to e-scooter users and pedestrians is unclear. A previous IIHS study showed that most e-scooter rider injuries in Washington, D.C., happened on the sidewalk but also that injuries that occurred on the road were more severe.

“E-scooter users clearly take risk into account when choosing where to ride,” said IIHS’s Cicchino. “Many are also conscious of the risk of hitting a pedestrian. [But] slowing down the fastest sidewalk riders should help prevent crashes and reduce the severity of injuries when e-scooters hit pedestrians. The clear preference for bike lanes also gives communities another reason to focus on expanding their bicycle networks.”

The researchers also analyzed rider behavior in the central business district of Washington, D.C., where sidewalk riding is prohibited. Despite the ban, IIHS found that two-thirds of e-scooter users rode on the sidewalks at locations without bike lanes that area – noting that riders in the central business district without bike lanes were also 38 percent more likely than riders in Austin to choose the sidewalk over the street.

There’s little evidence sidewalk bans are any more effective elsewhere. Nevertheless, two-thirds of U.S. communities are considering them or have them in place already, according to a 2022 survey by the Behavioral Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program.

Others are mulling banning e-scooters from all or certain roads. Improvements in e-scooter technology could offer an alternative solution, IIHS noted, with some e-scooter companies now deploying systems that can detect when their e-scooters are on sidewalks.

As this technology matures, it could be used to apply separate speed restrictions for sidewalk riders or prevent sidewalk riding altogether in key locations, IIHS noted.

INDOT Uses Dry Ice for Safer Graffiti Removal Operations

Removing graffiti from bridge pillars and other structures can be an arduous and sometime hazardous process, especially when using sandblasting equipment to scour concrete surfaces clean. That’s why the Indiana Department of Transportation is now using dry ice instead.

[Above photo by INDOT]

Compared to traditional scouring methods using salt or sand to remove graffiti, INDOT found that “dry ice blasting” provides a safer and more eco-friendly alternative.

Sandblasting, while effective, can generate significant amounts of dust and debris, the agency noted. Dry ice blasting, on the other hand, works by shooting small carbon dioxide pellets at surfaces at high speeds that evaporate on impact.

[Editor’s note: The video below shows how dry ice blasting is used in the manufacturing sector as a cleaning method for various types of metal machinery.]

Developed in-house by INDOT employees, the agency said its dry ice blasting method for graffiti removal increases safety for workers by eliminating dust and particles they might breathe in; leaves no residue behind due to the dry ice evaporating on impact; increases efficiency and saves time by eliminating the need for cleanup; and minimizes the impact on the environment and waste production.