Tuesday, April 22, 2003
FHWA 11-03
Contact: Bill Outlaw
Phone: 202-366-0660
Federal Highway Administration
Announces 12 Awards for Environmental Excellence
Federal Highway Administrator Mary E. Peters today
announced 12 winners of Federal Highway Administration’s (FHWA) 2003
Environmental Excellence Awards. The recipients, from California, Colorado,
Florida, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oregon, Vermont
and Washington, were selected from among 134 nominations received from 38
states.
“These
models of excellence inspire commitment to environmental stewardship,” U.S.
Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said. “Each defined in new way how we in transportation are
architects of the future – visionaries for what can be achieved by working
together to promote methods, processes and projects that protect and enhance the
environment.”
Judges selected winners for 11 categories:
Environmental Streamlining; Cultural and Historical Resources;
Ecosystems, Habitat, and Wildlife; Scenic Byways; Wetlands and Water Quality;
Roadside Resource Management and Maintenance; Non-motorized Transportation;
Livable Communities; Recycling; and Environmental Research.
They named a group and an individual winner in Environmental Leadership.
Since the program started in 1995, these biennial awards
have recognized partners, projects and processes that use FHWA funding sources
to go beyond environmental compliance and achieve environmental excellence.
“These award winners exemplify what it means to be good
environmental stewards,” Peters
said. “They demonstrate how we can make needed
transportation improvements while protecting and enhancing the environment.”
Peters will present the awards today, Earth Day, during a
ceremony at the U.S. Department of Transportation in Washington, DC.
The award recipients are:
Vermont’s Programmatic Agreement and Manual on Section 106, “Review of Historic and Archaeological Resources in Federal-aid Highway Projects” (Environmental Streamlining) – State and federal officials in Vermont developed a model agreement that dramatically streamlines the review of impacts of transportation projects on historic and archaeological resources and better protects those resources. Contact: Scott Newman, telephone 802-828-3964 or email Scott.newman@.state.vt.us
Paris Pike (US 27/68 Paris Lexington Road) (Cultural and
Historical Resources), Kentucky – An innovative redesign of a 12-mile
stretch of highway between the City of Lexington and the rural community of
Paris, Kentucky required fitting the road to the land and dodging sensitive
areas and resources. Through
context-sensitive highway design practices, a road was produced that is
attractive, visually interesting, and safe to drive. Contact: Mark
Pfeiffer, telephone 502-564-4550 or email Mark.Pfeiffer@mail.state.ky.us
Shortgrass Prairie System (Ecosystems, Habitat, and Wildlife), Colorado – This initiative emerged from a need to mitigate the impact of proposed transportation projects. It contributed to a multi-species recovery effort and promoted the recovery of listed species, used public funds more efficiently, and improved the project development process. It offset permanent habitat loss through large scale habitat protection.
Contact: Stacey
Stegman, telephone 303-757-9362 or email Stacey.Stegman@dot.state.co.us
Oregon Forest Highway
Enhancement Program (Scenic Byways), Oregon –
Federal, state and county partners voluntarily established
the Oregon Forest Highway Enhancement Program by setting aside up to 10 percent
of the authorized Oregon Forest Highway Funds to plan, develop, design, and
implement Forest Highway enhancement projects.
These included improved signing, interpretive sites, trailheads, and
roadside facilities to accommodate the increasing volume of recreational highway
users. Contact:
David Thompson, telephone 503-731-8263 or email david.h.Thompson@odot.state.or.us
Stormwater Management Facilities and National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System Program (Wetlands and Water Quality), Maryland – The
Maryland State Highway Administration became one of the first state
transportation agencies to be regulated under the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System (NPDES). In
order to successfully comply with the permit requirements in an environmentally
responsible and cost efficient manner, Maryland placed all activities related to
stormwater management within a single coordinated process and provided a
structured template to systematically address stormwater pollution prevention.
Contact: David
Buck, telephone 410-545-0309 or email Dbuck1@sha.state.md.us
Roadside Classification Plan and Roadside Manual
(Roadside Resource Management and Maintenance), Washington – Washington’s
roadside classification plan provides a framework for providing consistent,
cost-effective, proactive roadside management statewide. The roadside manual
provides methods for implementing these practices on the ground to support high
quality roadside environments. Contact:
Diana Olegre, telephone 360-705-7080 or email olegred@wsdot.wa.gov
Broward County Long-Range Transportation Plan (Nonmotorized Transportation), Florida – This long-range plan ensures that the needs of county residents are identified and addressed through inter-agency coordination, public participation and consensus-building within the community. A multi-modal set of improvement projects was identified to provide county residents, businesses, and visitors with several travel choice options. Contact: Lahoma Scarlette, telephone (954) 357-7810 or email Lscarlette@broward.org
Iowa’s Living Roadways Community Visioning Program and
Iowa’s Living Roadways Project (Livable Communities), Iowa – Through
a private-public partnership, Iowa’s Living Roadways programs assist
volunteer committees in Iowa’s smaller communities to think creatively and
strategically about roadside landscape improvements.
Distributed throughout the state, these
small town enhancement projects now number in the hundreds and have had a
significant cumulative impact in maintaining Iowa’s scenic rural character and
emphasizing its friendly, inviting communities.
Contact: Dean Gray-Fisher,
telephone 515-239-1922 or email Dean.Gray-Fisher@dot.state.ia.us
Pre-Mixed, Rubberized Slurry
Seal and Recycled Tires (Recycling), California – The
city of Los Angeles created a public/private partnership that improves street
preservation through the use of premixed, rubberized slurry seal from recycled
tires. Slurry seal projects that
would take weeks to complete under the conventional method are now completed
within eight hours.
Contact: Marshal Lowe, telephone 213-978-0330 or email Mlowe@bpw.lacity.org
Aesthetic Initiative
Measurement System (AIMS) (Environmental Research), Minnesota –
This project was conducted to
develop and test instruments and protocols that the Minnesota Department of
Transportation can use to understand and document how travelers and neighbors
perceive the visual quality of Minnesota’s highway corridor treatments and
landscapes. This system will help
MnDOT fulfill its commitment to implement context-sensitive design practices.
Contact: Sue Stein, telephone 651-284-4028 or email Sue.Stein@dot.state.mn.us
Partnership for Improving
North Carolina’s Environment (Environmental Leadership), North Carolina – Senior
leadership at the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources
and the North Carolina Department of Transportation formalized a partnership
with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding.
The document outlined goals that support environmental stewardship and
responsible and timely transportation decision-making.
Contact: Cherie Gibson,
telephone 919-715-2397 or email Cgibson@dot.state.nc.us
Wes Goff (Environmental Leadership), Colorado – For 38 years, Wes Goff has worked for the Colorado Department of Transportation and the environment. Goff worked to minimize negative environmental impacts and to restore and protect sensitive habitat while he helped build Colorado’s transportation system. Currently a Program Engineer for CDOT, Wes Goff continues to be a leader in building partnerships for environmental protection and transportation projects.
Contact: Stacey
Stegman, telephone 303-757-9362 or email Stacey.Stegman@dot.state.co.us
The judges in the 2003 awards competition also
gave honorable mention for environmental excellence to the Indian Creek
Stormwater Treatment Facility in Washington. This project was a result of
collaboration between the Squaxin Island Tribe, the Nisqually Tribe, the city of
Olympia, the Olympia Arts Commission and the Washington State Department of
Transportation. Their goal was to
clean stormwater runoff from Interstate 5, but their project also integrated
public art, native plant-centered landscaped areas and slope stabilization into
stormwater treatment – all in an urban environment. Contact: Diana
Olegre, telephone 360-705-7080 or email olegred@wsdot.wa.gov
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