editor – Page 53 – Environmental Technical Assistance Program Newsletter

New Jersey DOT Launches New Anti-Litter Campaign

The New Jersey Department of Transportation recently rolled out a new anti-litter campaign aimed at summer travelers – the main component of which will be an aerial banner flown over the 147 miles of coastline between Cape May and Sandy Hook known as the Jersey Shore with the message “Please Don’t Trash Our Garden State.”

[Above photo by the New Jersey DOT]

Social media posts will accompany the aerial banner – scheduled to fly every weekend over the Jersey Shore now through Labor Day this year – to help further expand the reach of the anti-litter message among the public, the agency said.

The New Jersey DOT noted in a statement that its crews removed 11,000 tons of litter at a cost of nearly $8 million over the past three-and-a-half years. The agency added that its crews also removed 76,500 square yards of graffiti along state highways during that same period.

State departments of transportation across the country are ramping up similar anti-litter outreach and cleanup efforts.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation said that as of May 19, its crews, contractors, and volunteers have collected 6.3 million pounds of litter from along the state’s roads. The agency noted in a statement that 6.3 million pounds of trash is roughly the same amount collected in 2020 and puts the agency on track to surpass its 2019 record, when NCDOT crews, contractors, and volunteers collected 10.5 million pounds of litter.

In April, the Ohio Department of Transportation joined forces with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Ohio Department of Natural Resources to conduct a statewide anti-litter campaign – called “A Little Litter is a Big Problem” – to highlight the negative impact litter has on the state’s transportation system, parks, beachfronts, and waterways.

The Ohio DOT noted in a statement that it alone has spent at least $48.6 million to deal with litter since 2011 and that its staff spent 151,410 hours picking up trash in 2020.

Meanwhile, the Rhode Island Department of Transportation launched a new “Clean Rhodes” anti-litter initiative on April 22.

RIDOT, which said it spends $800,000 annually to pick up trash on state roads, noted that the goal of this campaign is to remove 1 million pieces of litter. The agency is also seeking to buy specialized litter removal equipment that attaches to its maintenance vehicles for some $750,000 so it can rake and clean litter from strips of land and other larger green spaces along roads more easily.

Meanwhile, the Delaware Department of Transportation recently renewed focus on its “Keep DE Litter Free” campaign. To date in 2021, the agency said its crews collected and cleared nearly 16,000 bags of trash from state roadways – adding to the more than 51,000 bags of trash collected and cleared in 2020. That includes more than 6,800 tires, 3,500 signs, and 250 appliances removed from Delaware roads, the Delaware DOT pointed out.

Utah DOT Protects Reservoir as it Rebuilds Bridge

The Utah Department of Transportation is taking what it calls “significant steps” to protect the waters of the Starvation Reservoir during a U.S. 40 bridge renovation project in Duchesne County.

[Above photo by the Utah DOT]

The agency noted in a statement that the project’s contractor designed special “catch buckets” to capture demolition debris from the bridge to prevent them from entering the reservoir’s waters.

Excavators lower those 16-foot catch buckets, which are then affixed to the backside of the bridge’s barrier or parapet walls. Outfitted with rubber bumpers to provide a secure seal to the wall and to protect against damage to the existing infrastructure, the bottom of the bucket extends to fit under the bridge deck to capture bridge demolition debris.

The Utah DOT noted that the pan located on the bottom of the bucket is watertight and provides connections to a vacuum port, which pumps out the captured water and slurry materials into a vacuum trailer without any of it leaking into the waterway below.

All demolished materials are transported offsite to be recycled or disposed of in the landfill, the agency said. Duchesne County also plans to recycle the demolished bridge concrete for use as base material for future road projects.

In addition to capturing construction debris, Utah is using other procedures to protect both the project’s workers and the surrounding area. For example, crews working near or around the edge of the bridge are required to be in a harness and tethered to the bridge to prevent falling. That includes their tool and equipment as well – especially concrete saws – to prevent them from dropping into the waterway below. Finally, in case of unforeseen emergencies, the Utah DOT developed a water rescue plan for the project that includes life-preserving flotation devices and a rescue boat.

Environmental News Highlights – July 7, 2021

Minnesota DOT Discusses Transportation Impact of Climate Change at Hearing

Climate change is causing “real, costly impacts” to the nation’s transportation infrastructure, according to Margaret Anderson Kelliher (seen above), commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

[Above image via Select Committee on Climate Crisis broadcast]

Anderson Kelliher – who also serves as chair of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Committee on the Environment and Sustainability – made her comments June 30 in testimony before the House of Representatives Select Committee on the Climate Crisis.

“According to the Minnesota State Climatology Office, average temperatures have increased by nearly three degrees Fahrenheit statewide, with our winter temperatures are warming even faster, resulting in fewer nights of extreme cold,” she explained. “Extreme heat events are also a major safety problem – during the recent extreme heat just a few weeks ago, we saw at least 43 incidents of pavements buckling or exploding.”

Anderson Kelliher added that Minnesota is also experiencing more damaging rains due to climate change, including a 65 percent increase in the number of three-inch rain events and the frequency of “mega rain” events: widespread rains over six inches that she said “are now four times more frequent than” compared to the previous 30 years.

“Heavy precipitation directly causes flooding that closes and damages roads and bridges; disrupts travel and commerce; creates slope and embankments failures from saturated soils, and can lead to debris flows that block or damage culverts and bridges,” she said – literally in some cases “washing away” roads and bridges.

To counteract those issues, Anderson Kelliher said the Minnesota DOT is working to make the state’s transportation system more resilient.

In particular, the agency is developing a Statewide Extreme Flood Vulnerability Analysis tool to improve processes for evaluating future flood risks to bridges, large culverts, and pipes. That helps the Minnesota DOT make “better data-informed decisions” about roadway projects based on the likelihood and magnitude of climate risks, she said – managing factors such as evacuation routes, access to medical services, freight needs, and detour length.

To reduce the impact of vehicle emissions on the environment, Anderson Kelliher said her agency launched a project in 2019 called “Pathways to Decarbonizing Transportation” to engage citizens and businesses in a variety of carbon reduction efforts.

“That resulted in the state pursuing low- and zero-emissions vehicle standards, creating incentives for electric vehicles [EVs], including climate change in the environmental review process, and supported development of low carbon biofuels,” she said.

The Minnesota DOT followed that up in 2020 with the creation of the Sustainable Transportation Advisory Council – a group of public, private, nonprofit, and citizen leaders as well as elected officials to advise the agency on strategies to reduce carbon pollution, promote economic development, and support equity.

“We believe that this type of ongoing partnership between the public and private sector can be a model to help avoid the most catastrophic consequences of climate change,” she said. “This council is helping on several initiatives, including setting a goal to reduce vehicle miles traveled, promoting electric vehicles and EV charging, re-evaluating our approaches to congestion, and de-prioritizing adding lane capacity, which can not only induce demand but also adds new costs to our woefully-underfunded system.”

Anderson Kelliher added that similar efforts at the federal level could help reduce climate change risks on a broader basis. To that end, she recommended the following during her testimony:

Modernizing federal climate risk standards and tools, including updates to the 100-year federal flood risk standard
Encouraging the construction of more EV recharging, transit, and pedestrian/bicycling infrastructure to reduce carbon emissions nationwide
Encouraging more federal investment in improving the accuracy of travel demand modeling to ensure more accurate travel forecasts and better understanding of investment impacts.

“Those tools will help projects achieve performance targets and make cost-effective, sustainable decisions in place of general-purpose lane expansion,” she said.

ETAP Podcast: Revisiting Roadside Vegetation Management

In this episode of the Environmental Technical Assistance Program or ETAP Podcast, Matthew Quirey (seen above) – a landscape design and research fellow with The Ray – explains how roadside landscapes, more often termed the “right-of-way,” are now being viewed as “habitat assets” instead of maintenance burdens among state departments of transportation.

[Above photo via The Ray]

“In general, we are thinking more about how right-of-ways are being redesigned to bring habitats back together – to serve not just as transportation corridors but ecosystem corridors as well,” he explained on the podcast.

In his work for The Ray – a public-private venture devoted to roadway technology testing along Interstate 85 in West Georgia – Quirey is studying how state DOTs are viewing roadside landscapes with a “stronger interest” toward ecological impacts, creation of wildlife habitat, and increased human well-being.

That includes how right-of-ways can serve as habitats for pollinators, contribute to better stormwater management in order to lessen pollution risks for nearby streams and rivers – incorporating sustainability and resiliency factors within more “environmentally sensitive” planning and design processes. To listen to this podcast, click here.

Environmental News Highlights – June 30, 2021

FEDERAL ACTION

White House, Senators Agree on Infrastructure Funding Proposal – AASHTO Journal

Infrastructure deal would boost investments in transportation, with infusions for rail and transit
Washington Post

Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal May Be A Tough Sell To The Rest Of Congress – NPR

Portman, Manchin Introduce Bipartisan, Bicameral Bill To Finish Appalachian Development Highway System – Senator Rob Portman (News release)

Factsheet: President Biden Announces Support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework – White House (News release)

COVID-19

Pandemic experiments morph into long-term solutions for SF transit agency – San Francisco Examiner

For Disabled Users, the ‘Open Streets’ of the Pandemic Remain Closed – CityLab

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

State DOTs Bracing for Highly Active Hurricane Season – AASHTO Journal

Some say “no climate, no deal” as EVs, green energy lose traction in infrastructure compromise – Green Car Reports

Plan to let many San Diego businesses eliminate parking spots clears key hurdle – San Diego Union-Tribune

Small Cities Can’t Manage the High Cost of Old Infrastructure – Governing

AIR QUALITY

Oregon lawmakers approve ambitious carbon-reduction goals for state energy grid – Oregon Public Broadcasting

Regional initiative to cut road emissions wins RI Senate approval – Providence Journal

Germany Confronts the Future of Short-Haul Flights – CityLab

Activists push back against rising air pollution from Sea-Tac Airport – KUOW Radio

U.S. Department of Transportation Announces $182 Million in Grants to Expand Low or No Emission Transit Vehicles & Facilities Nationwide – FTA

DOE researchers examine biofuels for maritime shipping – US Department of Energy

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

The White House Wants To Fight Climate Change And Help People. Cleveland Led The Way – NPR’s Morning Edition

EPA Creates $50 Million Fund For Environmental Justice Initiatives – Rolling Stone

How Climate-Proofing Mass Transit Can Make Cities More Equitable – Bloomberg Green

5 Ways to Shape a Greener, More Equitable Recovery Through Transport – TheCityFix

NATURAL RESOURCES

Tennessee Agencies Work Together to Support Pollinators – AASHTO Journal

New Yorkers fled to the Hamptons in 2020 – and sparked a major sewage crisis – The Guardian

Nationwide evaluation of tree cover shows huge opportunity to reduce heat exposure and boost air quality and employment – American Forests (News release)

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Lehigh Valley lands $1.4 million for bike trails, cycling organizations and pedestrian safety – Morning Call

State rules out I-90 pedestrian path despite feasibility study – Billings Gazette

A downtown Aspen without cars? Not so fast, council says – Aspen Times

How walkable Delaware beach towns are trying to prevent pedestrian and bike crashes this summer – Delaware News Journal

TransLink launches new on-demand bike lockers – South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (News release)

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Official Trail Marker for the New England National Scenic Trail – National Park Service (Notice of designation)

Air Plan Approval; Nebraska; Revisions to Title 129 of the Nebraska Administrative Code; Chapter 39 Visible Emissions From Diesel-Powered Motor Vehicles – EPA (Final rule)

Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; New Jersey and New York; 1997 Ozone Attainment Demonstrations for the NY-NJ-CT Nonattainment Area – EPA (Proposed rule)

Request for Nominations of Candidates for the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee (CASAC) Particulate Matter (PM) Panel – EPA (Notice)

Petition for Approval: Alaska Railroad Corporation Approval Extension – FRA (Notice of conditional approval)

Alaska Region Supplement to Forest Service Manual 2720: Special Uses; Outfitting and Guiding Permit for Strictly Point-To-Point Commercial Transportation to, From, and Within the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center Subunit of the Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area – Forest Service (Notice of availability for public comment)

Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary Designation; Final Regulations – NOAA (Final rule)

Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for Empire Offshore Wind, LLC’s Proposed Wind Energy Facilities Offshore New York – Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (Notice of intent to prepare an environmental impact statement)

Utah DOT Issues Draft EIS for Little Cottonwood Canyon Project

The Utah Department of Transportation identified two “preferred alternatives” to improve transportation in Little Cottonwood Canyon in a draft Environmental Impact Statement or EIS issued on June 24 – alternatives that deliver mobility and reliability benefits while minimizing impact on water quality, air quality, plus visual/noise affects, among others.

[Above photo by Utah DOT]

Along with a 45-day public comment period on the EIS – which ends on August 9 – the Utah DOT said in a statement that it plans to host an in-person public open house and a hearing on July 13 to review both alternatives: events that will be livestreamed and recorded as well.

Based on its technical analysis – a process started three years ago – Utah DOT identified the Enhanced Bus Service in Peak-Period Shoulder Lane as the alternative that “best improves” mobility for the project, while the Gondola Alternative B is alternative that best improves transportation reliability.

The Enhanced Bus Service in Peak-Period Shoulder Lane Alternative offers bus-only shoulder lanes on State Route 210 from North Little Cottonwood Road to the Bypass Road for peak travel times. With this alternative, bus service is removed from congestion and able to pass slower moving traffic in the general-purpose lane, providing direct service to each destination. Of the alternatives examined, this bus option offers the fastest travel time and the second lowest cost. Meanwhile, pedestrians and bicyclists could use the improved shoulders when the buses are not operating, the agency said.

The Gondola B alternative would construct a base station approximately one mile from the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon and offer direct service to each destination. Each gondola could hold up to 35 people and travelers could expect a cabin to arrive every two minutes. The Gondola base station includes 1,500 parking spaces, reducing the need for passengers to use bus service from the mobility hubs. It also can operate “independently” of S.R. 210, avoiding delays related to snow removal, avalanche mitigation, crashes, slide offs, and traffic.

The Utah DOT added that while the Gondola B alternative creates the highest “visual impacts,” it minimizes effects on wildlife movement, climbing boulders, and the area’s watershed compared to the other alternatives. It is also the more expensive of the two options – clocking in at $592 million, with an annual winter operation cost of roughly $7.6 million. In addition to the preliminary preferred alternatives, the EIS highlights other elements within the project to support each alternative. These include snow sheds (concrete structures built over the highway to keep it clear of snow in case of avalanches); mobility hubs (larger-capacity park-and-ride lots with transit service); widening and other improvements to Wasatch Boulevard; tolling or single occupancy restrictions; addressing trailhead parking and eliminating winter roadside parking above Snowbird Entry 1.

Tennessee Agencies Work Together to Support Pollinator Species

The Tennessee Department of Transportation, along with the Tennessee Department of Environment & Conservation (TDEC) and Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA), jointly promoted “pollinator health and awareness” in state parks during National Pollinator Week June 21-25.

[Above photo of Monarch Butterfly via Wikimedia Commons]

The three agencies 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.

The meadows also assist with TDEC’s Honey Project, which allows the public to purchase honey harvested annually within each park.

“We are excited about this partnership,” explained Clay Bright, Tennessee DOT’s commissioner, in a statement. “This effort is an excellent way to educate the public about the threats to pollinators and a valuable part of our Pollinator Habitat Programming.”

On a national basis, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials sent a two-page letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior in March 2020 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.

In December 2020, the Transportation Research Board highlighted a bevy of resources available to state departments of transportation to support monarch butterfly habitat and migration support efforts.

To that end, a new report from the TRB’s National Cooperative Highway Research Program – Evaluating the Suitability of Roadway Corridors for Use by Monarch Butterflies – provides guidance for roadside managers to determine the potential of their roadway corridors as habitat for monarch butterflies. The report also includes several tools and decision-support mechanisms to optimize habitat potential in a manner that is compatible with the continued operation and maintenance of the roadside.

Environmental News Highlights – June 23, 2021

FEDERAL ACTION

Senate Committee Leaves AV Bill out of Transportation Package – AASHTO Journal

AASHTO Co-Signs Letter Urging Action on Surface Reauthorization – AASHTO Journal

Schumer vows to only pass infrastructure package that is ‘a strong, bold climate bill’ – The Hill

11 GOP senators back bipartisan infrastructure plan, boosting its chances of moving forward – CNBC

GOP, Democrats trade places on drivers paying for infrastructure – Bloomberg

What Over 400 Local Leaders Want to See in an Infrastructure Deal – Route Fifty

COVID-19

COVID-19: TSA Could Better Monitor Its Efforts to Reduce Infectious Disease Spread at Checkpoints – GAO

Research finds links between air quality and COVID vulnerability: UCLA – KTTV-TV

Alcohol-involved Utah traffic deaths doubled during pandemic – AP

Innovating airports for post pandemic resilience – Aerospace Manufacturing

NEPA

Analysis: Biden may hinder oil and gas drilling even after court loss – Reuters

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

A Little More Remote Work Could Change Rush Hour a Lot – New York Times

Louisiana steers federal money to infrastructure upgrades – AP

House passes bills to expedite airport upgrades, improve notams – AOPA

Reframing strategic, managed retreat for transformative climate adaptation – Science Magazine

AIR QUALITY

Vermont is in wait and see mode on the Transportation and Climate Initiative. Will it join in full? – Bennington Banner

Committee Moves Transportation Emissions, School Recycling and Environmental Justice Bills to Full Senate – ecoRI News

OCTA takes another step toward transitioning to zero-emission buses – Orange County Transportation Authority (Press release)

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

Milwaukee Aims to Fight Disparities, Reduce Emissions With All-Electric Bus Line – Up North News

Bulldozed and bisected: Highway construction built a legacy of inequality – NBC News

Introducing the Transit Equity Dashboard – TransitCenter

NATURAL RESOURCES

Las Vegas pushes land swap to balance growth, conservation – AP

More than noise: Cicadas cause car trouble, AAA warns – WHBQ-TV

North Carolina set to exceed a record amount of roadside litter collection, NCDOT says – WXII-TV

CULTURAL RESOURCES

Improv theater training is helping a once-hidebound transit agency learn to work smarter. It’s a trend that’s catching on. – Philadelphia Inquirer

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

Grand Rapids grows micromobility pilot with more e-scooters, bikes – Grand Rapids Business Journal

Burlington airport exhibit takes aim at stigma of mental illness – WVNY-TV

Former West Virginia railroad designated as national trail – AP

NY running campaign to promote pedestrian safety – WTEN-TV

City Seeks Input on Downtown “People Powered” Transportation – Fullerton Observer

Less driving = better lives – Commonwealth (Op-ed)

TRB RESOURCES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRB Annual Meeting Will Be an In-person Event in 2022 – TRB

TRB Webinar: Addressing Justice in Transportation – TRB

Building Socioeconomic Equity Through Transportation Research – TRB (Blog)

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

National Hazardous Materials Route Registry – Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (Notice; revisions to the listing of designated and restricted routes for hazardous materials)

Takes of Marine Mammals Incidental to Specified Activities; Taking Marine Mammals Incidental to the Relocation of the Port of Alaska’s South Floating Dock, Anchorage, Alaska – NOAA (Notice; proposed incidental harassment authorization; request for comments on proposed authorization and possible Renewal)

State DOTs Bracing for Highly Active Hurricane Season

As forecasters predict a particularly active hurricane season for 2021, state departments of transportation from Texas to New Jersey are preparing for worst-case scenarios to help citizens get out of town if a big storm ends up heading their way.

[Above photo by the Louisiana DOTD]

The Atlantic hurricane season began on June 1 and lasts through November 30. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Prediction Center predicts a “likely range” of six to 10 hurricanes with winds of at least 74 miles-per-hour to form this year, with three to five major hurricanes with wind speeds of at least 111 mph developing as well.

Even relatively “minor” hurricanes can cause significant damage, especially to transportation systems, as the impact of Hurricane Sally – which struck the Alabama and Florida border in September 2020 – demonstrates.

Five hurricanes made landfall in Louisiana in 2020, prompting evacuations ahead of the storms and road closures in their aftermaths. To ensure quick evacuation of citizens from low-lying, flood-prone areas ahead of such storms, the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development has a longstanding partnership with the Mississippi Department of Transportation to activate contraflow operations for removing people from New Orleans and coastal areas rapidly.

“The pinnacle of our cooperative efforts come out during an emergency evacuation,” Louisiana DOTD Secretary Shawn Wilson explained. “This region has a very cooperative history. We were in Beaumont (Texas) last year after one of the hurricanes, and we brought in personnel from the Tennessee DOT to help us. We all help each other as the circumstances warrant.”

When activated, the Southeast Louisiana Evacuation Plan calls for the Louisiana DOTD and Louisiana State Police to reverse traffic on the southbound lanes on Interstates 55 and 59. Once traffic reaches the Mississippi state line, the Mississippi DOT takes over traffic control and guides the combined eight lanes of traffic well into the heart of Mississippi.

The Mississippi DOT held a contraflow drill on June 3 to practice moving equipment into place and communicating with each other along the 86 combined miles of “contraflowed” interstate lanes.

“We go through all the motions except actually closing the exits on the interstates,” said Jas Smith, Mississippi DOT’s communications director. “The intention is to quickly evacuate the New Orleans and coastal residents. We want to get them out as quickly as possible.”

The Alabama Department of Transportation also has an interstate contraflow plan ready to go during daylight hours, according to Tony Harris, the agency’s media and community relations bureau chief.

“We only contraflow Interstate 65, north of Mobile, to Montgomery,” Harris explained. “We have a deployment rehearsal where we do everything but stop traffic. It’s like a military operation with about 120 defined steps and procedures.”

The South Carolina Department of Transportation recently released an animated video that explains how its intrastate contraflow works on Interstate 26 from Charleston to Columbia.

Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Transportation recently added several new features to its 511 site along with a new mobile application to assist motorists during hurricane evacuations.

States even as far north as New Jersey are holding evacuation drills “to practice and refine response activities in the event of a major hurricane,” according to a news release from the New Jersey Department of Transportation. “This annual drill is to practice a worst-case scenario in which New Jersey shore communities would need to be evacuated in a short period of time due to a hurricane or other natural disaster,” noted Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, the New Jersey DOT’s commissioner. “This gives crews from the New Jersey DOT, the New Jersey Turnpike Authority, and the South Jersey Transit Authority, along with the State Police, an opportunity to test our plans and make sure our emergency personnel are able to quickly and efficiently get people out of harm’s way.”