Environmental News Highlights – September 7, 2022

FEDERAL ACTION

Adventure Cycling Unveils ‘Short Route’ Bicycle Guide – AASHTO Journal

Five State DOTs Honored with Keep America Beautiful Awards – AASHTO Journal

President Biden Announces Appointments to the President’s National Infrastructure Advisory Council – White House (Media Release)

FHWA Announces $513.2 Million in Emergency Relief for Roads and Bridges Damaged by Natural Disaster and Catastrophic Events – FHWA (Media release)

California’s new emissions rule speeds up the future of cars – Washington Post (Opinion)

COVID-19

Seattle was a transit success story before COVID. How’s it doing now? – Marketplace

INFRASTRUCTURE RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABILITY

September Webinar to Offer EV Infrastructure Guidance – AASHTO Journal

As Airports Rush To Electrify, Important Questions Remain Unanswered, And Unasked – Forbes

Atlantic City fortifies to fight a rising sea – AP

In Alabama’s battle of beach bridges, ALDOT sticking with Gulf Shores project – AL.com

Will America Get “Vertical Integration” of Transport? – Catalyst

Commuter Tunnel Under the Hudson Won’t Be Finished Until 2035 – New York Times

DOE Establishes Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s $335 Million Battery Recycling Programs – Department of Energy (Media release)

AIR QUALITY

Florida DEP Awards $68 Million For 227 Electric Transit Buses – Tampa Dispatch

When Driving, Tires Emit Pollution. And EVs Make the Problem Worse – Bloomberg News

ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE

The link between water quality and social inequality – NPR

We Can’t See the Work-Forest for the Disabili-Trees! – Mass Transit

Group Looks To Make Navigating Houston Without A Car Equitable And Inclusive – OutSmart Magazine

NATURAL RESOURCES

Maryland DOT, USACE Join Forces on Restoration Project – AASHTO Journal

Tennessee DOT Promoting Delta Region via New Partnership – AASHTO Journal

More trees, more composting, fewer emissions: Supervisors approve trio of sustainability measures – San Diego Union-Tribune

One, two, three – newly completed construction lets fish swim free north of Kalaloch – Washington State DOT (Media release)

CULTURAL RESOURCES

Louisiana DOTD Unveils Aviation Tourism Program – AASHTO Journal

St. Louis paints colorful crosswalks on the Hill. But could they be a hazard? – Post-Dispatch
How a Dangerous Highway in San Francisco Turned into a Kids’ Paradise – Governing

HEALTH AND HUMAN ENVIRONMENT/ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION

New Utah Bridge Features Pedestrian, Bicyclist Path – AASHTO Journal

NCDOT awards multimodal planning grant to Wrightsville Beach bicycle, pedestrian plans – WWAY-TV

St. Louis regional planning agency hopes grant will help reduce pedestrian deaths – St. Louis Public Radio

Boston Transit Disruptions a Boon for Bike-Share Program – Government Technology

Portland, Maine made changes to bicycle infrastructure this summer, plans to continue next year – WCSH-TV

New Haven transit plan to increase protected bike lanes, safety for pedestrians – New Haven Register

Santa Claus Lane Bikeway Construction Starts Next Week – Santa Barbara County Association of Government (Media release)

TRB RESOURCES/ANNOUNCEMENTS

Pedestrian Analysis – Current Practice, Resources, and Applications – TRB (Webinar)

FEDERAL REGISTER NOTICES

Notice of Proposed Waiver of Buy America Requirements for Electric Vehicle Chargers – FHWA (Notice; request for comments)

Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements Program – FRA (Notice)

Finding of Failure To Submit Regional Haze State Implementation Plans for the Second Planning Period – EPA (Final action)

State Enforcement of Inland Navigation Rules – Coast Guard (Interim rule and request for comment)

Notice of Availability of a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for Revolution Wind, LLC’s Proposed Revolution Wind Farm Offshore Rhode Island – Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (Notice and request for comments)
Request for Nominations for the Science Advisory Board Environmental Justice Screen Review Panel – EPA (Notice)
Board on Coastal Engineering Research – Corp of Engineers (Notice of advisory committee meeting)

Video: Caltrans Completes Major ‘Clean California’ Project

The California Department of Transportation recently completed the first Clean California funded project in the state in Manila; what the agency calls a “historically underserved” community on the Humboldt County coast.

[Above image via Caltrans]

The $75,000 project created a recreational area along the Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge with picnic tables, benches for wildlife viewing, native plant beds, designated parking spots, decorative trash receptacles, a bike rack and an improved view from nearby State Route 255.

The “parklet” created by this project should also discourage illegal dumping and add a sense of community pride to a previously desolate area, Caltrans noted in a statement.

That “parklet” project is part of the multiyear $1.1 billion Clean California initiative formed by Governor Gavin Newsome (D) and spearheaded by Caltrans to remove trash, create thousands of jobs, and engage communities to transform public spaces.

This project is among 126 Clean California beautification projects worth $312 million that seek to transform communities and create connectivity along the state highway system.

Additionally, in March, Gov. Newsom announced 105 Clean California projects statewide provided nearly $300 million in local grants to remove litter and transform public spaces in underserved communities.

NYSDOT Begins Roadway Flood Control Project

The New York State Department of Transportation recently began construction on a flood resiliency project in Oswego County; part of the state’s Lake Ontario Resiliency and Economic Development Initiative or REDI.

[Above photo via the NYSDOT]

The project, which includes improvements to sections of County Route 89 in the Town of Oswego, received nearly $1.3 million in funding to improve the drainage and enhance public safety by providing a safer roadway that does not require closure due to flooding.

The agency noted that, during the “historic” flooding that occurred in 2019, sections of County Route 89 roadway flooded – cutting off residents from their homes and forcing emergency vehicles to reroute.

As a result, then-Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) created the REDI program in the spring of 2019 to combat an “extended pattern of flooding” along the shores of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Five REDI Regional Planning Committees comprised of representatives from eight counties – Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, Wayne, Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, and St. Lawrence – work to identify “at-risk” infrastructure and public safety concerns.

The County Route 89 project’s flood mitigation measures also include:

  • Replacing the existing culvert with a larger culvert to increase drainage;
  • Reconstruction and elevation of flood-prone sections of the roadway;
  • Minor profile adjustments to the roadway; and
  • Installation of new guiderail, signs, and pavement markings.

“By enhancing the resilience of our transportation network with strategic investments like this, we help keep people and goods on the move, despite the impacts of severe weather,” noted NYSDOT Commissioner Marie Therese Dominguez in a statement.

Other state departments of transportation are also involved in a range of flood-mitigation efforts.

For example, in May, the North Carolina Department of Transportation activated a new flood-warning system that relies on a network of 400 river and stream gauges to help analyze, map, and communicate in real-time any flood risks to roads, bridges, and culverts.