Problem Statement Providing adequate transportation infrastructure and protecting fisheries are two objectives with acknowledged social and economical benefits, but are often perceived to be incompatible in transportation projects. Study Objective By examining several transportation projects in the Pacific Northwest, lessons are learned from planni...
The environmental consequences of transportation are significant; and, vehicular sources account for onequarter to more than one-half of all nationwide emissions of pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, and organic substances and carcinogens such as benzene, 1,3-butadiene, formaldehyde, toluene, xylene, and others. However, it is s...
In the past, DOT stormwater drainage facilities have been designed solely on the conveyance of runoff from DOT facilities in terms of immediate discharge and runoff volume. Since the emergence of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase I requirements, DOTs have relied on Best Management Practices (BMPs) for controlling sto...
Deer and elk vehicle collisions are a major safety concern for highways. While there are a number of methods which can be used to reduce collisions, the selection of the appropriate method is complicated by the fact that Washington is home to four subspecies of deer, in addition to elk and moose. Differences between the life history of the species ...
In response to increasing environmental concern and regulation, the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) hired Mason, Bruce & Girard, Inc. (MB&G) to develop a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based sensitive resource inventory along nearly 6,000 miles of state highway. The inventory was named the Salmon Resources and Sensitive Area Mapping...
Knowledge and information are critical components of planning and community decision-making. A key challenge to addressing transportation-related environmental concerns is obtaining enough information to make sound policy decisions. To meet this challenge, ATRI has established a repository for Border Region Information on Transportation and the Env...
In 1994, Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) began planning for an 11.8-mile extension of its light rail transit (LRT) system from Dallas to Garland, Texas. The proposed alignment of the LRT extension traversed approximately 1.2-miles of the White Rock Creek floodplain near the confluence of three creeks and adjacent to approximately eight acres of we...
Fish passage is now an integral part of compensatory mitigation under the new Nationwide Permit regulations. Engineered structures and stream restoration designs are common solutions to fish passage; however, in urban systems such solutions may not be feasible. Natural structures such as riffle grade controls and flow constrictor/step pools can pro...
This paper discusses the environmental review involved in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for 4 miles of new highway through a relatively pristine large contiguous forest, palustrine forested wetlands containing forest interior dwelling birds and coastal plain stream. The EIS presents the results of the Maryland’s Streamlined Environmental...
The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) employed ArcView 3.1 software from ESRI through an enterprise-wide Geographic Information System (GIS) to identify environmental constraints to expanding I-70. Geographic information on historic buildings and bridges, archaeological sites, cemeteries, roads, wetlands and streams, floodplains, public...
