COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
GREENDOT OFFICE
GreenDOT Advisory Group
Meeting Notes – DRAFT
September 18, 2014
10 Park Plaza, Conference Room 1, Boston, MA
Welcome and Introductions – Ned Codd, GreenDOT Office
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Introductions around the table.
Updates on GreenDOT – Ned Codd
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GreenDOT Implementation
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2014 GreenDOT Report
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GreenDOT Office has been coordinating with the MassDOT Divisions and Shared
Services units on progress made toward the GreenDOT Implementation Plan indicators
and goals.
GreenDOT Office has been consolidating indicators and working to develop common
tracking methods and processes in order to track and report performance over time.
GreenDOT Office is working on the 2014 GreenDOT Report, scheduled to be released
mid-December 2014. It will be available on the GreenDOT website.
GreenDOT Regulation under the Global Warming Solutions Act
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Draft regulation from the Department of Environmental Protection, released in July,
seeks to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions derived from projects proposed in MPO,
TIPs and STIPs projects.
GreenDOT Office reviewed the draft and submitted comments requesting greater clarity
on the process of evaluating greenhouse gas reductions.
MassDOT Updates – Steve Woelfel, Office of Transportation Planning
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Complete Streets Certification Program – OTP is developing this program and soliciting public
feedback through community meetings. While the exact funding figure is unsure, it is estimated
that $3-4 million will be available each year. There is a commitment to making this a statewide
program, specifically not limited to urban projects, and OTP is working with the Highway
Division and the Department of Public Health to have a framework completed by the end of the
year. Draft guidelines will be available for comment before the framework is finalized. OTP is
also updating the Complete Streets training program, which should be completed in the first
quarter of 2015.
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Meeting Notes – DRAFT
September 18, 2014
Comments:
Michelle Ciccolo (Town of Hudson) – There is a great need for traffic calming techniques to be
addressed in the Complete Streets training program.
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Project Selection Advisory Council – This body was created by legislature to review the criteria
being used to prioritize projects. The Council just held its sixth meeting on Tuesday September
16 in Springfield, and the draft criteria include public health and GreenDOT-related priorities.
Currently the highest ranked criterion is mode shift, but this could be problematic for rural areas.
Draft criteria are available for comment, and Ned Codd will send those out to the group. The
draft report is due on October 31, 2014, with a final report at the end of this year/start of next
year.
Comments:
Wendy Landman (WalkBoston) – WalkBoston has worked with rural communities, and it might
be helpful to have a working session that discusses issues rural communities face.
Steve Woelfel responded that the Bay State Roads program might be the best venue for this
type of discussion. He will follow up with Ms. Landman about this topic.
Rafael Mares (Conservation Law Foundation) – The sense has been that MassDOT would have
different pots of money for each type of community. Is this true?
Steve Woelfel responded that the Council is working through these issues now, with an
emphasis on taking a statewide approach rather than having different criteria for different areas.
For example, while rural areas might have a more immediate need to pave roads, it does not
mean that they do not care about mode shift.
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Moving Together Conference, October 30 – This conference is focused on mode shift, and there
are currently 300 registrants. At the conference, the high school video contest winner will be
announced, there will be site visits to various transportation projects, and there will be a poster
session with information about all of the RTAs and a scoping session for bicycle and pedestrian
issues. A session was also just added that will include FTA Region 1 Administrator Mary Beth
Mello.
MassDOT Updates — Tom DiPaolo, Highway Division
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The Healthy Transportation Policy Directive, which was issued in September 2013, included
accommodation for bicycles and pedestrians. Following the Healthy Transportation Policy
Directive, the Highway Division issued a supporting Engineering Directive (E-14-001)
concerning project design criteria that relates to bicycle and pedestrian accommodations. This
did not create a new process, just introduced new criteria into the existing project development
and design process, and provided more guidance and documentation. These criteria, which
apply to pedestrian and bicycle accommodation in roadway projects, are comparable to the 13
“controlling criteria” (per the Federal Highway Administration) that relate to motor vehicle design
in roadway projects.
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Under the new Engineering Directive (E-14-001), the three new criteria are: sidewalk presence,
sidewalk width and bicycle accommodation.
o Sidewalk presence. On and under all bridges and on both sides of roads in urbanized
areas, there must be sidewalks on both sides of the road. For roads outside urbanized
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Meeting Notes – DRAFT
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September 18, 2014
areas with five or more units of residential or commercial development per acre, a
sidewalk must be provided on at least one side of the road.
Sidewalk width. There must be a 5 ½’ minimum width for sidewalks.
Bicycle accommodation. For all freeways, arterials, and collector roads where bicycles
are legally permitted, bicycle accommodation must be provided on both sides of the
road. The Engineering Directive increases the minimum width for bicycle
accommodation by bicycle lane or outside shoulder to 5 feet.
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Projects that do not meet these criteria require a design exception. The new engineering
directive was released in February 2014, and they apply to all projects not yet at 25% design
completion. Mr. DiPaolo noted that implementation is going well, and shared a spreadsheet of
projects that included the inclusion/exemption of bicycle and pedestrian accommodations for
each one.
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The design exception process for bicycle and pedestrian facilities requires the signature of the
Secretary.
Comments:
Steven Nutter (Livable Streets) – The engineering directive includes travel lane width
minimums. Is it possible to establish travel lane width maximums, since narrower lanes mean
slower and safer streets?
Mr. DiPaolo responded that maximum lane width is not specifically addressed, but when a
project is under review it does come up. MassDOT reviewers recognize the value of considering
narrower lanes, and the team works to address it.
Mr. Nutter also asked to what types of projects this process applies.
Mr. DiPaolo responded that there is a list of exempt project types; for example road striping is
exempt from pedestrian requirements but not from bicycle requirements. There is a different
review process for different project types, and Highway Division might expand exemptions going
forward.
Wendy Landman (WalkBoston) – MassDOT and municipalities must work together when a
parcel of land with new development is bordered by both state and local roads to ensure that
the pedestrian and bicycle facilities are built where the public will use them.
Mr. DiPaolo responded that the state only has control over its own part of the project in a
situation like that.
Ned Codd pointed out that the Complete Streets training program addresses this type of issue.
Susanne Rasmussen (City of Cambridge) – Based on review of the spreadsheet of projects, a
2’ shoulder width is not adequate bicycle accommodation.
Mr. DiPaolo spoke to the situations in which it would be difficult/impractical to have a much
wider shoulder and agreed that would not be adequate for bicycle accommodation.
Glen Cannon (Cape Cod Commission) – Agreed that there should be a maximum lane width.
Mr. DiPaolo responded that while there isn’t a formal maximum lane width, 12’ is commonly
used as the maximum in most designs, and that 11’ lanes are very common, and even narrower
in certain cases. MassDOT does not generally build lanes wider than 12,’ with the exception of
“wide outside lanes” that provide extra width in order to provide safer and more comfortable
bicycle accommodation where a full bicycle lane or bike-able shoulder cannot be
accommodated. These are often marked with “sharrows,” pavement markings depicting arrows
and a bicycle that indicate a shared lane, where motor vehicles must watch for and respect
bicycle travel.
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Meeting Notes – DRAFT
September 18, 2014
Barbara Jacobson (MassBike) – Are speed limits are reduced when sharrows are incorporated
into travel lanes?
Mr. DiPaolo responded that they are not since Highway Division doesn’t control speed limits.
Eric Friedman (Leading by Example Program, Department of Energy Resources) – Bicycle
lanes should be better marked.
Mr. DiPaolo responded that lanes are marked when the road is paved, but the lines wear off
after time. The Highway Division is working to build protected facilities, and they are working on
a guide for cycle track design as they do not currently have one.
Susanne Rasmussen (City of Cambridge) – Cambridge has two cycle tracks in operation with
two more on the way. Their biggest challenge with these facilities has been maintenancerelated, such as snow removal.
Michelle Ciccolo (Town of Hudson) – Shared-use paths should be considered more as options
for both bicycles and pedestrians.
Mr. DiPaolo responded that right of way and access can be an issue with shared use paths, but
that MassDOT is very supportive of developing shared-use paths, and has many such projects
planned, in cooperation with host municipalities and trail groups.
Wendy Landman (WalkBoston) – Rural communities have looked to paths separated from the
road as a good option for shared space when there was low pedestrian volume. More work
could be done with the FHWA to make this possible in more communities.
Tom Philbin (Massachusetts Municipal Association) - Increasing the number of paved paths
increases the amount of impervious surface. Does the Highway Division consider how to deal
with stormwater when looking at options for bicycle and pedestrian facilities?
Mr. DiPaolo responded that this is considered during the environmental review stage, and that
water quality and groundwater recharge are very important issues for Highway Division.
Considerations include the installation of paved paths on only one side of the road and the use
of porous materials . MassDOT has used porous materials in medians, such as along I-95, and
in parking areas.
Susanne Rasmussen (City of Cambridge) – The City of Cambridge uses porous pavement as
the design standard for cycle tracks and they are trying it in parking areas as well as well as
some sidewalks.
Barbara Jacobson (MassBike) – Are buffered bike lanes considered in any projects?
Mr. DiPaolo replied that there were, depending upon space constraints.
Mr. Codd also noted that US Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx just
announced the “Safer People Safer Streets” initiative, which calls for improved pedestrian and
bicycle accommodation and safety through such means as safety countermeasures, project
design, and road diets. MassDOT looks forward to learning more about this initiative.
Dave Anderson, MassDOT Highway Division – Highway Division Chief Engineer Patty
Leavenworth has delivered a number of presentations on the Healthy Transportation Policy
Directive and its supporting Engineering Directive. Highway Division looks forward to continuing
to improve our tracking and design exception process with respect to pedestrian and bicycle
accommodation, especially with respect to things like restriping projects.
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Meeting Notes – DRAFT
September 18, 2014
MassDOT Updates on GreenDOT initiatives
Mark Carmichael, Highway Division, State Maintenance Engineer
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The Highway Division has taken a new perspective on their facilities, and we are working to
ensure that our facilities are as sustainable as possible. We will be opening a new LEED
certified maintenance facility in Andover within the next eight weeks and have four facility
projects working to achieve LEED Gold standard (three office buildings and a new sign shop).
We are taking an incremental approach, and in 2015 plan to look at larger buildings. Bicycle,
pedestrian and transit access and facility amenities, such as showers and lockers, are being
considered in all of the projects.
Comments:
Eric Friedman (Leading by Example Program, DOER) – Does the Highway Division plan to have
the buildings certified as LEED?
Mr. Carmichael said that they are.
Mr. Friedman also mentioned the Mass LEED Plus standard for state buildings and
recommended that if an agency is planning to build a LEED building to make that clear in the
project specifications when choosing a contractor.
Mr. Codd commented that Leading By Example is a good place for state agencies to get
guidance when working on these types of projects.
Ms. Ciccolo also recommended that the stairs be located in a visible, central area of a building
to encourage physical activity.
Glen Cannon (Cape Cod Commission) – Does the Highway Division track the energy use at
facilities?
Mr. Carmichael explained that they are off to a slow start and that the districts keep track of their
energy use through billing. The Highway Division will be using a software program to track
energy use in the future.
Mr. Friedman stated that his organization can help with this.
Steve Miller, Highway Division, Environmental Unit
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The Highway Division is working with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) on a project
to protect the Central Artery/ Tunnel from extreme weather. They are using the Boston Harbor
Flood Risk Model, and the City of Cambridge is also using this model. The Boston Harbor Flood
Risk Model generates predictions up to the year 2100. Results from the model are expected in
October with a report out by the end of 2014.
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The Highway Division will also model storms down the entire East Coast. UMass is leading this
project, and it kicks off in November 2014. This team also includes the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Army Corps of Engineers, US Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
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The Highway Division is conducting a pilot project at the Deerfield Watershed. This two-year
project will focus on approximately 1,000 culverts in the watershed, and it will link up with the
statewide climate vulnerability project. The procurement will be out soon.
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Meeting Notes – DRAFT
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September 18, 2014
All three of the above mentioned projects link into the Statewide Climate Vulnerability
Assessment.
Comments:
Tom Philbin (Massachusetts Municipal Association) – Will this project look at Massachusetts
Water Resources Authority (MWRA) locations and water treatment plants?
Mr. Miller stated that the project will look at anything that is tidally affected, and any water
treatment plant that falls within the project grid will be able to use it.
Updates
Stewart Dalzell, Massachusetts Port Authority (Massport)
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Logan Airport has a parking freeze to encourage individuals to find other ways to get to the
airport, but this has been hard to achieve even when parking prices are raised and other
transportation options are offered. It has also resulted in more pick up/drop offs.
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Back Bay Logan Shuttle – A new bus service that goes directly from Copley Square in Boston to
Logan Airport has been a success thus far. It makes the trip easier for riders that live on the
Green Line train and cuts down on the limos and cabs driving to the airport from Back Bay.
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Logan Express Sites - There are four park and ride sites that run express to Logan Airport from
Braintree, Peabody, Framingham and Woburn. These buses offer family discounts.
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Enhanced bicycle and pedestrian access – Logan Airport has made it easier for workers to get
to the rental car area of the airport by bike and foot. A new section of the East Boston
Greenway has also just been opened through a partnership between Massport and the City of
Boston. Bike racks have been added at Terminals A, E and at rental car facilities where you
can get on the free airport shuttle.
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Massport underwrites the cost of all fares on the Silver Line leaving the airport, allowing riders to
travel for free.
Comments:
Wendy Landman (WalkBoston) – Is Massport doing anything to pursue putting the Silver Line in
a tunnel under D Street? There are significant delays associated with the traffic signal at D
Street and unhooking the vehicles from the overhead electric catenary.
Ned Codd responded that this is an issue that has been discussed for some time, and which
has significant challenges relative to funding as well as constructability (due to the need to build
a tunnel directly under the existing ramp up to D Street). It also would not address the vehicle
power source/hooking-unhooking issue, since that is related to the dual-mode power source of
the Silver Line vehicles, and is not related to the at-grade crossing at D Street.
MassDOT Updates
Tim Lasker, MBTA
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The MBTA has planned and implemented many energy efficient projects:
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Meeting Notes – DRAFT
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September 18, 2014
Third rail heaters – The MBTA has been installing new third rail heaters that are more
efficient. Currently, the MBTA has third rail heaters that run constantly from October –
April; new heaters will use half the electricity that the old heaters did. The energy
savings equate to $2.6 million saved, and 22.4 million lbs. of CO2 emissions reduced.
Lighting retrofits – MBTA has retrofitted lighting at 61 sites, resulting in 20 million
KwH/year saved. This energy savings equates to $4.4 million annually and 15.38 million
lbs. of CO2 emissions reduced. Some structures, such as train stations, are harder to
retrofit because they are in operation; however, the MBTA will consider them as they are
the second largest real estate company in Massachusetts with 220 major structures.
Currently, three MBTA stations are slated to receive lighting retrofits
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The MBTA and MassDOT hosted the APTA Sustainability Conference in August 2014, and
after taking the APTA Sustainability Commitment Pledge in 2012, the MBTA won Gold
recognition from APTA for its sustainable operations.
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The MBTA recognizes that what happened to the New York City transit system could happen in
Boston, and the MBTA has been working with the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) and
other transit operators to learn lessons on how Boston can prepare for such a situation.
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The MBTA released a Sustainability Report in Spring 2014, which is available online in nonaccessible and accessible versions.
Working Group Meeting Reports – Ned Codd, GreenDOT
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All four of the Advisory Group working groups met in August and September, and there is still
time for Advisory Group members to sign on to different working groups if they haven’t done so
already.
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The working groups address the following topics: communication and technology transfer, data
and performance measures, mode shift, and business practices for a sustainable state
department of transportation.
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