SESSION: SUSTAINABILITY & METRICS Evaluating Sustainability and Resilience of Transportation Infrastructure with INVEST FHWA’s Sustainability Rating Tool Constance M. Hill Galloway. Ph.D., Environmental Protection Specialist, FHWA The FHWA’s INVEST tool is an innovative, web-based tool that allows State DOTs, local planning organizations, and others to quantify and assess the level of sustainability of their transportation plans, projects, programs, and policies. The tool, called the Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool (INVEST), contains best practices, or criteria, that allow users to assess how well their transportation activities address the “Triple Bottom Line” elements of sustainability - Environment, Economics, and Social Equity. In addition to measuring sustainability, transportation professionals may use INVEST to identify innovative practices and approaches that improve sustainability of transportation systems and projects, and make transportation infrastructure less vulnerable to weather-related or other catastrophic phenomena. Several sustainable best practices in the INVEST tool directly relate to infrastructure resiliency. Relevant criteria are included within all three modules in which the tool’s criteria are organized: Project Development (PD), System Planning (SP), and Operations and Maintenance (OM). This presentation will provide an overview of Version 1.0 of INVEST, which is currently being nationally implemented. It will highlight the specific INVEST criteria that support resiliency, and provide examples of their application by agencies that have used the tool as pilot testers, or are currently doing so as participants in the implementation program. Connie Hill is an Environmental Protection Specialist on the Sustainable Transport and Climate Change Team in the FHWA Office of Natural Environment in Washington, DC. Connie works on policy matters, research, and program initiatives related to sustainability, including the development of the sustainable highways rating tool, INVEST. She has over 15 years of experience with the FHWA, where she also provides policy and technical assistance on brownfields, hazardous waste sites, and other issues related to contamination and transportation to State DOTs, local planning organizations, and others. Connie holds a Ph.D. in Urban and Environmental Studies from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), a Master of Science in Geology, also from RPI, and a Bachelor of Science in Geology from Virginia State University. INVEST, Sustainability, and Resilient Infrastructure TRB ADC60 Committee on Waste Management and Resource Efficiency June 18, 2014 Agenda • Sustainability and INVEST 1.0 › Sustainable Highways › INVEST Overview • INVEST and Infrastructure Resiliency › INVEST Criteria Modules › Linking Criteria to Resilient Infrastructure • INVEST Implementation and Lessons Learned 3 Sustainability and INVEST 1.0 What is Sustainability? Economic Environmental Social 5 What is a Sustainable Highway? • Satisfies functional requirements › Fulfills transportation goals and needs (e.g. congestion reduction) › Addresses development and economic growth • Reduces impacts › Environment › Consumption of resources • Addresses environmental, economic, and social equity dimensions (triple bottom line) • Addresses sustainability from planning through operations 6 What is INVEST? INVEST - Infrastructure Voluntary Evaluation Sustainability Tool A web-based self-evaluation tool for assessing sustainability over the life cycle of a transportation project or program — from system and project planning through design and construction, to operations and maintenance 7 About INVEST . . . • Collection of best practices • Measures sustainability specifically of transportation plans, projects, or programs • Repository of real-world examples where best practices have been applied 8 What are some of the Tool’s characteristics? • • • • Free, Web-based, Voluntary Private Self-evaluation Credits (criteria) based on best practices Each credit assigned a point value based on expected sustainability impact • “Scorecards” used to measure sustainability 9 What INVEST Does. . . • Connects sustainability principles with action • Helps agencies assess their level of sustainability implementation and identify areas for internal improvement › Assess single or multiple projects › Prospective vs. retrospective › Planning or O&M programs and processes • Provides objective approach to assess process and identify improvement opportunities 10 INVEST and Resilient Infrastructure Supporting the Entire Lifecycle through Best Practices System Planning & Processes Project Development Operations & Maintenance 12 Criteria are organized in 3 phases • System Planning (SP) › Concerned with agency-wide management and planning of highway networks. › Typically involve the owner-agency having policies, procedures and systems in place to address them. • Project Development (PD) › Concerned with the development of a specific project once the general need and proposal for a solution to a transportation problem have been programmed. › Involve environmental review, project planning, design, and construction decisions related to a specific project. 13 Criteria are organized in 3 phases • Operations & Maintenance (OM) › Concerned with agency-wide practices, policies and procedures required for the overall functionality and efficiency of a highway network. 14 Use INVEST To… • Evaluate – collaborative process can be the most important outcome • Score – provides recognition for implementing sustainability best practices and helps identify gaps • Improve – process can lead to improvements in practice and identification of cost effective measures 15 Linking INVEST to Resilient Infrastructure INVEST Evaluations may be used to: • Assess sustainability before catastrophic event occurs • Identify potential risks and vulnerabilities within a transportation system • Identify practices and approaches that could improve sustainability of projects, plans, practices 16 Linking INVEST to Resilient Infrastructure INVEST Evaluations may be used to: • Identify practices and approaches that could strengthen a transportation project or system • Encourage incorporation of infrastructure resiliency into the planning process • Identify and communicate cost effective practices/policies to improve transportation system 17 Project Development Criteria: Connections to Resilient Infrastructure PD-1 Economic Analyses PD-10 Pedestrian Access PD-2 Lifecycle Cost Analysis PD-11 Bicycle Access PD-3 Context Sensitive Project Development PD-12 Transit & HOV Access PD-13 Freight Mobility PD-14 ITS for System Operations PD-15 Historical, Archaeological, and Cultural Preservation PD-16 Scenic, Natural, or Recreational Qualities PD-4 Highway and Traffic Safety PD-5 Educational Outreach PD-6 Tracking Environmental Commitments PD-7 Habitat Restoration PD-8 Stormwater PD-17 Energy Efficiency PD-9 Ecological Connectivity PD-18 Site Vegetation 18 Version 1 Project Development Criteria PD-19 Reduce and Reuse Materials PD-20 Recycle Materials PD-21 Earthwork Balance PD-22 Long-Life Pavement Design PD-23 Reduced Energy and Emissions in Pavement Materials PD-24 Contractor Warranty PD-27 Construction Noise Mitigation PD-28 Construction Quality Control Plan PD-29 Construction Waste Management PD-25 Construction Environmental Training PD-26 Construction Equipment Emission Reduction 19 Multiple Scorecards to Fit Your Project Larger Project Rural/ Extended Urban/ Extended Paving Rural/ Basic Urban/ Basic Custom Smaller Project Rural Urban 20 Achievement Levels 21 Version 1 Operations & Maintenance Criteria OM-1 Internal Sustainability Plan OM-8 Bridge Management System OM-2 Electrical Energy Efficiency and Use OM-9 Maintenance Management System OM-3 Vehicle Fuel Efficiency and Use OM-10 OM-4 Reuse and Recycle Highway Infrastructure Preservation and Maintenance OM-5 Safety Management OM-11 Traffic Control Infrastructure Maintenance OM-6 Environmental Commitments Tracking System OM-12 Road Weather Management Program OM-13 Transportation Management and Operations OM-14 Work Zone Traffic Control OM-7 Pavement Management System 22 Achievement Levels 23 System Planning Criteria SP-1 SP-2 Integrated Planning: Economic Development and Land Use Integrated Planning: Natural Environment SP-3 Integrated Planning: Social SP-4 Integrated Planning: Bonus SP-5 Access & Affordability SP-6 Safety Planning SP-7 Multimodal Transportation and Public Health SP-8 Freight and Goods Movement SP-9 Travel Demand Management SP-10 Air Quality SP11 Energy and Fuels SP-12 Financial Sustainability SP-13 Analysis Methods SP-14 Transportation Systems Management & Operations SP15 Linking Asset Management and Planning SP16 Infrastructure Resiliency SP-17 Linking Planning and NEPA 24 System Planning Achievement Levels 25 INVEST Implementation – Lessons Learned INVEST Implementation Sites By the Numbers Puget Sound Regional Council Washington DOT Springfield MPO Des Moines MPO Western Federal Lands Greater St. Joseph Area MPO TriMet Illinois Tollway Indianapolis MPO 27 INVEST implementation projects In 18 states and DC By 23 agencies, including: • 4 state DOTs • 11 MPOs • 3/3 Federal Lands Highway Divisions • 5 other transportation agencies Western Federal Lands Ohio DOT Lane Transit District Kittery Area Comprehensive Transportation System Central Federal Lands Transportation Agency for Monterey County Cape Cod Commission Riverside County Transportation Commission Eastern Federal Lands Arizona DOT Valdosta-Lowndes MPO Texas DOT North Central Texas Council of Governments Western Federal Lands 27 North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) Large Multi-Modal Transportation Plan Watch Video Case Study Here INVEST Role: System Planning & Processes • Rapid regional growth: 6.5M to 10M • Projected funding shortfall of $45B • Need to increase mobility, cut some improvements & reprioritize others • Influence travel behavior & demand, improve transportation / land use links • Extend life of existing assets, increase spending on O&M 28 North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) • Evaluated long range transportation plan (LRTP) with INVEST SP module • Identified areas for improvement: • • • infrastructure resiliency • linking asset management and planning • performance measures Now taking action in each of these areas: • conducting infrastructure vulnerability assessment • analyzing asset data to screen project alternatives and planning scenarios • developing sustainability related performance measures Will incorporate above improvements in next LRTP 29 Conclusion • Several criteria relate to resiliency of infrastructure • Criteria will be added or modified as we learn more from implementation sites • Improvements in sustainability 30 Thank you! FHWA Sustainable Highways Initiative Supports programs and activities conducted across the Federal Highway Administration to facilitate balanced decisionmaking among environmental, economic and social values — the triple bottom line of sustainability. www.sustainablehighways.dot.gov 31 Try INVEST at www.sustainablehighways.org Contact: Mike Culp (michael.culp @dot.gov) Connie Hill (connie.hill@dot.gov) Tina Hodges (tina.hodges@dot.gov) Heather Holsinger (heather.holsinger@dot.gov) Rob Hyman (robert.hyman@dot.gov)