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
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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
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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Multiple Scorecards to Fit Your Project
Larger
Project
Rural/
Extended
Urban/
Extended
Paving
Rural/
Basic
Urban/
Basic
Custom
Smaller
Project
Rural
Urban
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Achievement Levels
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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
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Achievement Levels
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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
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System Planning Achievement Levels
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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
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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
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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
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Conclusion
• Several criteria relate to
resiliency of infrastructure
• Criteria will be added or
modified as we learn
more from
implementation sites
• Improvements in
sustainability
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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
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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)