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Thinking Beyond the Pavement: Context Sensitive
Design Pilot Programs in Five States
A key element of context sensitive design
is the integration of the planning, environmental and design functions
of a project. The American Association of State Highway and Transportation
Officials (AASHTO) initiated a pilot program known as "Thinking
Beyond the Pavement - Context Sensitive Design" to allow five
pilot states flexibility in implementing context sensitive designs.
These states, Connecticut, Kentucky, Maryland, Minnesota and Utah,
are well underway with efforts to advance context sensitive design
principles and practices and to serve as models for other transportation
agencies. (FHWA/ AASHTO has a Web site on context sensitive design,
www.fhwa.dot.gov/csd.)
Activities taken by each state are highlighted below.
Connecticut
DOT Contextual Highway Design
By Jim Rice, Glastonbury, Connecticut 1-860-659-0444, ricej@pbworld.com
and Sally Oldham, Oldham Historic Properties, Inc., Annapolis,
Maryland
"Context sensitive design is transportation design that
takes into account the surrounding environmental and cultural conditions
of a specific location, and incorporates those elements into the design
of the roadway improvement... while maintaining overall safety and
performance." (National Training Steering Committee Report,
AASHTO Indianapolis, December 8, 2000.)
ConnDOT has practiced context sensitive design traditionally in an
informal manner. Upon entering the ConnDOT Pilot Training Program
Agreement with FHWA in June 1999, some steps ConnDOT has taken to
formalize its context sensitive design process include:
- Issuing "Context Sensitive Design Philosophy on Connecticut,"
a white paper dated August 31, 1999, that is well worth reading.
The paper focuses on context sensitive design as it relates to
current ConnDOT policies (such as the scenic road program), better
use of topographic features and early communication and discussion
of issues with stakeholders.
- Issuing a context sensitive design report
for ConnDOT's annual master plan, which must be submitted to the
state General Assembly each year. This report highlights steps
already taken and plans for additional action required to formally
implement context sensitive design.
- Introducing a newly developed handbook of
state design standards.
- Holding a one-day workshop on context sensitive
design for its senior managers, project managers, consultants
and representative stakeholders.
In addition, ConnDOTs' "Waiver of Standards" process considers
design criteria that must be modified because of context sensitive
design type problems and solutions.
ConnDOT's present policies and procedures lend themselves to a smooth,
efficient and expeditious transition to a formal context sensitive
design process and for the state to become a leader in the adoption
of context sensitive design. To ensure these changes, ConnDOT is focusing
on two areas:
- Developing internal ConnDOT and FHWA procedures in order to
implement context sensitive design.
- Training its staff, FHWA staff and consultant engineers as well
as "stakeholders" (environment, business, community,
etc.) through a series of workshops.
Among ConnDOT's several activities planned to ensure success in these
two areas are the following:
- Developing a context sensitive design implementation action
plan based on recommendations from its workshop on context sensitive
design.
- Holding three one-day workshops for ConnDOT
staff, consultants and external stakeholders to teach them about
context sensitive design and refine the implementation action
plan.
- Hosting a northeast regional meeting on context
sensitive design to share its implementation experience and provide
opportunities to launch context sensitive design training and
application in other northeastern states.
Context
Sensitive Design in Kentucky
By Barbara Michael, Louisville, Kentucky 1-502-479-9301,
michael@pbworld.com
"A process of designing safe and efficient highways that
extends throughout the project development phases while maintaining
the proper balance with the environment and the community."
(National Training Steering Committee Report, AASHTO Indianapolis,
December 8, 2000)
Typically, highway/bridge projects in Kentucky have followed a linear
process whereby a project was "passed off" from one division
to another. The context sensitive design process provides the opportunity
to integrate planning, environmental, and design phases through early
coordination among project personnel, including both the Kentucky
Transportation Cabinet (KYTC) and consultant project managers.
Using a series of internal memos, KYTC has formalized the process
by requiring that:
- All National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) considerations
be moved into the planning phase of a project
- All project development stakeholders work
in teams
- There be early and continuous public involvement
- There be early coordination with the resource agencies.
KYTC's personnel and the consulting community are being asked to develop
and use new tools, including new skills for communicating with the
public and with each other. Interdisciplinary teams will be required
to make context sensitive design a reality, so Kentucky is assembling
teams of planners, environmentalists, designers/engineers, right-of-way
experts, construction managers and operations personnel at the beginning
of projects. Each team will stay together throughout its respective
project, from planning to operation of the facility (roadway, bridge,
tunnel etc.).
KYTC requires that every person serving as a project manager, both
internal and from the consulting community, take a two-day course
entitled "Thinking Beyond the Pavement - A Workshop on Context
Sensitive Design."
KYTC personnel have created a saying: "We are no longer DAD,
we are now POP." DAD stands for design, announce, defend-in other
words, design the project, announce it to the public, and then defend
your decision. POP stands for publicly owned project, obviously giving
greater weight to the public, especially the affected public. In essence,
KYTC is making a major move from "internal" to "external"
decision-making processes. The Secretary of the Transportation Cabinet,
Jim Codell, and his top-level assistants are committed to making this
work in Kentucky and are willing to put the necessary resources together
to make it work.
Context
Sensitive Design: Maryland Initiative
By Paul Wiedefeld, Baltimore, Maryland 1-410-385-4183, wiedefeld@pbworld.com
and Sally Oldham, Oldham Historic Properties, Inc., Annapolis,
Maryland
"...Context sensitive
design is a collaborative, interdisciplinary process of developing
a transportation facility with stakeholder involvement, taking into
account consideration of the environment, the community, aesthetics,
historical landmarks, and natural resources while maintaining safety
and mobility." (National Training Steering Committee
Report, AASHTO Indianapolis, December 8, 2000)
The Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA) has been very actively
involved in promoting context sensitive design for the past several
years. In fact, one of the case studies in FHWA's 1997 publication,
"Flexibility in Highway Design," exhibits SHA's early
commitment to context sensitive design.
Beginning with co-sponsoring the "Thinking Beyond the Pavement"
conference in College Park, Maryland, in May of 1998, which brought
the issue of context sensitive design to the forefront in the U.S.,
it was clear that SHA has embraced this concept throughout the highway
agency. SHA followed up the May 1998 conference with four project
review charrettes during May and June 1999 to explore and analyze
the agency's project development process. The charrette sessions
were followed by SHA half-day workshops throughout the summer of
1999 for the agency's staff and consultants.
The most recent context sensitive design training by SHA was the
two-day workshop held in November 1999. This workshop, attended
by more than 300 individuals, included staff members from each of
the five AASHTO pilot states, FHWA representatives, a variety of
other states' highway agency representatives, and local Maryland
communities' highway agencies. Exemplifying its commitment to context
sensitive design, SHA was represented by a large number of its employees
who ranged from the administrator and chief engineer, to key planning
and engineering managers, state and district level employees who
are responsible for right-of-way matters and highway maintenance-a
genuine cross section of the agency's staff.
From PB's perspective, we are clearly able to recognize that context
sensitive design is now a part of every SHA highway facility design
assignment. SHA consistently solicits input from the various project
stakeholders, meets with these entities in workshop sessions and strives
to produce a responsible design product that will satisfy the needs
of all stakeholders.
Context
Sensitive Design in Minnesota
By Dave Warner, Minneapolis, Minnesota 1-612-677-1208, warner@pbworld.com
and Sally Oldham, Oldham Historic Properties, Inc., Annapolis,
Maryland
"Context sensitive design is an inclusive approach that
integrates and balances community, aesthetic and environmental values
with traditional transportation safety and performance goals. ..."
(National Training Steering Committee Report, AASHTO Indianapolis,
December 8, 2000.)
The Minnesota DOT designed a 2-1/2 day training course on context
sensitive design that was piloted in first quarter, 2000. Senior managers
and consultants participated along with design staff. This course
is being updated and improved, and will be offered twice a year, targeted
in particular to project managers. Outside agencies will participate
as well. The department is also developing context sensitive design
training for the state's county and city engineers.
A design policy that reflects context sensitive design is being developed
and a new chapter reflecting this policy will be added to the Department's
road design manual.
Context
Sensitive Design in Utah
By Clint Topham, Salt Lake City, Utah 1-801-262-3735, topham@pbworld.com
"...to implement a
comprehensive approach to transportation decision-making based on
interdisciplinary/interagency collaboration and pro-active stakeholder
involvement throughout project planning, design, construction, and
maintenance." (National Training Steering Committee
Report, AASHTO Indianapolis, December 8, 2000.)
In 1999, UDOT hired a consultant to help implement the context sensitive
design process in the entire department. The consultant and UDOT
are conducting an internal assessment of current practices and an
assessment of stakeholders' attitudes and perceptions of the department.
These practices include:
- Design and development of context sensitive design policies
and processes
- Development and implementation of a staff training plan
- A post-implementation assessment to determine the extent of
institutionalization of context sensitive design practices and
to provide an evaluation and effort matrix for other organizations
interested in the same initiatives.
In April 2000, UDOT conducted what
it termed a "Future Search Conference." The department
invited several members of upper management, which is called UDOT's
"Process Redesign Team," and 50 other internal and external
stakeholders. The group came up with a set of 15 common "futures,"
or items that must be addressed either by context sensitive design
or for context sensitive design to succeed. These "futures"
are:
- The technologies that will be the foundation
of public involvement/ stakeholder communication should be identified
and adopted.
- An effective public involvement process needs to be developed
and implemented.
- Education of all stakeholders is a must.
- Transportation planning on a regional level
needs to complement local land use plans.
- One integrated transportation agency needs
to provide leadership to the process.
- Consensus building leads to shared responsibility
for transportation decision making.
- The context sensitive design process must
be continuous, not sporadic.
- The process must apply to all modes of transportation,
not just highways.
- NEPA needs to be included in the process
from a project's earliest inception.
- Limited resources must be identified and
used effectively.
- A consensus definition on context sensitive
design needs to be reached.
- Context sensitive design needs to result
in improved quality of life.
- Context sensitive design needs to result
in increased safety and mobility.
- The principles of context sensitive design
should be incorporated into all UDOT functions, from planning
through
maintenance.
- The process needs to extend beyond design
to construction andmaintenance, and should be termed "context
sensitive solutions."
UDOT began holding assessment workshops
in each of its major divisions in May, 2000, to look at a variety
of topics, including the design process, planning, construction
and maintenance, public involvement, context sensitive design, and
implementation. In an effort to try to gain more input intoprogram
and project development, UDOT has placed public involvement officers
in all of its region offices. The department is in the process of
developing and publishing Manuals of Instruction on how to apply
context sensitive design principles for all UDOT operations throughout
the process.
To date, UDOT has applied context sensitive design principles on
at least three projects:
- Legacy Highway
- The Springdale, Utah/Zion National Park
Transportation System
- The reconfigured intersection at the entrance
of Arches National Park.
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