Innovative planning partnerships for implementing and operating transit services and other transportation improvements in national parks and gateway communities are highlighted in a report produced under the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP Project 08-36, Task 83). The report examines 10 case studies of partnerships between state departments of transportation, federal transportation and land management agencies, gateway communities, foundations, regional organizations, and other groups to operate transit systems and supporting programs in and around national parks, wilderness areas, and wildlife refuges. The case studies highlight different approaches, institutional arrangements, and geographic areas. They also describe success factors, lessons learned, and best practices in addressing issues such as traffic congestion, noise and air pollution from vehicles, and deteriorating roadways. For more information, link to Innovative Transportation Planning Partnerships to Enhance National Parks and Gateway Communities (NCHRP Project 08-36, Task 83). (11-12-2009)

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The Federal Highway Administration’s Resource Center Planning Team has published the Fall 2009 edition of its Transportation Planning Update newsletter. The issue includes updates on planning topics such as the surface transportation reauthorization and stimulus funding; a new report on climate change and planning; record obligations for bike, pedestrian, train, and enhancement projects; the Travel Model Improvement Program; GIS; FHWA planning discipline activities, upcoming workshops and training courses, and a calendar of events. For more information, link to Transportation Planning Update, Fall Edition 2009. (10-28-09)

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The U.S. Government Accountability Office has submitted a report to Congress on actions by federal, state, local, and international governments to adapt to climate change and the role that strategic federal planning could play in government decisionmaking. GAO examined summaries of adaptation efforts, conducted site visits, and developed a web-based questionnaire to document efforts that government officials currently are taking to adjust natural or human systems in response to actual or expected climate change and the challenges they face in implementing those efforts. An example of federal adaptation efforts is the Federal Highway Administration’s creation of a multidisciplinary internal working group to coordinate infrastructure policy and program activities that address climate change effects on transportation. The report also examines several state and local government adaptation efforts, including a pilot project by the King County, Washington Department of Transportation Road Services to construct a roadside rain garden and permeable sidewalk to improve onsite stormwater management. The report recommends that the federal government develop a national adaptation plan that includes setting priorities for federal, state, and local agencies. To access the report, link to Climate Change Adaptation: Strategic Federal Planning Could Help Government Officials Make More Informed Decisions. Also available is GAO’s testimony before Congress on the report and an E-supplement that provides information on selected federal agency adaptation efforts. (10-22-09)

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The Federal Highway Administration has published a report summarizing the proceedings at a peer exchange held on Aug. 22-23, 2009, for recipients of FHWA’s Eco-Logical grants to discuss various GIS activities implemented under the program. In 2007 FHWA funded 15 cooperative agreements totaling $1.4 million with state and local departments of transportation, resource agencies, metropolitan planning organizations, and others for pilot projects supporting the new planning provisions and environmental review process under SAFETEA-LU and Executive Order 13274. The report summarizes the presentation sessions and discussions at the peer exchange and is intended to serve as a resource for transportation agencies on the uses of GIS to support implementation of an ecosystem approach to project development. For more information, link to GIS Applications in Eco-Logical Grant Projects – Peer Exchange Summary Report. (10-13-09)

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U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has signed an order establishing a framework for coordinating the department’s climate change science and resource management strategies. The framework includes the establishment of a Climate Change Response Council to coordinate the department’s response to climate change impacts and improve research efforts. The order also establishes eight regional Climate Change Response Centers to synthesize existing climate change impact data and implement mitigation strategies and public education initiatives. In addition, the framework provides for development of a network of Landscape Conservation Cooperatives to engage other federal agencies, state and local governments, and private landowners to develop landscape-level strategies for addressing climate change impacts. For more information, link to DOI’s Climate Change website. (9-14-09)

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The Transportation Research Board will conduct an online briefing on Sept. 10, 2009, that will address ways to incorporate climate change impacts into transportation system planning. The webinar will examine regional transportation scenarios through the year 2050 that suggest ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent degradation of infrastructure caused by weather patterns. The webinar, which also will feature presentations on planning efforts for the I-95 corridor and the future of transportation in California, will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. EDT. For more information, link to the TRB Webinar: U.S. Transportation System Scenarios to 2050 in a World Addressing Climate Change. (8-3-09)

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The Federal Highway Administration’s Resource Center Planning Team has published the Summer 2009 edition of its Transportation Planning Update newsletter. The issue includes updates on planning topics such as border issues, transit, the Travel Model Improvement Program, GIS, FHWA planning discipline activities, upcoming workshops and training courses, and current events. For more information, link to Transportation Planning Update, Summer Edition 2009. (7-9-09)

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The 2009 Urban Mobility Report published by the Texas Transportation Institute shows a slight decrease in the nation’s traffic congestion in the most recent data, which covers 2007.  The report found that drivers spent one hour less stuck in traffic in 2007 than they did the year before and wasted one gallon less gasoline than the year before. TTI said that although differences from previous years data are small, “they represent a rare break in near-constant growth in traffic over 25 years.” Attributing the decrease to the economic downturn, the group warned that “when the economy rebounds, expect traffic problems to do the same.” For more information, link to the 2009 Urban Mobility Report. (7-8-09)

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The Federal Highway Administration’s Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL) program will conduct an online training conference titled PEL 101: The Tools for Adopting and Implementing a PEL Approach. The webcast is designed to help transportation professionals and resource agency practitioners better understand, coordinate, and integrate planning and environmental linkages. The course will provide an overview of PEL, how it works and the associated benefits, and information on the tools and methods for implementing the PEL approach. The course will be offered on three dates: June 23, 2009, at 10 am EST (register here); July 27, 2009, at 3 pm EST (register here); and Aug. 20, 2009, at 1 pm EST (register here).  For more information about the PEL program, link here. (6-5-09)

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The Conservation Fund will host a National Summit on Infrastructure and the Environment on Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2009, at its National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, W.Va. The summit will bring together industry and government representatives from the transportation, energy, and water sectors to promote collaboration in advancing infrastructure projects while meeting environmental goals. Participants will consider case studies of successful efforts to compress reviews and approval processes to move projects forward while benefiting both the economy and the environment. Key participants at the summit include AASHTO and Obama administration officials. For more information, link to the National Summit on Infrastructure and the Environment: Seeking Better Outcomes Through Better Process. (5-29-09)

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The Federal Highway Administration has issued question-and-answer guidance on financial planning and fiscal constraint as part of transportation planning and program development. FHWA said the guidance was issued in support of the final rule on statewide and metropolitan transportation planning and programming processes. The guidance highlights some of the options currently available to state DOTs, metropolitan planning organizations, and public transportation operators in meeting financial planning and fiscal constraint requirements. For more information, link to the fiscal constraint guidance. (4-15-09)

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