Guidance on expediting required environmental reviews for projects receiving economic stimulus funding under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has been issued by the Council on Environmental Quality. Section 1609 of the ARRA requires that environmental reviews for stimulus projects be “completed on an expeditious basis” and using “the shortest existing applicable process” under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The memorandum suggests that any proposals with the potential for a categorical exclusion be reviewed for extraordinary circumstances and that “concise and focused” environmental assessments be employed. The memorandum also encourages agencies to use programmatic analyses to consolidate reviews of related project proposals; adopt or incorporate by reference any NEPA analyses or documentation that already have been completed by other agencies; and consult with CEQ to address specific compliance issues. For more information, link to the CEQ Memorandum: Environmental Compliance and Guidance for Reporting NEPA Status and Progress for Recovery Act Activities and Projects. (4-3-09)

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The Federal Highway Administration has published a report documenting a Maine Department of Transportation demonstration project funded under the Highways For LIFE (HfL) program involving the reconstruction of two rural, short-span bridges over environmentally sensitive waterways. The reconstruction of the Lamson and Boom Birch bridges was conducted over the summer of 2007 and involved the innovative use of full roadway closures; accelerated bridge construction techniques, including prefabricated components; and aggressive interaction with the public. The report describes key project details including traffic management, innovative design and construction techniques, HfL performance metrics measurement, a return on investment analysis, a record of technology transfer activities, and lessons learned. For more information, link to Maine Demonstration Project: Reconstruction of Lamson and Boom Birch Bridges. (3-12-09)

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The Federal Highway Administration is conducting a user survey of its Environmental Review Toolkit website, which provides information and resources on environmental streamlining and stewardship for FHWA divisions, state departments of transportation, resource agencies, and consultants. The brief online survey is designed to help the agency determine what users are looking for, how they use the website, and how the site could be improved. For more information, link to the Environmental Review Toolkit Homepage. (3-6-09)

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The Federal Highway Administration has issued a report on a peer exchange held in September 2008 on moving complex environmental documents through the National Environmental Policy Act process in a timely fashion. The peer exchange, held by the FHWA Florida Division Office, Florida Department of Transportation, and state DOTs from Maryland, Missouri, Montana, and Utah, identified a series of strategies and approaches they have used to effectively move environmental documents through the EIS process. The report summarizes the presentations and discussions at the peer exchange, recommendations for successful tools and techniques, and highlights of the projects presented by the participants. For more information, link to the peer exchange report. (2-2-09)

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AASHTO and the Federal Highway Administration have launched new websites describing techniques for state departments of transportation to speed the delivery of an anticipated $30 billion in highway projects as part of federal economic recovery legislation currently before Congress. The new AASHTO website, Expediting Economic Recovery Projects, features information on the planning process, streamlining the environmental review process, design and construction techniques, state DOT case studies, and related meetings and resources. FHWA’s new website, Economic Recovery, provides a series of questions and answers on economic recovery issues raised by state DOTs and a list of actions they can take to expedite project delivery. For more information, link to the AASHTO news release. (1-27-09)

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The Federal Highway Administration’s Office of Real Estate Services has published the Fall 2008 edition of its newsletter, which includes highlights of an international scanning tour of right-of-way (ROW) and utility processes. In September 2008 a team of professionals from FHWA, state departments of transportation, private industry, and academia met with transportation officials from Australia and Canada to discuss streamlining and integration of ROW and utility processes with project planning, environmental review, design, and construction to improve project delivery. The newsletter also features activities of various transportation partners, pilot projects, research, and upcoming conferences. For more information, link to the Fall 2008 Office of Real Estate Services Newsletter. (1-5-09)

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The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved a $516 million loan under the Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) for the Intercounty Connector (ICC) project in suburban Washington, D.C. The loan is intended to help the Maryland Transportation Authority complete the 18-mile, six-lane limited access toll highway, which when completed will link I-270 in Montgomery County with I-95/US 1 in Prince George’s County. The ICC will employ innovative open road, variable electronic tolling technology to help control congestion. For more information, link to the news release and the ICC website. (12-23-08)

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