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FHWA
Presents the 1999 Environmental Excellence Award Winners
 |
| The Going-to-the-Sun Road project was recognized for
excellence in historical resources. The retaining wall of this road had
been strengthened and rehabilitated. |
This article was adapted
from information provided by the Federal Highway Administration's Office of
Planning and Environment.
The Environmental Excellence
Awards Program, which began in 1995, is a biennial program developed by the
Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The awards recognize partners, projects,
and processes that have met growing transportation demands while protecting
and enhancing the environment. FHWA presented the 13 winners of the 1999 Environmental
Excellence Awards at a ceremony attended by FHWA Administrator Kenneth Wykle
and FHWA Deputy Administrator Gloria Jeff held on Earth Day 1999.
The award recipients were
from 11 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Minnesota, Montana,
Nevada, New York, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington. Florida and Colorado
each had two winners.
The awards are selected
by an independent panel. Judges received 121 nominations from 35 states and
chose winners in 12 categories: Air Quality Improvement; Archaeological Resources;
Community Livability; Environmental Leadership; Environmental Processes; Environmental
Research; Historical Resources; Noise Abatement; Non-Motorized Transportation;
Vegetation Management; Water Quality; and Wetlands and Other Ecosystems. (The
panel chose two winners in the category for Wetlands and Other Ecosystems.)
 |
| The Washington Department of Transportation
routinely cuts or sprays vegetation to preserve vehicle recovery zones and
sign visibility along roadways. |
The judges for the awards
were James S. Bedwell, chief landscape architect, Forest Service, United States
Department of Agriculture, Washington, D.C.; Terrell Munson, chemistry teacher,
Cardozo Senior High School, Washington, D.C.; Fred Lash, chair, Environment
Section, Public Relations Society of America, Washington, D.C.; and Roy Kienitz,
executive director, Surface Transportation Policy Project, Washington, D.C.
 |
| Here, elementary school students plant vegetation at
an environmental learning center. |
Projects in West Virginia
and Rhode Island each won honorable mentions. The Fayette Station Bridge project
in West Virginia received an honorable mention in the category of Historical
Resources. The project involved a reconstructed historic bridge, which is eligible
for the National Register of Historic Places.
In Rhode Island, the Rhode
Island Department of Transportation worked with residents and agencies to design,
relocate, and restore the last remaining Stonington Railroad depot. This earned
them an honorable mention.
These FHWA awards highlight
outstanding environmental leadership, innovative processes and cooperative partnerships.
|
FHWA
1999 Environmental Excellence Award Winners
|
| Category
|
Description |
| Excellence
in Air Quality Improvement |
The
HOP and the SKIP Transit Services, Boulder, Colo. Two easy-access shuttle
services are helping to relieve congestion and clean the air in Boulder,
Colo. A 1998 survey indicated that the HOP and SKIP would reduce vehicle-miles
traveled in 1998 by 3.1 million. |
| Excellence
in Archaeological Resources |
Archaeological
Investigation at Eden House, North Carolina. This project shows how effective
planning and cooperation can preserve an outstanding collection of archaeological
artifacts - and could lead to increased local enthusiasm for heritage
tourism. |
| Excellence
in Community Livability |
Long
Beach Bikestation, Long Beach, Calif. The Long Beach Bikestation is a
unique public transit facility that actually functions as a community
hub. The public can obtain information about bicycle advocacy, transit,
and community events. |
| Excellence
in Environmental Leadership |
Leroy
Irwin, Florida. Leroy Irwin manages the Florida Department of Transportation's
environmental programs. This award acknowledges his distinguished leadership
during a 28-year career. |
| Excellence
in Environmental Processes |
Charlotte
County-Punta Gorda Metropolitan Planning Organization, Florida. By working
closely with the public, county planners were able provide a comprehensive
long-range land-use and transportation plan for the county. |
| Excellence
in Environmental Research |
Elements
of the Houston-Galveston Area Council's Air Quality Program, Texas. Researching
how the public feels toward ozone, commuter options, and proper vehicle
maintenance led to a successful public awareness campaign. As a result,
METRO's ridership increased drastically. |
| Excellence
in Historical Resources |
Going-to-the-Sun
Road, Logan Pass Section, Montana. Workers used state-of-the-art engineering
to correct serious damage to this national historic landmark. The road
was repaired without damaging its historical character. |
| Excellence
in Noise Abatement |
Lafayette
Bypass, Colorado. The Colorado Department of Transportation was able to
mitigate noise levels while preserving the community's character by involving
the public in their planning and coordination of the project. |
| Excellence
in Non-Motorized Transportation |
New
York City Bicycle Network Development Program, New York. For the first
time in history, New York City released a comprehensive master plan for
a 1448-kilometer, citywide bike network, which included detailed bicycling
maps of the boroughs. As a result, the total number of miles bicyclists
rode in on-street bike lanes increased by 88 percent in one year. |
| Excellence
in Vegetation Management |
Wisconsin
Department of Transportation Olympic Region Landscape 3R Program, Washington.
Government employees, environmental organizations, community volunteers,
and the Squaxin Island tribe worked together to protect the native trees.
The groups salvaged and relocated existing trees that would be affected
by highway construction and highway maintenance activities. |
| Excellence
in Water Quality |
State
Route 28 Water Quality Demonstration Project, Nevada. The Nevada Department
of Transportation developed this program to preserve and protect Lake
Tahoe's water quality. The four-year program resulted in the reduction
of pollutants in the lake. |
| Excellence
in Wetlands and Other Ecosystems |
State
Route 87, Arizona. In the Tonto National Forest, project team members
made a special effort to preserve the existing natural environment while
improving State Route 87. In addition to widening the roadway, they stained
new rock surfaces to match the color of the adjacent rock and roughened
interior surfaces of box culverts to create a bat habitat. |
| Indian
Lake Restoration - Blue Earth County Board, Mankato, Minn. |
When
Blue Earth County began the construction of a bypass around the city of
Mankato, they were required to mitigate impacts to wetlands either through
creation or restoration. The resulting 48.6-hectare regional park that
was created is an outstanding recreational and environmental resource.
|
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