In 1998 the United States
Department of Agriculture and the
United States Department of Transportation signed a Memorandum of Understanding in which
the agencies jointly agreed to address long-term agricultural
transportation, rural passenger and freight mobility challenges.
As a result of the Memorandum of Understanding, the agencies have
pursued a variety of projects of mutual interest, including the
development of this website. The Transportation Toolbox for
Rural Areas and Small Communities was designed to assist public and
private stakeholders in planning, developing, and improving rural
areas and small communities, especially through transportation and
related projects. It is a work in progress, and we welcome your
suggestions.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
As the twenty-first century begins, the United States Department of
Transportation (USDOT) and the United
States Department of Agriculture (USDA) are committed to meeting the
challenges of improving safety, enhancing the environment, stimulating
economic growth, and improving transportation for rural areas and
small communities.
Both USDA and USDOT offer an array of programs that, when used
together, can help ensure that rural communities share in the planning
and decision making processes by which transportation
investments are made. The USDA has a long history of helping rural
communities balance economic development with the value of maintaining
the positive aspects of rural life. Recognizing transportation’s
crucial role in this balance, the department offers several programs
that can assist rural areas and small communities in their efforts to
develop sustainable communities through transportation and other
related projects. Similarly, the USDOT has launched the Rural
Transportation Initiative—a comprehensive set of transportation
programs aimed at providing rural communities with a larger capacity
to shape their future.
USDA RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Transportation plays a crucial
role in the sustainable development of rural areas and small
communities. Whether it’s the building and planning of
pedestrian-oriented main streets in small towns to stimulate economic
development, or the improvement of public transportation
infrastructure to enhance the movement of goods or access to jobs,
transportation literally binds a community together. Helping the
people of rural America develop sustainable communities and improve
their quality of life is the mission area of USDA's Rural Development.
Within the Office of Rural Development, USDA’s Rural
Business-Cooperative Service and USDA’s Rural Housing Service both
oversee funding programs that can be used for transportation related
projects that enhance the sustainable development of rural America.
Rural areas and small communities can tailor the benefits of these
programs towards the development of transportation systems that
stimulate economic activity while maintaining the unique quality of
life found in rural America.
RURAL BUSINESS-COOPERATIVE SERVICE
USDA Rural
Development’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service has several programs
that can be used to support transportation related projects in rural
areas and small communities.
-Applicants interested in implementing transportation related
projects that will help improve the economic and environmental climate
in rural communities may be eligible for loans through the Business and
Industry Direct Loan Program. For example, loans for projects that
enhance public transportation infrastructure can reduce auto emissions
that have a negative impact on the environmental climate of rural
communities. Those same projects can stimulate the economy of rural
communities by enhancing the flow of commerce, and by providing access
to jobs.
-Community development projects that are transportation related
may be funded by the Intermediary
Relending Program. For example, lending institutions can be financed
by the government to, in turn, provide loans for the revitalization of
small downtown main streets.
-Through Rural
Business Enterprise Grants, applicants may be eligible for grants used
for, among other things, the acquisition and development of land and
the construction of buildings, plants, equipment, access streets and
roads. The funding of anyone of these activities can help reduce the
cost of individual transportation related projects that, collectively,
can enhance rural communities.
-Rural
Business Opportunity Grants are intended to help promote sustainable
economic development through the provision of technical assistance,
training, and planning activities. An example of a possible use of
grant funds might be for technical assistance needed to develop a plan
to revitalize a small community's mainstreet.
-Rural
Economic Development Loans provide zero interest loans to promote
rural economic development and job creation projects. An example of a
possible use of these types of loans might be to assist businesses in
a rural community with the development of a job access program.
-Rural
Economic Development Grants can be used for projects that, among other
things, create jobs, promote long-term improvements in economic
development, reduce unemployment rates, and include a community-based
economic development program. Many well planned community-oriented
transportation projects can do all of the above.
USDA Rural Development’s
Rural Housing Service provides direct loans, guaranteed loans, and
grants for community facilities. Certain public transportation
facilities may qualify for these funds. Some past examples include:
- Airport Hanger
- Airport
- Bridge
- City Airport
- Municipal & County Garage
- Offstreet Parking
- Sidewalks
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- Street Improvements
- Infrastructure for Industrial Park
- Railroad
- Town Bus Service/Equipment
- Marina
- Municipal Dock
- Special Transportation Equipment
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Other types of public transportation facilities may also
qualify.
USDA FOREST SERVICE
With a mission of
"caring for the land and serving the people," the USDA
Forest Service recognizes the need to balance the conservation of
natural resources with the need to ensure that nearby communities are
not denied the economic benefits of living near a National
Forest. The USDA Forest Service has several programs that
complement community transportation with the goal of improving rural
community sustainability. The programs are designed to assist
communities located within or adjacent to National Forests, and to
assist communities that wish to use wood-based resources as an
alternative for transportation infrastructure.
ROAD MANAGEMENT
There are few more irreparable marks that can be left on public
lands than to build a road. The USDA Forest Service's overriding
objective of road management is to work with local communities to
provide a forest road system that best serves the management
objectives and public uses of national forests and grasslands while
protecting the health of affected watersheds.
Individual national forest lands will employ a
scientifically-based road analysis procedure to assess environmental
and social issues and concerns associated with maintaining,
constructing, reconstructing, and decommissioning National Forest
System roads. Because of the potential impact on local communities,
this process will include extensive public involvement at the local
level. Potential economic impacts to nearby communities as a result of
local road decisions will be addressed and documented in an
appropriate National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) document.
WOOD IN TRANSPORTATION
Through its Wood in Transportation Program, USDA Forest Service
is helping rural areas and small communities use alternative resources
for transportation infrastructure. The purpose of the Wood
in Transportation Program is to improve local transportation networks
and revitalize local economies by using wood for bridges and related
transportation structures.
With technical and financial assistance from the program,
communities can build highway bridges, portable bridges for temporary
access, and pedestrian and trail structures--all made out of advanced
construction design wood. Rural areas and communities can take
advantage of this program to provide quality transportation
infrastructure at reduced costs.
RURAL ASSISTANCE PROGRAM
Rural Community Assistance programs help rural communities
build skills and develop strategies to address social, environmental
and economic change. Already, this program has been used to help
rural communities enhance their transportation
infrastructure--increasing tourism and providing connections between
communities and adjacent national forests.
USDOT's RURAL TRANSPORTATION INITIATIVE
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) designed the
Rural Transportation Initiative to ensure that rural areas and small
communities share in the mobility, economic, and social benefits that
many USDOT programs provide. The Initiative aims to increase the
capacity of rural America to play a more integral role in the planning
and decision-making that shape transportation systems. It also
provides an array of technical assistance and
grant programs to enable communities to plan, develop and improve air,
surface, and water transportation infrastructure.
RURAL INITIATIVE OBJECTIVES
- Improve safety to reduce the human and material costs that
are unintended consequences of the operation of the transportation
systems in rural areas;
- Allow residents of rural areas and small communities access
to the destinations and goods to attain their desired quality of
life;
- Provide the transportation service that will afford rural
areas and small communities the opportunity to reach their economic
growth and trade potential;
- Enhance the social strength and cohesiveness of small
communities and protect the natural environment of rural areas; and
- Maintain the national security and border integrity
necessary for the well being of all Americans.
RURAL INITIATIVE OUTCOMES
- Safety – Highway deaths and injuries decrease, rail-highway
crossings are upgraded, roads are upgraded to reduce run-off-the-road
incidents, and medical response time is shortened;
- Travel – Non-auto alternatives for those who cannot or
choose not to drive increase and solutions are found to increase and
support rural tourism;
- Environment – Rural air and water as well as culture,
historic, scenic and natural resources are protected and
transportation does not have an adverse affect on land use in rural
areas and small communities.
- Economic Activity – Efficient transport of passengers and
freight through rural areas and small communities allows these
communities to compete on an equal footing for the business created
by the provision of new and different transportation services; and
- Response to Demographic Changes – Older residents’
transportation needs are met and mobility choices to access jobs are
assured.
USDOT PROGRAMS
USDOT programs can help address the safety, infrastructure, and
other concerns outlined in the objectives of the Rural Initiative.
Many of these programs are authorized through the Intermodal Surface
Transportation Efficiency Act (ISTEA), the Transportation
Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21), and the Wendell H. Ford
Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR-21). By
passing these authorizing bills, Congress provided rural America with
many tools to address its transportation system in a holistic
manner.
ELIGIBILITY
The basic eligibility criteria for all USDOT programs include
the following:
Eligible recipients are state, metropolitan planning
organizations, transit operators, city and county governments,
planning agencies and other public bodies with the authority to plan
or construct transportation services and facilities. Non-profit,
community and civic organizations are strongly encouraged to
participate in program planning and development as partners with
eligible recipients.
Eligible project planning activities include: 1) the
preparation of implementation plans and designs incorporating safe
livable elements, 2) the assessment of environmental, social,
economic, land use and design impacts of projects, 3) feasibility
studies, 4) technical assistance, 5) participation by community
organizations, and the business community, including small and
minority owned businesses, and persons with disabilities, 6) the
evaluation of best practices, and 7) the development of innovative
design, land use and zoning practices. Planning organizations that
receive USDOT planning funds are expected to incorporate the
objectives of the Rural Initiative into their regular planning work
programs
Eligible capital activities or capital project
enhancements include: 1) property acquisition, restoration or
demolition of existing structures, site preparation, utilities,
restoration of historic buildings, building foundations, bikeways and
trails, walkways, open spaces that are physically or functionally
related to the transportation project; 2) the purchase of buses,
enhancements to transportation intermodal centers, park-and-ride lots
and transfer facilities incorporating community services such as day
care, health care and public safety; 3) safety elements such as
lighting, rail-crossings; 4) Intelligent Transportation Systems
technology such as GPS vehicle location and dispatch systems and
associated computer software, and 5) traveler information for tourists
and other rural travelers, and improved access to transit services;
operational enhancements such as transit marketing and pass programs,
especially for job access.
PROGRAMS
SURFACE TRANSPORTATION
Statewide
Planning
The statewide planning process establishes a cooperative,
continuous, and comprehensive framework for making surface
transportation investment decisions throughout the state and is
administered jointly by the Federal
Highway Administration and the
Federal Transit Administration.
Local Technical Assistance
Program (LTAP) and Tribal
Technical Assistance Program (TTAP)
As the primary transportation information resource for local and
tribal governments, the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) and
Tribal Technical Assistance Program (TTAP) provide access to technical
assistance, training, and information on new transportation
technologies. Technology transfer activities are made available
through a variety of projects including services provided by its
network of 57 LTAP centers. Centers are located in each state and
Puerto Rico; and six Tribal Technical Assistance Program centers
(TTAP) serve the needs of tribal governments. The LTAP assists local
and tribal governments in developing well-trained and motivated
staffs, resulting in an improved transportation network that helps
sustain rural economies.
HIGHWAY PROGRAMS
The Federal Highway
Administration (FHWA) administers a wide array of programs, including
those pertaining to roads, highways, bridges, and corridors. A full list of FHWA
programs is available on the main FHWA website. Technical
assistance and project-specific questions can be directed to the
FHWA's field offices.
National
Corridor Planning and Development Program
The purpose of the National Corridor Planning and Development Program
is coordinated planning, design, and construction of corridors of
national significance, economic growth, and international or
interregional trade.
Transportation
Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA)
The Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act of 1998
(TIFIA) provides Federal credit assistance to major transportation
investments of critical national importance, such as intermodal
facilities, border crossing infrastructure, expansion of multi-State
highway trade corridors, and other investments with regional and
national benefits. The TIFIA credit program is designed to fill market
gaps and leverage substantial private co-investment by providing
supplemental and subordinate capital.
Bridge
Replacement and Rehabilitation--Off System Bridges
The purpose of this program is to replace or rehabilitate deficient
highway bridges and to seismic retrofit bridges located on any public
road.
Federal
Lands Highways
This program provides funding for more than 80,000 miles of
federally-owned and public-authority owned roads and transit
facilities that serve Federal lands. They include the following
categories: Indian Reservation Roads, Park Roads and Parkways, Public
Lands Highways (discretionary and Forest Highways), and (Wildlife)
Refuge Roads.
Emergency
Relief
The purpose of Emergency Relief is to assist state and local
governments with the cost of repairing serious damage to Federal-aid
highways and roads on Federal Lands caused by natural disasters or
catastrophic failures from an external cause.
TRANSIT PROGRAMS
The Federal Transit
Administration (FTA) administers a wide array of programs, including
those pertaining to buses and vanpools. A complete list of the major FTA
assistance programs is available on the main FTA website.
Technical assistance and project-specific questions may be directed to
the Federal Transit Administration's field offices.
Rural Transit
Assistance Program
Eligible projects include activities that support rural transit
providers with training and technical assistance, research, and
related support services. Each state gets an annual allocation of
funds for RTAP that can be used for projects such as newsletters,
training courses, scholarships for training, and circuit riders. In
addition, RTAP funds are used for a national project that supports the
state RTAP managers, maintains a rural transit database, produces
training modules, and provides a rural transit resource center. There
is no local share requirement.
Financial
Assistance for Other than Urbanized Areas
Eligible projects include transit capital, operating, and project
administration expenses and state administration, for rural transit.
Service must be available to the general public. Intercity bus service
in rural areas also is eligible. Coordination with human service
transportation is encouraged. The Federal share generally is 80
percent for capital and 50 percent for operating assistance. Contract
revenue from human service agencies may be used for the local match.
Grants
and Loans for Special Needs of Elderly Individuals and those with
Disabilities
The purpose of this program is to help provide transit capital
assistance, through states, to organizations that provide specialized
transportation service for elderly individuals and those with
disabilities.
Rural
Transportation Accessibility Incentive Program
The purpose is to help over-the-road bus operators finance the
incremental capital and training costs of complying with the
Department's final rule on accessibility of over-the-road buses.
Transit
Capital Investment Grants and Loans Program (Bus and Bus Related)
The purpose is to provide capital support for transit infrastructure.
Transit
Benefits
The Internal Revenue Code is modified to make transit and vanpool
benefits more comparable with employee parking benefits by increasing
the limit on non-taxable transit and vanpool benefits from $65 to $100
per month beginning after December 31, 2001. In addition, transit and
vanpool benefits may be offered in lieu of compensation payable to an
employee beginning in 1998.
Job
Access and Reverse Commute Grants
The purpose is to:
(1) develop transportation services designed to transport welfare
recipients and low-income individuals to and from jobs, and;
(2) to develop transportation services for residents of urban centers
and rural and suburban areas to suburban employment opportunities.
AVIATION PROGRAMS
Airport planning may be done on an area-wide or individual
airport basis, with input from local officials. Area-wide planning
includes preparation of airport system plans for states, regions and
metropolitan areas. These plans identify the aviation facilities
needed to meet current and future air transportation needs. Grants for
airport system planning are made to planning agencies having area-wide
jurisdiction over the area being studied. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
uses this information in preparing the National Plan of Integrated
Airport Systems.
Essential Air
Service
This program was put into place to guarantee that small communities
that were served by certificated air carriers before the passage of
the Airline Deregulation Act in 1978 maintain a minimal level of
scheduled air service. The Department currently subsidizes commuter
airlines to serve approximately 100 rural communities across the
country that otherwise would not receive any scheduled air service.
Aviation
Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century (AIR 21)
This new, major aviation legislation increases the Small Airport Fund,
guarantees funding for General Aviation Airports, and allows pavement
maintenance projects to be funded under the Airport Improvement
Program at nonprimary airports.
RAIL PROGRAMS
Rail Rehabilitation and Improvement Financing--Loan and
Loan Guarantee Program
This program provides credit assistance, through direct loans and loan
guarantees, to public or private sponsors of intermodal and rail
projects for railroad capital improvements.
Light
Density Rail Line Pilot Projects
This program funds light density rail line pilot projects.
Eligible projects include capital improvements and rehabilitation of
publicly and privately owned rail line structures. Funds may not
be used for operating assistance. Eligible applicants are states
that have state rail plans.
U.S. COAST GUARD AND MARITIME PROGRAMS
Recreational
Boating Safety Program
The purpose of this program is to assist the states and U.S.
Territories with programs to protect recreational boaters.
Eligible projects include facilities, equipment, and supplies for
boating safety education and law enforcement, training personnel in
skills related to boating safety and enforcement, providing public
boating safety education, acquiring, constructing or repairing public
access sites used primarily by recreational boaters, conducting
boating safety inspections, establishing and maintaining emergency or
search and rescue facilities, and establishing and maintaining
waterway markers. There are a number of state eligibility
requirements, such as the requirement to have a vessel numbering
system.
Marine
Transportation System
The Marine Transportation System, or MTS, consists of waterways, ports
and intermodal landside connections which allow the various modes of
transportation to move people and goods to, from, and on the
water. In 1998, the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Maritime
Administration, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency
and nine other federal agencies agreed to expand the coordination of
their efforts for furthering the goals and needs of the Marine
Transportation System. The MTS process provides a way to bring all
parties together to develop one voice for water transportation.
COMMUNITY ENHANCEMENTS
Rural areas and small communities are facing many
environmental, demographic, and economic changes--challenges that are
the inevitable byproducts of growing travel demand, increased sprawl,
and dispersed destinations. The challenge is to maintain the
vitality of these rural areas and small communities while preserving
and protecting the natural, historic, scenic, and cultural
environment. The USDOT has a wide range of programs
directed specifically toward protecting and enhancing communities and
the natural environment, both of which can be impacted by
transportation. These programs are significant tools in
preserving the quality of life and environment in rural America.
Transportation and
Community and System Preservation Pilot Program
The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century established
the Transportation and Community and System Preservation Pilot Program
(TCSP) in response to the increasing interest in “smart growth”
policies that encourage investments in maintenance of existing
infrastructure over new construction, investment in high-growth
corridors, and efficient access to jobs and services. The key purpose
of this pilot program is to devise neighborhood, local, metropolitan,
state, or regional strategies that improve the efficiency of the
transportation system, minimize environmental impacts, and reduce the
need for costly public infrastructure investments.
Transportation
Enhancements
The purpose is to fund transportation-related activities designed to
strengthen cultural, aesthetic, and environmental aspects of the
Nation's transportation system.
National
Scenic Byways Program
The purpose of The National Scenic Byway Program is to provide
national recognition of roads that represent outstanding examples of
scenic, historic, cultural, recreational, and natural qualities as
well as to provide technical and financial assistance.
Recreational
Trails Program
The purpose is to provide and maintain recreational trails and
trail-related facilities for both motorized and non-motorized
recreational trail uses.
Bicycle
Transportation and Pedestrian Walkways
The purpose is to promote the increased use and safety of bicycling
and walking as transportation modes.
Congestion
Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program
The purpose of this program is to fund projects for areas that do not
meet the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (nonattainment areas)
and former nonattainment areas that are now in compliance (maintenance
areas) for ozone, carbon monoxide, and small particulate matter.
Funding is to help meet the requirements of the Clean Air Act.
Intelligent
Transportation Systems
The ITS program provides for the research, development, and
operational testing of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) aimed
at solving congestion and safety problems, improving operating
efficiencies in transit and commercial vehicles, and reducing the
environmental impact of growing travel demand. Proven technologies
that are technically feasible and highly cost effective will be
deployed nationwide as a component of the surface transportation
systems of the United States.
SAFETY PROGRAMS
Promoting and improving safety is the USDOT's highest priority.
The Department continues to have a strong focus on highway safety, in
particular, because about 94 percent of all transportation-related
fatalities and injuries involve highway motor vehicle crashes. Rural
America has a significant highway safety problem. Close to 80 percent
of the Nation's roadway miles are in rural areas; over 58 percent of
the total fatalities occur in rural areas and the fatality rate for
rural areas (per 100 million vehicles miles of travel) is more than
twice that of urban areas. Crashes in rural areas are more likely to
result in fatalities due to a combination of factors including extreme
terrain, faster speeds, more alcohol involvement, and the longer time
intervals from the advent of a crash to medical treatment due to
delays in locating crash victims and the distance to medical treatment
centers. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s highway safety goals
are: 1) a 50 percent reduction in truck crash-related fatalities by
2010, and 2) a 20 percent reduction in crash-related fatalities and
serious injuries by 2008.
Among the priority safety areas for the Department of
Transportation are reducing single-vehicle run-off-road fatal crashes
-- two-thirds of which occur in rural areas. Many of these fatal
crashes take place on two-lane rural roads and involve vehicles
striking fixed objects, or going down an embankment or into a ditch.
Speeding is another factor in many run-off-the road rural crashes.
Additionally, priority programs to increase seat belt use and
reduce alcohol-impaired driving nationwide will have a major influence
on reducing highway fatalities and injuries in rural areas. The
Department also focuses on safety of bicycling and walking, because
these are prevalent methods of transportation in some rural areas.
They constitute a safety problem -- 35 percent of the bicyclists’
fatalities were in rural areas and although fewer pedestrians are
injured in rural areas than in urban areas, they are more likely to
result in fatalities largely because of the time it takes to get to a
hospital.
Continued reductions in the aviation accident rate, during a
period of rapid growth in air travel, remain a primary task of the
Department. Efforts to reduce highway-railway grade crossing crashes
also are continuing.
USDA AND USDOT PROGRAM EXAMPLES
Send us your
success story to share with others.
American Farmland Trust's
Timber Bridge at Cove Mountain Farm, Franklin County, Pennsylvania
(USDA)--Cove Mt. Farm is dissected by Little Cove Creek. While
the stream is usually shallow, storms can cause water levels to rise
quickly, preventing equipment and livestock from crossing. While
this might not be an issue on most farms, having a dairy on the
opposite side of the creek from a milking station can be a real
problem. In cooperation with the Pennsylvania Rural Development
Council, engineers from the USDA Forest Service designed a wood bridge
to address this problem, saving the American Farmland Trust between
$14,000 and $54,000.
Information: National Wood and Transportation Information
Center (304) 285-1591
Katy Trail
State Park: Linking Communities for 200 Miles in Missouri (USDOT)– A
public-private partnership that, once completed, will be one of the
longest rail-to-trails conversions in the U.S. creating a
transportation route that crosses nine counties and links villages
with few than 15 residents to towns of more than 50,000. The historic
Sedalia Depot will be restored as part of the project.
Funding Sources: DOT Transportation Enhancement, State of
Missouri, and Private benefactor
The Missouri Department of Natural Resources (DNR) estimates
the 233 mile long Katy Trail will attract over 200,000 users each
year. The State of Missouri bought the abandoned Missouri-Kansas-Texas
Railroad and the first segment opened in April of 1990. Katy follows
the Missouri River from St. Charles past Jefferson City to Boonville,
then continue southwest to Sedalia; with plans for an extension from
Sedalia to the outskirts of Clinton.
Katy's surface is hard-packed, crushed limestone makes it
available to wheelchairs, thin-tired bicycles, mountain bikes, as well
as walkers and runners. Places like Easley have opened bike-rental
shops and two old railroad depots in Sedalia and Boonville will be
restored. It is hoped that eventually the trail can continue to the
suburbs of Kansas City.
Tourist stops along the way that booster use include
Marthasville, once home of Daniel Boone; Defiance, named for enticing
a railroad stop away from a neighboring town; Augusta, the heart of
German culture in the 1800's; pre-Civil War Rocheport, mentioned in
the journals of Lewis and Clark; and Boonville, the first major river
port and later a booming railroad town.
Information: FHWA Environmental Planning, 202-366-0106
A
Hillside Made of Cloth: Idaho’s Lost Trail Pass (USDOT)-- The
geotextile wall built on this slope—one of the steepest and highest
roadsides in the country—saved trees and helped prevent soil from
eroding into a salmon-spawning stream. Native plants were used because
they can handle the conditions – "they are site-adapted and
genetically suited" says Jan Kruegar
Funding Sources: ISTEA demonstration funds, State of Idaho
The idea was the brainchild of geotechnical experts from FHWA's
Western Federal Lands Highway Division who designed this
fabric-reinfot alt="Hillside made of cloth in Idaho" border=0>A
Hillside Made of Cloth: Idaho’s Lost Trail Pass (USDOT)-- The
geotextile wall built on this slope—one of the steepest and highest
roadsides in the country—saved trees and helped prevent soil from
eroding into a salmon-spawning stream. Native plants were used because
they can handle the conditions – "they are site-adapted and
genetically suited" says Jan Kruegar
Funding Sources: ISTEA demonstration funds, State of Idaho
The idea was the brainchild of geotechnical experts from FHWA's
Western Federal Lands Highway Division who designed this
fabric-reinforced slope along a reconstructed section of Scenic Byway
U.S. Highway 93 between Salmon, Idaho, and the Montana state line. The
new geotextile slope is 50 feet high and 45 degrees steep. It had to
be that high to save trees and to present soil from sliding into a
creek below where, every year, salmon come to spawn before returning
to the Salmon River downstream.
This slope was crucial for draining water and controlling
erosion - a drainage system that would not contain water and build up
pressure but instead would let excess water seep out gradually and
slowly. This design also surpassed the esthetic and environmental
goals for it not only saved close to 100 tall pine trees but thousand
of young salmon. Using innovative techniques, construction workers
were able to cover the entire area with an erosion control mat,
revegetate using native plants and a "hydro-seeding"
process. Using native plants that were site-adapted and genetically
suited were critical to the project's success. The new slope is
covered with a thick canopy of grasses and healthy shrubs and the
plants are reseeding themselves.
Information: FHWA Environmental Planning, 202-366-0106
East Main Street Reconstruction, Westminster, MD
(USDOT) - Through intensive community planning and hearings, the new
plan for Main St. would save the 42 trees, add 104 new trees, widen
sidewalks, add sidewalks - complimenting the historic buildings,
reduced lane width, historic "street furniture" such as
hitching posts were conserved. Lesson learned - citizen involvement at
beginning saves time and dollars and brings increased demand for
downtown retail and office space. (Flexibility in Highway Design)
Funding Sources: FHWA State Highway Formula Apportionment
funds, Maryland DOT, City of Westminster
East Main Street has changed little since Jeb Stuart's cavalry
pursued the 1st Delaware down its dusty way on June 29, 1863, in a
prelude to Gettysburg. By 1990, Westminster had doubled its
population, shopping malls were replacing downtown businesses, and the
very age that had made downtown Westminster a National Register
Historic District was eroding its attractions.
After the city and the public rejected original designs, the
State appointed a committee to work with the community to come up with
a design that would save trees, add trees, save and add to brick
sidewalks and textured crossings, more efficient use of parking
spaces, and preservation of heritage "street furniture such as
boot scrapers and hitching posts.
Current and future street-improvement projects will involve
residents and designers at initial states, and, as the construction
takes place, flyers will tell people what is going to be done, when,
and where.
Information: Maryland Department of Transportation,
410-321-2213
ADDITIONAL FUNDING AND TECHNICAL RESOURCES
PLANNING RESOURCES
CONTACT US
-
by E-mail:
Eileen S. Stommes, USDA
or
Joyce Koeneman, USDOT
OR
-
write to:
U.S. Department of Transportation
Office of Transportation Policy Development
1200 New Jersey Ave, SE
Washington, DC 20590
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