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Environmental Sustainability in Transportation TR N EW S 28 8 SE PT EM BE Râ O CT O BE R 20 13 10 In October 2012, the FederalHighway Administration(FHWA) launched a volun- tary online tool to help agencies identify opportunities for incor- porating sustainability into trans- portation projects and programs. INVEST 1.0 consists of a collec- tion of sustainability best prac- tices, called criteria, in three modulesâsystem planning, project development, and opera- tions and maintenanceâthat address the full life cycle of a highway. With this web-based tool, an agency can evaluate each module independently and receive a score based on the points achieved for each criterion. Beyond the score, however, INVEST 1.0 meets an identified need for a collaborative virtual workspace that promotes communication and encourages participation by a range of sus- tainability-minded practitioners, including transportation planners, engineers, construction specialists, asset managers, ecologists, econ- omists, maintenance technicians, and executive leaders. Incorporating Feedback INVEST 1.0 underwent an extensive review process during devel- opment. When the beta version was released in 2010, FHWA sought feedback from all potential users and stakeholder organizations, including the American Association of State Highway and Trans- portation Officials, the Association of Metropolitan Planning Orga- nizations, federal partnersâsuch as the Federal Transit Administra- tion and the Environmental Pro- tection Agencyâand many state departments of transportation. A pilot test version was re- leased in 2011 and 2012, and 17 transportation agencies around the country tested the tool and pro- vided feedback to FHWA. The de- velopment team received more than 2,000 comments from the beta and pilot testing, addressed all, and incorporated many into IN- VEST 1.0. Flexibility and Functionality The pilot tests led to a significant change in the project develop- ment module of INVEST 1.0. Users suggested that the module, designed to evaluate specific highway projects, should be more flexible and customizable, so that all types of highway proj- ects could have the opportunity to score points. FHWA created multiple scorecards for the mod- ule, acknowledging differences in project setting and scope. The revision allows for an urban pave- ment rehabilitation project, for example, to have a unique set of criteria tailored to its sustainabil- ity needs, and a large, rural highway project to have its own set of criteria. The module offers an option to create a custom scorecard around certain base criteria. The pilot test also yielded valuable input for the toolâs function- ality. FHWA requested that each agency participating in the pilot test send its evaluation team to a scoring workshop covering each cri- terion and its scoring. A representative from FHWA attended the workshops to observe the process, answer questions, and record feedback. The workshops offered insights into the user-friendliness of INVEST and into ways for improving the online working envi- ronment. Version 1.0 incorporates several new features as a result. Every user now has access to a project work space, which can store mul- tiple project scorecards. In addi- tion, supporting documents can be uploaded into the system, along with notes that reflect the scoring rationales. To learn more about INVEST 1.0 or to try out the tool, visit www.sustainablehighways.org. Online Tool Invests Highway Projects with Sustainability B E N J A M I N C O T T O N Central Federal Lands Highway is using the online tool INVEST to evaluate the sustainability of transportation projects in the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge in California. The Innerbelt 90 project in Cleveland, Ohio, received a gold score from the INVEST pilot. The bridge replacement project aimed for sustainability in several categories, such as energy efficiency, waste reduction, and project administration. P H O TO : JU STIN E B ELSO N/U .S. F ISH A N D W ILD LIFE S ER V IC E P H O TO : W A LSH/H N TB IN N ER B ELT B R ID G E T EA M The author is Community Planner, Transportation Systems Planning and Assessment, Volpe National Transportation Systems Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts.