NYSDOT Breaks New Ground on Environment

New York State Department of Transportation (NYSDOT) Commissioner Astrid C. Glynn has announced a first-in-the-nation initiative that will encourage the designers of department projects to minimize impacts to the environment and promote sustainability in public transportation design.

"At Gov. David Paterson's direction, the New York State Department of Transportation is moving ahead proactively with efforts to protect, restore and enhance the state's natural resources wherever we work," Glynn said. "By encouraging sustainable transportation project designs, we are taking significant steps to conserve our natural resources, enhancing the quality of our lives and reaffirming our commitment to future generations."

The new design program, named Green Leadership In Transportation and Environmental Sustainability (Green LITES), calls for the department to certify transportation project designs based on the extent to which they incorporate sustainable environmental choices. The initiative, which formalizes internal directives and implements a recognition program, starts with the review of all project designs completed after Sept. 25.

Although the concept of green certification is not new--the building industry has been using these standards since the mid-1990s, most notably with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system--no program to promote these goals has ever been successfully implemented for transportation design. New York state's program involves all road and bridge project designs and is being implemented through a self-certification process.

"This effort is only the latest example of New York setting the standard for environmental sensitivity in transportation planning," said Federal Highway Administrator Thomas J. Madison. "They don't just set the gold standard, they set the green standard."

As with the LEED program for buildings, Green LITES utilizes a rating system to score project designs and certify them in four increasingly stringent tiers, ranging from "certified" to "silver," "gold" and "evergreen," which is the highest rating. The more sustainable elements incorporated into a design, the higher it scores.

Designs are rated in categories covering site selection, water- and air-quality protection, the minimization of waste and innovation. Examples of design elements scorers might rate highly include the selection of a project site that minimizes impacts to the environment and a project design that follows existing geographic contours. Other examples include designs that protect, enhance or restore fish and wildlife habitat, minimize storm water runoff, improve traffic flow, reduce energy and petroleum consumption, improve bicycle and pedestrian facilities and minimize noise and stray light.

Jay DiLorenzo, president of the Preservation League of New York State, said, "Historic preservation and highway engineering are new acquaintances. We are delighted with the Department of Transportation's consideration of land use and community planning objectives in their Green LITES certification scheme, and hope that this new program will lead to a greater understanding of New York state's historic roads and the role they play in our communities."

Source: New York State Department of Transportation