In 2010, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) selected a CH2M HILL-led team to assist in identifying the characteristics of a sustainable highway, and to define best practices for the planning, design, construction, and operations and maintenance of sustainable highways.

 

An outcome of the research project was the development and 2012 launch of INVEST, which is a practical, web-based collection of best practices that allow states to integrate sustainability into their transportation projects and programs. The tool enables transportation agencies to develop a sustainability score used to support decision making, or to share an agency’s commitment to sustainability with external audiences.

 

INVEST emphasizes a balanced, interdisciplinary approach to achieving sustainability. It provides opportunities for professionals in environmental, planning, engineering, construction and operations and maintenance fields to understand and improve sustainability performance in transportation.

 

With the tool launched, FHWA is looking for projects and programs interested in being deployment sites. The tool will be useful for agencies performing system planning work (usually metropolitan planning organizations and state Departments of Transportation updating transportation plans), agencies with key projects in project development (planning, design, and construction), and agencies delivering operations and maintenance programs.

 

Check out the tool at www.sustainablehighways.org.