Summer 2004, Volume 10, No. 3
CSS Course in Development
CTE has been awarded a contract from the Federal
Highway Administration to develop a graduate course on context sensitive
solutions (CSS) principles and practices for use in civil and environmental
engineering (CEE) graduate courses. CSS is a collaborative process
by which transportation agencies and stakeholders achieve solutions
that integrate transportation planning and project delivery with
the natural environment and human communities that support them.
The CSS course will be developed by CTE and applied first at NC
State University's Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
during the fall semester of 2006, and then adapted for use at CEE
programs nationwide.
The CSS course will be supplemented with a Web-based network of
human, informational, and technological resources related to CSS
and transportation. The overarching goal of the project is to help
career-track students and rising professionals develop a greater
awareness of how to plan and deliver transportation projects that
support community values without compromising safety, cost efficiency,
and the integrity of the natural environment.
For more information, contact Janet D'Ignazio, senior research
associate, (919) 515-8587; jdignaz@unity.ncsu.edu.
Upcoming Broadcast Addresses Indirect/Cumulative Assessments
On August 26, CTE in cooperation with the Federal Highway Administration,
will present the live nationally televised satellite broadcast (and
Web simulcast) of Lessons Learned in Assessing Indirect and Cumulative
Impacts of Transportation Projects. The program will focus primarily
on useful strategies to employ in the scoping phase, which is considered
one of the most complex stages of the I/C assessment process. Case
studies will feature the Lower Manhattan Redevelopment Project,
Maryland's I-270/US-15 Multimodal Corridor Study, and North Carolina's
Monroe Bypass Project.
Coming up in October, CTE will present Context Sensitive Solutions
in Transportation: A Comprehensive Approach, and in December, Transportation
and Public Health: The State of the Science.
For more information, visit CTE, or
contact Katie McDermott, technology transfer director, (919) 515-8034;
kpm@unity.ncsu.edu.
NC Students Complete CSS Summer Internships
This summer six undergraduate students attended CTE's new Context
Sensitive Solutions (CSS) Academy and participated as paid summer
interns for the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT).
At NCDOT, the junior- and senior-level students provided support
for various environmental initiatives throughout the department.
In addition, the students attended a two-week CSS academy that introduced
them to the state of the art in CSS principles and practices related
to surface transportation planning and project delivery.
The students completed their internships on August 3 and provided
oral presentations of their experiential work activities to a group
of local area practitioners and faculty researchers. In addition
to a paid salary, the students received a CSS certificate of accomplishment
and the opportunity to circulate their resumes to agencies and organizations
seeking new hires who possess a broader understanding of transportation
and environmental issues.
Congratulations to the following CSS Academy Summer Interns:
- Matthew Potter, Civil Engineering (Transportation), NC State
University
- Natalie Chan, Environmental Engineering, NC State University
- Robert Watkins, Transportation and Logistics, NC A&T State
University
- Jennifer Roy, Civil Engineering (Transportation), NC State University
- Michael Littlefield, Civil Engineering (Transportation), NC
State University
- Bobby Tucker, Environmental Engineering, NC State University
CTE extends its special appreciation to Dr. John Stone and Dr.
Joe Hummer of NCSU's civil engineering department, for serving as
advisors to the interns through the duration of the summer program.
For more information, please contact James Martin, associate director,
(919) 515-8620; jbm@unity.ncsu.edu.
CTE Welcomes New Staff
Vanessa Wilburn
Program Assistant
Vanessa provides support to CTE's context sensitive solutions
(CSS) training program. She assists with the production of the course
materials and coordinates the logistics for the three-day classroom
sessions. In addition, Vanessa helps prepare educational materials
for other CTE projects, such as the participant/instructor notebooks
for the new FHWA community impact assessment (CIA) course currently
under development. (Contact: 919-515-7923 or vbwilbur@unity.ncsu.edu)
Teresa Townsend
Research Associate
Teresa provides research support for CTE projects related primarily
to CSS and CIA. Teresa facilitates the case study group exercises
tied to the CSS training program and is also assisting with the
research and development of case studies for the new FHWA community
impact assessment course. Teresa will be presenting at the National
CIA Conference in Portland, Maine, in August. In addition, Teresa
is helping CTE to launch an initiative to evaluate the social indicators
of transportation projects. (Contact: 919-515-9351 or tltownse@unity.ncsu.edu).
CTE Launches New Research on Impacts of Climate Change
In one of its next major research initiatives for 2004-05, CTE
will lead a team of universities, in cooperation with the U.S. Department
of Transportation, to identify new design and operations guidelines
related to the impacts of sea-level rise and changing hydrology
on transportation infrastructure. The purpose of the initiative
is to provide planning and engineering professionals with the information
they need to make informed decisions about how to respond to the
possible changes resulting from climate change.
The guidance will be developed through the use of small grants
to a team of established experts in specific, narrowly defined areas.
Experts will respond to a set of problem statements generated at
a workshop of invited participants. The draft results will be presented
at a second workshop to the same participants for their review and
comment. The final results will be presented at a nationally televised
videoconference as well as submitted for book publication or as
a special edition of a technical journal.
The current proposal is but the first step in what will no doubt
be a long and complex learning process. As the fruits of future
research are harvested, it will be necessary to update this guidance.
For more information, contact James Martin, associate director,
(919) 515-8620; jbm@unity.ncsu.edu.
CTE Web Site Undergoes Facelift
CTE is in the process of re-designing its Web site! The cream-and-teal
palette will be replaced by a bolder black, gold, and teal palette,
anchored by numerous snapshots of transportation and environmental
images. Most importantly, the site will contain more robust navigational
devices to guide users easily through CTE's host of programs and
service offerings related to various transportation and environmental
topics.
CTE is excited about introducing a new online discussion forum
as well as other special features to help foster the national dialogue
on emerging issues. Look for the new homepage to make its appearance
in the fall of 2004.
For more information, contact Katie McDermott, technology transfer
director, (919) 515-8034, kpm@unity.ncsu.edu.
ICOET 2005 Travels to San Diego
The date and location of the 2005 International Conference on
Ecology and Transportation has been set. ICOET 2005 will be conducted
at the Hilton San Diego Resort at Mission Bay in San Diego, CA,
on August 29 – September 2. The conference theme is "On The
Road to Stewardship."
CTE will be mailing out a "Save the Date" card at the end of August.
Visit the conference Web
site for updated infomation on paper submission guidelines,
hotel accomodations, registration and more in the coming months.
CTE/NCDOT Research-in-Progress Profile:
Comparison of the Impacts of Culverts Versus Bridges on
Stream Habitat and Aquatic Fauna
Performing Organizations:
North Carolina State University
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Project Period:
July 2003 – June 2005
Project Team:
Dr. Jay Levine, jay_levine@ncsu.edu
NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine
Dr. Greg Cope, greg_cope@ncsu.edu
NCSU Department of Toxicology
Dr. Damian Shea, damian_shea@ncsu.edu
NCSU Department of Toxicology
Dr. Dave Eggleston, eggleston@ncsu.edu
NCSU Department of Atmospheric Sciences
Dr. James Gregory, jim_gregory@ncsu.edu
NCSU Department of Forestry
Dr. Arthur Bogan, arthur.bogan@ncmail.net
NC Museum of Natural Sciences
Overview
Many of the numerous aquatic species that inhabit NC surface waters
are imperiled and protected by federal and state legislation. Environmental
site assessments are conducted by the North Carolina Department of
Transportation (NCDOT) and evaluated by state and federal wildlife
managers to ensure that the construction or renovation of roads and
crossing structures does not impede conservation efforts. The process
requires cooperation, dialogue, and valid site-specific information.
Because the majority of the state's freshwater mussel species
are imperiled they are often the focus of discussion when crossing
structures are proposed, and the presence of an endangered or threatened
species heightens the importance of these discussions. Lack of agreement
about the potential impact of a specific project often causes expensive
delays in construction or modifications of project design.
It is generally believed that culverts are more detrimental to
streams than are bridges; consequently, wildlife regulatory agency
biologists routinely recommend installation of a bridge instead
of a culvert. In fact, bridges may be required when federally-listed
species are involved. Culverts, however, are more economical than
bridges. They often cost less to install, require less maintenance,
and have a longer effective life. The research team for this project
hypothesizes that the impacts of culverts on stream beds are not
uniform, but vary due to culvert design, size, and site-specific
factors. Engineers are continually working to refine construction
and renovation practices to minimize the impacts of crossing structures
on surface waters, and to achieve a delicate balance between construction
and maintenance costs and ecosystem integrity. Modifications in
bridge design and construction practices may justify renewed consideration
of culverts as an alternative to bridges.
Purpose of Project
This project has been designed to generate scientific information
needed to help resolve the bridge-versus-culvert controversy by
comparing the relative impacts of culverts and bridges, and their
specific design attributes, on freshwater mussel populations and
the native fish populations they depend on for migration and reproduction.
The cost savings to taxpayers could be profound. By more clearly
defining how specific design attributes impact stream hydrology
and fauna, DOT engineers may be able to develop refined standard
culvert designs that are acceptable to wildlife agency biologists
and accommodate more rapid consensus about specific projects.
Project Activities to Date:
Fifty-one study sites have been selected for the freshwater mussel
surveys, including 16 sites for surveys of the native fish populations
that serve as hosts for the mussels. The mussel surveys and fish
sampling are currently underway; data entry and analysis of the
survey results will begin in late fall 2004. In addition, the 51
total sites include 20 sites that have been selected to compare
contaminant input from bridges versus culverts. Moreover, an initial
brief assessment of the 51 study sites has been completed to provide
the information needed to select the final 10-12 sites that will
be the focus of the intensive channel geomorphology studies related
to the project.
Through this initial assessment of the 51 study sites, the research
team has observed that while each of the culvert sites is unique,
a pattern seems to be emerging regarding their impacts on stream
morphology. Many of the sites that seemed greatly affected by the
installation of a culvert usually had one or more of the following
characteristics.
- When the culvert was installed, many streams appeared to have
been straightened and deepened in order to increase flow speed
so that the culverts would be self cleaning. This altered habitats,
destroyed stream sinuosity, and created long, slow pools that
invite beaver dams.
- When a culvert's width was near or less than the bankfull width,
then the downstream bank incision usually was greater than upstream.
Inversely, when a culvert was wider than the bankfull width, then
the stream was able to use its floodplain and thus minimize the
high velocities associated with the concentrated flow from most
culverts.
- When a culvert was installed in a stream with a coarse substrate,
the stream banks seemed to resist the higher velocities below
a culvert.
This study, therefore, might suggest that certain culverts are
more appropriate for certain stream types. The study will be complete,
and the final results documented for NCDOT and the project technical
committee's review, by June 2005.
For More Information
Please contact the project team members or refer to the project
Web
site.
Mark Your Calendar
August 21 – 26, 2004
4th National Community Impact Assessment Workshop
(Portland, ME)
August 26, 2004
Lessons Learned in Assessing Indirect/Cumulative Impacts
(CTE National Broadcast)
September 16 – 21, 2004
AASHTO Annual Meeting
(Philadelphia, PA)
September 28 – October 3
National Historic Preservation Conference
(Louisville, KY)
October 15, 2004
Transportation and Public Health: CTE Distinguished Lecture
(Raleigh, NC)
October 27, 2004
Context Sensitive Solutions in Transportation
(CTE National Broadcast)
For more information, please visit CTE's CONVERGE
Web site.
For more information about CTE News and
Notes, contact Katie McDermott,
Editor
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