Most state transportation agencies tout Context Sensitive Solutions as an underlying principle in their approach to transportation project development. CSS is defined by the Federal Highway Transportation Administration as a collaborative, interdisciplinary approach that involves all stakeholders to develop a transportation facility that fits its physical setting and preserves scenic, aesthetic, historic and environmental resources while maintaining safety and mobility. The purpose of this study was to apply TRB-proposed CSS measurement criteria to test whether a well-planned CSS strategy can contribute to a safe, cost-effective transportation project that is integrated within the fabric of the community. Olszak Management Consulting, Inc.with support from the Federal Highway Administration and the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission (PTC)developed and implemented a research design to evaluate the CSS approach to a major highway project, The Mon/Fayette Expressway. PTC empowered five Design Advisory Teams (DATs) made up of technical and community members to deliberate and make decisions about critical design issues. The documentation and data collection efforts focused on DAT activities and spanned twenty-four months of design work. Surveys of designers, meeting facilitators, community stakeholders, and project leaders yielded strong evidence of satisfaction with both processes and outcomes. Cost savings resulting from community involvement were clearly demonstrated. This report provides details about DAT structure and functions, methods for documentation and information exchange, reliability of metrics, research findings, lessons learned and suggestions for future research. The results of this research strengthen evidence for a CSS approach and provide practitioners with a set of tools and techniques that work.
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