Awareness of the need for more effective, streamlined, and integrated planning of transportation improvements has permeated all levels of government, and has become a top priority to advance the level of sophistication and integration for transportation planning. For example, the Federal Highways Administration (FHWA) has committed to the use of collaborative approaches to transportation planning, and has established environmental streamlining and stewardship as a major strategic direction for the agency. These approaches are now being recognized for their effectiveness and impact on reduced costs, fewer delays, and better environmental outcomes. Modernized, integrated concepts of transportation planning are the focus of research being supported through the Strategic Highways Research Programs. A significant advancement in this field is the development of the Integrated Ecological Framework (referred to hereafter as “IEF” or “Framework”) that has resulted from the SHRP 2 CO6 projects. Given the progressive approaches that have been embraced and implemented by the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), such as the Shortgrass Prairie Initiative, the framework has a strong potential to further advance efforts to insert proactive natural resource conservation into the transportation planning process. At this stage in the evolution of these practices, a process has been developed that holds great promise for improving ecosystem and species recovery and watershed restoration, but it has yet to be adequately tested. This approach represents a major paradigm shift for transportation planning, and before it is (or should be) embraced by the planning community it requires testing, followed, if necessary, by refinements and adjustments. Thus, the framework, while leading towards better answers and better results, leaves planners with many crucial questions at this juncture. The questions that the research team (also referred to as “the team”) set out to address in this project are: • How can these practices be integrated into current transportation planning? • How can these practices lead to a better range of outcomes and mitigation options? • How can areas be identified that represent the optimal priorities for conservation and mitigation? • Can species models and improved wetland map resources lead to better conservation outcomes? • How might credit markets be employed to achieve conservation objectives? • What perceptions of natural resource values, credit markets, mitigation opportunities, and ecosystem services are held by travelers within project areas? • And finally, what is the operational feasibility of this process? (Author/publisher)
Abstract