The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 (NEPA) marked the beginning of the environmental review process (ERP) for Federal actions, including highway and bridge construction projects falling under the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) and Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). In order to speed up the ERP for pending USDOT/FHWA projects, Section 1309 of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century, in 1998, directed USDOT/FHWA to develop and coordinate an ERP for highway projects. However, the direct effects of NEPA on transportation projects, in terms of time and cost, have not as yet been explored in depth. With this in mind, this article provides an overview of the findings of a series of studies conducted by FHWA to determine how NEPA integrates into the overall process of project delivery, and also to assess the impacts of the NEPA process on the timing and cost of project delivery.
Samenvatting