Sustainable Highways Initiative

FHWA Initiatives News
arrow

FHWA issues Notice of Proposed Amendments (NPA) for the 11th edition of the MUTCD (12-2020)
The Notice of Proposed Amendments (NPA) for the 11th edition of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) is available for public comment in the Federal Register. The NPA represents a comprehensive update to the MUTCD. Public comments may be submitted to the public docket. Comments may be submitted through March 15, 2021.
arrow

FHWA Advances Research on Micromobility (11-2020)
The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) is advancing research on the rapidly evolving field of micromobility. FHWA is the lead convener on the topic, engaging offices across USDOT to coordinate on the numerous projects and initiatives and developing a prioritized research agenda for micromobility. FHWA’s efforts are designed to further the state of the practice, and promote collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. Recently FHWA posted a fact sheet on micromobility, and two handouts, which highlight FHWA and USDOT micromobility activities, resources, and research.
arrow

Request for Nominations for Round 5 of Alternative Fuel Corridors Designations (11-2020)
Section 1413 of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act requires the Secretary of Transportation to designate national electric vehicle (EV) charging, hydrogen, propane, and natural gas fueling corridors. FHWA is working with other Federal, State, and local officials, as well as private industry, to help plan and promote an Interstate network of stations that will fuel vehicles powered by clean and domestically produced alternative fuels, so commercial and passenger vehicles can reliably travel between cities, regions, and across the entire nation. FHWA announced that nominations for Round 5 designations are due by Wednesday, February 24, 2021.
arrow

Changes to FHWA’s CMAQ Emission Reductions Calculator Toolkit (10-2020)
FHWA is continuing to develop a series of tools to provide technical support for the implementation of the Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program (CMAQ) Program. Most recently, the Managed Lane Facilities and Conversions tool was updated, and FHWA hosted a webinar to demonstrate the Alternative Fuels and Vehicles and the Dust Mitigation tools.
arrow

FHWA Offers Trainings on Traffic Noise Model 3.0 (10-2020)
FHWA’s Traffic Noise Model (TNM 3.0) was released in February 2020 and FHWA has been offering trainings for potential and existing users including a web-based course, videos, and webinars. These trainings supplement the written frequently asked questions (FAQs) and Getting Started documents and provide focused information related to the Installation and Project Setup processes in the model.
arrow

Webinar on Truck Freight Sustainability Initiatives (9-2020)
FHWA held a webinar on three truck freight sustainability initiatives, focused on renewable fuels, enhanced truck operations, and improved truck construction, that are taking steps to reduce truck emissions and improve truck efficiency.
arrow

Call for Presentations: Transportation Resilience 2019 (3-2019)
FHWA is soliciting presentations for the International Conference on Resilience to Natural Hazards and Extreme Weather Events to be held in November 2019. The conference will focus on emerging best practices and research results on how to adapt surface transportation networks to the potential impacts of natural disasters and extreme weather events.
View More News Items, Back to Top, and View News Archives View More News Items Back to Top View News Archives View Fewer News Items, Back to Top, and View News Archives View Fewer News Items Back to Top View News Archives Publications
Going Solar at the Speed of Light: State DOTs turn to solar to save money. Transportation agencies have high electric bills from lighting roads and operating maintenance shops. Since they also own land along roads that get plenty of sunshine, some state DOTs are using public-private partnerships to install solar panels. The solar panels help to reduce those electric bills while also generating clean energy. Graph shows the approximate highway solar energy capacity in megawatts: 2008 (.10); 2009 (.12); 2010 (.25); 2011 (.41); 2012 (2.71); 2013 (2.71), 2014 (2.72); 2015 (5.18); 2016 (5.25); 2017 (5.25); and 2018 (planned: 7.61). Photo shows a solar panel installation along a highway.
arrow

Fact Sheet on Supporting Alternative Fuels with CMAQ (12-2020)
FHWA has recently issued a fact sheet describing how alternative fuel projects, including fleet conversions and refueling infrastructure, are one of the eligible project categories under CMAQ.
arrow

New FHWA Air Quality Analysis Report and Fact Sheet (12-2020)
FHWA released a report and fact sheet summarizing an evaluation undertaken to compare methods of representing vehicle activity at signalized intersections for use in project scale air quality analysis. This evaluation is intended to advance the state of the practice for emissions and dispersion analysis at signalized intersections, which will improve the accuracy of pollutant concentration estimates.
arrow

FHWA Publishes Alternative Fuel Corridors Best Practices (12-2020)
FHWA’s Alternative Fuel Corridors Program published best practices focused on the Clean Cities Coalition Network, the National Highway Charging Collaborative, and clean freight corridor planning.
arrow

FHWA Publishes Example Practices for Performance-Based Planning and Programming (10-2020)
FHWA released a report showcasing example practices of State Departments of Transportation (DOTs) and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs) implementing performance-based planning and programming (PBPP) in order to help advance the state of the practice. Focusing primarily on the FHWA performance measures in Section 150 of Title 23, United States Code (23 U.S.C. 150) for highway safety, pavement and bridge condition, travel time reliability, freight reliability, traffic congestion, and on-road mobile source emissions, the research team reviewed planning documents from over 30 MPOs and from 50 States, not including the District of Columbia or Puerto Rico.
arrow

FHWA Updates Pedestrian and Bicyclist Road Safety Audit Guide and Prompt List (9-2020)
FHWA published the Pedestrian and Bicyclist Road Safety Audit Guide and Prompt List, which serves as an update to the Pedestrian Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists (2007) and Bicycle Road Safety Audit Guidelines and Prompt Lists (2012). The updated resource combines content into a single document, outlining information on how to conduct road safety audits (RSA) and effectively assess the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. It discusses the RSA process, basic safety principles, and potential hazards affecting users.
arrow

New FHWA On-Demand Webinar on Planning and Enviroment Linkages (9-2020)
The on-demand webinar consists of three presentations from experts and practitioners focused on Planning and Environment Linkages (PEL). Topics covered include an overview of PEL authorities and available resources from FHWA, information about a State-level implementation of PEL, and the early involvement of resource agencies when using PEL approaches.
arrow

FHWA Newsletter Highlights Section 106 Tribal Agreements (6-2019)
The June 2019 issue of FHWA’s Successes in Stewardship newsletter focuses on Section 106 agreements between FHWA and Federally Recognized Tribes, and the respective roles of each agency involved in the Section 106 consultation and the agreement development processes.
arrow

FHWA Publishes Environmental Justice State of the Practice Reports (3-2019)
Two new reports on environmental justice in highway programs have been issued by FHWA. These reports describe how State DOTs and MPOs are addressing environmental justice concerns based on a review of all 52 State DOTs and a sample of 100 MPOs. The report includes commonly applied techniques and new environmental justice strategies, such as stakeholder engagement, benefits-costs assessments, and techniques for identifying and understanding the needs of environmental justice populations.
Addressing Changing Demographics in Environmental Justice Analysis, State of the Practice
Environmental Justice Analysis in Transportation Planning and Programming: State of the Practice
View More Publications, Back to Top, and View Publications Archives View More Publications Back to Top View Publications Archives View Fewer Publications, Back to Top, and View Publications Archives View Fewer Publications Back to Top View Publication Archives
Close-up photograph of a layer of thick road cement being laid by a construction crew
Upcoming Events
arrow

There are no events to list at this time.
Please check back soon.
Back to Top Back to Top Websites and Initiatives
arrow

FHWA Sustainable Transportation Website
arrow

Eco-logical: An Ecosystem Approach to Developing Infrastructure Projects
arrow

FHWA Bicycle and Pedestrian Program
Back to top View More Websites and Initiatives View Fewer Websites and Initiatives