Impact of Environmental Controls on Highways

Abstract

New federal and state environmental legislation and regulations have directly affected operations of highway departments and the ability of highway agencies to plan, design, and construct new public works facilities. A brief summary of environmental regulations analyzing environmental controls is presented. An illustrative example describes an analysis for comparing highway alternatives on the basis of road user and nonuser, social, economic, and environmental factors. The impact on the decision-making process is considered from the viewpoint of the multiplicity of approvals by different governmental agencies that are required in highway location and design. Interactions between land development and transportation are examined and the need for community involvement in the early stages of the decision-making process are stressed, particularly at that point in time when land development decisions that generate new travel demands are made. A series of questions are raised that appear to require answers regarding the impact of environmental controls on the organization and management of highway agencies.